The "shapes" above on the header are the Hebrew letters Y H W H (or Y H V H)... which are the letters representing the name of GOD (Elohiym), which most people pronounce as "Yahweh" or "Yahveh" {Some say they are Y H U H and are pronounced "Yah-oo-ah"}. The letters are (written from right to left) Yod, Hey, Waw/Vav, and Hey... these are the letters that are written in the Hebrew text, which is the text that was used to translate part of the the English Bible-- what is called by Christians the "Old Testament". The translators translated those Hebrew letters (Y H W H) into the word "LORD" in English. LORD is not a name, but a title. YHWH (YaHWeH) is a name... and has a meaning (He Who Exists).
*Explaination of YHWH
I will try to explain 'why' I choose to speak YaHWeH ....
The English word "God" is not a name: it is really a broad or generic term used to refer to the "higher power" one 'believes' in-- or believes to exist. Although most would recognize this term to refer to the "God" of the Jewish Bible (Tanach) or the Christian Bible, it is still a word that encompasses "all" gods or "powers" of all religions/beliefs. It is a very non-specific, general word that does not distinguish any particular 'god'... "everyone" (apart from true athesists, if there are any) believes in some "god", and the only way to acurately determine "which" god is being refered to is to speak the name of the god-- otherwise one can only assume.
I don't want to refer to THE ONLY TRUE LIVING "GOD" by a loose generic word or term that could fit any (false) god. I don't want to leave any room for any other thought of "Whom" I am refering to. I want to distinguish and specify The "GOD" I'm talking about... HE is the Almighty Creator of all things, Who revealed Himself to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob... and He has a name... Yod-Hey-Wah/Vah-Hey (the symbols above) in the Hebrew alephbet--which may probably be pronounced" YaHWeH" (at least that is my understanding at this point).
*It is not my intent to bring offense OR controversy to anyone over this matter, and I do still say God when I speak to people who have never considered saying anything else--to keep down on confusion within our conversation... however, to me personally, it is very important to speak what I have learned...so I do :)
The English word "God" is not a name: it is really a broad or generic term used to refer to the "higher power" one 'believes' in-- or believes to exist. Although most would recognize this term to refer to the "God" of the Jewish Bible (Tanach) or the Christian Bible, it is still a word that encompasses "all" gods or "powers" of all religions/beliefs. It is a very non-specific, general word that does not distinguish any particular 'god'... "everyone" (apart from true athesists, if there are any) believes in some "god", and the only way to acurately determine "which" god is being refered to is to speak the name of the god-- otherwise one can only assume.
I don't want to refer to THE ONLY TRUE LIVING "GOD" by a loose generic word or term that could fit any (false) god. I don't want to leave any room for any other thought of "Whom" I am refering to. I want to distinguish and specify The "GOD" I'm talking about... HE is the Almighty Creator of all things, Who revealed Himself to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob... and He has a name... Yod-Hey-Wah/Vah-Hey (the symbols above) in the Hebrew alephbet--which may probably be pronounced" YaHWeH" (at least that is my understanding at this point).
*It is not my intent to bring offense OR controversy to anyone over this matter, and I do still say God when I speak to people who have never considered saying anything else--to keep down on confusion within our conversation... however, to me personally, it is very important to speak what I have learned...so I do :)
This Is My Name
A teaching by Jeff A. Benner
www.ancient-hebrew.org
www.ancient-hebrew.org
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"The Names of God- a Jewish perspective"
*This is a post I found VERY INTERESTING on another website... I wanted to share it here. The original website is: www.sinai6000.net . It is under the "OPINION" category.
Posted by Admi1@S6K on October 20, 2012 in "Opinion"
Posted by Admi1@S6K on October 20, 2012 in "Opinion"
[This article was sent in by VAN@S6K; source: mordochai.tripod.com/biblical. It presents a different view from what we have so far understood about saying and writing the tetragrammaton; our stand has been --- how can God's Name ever be known if people don't ever hear it or ever see it on print. Some among us have reservations about this S6K stand; nevertheless, we feel strongly that the TRUE NAME must be declared so people can distinguish the God of Israel from the God they know and worship. Name is identity and character and attributes---it distinguishes one from all others. The terms "god" and "Lord" are generic titles, applicable to all other gods such as Ba'al, Molech, Ishtar, Vishnu, etc. We are posting this Jewish perspective in the interest of balance, because we believe in presenting all sides of any issue, even if it counters our own. Our position is similar to that by a "Hebrew" website; please check out
http://hearoyisrael.net/hisname/hidden-name.htm.]
