What Does “Lord” Mean in the Bible?
Title
A word of respect. In the Bible it is, above all, a name for God.
It can mean
- To address someone: a title of respect, like “sir” today. That is how Zacchaeus speaks to Jesus (Luke 19:8).
- In the Bible: it is the word said in place of God’s holy name. To call Jesus “Lord” is to recognize that he is God.
Where it appears in the Bible
Luke 19:8; Mark 1:3
What the Bible says
Luke 19:8
But Zacheus standing, said to the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have wronged any man of any thing, I restore him fourfold.
Mark 1:3
A voice of one crying in the desert: Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.
Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner revision), public domain.
Source: Catechism 446-449; Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), “Adonai”