What Is His Name?
Pr 30:4 Who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son’s name, if thou canst tell?
The Name of the Father
{All underlines have been added}
Jehovah & Jah
Jehovah: Ex. 6:3; Ps. 83:18; Is. 12:2 & 26:4. Jah: Ps. 68:4
The Heavenly Father’s Name is Yahweh. Sometimes you will find in scripture that He is called simply “Yah.” See your King James or New King James Bible for confirmation of this. Here is the King James Version of Psalms 68:4 – Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by His Name JAH, and rejoice before him.
Here we see it written as JAH, however, it is pronounced like YAH since there is no “J” sound in Hebrew. The New King James Bible restores the correct rendering, YAH and does so as well in Is. 12:2 & 26:4.
Yah is the poetic or short form of His Name, found to have survived translators in Psalm 68:4 of the KJV. It is the prefix of the name Yahweh as found in Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance and shows the fallacy of the name Jehovah.
Ten Commandments
Note that the first three of the Ten Commandments deal with Yahweh and His powerful Name. In the original Hebrew the first five Commandments use the name Yahweh ten times!
“J”
There is not now, nor was there ever an equivalent letter “j” in the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Nor is there any Hebrew letter that carries even an approximate sound of the consonant letter “j.” Neither is there a letter “j” in the Greek alphabet.
From the 1994 Funk & Wagnall’s Encyclopedia Corporation’s Microsoft Encarta.
J, tenth letter and seventh consonant in the English alphabet. It is the latest addition to English script and has been inserted in the alphabet after I, from which it was developed. Not until the middle of the 17th century did the use of j as an initial become universal in English books. That is why the letter J cannot be found in the original 1611 KJV.
“LORD” in Strong’s
Look up “LORD” in Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, it will direct you in the Hebrew Dictionary to #3068: Yehovah, the self-Existent or Eternal, Jewish national name of God. #3050, Yahh, contraction for #3068, and meaning the same; Jah, the sacred name.
Titles versus Names
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
title: an appellation of dignity, honor, distinction, or preeminence attached to a person or family by virtue of rank, office, precedent, privilege, attainment, or lands
name: a word or phrase that constitutes the distinctive designation of a person or thing
God, LORD, President, King, Sergeant and Officer are not names but only titles. No reasonable person would think Lord Mountbatten’s name was Lord or that President Lincoln’s name was President. Nevertheless, most Christians call their creator and saviour by the titles God or LORD and never learn His actual name.
HalleluYah & Jeremiah
One of the most widely known words in the world is “halleluYah,” meaning, “Praise you Yah.” Notice that the short or poetic form is “Yah.” HalleluYah is heard the world over and sounds the same in all languages. “Yah” also appears in names like Isaiah (IsaYah), Jeremiah (JeremYah), Zephaniah (ZephanYAH), Nehemiah (NehemYAH), Obadiah (ObadYah), Zechariah (ZecharYah), and other names translated using the ending “iah.” Jeremiah translates Yahweh exalts, Obadiah translates servant of Yahweh, Nehemiah translates comfort of Yahweh.
Note: A study Bible, or even a good reference Bible will give you most of this information. Check out your own.
References from your own Bible
New American Standard Version, 1901. Preface to the New American Standard Bible, 1963, pg. vi.
It is inconceivable to think of spiritual matters without a proper designation for the Supreme Deity. Thus the most common name for deity is God, a translation of the original Elohim. There is yet another name which is particularly assigned to God as His special or proper name, that is, the four letters YHWH. See Exodus 3 and Isaiah 42:8. This name has not been pronounced by the Jews because of reverence for 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 transliterated 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 (this name) is strange, uncommon, and without sufficient religious and devotional background. No amount of scholarly debate can overcome this deficiency. Hence, it was decided to avoid the use of this name in the translation proper.
Revised Standard Version, 1946, Preface, pg. v.
While it is almost if not quite certain that the Name was originally pronounced “Yahweh,” this pronunciation was not indicated when the Masoretes added vowel signs to the consonantal Hebrew text. To the four consonants YHWH of the Name, which had come to be regarded as too sacred to be pronounced, they attached vowel signs indicating that in its place should be read the Hebrew word Adonai meaning “Lord.”
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. For two reasons the Committee has returned to the more familiar usage 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, as though there were other gods from whom He had to be distinguished, was discontinued in Judaism before the Christian era and is entirely inappropriate for the universal faith of the Christian Church.
New International Version, 1973, Preface, pg. ix.
In regard to the divine name YHWH, commonly referred to as the Tetragrammaton, the translators adopted the devise used in most English versions of rendering that name as “LORD” in capital letters to distinguish it from Adonai, another Hebrew word rendered “Lord,” for which small letters are used.
New King James Version, 1982, Preface, pg. iv & v.
