THE NAME YAHWEH

Name of the Creator is יהוה , and His Son’s Name is יהושע

"YHWH"
"Pronounced Yahweh"

Encyclopedia Britannica

Yahweh - the God of the Israelites, his name being revealed to Moses as four Hebrew consonants (YHWH) called the tetragrammaton. After the Exile (6th century BC), and especially from the 3rd century BC on, Jews ceased to use the name Yahweh for two reasons. As Judaism became a universal religion through its proselytizing in the Greco-Roman world, the more common noun Elohim, meaning “god,” tended to replace Yahweh to demonstrate the universal sovereignty of Israel's God over all others. At the same time, the divine name was increasingly regarded as too sacred to be uttered; it was thus replaced vocally in the synagogue ritual by the Hebrew word Adonai (“My Lord”), which was translated as Kyrios (“Lord”) in the Septuagint, the Greek version of the Old Testament.

The Masoretes, who from about the 6th to the 10th century worked to reproduce the original text of the Hebrew Bible, replaced the vowels of the name YHWH with the vowel signs of the Hebrew words Adonai or Elohim. Thus, the artificial name Jehovah (YeHoWaH) came into being. Although Christian scholars after the Renaissance and Reformation periods used the term Jehovah for YHWH, in the 19th and 20th centuries biblicalscholars again began to use the form Yahweh. Early Christian writers, such as Clement of Alexandria in the 2nd century, had used a form like Yahweh, and this pronunciation of the tetragrammaton was never really lost. Other Greek transcriptions also indicated that YHWH should be pronounced Yahweh.

The meaning of the personal name of the Israelite God has been variously interpreted. Many scholars believe that the most proper meaning may be “He Brings Into Existence Whatever Exists” (Yahweh-Asher-Yahweh). In I Samuel, God is known by the name Yahweh Teva-?ot, or “He Brings the Hosts Into Existence,” the hosts possibly referring to the heavenly court or to Israel. The personal name of God probably was known long before the time of Moses. The name of Moses' mother was Jochebed (Yokheved), a word based on the name Yahweh. Thus, the tribe of Levi, to which Moses belonged, probably knew the name Yahweh, which originally may have been (in its short form Yo, Yah, or Yahu) a religious invocation of no precise meaning evoked by the mysterious and awesome splendour of the manifestation of the holy.

Also see "Consonants Or Vowels?"

Give Unto Yahweh the Glory Due Unto His Name
By Robert Brooks

Psalm 29:2, 96:8 & I Chronicles 16:29


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The Third Commandment: What IS God's name?

Yahweh is the name above all other names through His son's name Yahshua (Nehemyah [-iah] 9:5-6). Yahshua was given a most excellent name above every name (Hebrews 1:4; Ephesians 1:21; Philippians 2:9). His son Yahshua came in Father Yahweh's Name (Yahchanan [John] 5:43). His name Yahshua means 'Yahweh is Redeemer' (Mattithyah [Matthew] 1:21). Blessed is he who comes in the Name Yahweh (Mattithyah [Matthew] 21:9). Yahshua made known Father Yahweh's Name to the men that He gave him from out of the world (Yahchanan [John] 17:6, 26).

We are to sing praises to and extol His Name (Psalm 68:4). We are to proclaim (Exodus 33:19), fear [reverence] (Malakyah [Malachi] 3:16; 4:4), magnify, exalt (Psalm 34:3), know (Psalm 9:10; 91:14), call on (Yahyl [Joel] 2:32; Zecharyah [-iah] 13:9; Acts 2:21; 9:14), trust in (Isayah [-iah] 50:10), and set His Name apart [make holy, hallow] (Isayah [-iah] 29:23). His Name is majestic (Micyah [Micah] 5:4), excellent (Psalm 8:1; 148:13), holy, and awesome (Psalm 111:9; Isayah [-iah] 57:15).

YAHWEH

Taken from ‘Bible Review’ February 2004.

Prof. Jeffery H. Tigay. University of Pennsylvania.

Copyright 2004 - Biblical Archaeology Society.

# [see footnote]

“One tool commonly used to measure Israel’s polytheism is onomastics—the study of names. Both biblical and extrabiblical Israelite names are known to incorporate the names of gods—often YHWH (Yahweh), the name of the Israelite deity, but also the names of foreign gods. These names are called theophoric names, from the Greek for 'bearing a god'..

“There may of originally been more biblical names mentioning foreign gods that have now been expurgated. If so, this could be further evidence of Israelite polytheism that we have lost.

One way to check whether this occurred is to study the Israelite names preserved not in the Bible but in inscriptions from the biblical period, since these have not been tampered with by later scribes.. I collected all the Israelite personal names from the biblical period known from inscriptions up to that time. I expected to find numerous examples of pagan personal names – the kinds of names I suspected had been expunged from the Bible by scribal revisions.. The results surprised me.. 94% were Yahwistic and only 6% mentioned other deities.

The inscriptional statistics are almost the same as in the case of biblical theophoric names, where Yahwistic names predominate by 91% to 9%. The similarity of these ratios suggests that editorial censorship in the Masoretic Text do not significantly distort the picture..

He does go on to say “ All this shows that personal names reflect only one facet of the religious life of a particular society. Although they constitute an important piece of evidence, they do not of themselves solve the question of how many Israelites worshiped other gods.. They must be combined with evidence from other types of inscriptions: Hebrew letters, votive inscriptions, oath formulas, religious graffiti, references to Israelite temples, temple vessels and cultic personnel and Hebrew amulets. This evidence, which I have surveyed elsewhere is mostly though not exclusively Yahwistic, presenting a picture essentially similar to that presented by the personal names..”

FOOTNOTE

[Used for nonprofit educational purposes: under Berne article 10 ‘It shall be permissible to make quotations from a work which has already been lawfully made available to the public.. where use is made of works mention shall be made of the source, and of the name of the author’. Section 107 US code the fair use of a copyrighted work for nonprofit educational purposes: Fair uses such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright.]

