Do You Know God's Name?

Do You Know God’s Name?

It’s Written In The Two Oldest Copies of the “Bible”!

Chapter 27 Preview: Have you ever had a close friend whose name you did not know? How about a friend whose name you could not pronounce? If his name were Tutankahaman you might have somewhat of an excuse, but God’s name is far simpler. While such a friend might overlook your ignorance, wouldnt it at least be respectful of you to try to get it right? Fortunately, God’s real name is found in the oldest complete Hebrew scriptures! So now you wont necessarily have to use the generic term “God”, which can also apply to one of the many mythical gods.

Would the Creator God allow His name to be permanently lost to the world?

Isaiah 42:8 “I am [Yehovah]. That is My name. I will not give My glory to another, nor My praise to engraved images. WEB

For many years I wanted to know exactly what “the Name” really is. Could the Jewish people really have totally annihilated all knowledge of “the Name”? There has to be a story here, but where might we begin to look? Let’s go back a couple of millennia and see if there is a trail to pick up.

For many centuries Judaism has had a severe prohibition against uttering the name of God. The Rabbinic law code in use today; the Mishnah Berurah says:

“It is forbidden to read the glorious and terrible name as it is written, as the sages said ‘He that pronounces the name as it is written has no portion in the world to come’. Therefore it must be read as if it were written Adonai (Mishnah Berurah 5:2)”.

From a Christian perspective, the Jews did not have to understand the “oracles”, they just had to preserve the text!

Romans 3:1-2 Then what advantage does the Jew have? Or what is the profit of circumcision? 2 Much in every way! Because first of all, they were entrusted with the oracles of God. WEB

The “oracles of God” simply means the “utterances of God”. That is what the Greek word “logion” means. Specifically, these utterances refer to “the contents of the Mosaic law”—the Hebrew Scriptures. So in this one indiscretion with the oracles, their prohibition has had a repercussion on the Saints (off site).

As early as the third century BC, there is evidence of a contrived superstition in the Mishnah tractate of the Sanhedrin. It states: “The following have no portion in the world to come:... Abba Saul says: Also one who pronounces the divine name as it is written.” (Mishnah Sanhedrin 10:1)

However, there is absolutely no evidence that this complete ban concerning God’s name goes back to ancient times. The Talmud records how the ban was begun:

“The Greeks decreed that the name of God may not be spoken aloud; but when the Hasmoneans grew in strength and defeated them they decreed that the name of God be used even in contracts... when the Rabbis heard about this they said, ‘Tomorrow this person will pay his debt and the contract will be thrown on a garbage heap’ so they forbade its use in contracts.” (Babylonian Talmud, Rosh Hashannah 18b)

The Encyclopedia Judaica, article “God, Names of” (volume 7, page 680) states:

“At least until the destruction of the First Temple in 586 B.C.E. this name was regularly pronounced with its proper vowels, as is clear from the Lachish Letters, written shortly before that date.” Also quoted here.

History records that the prohibition against the name of YHVH began as one of the anti-Semitic edicts pronounced by the arch villain Antiochus IV Epiphanes, in 168 BC. This was part of Antiochus #4’s policy of brainwashing the Jews, in an attempt to turn them into Greeks! The same edict banned circumcision and Sabbath observance and required every Jew to sacrifice pigs to Zeus and Apollo. Later, men loyal to Judah Maccabee defeated the Greeks and re-dedicated the Temple in 165 BC. These Hasmoneans annulled the anti-Semitic decrees of the Greeks. Not only did they restore the use of the name of YHVH, but also they passed a law requiring the use of the name of YHVH in contractual agreements, so that the Jews would reacquire the habit of using God’s name.

You may wonder what YHVH (usually YHWH), known as the Tetragrammaton, stands for. It is God’s name without vowels. These four letters are the four Hebrew consonants of God’s name; pronounced Yod, He, Vav and He. The third letter is the Hebrew letter Vav, so a W would not really be the best English equivalent. For centuries a great debate (off site) raged, particularly around the time of the Protestant Reformation as to whether or not the vowel points were originally present in the Hebrew text. The Catholics generally maintained that the original form used only consonants. They taught that after the 70 year captivity, Ezra added the tiny vowel points (symbols) for clarity of pronunciation, because the younger generation was forgetting Hebrew but that this introduced error. In that way they could point to the superiority of the Latin Vulgate.

Protestants generally maintained that the original Hebrew was complete with vowels, jots and tittles. Apparently they were in agreement with Jesus:

Matthew 5:18 For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. KJV

The Essenes were the Jewish sect responsible for recording the Dead Sea Scrolls. They had severe cultist rules. Becoming an Essene required several years of initiation. Violation of their laws could result in permanent “excommunication” from the Assembly. The fundamental document of the Essenes was a book called “Rule of the Community”. The Rule of the Community bans using the name of YHVH: Anyone who spoke aloud the Name of God under any circumstances, even accidentally, was permanently expelled.

