The Savior is called the “Lord of Hosts” 245 times in the Old Testament, 54 times in the book of Isaiah alone. This title also appears 52 times in the Book of Mormon, mostly in passages quoted from Isaiah or Malachi, but Nephi, Jacob, and Samuel the Lamanite all use the term. What does it mean, and why is it an appropriate title for the Savior?
The Hebrew word for “hosts” is ts’vaót (צבאות), sometimes rendered in English as “sabaoth.” (See Romans 9:29, James 5:4, D&C 88:2.) It refers to armies, or large numbers of people organized to achieve a common goal.
In the first chapter of the Book of Mormon, Nephi describes a vision in which his father saw “God sitting upon his throne, surrounded with numberless concourses of angels” (1 Nephi 1:8). The Apostle Paul later described the “city of the living God” as being filled with “an innumerable company of angels” (Hebrews 12:22). (See also D&C 76:67, D&C 138:12).
At important points in their journey to the promised land, Nephi received assistance or training from angels of God (1 Nephi 1:19-21, 1 Nephi 11-14, 2 Nephi 4:24). Several times, he reproved his brothers by reminding them that they had seen an angel (1 Nephi 4:3, 1 Nephi 7:10, 1 Nephi 17:45). Unlike the servant of Elisha, Nephi didn’t need his eyes opened to know that “they that be with us are more than they that be with them” (2 Kings 6:16-17). He knew that angels minister to people, providing assistance and instruction (1 Nephi 11:30).
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland has taught that angels may be ministering to us even when we are not aware of it:
Usually such beings are not seen. Sometimes they are. But seen or unseen they are always near. Sometimes their assignments are very grand and have significance for the whole world. Sometimes the messages are more private. Occasionally the angelic purpose is to warn. But most often it is to comfort, to provide some form of merciful attention, guidance in difficult times….
I ask everyone within the sound of my voice to take heart, be filled with faith, and remember the Lord has said He “would fight [our] battles, [our] children’s battles, and [the battles of our] children’s children” (D&C 98:37) (“The Ministry of Angels,” General Conference, October 2008).
Today, I will remember the significance of the title “Lord of Hosts.” I will remember that the Savior not only has the power to save us, but that He presides over vast armies of angels who provide assistance and guidance to us when we need their help.
Thank you for this valuable insight and exact meanings!🙏
Thank you for the comment. I’m glad you enjoyed the post!
Lord of Hosts is a title given to the savior jesus christ, but the meaning is deeper than only a name, it alludes to the quality of God in that priesthood which melchizedek held, being a type, both priest and king of his people, a person that we should all emulate and be like, the perfect representation of our zion like striving of one heart and one mind in him, our Lord of Hosts, our leader in mankind, our God in the flesh personified perfection and us in subsurviance meeting him in all humility. This is how I percieve the title.
I hadn’t thought about the title that way before. I like the connection with Melchizedek, a man who led his city to a heavenly unity, just as the Savior wants to help us all achieve the same unity He has with His Father. What a great way to think of the title “Lord of Hosts!” The leader of many people who are all one. Thank you for sharing that thought!
I have an additional insight, in that God created all the spirit hosts of heaven.
Gen 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
Since, all the physical host of this earth haven’t yet been born into this world, the host mentioned in Gen 2:1 are ALL the spirit hosts of God.
God is indeed the Lord of Hosts, of all the spirit hosts he created.
That’s a nice thought. The Bible Dictionary says that some angels are premortal (unembodied), some are postmortal spirits (disembodied), and some are resurrected (reembodied). All of these people are surely part of the Lord’s hosts, as are we if we follow Him. Thanks for sharing your insight!
Paul
I also found this: D&C 38: 1 Thus saith the Lord your God, even Jesus Christ, the Great I Am, Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the same which looked upon the wide expanse of eternity, and all the seraphic hosts of heaven, before the world was made;
I like that phrase “seraphic hosts of heaven,” and I agree that it strengthens your position that unborn spirits are among God’s hosts. Thanks for sharing!