"This Is My Name Forever"

YHWH
The Tetragrammaton

The Ancient and Honored Name of Yahweh

The very oldest Scriptural text ever found, dating back almost 2,600 years, was found in a tiny silver amulet which contains a seventh century b.c.e. extract from the book of Numbers (6:24-26), the Priestly (Aaronic) Blessing. The rolled up amulet was part of a treasure hoard found by a Tel Aviv University archeologist in a First Temple Period family tomb in Yerusalem, Israyl. When this amulet was written, the Temple of Solomon still stood, the heirs of King David still ruled on the throne, and the Dead Sea Scrolls would not be written for another 400 years.

It was three years after this discovery before this fragile amulet could be unrolled by technical experts at the Israyl Museum. On this amulet the NAME of YAHWEH could be clearly read. Complete details of this magnificent find can be read in the 6-28-86 and 8-9-86 issues of The Jerusalem Post, and the 6-87 issue of The Readers Digest.

The Undeniable Name Yahweh

There is no doubt that the True Name of our Creator is Yahweh. In fact the evidence is overwhelming.

The New Catholic Encyclopedia, 1967; Vol. 5, page 743; and Vol. 14, page 1065. “... YHWH, the original pronunciation of which is well attested as YAHWEH.” “Judging from Greek transcriptions, the Sacred Name ... YHWH ought to be pronounced Yahweh.”

Unger's Bible Dictionary, Merrill F. Unger, 1957, Moody Press, Chicago. pp. 1177, says:

Yahweh (yah we). The Hebrew tetragrammaton (YHWH) "traditionally" ("the traditions of men" Colossians 2:8) pronounced Jehovah (q.v.) is now known to be CORRECTLY vocalized yahwe. New inscriptional evidence from the second and first millennia B.C. point toward this FACT. The old view of Le Clerc, moderenly propounded by Paul Haupt and developed by W.F. Albright, has commended itself in the light of the phonetic development and grammatical evidence of INCREASED KNOWLEDGE of the Northwest Semitic and kindred tongues. This thesis holds Yahwe to be a originally finite causative from the Northwest Semitic root hwy "to be, to come in to being", so that the divine name would mean "he causes to be, or exist," i.e., "he creates." Amorite personal names after 2,000 B.C. lend support to the Haupt-Albright view, demonstating that the employment of the causative stem yahwe "he creates" was in vogue in the linguistic background of the early Hebrew.

Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia, 1975, Vol. 2, pp. 690, Moody Press, Chicago, tells us:

'The Name PAR EXCELLENCE for the Creator of Israyl is Yahweh, found 6, 823 times in the O.T. Through Israyl's deliverence from bondage in Egypt, adoption as a nation, and guidance to the Promised Land, the Redeemer-Creator is especially known by THIS NAME.'

The Interpreter's Dictionary, 1962, Vol. 4, pp. 923, Abingdon Press, Nashville says:

'YAHWEH - The vocalization of the four consonants of the Israylite Name of the Creator, which scholars believe to approximate the original pronunciation.'

James Moffatt, in his translation, The Bible: A New Translation, 1935, Harper and Brothers, informs us in his introduction:

'Strictly speaking this ought to be rendered 'Yahweh' which is familiar to modern readers in the ERRONOUS FORM 'Jehovah'. Were this version intended for students of the original, there would be no hesitation whatever in printing 'Yahweh'.

Although Moffatt SUBSTITUTES the TITLE, 'The Eternal' in the place of the Name Yahweh, he fully admits a distinct loss of meaning in this.

Joseph Rotherham, in the Ephasized Bible; A New Translation, Cincinati, Ohio, The Standard Publishing C., 1902, Introduction, The Incommunicable Name, says:

The Name Suppressed: THE FACT

It is WILLINGLY ADMITTED that the suppression HAS NOT BEEN ABSOLUTE at least as far as the Hebrew and English are concerned. The Name, in its four essential letters (YHWH), was reverently transcribed by Hebrew copyist, and therefore was necessarily placed before the eye of the Hebrew reader. The latter, however, was instructed not to pronounce it, but to utter inSTEAD A LESS SACRED name - Adonay or Elohim. IN THIS WAY THE NAME WAS SUFFERED TO REACH THE EAR OF THE LISTENER. To that degee IT WAS SUPPRESSED. The Septuagint, or ancient Greek version (LXX), made the CONCEALMENT COMPLETE by regularly SUBSTITUTING Kurios; as the Vulgate, IN LIKE MANNER employed Dominius; both Kurios and Dominus having at the same time their own proper service to render as correctly answering to the Hebrew Adonay, confessedly meanig, 'Lord'. The English versions DO NEARLY THE SAME THING, in rendering the Name as LORD, and occasionally GOD; these terms having their own rightful office to fill as to fitly representing th Hebrew titles Adonay and Elohim and El, so that Tetragammaton is NEARLY HIDDEN in our public English versions.

The IMMEDIATE CONSEQUENCES of Suppression

(i.) Partly literary, though more than that. Reference is here made to the CONFUSION into which many things are thrown to this abnormal state of things. 'Baal' is 'lord' and so is 'Adon' (Adonay) - that is destessing; but why add to ("add to" Revelation 22:18-21) the embarrassment by rendering YHWH also as 'Lord'? Worst of all is the CONFUSION when 'Y' and Adonay occur together, as they do many times in the book of Ezekiel (YechetzqYAH). Inasmuch as to say, 'Lord LORD' for 'Adonay Y', was TOO GROTESQUE and MISLEADING (positively false to the ear), the new devise had to be restored to rendering this combination by 'Lord GOD' - 'GOD' in this case and not 'Lord' at all, standing for the Name. Even YH (the shorter form) and YHWH (the full form) of the tetragrammaton, coming together, CAUSED A DILEMMA; though in these instances, the acuteness of the trouble compelled the adoption of a partial remedy, and 'the LORD JEHOVAH'; is the result. 'CONFUSION', then, is a term not a whit too strong to apply to these varying devises. no wonder that even intellegent and educated people are continually forgetting what they have heard or read concerning so involved a matter.

