Know what the Name is! Using or Not Using the Hebrew Name of G-d.
The Story of the Bible begins with Creation, the Patriarchs
(Abraham, Isaac, Jacob), Joseph and going down to Egypt.
We then, with the Book of Exodus, hear of the Children of
Israel being oppressed in Egypt and Moses being called upon
to go and save them from Egyptian Oppression.
In a sense the Appearance of the Almighty to Moses makes
for a New Beginning!
Moses did expect it to happen.
It just did. Moses asks G-d what HIS NAME is.
The Almighty replies:
Exodus 3:13-15
ו ַיֹּ ֨אמֶר מֹ שֶׁ֜ה אֶל־הָֽאֱלֹהִ֗ים הִנּ ֵ֨ה אָנֹכִ֣י בָא֮ אֶל־בְּנ ֵ֣י י ִשְׂ רָ אֵל֒ ו ְאָמַרְ תִּ ֣י לָהֶ֔ם אֱלֹהֵ֥י
Moses said to G-d, “When I come to the Israelites and say to
them, ‘The G-d of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?”
14
ו ַיֹּ ֤אמֶר אֱלֹהִים֙ אֶל־מֹ שֶׁ֔ה אֶֽהְי ֶ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר אֶֽהְי ֶ֑ה ו ַיֹּ ֗אמֶר כֹּ֤ה תֹ אמַר֙ לִבְנ ֵ֣י י ִשְׂ רָ אֵ֔ל
אֶֽהְי ֶ֖ה שְׁ לָחַ֥נ ִי אֲלֵיכֶֽם׃
And G-d said to Moses, “Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh.” He continued,
“Thus shall you say to the Israelites, ‘Ehyeh sent me to you.’”
15
ו ַיֹּ אמֶר֩ ע֨וֹד אֱלֹהִ֜ים אֶל־מֹ שֶׁ֗ה כֹּֽה־תֹ אמַר֮ אֶל־בְּנ ֵ֣י י ִשְׂ רָ אֵל֒ י ְהו ָ֞ה אֱלֹהֵ֣י אֲבֹתֵיכֶ֗ם
אֱלֹהֵ֨י אַבְרָ הָ֜ם אֱלֹהֵ֥י י ִצְחָ֛ק ו ֵאלֹהֵ֥י י ַעֲקֹ ֖ב שְׁ לָחַ֣נ ִי אֲלֵיכֶ֑ם ז ֶה־שְּׁ מִ ֣י לְעֹ לָ֔ם ו ְז ֶ֥ה
ז ִכְרִ ֖י לְדֹ֥ר דֹּֽר׃
And G-d said further to Moses, “Thus shall you speak to the
Israelites: The LORD, the G-d of your fathers, the G-d of
Abraham, the G-d of Isaac, and the G-d of Jacob, has sent
me to you: This shall be My name forever, This My
appellation for all eternity.
The Hebrew translated as I AM WHO I AM is “EHEYE
ASHER EHEYE.” This is in the future tense. A simple straight-
forward understanding would render the expression as, ‘I Will
Be What I Will Be.’
In continuation it says,
And He said, Thus you shall say to the children
of Israel, I AM has sent me to you. #
Here too, ‘I AM’ is in the future tense, in Hebrew ‘Eheye,’ i.e. ‘I
WILL BE.’
This brings us to the question what does the four-lettered
ineffable name (YHVH) mean?
No-one really knows but it is obviously comprised of elements
from the verbal root HOVEH i.e. “to be”.
An approximate translation might perhaps render it as, “HE
WHO IS.” This also fits in with the context and the other
names and attributions such as ‘I WILL BE,’ etc. We are forbidden to pronounce the name (as explained shortly) but nevertheless we should hallow it, take cognizance of it, and consider its meanings
The Priestly Blessing and the Holy Name
The brother of Moses, Aaron (Aharon) became the Forefather
of the Cohens (Priests) who were commanded to bless Israel:
Numbers 6:22-27
ו ַי ְדַבֵּ֥ר י ְהו ָ֖ה אֶל־מֹ שֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹ ֽר׃
The LORD spoke to Moses:
23
דַּבֵּ֤ר אֶֽל־אַהֲרֹן֙ ו ְאֶל־בָּנ ָ֣יו לֵאמֹ ֔ר כֹּ֥ה תְ בָרֲכ֖וּ אֶת־בְּנ ֵ֣י י ִשְׂ רָ אֵ֑ל אָמ֖וֹר לָהֶֽם׃ (ס)
Speak to Aaron and his sons: Thus shall you bless the people
of Israel. Say to them:
24
י ְבָרֶ כְָך֥ י ְהו ָ֖ה ו ְי ִשְׁ מְ רֶ ָֽך׃ (ס)
The LORD bless you and protect you!
