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BibleTruth.cc "The God Who Is There" Series Speak the Name Why Don't the People of the Bible Speak the Name of the God of the Bible? By David M Rogers www.BibleTruth.cc Published: April 2021 Table of Contents The Substitution of the Sacred Name The Doctrine of the Ineffable Name Is Pronouncing the Name Blasphemy? The Bible Tells Us Why and When the Name Was Removed From Their Lips The Religious Climate During the 1st Century C.E. The Usage of the Sacred Name by Messiah Yahusha Confrontation Resulting From the Use of the Sacred Name The Usage of the Sacred Name by Messiah's Disciples The Sacred Name in the Book of Revelation Why Is It So Important to Call Upon Him By Name? How Does the Vocalization of the Name Relate to the Return of Messiah? A most remarkable phenomenon has gripped the religion of Judaism and the Christian Church. It is mind bending in the least, and incredible at the core. It is unimaginable if you know the God (Elohim) of the Scriptures. Yet, it has been happening for something like 2500 years. Here's the thing: the people who say they serve and worship and call upon the Creator God and the One who is called Savior and Lord almost never call upon this God by his name. Yet they are so sure He exists and orchestrates all of creation and history. What's the problem? Did this Creator reveal his Name? Is it possible to know this Name? In Judaism, the Name of Elohim is not
spoken.
Instead, when they encounter the Name in the Hebrew Scriptures they replace it
with Adonai or HaShem. They will not speak with the correct
vocalization the name of Elohim. Why is this so? In Christianity, the Name of Elohim is not known or
spoken
The Substitution of the Sacred Name The name hwhy (Yahuwah) in the Hebrew text is used nearly 7000 times in the Tanach (Old Testament). Since the name hwhy (Yahuwah) is one of the most frequently used words in the Hebrew Bible, then why is it that in most English Bibles you can not find the name hwhy (Yahuwah) anywhere? And shouldn't Christians, who claim to have a personal knowledge and relationship with the living Elohim, be alarmed about this fact? Instead of being suspicious of those people who want to call attention to the fact that Elohim's unique, personal name is missing from most Bible translations, shouldn't Christians instead be suspicious of and boiling mad at those translators who have intentionally left out Elohim's name from our English Bibles? After all, it should be self evident that Elohim's personal name is not "the LORD"! And His name is not "God" or "Adonai" or "HaShem" either. "The LORD" is a substitution for the true name of Elohim which is hwhy (Yahuwah). "Lord" is a translation of the Hebrew word adonai (which can also be translated "master"). The title "Lord" is then capitalized as a convenient way of acknowledging that they are rendering the Hebrew word "YHWH." "God" is merely a generic title of classification like the words, "human," and "animal." And "Adonai" is a Hebrew word of respectful salutation which is usually translated in modern English as "Mr." or "Sir." In fact, it should be regarded as suspicious, or even ludicrous, to translate a personal name at all. When "Juan" does his world travel, his name does not get translated to "John" or to anything else! No matter where "Juan" goes, his name is still "Juan." Nobody's name needs to be "translated" when he is in the company of people of a different language! A name remains the same no matter where a person goes. Thus, any attempt to translate Elohim's personal name into a term more suitable to the English language, just because his name is Hebrew in origin, could be regarded as ridiculous and laughable if it were not so seriously wrong! Elohim's name is not to be tossed around and bantered about. His name is to be kept sacred and honored. He told us what his name is and we should honor his name as he has revealed it. The third of the Ten Commandments warns against mishandling of Elohim's sacred name: You shall not take the name of hwhy (Yahuwah) your Elohim in vain, for hwhy (Yahuwah) will not hold him guiltless who takes His name mv, in vain (Exodus 20:7). You shall not take the name of hwhy (Yahuwah) your Elohim in vain, for hwhy (Yahuwah) will not hold him guiltless who takes His name mv, in vain (Deuteronomy 5:11). The Hebrew word, sha-ve means "emptiness, vanity, falsehood, nothingness, emptiness of speech, lying, worthlessness (of conduct)." To take Elohim's name in vain would be, therefore, to regard His name as worthless, empty or nothingness. Thus, to take his name in vain is to diminish the Name and Reputation of God. Isn't that exactly what translators have done when they completely removed His sacred name from the Bible and substituted some arbitrary designation in its place?! The first way we might take his name is vain is to lift up his name falsely in an oath. Two Scriptures which come to mind are these: Fear Yahuwah your Elohim, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. (Devarim 6:13) Fear Yahuwah your Elohim and serve him. Hold fast to him and take your oaths in his name. (Devarim 10:20) To take an oath in the name of Yahuwah is to
guarantee the trustworthiness of the oath. You are essentially
presenting the reputation and character of Yahuwah as proof of the
reliability of the oath. You must not swear falsely in my name, so
that you do not profane the name of your Elohim. I am Yahuwah (Vayiqra
[Leviticus] 19:12).
The reading of the Shem Tov Hebrew Matthew
manuscript confirms this understanding. The Hebrew reads, "but I
say to you that you should not swear by anything falsely." The
Hebrew word utilized is sha-ve, which means "in vain, useless."
The instruction is not to swear in vain such as the Pharisees taught was
acceptable.
When we swear in Yahuwah's name, we are implying
that our oath is as reliable as Yahuwah's own character and reputation.
Thus, when we break an oath sworn in his name, we are proclaiming that
Yahuwah cannot be trusted and that he, like our oath, is unreliable.
If that isn't "boring a hole in Yahuwah's name" then words no longer
have any meaning.