Rotherham then gives reason why the Name Yahweh must be restored, and from now on retained in the Scriptures:

1. Because ITS SUPPRESSION WAS A MISTAKE. So GRAVE a mistake cannot be corrected too soon. An UNWARRANTABLE LIBERTY has been taken; the path of humanity is to retrace our steps...it is too heavely burdened with merited critical condemnation - as modern, as a compromise, as a 'mongrel' word, 'hybrid', 'fantastic', monstrous'. The facts have only to be known to justify this verdict, and to vindicate the propriety of not employing it in a new and independent translation. What are the facts? And first as to age. 'The pronunciation Jehovah was unknown until 1520, when it was introduced by Galatinus; but was constucted by Le Mercier J. Drusius, and L. Capellus, as against grammatical and historical propiety.' (Oxford Gesenius, P. 218) Next, as to formation. 'Erroneously written and pronounced Jehovah, which is merely a combination of the sacred tetragrammaton and the vowels in the Hebrew for Lord SUBSTITUTED BY THE JEWS (YAHdaim) for JHVH (YHWH), because they shrank from pronouncing the Name, owing to an old MISCONSEPTION of the two passages (Exodus xx.7 and Leviticus xxiv.16) ...To give the name JHVH the vowels of the word for lord (Heb. Adonai) and pronounce it Jehovah, is about a hybrid a combination as it would be to spell the name Germany with the vowels in the name Portugal - viz., Gormuna ...Jehovah is not older than about 1520 c.e.

20th Century Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia, pg. 1194,1195 "The pronunciation Yahweh of the Hebrew tetragrammaton need no longer be based on traditions preserved in late patristic sources. Both the vocalization yahwe and yahu (a shortened form used chiefly in personal names) are now confirmed by a variety of ancient Near Eastern inscriptional materials from the first and second millennia B.C."

The Modern Judaica Encyclopedia, Vol. 7, p.69 "The true pronunciation of the name YHWH was never lost. Several early Greek writers of the Christian Church testify that the name was pronounced 'Yahweh'. This is confirmed, at least for the vowels of the first syllable of the name, by the shorter form Yah, which is sometimes used in poetry (e.g., Ex.15:2) and the -yahu or -yah that serves as the final syllable in very many Hebrew names."

New Bible Dictionary (1962) " The pronounciation Yahweh is indicated by transliterations of the name into Greek in early Christian literature, in the form iaoue (Clement of Alexandria) or iabe (Theodoret; by this time Gk. b had the pronunciation of v)"

From The Oxford Companion to the Bible, edited by Bruce M. Metzger and Michael D. Coogan, page 738 - "Tetragrammaton - a Greek word meaning 'four letters', used to designate the consonants of the divine name Yahweh."

"In this translation we have followed the orthodox Jewish tradition and substituted 'the Lord' for the name 'Yahweh' and the phrase 'the Lord God' for the phrase 'the Lord Yahweh'. In all cases where 'Lord' or 'God' represents an original 'Yahweh' small capitals are employed."
Preface - 1935 Bible; J. M. Powis Smith and Edgar J. Goodspeed

From Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary, by W. E. Vine, page 140 - "Lord - The Tetragrammaton YHWH appears without its own vowels, and its exact pronunciation is debated (Jehovah, Yehovah, Jahweh, Yahweh). The Hebrew text does insert the vowels for adonay, and Jewish students and scholars read adonay whenever they see the Tetragrammaton. This use of the word occurs 6828 times. The word appears in every period of biblical Hebrew."

One crucial instance of the difficulty offered by a Hebrew term lies in the prehistoric name given at the exodus by the Hebrews to their God. Strictly speaking, this ought to be rendered "Yahweh," which is familiar to modern readers in the erroneous form of "Jehovah." Were this version intended for students of the original, there would be no hesitation whatever in printing "Yahweh." But almost at the last moment I have decide with some reluctance to follow the practice of the French scholars and of Matthew Arnold (though not exactly for his reasons), who translate this name by "the Eternal," except in an enigmatic title like "the Lord of hosts.' There is a distinct loss in this, I fully admit; to drop the racial, archaic term is to miss something of what it meant for the Hebrew nation..." Moffatt, James. Pages xx-xxi.

A major departure from the practice of the American Standard Version is the rendering of the Divine Name, the "Tetragrammaton." The American Standard Version used the term "Jehovah"; the King James Version had employed this in four places, but everywhere else, except in three cases where it was employed as part of a proper name, used the English word LORD (or in certain cases GOD) printed in capitals. The present revision returns to the procedure of the King James Version, which follows the precedent of the ancient Greek and Latin translators and the long established practice in the reading of the Hebrew scriptures in the synagogue. While it is almost If not quite certain that the Name was originally pronounced "Yahweh," this pronunciation was not indicated when the Masoretes added vowel signs to the consonantal Hebrew text. To the four consonants YHWH of the Name, which had come to be regarded as too sacred to be pronounced, they attached vowel signs indicating that in its place should be read the Hebrew word Adonai meaning "Lord" (or Elohim meaning "God"). The ancient Greek translators substituted the word Kyrios (Lord) for the Name. The Vulgate likewise used the Latin word Dominus. The form "Jehovah" is of late medieval origin; it is a combination of the consonants of the Divine Name and the vowels attached to it by the Masoretes but belonging to an entirely different word. The sound of Y is represented by J and the sound of W by V, as in Latin. For two reasons the Committee has returned to the more familiar usage of the King James Version: (1) the word "Jehovah" does not accurately represent any form of the Name ever used In Hebrew; and (2) the use of any proper name for the one and only God, as though there were other gods from whom He had to be distinguished, was discontinued in Judaism before the Christian era and is entirely inappropriate for the universal faith of the Christian Church." R.S.V. Preface Page 5

Yahweh is the acknowledged name used In the notes of the New American Bible. A Catholic version.

