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FAQ # 162
QUESTION 162
: What is the name of God anyway,
the name that was revealed to Moses?
Before we go into the actual name of God we must first
clear a misconception. That is, titles and appellations used for God are
not his name. For instance, Elohim, El, Wonderful, Mighty God, Prince
of Peace. They are all descriptive appellations or titles given to describe
his deity and attributes, not his actual name. They are often called generic
names.
The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, likewise, places these terms under
Generic names." It adds, "Like Theos, Deus
and God, it is a generic term, including every member of the class deity."
Eloah and its variant forms eluah and the Aramaic eloaha are derived from
the descriptive title el, meaning "strength" and "power,"
i.e. a "mighty one." Added to (el) is the suffix (ah), (uah),
or (aha), forms of the verb (huh),
meaning "to breath"; "to be" or "to exist."
An eloah, therefore, is a "mighty living being."
They are rightly used as social titles with God's name,
for instance "Adonai YHWH" meaning sovereign YHWH; or, "El
YHWH" (Ps 85:8) meaning the mighty one YHWH. Moreover, these appellations
are used for pagan deities as well. How then could they be the names of
God? Nevertheless, "Elohists are contenders who regardless of evidence
and plain logics still hold the view that the appellations are God's personal
name; most often, El and Elohim."
Some "Sacred Name believers often maintain that
the term "God" should not be used in referring to the Almighty,
because it is the name of a pagan idol 'Gad'." This clearly shows
that some sacred namers even believe that the title God is a name. However,
this is clearly a speculation and God is simply an English word for deity
as Theos is used in the Greek. This is how words like Eloahim were used
in the Hebrew. Just universal words in the Hebrew language that was used
for deities or deity, including false deities. It's equivalent to saying
god and Lord in English, just titles used for deity or deities (1 Cor
8:5). This was done at first because God's name was “unknowned” until
Moses time, when it was revealed (Ex. 6:3).
However, scholars will argue that the same author who
wrote Exodus to Deuteronomy wrote Genesis; most say Moses. If so, wouldn't
he used the name that was revealed to him in Genesis rather than titles
and appellations? A very good point, which gives rise to the speculation
that Genesis had a separate author. Though, by logics, anyone can see
that Moses didn't author all the Pentateuch (first five books of the Bible);
the way ‘Exodus’ to ‘Deuteronomy’ was written showed that at least one
separate person, onlooking, was narrating some events, especially his
death. But he did write all the laws.
Then there is the situation with copyists and translators.
Who are they? Jesus said they are the "scribes and the Pharisees
sit in Moses’ seat" (Matthew 23:2). In other words, after Moses died
they are the ones who fully took over the handling of all religious writings.
Christ rebuked them for doing unscriptural things, couldn't they have
begun to do that from the time of Moses' death. Like interpolating, replacing
and injecting in the scriptures while copying it periodically? This was
inevitable and obviously seen when they replaced God's name with the Tetragrammon
(YHWH). Because they can interject whatever name or title they deem fit,
their influence is what we would read today. Of such scholars and Elohist
have deemed the first five book divided into parts, usually labeled as
the J (Jehovah or YHWH), E (elohim), D (Deuteronomy), and P (Priestly)
documents. For instance, in the "E" group the word eloahim alone
appears for God's name but not the name YHWH; and so on. Plus, the first
five books were written after God's name was given to Moses, so the author
of the Pentateuch could have used God's name from Genesis to Deuteronomy
or choose to record it only after Genesis and use title names in that
book only. Then the copyists could choose to do either or mix it as they
deem fit; which is why you probably have it in Gen 22:14. But by the time
we get to the present era, God's name was completely covered under titles
and sprouts a resemblance only four times in the entire bible. The Old
Testament apocryphal is also subject to this and even more interpolation,
because it is not closely watched with scrutiny as the other books are.
So we see that titles are just substitute for the actual
name when it is applied to GOD; more than often suggesting there is a
personal name.
God has a personal name
"The leading name, YHWH, occurs 11,600 times,
and it is a blunder, that it finds its way into the English translation
four times only (Ex 6:3; Ps 83:18; Is 12:2; Is 26:4), shutting out the
common reader from the full significance of hundreds of passages, such
as Psalm 8:1, which should read, "O, YHWH, our Lord."
The Jews, superstitiously fearful of needlessly pronouncing
this August name, substituted for it when reading aloud; 'Adhonai', 'Lord',
and so came in the Septuagint version, the Greek equivalent, Kurios, and
in English, which followed the Septuagint. Lord, capitals indicating that
the original is Yahovah; but practically, this covenant name, upon which
YHWH himself laid such stress, is illuminated from both these versions"
(World's Guide to Understanding The Bible).
Also, "The translators of the Revised Standard
Version provide the following excuse for the elimination of God's personal
name from the Scriptures: 'For two reasons the [Revised Standard Version]
Committee has returned to the more familiar usage [of substituting YHWH
with either the LORD or GOD] 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 ... was discontinued
in Judaism before the Christian era and is entirely inappropriate for
the universal faith of the Christian Church. (3)
The Smith and Goodspeed translation is probably the
most frank: In this translation “we have followed the orthodox Jewish
tradition and substituted ‘the LORD’ for the name...”
So we see that
titles are just substitutes for the actual personal name of GOD; more
than often suggesting there is a personal name.
It was first revealed to Moses
Regardless of present biblical explanations (exegesis),
the name was first revealed to Moses. You don't have to try to figure
this out or twist scriptures, because it plainly said it. You just can't
read anything else in this verse, "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" (Ex 6:3-KJV); not a new connotation of the
name or revealed in a different manner but the name itself was first revealed
here. "God" himself said he spoke to the fathers before Moses
by using the Generic title 'names.' For example here, "I am the Almighty
God; walk before me, and be thou perfect" (Gen 17:1). But with a
new era and dispensation, he revealed this name first unto Moses, then
the entire descendants of Abraham and the World.
The name was first revealed to Moses; however, the
beings that ruled the heathen nations weren't always humans but most often,
fallen angels in flesh (Gen 6:4). Thus, they coming from heaven would
know God's name, nevertheless, fallen angels can't do as they please,
though it sometimes seem that way. God could have prevented them from
using it. Moreover, with their rebellion from God that would be the last
name they want to hear and it could have the same implications the savior's
name has went spoken in faith to cast out devils. They would rather exalt
their own name (Dagon, Zeus, Milcom, Chemosh, etc) as God than speak God's
name. And even hide it from men, so that they wouldn't call on it. Also,
when it was revealed, no doubt, men and false religions cleave to it falsely;
especially hearing and seeing the things done by the God of the Israelites.
Much like Simon Magnus, who saw the apostles laying hand and people receiving
the Holy Ghost and he sought to use the savior's name as magic (Acts 8:13-24).