In the discipline of translating biblical and other ancient languages, a standard method of transliteration, that is, the English spelling of untranslated words, such as names of persons and places, has never been commonly adopted. In keeping with the design of the present work, the King James spelling of untranslated words is retained.
The covenant name of God was usually translated from the Hebrew as “LORD” in the King James Old Testament. This tradition is maintained.
The Jerusalem Bible, 1966, Editor’s Foreword, pg. vi.
It is in the Psalms especially that the use of the divine name Yahweh may seem unacceptable, though indeed the still stranger form Yah is in constant use in the acclamation Hallelu-Yah (Praise Yah!). It is not without hesitation that this accurate form has been used, and no doubt those who may care to use this translation of the Psalms can substitute the traditional ‘the Lord’. On the other hand, this would be to lose much of the flavour and meaning of the originals. For example to say, ‘The Lord is God’ is surely a tautology (redundant), as to say ‘Yahweh is God’ is not.
New English Bible, the introduction to the Old Testament.
One variation of this convention is of special importance, inasmuch as it affects the divine name. This personal proper name, written with the consonants YHWH, was considered too sacred to be uttered; so the vowels for the words ‘my Lord’ or ‘God’ were added to the consonants YHWH, and the reader was warned by these vowels that he must substitute other consonants. This change having to be made so frequently (ed. note: 6,823 times), the Rabbis did not consider it necessary to put the consonants of the new reading in the margin. In course of time, the true pronunciation of the divine name, probably Yahweh, passed into oblivion, and YHWH was read with the intruded vowels, the vowels of an entirely different word, namely, ‘my Lord’, or ‘God’. In late medieval times this mispronunciation became current as Jehova, and it was taken over as Jehovah by the Reformers in Protestant Bibles. The present translators have retained this incorrect but customary form in the text of passages where the name is explained with a note on its pronunciation (e.g. Exodus 3:15) and in four place-names of which it forms a constituent element; elsewhere they have followed ancient translators in substituting ‘LORD’ or ‘GOD’, printed as here in capital letters, for the Hebrew Name.
Independent References
Webster’s Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, 1971, pg. 455.
Jehovah, noun [New Latin, false reading of Hebrew Yahweh]: God.
Funk & Wagnall’s Encyclopedia Corporation’s Microsoft Encarta, 1994.
Jehovah, name of the God of the Hebrew people as erroneously transliterated from the Masoretic Hebrew text. The word consists of the consonants JHVH or JHWH, with the vowels of a separate word, Adonai (Lord). Because of an interpretation of such texts as Exodus 20:7 and Leviticus 24:11, the name came to be regarded as too sacred for expression; the scribes, in reading aloud, substituted “Lord” and therefore wrote the vowel markings for “Lord” into the consonantal framework The translators of the Hebrew, not realizing what the scribes had done, read the word as it was written down, taking the scribal vowel markings as intrinsic to the name of their God rather than as a mere reminder not to speak it. From this came the rendition Jehovah. It indicates that the name was originally spoken Jaweh or Yahwe (often spelled Yahweh in modern usage).
The New Bible Dictionary, 2nd Edition, 1986, pg. 430.
The Hebrew word Yahweh is in English (Bible) versions usually translated ‘the LORD” (note the capitals) and sometimes ‘Jehovah’. The latter name originated as follows. The original Hebrew text was not vocalized; in time the ‘tetragrammaton’ YHWH was considered too sacred to pronounce; so adonay (‘my Lord’) was substituted in reading, and the vowels of this word were combined with the consonants YHWH to give ‘Jehovah’, a form first attested at the start of the 12th century AD.
The pronunciation Yahweh is indicated by transliterations of the name into Greek in early Christian literature.
Strictly speaking, Yahweh is the only ‘name’ of God. In Genesis wherever the word sem (‘name’) is associated with the divine being that name is Yahweh. Yahweh, therefore, in contrast with Elohim (God) is a proper noun, the name of a Person, though that Person is divine. A study of the word ‘name’ in the OT reveals how much it means in Hebrew. The name is no mere label, but is significant of the real personality of him to whom it belongs.
The Encyclopedia Britannica (Micropedia, vol. 10):
“Yahweh-the personal name of the [El] of the Israelites…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 Tetragrammaton was never really lost. Greek transcriptions also indicate that YHWH should be pronounced Yahweh.”
Old Testament Scripture
Exodus 3:13– And Moses said to God, Behold, when I come to the children of Israel, and shall say to them, The God of your fathers hath sent me to you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say to them? [14] And God said to Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say to the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me to you. [15] And God said moreover to Moses, Thus shalt thou say to the children of Israel, 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 to all generations. [16] Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say to them, Yahweh God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared to me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt:
Exodus 6:3– And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name Yahweh was I not known to them.