One variation of this convention is of special importance, inasmuch as it affects the divine name. This personal proper name, written with the consonants YHWH, was considered too sacred to be uttered; so the vowels for the words 'my Lord' or 'God' were added to the consonants YHWH, and the reader was warned by these vowels that he must substitute other consonants. This change having to be made so frequently, the Rabbis did not consider it necessary to put the consonants of the new reading in the margin. In course of time the true pronunciation of the divine name, probably Yahweh, passed into oblivion, and YHWH was read with the intruded vowels, the vowels of an entirely different word, namely 'my Lord' or 'God'. In late medieval times this mispronunciation became current as Jehova, and it was taken over as Jehovah by the Reformers in Protestant Bibles. The present translators have retained this incorrect but customary form in the text of passages where the name is explained with a note on its pronunciation (e.g. Exodus 3:15) and in four place names of which it forms a constituent element; elsewhere they have followed ancient translators in substituting 'IORD' or 'GOD', printed as here in capital letters, for the Hebrew name." The New English Bible. Page xvi.

"...I. The etymology: attempts have been made to explain the name Yahweh (abridged forms like Yaho, Yah etc. are found in both biblical and non-biblical texts) from various Hebrew roots but there seems little doubt that it is an archaic form of the verb 'to be'...." The Jerusalem Bible note on Ex. 3: 15. Yahweh is used throughout.

"... The word Yahweh is a vocalization of the four consonants in the way many scholars think this covenant name for God was pronounced in OT times." The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia Of The Bible. Vol. 5, Page 1021.

The New Bible Dictionary published by the Inter-Varsity Press is in agreement with the above discussions.

What The Archaeologists Tell Us

There has been a number of interest­ing archeological discoveries which reveal the name Yahweh. Of these numerous discoveries, only three will be cited.

Found - The Moabite Stone. Eerdman’s Bible Dictionary, Page 835.
“A black basalt inscription left by Mesha, King of Moab, at Khiban (Dibon) to commemorate his revolt against Israel and his subsequent rebuilding of many important towns (2 Kgs. 3:4,5). The stone was found on August 19, 1868, by the Reverend F. Klein... “The great importance of this inscription..., lies in its close relations to the Old Testament. The language is closely akin to Hebrew. Both Chemosh, the God of Moab and Yahweh, the God of Israel are mentioned ...”

Found - Eighteen Ostraca, by J. L. Starkey, Archeologist, in 1930. The Bible as History, by Werner Keller, Page 325.
“These dispatches on clay had been sent to ‘Joash’, the ‘commandant of the fort at Lachish,’ during that fateful ‘10th month’ of the year 588 B.C.E. ... One of the last of these eye witness reports reads: ‘May Yahweh grant that my lord should hear good tidings ... we are watching for the signal stations of Lachish ... we are no longer receiving signals from Azekah.’”

This, of course, was during the invasion by Nebuchadnezzar’s armies. Found - An Ostracon (singular of ostraca). Reported in 1978 by Mr. Jack Campbell, an archaeological restorer of Rockland, Maine.
Mr. Campbell reported that when the ancient Israeli site of Arad was excavated, an ostracon was found that twice mentions the name Yahweh. “There is now no doubt about the Mighty One of Israel,” he said. “His personal name is Yahweh.”SOURCE


Is His is Memorial Name:
“Jehovah” or “Yahweh”?



Do Some Protestants Perpetuate a Reasonably Well Known Religious Error?
By Anthony V. Gaudiano

A FEW scholars have different ideas about how the name YHWH was originally pronounced.

In The Mysterious Name of Y.H.W.H., page 74, Dr. M. Reisel said that the "vocalisation of the Tetragrammaton must originally have been YeHuàH or YaHuàH."

Canon D. D. Williams of Cambridge held that the "evidence indicates, nay almost proves, that Jahwéh was not the true pronunciation of the Tetragrammaton . . . The Name itself was probably JAHÔH."-Zeitschriftfür die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft (Periodical for Old Testament Knowledge), 1936, Volume 54, page 269.

In the glossary of the French Revised Segond Version, page 9, the following comment is made: "The pronunciation Yahvé used in some recent translations is based on a few ancient witnesses, but they are not conclusive. If one takes into account personal names that include the divine name, such as the Hebrew name of the prophet Elijah (Eliyahou) the pronunciation might just as well be Yaho or Yahou."

In 1749 the German Bible scholar Teller told of some different pronunciations of God's name he had read: "Diodorus from Sicily, Macrobius, Clemens Alexandrinus, Saint Jerome and Origenes wrote Jao; the Samaritans, Epiphanius, Theodoretus, Jahe, or Jave; Ludwig Cappel reads Javoh; Drusius, Jahve; Hottinger, Jehva; Mercerus, Jehovah; Castellio, Jovah; and le Clerc, Jawoh, or Javoh."

What About Jehovah?

Did the Messiah say the Sacred Name?
EliYah

Adonai Yahweh El Shaddai
"Even today, Jews consider it perfectly appropriate to say and write the Name "Jehovah," as it is not considered the sacred pronounciation."

THE CROSS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
by H. Wheeler Robinson
THE WESTMINSTER PRESS Philadelphia
"1 'Yahweh' is used throughout this book as the correct transliteration of the Hebrew name for God, wrongly spelt as 'Jehovah', and usually translated in the Bible, 'the LORD'."

Jehovah, variant of the name of God in the Old Testament. The four Hebrew letters YHWH referring to God, were considered sacred and unpronounceable. In reading the Hebrew Bible, the word Adonai (Lord) was substituted. Medieval translators believed YHWH should be read "Yahweh," and the name "Jehovah" was incorrectly derived from that. The New Webster's International Encyclopedia p. 571

JEHOVAH

YAHWEH
From: MyJewishLearning.com

EL, Eloah, And Elohim

CLICK HERE to See the following "QUOTE" from: MyJewishLeaning.com.
"Most scholars, however, think that it was taken from the Canaanite language.
The Canaanites were the indigenous people of the land of Israel and they seem frequently to have addressed their individual gods as "my gods." "

Also see my "Baal Gad" web page.

