WebSite Glossary

The four consonants Y-H-W-H represent the proper name of the Almighty-Creator as derived from (copies of) the original Hebrew-Aramaic script of the Bible. Although the correct pronunciation is not certain, these four consonants are often interpreted and pronounced as ‘Yahweh’ (blending the four consonants “ee-ah’-oo-eh” into two syllables “yaw’-wāy”). Long held traditions have mistakenly substituted, intentionally replaced, sincerely protected or deliberately hidden these four consonants by inserting (by embedding) the title ‘The LORD’ in its place. To supplant the sacred name of YHWH with the common title of the ‘Lord’ actually disregards the original text and disrespects it's Source of inspiration. The passive acceptance of this long held tradition has given this custom a privileged ‘status’ of recognition as its silent affirmation has continued unchallenged for centuries. Countless Believers have been conditioned so deeply (generationally and emotionally) by this tradition that they unashamedly disregard the prophetic and divine aspects of the name YHWH even when the importance (the Truth) of His name is brought to their attention. 

In order to bring attention to the inspiration of the original text, the proper name of the Almighty-Creator, YHWH, is being declared and re-established in the commentaries that are provided on this WebSite. This restoration is with the full intention to honor and respect our Heavenly-Father’s declaration of His own personal name. As important as it is to recognize and honor His name, it is also just as important not to dishonor, misrepresent or misuse His name as to diminish it to a common or irreverent word.

The ancient Hebrew text used consonants to form their words without the use of vowel-points or punctuation marks. The absence of the vowel-points makes it difficult to interpret the ancient text accurately which causes a cloud of uncertainty and variety of opinions to arise concerning the correct pronunciation of our Creator’s personal name. For this reason, the four consonants Y-H-W-H without any vowel-points are being used throughout this WebSite.

Concerning the Creator of the universe actually having a proper (personal) name, many people think that it doesn’t really matter or that He doesn’t really care. Some folk reason that “He is ‘too big’ to be concerned with an issue that is ‘so small’. Anyway, He understands what we mean no matter what we call Him”.

As humans we are mighty-ignorant of the ‘eternal-ness’ of our Creator’s existence. This would also include the method by which He established Time-Space-Matter and what His motivation for Creation truly is. As great as our ignorance is concerning YHWH’s eternal-existence and the fundamental purpose of our existence (the Creation), His Love for us is of a much greater magnitude. His Grace continually covers our ignorance more than we could ever imagine, as well as covering our ignorance or indifference concerning His name.

However, in order for us to properly and more fully represent our Creator and His sacred name, we must resist being conformed to this present age but be transformed by the renewing of our mind (Romans 12:2a). Ultimately, we must  be conformed to the image of His Son, Yahoshua (Romans 8:29b). This fundamental conversion brings us In-Covenant with YHWH as we become actively engaged with Him. His active presence builds and matures our character and influences our deeds, that is, He displays His righteous deeds through us. Without a daily renewal of our relationship with Him we will eventually, often unknowingly, become spiritually-barren as we slip away from the security of His Covenant-Promises (Covenant-Covering). Yahoshua warns of the judgment (rejection) that will befall false prophets and religious imposters (hypocrites - pretentious believers) in Matthew 7:21-23; 

21. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the kingdom of heaven—only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. 

22. On that day, many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many powerful deeds in your name?’ 

23. Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you. Go away from me, you lawbreakers!’ 

The speculation that it doesn’t really matter what name we use to refer to the Creator-of-the-Universe, well, in the Light of Scripture that opinion falls flat on its face. When YHWH established His Covenant with Israel He presented the Words-of-the-Covenant (the Ten Commandments) to them. The impact of the first three stipulations of the covenant-agreement clearly impress upon the proper reverence and respect for YHWH Himself and His name (spiritually, mentally, physically and verbally) . . . you shall have no other gods before me . . . you shall not make for yourself a carved image or any likeness of anything . . . you shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I, the Lord, your God, am a jealous God . . . you shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold guiltless anyone who takes his name in vain . . . (Exodus 20:3-7).

The Bible records Israel’s (almost continual) disobedience to the Covenant which often resulted in them being chastised or even cursed by YHWH. In some instances, they were captured by foreign nations and forcefully taken from their homeland. Ezekiel records YHWH’s ‘concern’ for His holy name and reputation when His chosen people would carry their ‘sinful baggage’ into these foreign lands when they were exiled. 20. But when they arrived in the nations where they went, they profaned my holy name. It was said of them, ‘These are the people of (YHWH) the Lord, yet they have departed from his land.’ 21. I was concerned for my holy reputation (my holy name), which the house of Israel profaned among the nations where they went. Ezekiel 36:20-21. 