When you make a vow to Yahuwah your Elohim you
must not delay in fulfilling it, for otherwise he will surely hold
you accountable as a sinner (Devarim [Deuteronomy] 23:21). If a man makes a vow to Yahuwah or takes an
oath of binding obligation on himself, he must not break his word,
but must do whatever he has promised (Bamidbar [Numbers] 30:2). Not only does the Torah teach this, but the
Prophets do as well: But they must carefully learn to follow the
religious practices of my people. Once they taught my people to swear
their oaths using the name of the elohim Baal. But then, they must
swear oaths using my name, saying, "As surely as Yahuwah lives, I
swear." If they do these things, then they will be included among the
people I call my own. But I will completely uproot and destroy
any of those nations that will not pay heed,'" says Yahuwah (Yirmeyahu
12:16,17). A second way one might “take his name in vain” is
by claiming relationship with him but not doing as he commanded.
You mock his good name when you don’t do what he
says. Thus, his name is
emptied by your disobedience. You shall have one law for him who does [anything]
unintentionally, for him who is native among the sons of Israel and for
the alien who sojourns among them. But the person who
does [anything] defiantly, whether he is native or an alien, that one is
blaspheming Yahuwah; and that person shall be cut off from among his
people. Because he has despised the word of Yahuwah and has broken His
commandment, that person shall be completely cut off; his guilt [will
be] on him. Numbers
15:29-31
This statement is as crystal clear as any could be.
When we claim to belong to him but don't do what he says, we are
diminishing his personhood and thus profaning his name. A third way one can “take his name in vain” is by
substituting his name and not using or pronouncing his name.
Concealing his Name is to diminish it. This is tantamount to
denying who he is.
The
Doctrine of the Ineffable Name
At that time, the Seleucid king,
Antiochus Epiphanes (175-164) persecuted the Jews in the city of Jerusalem, desecrated
the temple of hwhy
and severely profaned
and blasphemed the sacred name of Elohim. The Jews were forced,
under the threat of death, "to depart from the laws of their fathers, and
to cease living by the laws of Elohim" (2 Maccabees 6:1). Antiochus
attempted to Hellenize the Jews; that is, to force them to accept and practice
the culture of the Greeks. Part of this attempted Hellenization of the
Jews included a prohibition against keeping Sabbath and a prohibition against
using and pronouncing Elohim's sacred name. So, at Antiochus' orders, Sabbath-keeping and the practice of circumcision had been
forbidden under the pain of death; law-keeping Jews were subjected to every
degradation and brutality imaginable; and pagan sacrifices and prostitution
were established in the holy temple at Jerusalem. The reign of terror
under Antiochus also brought with it the vile abuse and the prohibition
against the sacred name as part of his program of forced Hellenization. ("Prohibition
Against Sacred Name" in The Sacred Name Yahweh [Qadesh La
Yahweh
Press,
Second Edition, 1995], pp.142,3). The
Jews, of course, revolted against this brutal persecution. One of the
results of the Jewish uprising was the formation of three religious parties
in Israel - the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the Essenes. And with them
came a new religious climate in Israel which focused on the "traditions of the
fathers" as a guiding force for scriptural interpretation. In the eyes of the rabbis, everything possible had to be done to avoid such
horrible blasphemy from ever occurring again. It was time to build
"a fence around the Torah (Law)." (Ibid., p.143)
Thus, the religious rulers began to formulate an
interpretation of the Scriptures which became known as the Oral Law and
eventually found a written form in the Talmud.
This oral tradition, whose purpose was to build "a
fence around the Torah," featured additional guidelines which explained the
"intention" of the Torah, and soon came to be rigorously imposed on the
common people by the three religious parties in Israel. Laws
were formulated and enforced which put stringent restrictions on the Sabbath day
activities
and in other areas of Jewish life, including the use and pronunciation of the sacred
name, Yahuwah. Responding to the way the sacred name had been
desecrated by Antiochus, the religious elite placed restrictions on the use of
Elohim's
sacred name. The Jewish religious leaders pressed forward with
an ultra-pious interpretation of Leviticus 24:16 - which commanded that
anyone, whether Israelite or alien, who had blasphemed (did violence to) the
name hwhy, should be
stoned to death - and a misunderstanding of Exodus 20:7, and Deuteronomy 5:11,
which commanded that no one was to carry the name of
hwhy
to worthlessness. These passages were now understood to mean that it was
profane even to utter the sacred name. Only the very pious were
permitted limited use of the name, and the practice quickly degenerated into a
superstition. Its assumption was that all men were evil, and as the Midrash
Tehillim concludes, the world was not worthy enough to pronounce the
"whole name." (Ibid., p.144.)
And so the Jewish
doctrine of the ineffable name was born.
The Manual of Discipline in the Qumran scrolls provides further
confirmation of this ban on the use of the name:
Any man who mentions anything by the Name which is honored above all shall
be set apart (i.e. banished) (Man. of Disc. 6:27)
In
the Yoma in the Mishnah we read, One
does not pronounce the ineffable name outside (of the temple). Ten
times did the high priest pronounce the name. (Yoma 3:8; 4:1,2; 6:1,2;
8:9.)
That is, only the high priest was permitted to
vocalize the sacred name and that only on the Day of Atonement. By
the time of Messiah, this prohibition against speaking the sacred name was
already firmly established and zealously enforced.
An interesting detail of this ban on
the use of the sacred name and pertinent to our understanding of the
conflict between Messiah and the Pharisees is that any such verbalization of
the name hwhy
was considered
to be blasphemy. And at a trial, one could not be convicted unless he
had exactly pronounced the sacred name: "The
blasphemer" is not culpable unless he exactly pronounces the name. (Sanh.
