The Divine Name

God said moreover to Moses, "You shall tell the children of Israel this, 'Yahweh, 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. '"
Exodus 3:15, World English Version.

(1)  What is God's name? Do you know? The Creator himself tells what his name is. His name is easy to identify in the original language of the Bible, Hebrew. But his name has become beclouded by erroneous translations, corrupted manuscripts and Jewish tradition. Confusion has resulted from the many titles used as names of God, making it appear that the Creator has many different personal names and we can choose whatever we want to call him.

WHY IS GOD'S NAME IMPORTANT?

(2)  The scriptures place a lot of emphasis on the name of the Supreme Being. Our Savior himself showed this by teaching us to pray: "Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name." (Matthew 6:9, New King James Version) In this prayer the name of the Creator is not used, but rather he is referred to by one his titles, "Our Father". But our Savior placed the hallowing or sanctifying of his father's name as first in the prayer, indicating its importance.

(3)  In another place our Savior prayed: "Father, glorify your name." The Father himself answered: "I have both glorified it and will glorify it again." (John 12:28, New King James Version.)Moreover, our Savior said: "Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name." (John 17:6,11,12) The Son of God again showed how much importance he placed on his Father's name. -- See also John 5:43; 10:25; 12:13.

(4)  The Savior further showed the importance of the Divine Name when he said: "I have revealed your name to those who you took from the world to give me. . . . I have made your name known to them and will continue to make it known, so that the love with which you loved me may be in them, and so that I may be in them." -- John 17:6,26, New Jerusalem Bible.)

(5)  The scriptures tell us that those who belong to Messiah are actually sons of God. "For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God." (Romans 8:14, New American Standard Bible) "For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:26, New American Standard Bible) Certainly if we claim this standing as children of God we should want to know what God's name is, especially since, as children, these sons of God are called "a people for his name." -- Acts 15:14.

THE PRONUNCIATION
OF THE CREATOR'S NAME

(6)  But someone may say, "Isn't his name `God?' or `Lord'?" No, the apostle Paul tells us that "there are many `gods' and many `lords.' " (1 Corinthians 8:5) The words "God" and "Lord" are actually titles rather than personal names. The Hebrew words for "god" and "lord" are applied in the Bible to men, angels, and as well as inanimate idols.

(7)  The evidence given in the Bible (from the Hebrew) shows that the Creator has only one personal name. But it has become difficult to know what that name is. How so? Let us see. Most translators of the Bible like to substitute the titles "Lord" or "God" for his name. If you open the popular English King James Version Bible to Isaiah 42:8, there the Creator is reported as saying: "I am the Lord, that is my name." The same statement is recorded in the American Standard Version in this manner: "I am Jehovah, that is my name." But the World English Bible renders it as: "I am Yahweh, that is my name." Which is correct?

(8)  We must remember that the first part of the Bible was written in Hebrew-Aramaic (commonly called "Old Testament") and the second part was written in Greek (commonly called "New Testament"). If you are reading the Bible in any other language, you are reading somebody's translation, and often their interpretation of the Bible -- not the Bible as it was originally written.

(9)  The Creator's name in the Hebrew Scriptures is represented by four Hebrew characters (Yowd, He, Vav, He). These four Hebrew letters are referred to as the tetragrammaton. They correspond roughly with the English letters YHWH or JHVH. As most of our readers know, we have been rendering the Creator's name as "Yahweh" throughout our publications.

(10)  Many Bible scholars, however, often remark that "the Lord" and "God" are "names" for the Creator. Translators, therefore, feel that it is okay to substitute the term "the Lord" or "God" for the personal name of the Creator. But as we will show, "Lord" and "God" are not really names of the Creator, but rather titles. The Creator's name appears in the Hebrew text over 7,000 times. Note the following:

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature: "Jehovah -- the imperfect of Jahve (Yahwe or Jehovah or Jahwe (Yahweh))."

Seventh-Day Adventist Bible Commentary: "And the name above all others that was looked upon as the name, the personal name of God, was YAHWEH."

