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# Yahweh

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Yahweh is the most common transliteration of the Hebrew YHWH, also referred to as the Tetragrammaton?. This proper name for God is rendered as LORD or GOD (in small capitals to distinguish it from Adonai, another word translated as "Lord") in most modern translations of the Bible.

The ancient Hebrew alphabet did not include vowels, hence the uncertainty as to the pronunciation of the Tetragrammaton. The Jews never mentioned this name of God, considering it too sacred to be said aloud, and when reading substituted instead one of the other names of God (usually Adonai). When vowel diacritic?s were introduced, the vowel markings for Adonai accompanied the Tetragrammaton to remind the reader to pronounce Adonai instead of the ineffable name. This led translators in the Middle Ages to inaccurately render the name "Jehovah", and although most scholars believe "Yahweh" to be most near the original pronunciation, "Jehovah" is still more commonly used today.

There is a large debate over the meaning of this name, most agree it is something like "I am the One Who Is". Apropriate reference points in the Old Testament to start and investigation into this name include: Genesis? 2:4, Exodus 3:15 (others?).

The God of the Old Testament, whether referred to as Yahweh or Jehovah or some other name, is the same God worshipped by Muslims, Christians, and Jews, and is sometimes thus referred to as the Judeo-Christian God.

See also: The name of God in Judaism

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Last edited August 16, 2001 9:02 pm (diff)
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