7:5. Quoted from The Sacred Name
hwhy,
Qadesh La Yahuwah Press, 1995, p.156. The footnote goes on to say,
"William Arnold brings our attention to the fact that the Hebrew expression
... literally means that the blasphemer, to be guilty, must pronounce the
sacred name hwhy
'exactly'")
In other words, blasphemy, as defined and interpreted by the Jews, was the
act of exactly pronouncing the sacred name.
They even laid down a very specific procedure for bringing a conviction of
blasphemy. According to the Mishnah, the following is an example of
that procedure: Rabbi Joshua ben Karha says:
On every day they examined the witnesses with a substituted name, "May Jose
smite Jose." When sentence was to be given they did not declare him
guilty of death with the substituted name, but they sent out all the
people and asked the chief among the witnesses and said to him. "Say
exactly what you heard." and he says it; and the judges stand up on their
feet and rend their garments, and they may not mend them again. And
the second witness says, "I also heard the like," and the third says, "I
also heard the like." (Ibid.)
Even at a trial,
because of their superstitious interpretation of the Scriptures, the rabbis
used a substitute name for Yahuwah when interrogating the witnesses.
And then only just before the conclusion did they actually have the chief
witness exactly pronounce the sacred name when quoting the defendant.
Then the judges, even though the Torah
clearly forbids the high priest tearing his garment, were to rend their
garments in a demonstration of being appalled, according to the Mishnah:
The judges stand up on their feet and rend their garments, and they may not
mend them again. (Sanh. 7:5)
This completed the
procedure for convicting a blasphemer. Is Pronouncing
the Name Blasphemy? Not long ago, I
had an online conversation with a retired professor of Tanach from the Hebrew
University who lives in Jerusalem.
He was very upset with me that I was writing and speaking the Name of Elohim.
Naturally, he told me I was saying it wrong, and that therefore I didn't
deserve the death penalty, which is reserved for those who correctly
vocalize the Name! As we have already explained, the name of Elohim was
forbidden to be spoken as far back as the time of Antiochus Epiphanies.
Some would say that even farther back in time, during the time of the
Babylonian captivity, the Jewish rulers and teachers began to teach that
the Name should not be uttered. This retired
professor with
whom I conversed pointed me to Vayiqra 24. The Stone Edition
Tanach, published by Mesorah Publications, ltd. renders verses 11
and 15/16 as follows: The son of the
Israelite woman pronounced the Name and blasphemed - so they brought him
to Moses; the name of his mother was Shelomis daughter of Divri, of the
tribe of Dan. Any man who will blaspheme
his God shall bear his sin; and one who pronounced blasphemously the
Name of HASHEM shall be put to death, the entire assembly shall surely
stone him; proselyte and native alike, when he blasphemes the Name, he
shall be put to death.
According to Rabbinic tradition,
anyone who speaks or pronounces the Name is to be put to death.
Thus this Rabbi was condemning me because I was using the Name. He
suggested to me that the verb in those verses,
bq;n" (pronounced "naqav") is a rare
verb and should always be translated "pronounce." Thus, in their
view, I and all who say the Name are guilty of a crime deserving the
death penalty. Just as they used that argument against the Messiah
to put him to death, they are still standing by that tradition today and
speak condemningly toward those who use the Name Yahuwah.
Let's take an in depth look at that word and how it is used and
translated elsewhere in Scripture. The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament defines this word
as "to pierce, bore; blaspheme; appoint."
The BDB Hebrew Lexicon renders it as "pierce, bore, prick
off." And the Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old
Testament (HALOT) translates it "to bore through; to fix,
establish; to denote, mark; to slander."
Words from this same three letter root include:
bq,n<: ("neqev") -
"subterranean passage, mine" (as something which is dug out or a hole
bored through); bq,n< (neqev)
technical term relating to jeweler's work;
tb,Q,m; (maqqevet) "hammer"; and
tb,Q,m; (maqqevet) "a hole, an excavation, a quarry." Also,
interestingly, this word is used in the Siloam inscription for "piercing
through," i.e. digging the tunnel (TWOT).
The rabbis insist that this word means "to say, to pronounce." But
that is hardly the meaning of this word in nearly all of its usages.
Only in the sense of "to mark, to denote" does this word even come close
to meaning "to pronounce." But there are other factors which
indicate that in Vayiqra 24:11 and 16, this word does NOT mean "to
pronounce." In both of these verses, and in the context as a
whole, the word is used in parallel with "to curse."
The Yisraeli woman's son misused the Name and cursed....
Moreover, you are to tell the sons of Yisrael, 'If any man curses his
Elohim he will bear responsibility for his sin, and one who
misuses the name of Yahuwah must surely be put to death. The whole
congregation must surely stone him, whether he is a foreigner or a
native citizen; when he misuses the Name he must be put to death.
The Hebrew word ll;q' (pronounced "qalal")
means "to be slight, swift, trifling, of little account; to curse."
Just as the 3rd Word (Commandment) implores us not to use the name of
Yahuwah in vain (means the same as qalal), we are told here not to use
his Name in a slight or trifling manner - which is to "misuse" the Name.
As in the style of Hebraic poetry, the phrases, "will bear
responsibility for his sin" and "must surely be put to death" are
clearly parallel in thought. So also, the parallel usage of
these two verbs, qalal and naqav, imply that they are
being used synonymously. In the account of this man's blasphemy,
he misused the Name by slighting it or using it in a derogatory sense.
He was not guilty of any crime by simply pronouncing the Name. He
was guilty for MISusing the name.
In addition to the context of this account and the parallel use of these
two verbs is the usage of naqav in the rest of the Tanach.
Yahoiada the priest took a chest and drilled a hole in its lid.
He placed it on the right side of the altar near the entrance of
Yahuwah's temple. The priests who guarded the entrance would put into it
all the silver brought to Yahuwah's temple (2 Melakim 12:9).
