| "El Shaddai" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Amy Grant | ||||
| from the album Age to Age | ||||
| Released | 1982 | |||
| Genre | Contemporary Christian | |||
| Length | 4:08 | |||
| Label | Myrrh | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Michael Card, John Thompson | |||
| Producer(s) | Brown Bannister | |||
| Amy Grant singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"El Shaddai" (sometimes styled "El-Shaddai") is a contemporary Christian music song. It was written by Michael Card and John Thompson, using direct quotes from scripture as their inspiration, and recorded by Card on his 1981 debut album, Legacy. However, the best known version of the song was by singer Amy Grant, whose rendition was recorded in 1982 on her platinum-certified album Age to Age . [1]
The title comes from a Judaic name of God, usually translated as "God Almighty" (see El Shaddai). Approximately half the lyrics of the chorus are in the Hebrew language, which is rather unusual for a contemporary Christian song. The recording was in the style of a performance ballad, but the song was subsequently published in some hymnbooks [2] and is occasionally sung congregationally.
The song was a hit single for Grant, reaching the top of the Billboard Christian chart. [1] "El Shaddai" won "Song of the Year" and Card won "Songwriter of the Year" at the 1983 GMA Dove Awards. [3] It was also named one of the "Songs of the Century" by the RIAA in 2001. [4]
Grant has recorded at least three different studio versions, and one partial version:
"El Shaddai" has been covered by many contemporary Christian and gospel recording artists, including Pat Boone, [5] Winans Phase 2, [6] and Eden's Bridge. Michael Card re-recorded the song for his 1994 compilation, Joy in the Journey. There also exist translated versions which combine Hebrew with other languages.
Michael Card's original lyrics included a line "Though the Jews just couldn't see/ What Messiah ought to be"; Amy Grant changed this to "Though the people couldn't see/ What Messiah ought to be." Most covers incorporate Grant's change, and even Card uses "though the people failed to see...".
El Shaddai (אל שׁדי) is most often translated as "God Almighty".
El-Elyon na Adonai (אל עליון נא אדני) is a combination of two names for God, meaning "God Most High, please my Lord". (The 'ai' in 'Adonai' is a possessive.) Na (נא) is a particle of entreaty, translated "please" or "I/we beseech thee", or left untranslated.
Erkamka na Adonai is based on Psalm 18:1 (except for the "na," which is added) Erḥamkha (ארחמך) Adonai, "I love you, my Lord." Psalm 18:1 is the only place that the Hebrew Bible uses this verb for love in the Qal stem; this is normally an Aramaic usage. Hebrew uses this verb in the Pi'el stem in the context of compassion rather than love.
For more information on the translation, see Names of God in Judaism, El Shaddai, El (god), and Elyon.
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | "El Shaddai" | Billboard Christian | 1 |
Amy Lee Grant is an American singer, songwriter, musician, author and media personality. She is known for performing contemporary Christian music (CCM) and for a successful crossover to pop music in the 1980s and 1990s. She has been referred to as "The Queen of Christian Pop".
Rabbinic Judaism considers seven names of God in Judaism so holy that, once written, they should not be erased: YHWH, El ("God"), Eloah ("God"), Elohim ("God"), Shaddai (“Almighty"), Ehyeh, and Tzevaot. Other names are considered mere epithets or titles reflecting different aspects of God, but Khumra sometimes dictates special care such as the writing of "G-d" instead of "God" in English or saying Ṭēt-Vav instead of Yōd-Hē for the number fifteen in Hebrew.
Age to Age is the fourth studio album, and sixth album by Christian music singer Amy Grant, released in 1982 on Myrrh Records.
Priscilla Marie Winans Love, known professionally as CeCe Winans, is an American gospel singer who has won 12 Grammy Awards and 23 GMA Dove Awards, along with many other awards. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and has 3.5 million record sales certified by RIAA, and 5 million estimated in total sales. Billboard magazine lists eight of her solo albums as top Christian music sellers, and six albums as a duo with her older brother, BeBe Winans.
Rock of Ages... Hymns and Faith is the sixteenth studio album by singer Amy Grant. It is the follow-up to her 2002 release Legacy... Hymns and Faith. Rock of Ages is Amy Grant's 11th Christian chart-topping album.
"Takes a Little Time" was a maxi-single released in 1997 to promote Amy Grant's album Behind the Eyes, which was also released that year. "Takes a Little Time" included two songs from Behind the Eyes, as well as a new version of Grant's 1982 Christian radio hit, "El Shaddai". The maxi-single was also an enhanced CD (ECD), a video could be viewed when inserted into a home computer. The ECD portion of the CD contained a live acoustic version of the song After the Fire, which Grant later released on her 2003 album Simple Things; Grant stated on Oprah that she had written the song for her mother.
