The Name Game

What do YOU call The Most High?

The Tetragrammaton in Paleo Hebrew

Yahweh. Yahuah. Yehovah. God. There are a plethora of names that people use for the name of our Creator. Which one is correct? Is one better than the other? Does it matter? I’ll give you my opinion. However, as usual, you should do your own research and not take any interweb stranger’s opinion as fact.

I typically call the Most High “Yah”. Why? Because I’m confident that it’s at least the beginning of His name, and is the shortened version of the Tetragrammaton…which is His name in Hebrew letters. יחוח (Hebrew is read right to left) is the letters yod (as in Yoda without an a on the end), heh (as in “hey” or “hay”), waw (or vav, depending on which camp you’re in), heh. So, in English it’s either YHWH or YHVH. Most of the arguments center around the waw (or vav) or the vowels. Ancient Hebrew didn’t have written vowels, and even modern Hebrew often times doesn’t. We are so far removed from the original Hebrew that I don’t think anyone can be certain of how to pronounce His name correctly. We are guessing at the vowels. There is also a question of how to pronounce the waw. Is it W as in Yahweh? Is it U as in Yahuah? Is it V as in Yehovah? I have no idea. I’ve heard a criticism of the name Yehovah by a congregation leader (also someone I learned the Aleph Bet from) of how the “V” sound came from Germanic translations at a much later date than when Messiah tended His flock. While that makes sense as something that could have possibly happened, I have no way to substantiate those claims.

I do know that "Jehovah” is incorrect, simply because there was no “J” sound in the Aleph Bet when the Most High revealed His name.

“God” is just a translation of the Hebrew word אלהים, or Elohim. He was definitely called that, but it’s more of a title than a name. The word elohim (small e) was also used when alluding to pagan gods. Which makes sense, because satanists call their master “god” as well, and the adversary is referred to as the “god of the world”:

2 Corinthians 4:4 (NASB) - in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they will not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

“God” is also thrown around quite confusingly by people pushing trinity doctrines, and is hard to make sense of sometimes. People refer to the Father as God. Then they say “Jesus is God” which typically appears to mean “Jesus is the Father” (and in most cases they probably mean He’s the Father and Son simultaneously). Using the name God for both sows seeds of perplexity, and often seems like an intellectually dishonest way of having theological conversations. It’s too vague of a term and allows a lot of wiggle room. While I’m not uncomfortable referring to either Father or Son as “God” (or at least “god”, and “Lord” as well) because I believe they both are higher beings than us mere humans, they are also separate entities. Yes, they are “one”, but “one” in that context is alluding to a form of union. Like marriage.

I see similar arguments about Messiah’s name as well. There’s Yeshua, Yahusha, Yahshua, Yehoshua, Jesus, and more. I use “Yeshua” because I believe that Aramaic was a common Hebraic language around the time He heavily roamed the Earth, and it’s my understanding that it’s His name in Aramaic. For all I know, any of those “Y” names that I started this paragraph with could be His name in Hebrew. Again, for “J” reasons I know that His name isn’t Jesus. That’s a translation from the Greek translation of "Iesous”.

One reason that we don’t know our Creator’s name is because of the Ineffable Name Doctrine. Which is the idea that His name is too special for us mere humans to speak. This came out of the roots of Judaism during (or possibly just after) the Babylonian captivity. This had many people calling Yah “Elohim” or “Adonai”. אדני (adonai) is the plural form of אדון (adon), which means “master” or “lord”. You may have noticed that both of those words are in plural form. That is done out of respect. Plurality denotes greatness and is used to intensify the original word out of reverence when it refers to Yah. Instead of יחוח being placed in most modern Bibles (restored names versions are the exception to this), this is why you have “God” and “The LORD” replacing His name. I’m not a huge fan of this practice, mainly because I believe those terms can muddy the waters and there is less clarity because of it. I will use either of those terms when I know for sure who someone I’m speaking with is talking about or if I’m trying to reach someone who would understand that terminology better. You may have heard people criticize “LORD” because “Ba’al” means “Lord”. Which is true. But “Adonai” does as well. So, if I’m not talking to a satanist or a politician/celebrity type (sorry about the redundance there!), I’m still fine using “Lord”. Yah and Yeshua are my typical go-tos, though.