Therefore, you'll have heathen nations with traces of the name after its
was made renown; traces, not having false gods with the name.
For and Against it being Given
to Moses
One of the most liable arguments that Moses didn't
get this revelation first is that a new name would mean a new God to the
Israelites he was sent to; especially being a stranger coming from exile.
However, that's why he made sure to tell him to say
that the ‘God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob has sent you’. If they knew
his name and no one else had it, he wouldn't have to reinforce to Moses
to stress that he is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. If they knew
his name, God wouldn't have to give them clues to who he is. It plainly
stated it in this fashion, "God said moreover [IN ADDITION, AS
IN THAT WOULDN'T BE SUFFICE] unto Moses...say unto the Children of
Israel, the Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, The God of Isaac,
and the God of Jacob hath sent me unto you" (Ex 3:15)!
He had a plus to boost his confidence and the Israelites'
acceptance of him, knowing God's name; while they knew him as the Mighty
God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Nevertheless, he was accepted because
God placed it into their hearts to do so and a confirmation by Aaron,
who was already prominent among them. These and other things God used
to boost his acceptance and their acceptance of his name, now revealed
to mankind.
It is also said, "The Hebrew text show that men started calling upon
the name of Jehovah after the birth of Enosh, grandson of Adam (Genesis
4:26)." No! It actually meant that men started to look to God again,
after the seed had been corrupted by satan and lived without any recognition
of God. It didn't mean God's personal name was known, but an idiomatic
expression that men started to look to God again. Then it was said that
the Hebrew text actually reads, "began to call himself after the
name of the Lord" (Gen 4:26). If that is so, it more than likely
meant they attempted to live righteously again; the same thing. That's
the reason the genealogy of man followed this pattern "Adam, Sheth,
Enosh, Kenan, Mahalaleel, Jered, Henoch, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah, Shem,
Ham, and Japheth" (1 Chron 1:1-4). When Abel was murdered the seed
was corrupted and men only lived like Cain, as seen in his offsprings
becoming murderers and polygamists. But God had Adam bring a new son and
in his seed the likeness of God was sparked again. Not any son but one
instead of Abel, a good seed; an actual human being instead of a satanic
corruption, "Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a
son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth"
(Gen 5:3). With this, men started to look to God again.
Another way out argument that says Moses didn't get
the name first is: "When Moses asked God for His name, God replied
in Hebrew ‘I am what I am’. Obvious intention of Exodus 3:14 was to reveal
God's name, but the response Moses got would mean that God does not wish
to reveal His name."
No! What probably happened is that rather than write
the actual name, the meaning was written. For instance, if I'm a winner
of some sports tournament and I said in 'Pomp', "Yeah, My name is
Oneil MegaStar!" If someone recorded that, they could write that
I said, "My name is Champion MegaStar:" Because Oneil *also means champion, so they
substitute the name for it. When the name was given to Moses, it was combined
with the verb “to be,” the essence of the name. So what was recorded or
what we now have is the meaning (“to be”) in first person form with the
personal pronoun “I” - “I am what I am” - where “I” is the name should
be, but it was substituted because of use with the verb “to be” and the
essence of what he said or his name. Likewise, winning a sports championship
is being a champion, the essence of the above name Oneil. This will be
learnt later on.
The last argument against it being given first to Moses
is, "If the sacred name was not revealed until the days of Moses,
since there was no knowledge of it prior to Moses, it stands that the
name is not an eternal one. Therefore, since it was not required for the
salvation of those who antedate Moses, such as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
neither is it necessary for us today."
Because the name wasn't known prior to Moses, doesn't mean it did not
exist. Because only today you know my name, does it mean I didn't have
a name before today? No. Moreover, God deals with us in dispensations.
He translated Enoch, He used the Ark with Noah and the Law with the Israelites.
All were not born again. Will you be save by the prior means? No. You
have to be born again. So it stands that God always had name, it was first
revealed to Moses and he now wants every human being to know it! Though
it is acclaimed that the pronunciation is lost.
Tetragrammon
Up to this point we have not mentioned a name but the Tetragrammon. It
looks like this in the original: 
.
The Tetragrammon is used because the scribes felt that writing or saying
God's name in vain was protected by not writing it at all, but replace
it with what you see above, Tetragrammon. This is called "the ineffable
name doctrine." "In the oldest text of the Bible, the ancient
Hebrew script, the sacred Name is represented by four Hebrew letters.
These four letters are called the Tetragrammon." "Even though
the Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) was written in Greek, the Tetragrammon
was first written into the text in gold Hebrew letters...The Latin translations
became standard for the Roman church and the Latin letters IHVH appeared
for the Hebrew Tetragrammon. At that time the vowel 'I' was equivalent
to the 'Y'. But the 'Y' wasn't used as yet and the 'J' was later created
to sound like 'Y', thus you had the Tetragrammon written as JHVH. Then
came along the 'Y' and the 'W'. The 'V' in JHVH had the sound of 'W' and
was replaced by it and "Y" replaced the "J;" the “J”
later took on another sound, as in Jacky, but no changes were made in
the bible or English in general to words with “J” in it that was to sound
like “Y” (E.g. the name Joseph should be pronounced Yoseph). And so we
have the Tetragrammon now appearing in English as YHWH. Or HWHY, if you
read it from right to left like how Hebrew is read. Nevertheless, one
source said, "Although there is no firm consensus on the actual pronouncement
or spelling of the Tetragrammon, there
are several representations or transliterations in use by theologians
and Bible students."
Now, it is also said that the Tetragrammon was not
made up of consonants, but in the Hebrew-Aramaic language usage, they
could be either used as vowels or consonant; while some contend that they
were vowels. "R. Laird Harris writes in his Introductory Hebrew Grammar:
Four of the Hebrew letters [YHWH]...are called vowel letters." Nevertheless,
it is unlikely that they were called vowels, because none of the 22 letters
of the Hebrew alphabet is pronounced as a vowel.
A bad spin off of this foolishness of replacing God's
name with a Tetragrammon is the alleged crisis that the pronunciation
of God's name is lost. Not just now, but amongst many then. In fact, one
source said, "Because of these prohibitions, translations of the
original Hebrew scrolls have, throughout the ages, replaced the Tetragrammon
with 'the LORD' (in capital letters) and the Sacred Name, in so doing,
became 'lost' for many centuries." "The editorial board of the
New American Standard Bible made the following admission: 'This name has
not been pronounced by the Jews.... Therefore, it has been consistently
translated LORD'."
It seems that this was a common practice during the
time the 30th Chapter of the book of Proverbs was written. Augur the prophet
lamented, in prophecy, "Surely I am more brutish than any
man, and have not the understanding of a man...what is his name, and what
is his son’s name, if thou canst tell" (:1-4)?
