What Is God’s Identify? The Which means of YHWH (& Different “Names”)

What’s God’s title? God solutions in Isaiah 42:8:

I’m the LORD; that’s my title;
my glory I give to no different;
nor my reward to carved idols.

However what sort of title is “the LORD,” and why do most fashionable English Bible spell it in all caps?

The reply is, like many essential issues in Scripture, complicated however price realizing (although not price obsessing over.) We’ll journey by way of biblical Hebrew and again once more to seek out solutions. We’ll encounter each delicate controversies and basic mysteries.

We’ll additionally meet another “names of God” that don’t maybe rise to the extent of “the LORD.”

Let me suggest three questions that may construction our inquiry right here:

1. What’s the which means & significance of the Tetragrammaton, YHWH?
2. What are the names of God & their meanings?
3. So what?

1. What’s the which means & significance of the Tetragrammaton, YHWH?

Very merely: “the LORD” (all caps) is a translation of the Hebrew phrase יהוה (Yahweh). That is distinguished from “the Lord” (with out small caps), which interprets a unique Hebrew phrase: אָדוֹן (adonai), which means “lord” or “grasp.”

Most individuals right now, for causes I’ll clarify, pronounce Yahweh as “YAH-way.” However the construction of Hebrew makes it potential to put in writing the language with out vowels, and the one letters we’re sure of within the phrase are literally the 4 consonants: YHWH. So we don’t really know the way it was initially pronounced.

This four-consonant spelling of the title of God is named the Tetragrammaton, which suggests “4 letters” (Greek tetra-, “4”; grammaton, “letter”). The Tetragrammaton does seem in some manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible.

Phrases imply what native audio system use them to imply. And Yahweh isn’t any exception. Had been you to make use of the Logos Bible Phrase Examine to survey all of the locations within the Hebrew Bible the place this phrase happens, it could take you a while to work by way of them, because it seems practically seven thousand occasions. However you’ll discover that Yahweh is just the title for God.

Names have etymological meanings, so we’d marvel what Yahweh means. However when does your title ever imply its etymological roots? My title is Mark. It technically means (meant?) “warlike” and is linked to Mars, the Roman god of struggle, however I’ve by no means heard any native speaker of English use my title to speak something about struggle or warlikeness.

When individuals use our names, what they imply is us. No deeper which means want be sought. Equally, in most cases it seems, I believe Yahweh is simply God’s title. It doesn’t bear any deeper which means.

Selecting at random, right here’s a verse from the Hebrew Bible that makes use of the phrase Yahweh:

Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard of all that God had accomplished for Moses and for Israel his individuals, how the LORD had introduced Israel out of Egypt. (Exod 18:1)

What I discover attention-grabbing about this verse is that “God” (אֱלֹהִים, elohim) and “the LORD” are used interchangeably—in nearly poetic parallelism. Each are used to level to the identical referent, the identical “object”: the deity of everlasting energy who created the world, selected Abraham, and made Israel his partner.

More often than not, Yahweh merely factors to the one true God.

Humor me just a little. Learn a number of different makes use of of Yahweh (“LORD”) within the Previous Testomony:

“Oh, style and see that the LORD is nice!” (Ps 34:8)

“Belief in the LORD with all of your coronary heart.” (Prov 3:5)

“They who watch for the LORD shall renew their energy.” (Isa 40:31)

“The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge.” (Ps 18:2)

It’s studying these descriptions of him, together with manifold others in Scripture, that must let you know who he’s—what Yahweh means. The which means of the phrase itself is relatively much less essential.

“I’m who I’m”

However not precisely unimportant. As a result of the LORD is, by (the Bible’s) definition, a novel being who selected his personal title. And his title, the phrase itself, does reveal one thing about him.

