YHWH
YHWH is the personal name that God gives to Moses in the Book of Exodus.[1] While there are many titles used for God, YHWH is used the most.[source?] In most English translations, it is rendered as "the Lᴏʀᴅ."
It is generally prohibited for Jews to say or write it because they regard it as the most holy name of God. Most experts agree that it was probably pronounced as "Yahweh" and reject "Jehovah" as inaccurate, but the Hebrew Bible came before the Hebrew language was written with vowels.
Reconstruction
Likely Pronunciation
The majority of experts agree that "Yahweh" is the most likely and historical reconstruction.[clarification needed]
About Jehovah
A very common pronunciation of YHWH is "Jehovah." It is used commonly by Jehovah's Witnesses, though they are not the only Christian denomination to use it. However, it is generally rejected as an ahistorical way to say it and comes from a misunderstanding.
When it became taboo for Jews to recite YHWH and a system of niqqud had been added to the Hebrew script, the vowel signs for "Adonai" (Lord) were often substituted by scribes as a reminder for the readers to say that instead. Because of this, any reader who was not aware of the substitution would read the divine name as "Yehowah," which is why the Tyndale Bible reads "Iehouah." The I became J and the U became V, making "Jehovah."
Early Confusion
In Greek, YHWH was commonly translated as Kyrios, which is a Greek word that means "Lord." However, some Greek readers would misunderstand the Tetragrammaton (יהוה) to be the Greek letters "πιπι" (pi, iota, pi, iota) and would pronounce the name as "pipi."[2]
Catholic Perspective
In 2008, the Holy See reiterated a directive that the name should not be pronounced in Catholic liturgy out of respect for the Jews who never pronounce it.[3]
Jewish Tradition
Traditionally, religious Jews do not say the name aloud because they believe that it is too holy to be spoken. However, they often use substitutes when referring to the name of their God, such as "HaShem" (lit: The Name) and "Shem HaMeforash" (lit: The Indescribable Name).[4]
Related pages
References
- ↑ Bible Gateway passage: Exodus 3:15 - New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (in en). Bible Gateway. Retrieved 2026-06-07.
- ↑
YHWH Media
The Tetragrammaton in Hebrew letters י (yod/Y) ה (he/H) ו (vav/W) ה (he/H)
Transcription of the divine name as ΙΑΩ in the 1st-century BCE Septuagint manuscript 4Q120
The Mesha Stele bears a reference (840 BCE) to the Israelite god Yahweh.
YHWH in one of the Lachish letters.
Tetragrammaton written in paleo-Hebrew script on Greek Minor Prophets Scroll from Nahal Hever
Petrus Alphonsi's early 12th-century Tetragrammaton-Trinity diagram, rendering the name as "IEVE", which in contemporary letters is "IEUE"
Tetragrammaton at the Fifth Chapel of the Palace of Versailles, France
A tetractys of the letters of the Tetragrammaton adds up to 72 by gematria.
Tetragrammaton by Francisco Goya: "The Name of God", YHWH in triangle, detail from fresco Adoration of the Name of God, 1772
PhiloLogic4. artflsrv04.uchicago.edu. Retrieved 2026-06-07.
- ↑ Catholic online, 26/8/2008
- ↑ Stanley S. Seidner,"HaShem: Uses through the Ages." Unpublished paper, Rabbinical Society Seminar, Los Angeles, CA, 1987.
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