THE NAMES OF GOD
by Prof. Mordochai ben-Tziyyon, Universitah Ha’ivrit, Y’rushalayim
The two principal “Names”:
Elohim
God is called by many ”names” in the Scriptures. For example, throughout the “Creation” chapter of B’réshit,
Does God actually have a “Name”?
The answer to this question may surprise you--No, He doesn’t!
Think about it: we human beings need names to distinguish us from each other: a mother with several children needs to have a different name for each of them so if she calls one, the one being called knows he/she is wanted. But God is unique, the Only One of His “Kind”, so He does not need a “Name” to distinguish Him from any “other”—there simply aren’t any others.
Many christians will point to the conversation God had with Mosheh at the “Burning Bush”, claiming that He stated His “Name” was “I AM”—and some even refer to Him as “THE I AM”. This is totally absurd and shows a complete ignorance of Hebrew language and grammar, because Hebrew does not even have a word for “am”. The passage (Sh’mot 3:13-14) reads as follows--
Nonetheless, the limitations of human language make it necessary for some kind of “designation” or “title” to
be used in the written text of the Scriptures to refer to God where He features in the narrative, and it is for this purpose alone that the two principal “Names” I have been discussing here (and also several others that occur much less frequently) appear in the text.
Are we allowed to use the Four-Lettered “Name”?
This is a vexed and very contentious question: it is widely known that Hebrews never pronounce the Four-Lettered “Name”, but many christians sneer at the Hebrew attitude and some (especially the members of one particular crackpot christian sect) make a point of insisting on using their own made-up versions of how they claim it “should” be pronounced.
One absurd assertion that is continually thrown at me is that “the ancient Hebrews used the ‘Name’ ALL THE TIME”. To those who make this claim, I say: HOW DO YOU KNOW? Those who say this can never adduce one shred of evidence to support it, and yet they are so insistent about the matter; but it is not enough simply to repeat the claim ever more loudly: if they are so sure, let them demonstrate where they get this “knowledge” from, and what makes them so sure about it. I am constantly amazed by the arrogance of christians who think they know more about our culture and history than we do!
So, first of all, why don’t Hebrews ever pronounce this most sacred of Divine “Names”? Contrary to popular belief,
this is not connected in any way with the so-called “third commandment”, which forbids “taking Adonai‘s ‘Name’ vainly”. That commandment is actually a prohibition against swearing oaths falsely using Adonai‘s “Name”, or swearing unnecessary or pointless oaths (such as swearing an oath to do something that you must do anyway, even without swearing an oath).
There are several reasons why Hebrews never attempt to pronounce the Four-Lettered “Name”.
There is more to this issue than just that, though. A most unfortunate incident is recorded in Vayikra 24:10-12--
וַיֵּצֵא בֶּן אִשָּׁה יִשְׂרְאֵלִית, וְהוּ
בֶּן אִישׁ מִצְרִי, בְּתוֹךְ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל; וַיִּנָּצוּ בַּמַּחֲנֶה בֶּן
הַיִּשְׂרְאֵלִית וְאִישׁ הַיִּשְׂרְאֵלִי. וַיִּקֹּב בֶּן הָאִשָּׁה
הַיִּשְׂרְאֵלִית אֶת הַשֵּׁם וַיְקַלֵּל; וַיָּבִיאוּ אֹתוֹ אֶל מֹשֶׁה…
וַיַּנִּיחֻהוּ בַּמִּשְׁמָר, לִפְרֹשׁ לָהֶם עַל פִּי ה’.
vayétzé ben ishah
yis’r'élit--v’hu ben ish mitz’ri--b’toch b’nei yisra’el;
vayinnatzu bamahaneh ben
hayis’r'élit v’ish ayis’r'éli. vayikkov ben ishah hayis’r'élit et hashem
vay’kallel, vayavi’u oto el mosheh… vayannihuhu
bamish’mar, lif’rosh lahem al pi adonai.
