YHWH facts for kids
For Jewish people, YHWH is the most holy name for God. It is written in the ancient Hebrew language. Because the written language didn't use vowels, people don't fully agree on how to say it. However, many experts believe "Yahweh" is the most likely way.
Sometimes, the name "Yehova" was used in Hebrew as a substitute. This happened because Hebrew vowel symbols were placed under YHWH, making it look like יְהֹוָה. These vowels came from the Hebrew word for Lord, "Adonai." After a period of captivity, the vowels of "Adonai" were incorrectly added to YHWH. This created the spelling "YaHoVaH." It was only meant to be a way to avoid saying the holy name directly.
Today, many religious Jews do not say this name aloud. They believe it is too sacred to be spoken. Instead, they use other words when talking about God's name. For example, they might say "HaShem" (meaning "The Name") or "Shem HaMeforash" ("the indescribable Name").
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Understanding YHWH: The Four Letters
The four letters YHWH are often called the Tetragrammaton. This is a Greek word that means four letters.
Ancient Hebrew writing did not use vowels like English or Latin. So, when the Tetragrammaton was translated from Hebrew to Latin, it became JHWH. Later, in English, it was often written as JHVH. Since these letters don't have vowels, vowels were added to make the name easier to say. This is how JHVH became JEHOVAH.
How Different Bibles Use the Name
In some English Bibles, the name YHWH is written in all capital letters as "LORD." This follows a Jewish tradition. Other Bibles, like the Jerusalem Bible, use "Yahweh." The Holman Christian Study Bible uses "Yahweh" when it refers to God's specific name. God's Word Translation uses all the different Hebrew spellings for God's name.
The Name in Abrahamic Religions
Today, the three main Abrahamic religions are Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. All three believe in one God. In the Jewish and Christian holy books, God is called Yahweh almost 7,000 times. The general name "Elohim" is used about 2,500 times. Yahweh was often spoken by Jews in the past. In the New Testament, Yahweh is also part of the name Yahshua (Jesus). Yahshua means "Yahweh (Yah) Saves (shua)."
Jehovah's Witnesses and the Name
The religious group known as Jehovah's Witnesses uses the name Jehovah. They base this on early English Bible translations, like the King James Version. They are not the only group to use "Jehovah." When settlers came to North America, the name Jehovah was widely used. Several other groups still use it today.
The Vatican's View
In 2008, the Vatican (the head of the Catholic Church) reminded people that the full name YAHWEH should not be used in Catholic church services. This was done out of respect for Jewish people, who do not say the full word. Instead, YHWH was to be used in writing.
Related pages
- God in Christianity
- Jehovah
Images for kids
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Transcription of the divine name as ΙΑΩ in the 1st-century BCE Septuagint manuscript 4Q120
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The Mesha Stele bears the earliest known reference (840 BCE) to the Israelite God Yahweh.
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YHWH in one of the Lachish letters
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Tetragrammaton written in paleo-Hebrew script on Greek Minor Prophets Scroll from Nahal Hever
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Petrus Alphonsi's early 12th-century Tetragrammaton-Trinity diagram, rendering the name as "IEVE"
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A tetractys of the letters of the Tetragrammaton adds up to 72 by gematria.
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Tetragrammaton by Francisco Goya: "The Name of God", YHWH in triangle, detail from fresco Adoration of the Name of God, 1772
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The Tetragrammaton on the Tympanum of the Roman Catholic Basilica of St. Louis, King of France in Missouri
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See also
In Spanish: Tetragrámaton para niños