He stated that he is an unlearnt man so he couldn't
understand any use of Tetragrammon. Then he went onto lament about what
is the name of God and/or the name of the Messiah. What showed that he
was speaking of things like the Tetragrammon occurred when he said "Add
thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar."
In others words, don't change what he has said or why did they cover up
his name.
First, the plot - I'm unlearnt or of the majority,
can't understand secret rabbinical writings or Tetragrammon. Secondly,
out of frustration of it he cried out what is God's name, because it is
not known, generally. Why? The scribes covered it up in their Tetragrammon.
Thirdly, then while prophesying he warned them not to do it, "Add
thou not unto his words." This was all done through prophecy, so
God was speaking indirectly to them. Nevertheless, I believe many still
knew his name then and now. But this is what they did, "Why do ye
[scribes] also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition"
(Matt 15:3)? Nevertheless, it would seems that the real 'Holy' Priests,
Prophets and godly men did not resort to the Tetragrammon, but it was
probably introduced and kept by the idolatrous Kabbalistic Jews.
Proof the pronunciation wasn't
lost
Josephus, the noted Jewish Historian, said he was forbidden
to say or write the name; in other words, he knew it and could freely
write or pronounce it, and this was after the time of Jesus. The Encyclopedia
Judaica similarly concludes:
At
least until the destruction of the First Temple in
586
B.C.E. this name was regularly pro-
nounced
with its proper vowels, as is clear from the
Lachish
Letters, written shortly before that date.
Another proof that the pronunciation wasn't lost, is
the fact that Jesus when reading the Old Testament from Isaiah would have
correctly pronounce the name; "to set at liberty them that are bruised,
to preach the acceptable year of the Lord" (Luke 4:19). Opposers
to this would say the scriptures were Hellenized then and thus what they
had, which he read from, was the Greek version. Even so, not only he being
God in Flesh would pronounce it in the original tongue, but the fact that
"though the Septuagint was written in Greek, the Sacred Name (Tetragrammon)
HWHY was first written into the text in gold Hebrew letters." And
the Masoric text couldn't be used because it was a later thing.
So, not only is it ridiculous but non-sensical to believe
that during the time of Christ and presently, God's name or its pronunciation
would be lost. What has happened today is that they are countless variations
of that pronunciation, throwing the entire Sacred Name Movement into a
frenzy to determine which is the correct pronunciation. For the right
pronunciation to be gain the root has to be correct as well.
Is the root name Yahu or Yah
and what are the implications
Unknown to most is that most scholars believe Yahu,
pronounced Yahoo, is apart of all the variations and deemed to be the
root. However, I question that for various reasons, though there is evidence
and even an alleged incorporation in the Messiah's name. It is said, "when
the term Yaho is used in conjunction with other syllables to form compound
names the 'o' can be left in or dropped as preferred. When the Yaho is
on the end of the word the 'o' or the consonant 'vav' and the vowel is
often dropped; Yahoshua becomes Yashua in some instances." Much of
this is believe to lean on the pronunciation of the Hebrew syllable VAV
as "oo."
Nevertheless, these are the reason I reject Yahu as
God's name or root of it:
·
Contrary to popular
notion, Yahu is a separate name from Yahweh. The sacred name Yahweh is
the personal name of father Yahweh and became the cognomen of the lesser
Yahweh, but Yahu belonged to the lesser Yahweh as his praenomen.
As part of their effort to disguise the sacred name, Jewish religious
leaders, who abandoned palaeo-Hebrew letters for Aramaic, decided that
only two letters of the sacred name Yahweh could be pronounced. As one
part of this effort, the sacred name Yahweh and the divine name Yahu were
both at times abbreviated to YH and pronounced "Yah." Since
both Yahweh and Yahu became "YH (Yah)," the rabbis encouraged
the development of the confused definition that Yahu and Yah were short
forms of the name Yahweh. The confounding of Yahu and Yahweh and the belief
that both Yah and Yahu are short forms of Yahweh has, as a result, continued
with us until this day.
...The lesser Yahweh was separately known as Yahu Yahweh, and is
still found in the present Masoretic Text under the altered form Yah Yahweh.
Because his praenomen was Yahu, when Yahu Yahweh became a man he was known
as Yahu-shua the messiah. We shall also demonstrate that the name Yahushua
does not mean "Yahweh saves," as often but incorrectly advocated,
but "Yahu saves." The Hebrew name Yahushua, through the medium
of Aramaic, was later translated into Greek as Iesous (English, "Jesus").
By revealing the history behind the transformation of Yahu into the present-day
form Yah, we shall also be able to verify that the praenomen Yahu was
originally pronounced "Yah-u." (R. Clover, The Sacred Name)
·
Yahweh, as well
as the praenomen of the lesser deity, his son, Yahu. It is from
Yahu that the name Yahushua (Yahu saves) is derived and not from Yahweh,
as popular and misinformed advocates would argue...It is the person
Yahu (Yahu-shua) who does the saving through his surname given to
him by the father, the one and only saving name "Yahweh." Accordingly,
the full name of the messiah, as revealed in Scriptures is "Yahu
Yahweh." (Qadesh La Yahweh Press, yahweh.org)
·
The claim that
Yaho was dropped from the Babylonian captivity is unsubstantiated conjecture
as the Elephantine texts show. As we have seen, the form YH is pronounced
Yahoo or Yaho when used as a syllable on its own. This is the form rendered
Jah in the KJV. He spoke for Yahovih or Yahovah of Hosts, God the Father,
the Elyon, or Most High, who is Eloah. In this sense, the pre-incarnate
Messiah was also the Messenger or Angel of Yahovah as elohim in Zechariah
12:8" (logon.org).
·
"The reference
is a singular one at Ugarit, but later Phoenician sources refer to a
god named Iahu [Yahu], Iaio, Ieuo (in Philo of Byblos' 'Phoenician
History')."
From the above you can see that many claim Yahu or
Yahoo as a second divine being, not just similar to the trinity of persons,
but a subordinate and sometimes Chief angel of God. Most references to
the word Yahu claim this unbiblical notion. This alone would cause any
true bible adherent to digress from this name being the name of God, but
rather use the rightful "Yah" (Ps
68:4).
This name Yahu doesn't seem to be the single name that
is ascribe only to God either; for there was a King in 2 Kings 9 that
was name Jehu, that should be written Yehu and given mispronunciation,
that should be Yahu. Thus Yahu was never the name of God as some attest,
for if fear prevented them from saying or writing God's name, how much
more giving it to the name of a person. Placing it in your name to the
honor of it is something different from it being your name altogether.
Though God is not a name, it would be the same thing like calling yourself
GOD.
