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Pronounced as it is written
The Divine Name YHWH is pronounced as it is written
Y=i H= (expired silent h (e)) W=ou H (final)=a
YHW = IOUA matres lectionis Hebrew (vowel/consonant letters)
YHWH=IEOUA (commonly vocalized as « Jehovah »)
Some people think that the pronunciation of the Divine Name has been lost and that we are no longer able to use it with the exact vocalization. In the prophecy of Ezekiel 38:23, it is written that God will make his Name known in the worldwide part of the earth, especially at the time of the great tribulation. Therefore, God has been taking care of his Name in order to keep it known, particularly in his Word, the Bible. Some historical and technical information, regarding the Divine Name, are based on a book entitled, « A History of the Divine Name » – (L’Harmattan (French edition)), written by Mister Gerard Gertoux, a Hebrew scholars. This information concerning the Divine Name is supported by several hundred references as historical sources. The introduction of this book, on pages 9 and 10 summarizes very well all of this historical research work concerning the Divine Name. There is no mystery:
« First of all, the writing of the name of God is not a problem: it is the name of four letters YHWH, called the Tetragrammaton. How to pronounce such a Name? The dictionaries or encyclopedias indicate that « Yahweh » is an uncertain vocalisation, and that « Jehovah » is a barbarism from misreading, unbelievable as it may seem, this last statement is deliberately false, but this gross error was denounced by Hebrew scolars of all religions, including the support of the Vatican (Congregation of Propaganda), but without result.
This name YHWH is read without difficulty because it is pronounced as it is written, or « according to its letters », to quote the expression of the Talmud. In fact, until 70 AD, the high priests read the blessing of Numbers 6:24-27, in the Atonement Day, the Yom Kippur by pronouncing the Name, YHWH, according to his letters, that is to say as it is written. In fact, this name is even the easiest to read of the entire Bible since it has four vowels, as Flavius Josephus wrote it. The question of knowing which vowels were used to read YHWH is absurd, because the Masoretic vowels did not appear until at least the sixth century AD. Before that, the Hebrew names were vocalized through the three letters Y, W, H, as the writings of Qumran (Dead Sea Scrolls) have largely confirmed. The letter Y was read I (or Ê), letter W: Û (or O) and the letter H: A at the end of the words. For example, YH is read IA. YHWDH is read literally IHUDA (Judah). If the name did not have any vowels, then the vowel « a » was inserted; thus YSHQ is read: ISaHaQ (Isaac), YRWSLYM: IRÛSaLIM (Jerusalem); etc. The name YHWH was read IHUA (Ioua). To better hear the letter H (almost inaudible), we could add a « e » mute. So the name YHWDH that can be read literally IH-Û-DA, becomes I-eH-Û-DA, the exact equivalent of the Hebrew name Yehuda . This slight improvement gives for the Name YHWH the pronunciation I-Eh-Û-A (Ieoua), the equivalent of the Masoretic punctuation YeHoWaH. This coincidence is remarkable and providential if one believes that God has watched over his Name (Visibly unbeknownst to the copyists) » (« History of the Divine Name » pages 9 and 10). We will have the opportunity to come back to other convergent information on the vocalisation of the Divine Name, Jehovah, by an examination of the Hebrew and Aramaic « theophoric » biblical names (with the tetragrammaton, partially (YH) or in its entirety (YHWH)).
What should be the best vocalization of the Divine Name YHWH?
According to the introduction to this book, the two theophoric names containing the entire Tetragrammaton, namely YHWDH (Judah (son of Jacob and name of one of the twelve tribes of Israel)), are pronounced I-U-D-A or I-Eh-U-D-A. Regarding the name of Jesus, YHSW, it is vocalized Yehoshua. Thus, based on the vocalization of these two theophoric names, we understand that the Tetragrammaton YHWH is vocalized as follows: Iouah or Ieouah.
