Identity and Nature of Yahweh in Hebrew Bible
The identity and nature of Yahweh in the Hebrew Bible are primarily understood through the divine name itself and the attributes ascribed to God. The name Yahweh (YHWH) is often interpreted as signifying self-derived and permanent existence [2]. It is likely derived from the Hebrew verb "to be," suggesting meanings such as "he causes to be," "he who is," or "I am" [7]. This name was revealed to Moses, though the exact pronunciation is not known, with "Yahweh" being an informed guess and "Jehovah" an artificial construct [7]. The name "Jehovah" is interpreted as "I am; the eternal living one" [2].
The divine name emphasizes God's unique essence as the "absolutely existing and living One" [8]. This is underscored in passages where God declares, "I am Yahweh; and beside me there is no Savior" [8]. The name also conveys God's faithfulness to promises made to the patriarchs, indicating that God will keep his word and reveal more of himself to subsequent generations [6].
Attributes of Yahweh include:
- Power and Justice Yahweh is described as slow to anger, yet great in power, and will by no means leave the guilty unpunished [3]. He is a jealous God, full of wrath, who takes vengeance on adversaries and maintains wrath against enemies [1]. Yahweh causes enemies to be struck down and flee [4].
- Sovereignty Yahweh has his way in the whirlwind and storm, with clouds as the dust of his feet [3]. He is the "God of heaven" who directs events, such as sending an angel to guide Abraham's servant [5].
- Redeemer and Deliverer Yahweh brought Israel out of Egypt and led them through the wilderness [9]. He redeems and reveals himself to his people, desiring them to be his own [6].
- Uniqueness The declaration "I am the Lord, that is my name" (Isaiah 42:8) emphasizes that this name, Jehovah, is expressive of his self-existence, eternity, and immutability, distinguishing him from all false gods [10].
The Jewish tradition, out of reverence, avoided uttering the name YHWH, substituting it with other words like ’adonay (Lord) during reading [2, 7]. This practice stemmed from an erroneous interpretation of Leviticus 24:16, which led to the belief that merely speaking the name constituted a capital offense [2].
Sources
- Nahum “Yahweh is a jealous God and avenges. Yahweh avenges and is full of wrath. Yahweh takes vengeance on his adversaries, and he maintains wrath against his enemies. -- Nahum 1:2”
- Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Jehovah — (I am; the eternal living one). The Scripture appellation of the supreme Being, usually interpreted as signifying self-derived and permanent existence. The Jews scrupulously avoided every mention of this name of God, substituting in its stead one or other of the words with whose proper vowel-points it may happen to be written. This custom, which had its origin in reverence, was founded upon an erroneous rendering of (Leviticus 24:16) from which it was inferred that the mere utterance of the name constituted a capital offence. According to Jewish tradition, i”
- Nahum “Yahweh is slow to anger, and great in power, and will by no means leave the guilty unpunished. Yahweh has his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet. -- Nahum 1:3”
- Deuteronomy “Yahweh will cause your enemies who rise up against you to be struck before you. They will come out against you one way, and will flee before you seven ways. -- Deuteronomy 28:7”
- Genesis “Yahweh, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house, and from the land of my birth, who spoke to me, and who swore to me, saying, ‘I will give this land to your seed.’ He will send his angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there. -- Genesis 24:7”
- Exodus (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Exodus 6:2: 6:2-8 Once again, God forcefully linked his promises to the patriarchs (Abraham’s family) with what he was about to do. God’s work in history shows his faithfulness. He has made promises, and he will keep them. God also wished to reveal more of himself than he had been able to do with the patriarchs. This generation would know more of God and his intentions than Abraham had, particularly regarding the implications of the covenant (6:4-5). Why does God redeem (6:6)? Why did he reveal himself to Abraham in the first place? God wanted the Israelites to be his own peop”
- Exodus (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Exodus 3:15: 3:15 Yahweh is probably a form of the Hebrew verb “to be,” so it could mean “he causes to be,” or “he who is,” or “I am.” Later Jews were not permitted to speak God’s name aloud, so the Hebrew text supplies the vowels from the word ’adonay (which means “lord” or “master”) whenever God’s proper name, YHWH, appears. In oral reading, the Hebrew reader would pronounce ’adonay, even though the written text is YHWH. We do not know the pronunciation of the divine name. The widely used Yahweh is an informed guess. The English word “Jehovah” is an artificial term made by c”
- Isaiah (Lutheran) “Keil & Delitzsch on Isaiah 43:11: The address now closes by holding up once more the object and warrant of faith. "I am Jehovah; and beside me there is no Savour. I have proclaimed and brought salvation, and given to perceive, and there was no other god among you: and ye are my witnesses, saith Jehovah, and I am God. Even from the day onwards I am so; and there is no deliverer out of my hand: I act, and who can turn it back?" The proper name "Jehovah" is used here (Isa 43:13) as a name indicating essence: "I and no other am the absolutely existing and living One," i.e., He who proves His exist”
- Jeremiah (Lutheran) “Keil & Delitzsch on Jeremiah 2:4: But Israel did not remain true to its first love; it has forgotten the benefits and blessings of its God, and has fallen away from Him in rebellion. Jer 2:4-5 "Hear the word of Jahveh, house of Jacob, and all families of the house of Israel. Jer 2:5. Thus saith Jahveh, What have your fathers found in me of wrongfulness, that they are gone far from me, and have gone after vanity, and are become vain? Jer 2:6. And they said not, Where is Jahveh that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, that led us in the wilderness, in the land of steppes and of pits, in the ”
- Isaiah (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Isaiah 42:8: I am the Lord, that is my name,.... Jehovah, a name expressive of his self-existence, eternity, and immutability; a name by which be made himself known to Israel of old, and which is peculiar to him, and does not belong to another, and so distinguishes him from all false gods; see Exo 3:14 or, "Hu is my name" (p); to which "he himself the same", answers; see Psa 102:27, compared with Heb 13:8 and this is one of the names of God with the Jews (q); as Hou is with the Turks to this day; which, in Arabic, signifies "him": that is, God, as Monsieur Thevenot (r) observes; s”