The personal name of God in the Hebrew Bible, is represented by the four Hebrew letters יהוה (YHWH), known as the Tetragrammaton. This name was considered so sacred that its pronunciation was avoided, with "Adonai" (Lord) or "Elohim" (God) used as substitutes in speech and writing.
The exact pronunciation of YHWH is uncertain. Scholars generally pronounce it as "Yahweh" or something similar. The name is closely connected to the phrase "I am who I am" that God used when speaking to Moses at the burning bush.
Exodus 3:14 -- God answered Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM.' Then He said, 'You are to say to Bnei-Yisrael, "I AM" has sent me to you.'
Exodus 3:15 --"God also said to Moses: 'You are to say to Bnei-Yisrael, Adonai, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—has sent me to you. This is My Name forever, and the Name by which I should be remembered from generation to generation.'"
The Tetragrammaton:
יה (Yod-Hey):
The first two Hebrew letters יה (Yod-Hey) represent a shortened form of the divine name of God in the Hebrew Bible. Here are some key points about its meaning and usage:
Yod Hey (יה), pronounced "Yah," is a contracted (shortened) form of the Tetragrammaton יהוה (YHWH), which is the personal name of God in Hebrew scripture.
Yod Hey (יה), Yah, is used independently as a divine name, especially in poetic and liturgical contexts. It appears frequently in phrases like "Hallelujah" (הללו-יה), meaning "Praise Yah".
In Jewish tradition, יה is considered a sacred name and is often substituted with other terms to avoid pronouncing the divine name directly.
Some scholars connect יה to the concept of "joy" or the "joy of the Lord", seeing it as representing God's joyful, energizing presence.
Yah also appears in the Hebrew Bible as a theophoric (bearing the name of God) element in many names, like Elijah ("My God is Yah") and Isaiah ("Yah is salvation").
וה (Vav-Hey):
The last two Hebrew letters in YHVH, וה (Vav-Hey), do not form a standalone word with a specific meaning in Hebrew.
WHY ONLY "I AM"
Have you ever wondered why God told Moses "You are to say to Bnei-Yisrael (Children of Israel), "I AM" has sent me to you'" versus "I AM WHO I AM"?
It has long fascinated me that God shortened his name from "I AM WHO I AM" to just "I AM." God must have had an important reason!
Last night at a Bible study regarding the "Attributes of God" it occurred to me why God may have done so. Hopefully I can explain my reasoning. But first I need to break down the Hebrew.
An examination of the Hebrew letters offers insights. יהוה is comprised of three unique letters. The ה (Hey) is repeated. The manner/sequence by which ה (Hey) is repeated suggests to me that God had a reason for both repeating ה (Hey) in the full name "I AM WHO I AM" (YHVH) AND for telling Moses to just say "I AM" (YH).
The concept of God's breath (Ruach) or spirit is foundational in Hebrew scripture. In Genesis 1:2, רוּחַ אֱלֹהִים (Ruach Elohim) or "Spirit of God" is described as hovering over the waters at creation.
Job 33:4 -- "The Spirit of God (Ruach El) has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life".
Psalm 51:11 contains one of the few explicit references to the Holy Spirit (Ruach Kodshecha) in the Hebrew Bible.
Hey (ה), the Spirit of God, is present with both Yod (י) and Vav (ו). The Spirit of God is in the Torah and the New Testament.
Now let's look at the other two Hebrew letters in YHVH. We have the Yod (י) and the Vav (ו).
"So the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror and with signs and wonders."
Connection: As the word for "and" in Hebrew, the Vav serves to connect words, phrases, and ideas throughout the Torah. It symbolizes continuation and joining things together. Yeshua was joined to the cross with a nail (Vav). His crucifixion revealed much!
Transformation: When prefixed to verbs, the Vav can change the tense from past to future or vice versa. This demonstrates its power to transform meaning.
Spiritual bridge: The Vav is seen as connecting the spiritual and physical realms, symbolizing humanity's ability to bring divine concepts into the earthly world.
THANKS FOR HANGING ON. NOW I CAN BRING IT HOME!
TIMING IS EVERYTHING. CONTEXT IS AS IMPORTANT AS TIMING.
Luke 6:10 -- And after looking around at them all he said to him, “Stretch out your hand.” And he did so, and his hand was restored.
Putting the Hebrew together and applying the meaning associated with each letter this is what we get: (Remember that the Hebrew letters read right to left.)
"The Hand Reveals the Nail Reveals"
When God was telling Moses his name, YESHUA'S time had not yet come. I propose that God wasn't ready to directly introduce himself as YHVH. He said, 'You are to say to Bnei-Yisrael, "I AM" has sent me to you.'
In the context of the Torah, it wasn't the time for Moses to introduce God as "I AM WHO I AM." It was hard enough for the Children of Israel to grasp the concept of "I AM" (YH) let alone the One WHO said "I AM He" in the Garden of Gethsemane.
I think there is a direct correlation between the concepts above and the reason Moses was told to "speak to the rock." As the Torah was coming to the end, the time was coming for a different kind of relationship with El Shaddai.
Sadly, at the end of the Torah, after all the great acts God performed for the Children of Israel, Moses says something shocking to them in Deuteronomy 29:1-5:
"Moses called to all Israel and said to them, “You have seen all that Adonai did before your eyes in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and all his servants and all his land— the great trials that your eyes saw, those great signs and wonders. But to this day Adonai has not given you a heart to know, or eyes to see, or ears to hear. I led you 40 years in the wilderness—your clothes have not worn out on you, and your sandals have not worn out on your feet. Bread you have not eaten and wine and strong drink you have not drunk—in order that you may know that I am Adonai your God."
God revealed himself through an outstretched arm in the Exodus (YH). God revealed himself again when he was nailed to the cross (VH). Following this same pattern, God will reveal himself, the great and final Hey (ה) in the end-times as fortold in Revelation.
The Torah revealed "I Am" to the Israelites. But it was not time for the "Who" I Am is.
“I who speak to you am he.”
In John 8:58
Jesus says, "Before Abraham was, I am."
john 4.22-26
You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25 The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”
Revelation 19:11-13 -- "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war."
"His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself."
"And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God."
In these verses we have come full circle back to "In Beginning" (Bereshit) was The Word. God spoke ...
Jeremiah 5:21 -- "Hear this, O foolish and senseless people, who have eyes, but see not, who have ears, but hear not.".
Jeremiah 31:31-34 -- where God says: "The days are coming," declares the Lord, "when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them," declares the Lord.
John 4.26 -- Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”
John 10: 1-18 speaks to "Who I Am" is. How appropriate that John 10 is also the chapter about the Feast of Dedication, Hanukkah, when Jews "re-dedicated" the temple.