Yahweh

There is almost universal consensus among scholars today that the sacred Tetragrammaton (YHWH) is to be vocalized and pronounced Yahweh. Probably the name means literally “He is.” Some argue, somewhat philosophically or metaphysically, that it presents God as the eternal self-existent One — the absolute, unchanging God (the eternal I AM — Exodus 3:13-15; cf. John 8:58). To them the name connotes the underived and independent existence of God.

Others correctly maintain that such an understanding does not go far enough. They point out that in the Old Testament Yahweh is used as the personal, covenant name of God, and that name is a perpetual testimony to his faithfulness to his promises. Thus in usage it conveys the thought that God is present to save, help, deliver, redeem, bless, and keep covenant. In other words, God’s active existence and presence are primarily in view, not his mere state of being or passive presence. He is the God who personally reveals himself in authoritative word and mighty act.

God himself identifies his name as Yahweh in Exodus 3:15; 6:3. Strictly speaking, all other “names” are either generic terms (e.g., Elohim, “God”) or appellative titles or epithets (e.g., Adonai, “Lord”). But it is not sufficient to stop with the statement that Yahweh is his name, for the word “name” itself possesses far-reaching implications in Semitic usage. When God speaks of his “name” as Yahweh, he means that Yahweh is his self-disclosure — his revealed character, nature, essence, or being.

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Author: George Booker

Keywords: Tetragrammaton, Tetra, Tetragrammatron, Tetragramatron, Tetragramaton, YHWH, Yahweh, Lord Almighty, God Almighty, I Am That I Am, I am, God, 4 letters, Four letters, Theonym, God's name, Name of God, YHVH, JHVH, JHWH, Jehovah, Adonai, LORD, LORD God

