Ἰαω

Ancient Greek

Paleo-Hebrew Divine Name 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 rendered into Koine Greek as Ιαω Yaoh, Leviticus 4:27 of Septuagint (LXX) manuscript 4Q120. Fragment dated c. 1st century BCE, from the Dead Sea Scrolls found at Qumran.

Alternative forms

• Ἰάω (Iáō)
• Ἰαῶ (Iaô)

Etymology

From Aramaic יהו (“YHW”), related to Biblical Hebrew יהוה (YHWH). In written use by Hellenistic Jews in the Septuagint before the Christian era, when it became standard to substitute Κύριος (Kúrios, “Lord”).

It is unclear whether the Greek term initially represented Iaō or Iahō; the former persisted among Jews and Christians into late antiquity. In the 4th century CE Jerome, who translated the Latin Vulgate Bible from Hebrew and Greek, mentions both Iaoh and Iaho or Jaho, the latter matching the transliteration of Aramaic-Hebrew יהו. The contracted form Ἰά (Iá) mirrors Hebrew יָהּ (yāh) and Classical Syriac ܝܰܗ/ܝܲܗ (yah).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /i.a.o/ → /i.a.o/

• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /i.a.o/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /i.a.o/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /i.a.o/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /i.a.o/

• (Jewish Koine Greek) IPA^(key): /ja.(h)o/

Proper noun

Ἰαω • (Iaō)

1. (Koine) Yahweh; the Tetragrammaton YHWH
   • 36 BCE – 30 BCE, Diodorus Siculus, Historical Library 1.94:

     καὶ παρ’ ἑτέροις δὲ πλείοσιν ἔθνεσι παραδέδοται τοῦτο τὸ γένος τῆς ἐπινοίας ὑπάρξαι καὶ πολλῶν ἀγαθῶν αἴτιον γενέσθαι τοῖς πεισθεῖσι: παρὰ μὲν γὰρ τοῖς Ἀριανοῖς Ζαθραύστην ἱστοροῦσι τὸν ἀγαθὸν δαίμονα προσποιήσασθαι τοὺς νόμους αὐτῷ διδόναι, παρὰ δὲ τοῖς ὀνομαζομένοις Γέταις τοῖς ἀπαθανατίζουσι Ζάλμοξιν ὡσαύτως τὴν κοινὴν Ἑστίαν, παρὰ δὲ τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις Μωυσῆν τὸν Ἰαὼ ἐπικαλούμενον θεόν

     kaì par’ hetérois dè pleíosin éthnesi paradédotai toûto tò génos tês epinoías hupárxai kaì pollôn agathôn aítion genésthai toîs peistheîsi: parà mèn gàr toîs Arianoîs Zathraústēn historoûsi tòn agathòn daímona prospoiḗsasthai toùs nómous autôi didónai, parà dè toîs onomazoménois Gétais toîs apathanatízousi Zálmoxin hōsaútōs tḕn koinḕn Hestían, parà dè toîs Ioudaíois Mōusên tòn Iaṑ epikaloúmenon theón

     And it has been handed down that among several other peoples this kind of invention was used and was the cause of much good to those who believed in it: thus it is observed among the Arians Zarathustra claimed that the Good Spirit gave him his laws, among the people called Getae who represent themselves to be immortal Zalmoxis asserted the same of their common goddess Hestia, among the Jews Moses referred his laws to the god who is invoked as Iao (YHWH).

   • c. 50 BCE–50 CE, Septuagint manuscript 4Q120 (4QpapLXXLevb), Leviticus 4:27:

     εαν [δε ψυχη μια αμαρτ]η[ι α]κουσιως εκ [του λαου της γης] εν τωι ποιησαι μιαν απ[ο πασων] των εντολων ιαω ου πο[ιηθησε]...

     ean [de psukhē mia amart]ē[i a]kousiōs ek [tou laou tēs gēs] en tōi poiēsai mian ap[o pasōn] tōn entolōn iaō ou po[iēthēse]...

     If any soul of the people of the land should sin inadvertently in doing a thing contrary to any of the commandments of Iao (YHWH) which should not be done...

2. Dionysus, based on conflation between the epithet Sabaoth and the Phrygian god of wine Sabazios.

   (The addition of quotations indicative of this usage is being sought:)

Related terms

• Ἀϊά (Aïá)
• Ἰά (Iá)
• Ἰαβαί (Iabaí /⁠Yahvaí⁠/)
• Ἰάβε (Iábe /⁠Yáhve⁠/)
• Ἰαού (Iaoú /⁠Yahú⁠/)
• Ἰαουέ (Iaoué /⁠Yahwé⁠/)
• Ἰαωθ (Iaōth)
• ΠΙΠΙ (PIPI)

 

Descendants

• → Latin: Iaho, Jaho
• → English: Iao, Yaoh

References

• Ἰαῶ (ὁ) in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• Capes, David B. (2018) The Divine Christ (Acadia Studies in Bible and Theology): Paul, the Lord Jesus, and the Scriptures of Israel‎^[1], Baker Academic
• Deissmann, Gustav A. (1909) “Greek transcriptions of the Tetragrammaton”, in Grieve, A., transl., Bible Studies: Contributions chiefly from papyri and inscriptions, to the history of language, the literature and the religion of Hellenistic Judaism and primitive Christianity‎^[2]
• Saint Jerome (c. 382) Morin, D.G., editor, Sancti Hieronymi presbyteri qui deperditi hactenus putabantur Commentarioli in Psalmos (Commentaries of Saint Jerome the Elder on the Psalms which had hitherto been thought lost)‎^[3], published 1895
• Maas, Anthony J. (1907) Herbermann Charles G. et al., editor, The Catholic encyclopedia; an international work of reference on the constitution, doctrine, discipline, and history of the Catholic Church. Special edition, under the auspices of The Knights of Columbus Catholic Truth Committee‎^[4], New York.: The Encyclopedia Press
• Meyer, Anthony R. (2017 July) The Divine Name in Early Judaism: Use and Non-Use in Aramaic, Hebrew, and Greek‎^[5] (PDF), Ontario, Canada: McMaster University
• Skehan, Patrick W. (1980) “The Divine Name at Qumran in the Masada Scroll and in the Septuagint”, in Bulletin of the International Organization for Septuagint and Cognate Studies (BIOSCS)‎^[6] (PDF), The Catholic University of America, pages 14-44
• Vasileiadis, Pavlos (2013 July) “The pronunciation of the sacred Tetragrammaton: An overview of a nomen revelatus ^{[sic – meaning revelatum]} that became a nomen absconditus ^{[sic – meaning absconditum]}”, in Judaica Ukrainica‎^[7], volume 2 (PDF), page 8