This article was sourced from The House of Yahweh. You can
navigate the article from the menu links on the left which are designed to allow the reader to skip to particular facts
documented in this article. The House of Yahweh led by Yisrayl Hawkins is the
leading authority on the great Name of Yahweh our Heavenly Father, and has been
main organization responsible for restoring its use in these last days. To
read the entire article on one page click on
The Name
of Yahweh
The Hiding Of Yahweh's Name
In the Hebrew manuscripts, the religious scholars conclude there are three major
texts of Scripture; the oldest and the original being the Yahwistic works, which
use the Name of Yahweh exclusively. These works are referred to as the J
writings because they contain only the Name of Yahweh without the pagan titles
of El, Elohim or Adonai. In these first manuscripts, everyone knew instantly the
Name of the Creator of all things, because the minds of those who read it were
not confused by reading titles of pagan Gods (Elohim).
The next text of the Scriptures, coming about 100 years later, incorporated the
use of pagan titles, which were adopted from the Canaanites after the children
of Israyl entered the promised land, even though Yahweh had strictly warned them
to stay away from the Godworship of the people they would come in contact with
(Deuteronomy 7:1-5). In direct violation of Yahweh's commandment not to worship
hinder Gods (Elohim) only 100 years later the Holy Scriptures became polluted
with the pagan titles of Elohim, Adonai, God and Lord.
The pagan word God comes from the word El (singular—God) or Elohim
(plural—Gods).
From The Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible, Volume 1, page 817, we find the
information that El or Elohim simply means demon.
A. In The OT. 1. Daimonism. a. Daimon. The Hebrew equivalent of "demon" (daimon)
in the original sense is simply or ('elohim), commonly rendered "god."
The words El-Elohim, like the words Baal-Adonai came from the Canaanite
vocabulary and worship. These Canaanite words were accepted into the Hebrew
language many years after the Yahwist writings of the Holy Scriptures.
The Encyclopedia Judaica, Volume 7, page 674 tells us:
Most of these terms were employed also by the Canaanites to designate their
pagan gods. This is not surprising; since on settling in the Promised Land the
Patriarchs and early Israelites made "the language of Canaan" their own (Is.
19:18), the Hebrew language would naturally use the Canaanite vocabulary for
terms designating their own Deity.
These names of the Canaanites' Gods (Elohim) were accepted before and during the
time of Yeremyah the prophet began his prophesying.
Yeremyah 23:25-27—
25 I have heard what the prophets say, who prophesy lies in My Name, saying; I
have dreamed! I have dreamed!
26 How long will this be in the heart of the prophets who prophesy lies? Yes,
they are prophets of the deceit of their own minds;
27 Who devise; plan and scheme, tto cause My people to forget My Name through
their dreams, which they tell every man to his neighbor, just as their fathers
have forgotten My Name for Baal; Lord.
The word Baal simply means Lord, as is shown in Unger's Bible Dictionary, page
665.
Lord (Hebrew Adon), an early word denoting ownership; hence, absolute control.
It is not properly a (righteous) title...master; of kings, as the lords of their
subjects. (4.) Lord. Master, (Greek Kurios) Supreme...
(5.) Baal (Master) (As noted above, it means Lord)—applied only to heathen
deities (gods), or to man as husband, etc ...
The Jews out of a superstitious reverence for the Name of Yahweh, always, in
reading, pronounced Adonai where Yahweh is written.
On page 413 of Unger's Bible Dictionary, we find:
Baal—common Canaanite word for master, lord, was one of the chief male deities
of the Canaanite Pantheon, now well known from the religious epic literature
discovered at Ras Shamra (an Ugarit of the Amarna Letters), from 1921-1937.
Smith's Bible Dictionary on pages 195-196 states:
The substitution of the word Lord is most (sad); for, while it in no way
represents the meaning of the Sacred Name, the mind has constantly to guard
against a confusion with its lower uses, and, above all, the direct personal
hearing of the Name on the revelation of Yahweh...is injuriously out of sight.
At the time, the use of these pagan terms was accepted, and used by the copyists
to replace Yahweh's Name, or to identify Him in their writings. However, these
pagan words cannot identify Yahweh our Creator, because they are titles of Satan
and her angels.
Unger's Bible Dictionary page 412 states that the word El is a Canaanite word
meaning God or devil.
The Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible, Volume 1, page 817, under Demonology,
says the word Elohim (plural form of El) means demons or Gods.