The son of a certain Yisraelite woman (who was the son of an Egyptian man) went out among the Yisraelites; and this son of a Yisraelite woman got into a fight in the camp with a Yisraelite man. Then the son of the Yisraelite woman spoke “The Name”, and cursed It—so they brought him to Mosheh… and he was confined in detention, until the matter could be clarified for them from Adonai’s Mouth.
The sentence passed on the “son of the Yisraelite woman” was severe (Vayikra 24:13-16)--
וַיְדַבֵּר ה’ אֶל מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר: הוֹצֵא
אֶת הַמְקַלֵּל אֶל מִחוּץ לַמַּחֲנֶה, וְסָמְכוּ כָל הַשֹּׁמְעִים אֶת יְדֵיהֶם
עַל רֹאשׁוֹ; וְרָגְמוּ אֹתוֹ כָּל הָעֵדָה. וְאֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל תְּדַבֵּר
לֵאמֹר: אִישׁ אִישׁ כִּי יְקַלֵּל אֱלֹהָיו, וְנָשָׂא חֶטְאוֹ, וְנֹקֵב שֵׁם ה’
מוֹת יוּמָת, רָגוֹם יִרְגְּמוּ בוֹ כָּל הָעֵדָה, כַּגֵּר כָּאֶזְרָח, בְּנָקְבוֹ
שֵׁם יוּמָת.
vay’dabber adonai el
mosheh lémor, “hotzé et ham’kallel el mihutz
lamahaneh
v’sam’chu kol
hashom’im et y’deihem al rosho, v’tagmu oto kol ha’édah; v’el b’nei yisra’el
t’dabber lémor: ish ish ki y’kallel elohav v’nasahet’o,
v’nokev shem XXXX mot yumat--ragom yirg’mu bo kol ha’édah--kagér
ka’ezrah--b’nok’vo shém
yumat.”
Adonai spoke to Mosheh and said, “Take the one who cursed outside the camp and have every one who heard him press their hands onto his head; then the entire community is to execute him. And tell the Yisraelites this: Any man who curses his Elohim commits an unforgivable sin; and anyone who speaks the Four-Lettered Name must be put to death—the entire community is to execute him—the same applies to a foreigner as to a citizen—he must die for speaking the Name.”
The “son of the Yisraelite woman”—whose name is not recorded, although his mother’s name (Sh’lomit daughter of
Div’ri, from the tribe Dan) is—actually committed two offences:
(1) he spoke the
Four-Lettered “Name”, and
(2) he cursed
it. He was executed for the first of these.
The sin of “cursing God” (verse 15) is so serious that no “atonement” is possible for it: the person committing a sin of
such seriousness must “bear his guilt”, i.e. it remains with him for the remainder of his life, and is dealt with by God Himself after the person’s death.
I should mention that those christians I referred to earlier, who think it is smart to be so disrespectful as to address or refer to God using His Four-Lettered “Name”, argue about the meaning of the verb nakav that is used in verses 11 and 16 and claim it means to “blaspheme”—even though not one of them actually speaks any Hebrew. And their “bibles” translate it as “blaspheme”, too--but only in this chapter. It’s a very strange thing that they do not translate this verb as “blaspheme” in any of the other places where it is used in Scripture: for example, they do not have “And he said, Blaspheme to me thy wages, and I will give it” in B’réshit 30:28, or ”And Moses and Aaron took these men which are blasphemed by their names” in B’midbar 1:17, or “And the gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall blaspheme“ in Y’shayahu 62:2, even though all three of those verses use exactly the SAME verb.
In the final analysis, when so much is at stake, is it really worth taking a chance of being wrong? Wouldn’t it be the smarter course of action to err on the side of caution? Ah, those christians say, but God repeatedly talks about wanting His “Name”
publicised and made known throughout the World! Well yes, He does say things like that—but what they are forgetting is that the word name has more than one meaning. When one speaks of a person “making a name for himself”, name means fame, or a reputation, and the Hebrew word shém can also have this meaning too. Doesn’t it make a lot more sense for God to want all people in the World to know about Him and all the amazing things He has done, rather than wanting them to know the group of four letters that is used as a “Name” for Him in the Hebrew Scriptures? I think it does.