Now look, you must be trusting in Egypt, that splintered reed staff. If
a man leans for support on it, it punctures his hand and wounds
him. That is what Pharaoh king of Egypt does to all who trust in him (2
Melakim 18:21). In these two instances, naqav is used in its most common meaning.
"To drill," "to puncture," "to make a hole" is the basic meaning of this
three letter root word. Other places where naqav means this
same thing are:
Can anyone catch it by its eyes, or pierce (naqav) its
nose with a snare? (Iob 40:24).
Can you put a cord through its nose, or pierce (naqav) its
jaw with a hook? (Iov 41:2).
Look, you must be trusting in Egypt, that splintered reed staff. If
someone leans on it for support, it punctures (naqav) his
hand and wounds him. That is what Pharaoh king of Egypt does to all who
trust in him (Yeshayahu36:6).
You were in Eden, the garden of Elohim. Every precious stone was your
covering, the ruby, topaz, and diamond, the beryl, onyx, and jasper, the
sapphire, turquoise, and emerald; your settings and engravings (naqav)
were made of gold. On the day you were created they were prepared (Yechezqel
28:13).
You pierce (naqav) the heads of his warriors with a spear.
They storm forward to scatter us; they shout with joy as if they were
plundering the poor with no opposition (Habakkuk 3:14).
You have planted much, but have little harvest. You eat, but are never
filled. You drink, but are still thirsty. You are clothed, but not warm.
Those who earn wages end up with holes (naqav) in their
money bags.'" (Chaggai 1:6). The primary meaning of naqav is hereby clearly demonstrated to be
in the sense of "to drill, make a hole," and therefore in Vayiqra 24 is
a reference to the "drilling" or "wounding" of the name Yahuwah.
There is a usage of naqav which means "to designate" and it is
followed with the phrase, "by name" (in Hebrew, the verb naqav
followed by a form of shem).
So Moses and Aaron took these men who had been designated by name
(Bemidbar 1:17).
From the half tribe of Manasseh there were 18,000 who had been
designated by name to come and make David king (1 Chronicles 12:31).
Nations will see your vindication, and all kings your splendor. You will
be called by a new name that Yahuwah himself will give you (Yeshayahu
62:2).
With this same grammatical construction and meaning, see also 1 Chron 16:41; 2 Chron 28:15; 31:19; Ezra
8:20. But this construction does NOT by any stretch have the same meaning
as "to say, to pronounce." It is defined as "to mark, to designate" with
the core idea of marking with a tool, or etching, or possibly even
"placing a mark or signature" on something. The occurrences of
this verb in this sense convey the thought that those people so named
are given legal notice by their names being etched on a list.
In this same sense, Lavan spoke to Ya'acov.
He continued, "Name me your wages, and I will give it." (Ber 30:28). Again, Lavan was allowing Ya'acov to designate his wages, but not
in the sense of "pronounce your wages"! We have a
similar figure of speech in English. One might say, "My cut of the
money is to be so-and-so." So, we might even loosely retranslate
the above as "He continued, 'Cut for me (i.e. name for me the cut of)
your wages, and I will give it.'"
So the primary meaning of naqav is hereby clearly demonstrated to be
in the sense of "to drill, make a hole," and therefore in Vayiqra 24 is
a reference to the "drilling" or "wounding" of the name Yahuwah.
Such "wounding" of the name Yahuwah is punishable by death. But
merely pronouncing the Name as a means of naming the Creator is both
encouraged and expected among those who are in covenant relationship
with Yahuwah.
The Bible Tells Us Why and When the Name Was Removed From Their Lips The sacred name
hwhy
was freely used by the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, by Mosheh, by prophets,
by priests and by all
others who enjoyed covenant relationship with the Creator. And the
sacred name was known and exactly pronounced by all of the same. One example of this
is found in Genesis:13:3-4 where Abram built an alter to the Most High:
He went on his journeys from the Negev as far as Bethel, to the place
where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, to the
place of the altar which he had made there formerly;
and there Abram
called on the name of Yahuwah.
And so it was that many were visited by Yahuwah himself and he spoke to
them and they called upon him by his name.
This was a regular occurrence for ancient Israel until
around the time of the exile of Yehudah into Babylon.
Jewish history traces the use of the sacred name:
At least until the destruction of the First Temple in 586 B.C.E. this name
(hwhy) was regularly
pronounced with its proper vowels, as is clear from the Lachish Letters,
written shortly before that date. (Encyclopaedia Judaica, Vol 7, p. 680)
So, what was the determining factor that caused the use and vocalization
of the Name of Elohim to be silenced? What happened around 586 BCE
that caused the name of Yahuwah to be removed from the lips of the
Yehudim (Jews)? The prophets
tell us exactly what happened and who took the Name of Elohim off the
lips of the Jews. First of all understand that the history of the
people of Israel was one of abandoning the Elohim who rescued them and
made covenant with them. They were constantly flip-flopping
between worshipping the gods of the nations around them and the Elohim
who created them. So, all of the prophets rebuked Israel for their
unfaithfulness to Yahuwah and their rebellion against Him.
This apostasy resulted in the Northern Kingdom, called Israel, to be
exiled into Assyria. This happened about 714 BCE. Later the
Southern Kingdom, called Yehudah, to be exiled by the king of Babylon in
about 586BCE. And it was surrounding this period of time that
Jeremiah the prophet scolded and warned Yehudah that this invasion was
going to take place. He warned them to repent but they would not.