However, there is a certain ambiguity in the author’s writing that needs clarification. Here is what is written: “This slight improvement gives for the Name YHWH the pronunciation I-Eh-Û-A (Ieoua), the equivalent of the Masoretic punctuation YeHoWaH”. Taken out of the context, this sentence might suggest that the current vocalization “Jehovah” is the result of the Masoretic vowel points. However, according to what is written throughout this book and summarized above (corroborated by scholars of the past), this is absolutely not the case. The vowel points indicate the pronunciation of the letters YWH (the middle H being silent), namely IOA, or Ye(I)hou(O)ah(A). Thus, the “W” of the Tetragrammaton should not be pronounced like a “V” but like a “U” or “OU”. Therefore, Yehowah should be read phonetically as Yeouah. It is therefore evident that the current vocalization of the Divine Name, « Jehovah », is doubly inaccurate by the insertion of the « J » which should be replaced by an I or Y and of the « v » (corresponding to the W) which should be read phonetically « ou ».
The conclusion of this book « A HISTORY OF THE DIVINE NAME », confirms a vocalisation of the Name (Ioua), discovered hundreds of years ago by the Spanish monk Raymond Martin in his book (Pujio fidei (Dagger of the faith (1278))). He himself had drawn his sources on the writings of R. Moseh Ben Maymon (Maimonides), in « The Guide of the Lost » chapters 60-64, Part 1, relating to the Name. Another scholar named Porchetus de Salvaticis (1303), like Raymond Martin, used the same vocalisation of the Name.
Given this adjustment in the vocalization of the Divine Name, the question is: what should we do? As we understood earlier, the vocalization of the Name of the Son of God as « Jesus » is inaccurate and should be pronounced Yehoshua. However, in the context of public teaching, it makes more sense to continue vocalizing it as it has been for centuries, so that people know who it refers to as the Son of God. The same applies to the Divine Name of the Heavenly Father; it has been vocalized for centuries as « Jehovah ». Regarding the use of the Divine Name, discernment is necessary, keeping in mind that it must be associated with the Heavenly Father. Perhaps the teacher, in a public setting, will use the Divine Name in its most familiar form, while in other circumstances, within the context of their personal relationship with God, they will use the vocalization that seems most accurate to him. What is true for the Heavenly Father, is also true for his Son.
There are four main methods of finding the vocalisation of the Name, and the vocalisation of Biblical names
1 – The method of etymology: the name is identified with its etymology (when it exists). It is the most uncertain method because it considers that the etymology is systematically scientific and equivalent to the spiritual etymology or spiritual message (which is not always the case (see explanations above)) .
2 – The method of reading letters which demonstrates that the Name (YHWH) can be read by itself. It consists of the three basic letters (consonants/vowels (YHW) (Matres Lectionis)), allowing its reading (The letter Y is read I (or Ê), letter W: Û (or O) and the letter H: A to the end of the words)) (See explanations above).
3 – The method of the witnesses: It consists of examining the vowels used for the Hebrew names translated into Greek, in the text of the Septuagint (The Bible translated from Hebrew to Greek (2nd century BC)). For example: Abraham is written in the Septuagint, Abraam. Jesus: Iesous. Noah: Noé. Israel: Israel. Judah: Iouda. Moses: Môusès. Jerusalem: Iérousalèm.
4 – The onomastic method is the study of the Hebrew names which contain the Tetragrammaton (YHWH), or partially (YH). Names with the Tetragrammaton (wholly or partially), are « theophoric » names. This is the most reliable method: « This last method is the most reliable because the names are very stable over time, often much more than the words of the language themselves. The biblical names are somehow a memory sounds of the past or « phonograms ». In addition, the Hebrew language was, despite some variations, very stable over a long period of time, for example, the Hebrew letters of El Amarna dating from the 14th century BC can still be understood by a modern Israeli. So one can reconstruct a name with a very high confidence rate if the name to be found is preserved in several other names, and in this respect the divine name is extremely favored, since it was integrated into hundreds of biblical names, the only difficulty being to avoid confusing the great name YHWH (Jeremiah 44: 26) with the little YH (Psalms 68: 4) » (A history of the Name page 45) (YHWH: Yeouah; YH: Yah (diminutive of the Name).