Bible reference(s): Genesis 2:4, Genesis 2:5, Genesis 2:7, Genesis 2:8, Genesis 2:9, Genesis 2:15, Genesis 2:16, Genesis 2:18, Genesis 2:19, Genesis 2:21, Genesis 2:22, Genesis 3:1, Genesis 3:8, Genesis 3:9, Genesis 3:13, Genesis 3:14, Genesis 3:21, Genesis 3:22, Genesis 3:23, Genesis 9:26, Genesis 24:7, Genesis 24:27, Genesis 24:48, Genesis 28:13, Exodus 3:15, Exodus 3:16, Exodus 3:18, Exodus 4:5, Exodus 5:1, Exodus 7:16, Exodus 9:1, Exodus 9:13, Exodus 9:30, Exodus 10:3, Exodus 23:17, Exodus 32:27, Exodus 34:6, Exodus 34:23, Deuteronomy 1:11, Deuteronomy 1:21, Deuteronomy 4:1, Deuteronomy 6:3, Deuteronomy 12:1, Deuteronomy 26:7, Deuteronomy 27:3, Deuteronomy 29:25, Joshua 7:13, Joshua 7:19, Joshua 7:20, Joshua 8:30, Joshua 9:18, Joshua 9:19, Joshua 10:40, Joshua 10:42, Joshua 13:14, Joshua 13:33, Joshua 14:14, Joshua 18:3, Joshua 22:22, Joshua 22:24, Joshua 24:2, Joshua 24:23, Judges 2:12, Judges 4:6, Judges 5:3, Judges 5:5, Judges 6:8, Judges 11:21, Judges 11:23, Ruth 2:12, 1 Samuel 2:30, 1 Samuel 10:18, 1 Samuel 14:41, 1 Samuel 25:32, 1 Samuel 25:34, 2 Samuel 5:10, 2 Samuel 12:7, 1 Kings 1:30, 1 Kings 1:36, 1 Kings 1:48, 1 Kings 2:26, 1 Kings 8:15, 1 Kings 8:17, 1 Kings 8:20, 1 Kings 11:9, 1 Kings 14:7, 1 Kings 14:13, 1 Kings 15:30, 1 Kings 16:13, 1 Kings 16:26, 1 Kings 16:33, 1 Kings 17:1, 1 Kings 17:14, 1 Kings 18:37, 1 Kings 19:10, 1 Kings 19:14, 1 Kings 22:53, 2 Kings 2:14, 2 Kings 9:6, 2 Kings 10:31, 2 Kings 14:25, 2 Kings 18:5, 2 Kings 19:19, 2 Kings 19:20, 2 Kings 21:12, 2 Kings 21:22, 2 Kings 22:15, 2 Kings 22:18, 1 Chronicles 15:12, 1 Chronicles 15:14, 1 Chronicles 16:4, 1 Chronicles 16:36, 1 Chronicles 22:1, 1 Chronicles 22:6, 1 Chronicles 22:19, 1 Chronicles 23:25, 1 Chronicles 24:19, 1 Chronicles 28:4, 1 Chronicles 28:20, 1 Chronicles 29:1, 1 Chronicles 29:20, 2 Chronicles 2:12, 2 Chronicles 6:4, 2 Chronicles 6:7, 2 Chronicles 6:10, 2 Chronicles 7:22, 2 Chronicles 11:16, 2 Chronicles 13:5, 2 Chronicles 13:12, 2 Chronicles 13:18, 2 Chronicles 14:4, 2 Chronicles 15:4, 2 Chronicles 15:12, 2 Chronicles 15:13, 2 Chronicles 17:4, 2 Chronicles 19:4, 2 Chronicles 20:19, 2 Chronicles 21:10, 2 Chronicles 21:12, 2 Chronicles 24:18, 2 Chronicles 24:24, 2 Chronicles 26:5, 2 Chronicles 26:18, 2 Chronicles 28:6, 2 Chronicles 28:9, 2 Chronicles 28:25, 2 Chronicles 29:5, 2 Chronicles 29:10, 2 Chronicles 30:1, 2 Chronicles 30:5, 2 Chronicles 30:6, 2 Chronicles 30:7, 2 Chronicles 30:19, 2 Chronicles 30:22, 2 Chronicles 32:16, 2 Chronicles 32:17, 2 Chronicles 33:16, 2 Chronicles 33:18, 2 Chronicles 34:23, 2 Chronicles 34:26, 2 Chronicles 36:13, 2 Chronicles 36:15, 2 Chronicles 36:23, Ezra 1:2, Ezra 1:3, Ezra 4:1, Ezra 4:3, Ezra 6:21, Ezra 7:6, Ezra 7:27, Ezra 8:28, Ezra 10:11, Psalms 41:13, Psalms 68:18, Psalms 71:16, Psalms 72:18, Psalms 73:28, Psalms 84:11, Psalms 106:48, Isaiah 3:15, Isaiah 7:7, Isaiah 10:23, Isaiah 10:24, Isaiah 17:6, Isaiah 21:17, Isaiah 22:5, Isaiah 22:12, Isaiah 22:14, Isaiah 22:15, Isaiah 24:15, Isaiah 25:8, Isaiah 28:16, Isaiah 28:22, Isaiah 30:15, Isaiah 37:21, Isaiah 40:10, Isaiah 48:16, Isaiah 49:22, Isaiah 50:4, Isaiah 50:5, Isaiah 50:7, Isaiah 50:9, Isaiah 52:4, Isaiah 56:8, Isaiah 61:1, Isaiah 61:11, Isaiah 65:13, Isaiah 65:15, Jeremiah 2:19, Jeremiah 2:22, Jeremiah 5:14, Jeremiah 7:20, Jeremiah 11:3, Jeremiah 13:12, Jeremiah 21:4, Jeremiah 23:2, Jeremiah 25:15, Jeremiah 30:2, Jeremiah 35:17, Jeremiah 44:26, Jeremiah 46:10, Jeremiah 