The bottom line is this: is it really worth the risk of being wrong about this? There is no direct command anywhere that the “Name” must be used, so one loses nothing by not doing it. On the other hand, just suppose that we Hebrews have been right all along, and God really does not want any human being to ever speak His “Name”—why take the chance of committing such a grievous sin? The sensible man will always err on the side of caution, especially when infringement may lead to the Death Penalty. There are many examples of Hebrew Law erring on the side of caution, the most obvious being the times that shabbat and the holy days begin and end: the Torah says only that they are to be celebrated mé’erev ad erev, “from evening until evening” (Vayikra 23:32)—but does “evening” mean sunset (when twilight begins) or full darkness (when twilight ends)? The answer is that we just don’t know, so we err on the side of caution and shabbat and the holy
days begin at sunset, but do not end until full darkness arrives the following night.
One final word: it is only speaking the Four-Lettered “Name” that is forbidden by the Torah, but there are very good reasons for not writing it either. For one thing, a person who makes a habit of writing it freely will become so accustomed to using it
that he may very well speak it without thinking, even if he doesn’t mean to—and remember how serious a matter it is. But perhaps even more serious are the possible consequences of writing it… what will become the eventual fate of the piece of paper it is written on? Most likely, it will end up in the garbage—and what greater insult to God could there be than for His Sacred “Name” to be lying among all the refuse and the filth? If we truly honour and respect Him, we should want to take great care to make sure such a terrible thing does not ever happen, and cannot ever happen.
We can make sure of this by never writing the Four-Lettered Name on any paper, for any reason.
http://hearoyisrael.net/hisname/hidden-name.htm.]
THE NAMES OF GOD
by Prof. Mordochai ben-Tziyyon, Universitah Ha’ivrit, Y’rushalayim
The two principal “Names”:
Elohim
- and
Adonai
God is called by many ”names” in the Scriptures. For example, throughout the “Creation” chapter of B’réshit,
- the Creator is called Elohim,
- usually translated as simply “God”.
- usually translated as simply “God”.
- Elohim is by far the most common
“Name” used for God in the twenty-four Books of the Scriptures
- and occurs more than four times as
frequently as the Four-Lettered “Name”, - often prefixed by the definite article:
ha‘elohim (“the
God”).
- and occurs more than four times as
- The word elohim is grammatically
the plural form of elo’ah, a “god”.
- It is also used in the sense of “gods”,
- frequently with the adjective ahérim (“other”), i.e.elohim
ahérim, “other gods”—that
is to say, other false gods, or idols (and note that an “idol”
does not have to be a sculpture or a statue—the English word
idol is derived from the Latin idolum, itself borrowed from
the Greek eidolon, a “phantom”). - It is almost always immediately obvious
from the context whether a specific instance of the word elohim is
being used as a “Name” for God (treated grammatically as a singular “proper
noun”), or as denoting “idols” (an ordinary plural “common
noun”).
- It is also used in the sense of “gods”,
- The word elohim is also used in
the Scriptures in a third sense: there are many examples of this, but I
shall present just one here.
