In the Bible quotation given below [KJV] God says His name is "I AM" [Heb: Hayah]. However, in 6823 other places in the original Hebrew text God's actual name is quoted.
And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.
And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou 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: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations. [Exo 3:13-15] KJV
In the ancient scripture scrolls the original Hebrew word for God's name is written as YHWH [The Tetragrammaton (Four-letters)]. In the above scripture, because of a tradition made by men, it has been incorrectly translated as "The LORD". It should actually be translated as Yehovah [as explained below]. This mistranslation significantly confuses the the meaning of this important scripture. Why was this done?
Modern writing with its well developed alphabets enables us to very accurately write something down. Very early writing was less developed. One of its weaknesses was that it did not record a word's vowels. This meant to read a text the vowels had to be inserted into the words by the reader from their pre-existing understanding. Much later around 600-900 AD dots and dashes were added to the Bible manuscripts to indicate the vowels. So after vowel pointing was added to the text we know how the Jews said God's name at that time.
For several reasons the Jewish Rabbis wanted to stop God’s name being said. So they instigated a custom where instead of saying God’s name they would say Adonai [Lord]. This included when the Torah [Old Testament] was read. In later Torah scrolls they removed the middle vowel from the word for Yehovah which made the word unpronounceable in Hebrew. This reminded the reader to say Adonai [Lord] instead of Yehovah. Some say that Yehovah comes from putting the vowels of Adonai into YHWH but that is actually not the case. It is just another fictional myth created by liberal academia.
Christian academics say that the Jews, after banning the saying of the name of God then eventually forgot how to say it. Just think about that. The Jews who meticulously copied the scriptures forgot the pronunciation of their God’s name. We are so used to being dumbed down by being told to believe ridiculous lies, that many have swallowed this one too.
In 1518 Colonna Galatino suggested the name of God is Yehovah but there are Jewish sources that predate this by hundreds of years. The Jews inhibited the saying of God's name but the Rabbis had a ceremony for telling the name of God to their disciples. There are many Rabbinic sources that say the name is known but they do not say what it is. However, 19 Rabbinic sources have been found (2022) that reveal all three of the vowels. There are 1776 hand written Torah scrolls that occasionally have all three vowels inserted in the name of God.
The Aleppo Codex is considered by many to be the most accurate Torah scroll. Following the ungodly Jewish tradition it normally puts only 2 vowels in YHWH but it puts all 3 in, in 7 places, giving the name of God to be Yehovah. In the acclaimed Leningrad Codex it also does this in 50 places. No Hebrew Bible manuscript or Jewish writing uses the vowels for Yahveh or Yahweh but only for Yehovah.
The New Testament book of Matthew was known to have been originally written in Hebrew and several copies have survived. Many places in the text where the Greek has Lord, Hebrew Matthew has the name of God with the vowels for Yehovah.
It is really interesting that in Young's Concordance YHWH is written Yehovah. I wonder what he knew, he gives no explanation.
Israel has never called God, Yahweh. They may have been coerced into banning saying His name but they always knew it was actually Yehovah.
In 1699 a Catholic theologian Gilbert Genebrard for theological reasons said the name of God should mean creator. Hebrew has 7 conjugations (voices). YHWH is taken as being in the simplest Qal conjugation hence the translation I Am That I Am. If you change the conjugation to the causative Hifil, then I AM changes to I Who Create. This changes the name of God from Yehovah to Yahveh which later was written Yahweh.
The name Yahweh was debated academically but it only began to be generally accepted following European academic study of Biblical Hebrew. It started with a German scholar named Gesenius. In 1813 he published the first German edition of his highly respected “Hebrew Grammar.” An English translation was subsequently produced. Relying heavily upon Gesenius’s work, “Brown Driver Briggs”published in 1906 the first edition of their highly respected Hebrew/English Lexicon. Gesenius’s “Hebrew Grammar” is still a major reference work for serious students of Hebrew today, even in Hebrew universities.
Although highly esteemed his work was not without flaws as the 28 editions indicate. He promoted Yahweh as the name of God. To do this he quoted Thedoret of Cyrus (late 4thc. / early 5thc.). In Thedoret’s “Questions on Exodus” Chapter7, Question15, concerning the name of God he says; “The Samaritans call it ‘Yahveh,’ while the Jews call it ‘Ayah,’”. To keep this short it would seem Ayah relates the the abbreviation of God’s name, Yah/Jah. Again to keep it short it can be shown that the Samaritans never actually used this name. However, to placate persecution by their Greek conquerors they did dedicate their temple on Mount Gerizim to Jupiter.
Later Gesenius in his 1857 dictionary wrote “I suppose this word (Yahweh) to be one of the most remote antiquity. Perhaps it’s the same origin as Yovis … which is Yowis, and Yupiter, meaning Jov and Jupiter, “and transferred from the Egyptians to the Hebrews.” He is suggesting here that Yahweh has its roots in one of the pagan Egyptian gods worshipped by the Samaritans to appease their Greek conquerors.