Have you ever lost something that was right under your nose? Could Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, the standard reference for well over 100 years possibly have it right? Strong’s defines the “banished Name”, that the King James translators rendered as “LORD”, as “Yehovah”, with the emphasis on the last syllable, while also showing the relatively recent Catholic/Anglicized form (using a “J”):

Yahweh?

The most regrettable effect of the ban on God’s name is that the exact pronunciation was concealed from generations of people who did not subscribe to the superstition concerning God’s name. Today, some few are seeking the pronunciation of God’s name and a few are finding it. Perhaps the most popular supposition of the pronunciation is “Yahweh”. The name “Yahweh”, according to a tract that I was given promoting the name Yahweh, said that the name continued “to be employed by healers, exorcists, and magicians, and is found on many magical papyri.” My first thought after reading this was “Gypsies, tramps and thieves”. That apparently is the best that the “Yahwehists” can produce as evidence. The Catholics eventually sided with Yahweh. “Jehovah” is another name attributable to Catholic sources. We’ll look at that too.

Is there a reliable and authoritative source of truth on the matter? Actually there is a rock solid proof of the pronunciation found in the scriptures themselves! But before getting into these proofs, we need to clear the table of the most popular misconception.

(I was set on the right course by someone I met during the Feast of Unleavened Bread in 2004 who learned it from a Hebrew scholar. I have no personal knowledge of Hebrew grammar. I even got D’s in High School English. I had hoped to have help explaining this topic from someone, such as the Hebrew scholar, or better yet to have simply linked to someone else’s article on this site, but was not able to find anything substantial from any available resource at the time.)

The problem with the pronunciation of God’s name is indirectly due to the fact that the Hebrew language uses tiny symbols for vowels. When it comes to the YHVH, it is commonly presumed that the vowels were all replaced with the vowels of the word “Adonai”. Virtually every modern scholar deliberately ignores the vowels of YHVH, which are still written in the Hebrew texts, preferring various impossible to prove speculations. The popular theory that God’s name is pronounced “Yahweh” has no scriptural support. The Anchor Bible Dictionary says: “The pronunciation of YHWH as Yahweh is a scholarly guess.” If “Yahweh”, one of the most trusted of the “sacred names”, is a baseless supposition, then how much evidence is there for the myriads of other speculations?

The Encyclopedia Judaica asserts that the true pronunciation of YHVH was never lost, but look at the only source they cite to support their claim!

Encyclopedia Judaica, volume 7, from the article “God, Names of” on page 680.

“The true pronunciation of the name YHWH was never lost. Several early Greek writers of the Christian [Catholic] Church testify that the name was pronounced “Yahweh”. This is confirmed, at least for the vowel 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 of very many Hebrew names.”

Here is a quotation from The Universal Jewish Encyclopedia, published in New York in 1941, volume 5, page 6, article “GOD, NAMES OF”:

The Tetragrammaton or Four-Lettered Name (YHWH), which occurs 6,823 times, is by far the most frequent name of God in the Bible. It is now pronounced ‘Adonai’; but the [Catholic] church father Theodoret records that THE SAMARITANS pronounced it as ‘Iabe adonai’, and Origen transcribes it as ‘Iae’, both pointing to an original vocalization ‘yahveh’.”

Again, this Jewish encyclopedia relies totally on what some of the Catholic “church fathers” said. The rabbinic Jews themselves have no clue concerning the correct pronunciation.

JewishEncyclopedia.com—“The only free [public domain] Jewish encyclopedia on the Internet”, also relates the same Samaritan and Catholic sources—search “Yahweh”.

The New Bible Dictionary, published in 1972 by Inter-Varsity Press in London, states the following on page 478 in the article “God, names of ”:

“The pronunciation of 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).”

The Catholic “Church Fathers” acknowledged that their pronunciation of YHWH came from the Samaritans. But Jesus said that the Samaritans (off site) didnt even know what they worshipped!

John 4:9 & 22 The Samaritan woman therefore said to him, “How is it that you, being a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?... 22 You worship that which you dont know. We worship that which we know; for salvation is from the Jews. WEB

Are we to believe that the people who didnt even know what they worshipped, are supposed to be the only authority on how YHVH should be pronounced?

Yahweh in Magic Egyptian Papyri:

For a nearby reference The Encyclopedia Wikipedia also attributes the name Yahweh to magic. “...many combinations and permutations of names of powerful agents that occur in Egyptian magical writings are discussed...” But in the magical texts “Iave (Jahveh Sebaoth), as well as Iaßa, occurs frequently. In an Ethiopic list of magical names of Jesus, purporting to have been taught by him to his disciples, Yawe is found.” The article goes on to quote “the Jewish Encyclopedia of 1901-1906’s Article: Tetragrammaton, under the Article Heading: ‘Church Fathers and Magic Papyri’, the editors write: ‘It was in connection with magic that the Tetragrammaton was introduced into the magic papyri and, in all probability, into the writings of the Church Fathers, these two sources containing the following forms, written in Greek letters: 1) Iaoouee, Iaoue, Iabe; 2) Iao, Iaho,Iae; 3) Aia; 4) Ia. It is evident that [these forms are merely different ways of] writing the same word, though “Iabe” [essentially Yahweh] is designated as the Samaritan pronunciation... There is evidence from more than one source that the modern Samaritan priests pronounce the name Yahweh or Yahwa.” But Yahweh is definitely not a Hebrew name!