When Moses (in his ‘ignorance’) received his mission to deliver Israel from the bonds of Egypt he specifically asked (wanted to know), what is His name? The answer (declaration) that Moses received from the Almighty-Creator Himself is     . . . simply profound! 

13. Moses said to God, “If I go to the Israelites and tell them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’—what should I say to them?”

14. God said to Moses, “I AM that I AM.” And he said, “You must say this to the Israelites, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”

15. God also said to Moses, “You must say this to the Israelites, ‘(YHWH) The Lord—the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you. This is my name forever, and this is my memorial from generation to generation.’

16. “Go and bring together the elders of Israel and tell them, ‘(YHWH) The Lord, the God of your fathers, appeared to me—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—saying, “I have attended carefully to you and to what has been done to you in Egypt, 

17. and I have promised that I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, to a land flowing with milk and honey.”’

The context of these verses, in part, is the re-discovery (or affirmation) of this Entity’s name that appeared to Moses in the form of fire. A fire that enveloped a bush, yet the bush was not consumed by the fire. (Exodus 3:2). So . . . what is His name? 

13. Moses said to God, “If I go to the Israelites and tell them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’—what should I say to them?”

Moses is anticipating what the Israelites will ask him when he says that the God of your fathers has sent me to you. Moses wants to know what should I say to them when they ask me, what is His name? The descendants of Jacob (Israel) had been in Egypt for at least two hundred years when Moses received his mission to deliver Israel from Egypt’s hand of oppression. The hope of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob’s heritage was probably preserved in Israel’s culture to some degree but no doubt it had suffered some loss and compromise during their exile in Egypt. So after two hundred years, Moses is asking, what is Your name? Verify to us, who is it that spoke the covenant-promises with our forefathers?

14. God said to Moses, “I AM that I AM.” And he said, “You must say this to the Israelites, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”

The answer from the Almighty-Creator of the heavens and the earth is simply I AM that I AM. Simply, not as in lacking substance . . . rather this declaration represents an essence of eternity that breaks through the confines of Time-Space-Matter to simply (to clearly) identify Himself as, I AM. This is probably one of the most profound and reverberating, yet humble and rich declarations in all of (the) Scripture. In the ancient Hebrew culture, names often described an individual’s character, purpose or calling. In this verse the verb ‘to be’ is in the first-person-present tense, I AM. The Almighty is using this expression to declare His self-existence which indicates a past-present-future-continual presence. The Eternal-Being that simply is, always has been and always will be. This bold and firm proclamation stands in stark contrast to any god or ideology that has been imagined or fabricated by mortal-humans or evil-spirits. This Eternal-Force, yes, this One and Only, the great . . . I AM has sent me to you. 

This is what (YHWH) the Lord, Israel’s King, says, their Protector, (YHWH) the Lord of Heaven’s Armies: “I am the first and I am the last, there is no God but me.  (Isaiah 44:6) There is absolutely no room for any other . . . 

15. God also said to Moses, “You must say this to the Israelites, ‘(YHWH) The Lord—the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you. This is my name forever, and this is my memorial from generation to generation.’ 

After stating the authenticity of His self-existence, the Almighty continues with, You must say this to the Israelites, ‘(YHWH) The Lord—the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you. In response to Moses’ question to know the name of this Entity that he has encountered, Elohim states that His own name is YHWH, the Elohim (God) of your (of Israel’s) forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Then this Entity states, This is my name forever, and this is my memorial from generation to generation. To insert the title ‘The LORD’ not only blatantly ignores the proper translation of the text, it also adulterates the meaning of the text. Verses 16 and 17 follow through with the significance of the text as He binds His name to the Promise(s) that He had declared to Abraham. 

16. “Go and bring together the elders of Israel and tell them, ‘(YHWH) The Lord, the God of your fathers, appeared to me—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—saying, “I have attended carefully to you and to what has been done to you in Egypt, 

17. and I have promised that I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, to a land flowing with milk and honey.”’ . . . The Covenant-Promise. 

