SABAOTH. - A Hebrew word (sēbhaōth) often transcribed into Greek, especially in Isaiah (more than 50 times). In the Vulgate it is transcribed once (Jer. 11:20). It appears in the New Testament (Rom. 9:29; Jas. 5:4) and was thus adopted into the liturgy.
It is the plural of sābhaō, which means “army,” but in the construct state with has-sāmaijin it can also mean “stars” (cf. Is. 34:4; 40:26; 45:12, etc.) or “angels” (cf. 1 Kgs. 22:19; 2 Chr. 18:18). In the plural it often retains its ordinary meaning. The very common expression Yahweh sēbhaōth (= Yahweh of hosts) presupposes the idea that God was the invisible “captain” of the Israelite armies in numerous wars, especially against the Philistines (cf. 1 Sam. 17:45; 2 Sam. 5:24). The phrase “the armies of the Lord” was already used earlier (cf. Ex. 7:4; 12:41; Josh. 5:14).
In the Psalms and prophetic literature there are references (cf. Ps. 23:10) to this divine prerogative. But usually the epithet is referred to the celestial hosts, that is, to the angels, the stars, and the totality of created beings. The reference to the stars included the idea of God’s absolute dominion over such creatures. In practice, then, the epithet came to mean “almighty God, absolute master of all.” Not for nothing did the Septuagint most often translate it as παντοκράτωρ (= almighty).