49:5, Jeremiah 50:25, Jeremiah 50:31, Jeremiah 51:56, Ezekiel 2:4, Ezekiel 3:11, Ezekiel 3:27, Ezekiel 5:5, Ezekiel 5:7, Ezekiel 5:8, Ezekiel 5:11, Ezekiel 6:3, Ezekiel 6:11, Ezekiel 7:2, Ezekiel 7:5, Ezekiel 8:1, Ezekiel 11:7, Ezekiel 11:8, Ezekiel 11:16, Ezekiel 11:17, Ezekiel 11:21, Ezekiel 12:10, Ezekiel 12:19, Ezekiel 12:23, Ezekiel 12:25, Ezekiel 12:28, Ezekiel 13:3, Ezekiel 13:8, Ezekiel 13:9, Ezekiel 13:13, Ezekiel 13:16, Ezekiel 13:18, Ezekiel 13:20, Ezekiel 14:4, Ezekiel 14:6, Ezekiel 14:11, Ezekiel 14:14, Ezekiel 14:16, Ezekiel 14:18, Ezekiel 14:20, Ezekiel 14:21, Ezekiel 14:23, Ezekiel 15:6, Ezekiel 15:8, Ezekiel 16:3, Ezekiel 16:8, Ezekiel 16:14, Ezekiel 16:19, Ezekiel 16:23, Ezekiel 16:30, Ezekiel 16:36, Ezekiel 16:43, Ezekiel 16:48, Ezekiel 16:59, Ezekiel 16:63, Ezekiel 17:3, Ezekiel 17:9, Ezekiel 17:16, Ezekiel 17:19, Ezekiel 17:22, Ezekiel 18:3, Ezekiel 18:9, Ezekiel 18:23, Ezekiel 18:30, Ezekiel 18:32, Ezekiel 20:3, Ezekiel 20:5, Ezekiel 20:27, Ezekiel 20:30, Ezekiel 20:31, Ezekiel 20:33, Ezekiel 20:36, Ezekiel 20:39, Ezekiel 20:40, Ezekiel 20:44, Ezekiel 20:47, Ezekiel 21:7, Ezekiel 21:13, Ezekiel 21:24, Ezekiel 21:26, Ezekiel 21:28, Ezekiel 22:3, Ezekiel 22:12, Ezekiel 22:19, Ezekiel 22:28, Ezekiel 22:31, Ezekiel 23:22, Ezekiel 23:28, Ezekiel 23:32, Ezekiel 23:34, Ezekiel 23:35, Ezekiel 23:46, Ezekiel 23:49, Ezekiel 24:3, Ezekiel 24:6, Ezekiel 24:9, Ezekiel 24:14, Ezekiel 24:21, Ezekiel 24:24, Ezekiel 25:3, Ezekiel 25:6, Ezekiel 25:8, Ezekiel 25:12, Ezekiel 25:13, Ezekiel 25:14, Ezekiel 25:15, Ezekiel 25:16, Ezekiel 26:3, Ezekiel 26:5, Ezekiel 26:7, Ezekiel 26:14, Ezekiel 26:15, Ezekiel 26:19, Ezekiel 26:21, Ezekiel 27:3, Ezekiel 28:2, Ezekiel 28:6, Ezekiel 28:10, Ezekiel 28:12, Ezekiel 28:22, Ezekiel 28:24, Ezekiel 28:25, Ezekiel 29:3, Ezekiel 29:8, Ezekiel 29:13, Ezekiel 29:16, Ezekiel 29:19, Ezekiel 29:20, Ezekiel 30:2, Ezekiel 30:6, Ezekiel 30:10, Ezekiel 30:13, Ezekiel 30:22, Ezekiel 31:10, Ezekiel 31:15, Ezekiel 31:18, Ezekiel 32:3, Ezekiel 32:8, Ezekiel 32:11, Ezekiel 32:14, Ezekiel 32:16, Ezekiel 32:31, Ezekiel 32:32, Ezekiel 33:11, Ezekiel 33:25, Ezekiel 33:27, Ezekiel 34:2, Ezekiel 34:8, Ezekiel 34:10, Ezekiel 34:11, Ezekiel 34:15, Ezekiel 34:17, Ezekiel 34:20, Ezekiel 34:30, Ezekiel 34:31, Ezekiel 35:3, Ezekiel 35:6, Ezekiel 35:11, Ezekiel 35:14, Ezekiel 36:2, Ezekiel 36:3, Ezekiel 36:4, Ezekiel 36:5, Ezekiel 36:6, Ezekiel 36:7, Ezekiel 36:13, Ezekiel 36:14, Ezekiel 36:15, Ezekiel 36:22, Ezekiel 36:23, Ezekiel 36:32, Ezekiel 36:33, Ezekiel 36:37, Ezekiel 37:5, Ezekiel 37:9, Ezekiel 37:12, Ezekiel 37:19, Ezekiel 37:21, Ezekiel 38:3, Ezekiel 38:10, Ezekiel 38:14, Ezekiel 38:17, Ezekiel 38:18, Ezekiel 38:21, Ezekiel 39:1, Ezekiel 39:5, Ezekiel 39:8, Ezekiel 39:10, Ezekiel 39:13, Ezekiel 39:17, Ezekiel 39:20, Ezekiel 39:25, Ezekiel 39:29, Ezekiel 43:18, Ezekiel 43:19, Ezekiel 43:27, Ezekiel 44:6, Ezekiel 44:9, Ezekiel 44:12, Ezekiel 44:15, Ezekiel 44:27, Ezekiel 45:9, Ezekiel 45:15, Ezekiel 45:18, Ezekiel 46:1, Ezekiel 46:16, Ezekiel 47:13, Ezekiel 47:23, Ezekiel 48:29, Daniel 9:3, Hosea 12:5, Amos 1:8, Amos 3:7, Amos 3:8, Amos 3:11, Amos 3:13, Amos 4:2, Amos 4:5, Amos 5:3, Amos 5:15, Amos 6:8, Amos 7:1, Amos 7:4, Amos 7:6, Amos 8:1, Amos 8:3, Amos 8:9, Amos 8:11, Amos 9:5, Amos 9:8, Obadiah 1:1, Jonah 4:6, Micah 1:2, Habakkuk 3:19, Zephaniah 1:7, Zechariah 9:14

Source: “Yahweh,” The Agora.

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