As YHWH was preparing to impart His liberty and blessings upon Israel, He was deliberate to inform Moses that I (YHWH) want you (Israel as a whole) to know Me by My signature-name. The revelation of His name was unfolding in the (then) present context with Moses as YHWH was declaring Himself to be the Covenant-Elohim (the Covenant-God) of Israel, and I have promised that I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land . . . flowing with milk and honey.” Yet imbedded within the revelation of His name was (is) an ‘exponential’ feature of His Promises that were expanding (and continue to expand) both to the past and the future. His Promises expand to the past in order to address the fall of Adam and Eve. They also expand to the future in order to reveal the Promises that were to be (and are) unveiled through the Gospel. As YHWH was fulfilling His promises to Abraham through Israel, they as a people were ordained to serve as a pre-figure, a symbolization and graphic-word-picture of the ultimate promises that would (then) eventually be realized in the dynamic expression of the Body-of-Messiah. In other words, the integrity of His just-character and the essence of His righteous-being, both of which characterize His name, reach far beyond the promises pertaining to the physical-land Promises of Abraham’s physical offspring. His name YHWH also represents the guarantee pertaining to His Promises that are inherited by the Faith-Seed Promises of Abraham’s ‘spiritual’ offspring. This refers to the genuine Seed that can only be ‘engendered’ through the definitive work of Yahoshua Messiah as demonstrated by the Gospel of YHWH.  

YHWH’s Covenants and Promises (of both the ‘old’ and the ‘new’ covenant sections of the Bible) are a sequential, unbroken, continual testimony to His purpose and will for Humanity. YHWH chose to initially illustrate His Promises through Abraham’s physical-seed-land heritage in order to provide a guideline and confirmation to the foreordained-heritage of Messiah that is revealed through the Mystery of the Gospel. If we disconnect ourselves from YHWH’s Covenant-Name that He ordained before Israel existed, then we are potentially cutting ourselves off from some attributes of the mature-developed Israel that we (should) behold in the Body-of-Messiah. 

Without apology then, proclaims the Almighty-Creator, I AM (still YHWH), this is my name forever, and this is my memorial from generation to generation. 

The statement “in the name of the Lord” appears more than two dozen times in the biblical text. The first part of this phrase “. . . in the name of . . .” means ‘to appeal to or belong to someone; to come in or by the authority of someone; under the name of or the possession of someone’. The remaining statement “. . . the Lord . . .” signifies a ruler, one having power and authority over others. In the biblical text when “. . . the Lord . . .” is written with a capital ‘L’ it is usually referring to Elohim (God-Almighty) or Yahoshua (Jesus-Savior). Generally speaking, “in the name of the Lord” refers to something being done by the authority of the Lord or in the will of the Lord.

Great honor and reverence should in-dwell one’s being when “in the name of the Lord” is being pronounced. All too often these words are used (parroted) without giving the proper attentiveness to Whom this expression is actually invoking (calling upon). Not only does the ‘common-ness’ (unsanctified) and irreverent handling of this expression diminish it to a mere cliché, but it also buries deeper the obvious inconsistency of this phrase that is rarely addressed. The inconsistency that is ignored lies within the fact that the word ‘Lord' is clearly not a name, it is obviously a title. This should stir-up one’s curiosity to ask, so what is the name that the title ‘Lord’ is referring to; by whose name and by what authority is the title ‘Lord’ making reference to?  With some Bibles you will be hard pressed to satisfy this question and, in some instances, not even one scripture-verse will provide this answer. The previous statement is referring to some of the Bibles that are (have been) used for many years. As this traditional handling of the written-word seems to continue unabated, it has, although probably unintentionally yet very successfully, obscured His ordained-name. Despite the numbness of this man-made tradition, there are a number of Bibles that have (at least) opted to acknowledge His name in some of their footnotes. 

This is a very bizarre thought when you truly consider what the dilemma is . . . the name of the Creator-of-the-Universe cannot easily be found in many Bibles and in some cases has been diminished to a mere footnote. The fact that the Bible itself does not readily disclose the name that is being referred to in the phrase “in the name of the Lord” is mind-boggling. The conditioning (indoctrination) is so thorough that many people never consider making the connection that “in the name of” is actually referring to the Creator’s personal name in the original text. However, there is a glimmer of hope! Many versions of the Bible render this phrase as, “in the name of the LORD”. Notice the word LORD is written with all capital letters, this seemingly insignificant indication is the glimmer of hope that was just mentioned. When the word LORD is written with all capital letters it is actually notifying the reader that the original text has been changed to or substituted with the word Lord, meaning that it has not been properly translated. Sadly, the reason for using all capital letters for the word LORD, in order to make (a vague) reference to the name YHWH, has fallen through the cracks of time. 

Instead of the capital letters (LORD) serving as a reminder that the name YHWH has been substituted, it now has become the means (a barrier) by which the correct interpretation has become even more obscure and often times very well hidden. The original Scripture is in fact referring to a name, that is, THE name of the Creator of the heavens and the earth. The original text delivers this phrase as, “in the name of YHWH”, yes, an actual name, the name that He ordained for Himself (Exodus 3:15, as stated above). Not only is the proper name revealed when the correct interpretation is applied, it is obvious that His name is being exalted through-out the original Hebrew text. 

