יהוה YHVH “I AM THAT I AM”

{The Gentiles Shall Know My Name}

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His name is very important but,

No matter what name you use, right or wrong our father know your heart.

Psalms 44:20-21
[20] If we have forgotten the name of our God, or stretched out our hands to a strange god;
[21] Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart.

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Is there a conspiracy among Jewish Rabbis to conceal the name?

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Strong’s Concordance number 3068 refers to the Hebrew word יהוה (YHVH), often transliterated “Jehovah.” This is the personal name of God in the Hebrew Bible, commonly referred to as the Tetragrammaton (meaning “four letters”). It’s the most frequently used name for God in the Old Testament, appearing 6,828 times.

• Hebrew letters: י (Yod), ה (He), ו (Vav), ה (He).
• “YHVH” uses “V” for ו (Vav), which is more common in modern English transliteration, aligning with how Vav is typically pronounced in Hebrew (as a “v” sound).
• “YHWH” uses “W” for the Hebrew letter ו (Vav), following an older convention based on German transliteration where “W” sounds like “V.”

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Step 1: Understand the Consonants of Strong’s 3068

The Hebrew word for Strong’s 3068 is יהוה, with the consonants:

• י (Yod) = Y
• ה (He) = H
• ו (Vav) = V
• ה (He) = H
  So, the base consonants are Y-H-V-H.

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Step 2: Analyze the Vowels in “Yehovah”

“Yehovah” (often written as “Jehovah” in older English translations) is a traditional vocalization of the Tetragrammaton. It comes from combining the consonants of YHVH with the vowels of “Adonai” (Lord), a practice used by the Masoretes to indicate that “Adonai” should be read aloud instead of pronouncing the sacred name. Let’s break down the vowels in “Yehovah”:

• Ye = Y with a short “e” sound (the Hebrew vowel sheva, ְ, pronounced as a quick “eh”).
• ho = H with an “o” sound (the Hebrew vowel cholam, ֹ, pronounced “o”).
• vah = V with an “a” sound (the Hebrew vowel kamatz, ָ, pronounced “ah”), followed by the final H.

So, the vowel pattern of “Yehovah” is:

• Y + sheva (ְ) = “Ye”
• H + cholam (ֹ) = “Ho”
• V + kamatz (ָ) = “Va”
• H = typically silent at the end, but pronounced as “H” in this form.

Step 3: Apply the Vowels to YHVH

Now, apply these vowels to the consonants of YHVH (יהוה):

• י (Yod) with sheva (ְ) = יְ (Ye)
• ה (He) with cholam (ֹ) = הֹ (Ho)
• ו (Vav) with kamatz (ָ) = וָ (Va)
• ה (He) = ה (H)

The pointed Hebrew text is: יְהֹוָה

Step 4: Transliterate Back to English

With these vowels, the transliteration is:

• יְ (Ye)
• הֹ (Ho)
• וָ (Va)
• ה (H)

This gives us Yehovah, which matches the vocalization. This form, יְהֹוָה, is the standard Masoretic pointing for the Tetragrammaton in most Hebrew Bible manuscripts, like the Leningrad Codex, used to signal that “Adonai” should be read aloud.

Context and Usage

• The “Yehovah” vocalization appears throughout the Hebrew Bible. For example, in Exodus 3:15, God says to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The LORD [יְהֹוָה, Yehovah], the God of your fathers… has sent me to you.’” This is the name by which God reveals Himself as the covenant God of Israel.
• In the context of your earlier question about “measures = sheaves,” Yehovah (יְהֹוָה) is the name of the God who provides the harvest. In Leviticus 19:36, YHVH commands, “You shall have just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin: I am the LORD [יְהֹוָה, Yehovah] your God,” tying His name to the fair measurement of grain (like sheaves).

Final Answer

The Strong’s number 3068 (YHVH, יהוה) with the vowels of “Yehovah” is written in Hebrew as יְהֹוָה and transliterated into English as Yehovah. The vowel pattern is: sheva (ְ), cholam (ֹ), kamatz (ָ), applied to the consonants Y-H-V-H.

Germans pronounce the W as a V:

In German, the letter “W” is pronounced as a “V” sound in English. This is a key reason why the transliteration of the Hebrew Tetragrammaton (יהוה, Strong’s 3068) has historically been written as “YHWH” in some contexts, even though the more modern English transliteration is “YHVH,” which you’ve preferred in our conversation.

