Title of God as Lord. It first appears in Exo 34:6. It is a reference to the Lord, the merciful and merciful God. After the exile, whenever the †¢Tetragrammaton YHWH was read, it was not pronounced, but rather this title of A was used. that the practice of replacing it with Kyrios was not generalized and that it arose, probably with the Septuagint or through the influence of Christianized scribes. Those who composed the Masoretic text of the Scriptures made a combination of the two names, putting the vowels of A. inside the Tetragrammaton. This is how the term “Jehovah” arose that is used in RV60 and other versions.
Source: Christian Bible Dictionary
= “my lord”. Old Hebrew term derived from “Addon”, “lord”, used as the name of God in the Old Testament. The Jews read it instead of the ineffable name of Yahweh (Jehovah), which in the Hebrew text is usually written with the vocalization of Adonai (Is. 6:1). In the LXX version the term is translated by “Kyrios”, which is the equivalent of the word “Lord” with which it is translated today in many Spanish Bibles.
Source: New Illustrated Bible Dictionary
Divine name that appears in the Bible as a synonym of great Lord, dominator, powerful King. (Is. 1. 24; Ex. 19. 4-6; Josh. 3. 11-13; Psalms 93 and 135). The LXX translate it by the Greek term Basileus, rex in Latin, imperator, although in classical Greek the concept of king is never applied to a god. However, due to Eastern, Persian and Babylonian influence, this reference is assumed in the Jewish sphere.
Christians will then call Christ himself king, as the Son of God. But the term “Lord, Adonai” was reserved for the God of heaven, for the almighty Father.
(See God. 2)
Pedro Chico González, Dictionary of Catechesis and Religious Pedagogy, Editorial Bruño, Lima, Peru 2006
Source: Dictionary of Catechesis and Religious Pedagogy
Adonai (Hebrew: “lord, ruler”) is a name given to God in the Old Testament. It is retained in the Vulgate and its dependent versions, Ex. 6,3; Judith 16,16. No other name applied to God is more definite and is more easily understood than this. Etymologically it is the plural of Adon, with the suffix of the possessive pronoun, first person, in the singular. This plural has been subject to various explanations. It can be seen as a plurale abstractum, and as such would indicate the totality of divine power and point to God as Lord of lords. This explanation is supported by Hebrew grammarians, who distinguish a plurale virium, or virtutum. Others prefer to designate this form as a plurale excellentiæ, magnitudeinis, or plurale majestatis. Seeing it as a form of politeness like German sie, or French volts certainly has no support in Hebrew usage. The possessive pronoun has no more meaning in this word than it does in Rabbi (my teacher), Monsieur, or Madonna. Adonai is also the perpetual substitute for the ineffable Name Yahweh, to which he lent his vowel signs. Therefore, whenever the word Yahveh appears in the text, the Jews will read Adonai.
Bibliography: KAUTZSCH-GESENTIUS Hebræische Grammatik (Leipzig, 1896), DALMAN Der Gottesname and seine Geschichte (Berlin 1889); STADE, Biblische Theologie des Alten Testaments (Tübingen, 1905).
Source: Heinlein, Edward. “Adonai.” The Catholic Encyclopaedia. Vol. 1. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907.
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01146a.htm
Translated by Antonio Hernández Baca. rc
Source: Catholic Encyclopedia