Why YHWH?

To hopefully avoid confusion in what could be a confusing discussion, I will use the generic “God” in this article to refer narrowly to the Christian god. Knowing the propensity of the wicked to blaspheme, I have approached this subject with great fear and respect for the name. Hallowed be the name of YHWH.

The Jehovah’s Witness organization claims a monopoly, if not a copyright, on God’s name. Years ago I had many opportunities to speak with some of their more enthusiastic promoters. I learned that God had a name, his name was important, and that it wasn’t exactly Jehovah. They knew, as any Hebrew scholar knows, that when the Hebrew authors wrote the Hebrew Old Testament, the language contained no sound comparable to our letter “J”. The promoters assured me that this wasn’t an important issue, and that calling him “Jehovah” was close enough, even though it wasn’t totally accurate. In the spirit of multi-culturalism, they suggested that if they visited other countries, they would adjust God’s name accordingly in order to more effectively convert the people. The same thing was true for the name of Jesus. It reminded me of early Catholic attempts to convert the Pagans by adapting their holidays and idols, giving them new Christian meanings.

The idea that God’s name was important, while at the same time it could be deliberately mispronounced, did not compute, so naturally I went to the source. With much prayerful study, I reached a conclusion that I was content with. The English Bible uses the name “Jehovah,” and the contraction “Jah.” Many sincere purists use the name “Yahweh.” Strong’s Concordance uses “Yehovah” as the original pronunciation. I was given another Bible, called “Restoration of Original Sacred Name Bible.” This version replaced “Jehovah” with “Yahvah.” The contraction is “Yah.”

I found the answer I was looking for in Exodus 3:14: “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.” Moses asked YHWH what his name was. The King James Version of the Bible implies that YHWH was evasive, saying “my name is I AM.” So Christian refer to God as “The Great I Am.” But was he being circumspect? I don’t believe so. In place of “I AM,” my Hebrew Old Testament gives “aleph-he-yod-he,” approximately pronounced “Eh-hu-yeh,” with accents on the first and last syllable. Strong’s translates “the LORD” as “yod-he-vav-he,” pronounced “Yehovah,” with accent on the second syllable. According to Strong’s, “Yehovah” is a compound of “Yah,” and “Havah” or “Hayah.” “Yah,” as we know, is the contraction of God’s name. “Havah” and “Hayah” mean “to exist.” (The letters yod and vav are often interchangeable in the Hebrew language– “Havah” and “Hayah” are basically equivalent). So, “Yehovah” becomes “Yah Havah,” or “Yah who exists,” or “Yah the self-existent one.” In Exodus 3:14, the answer that is written is very close to the name, and in fact it suggests the name. After studying the grammar and formation of Hebrew compound words, I settled on the pronunciation of “yah’-ha-vah’” as my closest and most sincere belief of God’s name, with the accent on the last syllable. Since then, I have always referred to him this way in prayer.

The Commandments of YHWH

So why doesn’t this website use the spelling “Yahavah?” Two reasons. First, if I am right and this is the correct pronunciation, then keeping it to myself would prevent wicked and evil people from discovering the name and deliberately blaspheming it. Second, if I am wrong and the pronunciation is incorrect, then writing the more cryptic and esoteric “YHWH” would allow each person to make their own judgment about what to call their God. With respect to the first concern, I have now decided to make my analysis available in the hope that the greater good to be done will outweigh the risks of evil.

When I started this website, I had a few choices of what to call it. An obvious choice was “The Commandments of God.” This would identify with the right-wing fundamentalist Christian demographic. Another choice was “The Commandments of Yahweh.” This would resonate with Hebraic Christians and Jews, although Jewish readers would be put off by the inclusion of New Testament references on the website.

In the end, I decided against all the contemporary interpretations of God’s name. The Christian “God” was too generic. The Jewish “Yahweh” is perhaps too uncertain and new. In the face of uncertainty, I returned to the source– the original Hebrew. The closest transliteration we can get from the original is, as everyone knows, “YHWH.” Since everyone agrees that the true name is unknowable, this seemed to satisfy the need to be safe from error, as well as true.

The use of “YHWH” is also a philosophical statement. The farther we go back in time, the closer we get to the original source which is God himself. The ancient laws are more reliable expressions of God’s will than any new rules and regulations which churches or nations have made and enforced. Similarly, the ancient name, even if less certain, is more reliable than any modern interpretation of the name.

What about the proposition that we can alter the name according to our culture, language, or preference? When human beings, who are born and then briefly live, migrate to places with different languages, they often keep the original pronunciation of their names as part of their identity. Pedro doesn’t become Peter. Wolfgang doesn’t become William. Many, or most, human beings consider their given names to be an inseparable part of their identities. It seems inconsistent and disrespectful, then, to be loose with the name of our Creator. Even people who don’t care what others call them, need to recognize the majesty of the one who created them. Calling him by a title such as “God” is simply vague. The Bible speaks of the existence of many gods. Therefore we must be more specific if we want a specific God to answer us. Calling him by a specific name which we know and acknowledge to be wrong is even worse. To knowingly use the name “Jehovah” with the understanding that it is not correct, is somewhat insulting.

Conclusion

This is a very personal issue, and everyone will hopefully reach a conclusion that their conscience can approve of. I have found my answer to the question. I am satisfied with my answer, and I believe I have found approval with it. Others may be satisfied with different answers. He does not reveal himself to all people in the same way:

“And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am YHWH: 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.” Exodus 6:2,3

My hope is that you, the reader, will make a conscious choice. Worship your Creator deliberately, consciously, with your eyes open. Don’t let someone else do your religion for you. Don’t let someone else tell you who your god should be. Make your own informed choice.