The Ineffable Name Doctrine is also the cause of practitioners of Judaism saying “HaShem” (that literally means “The Name”) and instead of spelling “God” they will typically write “G-d”. Neither of those things make any Biblical sense to me, and when I see people online talking or writing that way I’m immediately scrolling on. I don’t believe we should avoid using the name of our Creator. His name certainly isn’t “The Name”! And spelling “G-d” is so tacky and weak that I won’t entertain the notion that it’s somehow acceptable. We should be proud to boldly state our understanding of Yah’s name to the world.

There is a verse in the Septuagint (I like the Septuagint, but no translation is without error) that I believe is a bad translation and is also something that feeds the Ineffable Name Doctrine mentality:

Leviticus 24:16 (LXX) - And he that names the name of the Lord, let him die the death: let all the congregation of Israel stone him with stones; whether he be a stranger or a native, let him die for naming the name of the Lord.

Masoretic translations seem to do a better job here:

Leviticus 24:16 (NASB2020) - Moreover, the one who blasphemes the name of the Lord must be put to death; all the congregation shall certainly stone him. The stranger as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death.

The Septuagint version makes it seems like it’s commanded that we don’t use Yah’s name at all, while the Masoretic version speaks to His name not being blasphemed. We can argue about what exactly blaspheming His name entails, but I don’t think it means just using His name in a sentence.

There are also many Biblical verses that talk about calling on or declaring Yah’s name:

Romans 10:13 (NASB2020) - for “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Psalm 22:22 (LXX) - I will declare your name to my brethren: in the midst of the church will I sing praise to you.

Psalm 145:2 (LXX) - Every day will I bless you, and I will praise your name for ever and ever.

Hebrews 13:15 (NASB2020) - Through Him then, let’s continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips praising His name.

Revelation 3:12 (NASB2020) - The one who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name.

There are many more where that came from, but I think that is enough for now. Take notice, in the last verse Yeshua says that He will have a new name. While I believe we should strive to get both Father’s and Son’s names correct to the best of our ability, the Son is going to have a new one in the end anyway. I think it’s more important that we are all speaking of the same entities, rather than bashing each other over who has the correct names and pronunciations. I surmise that there will be a coming deception with the name “Jesus”, yet at the same time it’s a name that brought people near to Messiah. I do think there is still power in that name depending on who’s wielding it. So, while I much prefer “Yeshua”, I sometimes take an approach similar to Paul:

1 Corinthians 9:22 (NASB2020) - To the weak I became weak, that I might gain the weak; I have become all things to all people, so that I may by all means save some.

We have to meet people where they’re at. If they have an understanding of “Jesus”, I think we are better off using that name in the beginning stages of interactions at times. Not all times, though. Each situation is unique.

While I’m on the subject of names, let’s talk about the term “Christian”. That name is thrown around a ton and so many people self-identify as Christians that are so astoundingly different in beliefs and behaviors, that the term is almost rendered meaningless. If we want to define a Christian as “a follower of Christ”, I would consider myself one. The problem is that my interpretation of scripture is so far away from what the average Christian believes that I don’t care to lump myself in with them. I call myself a follower of The Way. Which is all I care to be. Overall, I believe that Christians are generally very worldly people who have a profusion of beliefs that aren’t Biblical. Obviously, that isn’t everyone and there are anomalies. So if you’re offended by that, I might not be talking about you. Or maybe I am talking about you and your emotional outrage might be a sign that you have some self-reflecting to do. Regardless, my intention isn’t to offend people. I believe that we should be seeking a set-apart lifestyle (while still trying to reach those that are stuck in the matrix), and not embracing the false doctrines of churchianity. I don’t believe most Christians have that mentality, and that is why I typically don’t call myself a Christian.

If you made it this far, thanks for reading. I hope to see you at the wedding feast. 🪔