The New American Encyclopedia: "Jehovah -- (properly Yahweh) a name of the God of Israel, now widely regarded as a mis-pronunciation of the Hebrew YHWH."

The Encyclopedia Britannica: ". . . the letters YHWH used in the original Hebrew Bible to represent the name of God."

The Oxford Cyclopedic Concordance: "Jehovah -- the name revealed to Moses at Horeb. Its real pronunciation is approximately Yahweh. The Name itself was not pronounced Jehovah before the 16th century."

American Heritage Dictionary: "Yahweh -- A name for God assumed by modern scholars to be a rendering of the pronunciation of the Tetragrammaton."

New Century Dictionary: "Jehovah -- the common European rendering of Heb. JHVH (or YHWH), representing, without vowels, Heb. Jahweh (or Yahweh), a divine name . . . regarded by the Jews as too sacred for utterance and hence replaced in the reading of the Scriptures by Adonai or Elohim; the form Jehovah being due to a mispronunciation of Heb. JHVH with the vowels of the associated Heb. Adonai. A name of God in the Old Testament, being the Christian rendering of `ineffable name,' JHVH in the Hebrew Scriptures."

A History of Christianity, Kenneth Scott Latourette (pg. 11): "Israel regarded their god, Yahweh, a name mistakenly put into English as Jehovah, as the God of the universe, the maker and ruler of heaven and earth. Other peoples had their gods, but Yahweh was regarded by these monotheists as far more powerful than they."

(11)  Another excuse for substituting "the Lord" or "God" for the Creator's name is given in the "Preface" of The New American Standard Bible:

"This name [Yahweh] has not been pronounced by the Jews because of the great sacredness of the Divine Name. Therefore it was consistently pronounced and translated Lord.

"It is known that for many years YHWH has been translated as Yahweh. No complete certainty attaches to this pronunciation. However, it is felt by many who are in touch with the laity of our churches that this name conveys no religious or spiritual overtones. It is strange, uncommon, and without sufficient religious and devotional background. Hence it was decided to avoid the use of this name in the translation proper."

(12)  How well the translators of the popular versions of the Bible have allowed themselves to be duped by the Adversary! Note this! They are admitting to taking away from and adding to God's Word by substituting the Lord or God for the Divine Name! (Proverbs 30:5,6) Their conclusion that the Divine Name is "strange, uncommon, and without sufficient religious and devotional background" is meaningless as far as it comes to changing God's Word! And what they seek to change is the very identity of the One who spoke the words! If translators would not be so insistent on removing the Divine Name from the Bible then the name of Yahweh would not sound so uncommon!

(13)  Another reason given for using substitutes for the divine name concerns the Jewish custom regarding the name. The Jews had become superstitious regarding the pronouncing of this name, so they began to substitute the titles ADONAY (Lord) or ELOHIM (God) wherever God's name appeared. The original Hebrew alphabet contained only letters for the consonant sounds. Vowel sounds, while pronounced, were not written. Due to the Jewish superstition of substituting Adonay or Elohim for the Creator's name, in time the pronunciation of God's name was thought to be lost. Nevertheless, many believe that God's name in Hebrew was pronounced YAHWEH.

WHAT ABOUT "JEHOVAH"?

(14)  In the popular King James Version, we can find the tetragrammaton translated in the text as "Jehovah" at four places. The first is Exodus 6:3, which reads: "And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them." (The words "the name of" before "God Almighty" are in italics, indicating that these words were added by the translators -- see almost any other translation) And again in Psalm 83:18: "That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth." The other two occurrences of his name in the King James Version are Isaiah 12:2 and Isaiah 26:4. However, in most places in the King James Version, God's name is substituted by the phrase "the Lord" or "God" (in all capital letters -- to distinguish from the common Lord or God). Most other English Bible translations do the same.

(15)  But some say that the word "Jehovah" does not correctly represent the Hebrew pronunciation either. Why not? As we mentioned above, the original Hebrew alphabet consisted only of consonants. Many years after the Bible was written, vowels points were added to the Hebrew text by some Jewish scribes. These Jewish scribes inserted into YHWH the vowels from Adonai (Lord) and Elohim (God), thus bringing the pronunciation "Yehowah", translated into English as Jehovah.