Moreover, The only persons noted in history to use
this name for God are pagans and Christian philosophers. Such as Diodorus,
a Pagan Greek Historian and the so called Christian fathers who were really
Hellenistic pagan philosophers, Origen, Ireneaus, Clement of Alexandria
and Jerome who used the Latin version of IAHO (remember the ‘i’ had the
‘Y’ sound). It is also found on a few magical papyri from Egypt. Take
these further quotes:
·
"Among the
Gnostics, the original name of God was used transliterated into Greek
letters, IAO. They must have got this practice from the Essenes, and we
can get a good idea, therefore, of how the Kundalini science underlying
the New Testament originated."
·
"Sepher
Yetzirah is one of the oldest books of kabbalah. Traditions regarding
this text point to its existence even in Biblical times. In the text it
is explained that God first created the Hebrew alphabet and used these
letters, the building blocks, to create the world. Each letter was used
to create a particular aspect of the universe. For instance the letter
Hey was used to form ‘Aries in the Universe, Nissan in the year, and the
right foot in the soul’."
"Verse 1:13 of Sepher Yetzirah states that God chose three letters
[YUD HEY VAV - or Yahoo] setting them in His great Name and with the permutations
of them He sealed the six extremities of the universe - the dimensions
of above, below, east, west, north, south. The ‘great Name’ referred to
here is the holiest of God's names - the Four Letter Name of God YUD HEY
VAV HEY" (Kaplan, Aryeh. 1990. Sefer Yetzirah. The Book of Creation.
York Beach: Samuel Weiser. ix, 215, 80).
I'll stick to the root being Yah, rather than Yahoo.
For Yah (pronounced Y-ah and not Yaw) in the bible, is no different from the great
"I am that I am;" not a second divine being or chief angel.
All the Variations
The following are allege transliterated versions of
the Sacred Names which are in use by various Sacred name groups:
YHVH, YHWH, Yahweh, Yahveh, Yaveh, Yaweh, Yehovah,
Jehova, Jehovah, Jahova, Jahovah, Yahova, Yahovah, Yahowah, Jahowa, Jahowah,
Yahavah, Jahavah, Yahowe, Yahoweh, Jahaveh, Jahaweh, Yahaveh, Yahaweh,
Jahuweh, Yahuweh, Jahuwah, Yahuwah, Yahuah, Yah, Jah, Yahu, Yahoo, Yaohu,
Jahu, Yahvah, Jahvah, Jahve, Jahveh, Yahve, Yahwe, Yauhu, Yawhu, Iahu,
Iahou, Iahoo, Iahueh and many more.
And let me Emphases, God's personal name is not the
Hebrew name of eloheem or any of the other titles. His name is just his
name. Of all the pronunciations, Yahweh and Jehovah [correctly pronounce
as Yahovah] are the most accepted; and really, all the variations cling
to either one, coming from the root "Yah."
Allege Origin of Jehovah
"The name Jehovah occurs a few times in the KJV
Bible. But according to Harper's Bible Dictionary, this name is 'the result
of the translators' ignorance of the Hebrew language and customs' (1985,
p1036). The book of World Religions from Ancient History says 'The name
Jehovah is a medieval misreading and does not occur in the Hebrew Bible'
(p.386)."
Another source said,
The most famous name for God in
the Old Testament is called the "Sacred Tetragrammon". We don't
know HOW to pronounce this name YHWH, since it's all consonants, no vowels.
The word Jehovah is a mistaken pronunciation of this word. It arose when
a Christian scholar, Petrus Galatinus (~1520 AD) combined the consonants
YHWH with vowels belonging to the word Adonai. (YaHoWaH, it was written
as Jahowah because in Latin J is pronounced like Y). Jahowah was further
anglicized as Jehovah.
So is Jehovah His name? "The word Jehovah does not accurately represent
any form of the Name ever used in Hebrew" (The Divine Name that will
Endure Forever, p20, published by Watchtower Bible and Tract Society).
Dr. J. B. Rotherham states in the preface of his Bible concerning Jehovah:
"Erroneously written and pronounced Jehovah, which
is merely a combination of the sacred Tetragrammon and the vowels in the
Hebrew word for Lord, substituted by the Jews for JHVH, because they shrank
from pronouncing The Name, owing to an old misconception of the two passages,
Ex. 20:7 and Lev. 24:16...To give the name JHVH the vowels of the word
for Lord [Heb. Adonai], is about as hybrid a combination as it would be
to spell the name Germany with the vowels in the name Portugal - viz.,
Gormuna. The monstrous combination Jehovah is not older than about 1520
A.D."
The Encyclopedia Britannica
(Micropedia, vol. 10) says:
"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, thus this pronunciation of the Tetragrammon was never
really lost. Greek transcriptions also indicate that YHWH should be pronounced
Yahweh."
In other words, there is overwhelming references today
to basically say Jehovah is incorrect, or as on the tongue of many, "hybrid."
As not being a wagonist all my life, I digress from jumping on that train.
Nevertheless, I'll agree that it could only be hybrid in the sense of
pronunciation. Because there is no "J" letter type in the Hebrew
Alphabet. The 'J' was never pronounced as "Jay" but as a 'Y'
up until 1630 and the first KJV came out 1611 (Encyclopedia Americana);
and according to Hebraic linguistics there is no 'e' sound after the Y,
as seen in the word "Jah" (Ps 68:4). So the correct rendering
of Jehovah should be Yahovah.
Now, if for this reason it is called hybrid, separate
and apart from the alleged interpolation of adonai in YHWH, then the word
Jesus is also hybrid. Because the "J" should be 'Y'; and the
Greek stigma "s" was added at the end because their linguistics
state that a name should not end with a vowel and thus when it does "s"
is added, plus "aw" before the end was cut out. In reality,
Jesus should be written and pronounced "Yeshous," from the Greek;
coming from Yahshua in Aramaic. So if Jehovah is attacked, then the word
Jesus should be also. For it follows the same mispronunciations and errors.
Allege Origin of Yahweh
Modern references are now turning to Yahweh like a
chain reaction, with little research by individuals who adhere to it.
However, A lot of evidence leans to Yahweh being borrowed
from the Samaritans. It is said they took on the Jewish religion as their
own; and also inevitable borrowed the “ineffable name doctrine.” They
call the sacred name JABE or with the “J” mix-up YABE; most commonly YABAY
OR YABEH. This is exactly like or similar in sound as YAHWEH, Theodoret
and Epiphaniuas assert that that’s how the Samaritans pronounce the sacred
name of God (fifth century). The Samaritans followed the same ineffable
name doctrine like the Jews (The Popular and Critical Bible Encyclopedia).
It is said that the Samaritans were even stricter with the ineffable name
doctrine in their Torah than the Jews (D. Williams). A letter from the
Samaritan high priest as late as 1820 pronounced the sacred name as Yah-oo-ay;
sound exactly as the above Yabe or Yahweh. Plus they were condemn by Jews
because they used the name in their oaths (Gemara Yerusalemi Sanhedrin).
