Scripture doesn't give God just one name — it gives him many, each one revealed at a different moment and showing a different side of who he is. Quoted here from the King James Version.
Each of these names was spoken into a specific situation — a burning bush, a battlefield, a bitter well, a birth announcement — and each one has stuck ever since.
"I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you"Exodus 3:14, King James Version
God's answer when Moses asks his name at the burning bush. The name (rendered “LORD” in small capitals throughout the Old Testament, from the Hebrew YHWH) points to God's self-existence — he simply is, depending on nothing and no one.
"I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect"Genesis 17:1, King James Version
Spoken to Abram at age ninety-nine, just before God renames him Abraham and confirms his covenant. The title emphasizes God's total sufficiency and power to keep an impossible-sounding promise.
"Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen"Genesis 22:14, King James Version
Named after God provided a ram in place of Isaac on Mount Moriah. The name became a proverb — a place where God's provision is seen right when it's needed most.
"I am the LORD that healeth thee"Exodus 15:26, King James Version
Spoken after God turns the bitter waters of Marah sweet, just days after Israel's escape through the Red Sea. The healing promise is tied to a call to listen and obey.
"Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovahshalom"Judges 6:24, King James Version
Gideon builds this altar after an angel of the Lord tells him “Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die,” following Gideon's fear that seeing God face to face would kill him.
"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last"Revelation 22:13, King James Version
The risen Christ's self-description near the very end of Revelation, using the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet to declare that he encompasses all of history, start to finish.
"they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us"Matthew 1:23, King James Version
Quoted from Isaiah and applied to Jesus at his birth. The name captures the central Christian claim about Jesus: that in him, God came to live among his people directly.
"I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep"John 10:11, King James Version
Jesus applies to himself an image used throughout the Old Testament for God as Israel's shepherd (Psalm 23, Ezekiel 34) — and adds that this shepherd, uniquely, lays down his own life for the flock.
Jehovah-Jireh, Jehovah-Rapha, and Jehovah-Shalom all combine the covenant name LORD (Jehovah) with a description of what God did in that moment — provided, healed, gave peace.
Throughout most English Old Testaments, whenever you see LORD printed in small capitals, the underlying Hebrew is God's personal name, YHWH, connected to the “I AM” of Exodus 3:14.
Titles like “Good Shepherd” and the idea behind “Emmanuel” draw directly on language the Old Testament uses for God himself — part of how the New Testament identifies Jesus with the God of Israel.