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Yahweh is derived from the consonants YHWH, one of the names for God in the Old Testament. In ancient Hebrew, vowels were typically unwritten, which posed no issue for native speakers and readers. Jehovah is the same name based on the Latin equivalents of the Hebrew letters: JHVH. Jehovah became the English rendition of the Latin form of the Hebrew name. Essentially, Jehovah and Yahweh are the English and Hebrew pronunciations for God’s name. However, the preference has shifted towards using Yahweh over Jehovah in recent times due to its technical accuracy.
The term Yahweh originates from the Hebrew phrase for “I am.” When God encountered Moses at the burning bush and instructed him to return to Egypt to lead the people out, Moses inquired about who should be mentioned as the sender. “God replied to Moses, ‘I am who I am.’ And he said, ‘Tell the Israelites: “I am has sent me to you.”’ God also instructed Moses, ‘Tell the Israelites: “The LORD [YHWH], the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.” This is my name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered throughout all generations’” (Exodus 3:14-15).
Several key points need to be highlighted to grasp the significance of the name Yahweh.
Firstly, the tetragrammaton, the technical term for the four letters YHWH, is rooted in the Hebrew term for “being.” It can be interpreted as “I am who I am,” “I will be what I will be,” or even “I am the One who is.” Regardless of the specific translation, the name conveys God’s self-existence and self-sufficiency. All others rely on Him for life, breath, and existence. He is independent of all. This is why the Jewish leaders in Jesus’ time believed it was.Scandalous, blasphemous, and deserving of death for Jesus to utter the words “Before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58-59).
Secondly, the ancient Hebrew scribes considered God’s name too sacred to write or pronounce. When vowels were later added to the text, the scribes took the vowels from the word adonai, which means “lord” or “master,” and inserted them between the consonants. Instead of pronouncing Yahweh, they simply pronounced the word Adonai. Following this practice, most English versions of the Bible translate YHWH as “LORD” (all capital letters) as seen in Exodus 3:15, above. When the Scripture speaks of the Lord YHWH, then the English versions will have “Lord GOD” with the word God in all capital letters. So, both LORD and GOD in English versions stand for YHWH. The pronunciation yäˌwā is our best estimate of how YHWH would have been pronounced. Since we do not have the original vowels, we cannot know for sure. The significance is in the meaning, not the pronunciation, just as Jehovah is still a sacred name, even if it is not a technically correct spelling.
Yahweh is the covenant name for the God of Israel. In Exodus 3:15, as Yahweh speaks to Moses, He says that He is also the God of the patriarchs. Then He says, “I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD I did not make myself known to them” «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 6:3). This declaration drives us to further study because both Noah in Genesis 9:26 and Abraham in Genesis 22:14 spoke of Yahweh by that name. Moses himself seems to suggest that the Hebrews were already familiar with the name Yahweh in Exodus 4:1. How, then, should we understand God’s statement that He did not make Himself known to the patriarchs by the nameYahweh? The answer appears to be that, while Noah, Abraham, and others knew the name Yahweh—and thus understood that God is eternal and faithful—they never fully grasped the significance of that name. God had revealed Himself as “Almighty” but not as “the absolute Being working with unbounded freedom in fulfilling His promises” (Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament). For those predating Moses, the realization of God’s promises seemed distant, and their perception of God’s character was unclear. This was about to change with the exodus, as God performed great miracles to deliver His people and fulfill His promise to Abraham. While other names for God may be descriptive, Yahweh is intimate. It is through this name that He establishes covenants with and guides the nation of Israel.
Yahweh is the name of Israel’s God and the God who took on human form as Jesus Christ, Yahweh incarnate. Matthew 1:21 states, “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” The name Jesus is derived from the Latin version of the Greek form of Yeshua, which means “Yahweh saves.” Therefore, Yahweh will rescue His people from their sins, and simultaneously Jesus will save His people from their sins. This is just one of numerous instances where Jesus and Yahweh are identified as one and the same.