Then when Nebuchadnezzar invaded and took many captive, the Yehudim
still left in the Land devised a plan to avoid being dragged to Babylon. Jeremiah
the prophet explains to Yahudah why Elohim is punishing them:
"Have you not done this to yourself
by your forsaking Yahuwah your
Elohim when He led you in the way? "But now what are you doing on
the road to Mitzrayim, to drink the waters of the Nile? Or what are you
doing on the road to Assyria, to drink the waters of the Euphrates? Your own wickedness will correct you, And your apostasies will
reprove you; Know therefore and see that it is evil and bitter For you
to forsake Yahuwah your Elohim, And the dread of Me is not in you,"
declares the Master Yahuwah of hosts. (2:17-19) The leaders thought that if they escaped to Egypt
(Mitzrayim) that they could make a good life for themselves and avoid
captivity and slavery in Babylon. Though centuries earlier Yahuwah
had warned them not to go back to Egypt, they decided to rebel against
him again and go there anyway. And so, here is
where it gets interesting. Jeremiah addresses those rebellious
ones who went to Egypt and explains thus: Because you have burned sacrifices and have
sinned against Yahuwah and not obeyed the voice of Yahuwah or walked in
His law, His statutes or His testimonies, therefore this calamity has
befallen you, as [it has] this day." Then Yirmeyahu said to all the people, including
all the women, "Hear the word of Yahuwah, all Yehudah who are in the
land of Mitzrayim... Yirmyahu/Jeremiah 44:23-24
As we saw earlier in this study, those who forsake
his law, his statutes and his testimonies are essentially blaspheming
his name. And they were taking their oaths by the names of the gods of
the nations whom they were serving.
So Jeremiah continues: thus says Yahuwah of hosts, the Elohim of
Israel, as follows: 'As for you and your wives,
you have spoken with
your mouths and fulfilled [it] with your hands, saying, "We will
certainly perform our vows that we have vowed, to burn sacrifices to the
queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her." Go ahead and
confirm your vows, and certainly perform your vows!' Yirmyahu/Jeremiah 44:25 Yahuwah is calling out these Jews who knew the
Torah instruction that all their oaths should be taken in the name of
Yahuwah, yet they were swearing their oaths in the names of the other
gods of the nations. In this way, they were denigrating the name
of Yahuwah their Elohim. In this act of rebellion, they were
essentially refusing to acknowledge the name of their Elohim. On
account of this, Elohim "gave them over" to their own desires to
continue serving the "queen of heaven." Furthermore, the Yehudim were rebelling against
the command of Yahuwah not to seek refuge in Egypt. But they went there
in spite of the clear command through the prophet. This is when Yahuwah
made this amazing statement: Nevertheless hear the word of Yahuwah, all
Yehudah who are living in the land of Mitzrayim, 'Behold, I have sworn
by My great name,' says Yahuwah, 'not again shall My name be invoked by the mouth of any man of Yehudah in all the land of Mitzrayim,
saying, "As Adonai Yahuwah lives.
Yirmyahu/Jeremiah 44:26 In this shocking word of judgment, Yahuwah Elohim
is pronouncing upon the Jews a course of action which is still in
operation till today. He is saying that He is the One who will
cause them not to invoke His name any more. Because they were
blaspheming His name through disobedience and by taking their oaths in
the names of other gods instead of His, He is decreeing that they will
no longer lift up his name on their lips. It was the Jews who shortly thereafter made it a
law that no one would be allowed to vocalize the Name of Yahuwah
anymore, not just in Egypt but in the Land when they returned from
exile. And they presented it as though it was their own idea!
And they made it out as though they were protecting the Name of Yahuwah
from being blasphemed. But it was Elohim whose decree ultimately
resulted in their hearts to be hardened such that they actually believed
they were doing a good thing for the Elohim of Israel by not saying His
Name anymore. It has always been the desire of Elohim for his
people to know his name and to call upon him by his name. But for
those who remain in rebellion, he takes away from them this right of
vocalizing his name. And this is truly the reason that the so
called "people of the Bible do not call upon the God of the Bible" by
his real name. It is concealed from those who dishonor and
disrespect the Creator God. As a result of Yahuwah's proclamation of
judgment, Jeremiah records the further explanation of Elohim's reasons
for stripping the Jews of using and saying His name: Behold, I am watching over them for harm and not
for good, and all the men of Yehudah who are in the land of Mitzrayim
will meet their end by the sword and by famine until they are completely
gone.
So even though these rebellious Jews sought
refuge in Egypt, Yahuwah was going to destroy them anyway.
It is Yahuwah's word that always prevails over the decisions and actions
of men. Humans can resist the command of Elohim at their peril.
