YHWH: Meaning of the Name of God

YHWH is God’s personal name in the Old Testament. The four Hebrew letters Yod, He, Waw, He are usually explained as “I am that I am” or “I will be who I will be”: God is present, independent of everything, and he stays true to himself. In most English Bibles the name appears as “LORD” in capitals.

With around 6,800 occurrences, YHWH is the most frequent name of God in the Bible. At Good-Natured we have dedicated a poster to it, along with three more designs that carry the name within them: YHWH Jireh, YHWH Rapha and YHWH Shalom, all collected under Names of God Posters. This article explains where the name comes from, how it is pronounced and what it means.

1. YHWH: the meaning of God’s name

The name comes from the encounter at the burning bush. Moses is to lead the Israelites out of Egypt and asks what he should call God when the people ask for his name. The answer:

“And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.”
Exodus 3:14 (KJV)

The Hebrew verb “hayah” (to be, to be present, to become) lies within the name YHWH. The phrase cannot be rendered unambiguously; “I am who I am” is as possible as “I will be there as who I will be there”. Three thoughts resonate:

Presence: God is here, now, in this situation. For a people in slavery that is first of all a promise, not a philosophy.

Faithfulness: he will be who he has always been. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is also the God of this generation.

Freedom: God cannot be pinned down. He does not say what he is, but that he is, and shows who he is through what he does.

In the very next verse the name becomes a memorial for all time: “this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.” (Exodus 3:15, KJV).

2. How do you pronounce YHWH?

Hebrew was originally written without vowels. Because Jewish readers stopped saying the name aloud even before the time of Jesus, its original pronunciation has not been reliably handed down. Most scholars consider “Yahweh” likely. One clue is the short form “Yah”, found for example in “Hallelujah”: “Praise Yah!”

When reading, Jewish tradition says “Adonai” (my Lord) instead. When the consonants of YHWH were later combined with the vowels of Adonai, the hybrid form “Jehovah” arose, which never existed in Hebrew. What Adonai itself means is explained in our article on Adonai.

3. Why the Bible says “LORD”

Already the Greek translation of the Old Testament rendered YHWH as “Kyrios” (Lord), and most English Bibles follow this tradition. So that the name still remains recognisable, the King James Version and many other translations print “LORD” in capitals or small capitals. Whenever you read “the LORD” in the Bible, the Hebrew at that point has God’s name.

The name also appears where you might not expect it. Many biblical names carry a short form of it: Isaiah (“YHWH saves”), Elijah (“my God is YHWH”) and Jesus too, in Hebrew Yeshua, which likewise means “YHWH saves”.

4. YHWH Jireh, Rapha, Shalom: names built on YHWH

In several places people link God’s name with an experience they have just had. These moments gave rise to names that still appear in songs and prayers today.

YHWH Jireh (“the LORD will see” or “the LORD will provide”): “And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh.” (Genesis 22:14, KJV). Abraham names the place after God has shown him a ram to sacrifice instead of Isaac. The design: YHWH Jireh Poster.

YHWH Rapha (“the LORD who heals”): “for I am the LORD that healeth thee.” (Exodus 15:26, KJV). God says this in the wilderness after making bitter water drinkable. The design: YHWH Rapha Poster.

YHWH Shalom (“the LORD is peace”): “Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovah-shalom.” (Judges 6:24, KJV). The design: YHWH Shalom Poster.

Further names such as El Roi, El Shaddai or Abba are explained in our overview of the names of God in the Bible.

5. The name on your wall

A name is not a quality but a relationship. Whoever reads YHWH reads the promise “I am here”. That is why many people hang the YHWH Poster (ab 18 €) somewhere they pass every day. At Good-Natured the poster is designed in A3, printed in Germany on FSC-certified paper and available unframed or ready-framed in black, white or light oak. Together with YHWH Jireh, Rapha and Shalom it makes a calm row of four; spacing and height are covered in how to hang posters.

Conclusion

YHWH is the name with which God introduces himself: “I am that I am.” It stands for presence, faithfulness and freedom and appears in English Bibles as “LORD”, in “Hallelujah” and in names like Jesus. At Good-Natured you will find it on the YHWH Poster and in three more designs, collected under Names of God Posters.