Here’s why this matters:

• The Hebrew letter ו (Vav) in יהוה (YHVH) is pronounced as a “v” in modern Hebrew (e.g., “vav”). In ancient Hebrew, it may have been pronounced as a “w” (like “waw”), but the “v” pronunciation became standard in later Hebrew traditions.
• Early biblical scholarship, especially in Europe, was heavily influenced by German scholars. In German, “W” sounds like “V” (e.g., “Wasser” in German is pronounced “Vasser”). So, when transliterating the Hebrew ו (Vav), German scholars often used “W” to represent the sound, leading to “YHWH.”
• English scholars adopted this convention, which is why “YHWH” became common in older English texts, like in Strong’s Concordance or early Bible translations. However, in modern English, we transliterate the Hebrew ו directly as “V” (since English already has a “V” sound), resulting in “YHVH.”

For example:

• A German speaker would pronounce “YHWH” as “Yeh-veh” (with the “W” sounding like “V”), which is close to the intended Hebrew pronunciation of “Yahveh” or “Yehovah.”
• An English speaker might misread “YHWH” as “Yeh-weh” (with a hard “W” sound), which doesn’t match the Hebrew.

This German pronunciation influence explains why I initially used “YHWH”—it’s a historical convention in biblical studies. But as you pointed out, “YHVH” better reflects the actual Hebrew pronunciation (with a “V” sound for ו) in modern English transliteration.

Does this clarify the connection? Let me know if you’d like to dig deeper into the history of these transliterations!

grok so what do you think is the true ancient name of GOD

The question of the true ancient name of God, specifically referring to the Tetragrammaton (יהוה, Strong’s 3068, YHVH/YHWH), is a fascinating one that spans linguistics, history, theology, and cultural traditions. Since we’ve been discussing YHVH in the context of biblical texts, I’ll focus on its pronunciation and what scholars believe the ancient form might have been, while considering the historical and scriptural evidence.

The Tetragrammaton: YHVH (יהוה)

The Hebrew name of God, יהוה, consists of four consonants: Yod (י), He (ה), Vav (ו), and He (ה). This name appears over 6,800 times in the Hebrew Bible and is the personal name of God, revealed to Moses in Exodus 3:14 (“I AM YHAT I AM”). The challenge lies in determining how it was pronounced in ancient times, as Hebrew was originally written without vowels, and the pronunciation of this name was later obscured by Jewish tradition.

Why the Pronunciation Is Uncertain:

• No Vowels in Ancient Hebrew: The original Hebrew texts (like the Dead Sea Scrolls, dating to 200 BCE–70 CE) lack vowel markings. Vowels were added later by the Masoretes (6th–10th centuries CE) to preserve pronunciation, but by then, the Tetragrammaton was no longer spoken aloud.
• Jewish Tradition of Avoidance: Out of reverence, Jews stopped pronouncing the divine name by at least the Second Temple period (post-200 BCE). Instead, they substituted it with “Adonai” (Lord) when reading aloud, following the Third Commandment’s principle of not taking God’s name in vain (Exodus 20:7). This led to the loss of the original pronunciation over time.
• Masoretic Vowel Pointing: The Masoretes added vowels to the Hebrew text, but for יהוה, they inserted the vowels of “Adonai” (or sometimes “Elohim”) to remind readers to say “Adonai” instead. This resulted in forms like יְהֹוָה (Yehovah) or יְהֹוִה (Yehovih, as we discussed). These are not the original pronunciations but rather signals for substitution.

“Yahweh” came from the Samaritans, 1st seen in 1599

Most biblical scholars and linguists agree that the ancient pronunciation of יהוה was likely “Yahweh”. Here’s the evidence supporting this:

1. Root and Meaning:
   • The name יהוה is derived from the Hebrew verb היה (hayah), meaning “to be.” In Exodus 3:14, God says, “I AM THAT I AM” (אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה, Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh), linking the name to the concept of being or existence.
   • The form “Yahweh” fits the causative form of the verb (hiphil), meaning “He who causes to be” or “He who is.” This aligns with ancient Semitic name structures, where a deity’s name often reflects their nature.
2. Ancient Transcriptions:
   • Greek and Samaritan texts from the early centuries provide clues. For example, early Christian writers like Clement of Alexandria (2nd century CE) transliterated the name as Ιαουε (Iaoue), which sounds like “Yahweh.”
   • The Samaritans, who maintained a separate tradition from mainstream Judaism, pronounced the name as “Yahweh” or “Yahwe,” according to some historical records.
3. Theophoric Names:
   • Many Hebrew names in the Bible incorporate parts of the divine name. For example, “Elijah” (אֵלִיָּהוּ, Eliyahu) means “My God is Yahu,” and “Isaiah” (יְשַׁעְיָהוּ, Yeshayahu) means “Salvation of Yahu.” The shortened form “Yahu” or “Yah” (as in “Hallelujah,” meaning “Praise Yah”) appears frequently and suggests a pronunciation like “Yahweh.” If the name were “Yehovah,” we’d expect more names with “Yeho” endings, but “Yahu” endings dominate in older texts.
4. Linguistic Patterns:
   • In ancient Semitic languages, three-letter roots often take a “Ya- -eh” pattern for causative verbs. For example, the root היה (H-Y-H) would naturally form “Yahweh” (Y-H-W-H) as a name, with the Vav (ו) acting as a long vowel (“u” or “w” sound in ancient Hebrew).
   • The “Ye-” prefix in “Yehovah” reflects the Masoretic sheva vowel (ְ), which is likely an artificial addition from “Adonai” (which starts with a similar sound).
5. Shortened Forms in the Bible:
   • The name “Yah” (יה) appears as a shortened form of the Tetragrammaton in places like Psalm 68:4 (“Sing to God, sing praises to His name; extol Him who rides on the clouds, by His name Yah”) and in “Hallelujah.” This supports “Yahweh” as the full form, as “Yah” is a natural abbreviation.

Why “Yehovah” (or Jehovah) Became Common:

The form “Yehovah” (later “Jehovah” in English) arose because of the Masoretic vowel pointing:

• The vowels of “Adonai” (אֲדֹנָי) are: sheva (ְ), cholam (ֹ), kamatz (ָ).
• When applied to יהוה, this becomes יְהֹוָה, transliterated as “Yehovah.”
• Early Bible translators, like those working on the Latin Vulgate and later the King James Version (1611), took this vocalization literally, not realizing it was a signal to say “Adonai.” In medieval Europe, “Y” became “J” and “V” became a harder “V” sound, leading to “Jehovah.”

However, “Yehovah” is almost certainly not the ancient pronunciation. It’s a hybrid form, blending the consonants of YHVH with the vowels of “Adonai.” Scholars widely agree that “Yahweh” is closer to the original.

Other Possibilities:

While “Yahweh” is the consensus, there are alternative theories:

• Yahveh/Yahve: Some scholars suggest a slight variation, “Yahveh,” emphasizing the “v” sound of the Vav (ו) in modern Hebrew. This is phonetically very close to “Yahweh.”
• Yahuweh: Based on theophoric names like “Yahu” (e.g., Eliyahu), some propose “Yahuweh,” with a longer “u” sound. This is less common but plausible.
• Yehowah/Yehowih: As we discussed earlier, forms like “Yehovah” or “Yehovih” appear in some Masoretic texts, but these are likely later scribal traditions, not the original pronunciation.

Ancient Pronunciation of Vav: “W” vs. “V”

You asked earlier about the German “W” sounding like “V,” which ties into this question. In ancient Hebrew, the letter ו (Vav) was likely pronounced as a “w” sound (like “waw”), based on linguistic evidence from other Semitic languages like Akkadian and Ugaritic. By the time of the Second Temple period (post-exile, 6th century BCE), the pronunciation shifted to a “v” sound in many Jewish communities, which is why modern Hebrew uses “v” (e.g., “vav”). So:

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The phrase “he who was, he who is, he who will be” from Revelation 1:8, which you’ve expressed as “he who was hayah, he who is hoveh, he who will be yihyeh,” ties directly to the eternal nature of God. Let’s translate this into Hebrew, focusing on the verb forms you’ve provided, which are rooted in the Hebrew verb היה (hayah, “to be”). Since we’re working with a biblical context, I’ll also connect this to our prior discussions of YHVH (יהוה, Strong’s 3068, likely pronounced “Yahweh”).