Are you are relying on a magical name for salvation? Much of popular Christianity essentially treats the name of Jesus as if just saying it, in the right context, merits salvation. Perhaps you should take note of what some earlier magicians did:

Acts 19:19 Many of those who practiced magical arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all.

(No magicians were harmed during the documentation of this chapter.)

Is Yehovah A Destroyer?

There is an argument presented by Yahweh proponents opposed to the word Jehovah who contend that “hovah” as in Jehovah (and therefore Yehovah) could not possibly be a part of God’s name because it has “calamity” built right into the name! Notice the similarity in the Hebrew letters below:

No doubt there is a similarity. Yet interestingly enough the root word for “calamity” means “to be”:

My first thought upon seeing that the root word for “calamity” means “to be” was to check out the Hebrew for “I AM” as found in Exodus.

Exodus 3:14 God said to Moses, “I AM [01961] WHO I AM,” and he said, “You shall tell the children of Israel this: ‘I AM [01961] has sent Me to you. WEB

Sure enough, “calamity” or “destruction” really can be associated with God’s name Yehovah, as well as “I AM”!

Let’s not jump to the wrong conclusions with this information. Assuming that this is not purely coincidental—what is Yehovah alluding to here? The simplest solution is usually the best one. Why would Yehovah not be a Savior as well as a destroyer, depending on the circumstances?

James 4:12 There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another? NKJV

He is the Savior of the salvagable as well as the destroyer of the wicked from beginning to end:

Genesis 6:7 [Yehovah] said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the surface of the ground; man, along with animals, creeping things, and birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them. WEB

Revelation 11:18 The nations were angry, and your wrath came, as did the time for the dead to be judged, and to give Your bondservants the prophets, their ‘reward’ [literally: wages], as well as to the Saints, and those who fear Your name, to the small and the great; and to destroy those who destroy the earth. WEB

Most of the time the word “destroy” is associated with Yehovah, such as every reference in Genesis, Exodus and Leviticus. In many other references Yehovah instructs Israel to destroy for Him.

Interestingly, part of Jesus’ compound name in Hebrew is yet another Hebrew word which like “hovah” means “calamity”! That synonym is “shoah”. Yehoshua[h], means Yah (God) is Shuah (Savior). Yet “Yah shoah” would mean “Yah is calamity” or “Yah is destruction”.

Even today “shoah” is bad news.

Wikipedia: “The biblical word Shoa, also spelled Shoah and Sho’ah, meaning ‘calamity’ in Hebrew, became the standard Hebrew term for the Holocaust as early as the early 1940s. [3] Shoa is preferred by many Jews and a growing number of others for a number of reasons, including the potentially theologically offensive nature of the original meaning of the word holocaust.”

Was it an oversight on Yehovah’s part when He inspired His own name, as well as that of His son Yehoshua’s name, to sounds so much like “Yah is destruction”? Time will tell:

Isaiah 13:6 Wail; for the day of [Yehovah] is at hand! It will come as destruction from the Almighty. WEB

Joel 1:15 Alas for the day! For the day of [Yehovah] is at hand, and it will come as destruction from the Almighty. WEB

Perhaps the real reason that the name Yahweh came into prominence is because the name Jehovah was already “taken” by another exclusive sect and a fresh “new” name was needed. There may be no better way to build a new movement than to promote a unique doctrinal point and then teach that acceptance of the doctrine is necessary for your very salvation!

Jesus?

So what about the other God being—is the correct pronunciation of the Son’s name of such importance that it is a salvational issue, as the sacred namers claim? Are only the righteous few using His “true name”?

I’ve spent two feasts with sacred namers and they have been among the warmest Saints that I have ever encountered, yet using words such as “God, “Jesus”, “Christ”, “Lord”, and “Christian” around them or failing to use the name “Yahweh” produced mixed results at best. I suppose I would always be a visitor there rather than a brother.

Notice carefuly what Matthew, Mark and Luke all quoted Jesus as saying:

Matthew 24:5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will lead many astray. WEB

Over the years I have heard dozens of false teachers who literally came in the name of the Savior. It does not matter whether they spoke His name in Hebrew, Latin, English, Aramaic or Chinese—it is still His Name and they are still deceivers. Since I speak English, most of the deceivers whom I have heard use the name that was converted to Greek before being converted to English—Jesus the Christ.

I am beginning to favor the name His parents called Him—Yeshua. Hopefully I wont be mistaken for a “name exclusivist”. Any type of arrogant exclusivity can become “The Unpardonable Sin”?

Adonai?