- Sh’mot 22:6-7 deals with
the situation that arises if “A” gives money, or goods, to “B” for safe-keeping,
and they are stolen while still in B’s possession. The Torah prescribes
that, if the thief is not caught, B must appear before the judges in a
Court of Law, and must swear on oath that he has not misappropriated B’s money
or goods, as the case may be--
- כִּי יִתֵּן אִישׁ אֶל רֵעֵהוּ כֶּסֶף אוֹ כֵלִים לִשְׁמֹר, וְגֻנַּב מִבֵּית
הָאִישׁ… אִם לֹא יִמָּצֵא הַגַּנָּב, וְנִקְרַב בַּעַל הַבַּיִת אֶל הָאֱלֹהִים
אִם לֹא שָׁלַח יָדוֹ בִּמְלֶאכֶת רֵעֵהוּ. - ki yittén ish el ré’éhu kesef o kélim lish’mor, v’gunnav mibeit ha’ish…
im lo yimmatzé haganav, v’nikrav ba’al habayit el ha’elohim, im
lo shalah yado bim’le’chet ré’éhu.. - “If A gives money or goods to B for safe-keeping, and they are stolen
from B’s house… if the thief is not caught, then B shall appear before
the judges [and swear an oath] that he has not laid his hand on A’s
property…” - In this connection, it is appropriate to mention one particular passage
in B’réshit that has probably given rise to more misunderstandings than
any other passage in that entire book, namely verses 1-4 of chapter 6--
- וַיְהִי כִּי הֵחֵל הָאָדָם לָרֹב עַל פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה וּבָנוֹת יֻלְּדוּ
לָהֶם, וַיִּרְאוּ בְנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים אֶת בְּנוֹת הָאָדָם כִּי טֹבֹת הֵנָּה,
וַיִּקְחוּ לָהֶם נָשִׁים מִכֹּל אֲשֶׁר בָּחָרוּ. וַיֹּאמֶר ה’, “לֹא יָדוֹן
רוּחִי בָאָדָם לְעֹלָם, בְּשַׁגַּם הוּא בָשָׂר; וְהָיוּ יָמָיו מֵאָה וְעֶשְׂרִים
שָׁנָה”… (הַנְּפִלִים הָיוּ בָאָרֶץ בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם, וְגַם אַחֲרֵי כֵן)… אֲשֶׁר
יָבֹאוּ בְּנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים אֶל בְּנוֹת הָאָדָם וְיָלְדוּ לָהֶם: הֵמָּה
הַגִּבֹּרִים אֲשֶׁר מֵעוֹלָם, אַנְשֵׁי הַשֵּׁם. - vay’hi ki héhél ha’adam larov al p’nei ha’adamah uvanot yull’du
lahem, vayir’u b’nei ha’elohim et b’not ha’adam ki tovot hénah, vayik’hu lahem
nashim mikol asher baharu. vayo’mer adonai, “lo yadon ruhi ba’adam l’olam,
b’shaggam hu basar--v’hayu yamav mé’ah v’esrim shanah”. (han’filim hayu
ba’aretz bayamim hahém, v’gam aharei-chen)… asher yavo’u b’nei ha’elohim el
b’not ha’adam v’yal’du lahem, hémah hagiborim asher hayu mé’olam, anshei
hashém. - The word elohim is being used here in a very similar way to
the way it was used in the passage I mentioned previously, although here the
intended meaning is probably somewhat wider, i.e. “princes” or “rulers” rather
than merely “judges”. But in any event the general sense is connected with
rulership, authority and justice. The Divine “Name” Elohim also has the
same connotation, because it is only used in contexts where God is exercising
His “Attribute” of strict Justice.
- וַיְהִי כִּי הֵחֵל הָאָדָם לָרֹב עַל פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה וּבָנוֹת יֻלְּדוּ
- When Mankind began to increase in numbers and spread throughout the World,
daughters were born to them; and when the sons of the “elohim” saw that
the daughters of the common people were real cute, they took [by force]
whichever of them they wanted as their wives.
So Adonai said “I
will not allow My Nature to struggle within Me indefinitely because of
Mankind—after all, he is mortal—I will allow him another 120
years”.
(There were n’filim
in the world at that time, and also afterwards.)
So the sons of the
”elohim” slept with with the daughters of the common people and they gave birth
to their children—these were the famous mighty men of
old.- It is worthy of note that in verse 3 of this passage, where God
speaks, He is called by the Four-Lettered “Name” (usually read aloud as
Adonai, or “my LORD”--see below for the question of whether it is
permitted to actually use this “Name”), which is associated with God’s
Quality of “Attribute”—and in that verse, He decrees that Mankind is to be
allowed a period of 120 years to renounce their wickedness and mend their ways.
Similar usages of the two principal “Names” are found in the opening chapters of
B’réshit, where it will be seen that the whole of Creation was
performed by Elohim (strict Justice), whereas in chapter 2, where the
Creator begins His dealings with human beings, He starts to be called by the
Four-Lettered “Name” (Adonai) because His “Attribute” of Mercy now has
to come into play (since Man, being by his nature imperfect, cannot exist under
strict Justice alone)
- כִּי יִתֵּן אִישׁ אֶל רֵעֵהוּ כֶּסֶף אוֹ כֵלִים לִשְׁמֹר, וְגֻנַּב מִבֵּית
- Sh’mot 22:6-7 deals with
Does God actually have a “Name”?