Scholars and historians find it quite remarkable that the people of Yahweh ever
accepted appellations such as Adonai or Elohim in place of the Name Yahweh.
Harper's Bible Dictionary by Paul Achtemeier, page 253 states:
The accomodation of El worship by Yahwism was a remarkable occurrence for Israel
was as a rule hostile to the cults of Canaaite gods and goddesses.
The Encyclopedia Judaica, Volume 7 page 680, tells us a very important fact
about Yahweh's Name.
YHWH. The personal name... written in the Hebrew Bible with the four consonants
YHWH and is referred to as the "Tetragrammaton." At least until the destruction
of the First Temple in 586 B.C.E. this name was regularly pronounced with its
proper vowels, as is clear from the Lachish Letters, written shortly before that
date. But at least by the third century B.C.E. the pronunciation of the name
YHWH was avoided and Adonai,"the Lord,"was substituted for it.
Notice what they have written concerning the Name Yahweh from The Torah: A
Modern Commentary, by Gunther Plaut, page 31 and page 426.
is the unique, personal name of the Creator and the name most frequently used in
the Bible. The Torah gives the meaning in Exod. 3:14. The original pronunciation
was most likely Yahweh (), but since Jewish tradition permitted the name to be
voiced only by the High Priest it became customary, after the destruction of the
Second Temple, to substitute the word Adonai (meaning "my Lord") when reading .
1 The Masoretes who vocalized the Hebrew text therefore took the vowels from the
word Adonai () and put them with to remind the reader not to read Yahweh but
Adonai. Hence, all vocalized text of the Bible now read .2 A Christian writer of
the sixteenth century who was unaware of this substitution transcribed , as he
saw it, namely, as Jehovah, and this has since entered many Christian Bible
translations.
Overwhelming scholarly opinion holds that was in Moses' time pronounced
(Yahweh). There is also a shorter form of the Name, Yah (), which may represent
the original form from which Yahweh was expanded or may, contrariwise, be a
contraction of the longer ascription. Yahweh occurs sometimes alone (as in 15:2,
17:16), but more likely in conjunction with proper names like Elijah (Eliyah in
Hebrew) and in the doxology, HalleluYahweh.
The Name Yahweh means self-existent, which this source shows. But it also means
perfect righteousness, which is contrary to the meaning of the word God, which
means a mixture of righteousness and evil. Notice the following Scriptures,
which shows the character of Yahweh:
Exodus 33:18-19—
18 Then Mosheh said; Show me now Your glory.
19 And Yahweh said: I will make all My righteousness pass in front of you; and I
will proclaim My Name, YAHWEH , in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I
will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
Exodus 34:5-7—
5 Then Yahweh descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed
the Name of YAHWEH.
6 Yahweh passed in front of him, and proclaimed: YAHWEH, YAHWEH Almighty,
merciful and compassionate, longsuffering, and abounding in righteousness and
truth.
7 Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, and transgression, and sin;
but by no means leaving unpunished those who are guilty; Who visits the sin of
the fathers upon the children and the children's children, to the third and
fourth generation.
They have substituted (among many other names and titles) Baal, the Babylonians
God (el) and Adonay, the Canaanite God (El) of the Phoencians for the holy Name
of our Creator Yahweh. The substitution of Yahweh's Name with the names of pagan
Gods (Elohim) has brought immeasurable harm. Such names as Lord, God, Jesus and
Christ in no way represent the meaning of the name revealed by Yahweh our
Heavenly Father to Mosheh, and to the ancient Hebrews. By employing these names,
the people unknowingly turn the worship of Yahweh into that of God (elohim) and
actually ascribe the loving and merciful characteristics of the Father of Israyl,
to the pagan Gods (Elohim).
The New International Version Interlinear Hebrew-English Old Testament, elects
to use Yahweh's Name where it is written in the Hebrew text. In Volume 1, page
26 of the Introduction is found this statement:
Yahweh, the personal Name of (the Creator) is always translated Yahweh, against
the practice in the NIV in rendering it as Lord. On the one hand, this prevents
confusion of the Name with the title (Adonai) my Lord, for the idea of lord is
not an integral element of the Name. On the other hand, it may be the use of
Yahweh in this work will encourage the reader to use the personal Name of
(Yahweh) in prayer and praise, as is intended by the most common imperative in
the Scriptures: (HalleluYahweh!) Psalm 104:35: Praise Yahweh!
top of page