But it is God's word that will override the will of men: 'Those who escape the sword will return out of
the land of Mitzrayim to the land of Yehudah few in number. Then all the
remnant of Yehudah who have gone to the land of Mitzrayim to reside
there will know whose word will stand, Mine or theirs. This will be the sign to you,' declares Yahuwah,
'that I am going to punish you in this place, so that you may know that
My words will surely stand against you for harm.' And so it is that the Jewish nation from that time and forward even
to this day refuse to speak the Name or exactly pronounce the name of
the Elohim of the Bible. It was Elohim's decree, not the Jewish
decrees that are the cause of this silence on the lips of Jews of
vocalizing His holy name. Christians, too, who drifted away from keeping the Law of God, who were blaspheming God when they decided to mix the worship of the gods of this world with the true worship of God, brought themselves under this judgment of Elohim. And this is reflected in the fact that the name of God is never written in the modern day Bibles. They substitute the designation "the LORD" in place of the actual name Yahuwah. The Religious Climate During the 1st Century C.E. So let's now trace the history of the Jews banning the use of the name of Elohim. During the first century of the common era, the Sadducees and the Pharisees ruled the Jews with a heavy hand. The people were afraid to do or say anything contrary to the rulings and customs of those religious authorities lest they get permanently removed from the temple (cf. John 9:22). Their oral tradition, which consisted of commentaries and interpretations of the written word, did not merely supplement the inspired Scriptures. The authority of the oral code superseded the written Tanach - the Torah, the Prophets and the Writings. Thus, when there was a conflict between the written Word of Elohim and the oral tradition of the elders, the oral tradition was followed. The pious Jewish leadership had actually formulated and implemented an Oral Tradition which superseded the authority of the Torah of Elohim!! It was into this climate of religious zealousness that the Messiah entered during the first century C.E. Yahusha had numerous confrontations with the ultra-pious religious rulers of his day. He rebuked the elders and leaders for placing the authority of the oral code over the written word: Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Yahusha from Jerusalem and said, "Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread." And He answered and said to them, "Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of Elohim for the sake of your tradition? "For Elohim said, 'HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER,' and, 'HE WHO SPEAKS EVIL OF FATHER OR MOTHER IS TO BE PUT TO DEATH.' "But you say, 'Whoever says to his father or mother, "Whatever I have that would help you has been given to Elohim," he is not to honor his father or his mother.' And by this you invalidated the word of Elohim for the sake of your tradition. (Matthew 15:1-6, NAS) By allowing the oral traditions to have greater weight that the Tanach, the Pharisees and elders could reinterpret or completely nullify the simple teachings given by Elohim in the Torah. Messiah Yahusha taught his disciples to always obey the instructions of the Torah (sometimes referred to as "Mosheh"). But to those who held this view of the superiority of the oral traditions over the written word, Yahusha issued his strongest rebukes: "The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Mosheh; therefore all that he (i.e. Mosheh) tells you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them. They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger. But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments." (Matthew 23:2-5, NAS corrected by Shem Tob) (Note: the rendering of the above text as "he" instead of "they" is based upon the Shem Tob Hebrew manuscripts of the gospel of Matthew. The reading of the Hebrew text is thoroughly consistent with the rest of Yahusha's teaching about whom his disciples should obey. And this rendering clears up a huge problem of interpretation if Yahusha had told them to obey all the rabbis' teachings.) "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. "You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence. "You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. "So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness (Greek, anomia,"Torah-lessness", Matthew 23:23-28, NAS) The religious leaders had successfully implemented their own man-made system of laws and customs, which at times, bore no resemblance to the guidelines and instructions which Yahuwah had given to his people. And thus is was also, in regard to the usage of the sacred name. No one was permitted, under the penalty of being ostracized, to use and pronounce the sacred name hwhy. Should Elohim himself, come down to dwell with men, use his own sacred name in the hearing of men, the Scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees and Zealots would have resoundingly rebuked him (...and they did!). The Usage of the Sacred Name by Messiah Yahusha Naturally, Messiah Yahusha, who was Yahuwah dwelling in human flesh, would have (and did) use and pronounce the sacred name hwhy (Yahuwah). He would not succumb to the decrees of men. He always honored his Father and in his intimate relationship with Elohim, he called upon and referred to the Father in heaven by his real and correct Name. This point is so self evident that it nearly insults the reader to have to mention it. And yet, this very basic premise has been astoundingly overlooked by nearly all Bible scholars, students, readers and ministers. The incredible oversight of this is part of the reason that the Christian Church is thoroughly oblivious of the sacred name of the Creator Elohim! Of course Yahusha used the sacred name hwhy (Yahuwah) of himself! Not to have used and pronounced his own sacred name would have constituted false testimony of himself, and thus a breaking of his own commandment!! It does not matter that the religious leaders had put a ban on using the sacred name. Yahusha did not submit himself to any of their other man made rules. Why would he have refrained from using his own name just because the religious authorities said to? This was, after all, his own name, and his father's name, which he had come to proclaim. First, Yahusha speaks of his father's name: I have manifested Your name (i.e. the name hwhy - Yahuwah) to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. (John 17:6, NAS) Since the Father had no other name than hwhy (Yahuwah), we presume that he was referring to this name. Then, Yahusha states that his Father's name is also his own name: "I am no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are. "While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled. (John 17:11,12, NAS) Therefore, Yahusha must also have the name hwhy (Yahuwah) since he claimed the same. Then, Yahusha declares that he has made known his Father's name to his disciples: "O righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me; and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them." (John 17:25,26, NAS) Thus, Yahusha had fulfilled his mission to make know his Father's name to his disciples. Yahusha ignored the prevailing custom of the Jewish leadership which forbids the speaking of the name of Elohim. Instead, his clearly and exactly vocalized the Name to the chagrin of the Elders of Israel. Yahusha, furthermore, claimed that the works he performed were done in the name of his Father: Yahusha answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father's name (i.e. in the name hwhy Yahuwah), these testify of Me. (John 10:25, NAS) As with his other miracles which he performed as proof of who he is, Yahusha proved that he shares his Father's sacred name hwhy (Yahuwah) by performing works in that name! Confrontation Resulting From the Use of the Sacred Name