Ageless Medley is an extended play by Amy Grant, released in 1983 on the label Myrrh Records. It was originally released as a double-sided 7 inch vinyl record and audio cassette tape EP single. Even though it was designed as purely a promotional tool, it reached the top ten of the Christian radio charts, and won the 1984 Grammy Award for Best Gospel Performance, Female. It was later featured on the CD and cassette releases of Grant's 1986 compilation album The Collection.
Michael Card is an American, Christian singer-songwriter, musician, author, and radio host from Franklin, Tennessee. He is best known for his contributions in contemporary Christian music, which combine folk-style melodies and instrumentation with an in-depth study of the Bible. Since his debut in 1981, Card has sold more than 4 million albums and has written 19 No. 1 singles. He has also authored several books, including the Gold Medallion Book Award winner, A Sacred Sorrow.
"Tzena, Tzena, Tzena" is a song, originally written in 1941, in Hebrew by Issachar Miron, a Polish emigrant in what was then the British Mandate of Palestine, and Jehiel Hagges.
El Shaddai or just Shaddai is one of the names of the God of Israel. El Shaddai is conventionally translated into English as God Almighty, but its original meaning is unclear.
Messianic Bible translations are translations, or editions of translations, in English of the Christian Bible, some of which are widely used in the Messianic Judaism and Hebrew Roots communities.
Erev Shel Shoshanim is a poetic Hebrew love song. Its melody is often used as wedding music in Jewish weddings. It is well known not only within Israeli and Jewish music circles, but known throughout the Middle East, and it is often used as a song belly dancers dance to.
Hanukkah music contains several songs associated with the festival of Hanukkah.
Gender in Bible translation concerns various issues, such as the gender of God and generic antecedents in reference to people. Bruce Metzger states that the English language is so biased towards the male gender that it restricts and obscures the meaning of the original language, which was more gender-inclusive than a literal translation would convey. Wayne Grudem disagrees, believing that a translation should try to match the words of the original language rather than introduce the translator's opinion as to whether the original words meant to include both sexes or not, and that trying to be gender-neutral results in vague and contorted writing style. Michael Marlowe argues from a third standpoint, that the Bible is patriarchal, and gender-neutral language distorts its meaning in an attempt by translators like Metzger to impose their progressive modern views on the text. The topic has theological and political undercurrents. Paul Mankowski says that inclusive-language translators are bowing to feminist political taboos rather than trying to translate accurately, while Marmy Clason says that their opponents are motivated by hostility to feminism rather than fidelity to the original meaning.
Elliott Brown Bannister III is a contemporary Christian music (CCM) producer and songwriter. Bannister released one album of his own, Talk to One Another, in 1981 on NewPax Records. It was reissued on the Reunion Records label five years later, featuring a newer recording of the album's final cut, "Create in Me a Clean Heart". The original NewPax version featured Ed DeGarmo on the Hammond B3 organ; the 1986 version featured Amy Grant and her then husband Gary Chapman on vocals. The 1986 version was released as a radio single and gained moderate airplay in some markets.
Another Time, Another Place: Timeless Christian Classics is Avalon's eleventh release and their eighth studio album. it contains remakes of classic songs that have defined and shaped the sound of Contemporary Christian Music. It was released on February 26, 2008 and was thought to be the final album featuring Jody McBrayer as a member of Avalon until he rejoined the group in 2018.
The New Testament has Theos, Kyrios, and Pater as names of God - the meanings are "God", "Lord", and "Father". Respect for the name of God is one of the Ten Commandments, which some Christian teachings interpret to be, not only a command to avoid the improper use of God's name, but a directive to exalt it through both pious deeds and praise. This is reflected in the first petition in the Lord's Prayer addressed to God the Father: "Hallowed be Thy Name".
The 14th Annual GMA Dove Awards were held on 1983 recognizing accomplishments of musicians for the year 1982. The show was held in Nashville, Tennessee.
"Mighty to Save" is a contemporary worship song by Hillsong Worship from the 2006 album of the same name, Mighty to Save. The song was written by Ben Fielding and Reuben Morgan. The rights to the song are registered for Hillsong Publishing. The song was recorded live on 5 March 2006 at the Sydney Entertainment Centre, Sydney, Australia. "Mighty to Save" won the Dove Award for Worship Song of the Year at the Dove Awards in 2009.
Static & Ben El Tavori are an Israeli musical pop duo comprising the singers Liraz Russo and Ben El Tavori. Their musical producer is Yarden Peleg.
| Studio albums | |
|---|---|
| Christmas albums | |
| Compilation albums | |
| Live albums | |
| Singles/EPs |
|
| Television | |
| Books | |
| Related articles | |