Our solely proof of the which means of Yahweh is a key dialog God has with Moses on the burning bush in Exodus 3. There God says this, in phrases you might know (and I’ll daring all phrases associated to YHWH):

Then Moses stated to God, “If I come to the individuals of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has despatched me to you,’ and so they ask me, ‘What’s his title?’ what shall I say to them?”

God stated to Moses, “I’m who I’m.”

And he stated, “Say this to the individuals of Israel: ‘I’m has despatched me to you.’”

God additionally stated to Moses, “Say this to the individuals of Israel: ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has despatched me to you.’ That is my title endlessly, and thus I’m to be remembered all through all generations.” (Exod 3:13–15 ESV)

The primary three cases of “I’m” on this passage are types of the Hebrew phrase “to be.” Technically, they’re “Qal imperfects,” however even when you’ve got no thought what which means, you possibly can run a search in Logos for this exact type of the verb, and also you’ll see how it’s often translated. I’ll daring it once more:

“I will likely be together with your mouth and educate you what you shall communicate.” (Exod 4:12 ESV)

And the Lord commissioned Joshua the son of Nun and stated, “Be sturdy and brave, for you shall convey the individuals of Israel into the land that I swore to offer them. I will likely be with you.” (Deut 31:23 ESV)

And the Lord stated to him, “However I will likely be with you, and also you shall strike the Midianites as one man.” (Judg 6:16 ESV)

Usually, then, this verb type utilized in God’s well-known “I’m who I’m” assertion to Moses is translated in first-person future tense as “I will likely be.”

The ultimate bolded phrases in that Exodus 3 passage above—“the LORD”—translate a correct noun that’s clearly based mostly on the Hebrew phrase for “to be.” Exodus 3 is the important thing passage telling us what Yahweh means.

This key paragraph in Exodus 3 has occasioned a lot dialogue, in fact, however one view on the interaction of those YHWH phrases is reaching consensus. Let me share a quote on the view earlier than I let you know who stated it:

God in his dialog with Moses in Exodus 3 speaks the way in which he does—“I AM WHO I AM”—to be able to attributes divine glory to himself alone. This odd alternative of phrases tells us that God is self-existent and due to this fact everlasting. He’s the one who (alone!) offers being and existence to each different creature who has these issues. And when he describes himself to Moses, he speaks of himself in methods nobody else can share. He claims an eternality that’s his alone, so that he could also be honored in accordance with his dignity.

And due to this fact, instantly after his startling self-description in Exodus 3:13–14, and opposite to Hebrew grammatical utilization, he makes use of in 3:15 the identical verb within the first particular person—however this time as a substantive, a noun: Yahweh, “the LORD.” And he attaches to this noun a verb within the third particular person: “The LORD … has despatched me to you.”

I expanded and clarified and modernized a bit, however these are basically the phrases of Reformation-era exegetical superhero John Calvin in his glorious commentaries. This consensus view of the which means of Yahweh, then, is not less than 5 centuries outdated. And in case you didn’t fairly comply with all that Calvin stated, I urge you to return by way of it. Then choose up an excellent examine Bible just like the ESV Examine Bible or the NIV Biblical Theology Examine Bible or—a private favourite—the NET Bible, and browse fastidiously the notes on Exodus 3:13–15. Then graduate to extra commentaries. Then maybe choose up some systematic theologies that make use of Exodus 3 of their discussions of the doctrine of God.

I used to be in a position to piece most of this collectively earlier than I knew any Hebrew. God is evident even in translation that there’s a purposeful relationship of which means between “I AM” and “the LORD.” So although “LORD” primarily refers, it additionally reminds. On occasion, whenever you see “the LORD” referring to—naming—the one true God in Scripture, you need to bear in mind Exodus 3 and the declare inside God’s title to everlasting impartial self-existence.

Israel within the outdated covenant and the church within the new is wedded to, chosen by, beloved and saved by, a God who doesn’t want us—however who “will likely be” with us as our God (Jer 11:4; Matt 28:20; Rev 21:3). There’s tantalizing thriller and profound reality within the title Yahweh.