Many people who have not studied the subject assume that even the consonants of God’s name are beyond knowing. However the consonants YHVH appear 6828 times in the Hebrew Scriptures. We just need to track down the vowels. Were the vowels really borrowed from Adonai, which is almost universally taught? The supposed a, o and a vowels are claimed to be supported by the ancient Hebrew scribal practice of writing in marginal notes, called Kere-Qetiv. The popular argument concerning God’s name is that the letters YHWH are the correct consonants but then supposedly the vowels of Adonai are to be adopted. This unsubstantiated argument is presented as tho it were factual in seemingly every scholarly presentation concerning God’s name! As is so often the case, when an error is repeated so often it becomes an “urban legend”. (Again, YHVH is the correct modern English form, since we no longer confuse our V’s with our W’s).

The greatest problem with the scholarly consensus is that it is wrong! In every place where a “Qere-Ketiv” (marginal note) is used, the word in question is marked by a small circle in the manuscript. The circle tells the reader that a specified “something else” is preferred. So with YHVH, we would expect there to be a circle over the word YHVH, indicating that a marginal note would tell us that “it aint necessarily so”. Such is never the case with YHVH in any of the 6828 places that it is recorded in the Hebrew texts. It is never connected to a Qere-Ketiv; no scribal circle; no marginal note. So these “scholars” insist that YHVH is a “Qere Perpetuum”, meaning that a word is now pronounced differently than the way it is actually written in the scripture. In practice, when a Qere Perpetuum is used, it is not used in every instance of its usage, which with a more common word could make for a lot of redundant footnotes. However, there is never an example of a Qere Perpetuum that never uses a scribal note. If YHVH is a Qere Perpetuum it would be the only such word that never has a scribal note indicating, “substitute Adonai”. Apparently, according to the popular explanation, they forgot to mention this 6828 times.

Another predicament for the claim that YHVH has the vowels of Adonai is that it plainly overlooks the fact that two of the three vowels are still recorded within the scriptures! The vowels of Adonai are A-O-A. In contrast, the name YHVH found in the scriptures uses an E in the first syllable, deletes the vowel in the second syllable (against Hebrew spelling rules), and uses an A in the last syllable. The vowels of YHVH are different from the vowels of Adonai! YHVH is written in the scriptures as YeHVaH, but if we were to substitute the vowels of Adonai it would appear as Yahovah. The E, always present in the actual texts (those containing the vowel points), is absent!

Codex Leningrad

How can the scholars ignore this reality? Until recently copies of the Scriptures have been produced with God’s name shown with the printers own preference. Some have no vowels at all while others added the vowels of Adonai: Yahovah. In the earliest complete manuscripts YHVH is written YeHVaH. Ben Asher’s Leningrad Codex, which preserves the most accurate complete text of Scripture, preserves two of the three vowels in every instance. The Aleppo Codex, while partially destroyed during the mid 20th century, also preserves these vowels. Modern reproductions of the ancient manuscripts, such as Biblia Hebraica Stutgartensia (BHS), and the Hebrew University Bible Edition (HUB) also contain the spelling YeHVaH. The Leningrad codex lithographic edition is available with life sized photographs of every page (the first picture and the one above were taken from my friend Angie’s Facsimile edition).

The fellow who introduced me to these codices had a copy of both with him. He showed me that they always preserve the first and third vowels: YeH_VaH, but never the vowels of Adonai as YaHoVaH. The Leningrad Codex is available on Amazon.com as, The Leningrad Codex; A Facsimile Edition, D.N. Freedman (editor), Wm B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. 1998. Learn more about the Leningrad Codex by clicking the picture. (off site)

It is glaringly apparent that a vowel is missing between the H and the V of YeHVaH. The rules of the Hebrew language demand another vowel in YeH_VaH, as you might have expected. Why is a vowel missing? Perhaps it’s a good thing that this warning had not been issued yet:

Revelation 22:19 If anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, may God take away his part from the tree of life, and out of the holy city, which are written in this book. 20 He who testifies these things says, “Yes, I come quickly. WEB

Ironically, the scribes who omitted the second vowel did so seeking to avoid this curse!

The medieval scribes omitted the vowel following the first H of YeHVaH to prevent readers from accidentally saying God’s name aloud. In the Aleppo Codex, the most accurate but incomplete Biblical manuscript, YHVH is actually spelled Yehovih where it says “Lord God” It seems that the “i” in Yehovih was inserted to remind reads to substitute Elohim (God), so as to read “Adonai Elohim” rather than redundantly saying “Adonai Adonai”. In the Aleppo, when YHVH is used by itself, it has the vowels Yeh_vah. The “Masoretic” scribes who copied the Scriptures in the Middle Ages were obviously concerned that a reader might say aloud Yeh_vah, but were not concerned about Yehovih, a mispronunciation which might “safely” be spoken. Learn more about the Aleppo Codex here (off site).