(16)  The Revised Standard Version, (Preface) states:

"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. The word `Jehovah' does not accurately represent any form of the Name ever used in Hebrew."

(17)  The Encyclopaedia Britannica (15th Edition) declares:

"The Masoretes, Jewish biblical scholars of the Middle Ages, replaced the vowel signs that had appeared above or beneath the consonants of YHWH with the vowel signs of Adonai or of 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 biblical scholars again began to use the form Yahweh. Early Christian writers, such as Clement of Alexandria in the 2nd century, had used the form Yahweh, thus this pronunciation of the Tetragrammaton was never really lost. Greek transcriptions also indicated that YHWH should be pronounced Yahweh."

(18) There are some who have used this pronunciation ("Jehovah") to misrepresent God's purposes and promote idolization of an organization. Today, especially, the leaders of the "Jehovah's witnesses," misrepresent him as a very cruel God, ready to eternally destroy earth's present billions because they fail to listen or understand the "Watchtower" message. In so doing, they are actually bringing reproach upon his name. -- See our publication: Will Billions Be Eternally Destroyed in the Battle at Armageddon?

(19)  Additionally, some have pointed out that the structure of the word "Jehovah" indicates that it may actually slander the Creator! The prefix "Je" is often used to represent the shortened form of the Creator's name, "Yah." "Hovah" in Hebrew means "ruin" or "mischief." (See Strong's number 1943) Thus its meaning would be "Yahweh is ruinous," or "Yahweh is mischievous." Hovah is derived from havvah which means "eagerly coveting and rushing upon; by impl. of falling." (Strong) Thus some claim that this how insidiously Satan the Devil, the real mischievous one, the real "fallen angel" who "covets" the position of the Most High, has replaced the Creator's name with a name that describes himself! (Isaiah 14:12-14; Luke 10:18; 4:8,9) It is for this reason that some have said that the strange word "Jehovah" really refers to Satan (meaning "opposer") the Devil (meaning "false accuser, slanderer")! NOTE: We have come to view this argument as just conjecture without basis. We see no reason to oppose anyone's use of "Jehovah" as the divine name, as this is one of the earliest pronuniations given in English, and is well known. However, since many object on the grounds presented in paragraph 18, we generally use the term "Yahweh" in English to denote the divine name.

SUBSTITUTION CONDEMNED

(20) However, just because there is uncertainty as to how the divine name should be pronounced does not mean that we feel it is proper to substitute "Lord" or "God" for the Creator's name. The ancient Hebrews several times sought also to substitute God's name with a word that means "Lord" -- that is, "Baal." "And they forsook Yahweh God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt; and they followed other gods from among the gods of the people who were all around them, and they bowed down to them; and they provoked Yahweh's anger. They forsook Yahweh and served Baal [the Lord] and the Ashtoreths. And the anger of Yahweh was hot against Israel." (Judges 3:7,8; see also Judges 2:11-14; 8:33,34; 10:6,7) And again in Jeremiah's time Yahweh spoke against those who "try to make my people forget my name ... as their fathers forgot my name for Baal [the Lord]." (Jeremiah 23:27) Baal and Ishtar [Easter] worship was very popular among many nations and under various names: Tammuz and Astarte; Adonis and Aphrodite, etc. Baal was the god of fertility and Ishtar, the queen of heaven and goddess of fertility. (Jeremiah 7:18)

(21)   Later the Jews began to substitute another word that also means "Lord," that is, "Adonay." It is possible that this term was chosen because it resembled the Greek Adonis. (Adonis was the Greek god that was loved by the Greek goddess Aphrodite.) Nevertheless, it is apparent that the Jews had come to use the term Adonay in the same manner as they had earlier used "Baal" as a substitute for Yahweh's name. This practice of substituting Adonay for the name of Yahweh is continued down to this day by Jews when reading Hebrew. As we hope to show in a later publication, Lord (or Baal) worship is very strong in the popular churches today. However, since Yahweh was very angry with his people for substituting "the Lord" [Baal] for his name in ancient times, surely he does not approve of the same thing happening today.