This doesn’t mean that what we have from them is the name, but more than
likely their sound of the Tetragrammon (pipi)" itself.
Also
we find,
"Judging from Greek transcriptions of the sacred name,
YHWH ought to be pronounced
Yahweh... (New Catholic Encyclopedia, 'YAHWEH'" {"Facts
and Myths About the Sacred
Name," YNCA Light, May-June, 98, p. 6}).
Notice
they said “judging from Greek,” a transliterated tongue and not even the
original language of
"The
fact that Clement of Alexandria was a gnostic is no secret. This fact
is commonly discussed in
"Theodoret
said that the Samaritans used the name Jabai. In the treatise Quaestiones
in Exodus he wrote
this name Jabe. These passages have induced scholars to insert the
vowels of the Samaritan
Jabe into the original Hebrew consonants YHWH," pronouncing Yahweh.
So
like the allege origin of Jehovah [Yahovah] being an insertion, it seems
even more that Yahweh is a
mere guess of insertions also. That's the reason, "Although Yahweh
SEEMS TO BE a PROBABLE pronunciation
of the Tetragrammon....WE CAN ONLY SURMISE that Yahweh is the correct
Yahovah versus
Yahweh
"When Tyndale published his translation, a number
of letters in the alphabet had only recently been invented and were not
yet in common use. Although the symbol 'j' had been invented about 1200
A.D.--three hundred years before Tyndale's time--Tyndale does not use
it here in his translation. The capital 'J' was not invented until after
Tyndale's translation was made. The example of Tyndale's translation [can
be seen] from Exodus 5:18-6:3 (the first and last verses are not completely
quoted). This passage in the book of Exodus contains three examples of
the use of 'i' before a vowel to represent the consonant sound of 'j'.
Notice the use of lowercase 'i' before the vowel ‘u’ in Verse 21 below,
and the two uses of uppercase 'I' before the vowels 'a' and 'e' in Verse
3 of the following chapter. In each of these words, 'i' or 'I' represents
the sound of 'j'.
They view 'Yahweh' as the only correct way to spell
and pronounce the divine name. They are completely ignoring the fact that
the English letter 'w'--used in the name Yahweh--was invented two hundred
years later than the first symbol for 'j'. In addition, the letters 'a'
and 'h' were not invented until the 1500's. Thus the same argument that
they use against the name Jehovah could be used even more strongly against
'Yahweh.' The spelling 'Yahweh' was impossible before 1500! This same
argument could be used against 'yahshua' as well. Since lowercase 's'
was not invented until the 1500's, and lowercase 'u' did not come into
regular use as a vowel until the 1500's, the spelling 'yahshua' was also
impossible before that time. The truth of the matter is that the invention
of the letters of the English alphabet neither proves nor disproves the
pronunciation of the Hebrew name (YHWH). Although some of the letters
in the English alphabet were invented in later centuries, the sounds that
they represent existed from the earliest times. Only the symbols used
to represent the sounds changed.
The fact that there were symbols to represent our ‘j’
sound is evident in Tyndale's use of both lowercase ‘i’ and uppercase
‘I’ in the words ‘iudge,’ ‘Iacob’ and ‘Iehouah’ (that is, Jehovah). Had
Tyndale heard our ‘y’ sound in the Hebrew words he would have translated
them as ‘yudge,’ ‘Yacob’ and ‘Yehouah,’ just as he used the letter ‘y’
in the words ‘yet,’ ‘ye’ and ‘youre’.”
I have read arguments for the name Jehovah (Yahovah)
and for Yahweh (Yah-oo-ay) and the most compelling is the usage of Yahovah;
even though it is vilified today. Yahweh seems to be either a pronunciation
of the Tetragrammon symbol or as one person said, the pronunciation of
a pagan god. And Yahovah wasn't necessarily derived from inserting letters
(vowel) into the Tetragrammon.
You can view both sides and give your summation from
the following sources:
FOR YAHOVAH: Carl D. Franklin. "In defense of
Jehovah." http://www.biblestudy.org/maturart/indefens.pdf
FOR YAHWEH: R. Clover. "The Sacred Name of God."
http://www.yahweh.org/yahweh1.html
Be careful though, because they are notions in both
that are completely foreign to biblical Christianity (e.g. Jesus as a
chief angel, Greek New Testament origin, etc)
Yahweh not the pronunciation of God's name (YHWH)
and Why
Separate and apart from the allege origins of inserting
Jabe into YHWH, it seems that Yahweh is someone's attempt at pronouncing
the name by pronouncing what the symbol look like or is spelt in the English
form of YHVH. Notice this exact quote:
YHVH
- the Sacred Name, Yahveh pronounced YA-VE, the ‘YA’ as in ‘yard’,
the ‘VE’ as in 'Vest’
So they kept saying Yabe or Yahweh until it became
common to refer to God by it. Similar to calling someone with an alias
or by his or her initials.
So, as seen above, Yahweh could be the name of the
literal Tetragrammon spelling, similar to how someone came up with "Jahwah"
from pronouncing each letter (YHWH) by their interpretation and putting
them together. But we don't know how the Tetragrammon was made; was it
abbreviating the name or creating a symbol for the name or something else.
If it something like creating a symbol for the name, then Yahweh could
be the pronunciation of that symbol and not the name itself.
For instance, if I use OM to cover up my name, someone
not knowing it would say my name is "Umm," pronouncing the initials.
But that's not my name, neither close to it. I just used OM because I
didn't want someone to know that my name is Oneil McQuick.
The similar thing could be the case with YHWH and Yahweh, as confessed
by this quote, "The four letters YHWH (pronounced Yahweh)."
In addition Carl Franklin provided this background
on the name:
It is a well-known fact that the
Samaritans were transplanted to the land of Israel from the area of ancient
Babylonia. What is not well known is their connection with the ancient
Amorites and their mutual god Yahweh. The Samaritans were descendants
of the ancient Amorites and remained in the region of Babylonia after
the collapse of Dynasty I of Babylon. Mari was the name of their kingdom
before Dynasty I of Babylon. The god of the ancient Amorites was yawi,
also variously spelled yawe, yahwi or Yahweh. This Amoritic name was one
of the many names of Nimrod. Nimrod was worshiped under different names
by various cultures in the Ancient Near East. The Amorites worshiped Nimrod
as Yawi and Semiramis as Mari (later known as the Virgin Mary). Nimrod
was known as Yareah and Semiramis as Anat or Anath among the ancient Phoenicians.
To the ancient Chaldeans, Semiramis was known as Marratu. The ancient
Elamite Persians knew her as Mariham, and Horus (her son, whom she claimed
was Nimrod reborn) as Jahi. Among the descendants of Aram, the ancient
Syrians, Horus was known as Yamm, the serpent-consort of Meri (Semiramis).