But how can we know what the middle vowel of Yeh_vah is? By comparing Yeh_vah with Yehowih, we have all of the letters accounted for! The missing vowel can easily be presumed to be “o”. The Masoretic scribes knew the name to be Yehovah, but masked its pronunciation by omitting the “o”. The most amazing finding is that in the earliest manuscripts, the scribes actually “forgot” to suppress the exact spelling up to 5% of the time, which is collectively hundreds of times! In the LenB19a Masoretic manuscript, the earliest complete Masoretic manuscript from which the renowned BHS edition was based; God’s name is written as Yehovah at least fifty times, out of a total of 6828. In every instance where the middle vowel was divinely preserved, it is an “o”. (I have the locations).

Further confirmation indicating that the missing vowel in Yeh?vah is “o” is found among other divinely inspired names. Many Hebrew names utilize part of the God’s own name. Yehoshua (Joshua) means “YHVH saves”. Also Yeh, when it appears at the beginning of a name reveals the middle vowel.

This confusion should not continue!

Jeremiah 23:26 How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets who prophesy lies, even the prophets of the deceit of their own heart? 27 who think to cause My people to forget My name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbor, as their fathers forgot My name for Baal. WEB

As previously mentioned, “scholars” typically ignore the vowels associated with YHVH that are actually found in the Biblical manuscripts and consult secular sources to try to reconstruct the original pronunciation of God’s name. The principal origin for this rationalization is that of Theodoret of Cyrus, a Catholic “Church Father” of the 5th Century AD. Here is a quote from an article on this topic:

“Those who believe that Yahweh is the correct vocalization of the Name usually quote Clement and Theodoret. The testimony of Clement of Alexandria appeared very late (around 200 CE), furthermore as he explained that God’s name Iaoue may be translated into “the one who is and who will be”, it appears that Iaoue is more a theological pronunciation than philological (A. Caquot—Les énigmes d’un hémistiche biblique in: Dieu et l’être 1978 Paris Ed. Études Augustiniennes C.N.R.S. p. 24 note 23). Clement’s Iaoue can not represent an original God’s name for the following reason: In spite of his claim about God’s name, Clement did not believe that God had a proper name. For him Iaoue was only a word (not a name), which means ‘the one who is and who will be.’ (Stromateon V:6:34), because God is ineffable (Stromateon V:10:65), without name (Stromateon V:12:81,82). For him the real name of God was the “Son” (Stromateon V:14:136). Another example of the same confusion comes from Irenaeus of Lyons (130-202) who believed that the word IAÔ (Iaw in Greek, [Iah] in Latin) meant ‘Lord’ in primitive Hebrew (Against Heresies II, 24:2) and he esteemed that the use of this Hebrew word IAÔ to denote the Name of the unknown Father, was intended to impress gullible minds in worship of mysteries (Against Heresies I, 21:3).” (off site)

Some wishful thinking on the part of Yahweh proponent is the theory that the Samaritans had not accepted the ban of the Rabbis. The conjecture is that the Samaritans knew the pronunciation God’s name during the time of Theodoret and were using it. However, a provable explanation is that the ancient Samaritans called God “Yafeh” meaning “beautiful”, in Hebrew. Samaritan Hebrew often replaces the letter P with a B. So the Samaritans likely told Theodoret that God’s name is Yafeh, but in their version of Hebrew they said “Yabe”. In reality, the Samaritans adopted the ban on God’s name, perhaps even before the Jews did. Instead of pronouncing “the name” YHVH, the Samaritans called their god “Shema”. Shema is probably an Aramaic form of “hashem” meaning “the name”, but notice the resemblance of the Samaritan Shema to the pagan “Ashema”. This is one of the Samaritan gods mentioned when they first came to the Land of Israel in the 8th century BC. (2 Kings 17:30).

Yahweh proponents have a second “proof” for the alleged Samaritan pronunciation of Yahweh based on the connection between YHVH and the root word HYH meaning “to be”.

Exodus 3:13-15 Moses said to God, “Behold, when I come to the children of Israel, and tell them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you;’ and they ask me, ‘What is His name?’ What should I tell them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM,” [Hebrew: Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh] and he said, “You shall tell the children of Israel this: ‘I AM has sent Me to you.’” 15 God said moreover to Moses, “You shall tell the children of Israel this, ‘[Yehovah], the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent Me to you.’ This is My name forever, and this is my memorial to all generations. WEB

So YHVH told Moses that he was sent by Ehyeh, meaning, “I AM”. Then right away Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh, explained that His eternal name is YHVH: (v.15)

But Jesus said that he was “I AM” in the following quote:

John 8:54-59 Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, My glory is nothing. It is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say that He is our God. 55 You have not known Him, but I know Him. If I said, ‘I dont know Him,’ I would be like you, a liar. But I know Him, and keep His word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day. He saw it, and was glad.” 57 The Jews therefore said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?” 58 Jesus said to them, “Most certainly, I tell you, before Abraham came into existence, I AM. WEB

As far as I can see, this only creates more problems for them because comparing Exodus 3 to John 8: I AM = Jesus = YHVH. As I point out in “I and My Father are ONE” under the caption Who is the Bridegroom: Both Jesus and the Father go by the name Yehovah!

