Why El Roi Is the Most Comforting Name of God

The term "Elohim" signifies "supreme one" or "mighty one." While it is often used to describe the one true God, it can also be applied to human rulers, judges, and even angels on certain occasions. If you observed someone wielding supreme authority or displaying great power, the term you might choose would be Elohim. However, this doesn't necessarily indicate that you are referencing the unique God. Even when someone recognizes Yahweh, they might still use the word Elohim to highlight God's strength and authority.

Elohim, then, is a generic term for the gods. This is often shortened to the simple El. In this form, it is often coupled with another word to give a more specific meaning. El Shaddai, which you might be familiar with, means God Almighty. Names of people in the Bible also share this moniker. Elijah (“El is Yahweh”) and Samuel (“Heard by El”) are two such examples.

El Roi is a Hebrew name for God that translates to "The God Who Sees" or "The God Who Sees Me." This name encapsulates the idea that God is aware of and intimately involved in the lives of His people. It reflects His omniscience, compassion, and personal care. Unlike the distant deities of other ancient cultures, the God of the Bible is portrayed as a God who sees, knows, and understands the individual circumstances of His followers. El Roi emphasizes that God is not just an observer but an active participant in the lives of those He loves.

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In Genesis 16, Abraham and Sarah have booted Hagar out of the family. Sarah, the matriarch of the family, was barren and aging. Abraham and Sarah had a promise from God that they would have numerous children. They decided to take matters into their own hands. Abraham took Hagar as a concubine to produce an heir. The plan “worked,” and Hagar became pregnant.

Sarah became upset with her husband and was jealous and contemptuous of Hagar. She mistreated Hagar, and the servant girl fled. It was here that the Angel of the Lord met her in the wilderness. She was instructed to return to Abraham and Sarah with a promise that her descendants would also be numerous. She would bear a son named Ishmael.

It is in response to this encounter that Hagar refers to the Lord as El Roi, “The God Who Sees Me.” God has seen her distress. He knows her struggle and her pain. And the well where this encounter took place is called Beer Lahai Roi, which means “Well of the Living One who sees me.”

Genesis 16:13 is the only reference to God as El Roi in the entire Bible. However, the concept of God seeing and knowing is found elsewhere in the Bible. But the name carries special significance in Hagar’s story. She was a marginalized and mistreated woman, likely feeling invisible and abandoned. Yet, in her moment of deepest despair, God revealed Himself as the One who sees her pain, her situation, and her future. El Roi is a name that communicates God’s attentiveness to those who might feel overlooked or forgotten.

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The concept of a God who sees is significant on its own. But when we combine this with the story of Hagar, it takes on additional meaning. Hagar is the prototypical battered and forgotten woman. She is vulnerable. She is an outcast. She is fertile but walks on barren land. What hope will she have? What kind of life will her baby have? Will anyone believe her story? Will anyone soothe her pain?

We are told that what someone needs in order to heal from a trauma like this is to tell their story in front of another, be believed, and, with help, reframe that story. This is precisely what we see in Genesis 16 with the angel of the Lord. She is heard. She is seen. She is believed. She is no longer the forgotten woman. She is seen and known by God.

In the biblical narrative, God's names often reveal His nature and attributes. El Roi specifically speaks to God's ability to see into the hearts, lives, and circumstances of His people. It reassures us that no matter how isolated or misunderstood we may feel, God is fully aware of our situation.

It’s also worth noting that Hagar is not the one whom Messiah will come. She is not the “chosen” in that sense. She is carrying Abraham’s “mistake in her womb.” But God doesn’t make mistakes. Hagar is not an asterisk or a footnote in the biblical story. Yes, Abraham was acting like a fool. But this is not Hagar’s consequence to bear. God cares tenderly for her—even if she will not be a key figure in the grand narrative.

In a broader theological sense, El Roi affirms God's intimate knowledge of all things. He is not a distant or detached deity but one who is deeply involved in the lives of His creation. This name is a source of comfort and encouragement for believers, reminding us that God is always aware of our needs, fears, and desires.

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“God is watching you.” I’ve overheard that phrase more than a few times. It’s a statement that is meant to foster obedience. When little Johnny punches his sister in the back of the head and blames it on a bird, mom and dad might remind him that God knows. Even though mom and dad weren’t there, God was. God sees everything and knows everything. You can’t hide from God.

This can be a helpful reminder. There is nothing that we truly do in secret. God even knows the secret thoughts of our hearts. And there is no place that we can run from His presence. This is why Herman Bavinck says what he does:

Wherever, therefore, you shall have fled, there he is.  From yourself, whither will you flee?  Will you not follow yourself wherever you shall flee?  But since there is One more inward even than yourself, there is no place where you may flee from God angry but to God reconciled.  There is no place at all whither you may flee.  Will you flee from him?  
Flee unto him[1]."

But the story of Hagar adds another layer of meaning to this concept. It is less about God’s omniscience or omnipresence and more about the depth of His loving. The name El Roi speaks to those who are unseen and insignificant. It speaks to those who are cast out and have no other place to turn. God sees. God knows. It provides us with a depth of comfort and hope that we cannot find elsewhere. The Almighty sees. He puts our tears in a bottle. El Roi reminds us that God sees us—every tear, every prayer, every moment of despair.

For those struggling with loneliness, rejection, or hardship, El Roi is a powerful reminder that they are never truly alone. God's gaze is upon them, and His presence is with them.

This reality speaks to me as a pastor as well. It reminds me that my worth and identity aren’t found in the opinion of others but in the unchanging truth of God. He sees. He knows. He values me as a person and not as a performer. But it also helps me to see others with a new set of eyes. God always goes before me. In every pastoral visit, every prayer beside a hospital bed, every meeting, and every uncomfortable and unknown situation in which I find myself, God sees.

That YHWH is El Roi also speaks to a calling upon our own lives. It is true that we are not all-knowing. And we cannot be everywhere at once. The “omni” attributes of God are not true of us. In this regard, we cannot be a person who “sees” not in the same way that God can and does. Yet, there is another way in which we absolutely can and must reflect this attribute of God.

Jesus certainly lived as El Roi. When he saw the sheep without a shepherd, he saw them. He saw their plight, and He moved towards them in healing. It is this same heart which should beat within the heart of every believer. We are to be like God. Which means we are to be those who see the plight of the hurting.

I can’t help but think of that story in Luke 7, where a sinful woman anoints Jesus’ feet with her tears and wipes them with her hair. It’s quite the scene. It would have drawn the attention of everyone in attendance. And yet Jesus, rather humorously, asked, “Simon, do you see this woman?” Of course, he saw the woman. But did he see the woman? I think Jesus was asking Simon whether or not he was reflecting El Roi. Perhaps that same question could be asked of us today.

God sees. Do we?