יהוה

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The Tetragrammaton in Paleo-Hebrew script, old Aramaic script, and square Hebrew.

Alternative forms

Etymology

The etymology of this theonym has been discussed very extensively in scholarly literature, but remains uncertain.

Lewis (2020) presents the scholarly consensus that יהוה (yhwh ~ Yahweh) is the verbal form, prefixed by 3rd singular masculine y-, of hyh ~ hwh ~ hwy "to be"[1] (whose ancestor is reconstructed by Huehnergard (2011) as Proto-Semitic *hwy (“to fall, happen, be, become”)[2]); Lewis further interprets Yahweh as a non-causative meaning "the [permanently] existing one; the god who is" and a pre-monarchic archaic vocalization from another dialect than classical Hebrew (hence Yahweh instead of expected **yihweh; compare יִֽהְיֶ֣ה (yihyeh, “he will be; it (masc.) will be”)).[1]

Meanwhile, Lewis objects to two other major interpretations (which lack explicit attestations and linguistic connections made by native Biblical Hebrew speakers), namely:

Pronunciation

  • In the Biblical Hebrew of antiquity (before 400 BCE), it was probably pronounced /jahˈwɛː/.
    • The hypothetical Tiberian descendant would have been יַהְוֶה /jahˈvɛ/ [jahˈvɛː] or יַהֲוֶה /ja.hăˈvɛ/ [jaː.haˈvɛː], which would have yielded Modern Israeli /ja(h)ˈve/ or /ja.(h)aˈve/ respectively.
  • (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA(key): /je.hoˈva/ (ahistorical; based on יְהֹוָה. see usage notes.)
  • Audio:(file)

Proper noun

יהוה • (YHWH) m

  1. (Judaism) Tetragrammaton (the word in four Hebrew letters יהוה (in transliteration as YHWH or JHVH) used as the ineffable name of God in the Hebrew Bible, variously rendered as Yahweh or Jehovah)
  2. The proper, personal name of the Jewish and Christian God.
    Tanach, Genesis 4:26, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:
    וּלְשֵׁ֤ת גַּם־הוּא֙ יֻלַּד־בֵּ֔ן וַיִּקְרָ֥א אֶת־שְׁמ֖וֹ אֱנ֑וֹשׁ אָ֣ז הוּחַ֔ל לִקְרֹ֖א בְּשֵׁ֥ם יְהֹוָֽהֹ
    And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enosh; then began men to call upon the name of the Lord.

Usage notes

  • The word is written in the Hebrew Bible either without vocalisation or as יְהֹוָה, using the vocalization of the word אֲדֹנָי (adonái, “my Lord”), because of the prohibition of uttering the name. It is thought that the original pronunciation was probably lost around the Hellenistic era. In some cases, when preceded by the word אֲדֹנָי (adonái, “my Lord”), it is written as יֱהֹוִה, using the vocalization of the word אֱלֹהִים (elohím, “God”).
  • Secular Jews in Israel pronounce the word as אדוני / אֲדֹנָי (adonái) usually, under most circumstances.
  • Religious Jews pronounce it as אֲדֹנָי (adonái, “my Lord”) only for liturgical purposes, otherwise they use other terms such as הַשֵּׁם (hashém, “the name”).
  • Samaritans pronounce it as ࠔࠝࠌࠠࠀ (šəmā, “the name”) — from שְׁמָא (šəmā, “the name”), the Aramaic equivalent of Hebrew הַשֵּׁם (hashém) — under all circumstances, even in liturgy.
  • Although Jews would not be likely to use the Tetragrammaton to refer to the Christian God, Hebrew-speaking Christians (and Messianic Jews) may, and it is used in translations of the New Testament.

Derived terms

Descendants

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Lewis, Theodore J. (2020) “The Origin of Yahweh”, in The Origin and Character of God: Ancient Israelite Religion through the Lens of Divinity, New York: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, Section I: The Meaning and Revelation of the Name Yahweh in the Hebrew Bible, pages 210-227
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Huehnergard, John (2011) “Proto-Semitic Language & Culture; Semitic Roots”, in American Heritage Dictionary‎[1], 5th edition, Appendix II: Semitic Roots, page 2074 of 2066-2078
  3. ^ van der Toorn, Karel (1999) “Yahweh”, in Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible, pages 910-919
  4. ^ Wellhause, Julius (1897) Israelitische und jüdische Geschichte, page 25

Further reading

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