(22) But how can we be sure that "Yahweh" is the correct pronunciation of the divine name? There have been many convincing arguments presented for pronouncing God's name one way or another. There are very persuasive arguments for "Yahve", "Yahweh," "Yahu" and several other forms. Yet, in reality, all these arguments are to a great extent based upon some kind of assumption or theory. Some small groups have even went so far as to make individual salvation dependent upon using whatever pronunciation they have chosen for his name. However, if this were true, some people in certain lands could loose out simply because they do not have the same sounds in their language; as a result their pronunciation would be different. For instance, many languages do not have a sound for "W" in their language. If "Yahweh" is the demanded pronunciation they would be in difficulty, because they would probably end up pronouncing the "W" similar to a "V" or "B." To make salvation dependent upon a certain pronunciation is very narrow-minded, and we have no reason to believe that God is doing so.

(23)  Thus the uncertainty of exactly how the divine name should be pronounced should preclude us from demanding one or another pronunciation. Such has led many into spending many fruitless hours of argument and unnecessary discord. Hundreds of hours have been spent trying to prove a favorite pronunciation that could have been spent in feeding the sheep and preaching the Good News of the Kingdom. (Matthew 24:14; Mark 16:15; Acts 5:42; 8:4; 1 Peter 5:2) The fact that several different pronunciations have been found amongst ancient writings indicates that the exact pronunciation is not what the Creator is concerned about. How much more important it is to praise Yahweh by declaring his acts, his judgments and the good news of the kingdom that will bless all families of the earth. (Matthew 6:33; 24:14; Genesis 22:18) Doing so shows more love for Him and gives more honor to his name than spending almost all our time squabbling over whether this or that way is the correct pronunciation. (Ephesians 5:16; 1 Peter 4:7-11) But to neglect to use His name over such triviality would also show a lack of love for the Creator, for his identity, and for his personage.

(24)  Some recognize that Yahweh is God's name, but still continue to substitute "The Lord" for "Yahweh." However, the use of his personal name brings us closer to him. (Psalm 73:28) Would you want to address a close friend with titles such as "Mister," "Miss," or "Ma'am", without ever using his or her personal name?

THE MEANING OF GOD'S NAME

(25)  Another reason the tetragrammaton should not be rendered by "the Lord", or "God" has to do with the meaning of God's name, represented by the Hebrew characters: . The usual meaning given to this word is something like "He is," or "The Eternal." Yahweh is the third person singular of the Hebrew verb hayah (to be or become). In Exodus 3:14 Yahweh gives Moses a different variation of his name in the first person: "I will be what I will be (Ehyeh' asher' ehyeh')." (Revised Standard Version - footnote) Many translations render this "I AM THAT I AM." However, according some authorities, the Hebrew word hayah, as used in this verse, means more than just to exist. It also carries with it the thought of coming into existence, or causing to exist. Thus the third person would mean: "He will cause to be," or "He causes to be."

(26)  The Catholic Encyclopedia, 1967, vol. 14, page 1065, after discussing the usual meanings given to God's name, states: "All these explanations, however, overlook the fact that in Ex 3:14 a merely folk etymology of the name, based on the qal form of the verb `to be,' is given. Grammatically, because of its vocalization, yahweh can only be a hi`phil or causative form of this verb, with the meaning `He causes to be, He brings into being.' Probably, therefore, yahweh is an abbreviated form of the longer, yahweh aser yihweh, `He brings into being whatever exists.' The name, therefore, describes the God of Israel as the Creator of the universe."

(27)  That this meaning is correct can be seen by observing the indicated meaning of Yahweh in Exodus 6:2,3. In verse 15 of Exodus 3 we read: "And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say to the children of Israel, The Lord [Hebrew, , Yahweh] God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me to you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations." In Exodus 6:2,3 (New Jerusalem Bible), we read: "God spoke to Moses and said to him: "I am Yahweh. To Abraham, Isaac and Jacob I appeared as El Shaddai, [God Almighty] but I did not make my name Yahweh known to them."