The name Jehovah is a moderate adaptation of the true name Yehovah. The most obvious difference is the substitution of a J for the Y (Yod). There is no J in Biblical Hebrew (nor for that matter in the English of the original 1611 King James Bible)! The letter “J” is a relatively modern invention. Another difference is that in the Masoretic text the name is accented on the last syllable. So God’s name is really pronounced Yehovah’ with emphasis on “vah”. Pronouncing the name Yeho’vah with the emphasis on “ho” (as is done in the English name “Jehovah”) is erroneous. Would you be impressed if someone made two mistakes pronouncing your name?

The Masoretic scribes were from a sect of Jews known as Karaites. The Karaites were divided into two factions. Those from the rabbinical strongholds of Galilee and Babylon disallowed the use of God’s name while those based in Persia insisted that it was too sacred to forget. Unfortunately, the Masoretic scribes were the group opposed to using God’s name. Persia had had a very significant Jewish population ever since the Ten Tribes were exiled to the “cities of Media” (2 Kings 17:6). Because Persia was so isolated, they were rather free from the rabbinical influences until the seventh century AD, but their use of Yehovah certainly did not go unnoticed. After the seventh century the name Yehovah became a heated issue. Eventually, the non rabbinical Karaites vanished from existence for well over a thousand years. The modern resurrection of the vanished sect is quite an unusual event in the chronicles of religion.

Jehovah

In the first version of this chapter I had supposed that Latin had had the letter J from early times because of all of the references to Jehovah rather than Yehovah being used in historical articles. None of the articles I have read mention the switch to J in Latin that was made in reference to Yehovah. However, further suspicions led me to understand that the letter “J” was the last letter added (off site) to the Latin language. So while earlier Catholics would have actually spoken Yehovah, it was altered to Jehovah when the world fell in love with the letter J.

It no longer seems to me that Jehovah just happens to be so close to Yehovah. So these Catholic usages of what must have been Yehovah were all 1000 years after Jesus walked the earth. However that was plenty long enough for many modern Catholic sources to assume that the name was either just made up or “hybridized”.

The article “Jehovah” on page 88 of volume VII of the Jewish Encyclopedia states the following:

“‘Jehovah’ is generally held to have been the invention of Pope Leo X’s Confessor, Peter Galatin... who was followed in the use of this [supposedly] hybrid form by Fagius... But it seems that even before Galatin, the name ‘Jehovah’ had been in common use... It is found in Raymond Martin’s ‘Pugio Fidei,’ written in 1270.”

The Jews recognize that the name “Jehovah” was “in common use” by Catholics who had no prohibitions against the use of God’s name. Pope Leo X was pope during Martin Luther’s time, about 250 years after Martin’s work “Pugio Fidei”.

Likewise, the Jehovah’s Witnesses now only trace the name “Jehovah” back into the 1300’s, to somewhere between Martin’s book and Pope Leo X. But when they first decided that Yahweh was the “proper rendition” of God’s name [it wasnt], and that they had chosen another name for God—incorporating into the very name of their church—they considered “correcting” the error. Yet in the preface of their “The Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures”, on page 23 there is the following admission:

“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. Moreover, it preserves equally with other forms, the four letters of the Tetragrammaton JHVH.”

Why not just say “LORD” if familiarity is the primary consideration?

The theory now extant is that early Christian scholars were simply stupid and that they concocted Jehovah by blending the vowels of Adonai. Were they also so stupid that they misspelled Adonai as well? Actually, scholarship overall has moved steadily downward with the passage of time. It is said that these Catholic scholars, many of whom were quite gifted, simply did not realize that earlier Jews had altered the vowels of the Tetragrammaton to prevent the accidental pronunciation of God’s name.

The Encyclopedia Judaica suggests:

In the early middle ages... the vowel points for ‘Adonai’ with one variation... were used for YHWH, thus producing the form YeHoWaH. When Christian scholars of Europe first began to study Hebrew, they did not understand what this really meant, and they introduced the hybrid name ‘Jehovah’.”

So we have Jewish sources accepting the traditional Catholic rendering “Yahweh” while rejecting the true Name that was accidentally preserved in the oldest oracles (scriptures) as well as the Catholic Church for well over 1000 years.

The Universal Jewish Encyclopedia, published in New York in 1941, states in volume 6, on pages 54-55 in the article “JEHOVAH”:

“Jehovah, an erroneous pronunciation of the tetragrammaton, or four-lettered name of God, made up of the Hebrew letters Yod He Vav He. According to Bible scholars, the proper pronunciation of this name was Jahveh. As early as Bible times, however, in obedience to the provision of the Third Commandment that forbids taking the name of God in vain, this name was never pronounced except once a year by the high priest on the Day of Atonement in the Temple at Jerusalem... But in the Middle Ages certain Christian theologians (the first known is Raymond Martin, in 1270) copying the voweled tetragrammaton in transliteration, spelled it out to read JeHoVaH. The word “Jehovah”, therefore, is a misreading for which there is no warrant and which makes no sense in Hebrew.” [Presumably due to the “J”.] (This article was written by Isaac Landman.)