From the scientific etymology of a name to its spiritual meaning
In the Bible, a Hebrew or Aramaic name has an intrinsic etymological meaning that anyone understanding these languages can understand. However, to this scientific etymology is added a biblical spiritual significance (or message), that explains the meaning of this name, its authority, its mission. Take several known examples:
– Jesus: Scientific etymology: Yeshua or Yehoshua in Hebrew means « Yeouah is salvation ». The message or spiritual meaning of his name: « he will save his people from their sins » (Matthew 1:21).
– Noah: Scientific etymology: Rest. The spiritual meaning of his name: consolation: « This one will bring us comfort from our labor and from the painful toil of our hands because of the ground that Jehovah has cursed » (Genesis 5:29).
– Israel: Scientific etymology: Struggle with God. The Spiritual Meaning of His Name: Fight and persevere with God and with men: « you have contended with God and with men and you have at last prevailed » (Genesis 32:28).
– Barnabas (name of Aramaic origin): Scientific etymology: Son of prophecy. The spiritual meaning of his name: Son of consolation: « So Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barʹna·bas (which means, when translated, “Son of Comfort”) » (Acts 4:36).
Here is the explanation found in « A History of the Divine Name » (page 41), regarding the discrepancies between the scientific etymology of a name and its spiritual meaning or biblical message:
« We can note the « chasm » separating these two kinds of etymologies: Rather than trying to make them coincide, we must remember that the explanation of these differences is always the same: the purpose of the Biblical definitions is to give above all, a religious message. Besides, what would be the point of explaining to a Hebrew the meaning of a Hebrew name? Thus, it is obvious to a Hebrew that the name Noah scientifically means « rest »; however the verse of Genesis 5:29 tells us that this « rest » will biblically mean « he will comfort », because Noah was going to play a consoling prophetic role « .
Some people think that Jehovah’s statement concerning his Name, « I Will Become What I Choose to Become », is to be considered as a scientific etymology of the Name, allowing at the same time a more exact vocalization of it (Exodus 3:14). This interpretation has two major obstacles:
1 – The Name itself, Yeouah (YHWH), has no proven Hebrew scientific etymology. What seems logical: To say that the proper Name Yeouah (YHWH), would have a scientific etymology would be an anachronism that would suggest that the Hebrew language would have preceded the existence of the Divine Name. Now this Name is closely associated with an everlasting God who had no beginning (Genesis 1: 1)… Moreover, according to the inspired statements of the Apostle Paul, it does not seem that in the heavens one speaks Hebrew (1 Corinthians 13: 1 « tongues of angels »). It is more logical to think that the Hebrew language would be built around the Name, even allowing the children to vocalize it in all simplicity (It is pronounced according to its letters to use the expression of the Talmud, consisting of the three consonants/vowels of base for reading (YHW) (Matres Lecionis)): « »Do you hear what these are saying?” Jesus said to them: “Yes. Did you never read this, ‘Out of the mouth of children and infants, you have brought forth praise’? » » (Matthew 21:16 compare with 11:25).
2 – The context of the book of Exodus shows that the Israelites knew the name of the God of their ancestors (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob), and therefore its vocalisation was known. The answer of God « I Will Become What I Choose to Become », is not a scientific etymology of his Name (which would have helped Moses to better vocalize the Name), but rather a spiritual message regarding the « Memorial » of his Name (Exodus 3:15).
Conclusion on the vocalisation of the divine Name
« Outside the Masoretic vocalisation, there are several methods of finding the pronunciation of a name in the first century AD. However, biblical etymology (which is actually religious teaching), can not be used for this purpose.In the case of the Tetragrammaton, these three methods successively give the three pronunciations, Iaô (Witnesses method: comparison with the names of the Septuagint), Yehowah (onomastic method: comparison with theophoric names), Ihûa (method of reading letters), The examination of the historical context has made it possible to explain the discrepancy in Iaô, because at that time the Hebrew substitute YHW, or his Aramaic counterpart YW, was still widely used among the Jews. (…) Thus, there is a good agreement between the two pronunciations Yehowah and Ihûa, as satisfactory as Yehudah and Ihuda (Judah), Yésûa’ et Isûa’ (Jésus), etc. In view of this concordance, unanimity on vocalisation should have been easy to obtain! » (A History of the Name page 54).
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