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The TETRAGRAMMATON

The Tetragrammaton as it appears in the Dead Sea scrolls where it was written in the ancient Hebrew script. The Tetragrammaton in modern Hebrew letters.

"YHVH" is a name that is usually translated as "LORD." It is used approximately 7000 times in the Bible (Tanach), more than any other name for God. It is also referred to as the "Tetragrammaton" which means "The Four Letters" because it comes from four Hebrew letters: Yud, Hay, Vav, Hay. It is generally believed that these four letters represent the tenses of the Hebrew word for to be. That is, HVH (Hovah)=to be, HYH (Hayah)=was, and YHYH (Yi-yeh)=will be.

This is the special memorial-name that God revealed to Moses at the burning bush. "And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM; and He said, thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, I AM has sent me to you... this is My eternal name, and this is how I am to be recalled for all generations" (Exodus 3:14-15). Actually, the phrase in Hebrew is "eh-yeh asher eh-yeh." The word "eh-yeh" being the first person future form of "hovah" (to be). A better English translation would really be, "I will be who (or what or that) I will be." Even though the name YHVH appears earlier in Genesis 2, God didn't reveal Himself as YHVH until Exodus 3 in conjunction with the creation of Israel.

Because this name comes from the Hebrew verb which means "to be." YHVH emphasizes God's absolute being. He is the source of all being, all reality, and all existence. He has being inherent in Himself. Everything else derives its being from Him. YHVH denotes God's complete transcendence in time. He is beyond His creation. He is without beginning and without end because He always is.

Although some pronounce YHVH as Jehovah, this is probably not correct since the vowel points that define the pronunciation (not added to the Bible until the early Middle Ages) are from the substitute word Adonai. Another, often used English transliteration is Yaweh, which seems to be more correct, but the consensus among rabbinic scholars is that we no longer know the proper pronunciation. The Jewish people stopped saying the Name by the third century C.E. out of fear of violating the commandment "You shall not take the name of YHVH your God in vain" (Exodus 20:7). According to the rabbis, the Tetragrammaton may not be pronounced under any circumstances. The word, Adonai, which simply means my Master or my Lord, is spoken in place of YHVH during prayer, otherwise, it is simple uttered as "HaShem," The Name.

This article was adapted in part from the Web page of CONGREGATION SHEMA YISRAEL (Messianic), http://www.shema.com/names.htm, and from the Encylopedia Judaica.
If you print this page, the copy should be treated as any other sacred text since it contains the name of God.
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Updated September 20, 2002 3:35 PM