SABAOTH. – Hebrew word (ṣābhā'ōth) often transcribed in Greek, especially in Isaiah (more than 50 times). In the Vulgate it is transcribed once (Ier. 11:20). It is found in the New Testament (Rom. 9:29; Iac. 5:4) and was therefore adopted into the liturgy.
It is the plural of ṣābhā', meaning “army,” but in the construct state with ḥaṭ-ōmājim it can also mean “stars” (cf. Is. 34:4; 40:26; 45:12, etc.) or “angels” (cf. I Reg. 22:19; II Par. 18:18). In the plural it often retains its ordinary meaning. The very common expression Jahweh Ṣābhā'ōth (= “Jahweh of hosts”) presupposes the idea that God was the invisible “captain” of the Israelite hosts in numerous wars, especially against the Philistines (cf. I Sam. 17:45; II Sam. 5:24). Even earlier, people spoke of the “armies of the Lord” (cf. Ex. 7:4; 12:41; Ios. 5:14).
In the Psalms and the prophetic literature there are references (cf. Ps. 23:10) to this divine prerogative. But usually the epithet is taken to refer to the heavenly hosts, that is, to the angels, the stars, and the totality of created beings. The reference to the stars included the concept of God’s absolute dominion over these creatures. In practice, therefore, the epithet came to mean “almighty God, absolute master of everything.” It was not without reason that the Septuagint most often translated it as παυτοκράτωρ (“almighty”).