25
י ָאֵ֨ר י ְהו ָ֧ה ׀ פָּנ ָ֛יו אֵלֶ֖יָך ו ִֽיחֻנּ ֶֽךָּ׃ (ס)
The LORD deal kindly and graciously with you!
26
י ִשָּׂ֨א י ְהו ָ֤ה ׀ פָּנ ָיו֙ אֵלֶ֔יָך ו ְי ָשֵׂ֥ם לְָך֖ שָׁלֽוֹם׃ (ס)
The LORD bestow His favor upon you and grant you peace!
27
ו ְשָׂמ֥וּ אֶת־שְׁ מִ ֖י עַל־בְּנ ֵ֣י י ִשְׂ רָ אֵ֑ל ו ַאֲנ ִ֖י אֲבָרֲכֵֽם׃ (פ)
Thus they shall link My name with the people of Israel, and I
will bless them.
Placing the Name of G-d on the Children of Israel means
intending that the essence of the Almighty HIMSELF be with
us.
Revealing the Secret
In the Hebrew Bible the name of G-d has four letters roughly
equal to YHVH or IHWH or something similar. This name is
not pronounced though in the past it was. Where this name
occurs in the Hebrew Bible the English Translations usually
render it as LORD, or G-d, or the Almighty, etc. In the past
this name was rendered in English as ‘Jehovah’. In Modern
works it is sometimes given as ‘Yahwah’. In effect it should
not be pronounced and attempts should not be made to At present,
There is NO KNOWN CORRECT PRONUNCIATION OF THE
HOLY NAME!!!
In Biblical Times the Ancient Hebrews did use the name of G-
d but very warily.
In Leviticus (“Emor”) 24: 10-23 we hear of an Israelite son of
an Israelite woman and Egyptian father who cursed his fellow
man using the Holy Name.
He is condemned to death. The whole congregation is commanded to stone him! We learn from this passage that
whoever cursed another person using the Name of G-d could
be put to death by stoning. If you cursed someone without
using the name nothing would happen. Maybe you would
have to pay a fine or something (as you might have to today)
but nothing more than that. Using or rather misusing the
name made all the difference.
It was taken very seriously.
The Bible takes it seriously.
It is not something that does not matter one way or the other.
We should not want people incurring liabilities when there is
no need for it.
We have an obligation towards other people to reprove them,
if possible, when they do wrong: Leviticus 19:17,18
לֹֽא־תִ שְׂ נ ָ֥א אֶת־אָחִ֖יָך בִּלְבָבֶָ֑ך הוֹכֵ֤חַ תּוֹכִ֙יחַ֙ אֶת־עֲמִ יתֶָ֔ך ו ְלֹא־תִ שָּׂ֥א עָלָ֖יו חֵֽטְא׃
You shall not hate your kinsfolk in your heart. Reprove your
kinsman but incur no guilt because of him.
18
לֹֽא־תִ קֹּ ֤ם ו ְלֹֽא־תִ טֹּ ר֙ אֶת־בְּנ ֵ֣י עַמֶָּ֔ך ו ְאָֽהַבְתָּ֥ לְרֵ עֲָך֖ כָּמ֑וָֹך אֲנ ִ֖י י ְהו ָֽה׃
You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against your
countrymen. Love your fellow as yourself: I am the LORD.
Historically, the pagan Edomite-Romans also misused the
name of the Almighty. The god of the Romans known as Jupiter (the Greek “Zeus”) was also known as “Jove.” In Ancient Latin “Jove” may have been pronounced close to how it is written in Hebrew Archaeological findings show that in Ancient Times there
were periods when the Name of G-d was being misused by
non-Israelite pagans or by Israelites under pagan influence.
We also find Gentile Egyptians, and Greeks, and Jewish
pagans using the name inappropriately. Even now we find amongst people who try to use the Holy Name would-be
magicians, all kinds of nut-cases, and enemies of G-d and the
Jewish People. Certain religious movements in the USA that
use the name have attracted mentally disturbed, homicidal,
and Jew-hating adherents.
These are not types a self-respecting person should
associate with.
The Bible warns of this.
Leviticus 24:16
ו ְנֹקֵ֤ב שֵׁם־י ְהו ָה֙ מ֣וֹת יוּמָ֔ת רָ ג֥וֹם י ִרְ גְּמוּ־ב֖וֹ כָּל־הָעֵדָ֑ה כַּגֵּר֙ כָּֽאֶז ְרָ ֔ח בְּנ ָקְ בוֹ־שֵׁ֖ם
יוּמָֽת׃
if he also pronounces the name LORD, he shall be put to
death. The whole community shall stone him; stranger or
citizen, if he has thus pronounced the Name, he shall be put
to death.
The words translated as “blaspheme” in Hebrew are derived from the root “NeKeV” meaning to “say expressly.” The LORD does NOT want HIS name used indiscriminately. In fact in our generation HE does not want HIS name used at all!
The Holy Name in the Bible is spoken of as something that is
sacred and in need of protection against misuse.
Exodus 20:3:
You shall not take the name of the LORD your G-d in vain;
for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that takes his name in
vain.
In Exodus 3:15 we see the Holy Name revealed to Moses for
the first time BUT what does the verse really say?
ו ַיֹּ אמֶר֩ ע֨וֹד אֱלֹהִ֜ים אֶל־מֹ שֶׁ֗ה כֹּֽה־תֹ אמַר֮ אֶל־בְּנ ֵ֣י י ִשְׂ רָ אֵל֒ 15 3: Exodus
י ְהו ָ֞ה אֱלֹהֵ֣י אֲבֹתֵיכֶ֗ם אֱלֹהֵ֨י אַבְרָ הָ֜ם אֱלֹהֵ֥י י ִצְחָ֛ק ו ֵאלֹהֵ֥י י ַעֲקֹ ֖ב שְׁ לָחַ֣נ ִי אֲלֵיכֶ֑ם
ז ֶה־שְּׁ מִ ֣י לְעֹ לָ֔ם ו ְז ֶ֥ה ז ִכְרִ ֖י לְדֹ֥ר דֹּֽר׃
And G-d said further to Moses, “Thus shall you speak to the Israelites: The LORD, the G-d of your fathers, the G-d of
Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the G-d of Jacob, has sent
me to you: This shall be My name forever, This My appellation for all eternity.
Note the expression, “This is My name forever” (Exodus
3:15). It says “forever!”
Or does it? Really?
In the Hebrew text the word translated here as “forever” is
written as “Le-elam”. This can ALSO mean “to be Hidden”. If
we were reading the verse AS IT IS WRITTEN we could read
it as saying, “This is My name TO BE HIDDEN” i.e. at some time in the future it would need to be hidden. That is what it says when read LITERALLY!!!
[ Rabbi Yaacov Tsvi Mecklenberg (1785-1865), “Ha-Ketav
ve-HaKabbalah” (In Hebrew, “Scripture and Tradition”)
discusses this in some detail in light of the grammatical points
contained within the passage].
No-one knows today how the Name was really pronounced!
Without going into details here it is enough to say that the Name of G-d in the Hebrew Bible is nowhere given with its
original vowel points. The letters of the name are Y(I)HV(W)H. We do not know whether or not the name contains the sounds “e, a, ay, oo, u, i, y” [or some kind of
combination or permutation of them] anywhere or everywhere
before, after, and/or in between its four letters. We also do not know how all the letters were actually pronounced. Different possibilities exist.
The Name of the Almighty is not to be pronounced and nobody today can pronounce it. Attempts to do so should not be made. They are dangerous and G-d does not want it. The Holy Name was to be hidden as predicted. The Bible (Exodus 3:15) says that the Holy Name will be revealed in the future but for now it is not known and attempts should NOT be
made to know it!
Rabbi Avraham Feld and the Message of ‘HaShem’ i.e. ‘The G-d does not want HIS Name to be pronounced at present. In
the Messianic Era things will be different. For the present we
should refer to G-d as G-d, or as the LORD, or as the Almighty, or as the Father, or as any one of a number of names were it is evident that the G-d of Israel is meant.
In ordinary conversation or in discussions when the name of
G-d needs to be mentioned Religious Jews often say
‘HaShem’ meaning literally ‘The Name.’
Rabbi Avraham Feld points out that this usage is given by the
Torah itself, i.e. Deuteronomy 28 [Literal translation]:
58 IF YOU WILT NOT OBSERVE TO DO ALL THE WORDS OF THIS LAW THAT ARE WRITTEN IN THIS BOOK, TO FEAR THIS NAME [Hebrew: “HaShem] WHICH IS
GLORIOUS AND FEARFUL, THE LORD THY G-D.
Rabbi Avraham Feld notes further:
It says TO FEAR HASHEM [i.e. the Name], which is glorious and awesome. THE-Name, G-d your G-d. That’s right! The Hebrew text
literally states that HaShem is the way G-d, your G-d, is referred to!
G-d in the Bible may be telling us to fear HIM and contemplate who HE Is BUT HE is also saying that HIS NAME as it is written is not to be pronounced!
A shorter form of the name of G-d as found in the Bible is “Yah.” The Ten Tribes and Judah. Indications are that both the Jews of Judah and the Ten Tribes before and after their Exile when pronouncing this appellation did not say “Yah” but rather “Yam.” They apparently did this out of respect for the Name. In Judah King “Abiyam” son of Rehoboam (1-Kings 14:31, 15:1) is also referred to as Abiyah (1.Chronicles 3:1, 2-Chronicles 11:22, 12:16, etc). and as Abiyahu (2-Chronicles 13:20, the KJ
renders this name as simply ABIJAH). A contemporary son of variation of “Abiyam” (instead of Abiyah) found for the King of Judah may reflect a practice said, according to some archaeological finds, to have held more in the northern Kingdom of Israel. The Ten Tribes in the north seem to have deliberately pronounced the “Yah” as “Yam” or “Yim.” The
theophonic element “yah” was optionally replaced by “yam”.
Concerning the four-letter name the Northern Israelites did
not usually spell it as it is in the Bible but used a shortened
form “Yaho” (See AHITOV, Shmuel. ‘HaKetav VeHaMiktav,’ [Hebrew Language] Handbook of Ancient Inscriptions from the Land of Israel and the Kingdom Beyond the Jordan from the Period of the First Commonwealth, Jerusalem 2005).
In the early Second Temple Period the Holy Name was only
pronounced once a year by the High Priest in the Temple on
the Day of Atonement.
Eventually it was forgotten altogether.
Even heretical Jews in Ancient Times who rebelled against
mainstream Judaism avoided pronouncing the name:
“the Name is printed in many Hebrew manuscripts
(particularly in the Dead Sea Scrolls) in a Paleo-Hebrew
script, even when the rest of the text comes from a later period and is not written in Paleo-Hebrew. It is also pointed
out that in the earliest manuscripts of the Septuagint the
Name is written in Hebrew, not Greek. “
The fact that the name was kept separate in the Greek Translation (Septuagint) of the Bible and in the Dead Sea Scrolls would indicate that even groups that were outside of mainstream Judaism respected the name and did not try to pronounce it..
In the FUTURE correct usage of the Name will be RESTORED! We have however not yet reached that point.
The Ten Tribes were taken away by the Assyrians and lost
consciousness of their ancestry. Their descendants stayed together and eventually all moved to the west. Eventually the Ten Tribes shall return and re-unite with Judah. There will be a rule of the Messiah and the Name shall once again be in use.
ו ְהָי ָ֧ה י ְהו ָ֛ה לְמֶ֖לְֶך עַל־כָּל־הָאָ֑רֶ ץ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֗וּא י ִהְי ֶ֧ה י ְהו ָ֛ה 14:9 Zechariah
אֶחָ֖ד וּשְׁ מ֥וֹ אֶחָֽד׃
And the LORD shall be king over all the earth; in that day
there shall be one LORD with one name. For the Present Age, Knowing the Name Means
Understanding it!
ו ַיֹּ ֤אמֶר י ְהו ָה֙ אֶל־מֹ שֶׁ֔ה גַּ֣ם אֶת־הַדָּבָ֥ר הַזֶּ֛ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר דִּ בַּ֖רְ תָּ 33:17 Exodus
אֶֽעֱשֶׂ֑ה כִּֽי־מָצָ֤אתָ חֵן֙ בְּעֵינ ַ֔י ו ָאֵדָעֲָך֖ בְּשֵֽׁם׃
And the LORD said to Moses, “I will also do this thing that you have asked; for you have truly gained My favor and I have singled you out by name.”
G-d says that HIS knowing YOUR name is a mark of favor.
This means HE knows who you are through and through,
your very being. It does not mean HE looked your name up in
the phone book to see how it is spelled. So too knowing the
Name of G-d means becoming familiar with who HE is. It
may also be efficacious to contemplate the actual meaning of the Name but this does not mean trying to pronounce it.
There are obviously reasons as to why the Name should not
be pronounced in our time.
We however for the present do not have to know what the
reasons are.
It should be enough for the time being to understand this is
the Bible message. This is what the Almighty wants so this is
how we will do it.