The ancient Hebrews appropriated God's divine name Adonai and turned it
into a sacred name for the worship of Horus. Adonai was said by the ancients
to be the most holy of all the sacred names of Horus. Semiramis was known
by ancient Israel as Myrrha. The people of Israel worshiped Adonai among
the myrtle or myrrha groves, saying that he was the great Achad or Echad--the
Only One. That the name Yahweh is of Amoritic origin is little disputed
by scholars. Nor is the fact that the Amoritic name Yahweh has no connection
with YHWH much disputed. Although dictionaries and commentaries still
promote Yahweh as the pronunciation of YHWH, it must be remembered that
this assertion is based on research that was conducted between fifty and
one-hundred years ago. That research was later shown to be faulty and
incomplete. Authors of recently published dictionaries and commentaries
that continue to promote Yahweh are ignorant of the facts. That Yahweh
cannot possibly be the pronunciation of YHWH is amply demonstrated by
the following excerpts from the Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament
and the Evangelical Dictionary of Theology. The Theological Dictionary
of the Old Testament, which is the most prestigious work of its kind in
the field of Hebrew studies, rejects all attempts to link Yahweh with
YHWH. Notice:
"Early in the modern period,
scholars began to try to recover the pronunciation. The form Yahweh is
now accepted almost universally. The structure and etymology of the name
have been much discussed. While NO CONSENSUS EXISTS, the name is generally
THOUGHT TO BE a verbal form derived from the root hwy, later hyh [i.e.,
the Hebrew verb hayah], 'be at hand, exist (phenomenally), come to pass.'
Whether the verb was originally a qal or a hiphil formation is not entirely
clear. The weight of the evidence is on the side of the latter" (TDOT,
p. 500, emphasis added).
Sacred namers boldly assert
that the evidence supporting the name Yahweh is "indisputable,"
as if the whole scholarly world has unequivocally accepted this name as
the true pronunciation of YHWH. But Professor Freedman of the University
of Michigan, who authored the above article, knows that scholars have
NOT reached a consensus concerning this supposed pronunciation of YHWH.
As Freedman shows, the pronunciation
yawi or yahwi was used by the ancient Amorites in their idolatrous worship.
Notice as well the connection between the worship of Yahweh and that of
Dagan, god of the Philistines. In reference to the names of the Amorite
deities, he writes, "The first four are made up of a divine name
and a form of the verb hwy, and can be normalized as yahwi-hadd, yahwi-il
(a) (twice), and yahwi-dagan....The last name, normalized as yahwe, is
important because it bears witness to the optional shift of i to e in
Amorite....The second group contains the verbal element ya-ah-wi, e.g.,
ya-ah-wi-na-si, ya-ah-wi-AN. These names have been associated with the
Tetragrammon [YHWH] but should probably be derived from the [Amoritic]
root hwy, 'live,' i.e., yahwi-nasi and yahwi-il(a)" (Ibid., pp. 511-512,
emphasis added).
The 1911encyclopedia.org has also recorded the following,
"The derivation of Yahweh
from hawah is formally unimpeachable, -and is adopted by many recent scholars,
who proceed, however, from the primary sense of the root rather than from
the specific meaning of the nouns. The name is accordingly interpreted,
He (who) falls (baetyl, i3aLrvXor, meteorite); or causes (rain or lightning)
to fall (storm god); or casts down (his foes, by his thunderbolts). It
is obvious that if the derivation be correct, the significance of the
name, which in itself denotes only He falls or He fells...But one theory
which has had considerable currency requires notice, namely, that Yahweh,
or Yahu, Yaho, is the name of a god worshipped throughout the whole, or
a great part, of the area occupied by the Western Semites."
Of all the possible explanation of the name Yahweh,
the best can be found in this: As we will see in the next section, the
correct pronunciation of the name that was revealed to Moses is Yahovah.
However, what Hebrew 'linguistics' could have done was shorten that pronunciation
by removing the "ho" sound. This is not strange because they
did it with Yahoshua to become Yashua. So if that is done to Yahovah then
it would look like this Yahvah and pronounced Yaw-vah; then eventually
Yaw-ve and so comes the Samaritans Yabe. This would especially be the
case if the form Yahovih is used. Yahovih, pronounce Yahovee, is the same
as Yahovah, see the New Strong Concordance number 3069.
Yahovah is the best and Why
We have pointed out above, that there may be a probable
linkage of YHWH to the verb 'hovah', found in the word Yahovah. That is,
"YAH - HOVAH.” There are now some interpreters who maintain that
there is a similar Hebrew word spelt with exactly the same Hebrew letters
“hey vav hey,” which are pronounced "hovah" and which means
"covetousness or wickedness". They therefore discard versions
of the Sacred name that has "hovah" in it, as seen in the name
Yahovah. Instead of the verb hovah, they opt to use hayah. However, that
can be easily refuted, notice the following:
The Hebrew dictionary reflects
the following versions, one after the other strangely enough, and all
spelt hey-vav-hey
Havah - trouble, destruction,
mischief, passion
Hovah - trouble, destruction,
mischief, ruin
Havah - 3rd person past tense
of 'to be' i.e. he was
Heveyh - Command form: "be!" As in 'be lord over your brethren' Gen. 27:29
Hivah - 3rd person past tense
- to cause to be, constitute
Hoveh - 1st person, present tense
- to be
Hovah - 1st person, present tense
- to be (revelations.org)
Hovah (1943) is from the verb havah (1933, 1934) or
hava (1933, 1934) and means "to be" and so does the other Hebrew
word hayah (1961). So both hayah and havah (where we get hovah) means
the same thing and even almost pronounced the same way; haw-vaw and haw-yaw.
So it would be easy to mix up the two or completely correct to use them
interchangeably.
It is also claimed that hovah means ruins but so does
hayah (1962). Obviously they are exact words in Hebrew spelt the same
but slightly pronounce differently with different meanings. But hovah
in Yahovah means to be; as in "I am that I am." The strong numbers,
1990 edition, are beside them also, for proof.
However, today, in Exodus 3:14 it is rendered with
hayah and not havah. That could be a later rendering as Yahweh now appears
in the Strongs, whereas it was Jehovah at first.
It is clearly recorded
in the scriptures that his name is "Yah" (Ps 68:4 ), so what
is the problem? YAH is his name but when he told Moses implicitly who
he was he said **YAH HOVAH, which is translated "I am that I am"
sent you. But immediately after that he said explicitly to tell them,
"I AM [YAH] has sent me unto you." The confusion lies in this.