Obviously, the Creator of the universe is an abundant source of spiritual-vitality that inspires a never-ending display of expressions, experiences, descriptions, and titles concerning His Eternal-Being. Even so, He does have a proper name. What is so profound, yet so simple, is that His personal name YHWH envelops and represents the never-ending expressions, experiences, covenants and promises that He reveals to Humanity. This is why the significance of His name, I AM (whatever I AM . . . whatever I Will to Be), is so appropriate. It serves as a perpetual memorial (reminder, guideline, sign) that He is more than willing to be whatever His children need Him to be according to His will and that He is always willing to interact with them. Remember, this is the personal name that He deliberately chose in order to identify Himself to Humanity. Actually, this is His only proper (personal) name (along with the shorter version ‘Yah’) and it is unique to Himself. (Sadly, there are various religions, cults and misled individuals that have abused and misrepresented His name throughout history.) 

It is not only interesting, but very important, to know that in the original Hebrew-Aramaic text of the Bible the name YHWH is used more than 6,500 times, along with the shorter version ‘Yah’ which is used almost 50 times. ‘Yahweh’ is by far the most frequently used name in the entire Bible. It does appear quite evident that the original ‘inspired’ authors of the original ‘inspired’ biblical text had no problem to respectfully proclaim the divine, self-proclaimed name of YHWH . . . obviously they were inspired to do so . . . more than 6,500 times! 

NOTE: The name YHWH has been finding its way back to the biblical text and in Bible studies for a number of decades; at least since the 1960’s in the USA. 

To substitute the sacred name of YHWH with the generic title 'the Lord' undercuts the intention of the original writer. It obviously dishonors the inspirational quality of the original text while obscuring the reverence and exaltation that is intended for His ordained name. 

I AM . . . I will be what I will to be . . . conveys YHWH’s intention to reveal Himself to Humanity in both His humility and His glory by supplying our spiritual needs according to His will. His ‘personal’ name is an intimate representation of His own character and it serves as a memorial to (a reminder of) the purpose of His interaction with Humanity.

His name not only represents His intimate interaction with us as His chosen people, but it is also a unique indication of how we are identified (characterized) by the influence He has over us. For this reason, His name serves as our distinct banner to unbelievers while reminding us of our covenant obligation with Him, that is, Elohim (God) is with us (Immanuel). Ultimately it expresses the active, perpetual covenant (that has traversed the covenantal landscape from Adam to Abraham, through Israel, then finally realized in Messiah) where the Holy Spirit (YHWH) is molding us into the image of His Son. Each adherent (Follower) of the Better-Covenant (New-Covenant) becomes a unique part of the Body-of-Messiah. This Body has been ordained to demonstrate the mature and authentic Israel in accordance with the divine order and purpose of YHWH’s Creation . . . In the name of YHWH!

Unassumingly Profound and Indescribably Simple . . . I AM . . . !!                           

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Yah is the proper name of the Creator of the universe, contracted from the name 'Yahweh', described in the previous definition of the Glossary. It carries the same meaning as the sacred name YHWH including the due respect. It is usually substituted, not properly translated, with the title ‘the LORD’ in the same way the name YHWH has been obscured. Yah is used 49 times in the original Hebrew text of the Bible. It is often found in poetry and praise, and is most frequently found in the book of Psalms. There is one verse in the Bible that has both of the names Yah and ‘Yahweh’ in the same verse; Isaiah 12:2. 

“Behold, God is my salvation,

I will trust and not dread;

For Yah—Yahweh (Himself)—is my strength and song,

And He has become my salvation.”

                                                                            Legacy Standard Bible

Probably the most familiar word that contains the name Yah is the word Hallelu-Yah (Hallelujah, Alleluia). This is usually interpreted as “praise ye (you) the Lord” which is not correct. A more accurate interpretation would be “praise you Yah” or “praise be to Yah”. Derived from two Hebrew words: hālal meaning to shine, to praise and the shortened version of the name ‘Yahweh’, Yah. 

The name Yah is used in many compound words to form proper names for individuals and locations. Yah is used as a prefix when it is placed in front of another word and is usually interpreted as ‘Je-‘or ‘Jo-‘. When it is placed at the end of another word as a suffix it is usually interpreted as ‘-iah’ or ‘-jah’. These compound words are usually joining a verb with the name Yah.