The Divine Name That Will Endure Forever
"Hallowed Be Your Name"—What Name?

The main website is now closed but you may still access the Following pages of this site:

FAQ SECTION

Exceptional

Iouo - The Only Name of God

Jehovah, yehowah:
Spiritual - Theosophy Dictionary on Jehovah, yehowah

[PDF] YHWH vs Jehovah
The Prpoer Pronunciation of the Divine Name
Kelton Graham

[PDF] Do You Perpetuate
The J-h Word Error?
Compiled by. Anthony V. Gaudiano

JEHOVAH, JOVE, JOVIS

Is "Jehovah"
The Name of God?
by Jason Dulle

JEHOVAH - 1911 Encyclopedia

BY JOVE

Derivation of "Jesus" and "Jehovah"

Have We Been Duped?
TRUTH FOR THE AGES

Jehovah - Variant of the Name of God in the Old Testament. The four Hebrew letters YHWH, referring to God, were considered sacred and unpronounceable. In reading the Hebrew Bible, the word Adonai (Lord) was substituted. Medieval translators believed YHWH should be read "Yahweh", and the name "Jehovah" was incorrectly derived from that. The 21st Century Webster's Family Encyclopedia

In their The Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures, the Jehovah's Witnesses, The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc., admit in their Foreword (pp. 23) that:

'While inclining to view the pronunciation 'Yahweh' as the more CORRECT WAY, we have retained the form 'Jehovah' because of people's familiarity with it since the 14th Century.'

Steven T. Byington, The Bible in Living English published by the Jehovah's Witnesses Watchtower Bible & Tract Society in the preface states that the pronunciation Jehovah is "A BLUNDER".

"Jehovah, name of the God of the Hebrew people as erroneously transliterated from the Masoretic Hebrew text."
SOURCE
Contributed By: Saul Lieberman, M.A., D.H.L., Ph.D. Late Distinguished Service Professor of Talmud and Rector of the Rabbinical School, Jewish Theological Seminary of America. Author of Greek in Jewish Palestine and Hellenism in Jewish Palestine.
"Jehovah," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2005 http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2005 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
© 1993-2005 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

The Name Yahweh An "Egyptian Slur"? !!!

Also see:
About The Name Yahweh
The shocking things that you never knew about the name Yahweh

&

Yahweh: The Pagan God of Mythology
By Ryan Hicks

Related Journal Entry To The Above Link

The Meaning of the Name Yahweh

Is Our God Nameless?

My discussion with the webmaster of the above link.

Peace greetings,

You said: >>> "I’m always going to prefer “Jehovah” over “Yahweh” for two reasons: “Jehovah” is an English standard derived from the Hebrew word “Yahowah” *[Did the name Yehowah come from an older form Yahowah or Yahwoh ?] (yes, a very little-known alternative pronunciation for “YHWH”) and a few scholars have uncovered plausible evidence that “Yahweh” is an Egyptian slur for God’s name. Perhaps a name the Egyptians devised to show their displeasure with the ten plagues. With that in mind, I tend to avoid “Yahweh” myself since I don’t want to risk annoying God. I'm just doing my part to make available the most up-to-date information."<<<< End quote.

* Hyperlink in brackets added by me.

My responce: >>> When you said, "... a FEW scholars have uncovered PLAUSABLE EVIDENCE that "Yahweh" is an Egyptian slur for God's name.", were you using this link as one of your so called "scholarly sources"? http://www.lamblion.net/Articles/ScottJones/jehovah1.htm I have this link added to My Web Site for educational and research purposes.

I noted that you did say "... FEW ..."! I would be most interested in the other so called "plausable evidential scholarly sources" that you give reference to, so that I may add them to My Web Site to inform others for educational and research purposes.

I can not say about the Name Yahweh as what you have said about the name Jehovah that I'm ALWAYS going to prefer "Yahweh" over the name "Jehovah", because if I find "scholarly plausable evidence" that the name "Jehovah" is a more accurate transliteration or any other transliteration for that matter that is more accurate I would gladly change my beliefs and take on the more accurate.

So, if you will please "do your part to make available this most up-to-date information" it would greatly be appreciated. Posted 9/20/2005 at 2:24 PM by Franklin4YAHWEH

WEBMASTERS NOTE: I have found the following blog link explaining and giving resources from a few scholars that find the name Jehovah as a more accurate transliteration.

Instructing 'Prophet Yahweh' in YaHuWaH
Prophet of YaHuWaH gives instruction to the 'Prophet Yahweh' on the Nature of True Religion of YHWH Elohim TzaBaoth The Living Creator of all the Worlds - Using sources like Torah, Injeel, Qur'an and more!

Another Website
Giving Reference to the Same Sources of the Previous Blog Site

END NOTE

I never could get any other resources from the above explaining the Name Yahweh as an "Egyptian slur" other than the one I have made available above in which they did respond that this was the source that they quoted. MY XANGA BLOG SITE

Follow-up responce from the above when asking them if they could find me some resources other than what they had submitted to me previously:

Hello Mr. Rhoads, I’m back with some bad news. I tried dilligently to locate reputable information to support Mr. Jones Assertion that “Yahweh” is unacceptable as God’s name and found nothing at all. Well, I found a few sites where people bantered around their opinion that Yahweh was a pagan god with a consort named Asherah. So there’s nothing to show that Yahweh is a bad name, not even from Mr. Jones himself. The good news is that I am revising my articles accordingly to include Yahweh as much as I can since there are many other people besides you who like Yahweh. It’s the fair thing to do. I want to thank you again for bringing this matter to my attention and giving me the opportunity to expand my knowledge.