YAH is his name. However, what he said to Moses was a combination of his
name and the most personal verb, "to be"; in Hebrew that is
"hovah," coming from "havah". In other words, YAH
HOVAH or "I am that I am" should be really translated, "YAH
will be what YAH will be" or "Yah is what Yah is." That's
why immediately after he said to Moses to tell them YAH sent him; telling
Moses his name by removing the verb. The name is not written in Ex 3:14,
but rather a combination of his name and the verb "hovah" or
'to be'; and a relation to it standing alone. Notice Ex 3:14 with the
strong numbers, there is no strong numbers beside "I AM," because
that is his name. But you see numbers beside "I AM THAT I AM,"
because it is a combination of a verb (should be havah) and his name:
Exodus 3:14 And God <0430> said <0559> unto
Moses <04872>, I AM <01961> THAT I AM <01961>
(8799): and he said <0559>, Thus shalt thou say <0559> unto
the children <01121> of Israel <03478>, I AM hath sent
<07971> me unto you.
His name can be clearly seen with the praise word Halleluyah,
which means praise be to Yah. The verb Hovah is dropped because that is
really not apart of his name but rather an implicit declaration of it.
It would not compute to say "Praise be to Yah will be what will be"
or Halleluyahovah. But rather, "Praise be to Yah" or Halleluyah.
The same can be seen to other names that include his name in it, in honor.
They obviously drop the verb hovah to rightly glorify his name alone.
E.g EliYAH or JeremYAH.
Then they are the connote forms of his name like Yahovah-Yireh,
which means Yahovah Provides. Then it would be pondered why the verb isn't
dropped off this connote name. Because the connote form is really the
essence of the added verb "hovah". That is, 'Yah will be what
Yah will be' to you, thus he is your provider at this time. Another time,
he is healer and yet another time, savior. So the implicit declaration
of hovah is God is _________ (fill in the blanks); and thus would be included
in the connote forms to say what he is in that instance. E.g
Yahovah Yireh =
Yah is what Yah is - now provider
Yahovah Shalom = Yah is what Yah is - now peace
And so on.
One person said,
"The mystery attached
to the Name of the Almighty, is related to the verb ‘to be' (I am, I was,
I will be) which is the Hebrew verb ‘Hovah’, meaning, “to be”, in the
present tense. YHWH therefore means: “YAH Hoveh”, which means YAH is________”
[fill in the blanks].
It is therefore quite possible
that the correct rendering of the SHEMAH (the Greatest Commandment - Deut
6:4) should read:
SHMAA YISRAEL, YAH HOVEH ELOHEINU,
YAH HOVEH ECHAD
HEAR ISRAEL YAH IS GOD YAH IS ONE
In Modern Hebrew grammar this
matter is so serious and important, that the verb ‘to be’ (‘I am’) is
not used in the present tense at all! An Israeli will therefore state
in Hebrew: “I teacher ... I clever”, omitting the verb 'to be' (I am)
in the present tense. Usage of the Hebrew verb ‘HOVAH’ (I am) would imply
referring to oneself as being the Almighty!"
The last paragraph
alone should be enough to tell you that the pronunciation of the sacred
name was
never lost. Seeing that the pronunciation was never
lost, when the Masoric text was drafted, they pronounced it as it is.
And though the original tongue had evolved, it would be written to sound
how it sounded when it was first revealed; that is, transliterated, as
against translated.
It is doubtful that there was an interpolation of adonai
into YHWH by the Masoric scholars. This is said to be done by a European
or German scholar, then they want to say the Masoric scholars did it.
Which is it? None! The pronunciation was never lost as seen above and
thus when vowels/consonants were now employed in Jewish translated writings,
it was fitted to how the name actually sound, transliteration. What has
happened is that the English today, seen in the word Jesus, is nowhere
near that pronunciation. And so Jehovah should really be Yahovah.
The spelling is the least, what should be retained
is the pronunciation. This is called transliteration. The pronunciation
is Yah-hovah. However, some pronounce the Yah as Yay. Because of that
sound many transliterate Yah in English with an 'e', as in Yeh, to try
and get that Yay sound. Thus you have Yehovah. The same is seen in occurrences
of Yehoshua instead of Yahoshuah, the savior's name.
You might say why not put the 'e' at the end too, because
'ah' is not coming from Yah pronounced Yay. It is apart of the verb 'havah'
where hovah comes from and is pronounced 'haw-vaw'. A similar instance
follows for the end of the word Yahoshua. This should be the key in weeding
out all the wrong ones out of all the variations of the sacred name. That
is, it must be pronounced Yah-ho-vah. That can be spelt Yahovah, Yahova
or Yahhovah. There is no lost of pronunciation, as all three sound the
same, but spelt differently. That's how names are taken from one language
to another, transliterated and not translated.
Why knowing is important :-
prophecies, deity, etc
I looked at a US money note and it has on it, "In
God We Trust." The very same morning of December 2003 I read 2 Samuel
22:32. Someone had given me some money for the "season" the
night before to buy some clothes and all. It seems like a most appropriate
title for any nation to have, but with further investigation it might
not be so. Reason being, putting "God" can mean any god and
in fact, some Masons of the early United States had a different
God in mind. This is one of the reasons for knowing who we worship and
why Christ could have said, "Ye worship ye know not what: we know
what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews" (John 4:22). They
know God's name and his ways. Knowing the name is being personal with
God. Any other reference to "God" is misleading. That's why
Kind David explicitly said in 2 Samuel 22:32, "For who is God, save
YAH? And who is a rock, save our God?" Clearly spelling out God's
name (masked under LORD in the kjv) and making it known that only he is
God. When you use his name you are really talking about God, because there
is only one God and he is it. Using titles makes provision for all demons
and so-called deities to fit themselves in, as the need arise.
This is how important the name of God is. For instance,
the scripture says "the name of [Yahovah] is a strong tower: the
righteous runneth into it, and is safe" (Pro 18:10). Because the
name is also found in the savior's name we have a parallel to this in
Romans 10:13, where it said that whosoever shall call upon his name shall
be saved. There is no other way to be save except through the name (Acts
4:12).
How can it be a strong tower if you don't know it?
Remember I had expounded on Prov 30:1-6 about Augur prophesying on things
like covering up God's name. He had said this, "Every word of God
is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him." In
other words, if you cover up God's name how can people have a shield,
someone to put their trust in or a "strong tower" to run into
for safety? Take away the name, you take away the strong tower or safe
place. Augur himself used the name in verse nine, which was covered under
'LORD'.
Also, covering "Lord" over the name is a
"cover up" that if it was not done, Christ deity would be clearly
seen and the doctrine of the Trinity non-existent. It would prove that
Jesus (Yahoshua) is Yah, the one God. Not a second person sent, but God
himself come in flesh.