(28)  Now, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob knew and called upon the Creator as "Yahweh." To Abraham, Yahweh said: "I am Yahweh who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land as a possession." Abraham replied: "O Yahweh God, how am I to know that I will possess it?" (Genesis 15:7,8) Isaac referred to Yahweh as recorded at Genesis 23:22. Likewise, when Jacob was at Bethel, after wrestling with an angel, he stated: "Surely Yahweh is in this place." (Genesis 28:16) In prayer to Yahweh, Jacob calls him by name as recorded in Genesis 32:9. Thus it is very apparent that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were familiar with the name "Yahweh."

(29)  So what did Yahweh mean by the statement he made to Moses to the effect that he had not made his name known to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? Yahweh had to be referring to the meaning of his name (as the one who causes) rather just to the word used to designate his name. In verse four Yahweh calls attention to the covenant he had made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them the land of Canaan. They never saw Yahweh cause the fulfillment of that promise. It is in this manner that Yahweh says that he did not make his name known to them. However, now, Yahweh is saying that he going to cause a fulfillment of that promise. He will bring the Israelites out of Egypt into the land that he had promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. -- see Exodus 6:6-8.

(30)  Thus the name Yahweh signifies the one who accomplishes what he desires -- as denoting that we can fully trust that His magnificent plan for man will be completely accomplished. --See Isaiah 55:11; 45:21.

ADONAY AND ELOHIM

(31)  Now, the Hebrew words Adonay [or Adonai - Lord] and Elohim [God] do not represent the meaning of the Creator's name at all. Both Adonay and Elohim are used in reference to false gods, men, and angels, as well as to Yahweh, whereas Yahweh is applied only to the Supreme Creator himself. Adonay means "Master" or "Lord." Elohim means "Mighty Ones" [when used with plural verbs, adjectives, etc.] or "The Mightier One" (Ha Elohim or when used with singular verbs, adjectives, etc.), and is usually translated "God," "god" or "gods." To substitute these terms for the personal name of God would actually be adding to and taking away from the words of God, something which is forbidden to do. -- Proverbs 30:6; Deuteronomy 4:2; 12:32.

(32)  The word elohim, with its modifications eloah, elah and el, occurs over 2,500 times in the Hebrew scriptures. These most frequently refer to Yahweh. But in many instances these terms are applied to others. Hence we must see the connections to identify who is being referred to. In Psalm 8:5 elohim is applied to angels. (See also Hebrews 2:7,9, where the apostle applies elohim to angels.) Other scriptures contrast Yahweh with other elohim: "Give ear O Yahweh to my prayer . . . . Among all gods [elohim - mighty ones; rulers] there is none like you." (Psalm 86:6-8) "Yahweh is a great God [el] and great King above all gods [elohim -- mighty ones; rulers]." (Psalm 95:3) "Yahweh is great, and greatly to be praised; he is to reverenced above all gods [elohim -- mighty ones; rulers]." (Psalm 96:4) Elohim is also applied to men. Abraham is called elohim: "You are a mighty [elohim] prince among us." (Genesis 23:6) Moses is called elohim: "I have made you a god [elohim -- mighty one] to Pharaoh." (Exodus 7:1) The judges of Israel are called elohim: "His master must bring him to the gods [elohim -- mighty ones; rulers]." (Exodus 21:6 -- The King James Version renders elohim as "judges" in this verse.) Many more examples could be given, but the above proves that Elohim, ("God" or "gods,") is not the personal name of God, but rather a title, also applied to angels, men and even the false gods of the nations.