Step 1: Break Down the Phrase and Verb Forms

The phrase describes God’s eternal existence across time:

• “He who was” → Hayah (הָיָה): This is the perfect tense of the verb “to be,” meaning “he was.” It’s the standard past tense form of היה, used to describe completed action (e.g., Genesis 1:2, “the earth was [הָיְתָה, hayetah] formless”).
• “He who is” → Hoveh (הֹוֶה): This is the present participle of the verb “to be,” meaning “he is” or “the one who is.” It’s less common in biblical Hebrew but appears in some contexts to denote ongoing existence (e.g., derived from Exodus 3:14, “I AM” [אֶהְיֶה, ehyeh]).
• “He who will be” → Yihyeh (יִהְיֶה): This is the imperfect tense of the verb “to be,” meaning “he will be.” It denotes future action (e.g., Genesis 17:5, “you will be [תִּהְיֶה, tihyeh] the father of many nations”).

These forms are all derived from the root היה (hayah), which is also the root of YHVH (יהוה), meaning “I AM” or “He Who Is,” as we discussed earlier.

Step 2: Translate into Hebrew with the Relative Pronoun “He Who”

In Hebrew, “he who” is typically expressed with the relative pronoun אֲשֶׁר (asher), meaning “who” or “that.” So, we’ll construct the phrase as “the one who was, the one who is, the one who will be”:

• He who was (hayah): אֲשֶׁר הָיָה (asher hayah)
• He who is (hoveh): אֲשֶׁר הֹוֶה (asher hoveh)
• He who will be (yihyeh): אֲשֶׁר יִהְיֶה (asher yihyeh)

Putting it together, the full phrase in Hebrew is:
אֲשֶׁר הָיָה וַאֲשֶׁר הֹוֶה וַאֲשֶׁר יִהְיֶה
Transliteration: Asher hayah va’asher hoveh va’asher yihyeh
Translation: “Who was and who is and who will be”

The conjunction וַ (va-, “and”) connects the three parts, making it a cohesive phrase, as is typical in Hebrew grammar for such lists.

Step 3: Connection to YHVH and Revelation 1:8

This phrase in Revelation 1:8 (“who is and who was and who is to come”) directly reflects the eternal nature of God, which ties to the meaning of YHVH (יהוה). As we discussed, YHVH is derived from היה (hayah, “to be”), and its likely ancient pronunciation, “Yahweh,” means “He Who Is” or “He Who Causes to Be.” The Hebrew phrase you’ve constructed mirrors this:

• Hayah (הָיָה) aligns with “who was,” God’s existence in the past.
• Hoveh (הֹוֶה) aligns with “who is,” God’s present existence.
• Yihyeh (יִהְיֶה) aligns with “who will be,” God’s future presence.

In Exodus 3:14, God tells Moses, “I AM WHO I AM” (אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה, Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh), using the imperfect tense (ehyeh, “I will be” or “I am”), which is closely related to yihyeh. This links the name YHVH to the eternal “I AM,” encompassing all time—past (hayah), present (hoveh), and future (yihyeh).

Step 4: Biblical and Theological Significance

In Revelation 1:8, this description of God (“who is and who was and who is to come”) emphasizes His unchanging, eternal nature, a concept rooted in the Old Testament understanding of YHVH. The Hebrew translation you’ve requested—אֲשֶׁר הָיָה וַאֲשֶׁר הֹוֶה וַאֲשֶׁר יִהְיֶה—captures this perfectly, using the verb forms of “to be” to reflect God’s timeless existence.

This also ties back to our earlier discussions:

• “Measures = Sheaves”: YHVH, as the eternal God, provides harvests across time (Deuteronomy 28:8). His eternal nature ensures His promises endure.
• “Mansions = Monē (Resting Places)”: In John 14:2, Jesus (who Christians believe is one with YHVH) prepares eternal resting places, reflecting God’s timeless care for His people.

Final Answer

The Hebrew translation for “he who was (hayah), he who is (hoveh), he who will be (yihyeh),” as in Revelation 1:8, is:
אֲשֶׁר הָיָה וַאֲשֶׁר הֹוֶה וַאֲשֶׁר יִהְיֶה
(Asher hayah va’asher hoveh va’asher yihyeh), meaning “who was and who is and who will be.”