According to Exodus 6: 2-3, the Patriarchs called the God who had made himself known to them 'EI Shaddai' meaning, probably, 'God of the Mountain'. The translation 'Almighty God' is given in the Good News Bible and 'God Almighty' in the RSV Bible. The idea of the mighty God, high above the world, is in this title. The word 'el' was the commonly used word for 'god' among Semitic peoples. The title 'El Shaddai’ occurs six times in the Hebrew text in connection with each of the Patriarchs. The Patriarchs did not know the name of God which was later revealed to Moses. Exodus 6:2-3 says this: 'God spoke to Moses and said, "I am the LORD. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as Almighty God, but I did not make myself known to them by my holy name, the LORD. " , When we see the word LORD printed in capital letters in the English versions of the Bible this indicates that the Hebrew word used is the name that was revealed to Moses on Mount Sinai, written in English as YAHWEH. In Genesis 12: 1, we find this word used for God when Abraham hears God's voice, but as this name was not revealed to Abraham it indicates that the writer used it to show that the God who became known to Moses was the same God who became known to Abraham and his descendants, although they called him by a different name. The understanding of the writer that there is one God alone is correct, although the use of the name YAHWEH is an anachronism or use of a word in an earlier situation than it belongs to.

The Patriarchs thought of God as a God of people rather than of a place. In the ancient polytheistic religions of the Middle East a god was usually associated with a place. It is possible that the semi-nomadic life of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob led them to think of God as being with them as they travelled rather than being in one place. Abraham built altars to God as he moved around (Genesis 12: 7-8).

Vows, or oaths, were made in the name of God, as when Abraham's servant took an oath to search for a wife for Isaac amongst Abraham's kinsmen and bring her back, and when Jacob swore never to fight Laban, his father-in-law.

From the Patriarchal stories we find that these men held God in great awe. Their attitude to him was one of obedience and trust. They believed that God had bound himself in a special relationship to them and knew what they were doing: 'Remember that God is watching us' (Genesis 31: 50). We cannot say that they did not believe in the reality of other gods, but for them there was only one God to be worshipped and obeyed.