Psalm 110; John 9:35-38, Adonai/Adown/Kurios

The basic theme of this name is sovereign authority.  “Adown” is used both of men and of God.  Often men would refer to “my lord the king,” (e.g. 1 Sam. 24:8) using this term.  Of 335 uses in the OT, 31 times it speaks of God (e.g. Ps. 97:5).

The name Adonai is an intensive (more forceful) form of Adown, and in the OT it is only used of God and is used 434 times in the OT.  Moses, when speaking to YAHWEH, usually refers to Him directly as Adonai (Ex. 4:10,13; 5:22; 34:9; all but the last of these occurs before God gave the name YAHWEH to Moses in Ex. 6; and note also that Moses referred to God in conversation as YAHWEH in Ex. 32:11 when he was interceding for Israel after the golden calf incident). 

So, in the OT LORD refers to YAHWEH and Lord to Adonai or Adown.  In the NT there is one term for both: Kurios.  Again, the idea is sovereign authority.  Kurios is used of God but also of men.  And it is used in respect of others, somewhat like our term “sir”.  Note these three ways it is used of Christ:

1.    Luke 11:1: Here it appears to be similar to “Rabbi.”  One of the disciples addressed Jesus as “Lord” when asking Him to teach them to pray. 

2.    Rom. 1:3,7: Here Jesus is “Lord” as the second Person of the Godhead, the One at the right hand of God.  He is the Son of God, the Son of the Father.

3.    Rev. 19:16: Here Jesus is “Lord” in the fullest sense of deity.  He is Lord of lords (Kurios kuriown).

One interesting passage is Psalm 110:1 which Jesus quotes in Luke 20:42: David says, The LORD said to my Lord (YAHWEH said to my Adown).  Luke reads, “Kurios said to my Kurios.”  Jesus' use of this, in showing the inconsistencies of the scribes, used both terms to speak of Deity, especially of His Deity as Messiah.  It is quite possible this conversation was carried on in Hebrew.  But the record we have is accurate; the term Kurios applied to YAHWEH, Adonai and Adown.

Another interesting passage in using these terms is John 9, where there is a movement by the blind man whom Jesus healed, a change in understanding the sense in which Jesus was “Lord.”

·       In 9:11 He is “a Man called Jesus.”  In 9:17 calls Him a “prophet.”  In 9:33 He is “a Man from God.”

·       In 9:36, after Jesus asks, Do you believe in the Son of God, the man answers, Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him.  He is seeing Jesus, at that moment, as Rabbi/Lord.  Perhaps it is even in the sense of “Sir;” respect but not Deity.

·       In 9:38, after Jesus identifies Himself as the Son of God, the man manifests saving faith (Rom. 10:9-10).  He says, Lord, I believe!  He is referring to Jesus as the fullness of Deity; we know this because he worshiped Him.

In what sense do we call Jesus “Lord?”