The answer to this question may surprise you--No, He doesn’t!
Think about it: we human beings need names to distinguish us from each other: a mother with several children needs to have a different name for each of them so if she calls one, the one being called knows he/she is wanted. But God is unique, the Only One of His “Kind”, so He does not need a “Name” to distinguish Him from any “other”—there simply aren’t any others.
Many christians will point to the conversation God had with Mosheh at the “Burning Bush”, claiming that He stated His “Name” was “I AM”—and some even refer to Him as “THE I AM”. This is totally absurd and shows a complete ignorance of Hebrew language and grammar, because Hebrew does not even have a word for “am”. The passage (Sh’mot 3:13-14) reads as follows--
- וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה אֶל הָאֱלֹהִים, “הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי בָא אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל,
וְאָמַרְתִּי לָהֶם אֱלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵיכֶם שְׁלָחַנִי אֲלֵיכֶם, וְאָמְרוּ לִי מַה
שְּׁמוֹ–מָה אֹמַר אֲלֵהֶם?” וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים אֶל מֹשֶׁה, “אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר
אֶהְיֶה”… וַיֹּאמֶר: “כֹּה תֹאמַר לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, אֶהְיֶה שְׁלָחַנִי
אֲלֵיכֶם”. - ayo’mer mosheh el ha’elohim: “hinneh anochi ba el b’nei yisra’el
v’amarti lahem elohei avoteichem sh’lahani aleichem v’am’ru li mah
sh’mo--mah omar aléhem?” vayo’mer elohim el mosheh: “eh’yeh asher
eh’yeh”… vayo’mer: “koh to’mar el b’nei yisra’el, eh’yeh sh’lahani
aleichem”. - …then Mosheh said to the Elohim,
“When I come to the Yisraelites and I tell them ‘Your ancestors’ Elohim has sent
me to you’—what should I tell them if they ask me ‘What is His
Name’?”
Elohim answered,
“[Tell them I am the One who says] I shall be [with them when they need Me now,]
just as I shall be [with them whenever they need Me in the
future]“;
and then He
said: “Tell the Yisraelites ‘[the One who says] I shall be [with them when they
need Me now] has sent me to you’.”
- In this passage, Mosheh does not
ask the Elohim directly “What is Your Name?”, and the
Elohim does not say “My Name is… “; Mosheh seems to
have known that the Elohim does not have a “Name”, and merely asks what
he is to say if he is asked what the Elohim‘s “Name” is—and
the reply he receives is rather evasive: “Tell them I am the One who says ‘I
will be with them…’.”
- In this passage, Mosheh does not
Nonetheless, the limitations of human language make it necessary for some kind of “designation” or “title” to
be used in the written text of the Scriptures to refer to God where He features in the narrative, and it is for this purpose alone that the two principal “Names” I have been discussing here (and also several others that occur much less frequently) appear in the text.
Are we allowed to use the Four-Lettered “Name”?
This is a vexed and very contentious question: it is widely known that Hebrews never pronounce the Four-Lettered “Name”, but many christians sneer at the Hebrew attitude and some (especially the members of one particular crackpot christian sect) make a point of insisting on using their own made-up versions of how they claim it “should” be pronounced.
One absurd assertion that is continually thrown at me is that “the ancient Hebrews used the ‘Name’ ALL THE TIME”. To those who make this claim, I say: HOW DO YOU KNOW? Those who say this can never adduce one shred of evidence to support it, and yet they are so insistent about the matter; but it is not enough simply to repeat the claim ever more loudly: if they are so sure, let them demonstrate where they get this “knowledge” from, and what makes them so sure about it. I am constantly amazed by the arrogance of christians who think they know more about our culture and history than we do!
So, first of all, why don’t Hebrews ever pronounce this most sacred of Divine “Names”? Contrary to popular belief,
this is not connected in any way with the so-called “third commandment”, which forbids “taking Adonai‘s ‘Name’ vainly”. That commandment is actually a prohibition against swearing oaths falsely using Adonai‘s “Name”, or swearing unnecessary or pointless oaths (such as swearing an oath to do something that you must do anyway, even without swearing an oath).