BAAL WORSHIP TODAY

(33)  If you ask the average church-goer if he is involved in Baal worship, he will more than likely say "No!" If asked what God he worships, he will probably answer, "The Lord, " "God," or maybe even "Jesus." In his mind, he is not involved in Baal worship at all. But in this he has been deceived, just as Satan deceived Eve into partaking of the forbidden fruit. (2 Corinthians 11:3) Such a person is likely to "praise the Lord" and call upon the name of "the Lord" in prayer without any idea of Baal worship. He has been trained to do so all his life. The popular translations of the Bible have led him to believe that it is proper to call upon the name of "the Lord" rather than "Yahweh." After all, it is generally assumed that the Christian writers of the Bible substituted "kyrios" (or kurios, the Lord) for God's name in the Greek scriptures. [We will discuss this later] Thus, he has usually accepted this tradition as truth without any further investigation.

(34)  The vast majority who have been calling upon the name of "the Lord" instead of Yahweh have been doing so ignorantly. These are somewhat excusable. But if we wish to worship in "spirit and truth" we must not just accept what has been handed to us without further investigation. (John 4:24; 1 Peter 1:18; 1 John 4:1) If we do accept a god named "the Lord" without investigation are we not deceiving ourselves and following a lie? We could be giving praise to Baal, who really is the Devil, for all prayers offered on the table of Baal are really offered to the demons, and not to the true God. -- 1 Corinthians 10:20-22; 2 Corinthians 5:14-16.

(35)  The word "baal" simply means "lord." As such, it is not a bad word, and it is proper to use at appropriate times. It is used in the Bible as various parts of speech. The Theological Wordbook to the Old Testament states:

One may own (ba'al) a house (Exodus 22:7), or rule over (ba'al) territory (cf. I Chronicles 4:22). A man may take (laqah) a wife and marry (ba'al) her (Deuteronomy 24:1). A focus on the verb ba'al from the theological standpoint leads to a consideration of marriage terminology employed by God in defining his relationship to his people. "For your Maker is your husband (ba'al), the Lord of hosts is his name" (Isaiah 54:5ff.). In Jeremiah the existing marriage relationship becomes a motivation for repentance: "For I am a husband unto you" (Jeremiah 3:14, ASV; RSV renders "I am your master"). In the justly famous new covenant passage the former covenant is described as a broken covenant, a situation which is the more sobering and shocking because "I was a husband (ba'al) to them, says Jehovah" (Jeremiah 31:32, ASV; RSV similar; cf. Malachi 2:11). The future delights which God will have with his redeemed people are stressed in Isaiah where the land is said to be married (ba'al, Niphal), apparently to YHWH. The name of the land, Beulah (passive participle of ba'al), signifies both the intimacy and the joy of YHWH in conjunction with the land ('eres, q.v.; Isaiah 62:4). The background which such language gives to the NT concept of Christ as the bridegroom or husband of his people, the church, should be obvious (cf. Ephesians 5:21 ff.). In any case one must not miss the close covenantal tie which this metaphor suggests, not only of love but of loyalty between God and his people. ba'al. Owner, possessor, husband, Baal. Ugaritic also has the double use of master and the name of a deity. The root in most Semitic languages means either "lord" or, when followed by a genitive, "owner." In addition to ba'al as owner of things, the noun in the plural is used for citizens (ba'alim) of a city (Joshua 24:11). In Jude 9 where the noun occurs sixteen times, ASV consistently translates "men," but RSV in addition to "men" employs "citizens" (Jude 9:2) and "people" (Jude 9:46). ba'al can refer to partner or ally (Genesis 14:13). Idiomatically ba'al as master of something characterizes the person (e.g. ba'al of wrath, Proverbs 22:24; of appetite, Proverbs 23:2; of dreams, Genesis 37:19) or identifies occupation (e.g. officer, ba'al of the guard, Jeremiah 37:13). As such it used as when wife speaking of her husband (Genesis 20:30), landowners (Joshua 24:11), "lords of the nations" (Isaiah 16:8), owners of various items (Exodus 21:28,34; 22:8; 2 Kings 1:8), creditors (Deuteronomy 15:2), Yahweh (Isaiah 54:5; Hosea 2:16), and to false gods (Judges 2:11,13).

NOTE: The Theological Workbook to the Old Testament abbreviates the names of Bible books; we have given them with full names.

See also our study: The Name of Messiah