What does Yahweh mean?

Answer 1

The following answers and opinions from our community refer to the tetragrammaton, or four letter name, which is believed to be pronounced Yahweh, sometimes translated into English as Jehovah:

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The holiest name the Jews ever had for G-d was never spoken aloud (except on Yom Kippur by the High Priest alone in the innermost sanctum of the Holy Temple). Since Hebrew is written without vowels, we don't know how precisely it was pronounced in ancient times. All we have is the consonants, in what is known as the tetragrammaton: YHVH (Hebrew yod-heh-vav-heh).

Early Christian theologians inserted vowels into this to produce 'yahweh' and 'jehovah'. Neither is ever used by observant Jews, who even omit the vowel when writing the English word "G-d" out of respect for this tradition. When Jews read the Torah aloud in the synagogue, whenever they come to YHVH, they say "Adonai," meaning "Lord."

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Basically, when God says, "I am that I am," he is giving the translation of what the word "Yahweh" means. (Literally, "I am that I am" = Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh, Exod. 3:14.) In other words, he is saying "My name is the fact that I exist." Etymologically, the word "Yahweh" is related to words that mean "to be" or "to create."

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Yahweh - Yahweh is the Hebrew God worshipped exclusively when the Hebrews became monotheists, some time after 1000 BCE. This is the God in the Hebrew Bible (what Christians call the Old Testament). The Hebrews believe that if they place their trust in Yahweh, then they will be provided for. The name "Yahweh" is often rendered "Jehovah." The Hebrew alphabet has no vowels (a,e,i,o,u). Since God is un-nameable, the Hebrews assigned the consonants YHWH as label for their god. By adding vowels (modern alphabet) the name YaHWeH, and YeHoWaH (Jehovah) was arrived at.

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Yahweh is the spelling of God's name (in the Roman alphabet) accepted by most non-Jewish scholars. Jehovah is considered incorrect by philologists.

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The name Yahweh appears to be a finite causative verb from the Northwest Semitic root hwy, which means 'to be, to come into being' which would mean that the divine name would mean 'He causes to be, or exist,' i.e. 'He creates.' Apparently Amorite personal names after 2000 BC lend support to this Haupt-Albright view, 'demonstrating that the employment of the causative stem yahweh was in vogue in the liguistic background of early Hebrew.'

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Source: Ungers Bible Dictionary p1375. Because Jews ceased to say the name YHVH aloud since before the Common Era, the pronunciation was lost and with it the knowledge of what vowels were implied in this four-consonant word, the tetragrammaton. Because ancient Hebrew used a W sound, rather than a V (vav), most scholars prefer to write the tetragrammaton as YHWH. From the poetic books of the scriptures, they believe it was pronounced 'Yahweh', and this spelling is commonly used in English translations, as well as the derivative, Jehovah.

Answer 2

Although often misused or mistranslated, Yah is not used as a true name or indication of G-d in the Hebrew Bible. The true name of G-d cannot be spoken and the letters YHWH which are often pronounced Yahweh are not used by Jews, only by Christians. In prayer, G-d may be referred to as Adonai or Eloheim, and in common speech as Hashem. The name G-d is also not written fully on anything which can be erased or desecrated.

Answer 3

It means The Eternal, since it includes the Hebrew words for Was, Is, and Will Be. More information:
God's name in the Torah is YHWH in Hebrew, not in English. (Other Hebrew names which refer to God [such as Elohim] are more generic and can in certain contexts actually refer to such authorities as judges [Exodus ch.21-22]).
Over the course of the exile, the exact vowels and pronunciation of God's name has been lost. (The usual transliterations, Jehovah or Yahweh, are inaccurate renditions based on a misunderstanding of the the way it is printed in such vocalized texts as Hebrew prayerbooks and printed Tanakhs.)
The name of God is not pronounceable for us, due to to a religious prohibition for Jews (Mishna, Sanhedrin ch.11), and also to the fact that the way in which it would be pronounced is today not known. While the Temple in Jerusalem still stood, only the Kohen Gadol would pronounce this name of God and only one day a year. The remainder of the time, less explicit names of God, including Adonai or Elohim, were used; and that is what we do today also, in prayers, blessings and Torah-reading. In daily conversation in English, we use English words (God, or the idiomatic "Hashem," which refers to God but is not an actual name).

See also the Related Link.

Link: History of Israelite monotheism

Answer 4

Because Jews ceased to say the name YHVH aloud since before the Common Era, the pronunciation was lost and with it the knowledge of what vowels were implied in this four-consonant word, the tetragrammaton. Because ancient Hebrew used a W sound, rather than a V (vav), most scholars prefer to write the tetragrammaton as YHWH. From the poetic books of the scriptures, they believe it was pronounced 'Yahweh', and this spelling is commonly used in English translations, as well as the transliteration, Jehovah.

Scholars are uncertain as to its ancient meaning, but one meaning seriously considered is 'He blows'. This is based on archaeological evidence (see Keel and Uehlinger, Gods, Goddesses, and Images of God: In Ancient Israel) that the early role of Yahweh was as the storm God. Other possibilities include 'He is' and 'He creates'.

Answer 5

Yes. The word "Yah," sometimes transliterated as "Jah," is one of the Hebrew names of God.

See also:

Names of God

Answer 6

Yah is the Hebrew word for "Gosh!" and is also a suffix in names meaning "God". It is spelled יה

Answer 7

yes, Yahweh is a religions god figure.