Catholic Admissions on Yahweh's Name - "...but in the Old Testament original, the term "Lord" is actually Yahweh."

The Usage of Jehovah Came From Catholicism

Watchtower literature states information about the word Jehovah, but elaborates as to its Catholic origin in 1270:

"By combining the vowel signs of Adhonay and Elohim with the four consonants of the Tetragrammaton the pronunciations Yehowah and Yehowih were formed. The first of these provided the basis for the Latinized form "Jehova(h)." The first recorded use of this form dates from the thirteenth century C.E. Raymundus Martini, a Spanish monk of the Dominican Order, used it in his book Pugeo Fidei of the year 1270. Hebrew scholars generally favor "Yahweh" as the most likely pronunciation. Aid to Bible Understanding, Watchtower Bible And Tract Society, 1971, pp. 884, 885.

Please note: Hebrew scholars generally favor "Yahweh" as the most likely pronunciation.

Bruce Metzger, who criticizes the KJV's misusage of Jehovah, gives additional information:

(The KJV makes the mistake of using Jehovah at Ex. 6:3; Psa. 83:18; Isa. 12:2 and 26:4.)

The form "Jehovah" is of late medieval origin; it is a combination of the consonants of the Divine Name and the vowels attached to it by the Masoretes but belonging to an entirely different word .... (New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures with References, Revised 1984, p. 6.) The word "Jehovah" does not accurately represent any form of the Name ever used in Hebrew. (The Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures, 1969, pp. 18,19.) The use of any proper name for the one and only God, as though there were other gods from whom the true God had to be distinguished, began to be discontinued in Judaism before the Christian era and is inappropriate for the universal faith of the Christian Church.(The New Revised Standard Version Bible, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989, To The Reader.)

From The Holy Bible, Revised Standard Version, 1952, Preface, page iv-v - "While it is almost if not quite certain that the Name was originally pronounced "Yahweh," this pronunciation was not indicated when the Masoretes added vowel signs to the consonantal Hebrew text. To the four consonants YHWH of the Name, which had come to be regarded as too sacred to be pronounced, they attached vowel signs indicating that in its place should be read the Hebrew word Adonai meaning 'Lord' (or Elohim meaning 'God'). The ancient Greek translators substituted the word Kyrios (Lord) for the Name. The Vulgate likewise used the Latin word Dominus. The form 'Jehovah' is of late medieval origin; it is a combination of the consonants of the Divine Name and the vowels attached to it by the Masoretes but belonging to an entirely different word. "…the word 'Jehovah' does not accurately represent any form of the Name ever used in Hebrew."

From Funk and Wagnalls New Encyclopedia, 1973, volume 14, page 181 - "Jehovah - name of the God of the Hebrew people as erroneously transliterated from the Masoretic Hebrew text. The word consists of the consonants JHVH or JHWH, with the vowels of a separate word, AdOnAI (Lord). What its original vowels were is a matter of speculation, for because of an interpretation of such texts as Exod. 20:7 and Lev. 24:11, the name came to be regarded as too sacred for expression; the scribes, in reading aloud, substituted 'Lord' and therefore wrote the vowel markings for 'Lord' into the consonantal framework JHVH as a reminder to future readers aloud. The translators of the Hebrew, not realizing what the scribes had done, read the word as it was written down, taking the scribal vowel markings as intrinsic to the name of their God rather than as a mere reminder not to speak it."

From The Oxford Companion to the Bible, edited by Bruce M. Metzger and Michael D. Coogan, page 343 - "Jehovah - An artificially constructed name for Israel's God first attested in 16th century CE Christian texts. The new construction was the result of changing attitudes toward the use of God's name. The Hebrew name 'Yahweh' was not normally pronounced after about the 3rd century BCE out of respect for its holiness. In its place, readers of the Hebrew used adonay, 'Lord'. When vowels were added to the consonantal text of the Hebrew Bible (ca. 1000 CE), the consonants of Yahweh were preserved, but the vowels of adonay were used as a reminder to readers. Renaissance Christians tradition erroneously combined the consonants of Yahweh and the vowels of adonay to produce 'Jehovah'."

From the New Catholic Encyclopedia, 1967, page 1065 - "Yahweh - Judging from Greek transcriptions of the sacred name, YHWH ought to be pronounced Yahweh. The pronunciation Jehovah was unknown in ancient Jewish circles, and is based upon a later misunderstanding of the scribal practice of using the vowels of the word Adonai with the consonants of YHWH."

From the Encyclopedia Americana - "The form of J was unknown in any alphabet until the 14th century. Either symbol (J, I) used initially generally had the consonant sound of Y as in year. Gradually, the two symbols (J, I) were differentiated, the J usually acquiring consonant force and thus becoming regarded as a consonant, and the I becoming a vowel. It was not until 1630 that the differentiation became general in England."

From Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, revised by Ivor H. Evans, page 577 - "J - the 10th letter of the alphabet, a modern introduction, only differentiated from I in the 17th century, and not completely separate till the 19th. It was a medieval practice to lengthen the I when it was the initial letter, usually with the consonantal function now assumed by J. There is no room for J or j in the Authorized Version of the Bible."

From the Brown, Driver and Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon, page 217 - "Yahweh - the proper name of the God of Israel. On the basis of Exodus 12:7 and Leviticus 24:11," the Tetragrammaton "was regarded as a nomen ineffable, called by the Jews Hashem and by the Samaritans Shemah. The pronunciation Jehovah was unknown until 1520, when it was introduced by Galatinus."

From the Pentateuch and Haftorah's, edited by Dr. J. H. Hertz, pages 6-7 - "Adonay is the prescribed traditional reading of the Divine Name expressed in the four Hebrew letters YHWH - which is never pronounced as written. The Divine Name is spoken of as the Tetragrammaton, which is a Greek word meaning 'the Name of four letters.' The High Priest of old pronounced it as written, on the Day of Atonement during the Temple Service; whereupon all the people fell on their faces and exclaimed, 'Blessed be His Name whose glorious Kingdom is forever and ever.' The Hebrew root of that Divine Name means 'to be'; Adonay thus expresses the eternal self-existence of Him who is the Author of all existence."