So we see that Jewish scholars fumbling around with Catholic writings, totally unaware that one “prospective” name came from their own language while the name that is winning out in recent decades came from Samaritan magicians. Rabbinical Jews are not aware of the evidence indicating God’s name in their own language or else they simply want to perpetuate the superstitious rejection of it’s use that they began!

Sometimes “My Name” really does mean His name rather than His Fame.

Psalms 91:13-15 You will tread on the lion and cobra. You will trample the young lion and the serpent underfoot. 14 “Because He has set his love on Me, therefore I will deliver him. I will set him on high, because he has known My Name. 15 He will call on Me,[presumably by name] and I will answer him... WEB

Exodus 6:2...7 God spoke to Moses, and said to him, “I am [Yehovah]; 3 and I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty; but by My name [Yehovah] I was not known to them... 6 Therefore tell the children of Israel, ‘I am [Yehovah], and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm, and with great judgments: 7 and I will take you to Me for a people, and I will be to you a God; and you shall know that I am [Yehovah] your God, who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.

Three chapters later we read that Yehovah told the Pharaoh:

Exodus 9:16 ...but indeed for this cause I have made you stand: to show you My power, and that My name may be declared throughout all the earth;

So often we are left with two options. We can accept truth or falsehoods. Why not rely on the scriptures. This dilemma is all too frequent!

Not all Catholic sources deny Yehovah. The Catholic Encyclopedia unmasks the error, yet they still stick with the “J”.

“The word ‘temple’ is derived from the Latin templum, signifying an uncovered place affording a view of the surrounding region; in a narrower sense it signifies a place sacred to the Divinity, a sanctuary. In the Bible the sanctuary of Jerusalem bears the Hebrew name of Bet Yehovah (house of Jehovah).”

The World English Bible, used so frequently on this site due to it’s lack of copyright restrictions, is based on the 1901 edition of the American Standard Version. This is the #1 consideration mentioned in the preface to the ASV:

I. The change first recommended in the Appendix—that which substitutes “Jehovah” for “LORD” and “GOD”—is one which will be unwelcome to many, because of the frequency and familiarity of the terms displaced. But the American Revisers, after a careful consideration were brought to the unanimous conviction that a Jewish superstition, which regarded the Divine Name as too sacred to be uttered, ought no longer to dominate in the English or any other version of the Old Testament, as it fortunately does not in the numerous versions made by modern missionaries. This Memorial Name, explained in Ex. iii. 14, 15, and emphasized as such over and over in the original text of the Old Testament, designates God as the personal God, as the covenant God, the God of revelation, the Deliverer, the Friend of his people;—not merely the abstractly “Eternal One” of many French translations, but the ever living Helper of those who are in trouble. This personal name, with its wealth of sacred associations, is now restored to the place in the sacred text to which it has an unquestionable claim.

Had the WEB adopted Jehovah rather than Yahweh it would have been much closer to the mark.

I should mention that I am not a member of a “Sacred Name” group, tho some of my friends are. While I am rather puzzled that God would allow His personal name to be totally absent from the Greek Scriptures—that is indeed what He allowed. Presumably it is because of the death penalty that was imposed upon anyone using the name in the time of Jesus. God seemingly only allowed titles and descriptive terms to be written in the Greek language by the Apostles. The “Sacred Name” people, of necessity, insist that these scriptures were originally written in Hebrew, but there is absolutely no evidence that this is was what happened. It does appear that “Matthew” and “Hebrews” were originally written in Hebrew, but there is no evidence that a Hebrew “New Testament” ever existed, so God is content to be called upon by anyone, in any language, without the benefit of any special understanding. That is simply not one of His highest priorities at this time. Presently, ignorance is an excuse. (Romans 2:14-16) In the future, when we are all speaking a pure language, God’s original name will be restored to common use.

Zephaniah 3:9 For THEN I will restore to the peoples a PURE LANGUAGE, that they all may call on THE NAME OF THE LORD, to serve Him with ONE ACCORD. NKJV

While I like to hear God’s name in conversation with friends, I would not see an advantage to “putting people off” with unfamiliar sounding names. In fact, I suspect that it is detrimental.

Question: When is a name not a name?

Answer: When it is a reputation!

Often, sacred name proponents will quote one of the many scriptures, such as the one below, and insist that it means that the topic is the Hebrew pronunciation is the God’s name.

Psalms 5:11 But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee. KJV

Actually, the word “name” is used in Hebrew in the same way that it is used in English. When someone says that the misbehavior of a certain relative has ruined the family name, they mean that the REPUTATION of the family has been dishonored. There is absolutely no concern that people will begin to mispronounce the family name!