If the Hebrew names had been left intact
in the Scriptures, it would be much more difficult, if not impossible,
for a person to be persuaded against the deity of the Messiah. "Consider
the Old Testament prophecies regarding Yahovah that were attributed to
the Messiah. For example, whose way was John the Baptist to prepare? Who
was to be betrayed for thirty pieces of silver? Whose side was to be pierced?
Who was the stone that the builders rejected, and who was to become the
chief corner stone? If your answer to these questions is Jesus, you had
better look at those prophecies again! In those passages, the Tetragrammon
was removed and replaced with the words 'the LORD'. Restore God's personal
name YHWH and it becomes immediately apparent that those prophecies were
about Yahovah fulfilled in the Messiah........Not only that, but when
we use the Hebrew name of our Savior, it clearly describes not simply
what some man is doing or what some prophet is doing or even what another
god is doing. It describes what the GOD of gods, the great I Am, what
YAHOVAH is doing!" In fact,
I believe "Jesus Christ is Lord" should read "Jesus Christ
is Yah!"
Does it matter if we know or use it?
One person said, "If He called Himself 'the LORD'
and 'thy God,' how can it be sin for us to address Him as Lord and God?
The terms 'LORD' and 'God' are valid translations."
This was addressed in rebuttal to a "sacred name
movement" writing. However, LORD is not a valid translation, nor
is God. For many claim both, as Paul said, "there be gods many, and
lords many" (1 Cor 8:5 ), but "there is none other God but one."
What I'm saying is that he had a name and in using the name is recognition
that "there is none other God but" him. That's why the popular
Hebrew Shema reads and is referred to by Christ as the first commandment:
"Hear O Israel, Yahovah your
God, Yahovah is one" (Due 6:4). Or,
"Hear O Israel, Yah is God, Yah is One" (Due 6:4).
From the above you can see how important the name is.
It can also show the use of titles in conjunction with names. Title gives
the description and position of the person holding name. For instance,
if I say to a girl, "I am Oneil, your man." Oneil is my name
and man is a title of who I am, a male human (earth's most 'rightly' intelligent
beings) and more importantly, “I’m yours.” So when he says things like
"I'm Yahovah thy God" or "Yahovah is one" he meant
to distinguish himself from the other so-called gods; and also prove them
as no god. So it would be foolish to say the titles are a proper translation
for the name of God.
"Even the sensual appetite of a human is called
'god': 'Whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose
glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things' (Phil. 3:19)."
So titles can never be a proper translation for God's name. It matters
that we use his name and it definitely matters that we use his saving
name to be saved!
Final word
In Exodus 3:15, God declares that His name is a memorial
forever: "And God said moreover unto Moses, 'Thus shalt thou say
unto the children of Israel, The LORD God [Yahovah] of your fathers, the
God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto
you’: this is My name for ever, and this is My memorial unto
all generations."
In other words, his name will never be forgotten, lost
in time or covered up in a Tetragrammon so much that the real pronunciation
is lost. In fact, the mere reason the entire world says "Halleluia"
or "Praise be to Yah," is evident that his name has never ceased
to be known or functional in the lives of believers. In fact, it will
be praised in heaven "And after these things I heard a great voice
of much people in heaven, saying, HalleluYAH" (Rev. 19:1). On the
other hand, though there is a present "uncertainty" around the
name, it could be the will of God that leads men to call upon the saving
name, Yahoshua. For no man can really know the father (Yahovah) except
through the son (Matt 11:27); especially that his name bears the father's
name, YAH.
Answer
Notes: 1. ** denotes,
An argument that this fuel is that it was a new way or a new revelation
of his name, because Yah is tied in with hovah. But the mere fact Moses
didn't know his name or that God had to repeat it without the verb hovah
("I AM") shows it was not known.
2. * denotes, Where this asterisk is I had
said “Oneil also means champion.” I said also because the real true meaning
of the name Oneil is not champion. Champion is a later derivative. The
man that succeeds Yahoshua, or the Joshua of Moses, was a man called Othniel
(Judges 3:9). My name is Oneil. What’s the big deal? The same methodology
that is used in the abbreviated shorten form of Yahoshua could follow
with Othniel; even further, purposely done so. Notice,
Someone said, "The
name Yahushua was then shortened for everyday use, the same way Barbara
is
In truth and in fact,
the name should be pronounced Yah-o-sh-uah but the Hebrews took out the
'ho'
Now we come to the "Y"
apostrophe "shua" (written as Y’shua), there is no evidence
to say that this
We have to be careful
in saying there was an abbreviated form, because this could be an infiltration
scenario with the Tetragrammaton.
It is quite doubtful that the savior's name was ever written in an
Though Barbara can be written as barb, barb is not her
name and cannot be used on official documents.
In other words, the same thing could have
been done to Othniel. That's why you have the name being spelt O’Neal,
O’Neil, Oneal, Oniel, Oneil, Neil, etc. The most traditional of those
forms is O’Neil or O'niel, which the rest were probably derived from and
even the meaning dwindled to just champion. As seen above, the apostrophe
means that something is missing and should be there. According to what
we have seen thus far, what would be missing from there? The "th"
of course, hence O’Neil is an abbreviated shorten form of Othniel. Hence,
Oneil comes from the word Othniel rather than from the Scottish version
Neil (champion), as previously alluded to. Like Oshea (meaning savior)
that turned into Yahoshua, why wasn't Othniel turned into Yahothniel?
I then looked in the Strong's numbers for the meaning of Othniel and it
means, "force of God;" so God is already mentioned in the meaning,
though not by his name Yah. Strong said,
Othniel - From the same
as 6273 and 410; “Force of
God”.
I then looked up 6271 and 410, they
read:
Othni or 6273 - unused root meaning “to force.”
El or 410 - Strength,
especially the Almighty (but used also of any deity):- God…
Therefore,
Othniel is a combination of the root "Othni", meaning
to force and "El", meaning God. Though El is not God's name
but a reference to him, it was then used, "For though there be that
are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many,
and lords many,). But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom
are all things, and we in him…by whom are all things, and we by him"
(1 Cor 8:5-6). For instance, angels had that God appellation in their
names - Michael, Gabriel, etc. Nevertheless, putting Yah
before my name wouldn't hurt (Yahoneil), as I previously intended to do,
but under the notion that Oneil only meant champion, rather than the “force
of God." Yahothniel would then mean “the force of Yahovah God,” same
thing but with God’s name in it. Othniel can also be written Othneil,
because the pronunciation is preserved, as previously seen concerning
transliteration. Thus they are literally the same word and name; so goes
Oneil and Oniel. Also, similar to how Yahoshua ended up Joshua
in English (remember J=Y in English as first), Othniel ended up
as Oniel; or even Niel (or Neil). Also, Easton Bible Dictionary also has
Othniel to mean “Lion of God,” which in a sense still ascribe to being
a “Force of God.”
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