Totally different Bible translations & YHWH

An instructional be aware, after which a warning: A number of Bible translations do transliterate the Tetragrammaton slightly than translate it. They mimic the sounds of Hebrew utilizing English letters, utilizing “Yahweh” slightly than “the LORD.” The current Legacy Commonplace Bible does this, as did the Holman Christian Commonplace Bible. Right here’s a random instance from the LSB:

Now will probably be that within the final days
The mountain of the home of Yahweh
Might be established as the top of the mountains,
And will likely be lifted up above the hills,
And the peoples will stream to it. (Mic 4:1)

I like this, however I don’t find it irresistible. I respect it, however I don’t want it. And right here’s my warning: Don’t fall prey to any get together spirit (or advertising and marketing copy) that claims, We now have misplaced the divine title, and the one option to restore it’s to make use of it, each in Bible translation and in our worship—like our group does. We now have rescued God’s title from obscurity, and we pity the benighted Christians who haven’t but been enlightened by our perception.

I’ve what I consider to be a pleasant, knock-down argument towards this mind-set: Jesus may have used the phrase Yahweh himself, however didn’t. Within the New Testomony, he and the apostles constantly translated Yahweh after they quoted the Previous Testomony slightly than transliterating it. They weren’t fussy about its use. Yahweh happens by no means within the pages of the Greek New Testomony. As an alternative, we discover constantly the phrase κύριος (kurios), the Greek for “Lord.” If Jesus used “Lord” to talk and check with his Father, certainly it’s no sin for us to comply with swimsuit.

Jehovah & superstitious remedy of the divine title

And now a bonus warning.

Hebrew specialists with a much better really feel for the language than my very own don’t appear to agree unanimously on which vowels must go contained in the Tetragrammaton. Yahweh is, once more, the most well-liked educated guess, and it has successfully turn out to be an English phrase amongst educated Christians. However God let the right/unique/most popular pronunciation of his title be misplaced to historical past—so perhaps we don’t have to be fussy about it. We actually don’t have to be superstitious or fractious or bumptious about it.

Bonus bonus warning: Jehovah is a colossal, unrepealable European mistake. It apparently arose when medieval readers (?) of the Hebrew Bible misunderstood the Jewish scribes’ scrupulous customized of interpolating the vowels of adonai into the consonants of yhwh. “Jehovah” has since turn out to be, by widespread utilization, one of many methods to pronounce “Yahweh,” so I don’t thoughts singing at church, “Information Me, O Thou Nice Jehovah.” Let’s not get fussy about one thing God selected to not reveal with full readability. However I actually wouldn’t make “restoration” of this title the linchpin of an Arian revival motion (let the reader perceive).

2. What are the names of God & their meanings?

In contrast with Yahweh, the opposite “names” of God within the Bible are much less like names and extra like titles.

Listed here are the highest ten different “names”—or titles, or name-like descriptions—of the God of Scripture, with transient and introductory feedback relating to every.