From the point of view of the Pharisees, et al, Yahusha's pronunciation of and use of the sacred name hwhy (Yahuwah) was both blasphemous and an act of defiance of their authority. To them it was blasphemy because he exactly pronounced the sacred name. And it was defiance, in their view, because he refused to live by their rules! Yahusha was not using the sacred name in order to initiate a confrontation. He was using that name because it is the proper name for him to use. Some of the confrontations we read about in the gospels are a direct result of Messiah's use of his own sacred name. For example, during the exchange between Yahusha and the Jews after the healing of the man born blind, Yahusha used the sacred name of himself when he said, Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am. (John 8:58) It was an unmistakable declaration and it infuriated the Jews, because in their view, by pronouncing the sacred name, he was speaking blasphemy. Their response is predictable: Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Yahusha hid Himself and went out of the temple. (John 8:59) As we noted above, the oral law was clear when it defined blasphemy. Blasphemy occurred only when a person exactly pronounced the sacred name. Thus, the Jews wanted to stone Yahusha because in saying, "I am," he was exactly pronouncing his own name, and was therefore, once again, defying their authority. The Usage of the Sacred Name by Messiah's Disciples Yahusha's disciples also regularly used his sacred name. In his sermon to the crowd on Pentecost, Peter conveyed the importance of the sacred name hwhy (Yahuwah). When the crowd saw that everyone was hearing the gospel preached in their own language, they wondered how this could be. Peter's response was to quote the prophet Joel who describes the work of Elohim's Spirit:"'In the last days, Elohim says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of hwhy. And everyone who calls on the name of hwhy will be saved.' (Acts 2:17-21, NIV with sacred name reinstated, quoting Joel 2:28-32) It is usually overlooked in this text that both Joel, and Peter quoting him, indicate that the Holy Spirit prompts his people to call upon the name hwhy. I have restored the sacred name into the text above because, doubtless, Peter quoted the Scripture using the sacred name which Yahusha had taught him. The Book of Hebrews also indicates that the correct Name of Elohim was used on the lips of Messiah Yahusha and his people: Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Yahusha is not ashamed to call them brothers. He says, "I will declare your name to my brothers; in the presence of the congregation I will sing your praises." (Hebrews 2:11,12, NIV) And again, in his prayer for his disciples, Yahusha says: I have manifested Your name (i.e. the name hwhy - Yahuwah) to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. (John 17:6, NAS) And again, O righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me; and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them. (John 17:25,26) Since Peter was taught and knew the sacred name hwhy, he certainly used it while quoting Scriptures, as did all the rest of Messiah's apostles and disciples. Even more importantly, the text of Acts 2:17-21 says that salvation is obtained by calling in faith upon hwhy. Shaul (the apostle Paul) instructs the same thing: That if you confess with your mouth, "J*sus is Lord," and believe in your heart that Elohim raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile-- the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." (Romans 10:9-13, NIV) Or better yet, read it with the sacred names restored to the text: That if you confess with your mouth, "Yahusha is hwhy," and believe in your heart that Elohim raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile-- the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, "Everyone who calls on the name of hwhy will be saved." (Romans 10:9-13, NIV with sacred names restored) So, the confession that Paul instructs us to make which leads to salvation is not merely "Yahusha is 'lord' or 'master.'" The confession is more specific than that. The confession is that "Yahusha is Yahuwah"! And Paul, like Peter before him, quotes the same text from the prophet Joel, "Everyone who calls on the name of hwhy will be saved." This fits naturally into our understanding of who Yahusha is. We have discovered above that Yahusha claimed, by using the sacred name of himself, to be none other than Yahuwah in the flesh. Thus, Paul's confession unto salvation is for me to realize that the Messiah is one and the same as the Creator Elohim and includes the surrender of my heart to do His will in my live. As the premier Hebrew speaking Torah scholar of his generation, and not as one who was influenced by the prevailing skepticism and traditionalism of the unbelieving Jewish orthodoxy which held up the oral tradition as more authoritative than the written Torah, Sha'ul (Paul) consistently quoted the Hebrew Scriptures by leaving the sacred name intact. James, the brother of Yahusha and head of the Assembly at Jerusalem, also was taught and subsequently used the sacred name. The following portion of his letter, for example, illustrates this. As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord's dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful. But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but your yes is to be yes, and your no, no, so that you may not fall under judgment. Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises. Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. (James 5:10-15) In the English version text, "the Lord" is translated from the Greek kurioj. The Greek text is probably a translation from the original manuscript in Hebrew or Aramaic (I do not intend to offer proof of this here, but follow the reasoning...). As such, kurioj is translated from the sacred name hwhy and not from adonai ("lord"). An examination of the content and context suggests the same. First of all, James mentions the prophets who spoke in the name of "the Lord." With a mere perusal of the writings of the prophets, one can see how many hundreds of times the prophets spoke a "thus says hwhy". They never spoke in the name of adonai. So James must be referring to hwhy here. The text can be more accurately translated, "take the prophets who spoke in the name of hwhy...." Next, he mentions Job. The sacred name hwhy is used 29 times in the book of Job. Surely, it was hwhy who was dealing with Job. And we can then translate, "You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of hwhy's dealings..." Then, consider the text, "that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful." This is a paraphrase of a popular Hebrew thought which can be found many times in the Scriptures. "Nothing from that which is put under the ban shall cling to your hand, in order that hwhy may turn from His burning anger and show mercy to you, and have compassion on you and make you increase, just as He has sworn to your fathers, if you will listen to the voice of hwhy your Elohim, keeping all His commandments which I am commanding you today, and doing what is right in the sight of hwhy your Elohim. (Deuteronomy 13:17,18) And He said, "I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of hwhy before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion." (Exodus 33:19) hwhy is gracious and merciful; Slow to anger and great in lovingkindness. hwhy is good to all, And His mercies are over all His works. (Psalm 145:8,9) Surely James had hwhy in mind when he wrote, "that hwhy is full of compassion and is merciful." And finally, anointing with oil was also a common practice of the prophets and priests of old. The specifications were given in the Torah by hwhy. Thus, James' text should have the sacred name restored because this is clearly whom he was speaking of. When we restore the sacred name into James' text, we have a coherent and accurate statement of the teaching of the head elder of the assembly of believers in Jerusalem who was taught to hold the sacred name in honor and in reverence. After all, it was James' own brother (Yahusha) who taught James and the rest of his disciples to pray, "Our father in heaven, may your name be sanctified..." (Matthew 6:9). Here then is how James' text should read: As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of hwhy. We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of hwhy's dealings, that hwhy is full of compassion and is merciful. But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but your yes is to be yes, and your no, no, so that you may not fall under judgment. Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises. Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of hwhy; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and hwhy will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. (James 5:10-15, NAS with sacred name restored) The Sacred Name in the Book of Revelation The use of the sacred name hwhy is also of vital importance to our understanding of the present and the future as depicted in the book of Revelation. It should not surprise us that the book of Revelation also presents Elohim as wanting his people to refer to him by his sacred name and that using his sacred name is one of the indicators (sign or mark) of who belongs to him. In the messages given to the seven churches, we find reference to believers who are commended for continuing to hold Elohim's sacred name in honor. 'I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is; and you hold fast My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days of Antipas, My witness, My faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. (Revelation 2:13) 'I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have kept My word, and have not denied My name. (Revelation 3:8) To the believers at Pergamus and at Philadelphia, Elohim notes that though others have succumbed to the ineffable name doctrine of the unbelieving Jews, these faithful ones have not forgotten his sacred name but have clung to it and honored it in accordance with the third of the Ten Commandments. Later, those who are to be rewarded for their faithfulness to Messiah are described as "those who fear your name." "And the nations were enraged, and Your wrath came, and the time came for the dead to be judged, and the time to reward Your bond-servants the prophets and the saints and those who fear Your name, the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth." (Revelation 11:18) The word "fear" means to reverence or to hold in high esteem. Clearly those who cherish and honor Elohim's sacred name are here in view. Because they would not make light of, or bring to worthlessness (cf. the third commandment in Exodus 20:7) the sacred name hwhy, but instead had reverence for his holy name, these will be rewarded by Messiah at his parousia. The Bible never depicts the "Christian" as one who claims the name of Yahusha (or "J*sus") alone. Instead the one who truly has and holds fast to Yahusha ("J*sus") also has His Father's name hwhy on his forehead prominently displayed. To honor one is to honor the other. Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads. (Revelation 14:1) The proper use of and reverence for the sacred name hwhy is actually the mark of Elohim on those who belong to him. Just as those who worship the Beast have a mark on their foreheads, so Elohim's people have a mark or indicator on their forehead that they belong to Him. And that mark is the proper and reverent use of his holy name. Revelation goes on to confirm what we have just seen. Those who fear Elohim will also reverence and "glorify" his sacred name. "Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy; For ALL THE NATIONS WILL COME AND WORSHIP BEFORE YOU, FOR YOUR RIGHTEOUS ACTS HAVE BEEN REVEALED." (Revelation 15:4) And so we find that the New Jerusalem which is coming down out of heaven features all of his servants and those who reverence him. And they will have his sacred name, hwhy, written on their foreheads, which is a figure of speech meaning that they will all know and honor his sacred name. There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of Elohim and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. (Revelation 22:3,4) The name of Elohim has been known and vocalized throughout human history. And so. let's explore the connection of the Name with when Messiah will return. Why Is It So Important to Call Upon Him By Name? There are numerous Scriptures where it is recorded that men call upon the name of Yahuwah, and still others which exhort his people to call upon his name. The Psalms have plenty of those: Let Your hand be upon the man of Your right hand, Upon the son of man whom You made strong for Yourself. Then we shall not turn back from You; Revive us, and we will call upon Your name. Psalm 79:17-18 Oh give thanks to Yahuwah, call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples. Psalm 105:1 I shall lift up the cup of salvation And call upon the name of Yahuwah. Psalm 116:13 To You I shall offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving, And call upon the name of Yahuwah. Psalm 116:17 Therefore you will joyously draw water From the
springs of salvation. And in that day you will say, "Give thanks to
Yahuwah, call on His name. Make known His deeds among the
peoples; Make [them] remember that His name is exalted."
Isaiah 12:3-4 As a regular part of worshipping him, calling upon him by name is essential. But there are also warnings against those who do not call upon him by name: How long, O Yahuwah? Will You be angry forever?
Will Your jealousy burn like fire? Pour out Your wrath upon the nations
which do not know You, And upon the kingdoms which do not call upon Your
name. And so it is for the rebellious. They do not call upon his name. The actually use the substitute designations instead of the revealed name of Elohim. How Does the Vocalization of the Name Relate to the Return of Messiah? It was on account of rebellion and idolatry that Israel was scattered among the nations. And even in this judgment, the Jews still refused to take their oaths in His Name. So he banned His Name from their lips. This is true for all who say they worship the true God, but who do not honor him in the keeping of his commandments. The Torah and the Prophets indicate that there will be a generation of people who repent and return to the keeping of his commandments. These people will know and use the Name of God when calling upon him, because they have an intimate relationship with the Living Elohim. Messiah Yahusha indicated that he would not return until the Jews called upon the Father by his true Name: Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and
stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your
children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and
you were unwilling. Hidden within this cryptic statement is the notion that Yahusha will return in the time of this repented generation, who by keeping the commandments, will also begin to call upon him by his real name. When Israel actually repents of all their nonsense, they will keep the laws and right-rulings that Father has given them. This includes the exact vocalization of the Father's name. And so, it is necessary and required of the true remnant of Israel, those who have a genuine and intimate relationship with Elohim through his Son Yahusha, that they speak the Name and call upon him by Name. We must no longer be encumbered by the traditions of men which require substitutions for the true Name. We must call upon him by his actual name. I appeal to Jews and Messianic believers to stop following the traditions of the fathers and return to the true worship of Elohim. It is only in doing so that the Father is properly honored. This will result in our Messiah's return. Oh, that we could all be in agreement and in unity on this important issue of true worship!
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