The Definition Of The Term Yahweh

By Coleen Torres


According to the Christian bible, GOD is given many names among them are EL AND ADONAI. YAHWEH is believed to have been revealed to his people by the prophet Moses. The name was considered holy and therefore the letters YHWH were instead used to act as a reminder for one to use Lord instead of God name. The name has however changed over the ages to Jehovah which what is commonly used today.

Intellects clash when it comes to the matter of decryption of the tetragrammaton YHWH. However the most common meaning is that it refers to I AM. This is held up by various books in the bible such as Exodus. However the articulation of word is still not clear.


The term is also known as the desert God, this is can be seen from the old testament as the Hebrew were traveling from Egypt to Canaan. When they eventually settled according to the narrative, His worship as the sole deity was inaugurated all over the land. It was common practice that each deity was available only in the region over which HE/SHE presided. Egyptian gods were not accessible in Greece and vice versa.

As a fellow of one of the Israelite pantheon, it is believed that He also had His own consort known as Asherah. The occurrence of monotheism in Israel has therefore been a late phenomenon, fleeting via different stages before unswerving monotheism became the custom in Babylonian Exile. In contrary to other gods, Hebrews worshiped without idols to represent their God.

In history, in the course of the arrival to Canaan by the Israelite its alleged that the original people of Canaan were polytheistic. There was however no hostility between the people. The scriptural narrative is understood to be against the polytheistic philosophy of these Canaanites.

Records show that the name was used during monarchial period in Israel . That is up to the time that the land was subjugated by Nebuchadnezzar during his tenure as king. The detainees of the fighting included elites such as pharmacists, scholars, and teachers. The subjects usually gathered in synagogues where the younger people were given advises and practiced their essential dialect. This ensured that Hebrew culture was well conserved.

Following the end of monarchial rule, a re-examination of traditions began. The term ceased to be vocalized and was only used once a year by the high priest during the Day of Atonement. The term is used in combination with other names all with different meaning such as shalom, rapha, nissi among others. The significance of the name is that it confirms the existence of God. He is therefore seen as to allow His people to call him personally rather than formally.

In closure, during early times, a person personality could be told from the tile that was accorded to them. He is therefore seen as portraying the oddity of availability to his followers and wanting to have a personal relationship with them. People have closely been following His teachings.




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