Exodus 34:14– For thou shalt worship no other God: for Yahweh, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:
Deut. 28:10 – And all people of the earth shall see that thou (Israel) art called by the name of Yahweh; and they shall be afraid of thee.
1Kings 18:24, 36-39 [Elijah] And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of Yahweh: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. [36b Elijah says] Yahweh God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel. [37] Hear me O Yahweh. [38] Then the fire of Yahweh fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. [39] And when all the people saw it they fell on their faces: and they said, Yahweh, he is the God; Yahweh he is the God.
Ps. 29:2 – Give unto Yahweh the glory due his name.
Ps. 34:3– O magnify Yahweh with me; and let us exalt his name together.
Ps. 35:27 -Let them shout for joy, and be glad , that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, “Let Yahweh be magnified!,”
Ps. 54:6 – I will freely sacrifice unto thee: I will praise thy name, O Yahweh; for it is good.
Ps. 63:4 – Thus will I bless (praise) thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.
Ps 68:4 – Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name YAH, and rejoice before him.
Ps. 72:18-19 – Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things. [19] And blessed be his glorious name forever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory!
Ps 83:18 – That men may know that thou, whose name alone is Yahweh, art the most high over all the earth.
Ps. 86:11 – Teach me thy way, Yahweh; I will walk in thy truth; unite my heart to fear thy name.
Ps. 89:15-16 – Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: “Yahweh“; they shall walk in the light of thy countenance. In thy name shall they rejoice all the day.
Ps. 92:1 – It is a good thing to give thanks unto Yahweh, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High.
Ps. 99:2-3 – Yahweh is great in Zion; and he is high above all the people. [3] Let them praise thy great and terrible (reverened) name; for it is holy.
Ps 111:9 – Holy and reverend is his name.
Ps. 113:1-3 – Praise ye Yahweh! Praise, O ye servants of Yahweh, praise the name Yahweh. [2]Blessed be the name of Yahweh from this time forth and for evermore. [3]From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same Yahweh’s name is to be praised.
Ps. 135:1& 3 – Praise ye Yahweh, Praise ye the name of Yahweh. [3] Praise Yahweh; for Yahweh is good: sing praises unto his name; for it is pleasant.
Proverbs 18:10– The name of Yahweh is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.
Isa. 12:4 – And in that day shall ye say, “Praise Yahweh!” Call upon his name; declare his doings amoung the people; make mention that his name is exalted.
Isa. 42:8 – I am Yahweh; that is my name; and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.
Isa. 47:4 – As for our redeemer, Yahweh of hosts is his name, the Holy One of Israel.
Isa. 48:11 – For how should my name be polluted? and I will not give my glory unto another.
Isaiah 63:16 – O Yahweh, art our father, our redeemer; thy name is from everlasting.
Jer. 33:2 – Thus saith Yahweh the maker thereof, Yahweh that formed it, to establish it; Yahweh is his name;
Yahweh speaking of lying prophets said in Jer. 23:27: 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. 34:16 – Ye turned and polluted my name.
In Ezekiel 39:7 He speaks of the end time. So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am Yahweh, the Holy One in Israel.
Eze 43:7 – My holy name, shall the house of Israel no more defile.
Malachi 1:11 – For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen (Gentiles), saith Yahweh of hosts.(Pure sacrifices He. 13:15, 1P. 2:5)
Malachi 3:16 – Then they that feared Yahweh spake often one to another: and Yahweh hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for them that feared Yahweh, and that thought upon His name. Rev. 20:15 – Whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
New Testament Scripture
Mt. 23:38-39 – Behold, your house is left unto you desolate; [38]For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth till ye shall say, “Blessed is he that cometh in the name of Yahweh.”
Lu. 3:4 – The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of Yahweh, make his paths straight.
Jn. 17:6 – I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world. [11] Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me. [12] While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name. [26] And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it.
Ac. 2:21-22; Joel 2:31-32 – Peter, on the day of Pentecost, quoted Joel: The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of Yahweh come. [21] And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of Yahweh shall be saved.
Acts 9:15 – But the Master said unto him, Go thy way: for he (Paul) is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:
Ephesians 3:14-15 – For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Master Yahshua the Messiah, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named.
Rev. 14:1 (NKJV) Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father’s name written on their foreheads.
Seek & Prove
Mt. 7:7 – Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
Ac. 17:11 – The saints in Berea were more noble for: “they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those thing were so.”
1 Co. 2:15 – But he that is spiritual judgeth* all things. [*Strong’s #350, to scrutinize, investigate, question, examine, judge or search]
1 Th. 5:21 – Prove* all things. [*Strong’s #1381, to test, discern, examine, try]
2 Ti. 2:15 – Study to shew thyself approved unto Yahweh, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth.
He. 11:6 – He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Conclusion
The evidence is overwhelming; the name of our Heavenly Father is YAHWEH. After all, our creator’s name is a name not a title.