So that is why we are told God’s name is Yahweh. REALLY! This does not meet normal standards of proof to be expected from academia. It is so weak I assume it is only followed because of the high regard other work of Gesenius is held in. No one appears to have shown how Yahweh means, I am that I am.
The King James version of the Bible was sadly influenced by all this chaotic compromise and followed this vain forbidden tradition of men and translated YHWH as “the LORD”.
Usage of God’s name in the King James Bible
Yehovah [x6521] translated as: the LORD, except JEHOVAH x4
Yehovih [x302] translated as : GOD
Yah [x49] translated as: the LORD, except JAH x1
Total x6872
If we correct the KJV inaccuracy in Exodus 3:15 its meaning becomes clearer. God is clearly saying Hs name is YHWH [Yehovah].
And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, Yehovah God 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 (remembrance) unto all generations.
[Exo 3:15] KJV Corrected
I AM [Heb: hayah] THAT [Heb: asher] I AM [Heb: hayah]
The translators did not have an easy time with this phrase. Hayah appears 3500 times in the Bible and it is a ridiculously flexible word with an extremely diverse array of meanings with no precise English equivalent. It would seem to be an extremely hyperactive version of the English word, be. I AM is clearly a valid translation but hayah is usually used with a tinge of the past tense. Hardly the ultimate reference but Google translates it as: was. Asher thankfully has a narrower range of meaning, such as: which, what, who, whom , that, because, as. So, there are a vast number of valid translations of this phrase which seems more of a loose expansive concept than a specific tight definition which seems to suit God somehow.
God said to Moses His name was "I Am, That, I Am" ... YHWH. It becomes evident that I Am, That, I Am, is the explanation of God's name. Hebrew words stem from root words. The root of I Am has the same root as YHWH. In more detail the meaning of His name is that I Am, I Was, I Will Be. Second temple period Jewish and Samaritan sources agree with this understanding. How I Am That I Am explains the meaning of Yahweh has yet to be explained by anyone.
If we see hayah as the verb, "be" its basic tenses are:
He who will be, He who is, He who was.
Y iyheh
HOV eh
hay AH
This turns out to be an incredible match to a description of God in the book of Revelation.
... which is, which was, which is to come ... [Rev 1:4]
Literal:
He is,
He was, He comes
{The order is not actually reversed but appears so because Hebrew is written from right to left and English left to right.}
This exact phrase in Rev 1:4 is repeated in Rev 1:8, 4:8 & 11:17.
This is an incredible mirror of the meaning of the name Yehovah. The Jews, the Samaritans and John who received Revelation all knew the meaning of the name of the Father. Yahweh is the name of a, probably Egyptian, pagan god that relatively modern academics have promoted and in doing so have actually insult God.
The writer of the New Testament letter to the Hebrews, gave a not so subtle hint, that Jesus was God by describing Him as:
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. [Heb 13:8]
Jehovah comes from Yiddish, a German influenced Hebrew variant. There is no J in original Hebrew. An example of this is that the English name Jerusalem comes from the Hebrew Yerûshâlayim. Yehovah is pronounced with the Ye of Yes.
The following verses come alive when we realise God wants us to praise His actual name not just His titles.
How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart; Which think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbour, as their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal. [Jer 23:26-27]
Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak: behold, it is I. [Isa 52:6]
I am Yehovah: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. [Isa 42:8]
I will praise Yehovah according to his righteousness: and will sing praise to the name of Yehovah most high. [Psa 7:17]
I will freely sacrifice unto thee: I will praise thy name, O Yehovah; for it is good. [Psa 54:6]
Praise ye Yehovah. Praise ye the name of Yehovah; praise him, O ye servants of Yehovah. Ye that stand in the house of Yehovah, in the courts of the house of our God, Praise Yehovah; for Yehovah is good: sing praises unto his name; for it is pleasant. [Psa 135:1-3]
And in that day thou shalt say, O Yehovah, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comforted me. Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for Yah Yehovah is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. And in that day shall ye say, Praise Yehovah, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted. Sing unto Yehovah; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth. Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.
[Isa 12:1-6]
Kings of the earth, and all people; princes, and all judges of the earth: Both young men, and maidens; old men, and children: Let them praise the name of Yehovah: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven. [Psa 148:11-13]
And in that day shall ye say, Praise Yehovah, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted. [Isa 12:4]
And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to shew in thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth. [Exo 9:16]
The original Hebrew name of Jesus is Yehoshua (from Yehovah Yoshia - Yehovah Saves), but Galileans did not pronounce the first "h" so the name was truncated to Yeshua. Some dialects could not pronounce the last "a" so it became Yeshu. The Greeks did not have a "sh" so it became Yesu, which is still the name for Jesus in Italian today. A common word ending in Greek is "us" (e.g. Eng:Joseph - Gk:Josephus) which led to Yesu becoming Yesus then in English it became Jesus. Despite this convoluted and tortured path of His name demons still flee before it.
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