YAHWEH OR JEHOVAH

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When Moses asked what the name of the God who was sending him was, God answered that He was to be called YHWH, which we often translate as “I Am Who I Am” (Ex. 3:14–15). The Hebrew Bible or Old Testament was originally written without vowels, and so God’s Divine Name given to Moses was, at first, made up of just four consonants: y-h-w-h. This is what we now often call the Tetragrammaton (“four-letter word”).

Some Bible translations use Yahweh in rendering this Name of God, while others prefer Jehovah. Some sects or groups have become accustomed to saying Yahweh, while others are even willing to debate just to prove that Jehovah is the proper name of God. So, which one is correct? Actually, I don’t know either. And in truth, no one today really knows how YHWH was actually pronounced by the ancient Israelites (though there are speculations). Nonetheless, both Yahweh and Jehovah have proven useful in pronouncing the Divine Name.

YAHWEH

During the time of the Divided Kingdom (922–721 BC), the Divine Name was most likely pronounced as yau, with “au” forming a diphthong (a sound created by combining two vowels in a single syllable). Evidence from ancient Hebrew (both biblical and non-biblical) and Greek texts (which translated the Name) supports this view. Many scholars believe that Yahweh is the correct or closest pronunciation of God’s Name in Ex. 3:14–15.

JEHOVAH

It was the practice of the ancient Jews not to utter the Divine Name out of fear that it might be spoken in vain (see Ex. 20:7). Because of this, they read Adonay (meaning “Lord”) whenever they encountered YHWH. The Masoretes (a group of Jewish scribe-scholars) who inserted vowel marks into Hebrew Bible manuscripts between 600–950 AD also placed the vowel marks of Adonay onto YHWH. They did this to remind Jews not to speak the Divine Name when reading Scripture but instead say Adonay. When the consonants of YHWH were combined with the vowels of Adonay in Hebrew, the result was YΙ™hōwāh or Yehowah. Jehovah is the Latin transliteration of Yehowah, since the Latin version of the Divine Name appears as JHVH.

IS IT REALLY NEEDED?

Do we need to know the exact pronunciation of YHWH? Not really. Though I personally believe, along with the majority of theologians, that Yahweh is the correct or closest pronunciation, there’s no problem addressing God with other appropriate names. If we think about it, God used many names to reveal Himself. The Bible even uses generic titles for God, including Hebrew names (El, Elohim, Adonay) and Greek names (Theos and Kurios). That means we may also call Him God and Lord, or even Diyos and Panginoon in our own language.

THE MEANING BEHIND THE NAME

Far more important than the exact pronunciation of YHWH is its meaning. The Bible contains many Divine Names, each revealing something about God’s nature or actions. What does YHWH mean? Considering its verb form, it could literally mean: “He who causes to be.” According to Dr. John H. Walton, a renowned professor of the Old Testament: “In general, then, the name refers to the One who creates or brings into being.” Others suggest that this name is actually a shortened form of a longer Divine Name, perhaps Yahweh Sabaoth (“The Lord of hosts / heaven’s armies”), which would then mean: “He who creates/causes the heavenly armies.” Dr. Michael Heiser comments: “I like this suggestion, as it would be a theological claim to the supremacy of Yahweh above all other divine entities as their creator, but this approach is still only speculative.” Many scholars also believe that “I Am Who I Am” reflects God’s self-existence, immutability, and eternality. He needs nothing else in order to exist, for He simply is. And He will remain who He truly is forever, for He will be what He will be. God chose this name for Moses to tell the Israelites (Ex. 3:13) because its truths were enough to assure them that the God of salvation could be trusted.

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What’s interesting about the Divine Name is that Jesus Himself used it in reference to Himself. By doing so, He claimed to be God. “Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I Am.’” (Jn 8:58). The Jews who heard Him could not accept this claim, “So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.” (Jn 8:59). Our salvation depends on Jesus’ identity as Yahweh. “I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that ‘I Am’ he, you will die in your sins.” (Jn 8:24). Stay Curious.

Sources and Studies:

Walton, J. and, Keener, C. (2016). “God’s Name”. π˜•π˜π˜ 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘡𝘢𝘳𝘒𝘭 𝘚𝘡𝘢π˜₯𝘺 π˜‰π˜ͺ𝘣𝘭𝘦. Zondervan
Tenney, M. (Gen Ed.). (1986). “YHWH”. π˜•π˜¦π˜Έ 𝘐𝘯𝘡𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘒𝘡π˜ͺ𝘰𝘯𝘒𝘭 π˜‰π˜ͺ𝘣𝘭𝘦 π˜‹π˜ͺ𝘀𝘡π˜ͺ𝘰𝘯𝘒𝘳𝘺. Zondervan
McKenzie, J.L (1965). “YHWH”. π˜‹π˜ͺ𝘀𝘡π˜ͺ𝘰𝘯𝘒𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘡𝘩𝘦 π˜‰π˜ͺ𝘣𝘭𝘦. . McMillian Publishing.
“YHWH” Retrieved from https://drmsh.com/the-naked-bible/yhwh/
“Is Jehovah the True Name of God?” Retrieved from
https://www.gotquestions.org/Jehovah.html


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