This is readily seen wherever “name’s sake” is used. In all of the following KJV scriptures, when you substitute “reputation” for “name’s” it makes perfect sense. Many other examples could be cited.

2 Chronicles 6:3 Moreover concerning the stranger, which is not of thy people Israel, but is come from a far country for thy great name’s sake, and thy mighty hand, and thy stretched out arm; if they come and pray in this house...

Psalms 23:3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Psalms 25:11 For thy name’s sake, O LORD, pardon mine iniquity; for it is great.

Psalms 31:3 For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name’s sake lead me, and guide me.

Psalms 79:9 Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of thy name: and deliver us, and purge away our sins, for thy name’s sake.

Psalms 106:8 Nevertheless he saved them for his name’s sake, that he might make his mighty power to be known.

Psalms 109:21 But do thou for me, O GOD the Lord, for thy name’s sake: because thy mercy is good, deliver thou me.

Psalms 143:11 Quicken me, O LORD, for thy name’s sake: for thy righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble.

Isaiah 48:9 For my name’s sake will I defer mine anger, and for my praise will I refrain for thee, that I cut thee not off.

Isaiah 66:5 Hear the word of the LORD, ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name’s sake, said, Let the LORD be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed.

Jeremiah 14:7 O LORD, though our iniquities testify against us, do thou it for thy name’s sake: for our backslidings are many; we have sinned against thee.

Jeremiah 14:21 Do not abhor us, for thy name’s sake, do not disgrace the throne of thy glory: remember, break not thy covenant with us.

Ezekiel 20:9 But I wrought for my name’s sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, among whom they were, in whose sight I made myself known unto them, in bringing them forth out of the land of Egypt.

Ezekiel 20:14 But I wrought for my name’s sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, in whose sight I brought them out.

Ezekiel 20:22 Nevertheless I withdrew mine hand, and wrought for my name’s sake, that it should not be polluted in the sight of the heathen, in whose sight I brought them forth.

Ezekiel 20:44 And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have wrought with you for my name’s sake, not according to your wicked ways, nor according to your corrupt doings, O ye house of Israel, saith the Lord GOD.

Ezekiel 36:22 Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name’s sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went.

Matthew 10:22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.

Matthew 19:29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.

Matthew 24:9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.

Mark 13:13 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

Luke 6:22 Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake.

Luke 21:12 But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name’s sake.

Luke 21:17 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake.

John 15:21 But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me.

Acts 9:16 For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.

1 John 2:12 I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake.

3 John 1:7 Because that for his name’s sake they went forth, taking nothing of the Gentiles.

Revelation 2:3 And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.

A Word of Caution

While I do not endorse mandatory usage of the sacred name, there are some “names” that are dangerously blasphemous!

Accounts in Revelation mention “a beast” which is led by “a woman”. This beast is covered with “names of blasphemy”. Both, the beast and also the woman are associated with these names of blasphemy. If we are capable of identifying this Beast, then you’d better avoid using its pet names of blasphemy.

Revelation 17:3-6 So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. 4 The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. 5 And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. 6 I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the Saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement. NKJV

Expect blasphemers in the coming Last Days!

Timothy 3:1-2 But know this, that in the last days, grievous times will come. 2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, blasphemers... WEB

In the end time we must choose our Jews carefully!

Revelation 2:9 I know your works, oppression, and your poverty (but you are rich), and the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews, and they are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. WEB

One final caution, blasphemy certainly violates the third commandment, which tells us to not take God’s name in vain. (Using a blasphemous name, is not an unpardonable sin unless it is deliberately derogatory of the Holy Spirit.)

To be on the safe side, you might want to consider obeying all Ten Commandments!

Revelation 14:12 Here is the patience of the Saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.

Revelation 22:14 Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.

Isaiah 13:6 Jeremiah 16:19-21 [Yehovah], my strength, and my stronghold, and my refuge in the day of affliction, to you shall the nations come from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Our fathers have inherited nothing but lies, even vanity and things in which there is no profit. 20 Shall a man make to himself gods, which yet are no gods? 21 Therefore, behold, I will cause them to know, this once will I cause them to know My hand and My might; and they shall know that My name is [Yehovah]. WEB

If knowing God’s name is important to you—and it should be—and you want additional proof of what it actually is, then I urge you to read the following article. There is virtually no redundancy between my chapter and this article; just much more proof from a wide assortment of sources: The True Pronunciation of the Sacred Name. I was given this link in October of 2007.

I would also recommend your reading:

Dispelling the Sacred Name Philosophy, from this site (the writer does assume that Yahweh is God’s name)

The Origin of Languages (pt.4) (off site)

Yehoshua, Yeshua or Yeshu; Which one is the name of Jesus in Hebrew? (off site)

Yahshua, Yehoshua, Y’shua, Yeshua, Iesous, Iesus or Jesus The Sacred Name or True Name (off site)

The Divine Name in Norway, An interesting site. Has some slight translational errors—off site