There are several reasons why Hebrews never attempt to pronounce the Four-Lettered “Name”.
- The most obvious is that it is
impossible to pronounce it, because it consists of four
consonants only, without any vowels, and so any attempt at
pronouncing it must of necessity be an incorrect pronunciation, and
there is nothing more insulting than mispronouncing anyone’s name—do you really
want to insult God? - Another very good reason for not addressing
God by His “Name” is the matter of simple respect: do you call your parents by
their given names? Regardless of your political views, if you got to meet the
President of the United States, would you walk up to him and say, “Hi there,
George!”—or if you happened to be presented to the Queen of England, would you
call her “Lizzie”? No you would not, that would be most impolite and
disrespectful—the President of the U.S.A. is correctly addressed as “Mr
President”, and the Queen of England (or indeed any other King or Queen) should
be addessed as “Your Majesty”. So doesn’t the Creator of the Universe deserve at
least as much respect as you would show to your parents, a human president, a
human king or a human queen?
There is more to this issue than just that, though. A most unfortunate incident is recorded in Vayikra 24:10-12--
וַיֵּצֵא בֶּן אִשָּׁה יִשְׂרְאֵלִית, וְהוּ
בֶּן אִישׁ מִצְרִי, בְּתוֹךְ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל; וַיִּנָּצוּ בַּמַּחֲנֶה בֶּן
הַיִּשְׂרְאֵלִית וְאִישׁ הַיִּשְׂרְאֵלִי. וַיִּקֹּב בֶּן הָאִשָּׁה
הַיִּשְׂרְאֵלִית אֶת הַשֵּׁם וַיְקַלֵּל; וַיָּבִיאוּ אֹתוֹ אֶל מֹשֶׁה…
וַיַּנִּיחֻהוּ בַּמִּשְׁמָר, לִפְרֹשׁ לָהֶם עַל פִּי ה’.
vayétzé ben ishah
yis’r'élit--v’hu ben ish mitz’ri--b’toch b’nei yisra’el;
vayinnatzu bamahaneh ben
hayis’r'élit v’ish ayis’r'éli. vayikkov ben ishah hayis’r'élit et hashem
vay’kallel, vayavi’u oto el mosheh… vayannihuhu
bamish’mar, lif’rosh lahem al pi adonai.
The son of a certain Yisraelite woman (who was the son of an Egyptian man) went out among the Yisraelites; and this son of a Yisraelite woman got into a fight in the camp with a Yisraelite man. Then the son of the Yisraelite woman spoke “The Name”, and cursed It—so they brought him to Mosheh… and he was confined in detention, until the matter could be clarified for them from Adonai’s Mouth.
The sentence passed on the “son of the Yisraelite woman” was severe (Vayikra 24:13-16)--
וַיְדַבֵּר ה’ אֶל מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר: הוֹצֵא
אֶת הַמְקַלֵּל אֶל מִחוּץ לַמַּחֲנֶה, וְסָמְכוּ כָל הַשֹּׁמְעִים אֶת יְדֵיהֶם
עַל רֹאשׁוֹ; וְרָגְמוּ אֹתוֹ כָּל הָעֵדָה. וְאֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל תְּדַבֵּר
לֵאמֹר: אִישׁ אִישׁ כִּי יְקַלֵּל אֱלֹהָיו, וְנָשָׂא חֶטְאוֹ, וְנֹקֵב שֵׁם ה’
מוֹת יוּמָת, רָגוֹם יִרְגְּמוּ בוֹ כָּל הָעֵדָה, כַּגֵּר כָּאֶזְרָח, בְּנָקְבוֹ
שֵׁם יוּמָת.
vay’dabber adonai el
mosheh lémor, “hotzé et ham’kallel el mihutz
lamahaneh
v’sam’chu kol
hashom’im et y’deihem al rosho, v’tagmu oto kol ha’édah; v’el b’nei yisra’el
t’dabber lémor: ish ish ki y’kallel elohav v’nasahet’o,
v’nokev shem XXXX mot yumat--ragom yirg’mu bo kol ha’édah--kagér
ka’ezrah--b’nok’vo shém
yumat.”
