For those who pronounce God’s Name do you say Yahweh or Jehovah? Which one is it? Ive thought about it quite a bit and come up with this simple answer.
Yah
Everyone seems to agree that this Hebrew word is pronounced “Yah”…
and it’s even commonly pronounced as such… you can see the symbol for Yah in the Hebrew word Halleluyah…
and that same Hebrew word Yah can be found in the Hebrew names of Isaiah (Isaia-Yah), Jeremiah (Jeremi-Yah) and other words we commonly pronounce with a Yah sound. (Read more here or for an exhaustive list look at Strongs Concordance for Yah)
It is profound to me that this name “Yah” is in the New Testament where the angels surrounding the throne of God worship Him saying “Hallelu-Yah“.
The Name that God gives Himself in Ex 3:14 is… Strong’s H1961 – hayah.
God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.'” – Ex 3:14
You can view that verse 15 in BLB to see the Hebrew words.
The word “yahweh” is the third person form of “hayah” and means “he is” or “he will be”. Moses asked God who he should tell the Israelites sent him, and God replied, “I am who I am” (1st person), then, “Tell them ‘I am has sent you’ ” (3rd person). – answers.com
Jehovah
So it seems that right across all usages of this word it is “Yah” and not any variant of “Jehovah” like “Jeh” or “J—-ah”.
So where did the word Jehovah come from?
… the Latinized form “Jehova(h).” The first recorded use of this form dates from the thirteenth century C.E. Raymundus Martini, a Spanish monk of the Dominican Order, used it in his book Pugeo Fidei of the year 1270. … it is a combination of the consonants of the Divine Name and the vowels attached to it by the Masoretes – answers.com
Why do Jews refuse to write the Name of God or sometimes even the word G-d?
Judaism does not prohibit writing the Name of God per se; it prohibits only erasing or defacing a Name of God. However, observant Jews avoid writing any Name of God casually because of the risk that the written Name might later be defaced, obliterated or destroyed accidentally or by one who does not know better.
The commandment not to erase or deface the name of God comes from Deut. 12:3. In that passage, the people are commanded that when they take over the promised land, they should destroy all things related to the idolatrous religions of that region, and should utterly destroy the names of the local deities. Immediately afterwards, we are commanded not to do the same to our God. From this, the rabbis inferred that we are commanded not to destroy any holy thing, and not to erase or deface a Name of God. – Jew FAQ
Should we use the Name of God?
In scripture God’s Name was a way to greet…
And, behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said unto the reapers, The LORD [be] (יהוה Hebrew letters Yod-Hey-Vav-Hey) with you. And they answered him, The LORD (יהוה Hebrew letters Yod-Hey-Vav-Hey) bless thee. – RUTH 2:4
Isaiah and almost all authors in the Tanakah (OT) used His Name…
Isaiah 7:7 – Thus, saith My Lord, Yahweh
His Name is used over 6,800 times. God even makes a point of saying
this is my name for ever – Ex 3:15
and in this way He not only invites us but virtually commands us to use His Name.
Faith + Hope + Love 