1. God will get used as a reputation and a title in each testaments. “God” is the commonest approach the New Testomony refers back to the one “with whom we’ve to do” (Heb 4:13 KJV). The phrase “God” in Hebrew is, fascinatingly, grammatically plural—although it happens with singular verbs. Anybody working by way of the examine of God’s names has to face the query of whether or not and the way this grammatical oddity is perhaps important. I’ve argued that this oddity is not important, however you might do your personal examine and select to vary.
2. Lord God (יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים, Yahweh Elohim) is a approach of mixing the cosmic and generic creator “God” with the covenantal and private Yahweh.
3. Likewise, Lord God—this time rendering the Hebrew אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה (Adonai Yahweh)—combines the generic “God” with the popularity of God’s authority in adonai, which means “lord” or “grasp.”
4. Lord of Hosts is an archaic approach of claiming what the Hebrew Yahweh sabaoth actually means: “Lord of Armies.” And he’s that. He’s Lord of armies of angels, not less than. And the “hosts of heaven” we name the celebrities additionally battle for Yahweh (see Judg 5:20).
5. The easy phrase Lord, in Hebrew adonai (which has itself turn out to be an English phrase amongst Christians who know the reward songs that use it), makes use of a standard title historic peoples gave to their earthly authorities to ascribe authority to God. Adonai isn’t used solely of God within the Previous Testomony, but in addition of mere people (Gen 42:10).
6. Lord God of Israel hyperlinks the creator God to a really particular individuals in actual historical past (Exod 32:37) with out limiting his divine authority to that specific group (Gen 12:3).
7. Most Excessive makes clear what any reader of the Bible is aware of from the very first web page (Gen 14:18).
8. Almighty (אֵל שַׁדַּי, El Shaddai; Gen 17:1 and lots of different passages) is a theological declare if there ever was one, a boast that isn’t a boast solely as a result of it’s completely true.
9. Holy Considered one of Israel (2 Kgs 19:22 and lots of different passages) once more ties the transcendent God to the very immanent individuals of God.
10. Grasp (δεσπότης) is a New Testomony approach of referring to the divine with a standard earthly title, one used for divine (Luke 2:29) and earthly (1 Tim 6:1) holders of it.

I may make this checklist longer. There are additionally names particular to the Father, Son, and Spirit (certainly, “Father” and “Son” and “Spirit” are a very powerful). I’ll now current a number of for the Son and Spirit.

See Logos’s Names of God interactive for an inventory of names and a bunch of handy hyperlinks to extra data. Begin a free trial!

Names for the Son

• The Son calls himself Son of Man, which, like the following title, is a reference to the Son as incarnated, dwelling in human flesh as true man (see Matt 9:6).
• The Son is Emmanuel, which is definitely known as a “title” in Matthew 1:23. This is without doubt one of the comparatively few phrases in Scripture whose which means comes straight from its etymology: It’s a mixture of the Hebrew phrases for the “with-us-God” (im–manu–el).
• The Son is Christ (John 4:25) or Messiah (John 1:41). Christ is just the Greek translation of the phrase מָשִׁיחַ (mashiach) in Hebrew, from which we get messiah: each imply “the anointed one.” Christ’s anointing makes him match to inherit the throne of his father David and to sit down on David’s throne endlessly, in achievement of the Davidic covenant of two Samuel 7.
• The Son, certainly, is Son of David a messianic title used particularly by Jews who cry out to Jesus in reward or supplication within the Gospel of Matthew.
• Individuals who knew Jesus on earth known as him Grasp (2 Pet 2:1) or Instructor (Matt 8:19) or Rabbi (John 3:2)—or, certainly, Lord (too many passages to checklist—however see determine under).

Names for the Spirit

• The Spirit is named a helper or advocate. In Greek, that is παράκλητος (John 14:16; 15:26; 16:7), and this has turn out to be a uncommon however identified English phrase, Paraclete. This phrase calls up the Spirit’s function in comforting and coming alongside believers in Christ.
• The Spirit is named the Spirit of God (Gen 1:2; 1 Cor 7:20), the Spirit of holiness (Rom 1:4), and even the Spirit of Christ (Rom 8:9; 1 Pet 1:11).

Every of those “names” capabilities much less like a reputation than like one thing else. Certainly it’s tough to name these “names.” Titles, perhaps? Descriptive titles? Or we will sound fancy and name them “appellations.”

Descriptive “names” of God

There are additionally artistic or descriptive “names” of God—and most of the people looking for “the names of God” on the web most likely count on to listen to about these. These, too, are extra descriptions than they’re names.

