6823 that is
יַהְוֶה n.pr.dei Yahweh, the proper name of the God of Israel—
(1. Masoretic Text
יְהוָֹה6518 (Qr
אֲדֹנָי), or
יֱהוִֹה305 (Qr
אֱלֹהִים), in the combinations
אדני יהוה &
יהוה אדני (vid.
אֲדֹנָי), and with preposition
בַּיהוָֹה,
לַיהוָֹה,
מֵיהוָֹה (Qr
בַּאדֹנָי,
לַאדֹנָי,
מֵאדֹנָי), do not give the original form. Septuagint and other Vrss follow the Qr. On the basis of
Exodus 20:7;
Leviticus 24:11 יהוה was regarded as a
nomen ineffabile (vid. Philo de Vita Mosis iii, 519, 529), called by the Jews
הַשֵּׁם and by the Samaritans
שׁימא. The pronunciation
Jehovah was unknown until 1520, when it was introduced by Galatinus; but it was contested by Le Mercier, J. Drusius, and L. Capellus, as against grammatical and historical propriety (compare Böttcher's Hebrew Grammar § 88). The traditional Ἰαβέ of Theodoret and Epiphanius, the
־יָהוּ,
יְהוֹ־ of compound n.pr. and the contracted form
יָהּ, all favour
יַהְוֶה (compare
יַהֲלֹמ֑וּן Psalms 74:6;
תַּהֲרוּ Isaiah 33:11), see Lagarde
Sym. i. 14 Baudissin
Studien i. 179 ff.; Driver
Stud. Bib. i. 1 ff. For
Jeve see Stade
journal ZAW 1881, 346 De
ib. 1882, 173 f. & Gn. Excurs. ii.
2. on liter. of interpret. see Nestle
Eg 67 Driver
l.c..—Many recent scholars explain
יַהְוֶה as Hiph. of
הוה (=
היה)
the one bringing into being, life-giver (compare
הַוָּה Genesis 3:20) Schr HSch;
giver of existence, creator, Kue Tiele;
he who brings to pass (so already Le Clerc),
performer of his promises, Lagarde, Nestle.
Eg 88 (but Nestle
Eg. 91 inclines to Qal as Robertson Smith
Brit. & For. Ev. Rev. see below); or from
הוה he who causes to fall, rain or lightning Robertson Smith
OTJC ed. 1, 423; om. ed. 2, 245, compare Wellhausen
Skizzen iii. 175; ‘
Fäller,’ destroying foes, Stade
G. i. 429 (dubiously). But most take it as Qal of
היה (=
היה);
the one who is: that is
the absolute and unchangeable one, Ri;
the existing, ever-living, as self-consistent and unchangeable, Dillmann; or
the one ever coming into manifestation as the God of redemption, De Oehl; compare also Robertson Smith
Brit. & For. Ev. Rev. 1876,
he will be it, that is all that his servants look for (compare Ewald
below),
he will approve himself (
give evidence of being, assert his being Driver
l. c. 17)
). theories of non-Hebrew or non-Sem. origin. opposed (in their older forms) by Bau
Rel i. 181 ff. (see especially 230); Delitzsch
Pa 162 ff. claimed Bab. origin for
יהו, against this Kue
National religions, etc., Note iv (Eng. Trans. 329 ff.) Jastr
JBL xiii (1894), 103 f. compare Haupt
BAS i. 170 N; Delitzsch
Babel u. Bibel, 46 f., 73 f. makes same claim for
יהוה, agst. this see especially Hirsch
journal ZAW xxiii (1903), 355 ff. Zim
Schrader's Keilinschriften 3, 465 ff.; Spiegelberg
ZMG liii (1899), 633 ff. proposes (improb.) Egyptian etymol. for
יהוה; further discussions see in Konig
EB Names, § 112 and n. 3. ‘Jehovah’ found in Jacob (? Johann.) Wessel († 1480), according to Schwally
ThLZ, 1905, col. 612.
יהוה is not used by E in Gn, but is given
Exodus 3:12-15 as the name of the God who revealed Himself to Moses at Horeb, and is explained thus:
אֶהְיֶה עִמָּ֑ךְ I shall be with thee (v
Exodus 3:12), which is then implied in
אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה I shall be the one who will be it v
Exodus 3:14 (that is with thee v
Exodus 3:12) and then compressed into
אֶהְיֶה v
Exodus 3:14 (that is with thee v
Exodus 3:12), which then is given in the nominal form
יהוה He who will be it v
Exodus 3:15 (that is with thee v
Exodus 3:12). Cf. Ewald
BTh ii. 337, 338 Robertson Smith
l. c., Proph. 385 ff. Other interpretations are:
I am he who I am, that is it is no concern of yours (Le Clerc Lagarde
Psalt. Hieron. 156);
I am, (this is my name),
inasmuch as I am (
אֲשֶׁר =
כִּי; AE JDMich Wellhausen
JD Th xxi, 540 = Comp. Hex. 72); Dillmann al.
I am who I am, he who is essentially unnameable, inexplicable.—E uses
יהוה sparingly by the side of
אלהים and
האלהים in his subsequent narrative. The Ephraimitic writers in Ju S K use it in similar proportions. P abstains from the use of
יהוה until he gives an account of its revelation to Moses
Exodus 6:3; but subsequently uses it freely. He gives no explanation of its meaning. He represents that
אֵל שַׁדַּי was the God of the patriarchs. J uses
יהוה from the beginning of his narrative, possibly explaining it,
Genesis 21:33 by
אל עולם, the evergreen tamarisk being a symbol of the ever-living God; compare De
Genesis 21:33. Elsewhere
יהוה is the common divine name in pre-exilic writers, but in post-exilic writers gradually falls into disuse, and is supplanted by
אלהים and
אדני. In Job it is used 31 times in prose parts, and
Job 12:9 (a proverb); not elsewhere in the poem. Chr apart from his sources prefers
אלהים and
האלהים. Dn uses
יהוה only in chap. 9 (7 times); Ec not at all. In the Elohistic group of
Psalms 42-83 it is used 39 times (see
אלהים). It occurs as the name of Israel’s God MI
18. It is doubtful whether it was used by other branches of the Shemitic family, compare COT
Genesis 2:4 Delitzsch
Pa 158 ff. Driver
Stud. Bib. i. 7 ff.