From the Illustrated Dictionary of the Bible, Herbert Lockyer, sr. ed., page 427 - "God, Names of - Jehovah/Yahweh - one of the most important names for God in the Old Testament is Yahweh, or Jehovah, from the verb 'to be', meaning simply but profoundly, 'I Am who I Am,' and 'I will be who I will be.' The four-letter Hebrew word YHWH was the name by which God revealed Himself to Moses in the burning bush (Ex. 3:14)."

When clicking on the following links and images use your BACK button to return to this page.

MORE AUTHORITIVE SOURCES

YAHWEH
Encyclopedic Theosophical Glossary

The Names of God
By J. A. Motyer

THE WORDS AND THE NAME

Two Hebrew words are translated 'God':

EL - 'The Deity', God in the power and distinctiveness of his divine nature.

ELOHIM - Plural in form signifying not 'gods' but the One who completely possesses all the divine attributes.

There is also a third word used for God:

ADON - Describes God as 'Sovereign' or 'Lord', pointing to his divine authority and executive rule.

In distinction from these nouns, there is also the personal name Yahweh. To avoid using the divine name itself (out of supposed reverence) a word meaning 'Lord' was substituted in public reading. English Bibles unfortunately perpetuate the same scruple, representing Yahweh by 'Lord', or, when it is used in connection with Adonai (a form of Adon), as 'Lord God'. Much is lost in Bible reading if we forget to look beyond the substitute word to the personal, intimate name of God himself.

By telling his people his name, God intended to reveal to them his inmost character. As a word, Yahweh is related to the Hebrew verb 'to be'. This vern goes beyond 'to exist'; it means rather 'to be actively present'. Yahweh (Exodus 3:13-16) is the God actively present with his people - but the moment he chose to make this known was when they, as doomed slaves, needed to be redeemed.

In other words the idea of 'active presence' tells us that God is with us but not what sort of God he is. In choosing the time of the exodus to reveal the meaning of his name, he identifies himself as the God who saves his people and overthrows his adversaries.

The holiness of God lies at the root of his self-revelation as Yahweh (Exodus 3:5). This works out in the holy redemption and holy wrath of the Passover (Exodus 12).

The Old Testament's understanding of the chapter which the name reveals is well seen in passages such as Exodus 34:6ff.; Psalms 103; 111; 146; Micah 7:18-19.

THE PROGRESS OF REVELATION

The name Yahweh appears in the Bible from the earliest times (Genesis 4:1) and in such ways to imply that men both knew and used it (e.g. Genesis 4:26; 14:22). How then can God say to Moses (Exodus 6:2-3) that my name the Lord I did not make myself known to them' (i.e. to Abraham, etc.)?

Specialist Old Testament study has long answered this question by saying that we have differing traditions of the early history of the people of God: one tradition in which the divine name was known from the earliest times, and another - contradictory - tradition that it was first revealed to Moses.

Influential as this theory has proved, it is neither inescapable nor necessary. 'To know' in the Old Testament goes beyond the mere possession of information, to the active enjoyment of fellowship with the person known. For instance the sons of Eli certainly knew the name as a divine 'label' but they 'had no regard for (literally, 'did not know') the Lord' (1 Samuel 2:12; cf. also 3:7; Exodus 33:12-13). So Exodus 6:2-3 is telling us that what had hitherto possessed only the significance of a 'label', a way of addressing God, now became significant as a statement of the character by the God was so named - that he is the holy Redeemer and Judge, ever present with his people.

This view of the meaning of Exodus 6:2-3 is borne out by the evidence of Genesis. If Abraham had been asked 'Who is Yahweh?' he would have undoubtedly have replied 'God Almighty' or one of the other titles used by the patriarchs:

Webmaster's Comment

It has also been pointed out about Exodus 6:3 that Hebrew had no punctuation and in translating this passage that it should have been punctuated as a question rather than a statement, Using a period at the end of this sentence infers that they did not know the Name Yahweh. It is earlier recorded in Genesis that "then began men to call upon the name [Yahweh]." Note that the structure of the sentence in the A.K.J.V. and the W.B.S. poses this as a question ("... by my name [YAHWEH] was I not known to them.[?]"), but uses a period instead of a question mark at the end. Note that other translations structure this sentence as a statement rather than a question. The following online translation uses a question mark as punctuation in this passage and the sentence structure is in the form of a question as the A.K.J.V. and the W.B.S.

Exodus 6:3 - Restored Name King James Version

As far as I know the Holy Name Bible by Angelo B. Traina is the first translation that used a question mark at the end of this passage.

Also See: The Name "Yahweh"

EL SHADDAY Shadday probably means 'mountain', used symbolically of changelessness and enduring strength, cotrasted to the helplessness of man. See for instance Genesis 17:1f.; 28:3f.; 35:11; 43:14; 48:3; 49:25.

EL ELYON 'God Most High', Genesis 14:18.

EL ROI 'God of Seeing', Genesis 16:13.

El OLAM 'The Everlasting God', Genesis 21:33.

EL BETHEL 'God of Bethel', Genesis 31:13.

EL ELOHE YISRAEL 'God, the God of Israel', Genesis 33:20.

So when Yahweh is said to be 'the God of your fathers' in Exodus 3 (verses 6, 13, 15, 16), all the richness of meaning is added to the revelation of the holy Redeemer. From: Eerdmans' Handbook to the Bible pgs. 157-158.

[PDF] YAHVEH CHRIST, OR THE MEMORIAL NAME
by Aleander McWhorter, Resident Graduate, Divinity School of Yale College, 1857

Who Yahweh Is
The Proper Name of the Creator Series

COMMENTARY
On Bible Prefaces

Scriptural Definition of the word "Name"

Yahweh's People Respond
To His Name

YHWH

[PDF] The Name
At Qumran

The Name of God

The NAME
According to Thomas Nelson, Inc.

ABSOLUTE PROOF
Of The Name YAHWEH

The Name
Of The Father And The Son

What Is
His Name

The Holy Name
Why should we use the name Yahweh?
Because the Almighy likes it and Satan hates it!

God's Namesake
In Action

U, V, or W?

"J" or "Je"
By James J. McCarthy

[PDF] Great Heavenly Father's Name
Made Simple
By Carroll L. Page

Also See:

Consonants Or Vowels

&

Baal Gad

The Anti-Christ is Hiding In Plain Sight

RESTORATION OF THE SACRED NAME

The Name YAHshua means:
YAHWEH IS REDEEMER!

The Name Of The Savior
Presented By The Prophets

What's In a Name

The Name of Yahshua

The Sacred Name:
Yahushua

[PDF] MESSIAH'S NAME
MADE SIMPLE
By Carroll L. Page

W.W.J.D.?
He'd USE HIS OWN NAME YAHSHUA!

The Name explains the significance of names in the Hebrew culture,
centering on the meaningfulness of the name Jesus.

Jesus Gets a New Name

Last year, Graham (whose real name is William Franklin Graham III) published his latest book: The Name. In it, he wrote that Christianity and Islam are, “as different as lightness and darkness.” Referring to the attacks on the World Trade Center, he wrote, “Those who have attacked America invoke their god’s name, Allah.” Perhaps Graham is not hip to the fact that, ‘Allah’ is not the name of a god; it is the Arabic word for ‘god.’ A press release claims the book explores the “importance of the name Jesus.” Curious. While there is no solid evidence for the existence of a Jesus of Nazareth, there is plenty of evidence that – if he existed – his mother named him ‘Yeshua,’ not ‘Jesus.’ The name ‘Yeshua’ means, one who is like Yahweh, Yahweh being a deity of the ancient Semites (and the deity of modern-day Jews and Muslims). ‘Yeshua’ was a common name among Jews before the Julian calendar was brand new. Perhaps Graham is not hip to the etymology of ‘Jesus.’ It’s a Hellenized version of ‘Yeshua’ and was concocted when the New Testament was first published (in Greek). SOURCE: Mister Thorne

Webmaster's Coment:

Perhaps Mister Thorne who made the above comment is not hip to the fact that the name 'Yeshua' actually means 'he is redeemer' and not "one who is like Yahweh". The closest any Hebrew name comes to the meaning, "one who is like Yahweh" is the name Micahyah, which means 'Who is like Yahweh?' and is in the form of a question.

What's All This Hubbub About Hebrew?

YAHWEH GOOGLE SEARCH

My Present Stance On The Pronunciation Of Our Heavenly Father And Creator's Name

I have had many come to me and say, "There is no 'W' in the Hebrew." Now, I know that they are technically trying to say that there is no 'W' SOUND in the Hebrew, but this is not what the majority who come to me with this argument say, so I respond, "There also is no Y, H, or V in the Hebrew and there also is no vowels a, e, i, o, and u, in the Hebrew." Now, this is technically true because, these are English letter characters and not Hebrew letter characters. Such erroneous statements are made because they do not clearly make it known in such a statement that they are referring to the sound and not the actual letters.

Now, if they were to come to me and say, "There is no 'W' SOUND in the Hebrew." I would take it that they are more clearly stating what they meant, but I would still disagree with them. The 'W' is merely a transliteration of the sounds that are detected in the Hebrew to communicate it into the English language. That is what 'to transliterate' a word or name means as opposed to 'to translate' a word or name.

I would like to explain why the English letter 'W' is used in the transliteration of the Name of our Heavenly Father and Creator. It is simply because when transliterating the Name that they detected the SOUND 'W' in doing so. When the 'oo' or 'uu' sounds were combined with the last sound in the Name ('eh') that it does make a slight 'W' SOUND in doing so. This works whether one uses an 'a' or an 'e' vowel at the end of the Name. So, the Name can be properly be transliterated in either of the following manners using the 'e' vowel ending.
Yah - weh, Yah - uu - eh, or Yah - oo - eh

Using the 'a' vowel ending it can be transliterated:

Yah - wah, Yah - uu - ah, or Yah - oo - ah

Now, I would like you to note the 'double u' used in the first examples of transliteration. This is where the letter 'W' derives from (double u). Note also that in the way the English letter 'W' is formed it looks like two English letter 'V' s combined. So the Name could also be transliterated as Yah - vah or Yah - veh.

You will find that the "no W sound in Hebrew" proponents will differ as to what English letters should be used in transliterating the Name instead of using the English letter 'W'. You will find the forms, "Yahuah, Yahueh, Yahvah, and Yahveh". Then some will go as far as to double-up on the letter sounds and you will find the the forms, Yahuwah, Yahuweh, Yahuveh, Yahawah and etc.

I myself have no problem with these slight differences in pronunciation. The only problem that I have is with translating away from the Name and using inferior names/titles such as, "the LORD", "God", "Adon" and the plural form "Adonai", "El", "Eloah" and the plural form "Elohim" INSTEAD of His actual Name.

The attempted transliteration "Jehovah" is well known among scholars of the Hebrew language to be a(n) "blunder", "hybrid name", "impossible transliteration", "erroneous transliteration", "mongrel name", and "monstrous" to quote a few.

We can not know exactly how the Name was communicated to the Prophets of old since all that we have are the scribed (copied), translated/transliterated, and revised written records and not actual audio records.

What’s in a Name?
Rav Yosef L. Boleware, Congregation Beit Lechem


Gatepost Mezzuzah

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Hallelujah - Dictionary Definition

HALLELUYAH - It's Origin, Meaning & Significance

HalleluYAHWEH !

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