What does Yahweh mean in Hebrew?
Many scholars believe that the most proper meaning may be “He Brings into Existence Whatever Exists” (Yahweh-Asher-Yahweh). In I Samuel, God is known by the name Yahweh Teva-ʿot, or “He Brings the Hosts into Existence,” in which “Hosts” possibly refers to the heavenly court or to Israel.
Indeed, by that name God does bring salvation, but not just for Herman. It is no coincidence that Jesus' name is Yeshua, Hebrew for “Yahweh Saves.” And with that name, Jesus declared that He is also Yahweh Elohim Yeshua. In a divinely timed exchange with Peter, He asked a simply question, “Who do you say I am?”
Jehovah (/dʒɪˈhoʊvə/) is a Latinization of the Hebrew יְהֹוָה Yəhōwā, one vocalization of the Tetragrammaton יהוה (YHWH), the proper name of the God of Israel in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. The Tetragrammaton יהוה is considered one of the seven names of God in Judaism and the personal name of God in Christianity.
To understand how “Lord” came to be used as a translation of Yahweh, some attention must be given to the Greek word kyrios, one of whose meanings is “lord.” This is the standard word for Yahweh (“Lord”) in the Septuagint (the ancient pre-Christian Greek translation of the Old Testament) and in the New Testament.
Observant Jews and those who follow Talmudic Jewish traditions do not pronounce יהוה nor do they read aloud proposed transcription forms such as Yahweh or Yehovah; instead they replace it with a different term, whether in addressing or referring to the God of Israel.
Jesus' name in Hebrew was “Yeshua” which translates to English as Joshua.
The God of the Jews
In any case, many scholars agree that Yhwh became the main god of the Jews only after the destruction of the kingdom of Israel by the Assyrians, around 720 BCE.
The Name YHWH. God's name in the Hebrew Bible is sometimes elohim, “God.” But in the vast majority of cases, God has another name: YHWH.
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”).
Known as the "Tetragrammaton", the four Hebrew letters יהוה which are transliterated into the Latin alphabet as YHWH (or IHVH, JHVH, or YHVH).
Do Catholics use the term Yahweh?
To understand the Vatican directive reiterating that the name of God revealed in the tetragrammaton YHWH is not to be pronounced in Catholic liturgy, it helps to know the history behind the Jewish tradition, says a biblical expert.
The early Israelites were polytheistic and worshipped Yahweh alongside a variety of Canaanite gods and goddesses, including El, Asherah and Baal.
Definitions of YHWH. a name for the God of the Old Testament as transliterated from the Hebrew consonants YHVH. synonyms: JHVH, Jahvey, Jahweh, Jehovah, Wahvey, YHVH, Yahve, Yahveh, Yahwe, Yahweh. example of: God, Supreme Being.
Jesus, which is the name used by most English-speaking people today, is an English transliteration of a Germanic adaptation, of a Latin transliteration, of a Greek transliteration of an originally Hebrew name, that is simply Yeshua. This is a fact.
In Luke 1, the archangel Gabriel tells Mary (or Miriam) to name her son Yeshua, meaning “salvation.” An angel also tells Joseph, “you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” (Matt 1:21-22) Much like other Hebrew names, it was His calling and destiny from the beginning.
However, both the Western and Eastern Syriac Christian traditions use the Aramaic name ܝܫܘܥ (in Hebrew script: ישוע) Yeshuʿ and Yishoʿ, respectively, including the ʿayin.
The organization describes itself as follows: "In 1979, Yahweh Ben Yahweh came to Miami and became the Spiritual Leader and Founder of The Nation of Yahweh. Although he took a vow of poverty, in seven years he guided The Nation to amass a $250,000,000 empire.
In northern sources, “the baal” refers to the Phoenician storm deity introduced by the Omrides—likely understood by them to be a form of Yahweh but a figure rejected by the prophets as foreign. The related term, “the baals”, is used separately in the DH as a collective for gods of which the Deuteronomist disapproved.
Though Muslims and Christians can describe Allah and Yahweh in similar ways at times, they are not the same god.
The essential uses of the name of God the Father in the New Testament are Theos (θεός the Greek term for God), Kyrios (i.e. Lord in Greek) and Patēr (πατήρ i.e. Father in Greek). The Aramaic word "Abba" (אבא), meaning "Father" is used by Jesus in Mark 14:36 and also appears in Romans 8:15 and Galatians 4:6.
Which Bible translation is Yahweh?
Some Bible versions, such as the Jerusalem Bible, employ the name Yahweh, a transliteration of the Hebrew tetragrammaton (YHWH), in the English text of the Old Testament, where traditional English versions have LORD.
Towards the end of the Babylonian captivity, the very existence of foreign gods was denied, and Yahweh was proclaimed as the creator of the cosmos and the one true God of all the world, giving birth to Judaism, which has c. 14–15 million adherents today.
Though Muslims and Christians can describe Allah and Yahweh in similar ways at times, they are not the same god.
In response, Hagar becomes the only character in the Bible to name God: El Roi, “the God who sees me” (Genesis 16:13). Fast forward to our story in Genesis 21, and Hagar is sent away a second time to die in the wilderness, this time with her young child, Ishmael.
To understand the Vatican directive reiterating that the name of God revealed in the tetragrammaton YHWH is not to be pronounced in Catholic liturgy, it helps to know the history behind the Jewish tradition, says a biblical expert.
All modern denominations of Judaism teach that the four letter name of God, YHWH, is forbidden to be uttered except by the High Priest, in the Temple. Since the Temple in Jerusalem no longer exists, this name is never said in religious rituals by Jews. Orthodox and Conservative Jews never pronounce it for any reason.