Adonai spoke to Mosheh and said, “Take the one who cursed outside the camp and have every one who heard him press their hands onto his head; then the entire community is to execute him. And tell the Yisraelites this: Any man who curses his Elohim commits an unforgivable sin; and anyone who speaks the Four-Lettered Name must be put to death—the entire community is to execute him—the same applies to a foreigner as to a citizen—he must die for speaking the Name.”
The “son of the Yisraelite woman”—whose name is not recorded, although his mother’s name (Sh’lomit daughter of
Div’ri, from the tribe Dan) is—actually committed two offences:
(1) he spoke the
Four-Lettered “Name”, and
(2) he cursed
it. He was executed for the first of these.
The sin of “cursing God” (verse 15) is so serious that no “atonement” is possible for it: the person committing a sin of
such seriousness must “bear his guilt”, i.e. it remains with him for the remainder of his life, and is dealt with by God Himself after the person’s death.
I should mention that those christians I referred to earlier, who think it is smart to be so disrespectful as to address or refer to God using His Four-Lettered “Name”, argue about the meaning of the verb nakav that is used in verses 11 and 16 and claim it means to “blaspheme”—even though not one of them actually speaks any Hebrew. And their “bibles” translate it as “blaspheme”, too--but only in this chapter. It’s a very strange thing that they do not translate this verb as “blaspheme” in any of the other places where it is used in Scripture: for example, they do not have “And he said, Blaspheme to me thy wages, and I will give it” in B’réshit 30:28, or ”And Moses and Aaron took these men which are blasphemed by their names” in B’midbar 1:17, or “And the gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall blaspheme“ in Y’shayahu 62:2, even though all three of those verses use exactly the SAME verb.
In the final analysis, when so much is at stake, is it really worth taking a chance of being wrong? Wouldn’t it be the smarter course of action to err on the side of caution? Ah, those christians say, but God repeatedly talks about wanting His “Name”
publicised and made known throughout the World! Well yes, He does say things like that—but what they are forgetting is that the word name has more than one meaning. When one speaks of a person “making a name for himself”, name means fame, or a reputation, and the Hebrew word shém can also have this meaning too. Doesn’t it make a lot more sense for God to want all people in the World to know about Him and all the amazing things He has done, rather than wanting them to know the group of four letters that is used as a “Name” for Him in the Hebrew Scriptures? I think it does.
The bottom line is this: is it really worth the risk of being wrong about this? There is no direct command anywhere that the “Name” must be used, so one loses nothing by not doing it. On the other hand, just suppose that we Hebrews have been right all along, and God really does not want any human being to ever speak His “Name”—why take the chance of committing such a grievous sin? The sensible man will always err on the side of caution, especially when infringement may lead to the Death Penalty. There are many examples of Hebrew Law erring on the side of caution, the most obvious being the times that shabbat and the holy days begin and end: the Torah says only that they are to be celebrated mé’erev ad erev, “from evening until evening” (Vayikra 23:32)—but does “evening” mean sunset (when twilight begins) or full darkness (when twilight ends)? The answer is that we just don’t know, so we err on the side of caution and shabbat and the holy
days begin at sunset, but do not end until full darkness arrives the following night.
One final word: it is only speaking the Four-Lettered “Name” that is forbidden by the Torah, but there are very good reasons for not writing it either. For one thing, a person who makes a habit of writing it freely will become so accustomed to using it
that he may very well speak it without thinking, even if he doesn’t mean to—and remember how serious a matter it is. But perhaps even more serious are the possible consequences of writing it… what will become the eventual fate of the piece of paper it is written on? Most likely, it will end up in the garbage—and what greater insult to God could there be than for His Sacred “Name” to be lying among all the refuse and the filth? If we truly honour and respect Him, we should want to take great care to make sure such a terrible thing does not ever happen, and cannot ever happen.
We can make sure of this by never writing the Four-Lettered Name on any paper, for any reason.
[End Of Article]
Deuteronomy 5:29
"O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear Me, and keep all My commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!"
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
"Hear, O Israel: YHWH our Elohiym is one Elohiym:
And thou shalt love YHWH thy Elohiym with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thy hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.
And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates."
And thou shalt love YHWH thy Elohiym with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thy hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.
And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates."