Does God have a name?

 

              

Does God have a name?

To answer that question God does have a name.     

Surprisingly not many Christians really know it and are not taught in church about it. Often Jehovah's Witnesses pride themselves for knowing God's divine name and often claim they use it. The divine name is revered by the Jews and believe it should be respected and not said out loud. One may come across the divine name as YHWH which is another English way of translating the divine name (יהוה). A better translation is YHVH and should be referenced as YHVH. God's name written out, is read from right to left (יהוה) and spelled out in these Hebrew letters as Yod (י) Hey (ה) Vav (ו) Hey (ה). No one knows how the divine name is suppose to be pronounced. I'll give an example of how it's been translated in other translations for verse Psalms 83:18.

In the Bible LORD in caps is used in place of the Hebrew tetragrammaton YHVH (יהוה). Some have thought God's name would be pronounced as Yahweh, but again no one is for sure how the divine name is pronounced. God’s name was later translated in Latin to English as Jehovah for the name Yahweh.

LORD being used in place of God’s divine name YHVH (יהוה)

Ps 83:18 (NASB) "That they may know that You alone, whose name is the LORD, Are the Most High over all the earth."

Yahweh being used in place of God’s divine name YHVH (יהוה)

Ps 83:18 (HCSB) "May they know that You alone-- whose name is Yahweh-- are the Most High over all the earth."

Jehovah being used in place of God’s divine name YHVH (יהוה)

Ps 83:18 (KJV) "That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth."

HaShem being used in place of God’s divine name YHVH (יהוה) in the Tanakh. Keep in mind Psalms 83:18 is listed as Psalms 83:19 in the Jewish Bible (Tanakh)

Artscroll Tanakh

Psalms 83:19 "Then they will know that You - Whose Name is HaShem - are alone, Most High over all the earth.

So again no one knows how the divine name YHVH (יהוה) is supposed to be translated. Some thought it might be pronounced as Yahweh. Eventually Jehovah was a Latin translation for the name Yahweh. The reason the Jews use HaShem is to signify the divine name YHVH (יהוה). HaShem is not the name of God but serves as a reference which stands for "The Name." Another reason they use HaShem is because one is not suppose to say the divine name YHVH (יהוה) unless for teaching. This is why no one is certain how the name was pronounced. The correct way to render the divine name would be YHVH (יהוה).

Written by.  Cruze Frank