• God of seeing interprets אֵל רֳאִי (El-Roi)—in actual fact, the Frequent English Bible makes use of “El-Roi” the place most different translations use “God of seeing” (Gen 16:13). Hagar names God this when God sees her want in a time of misery.
• God of offering interprets the very related יְהוָה יִרְאֶה (Yaweh-jireh) in Genesis 22:14, from a passage wherein Abraham “names” God as supplier for offering a sacrificial ram on the dramatic sacrifice of Isaac.
• Eternal God is a title/title that seems 3 times in Scripture, twice within the Previous Testomony and as soon as within the New (Gen 21:33; Isa 40:28; Rom 16:26). Its which means is self-evident.
• The dwelling God seems about thirty occasions in Scripture. Because the UBS Handbook on Deuteronomy says, “This title contrasts Yahweh with the gods of different peoples, gods who have been powerless, lifeless, lifeless idols. A translation might convey this out by translating ‘The one dwelling God.’ This contrasts nicely with human ‘flesh,’ mortal humankind.” A lot as calling Lebron James “the King” not-so-subtly demotes all different basketball gamers to his vassals, so “the dwelling God” is an insult to all different very-lower-case-g “gods.”

3. So what?

Why does realizing the which means of YHWH and the opposite names of God—Father, Son, and Spirit—matter for Christians right now?

I want it weren’t so, however some data of the fundamentals of God’s names in Hebrew and Greek appear to be as useful for inoculating Bible readers towards error as it’s for instructing them reality. That’s, numerous believers all through time have spoken to God and about God with no data of the unique languages of Scripture, and due to this fact no data of the Hebrew phrase Yahweh or the Greek phrase kurios. And the Bible itself, particularly Jesus and the apostles within the New Testomony, don’t appear to be fussy about what title is used for God—however as a substitute are insistent primarily on his character, plan, and mighty acts. His names are entries on an inventory, mere bones, with out the flesh of the narrative(s) of Scripture.

Figuring out God’s names in Hebrew and Greek most likely received’t deepen your private worship and prayer life, since you’ll most likely maintain referring to him with the phrases your language makes use of—Lord, Señor, l’Éternel, Bathroom, and so forth.—even after studying that his “actual title” is Yahweh. And I see nothing fallacious with that. The Holy Considered one of Israel informed Israel’s (Jacob’s) grandfather that he needed to bless all of the households of the earth by way of the holy Abrahamic seed. And he gave no directions to guarantee that Yahweh remained his title amongst all these households. We don’t even know easy methods to spell it.

I see two main theological values in realizing the fundamentals about God’s title:

1. Figuring out the which means of God’s title means getting all-important revelation within the realm of what systematic theologians name “theology correct,” the theology of God himself. Concretely: God is self-existent and everlasting, and he reveals these details within the midst of a really a lot in-time and over-time relationship along with his chosen individuals. However let me attempt briefly to restate my considerations from earlier: Should you may have solely the which means of God’s title or the descriptions of his mighty acts in Scripture, I believe you need to select the latter. To have solely the previous is to have a philological puzzle and some bullet factors in a scientific theology textbook. To have the latter is to know God.
2. A essential as it’s to attach the sacrificial lambs of the Previous Testomony economic system to the once-for-all sacrificial Lamb of the New Testomony, it is very important know that Jesus permits himself to be known as “the LORD,” figuring out himself with the God of the Previous Testomony. When John comes to organize the way in which for Jesus, he prepares “the way in which of the Lord”—κύριος in Greek (Matt 3:3), quoting Yahweh in Hebrew (Isa 40:3). Probably the most basic Christian confession, “Christ is Lord” (Phil 2:11), is a wealthy theological declare that Jesus isn’t merely the achievement of the guarantees of the primary three quarters of the Bible, however is himself the creator God.

Get these two factors, and I believe you get a very powerful contribution that understanding the title of God gives you. In fact, nonetheless, neat bullet factors made about everlasting self-existent beings threaten to be too tidy. The class “names of God” bleeds over into “biblical descriptions of God.” There’s certainly extra to find in learning these divine names, due to this fact. And I encourage you to attempt.

Assets for exploring the names of God

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