YHWH Is the Name of God
As you breathe, you speak your Creator's name.
This short biblical lesson about the Name of God is important. Your temptation may be “to not read” or “to tune out” because you understand little of the significance of calling your Creator by His Name.
So, let me ask you a question to get us started.
“Do you know your spouse’s name?”
Silly question? Of course, you do.
So, let me ask another question.
Do you know your Creator’s Name?
Intimacy Fostered by Using Names
In relationships, using someone’s Name has many benefits.
It establishes trust and validation
It makes interactions more personal
It demonstrates that you’re paying attention and have respect.
It acknowledges the other person’s importance.
It creates a sense of familiarity and personalization
It demonstrates that you’ve taken the time to learn and remember their Name, a sign of the utmost respect.
It helps build rapport and establish trust.
GOD and LORD are Titles, not Names
Debi, a subscriber to Wade Burleson at Istoria Ministries’ Substack, sent me an email:
I have a Messianic friend who says they do not use God’s Name out of respect for His Name. But I read that that tradition wasn't started until 300-31 BC (where YHWH can only be spoken by the High Priest on the Day of Atonement). I understand we do not use the Name frivolously and without respect, but is this another example of "rules made by man?"
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.
Yes, Debi, not speaking the Name of God in prayers, worship, and daily living is another religious rule of man.
This artificial rule contradicts the sacred Scriptures.
I’ll explain.
If you answer my question, “Who made you?” with “the LORD” or “GOD,” you’re not telling me your Creator’s Name; you’re giving me an English translation - a poor English translation, I might add - of God’s name.
LORD and GOD are titles, not names.
Let me show you a better English translation for the Hebrew name of your Creator from the Holman Christian Standard Bible.
“I am Yahweh, that is My name.” Isaiah 42:8
Another better English translation for God’s name, also from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, is found in Exodus 3:15.
God also said to Moses, “Say this to the Israelites: Yahweh, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. Yahweh is My name forever.” Exodus 3:15.
Other English Bible translations wrongly translate the Hebrew name of God with the words LORD, GOD, or ADONAI (all capital letters).
A Short Hebrew Lesson
When you read your English Bible and come across the word LORD in all capital letters or GOD in all capital letters, it is the English translation of the four-letter NAME of your Creator - YHWH.
Hebrew (above) reads from RIGHT to LEFT. The FOUR Hebrew letters in the Creator’s Name are sometimes called the tetragrammaton (the four-letter sacred Name of God).
This NAME of GOD appears almost 7,000 times in the Hebrew Scriptures. It is in your English Bible every time you see the word LORD or GOD in all capital letters.
Reading the four Hebrew letters (all consonants) of God’s Name from right to left:
The consonant YOD, the smallest Hebrew letter, is sometimes called JOT in English; it conveys the “y” sound as in our English word “yellow.”
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The consonant HEH resembles a house and sounds like a back-of-the-throat H sound.
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The WAW (classical Hebrew) or VAV (modern Hebrew) looks like a nail and conveys the sound of either W in classical Hebrew (as in WADE) or V (as in VICTORY) in modern Hebrew. An example of another language that takes the ancient W and turns it into a modern V is German (as in Wittenberg Castle pronounced Vittenberg Castle in modern German). There’s no question the ancient Hebrew consonant WAW is the “W” sound and not the “V” sound.
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The fourth Hebrew letter for God’s Name is a repetition of the second letter, HEH.
The SOUND of BREATHING
Combining the four Hebrew consonants for GOD’S NAME, you get “the sound of breathing.”
Take a deep breath in (make it audible); expel a deep breath out (make it audible).
That’s the pronunciation of YHWH, God’s name.
Ancient Hebrew had no vowels. Only consonants. Precise English speakers must add vowels to know how to pronounce something, so English-speaking people have added vowels to YHWH to make it (wrongly) either Y(A)WH(E)H or, even worse, Y(E)H(O)V(O)H.
You don’t need the vowels. Just breathe.
For a more detailed bible study on YHWH, watch this video I gave to some wonderful men who are with Northwestern Mutual and serve in a wonderful Christian non-profit called Christian Fellowship Community.
I write at Wade Burleson at Istoria Ministries to help you understand the world through a biblical worldview. I’m a positive, hopeful person about the future because I know Who is in charge, and I want to make His Story central to all our stories.
Thank you for your comment!