Yahweh

Definition

Yhvh (i.e. יְהוָֹה Yehovah or יַהְוֶה Yahveh); the proper name of the God of Israel (Lexiconcordance.com)

Yahweh is the proper name of God. It is first found in Genesis 2:4.

These are the records of the heavens and the earth, concerning their creation. At the time that the Lord (Yahweh) God (Elohim) made the earth and the heavens

God declares Yahwey as His formal name in Exodus 3:15.

God also said to Moses, “Say this to the Israelites: The Lord (Yahweh), the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is my name forever; this is how I am to be remembered in every generation.

It is sometimes written as YHWH because the original Hebrew text did not include vowels.

It was common in later practice not to speak God’s sacred covenant name, YHWH, so they would not mistakenly use it in vain. The Masorete scribes put the vowel marks for Adonai under the letters for YHWH as a reminder to say Adonai when they saw the word YHWH. This was mistaken by early translators to be the actual vowels for God’s name and led them to translate YHWH as Jehovah. So the word Jehovah is actually a mistaken combination of Adonai and YHWH.

Yah is a shortened version of the name that is also sometimes used, especially in poetry.

It comes from the word hayah, which means to exist. So the name Yahweh is understood to mean the self-existent one. This meaning is underscored by Exodus 3:14, which occurs just before the declaration of His name.

God replied to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you.”

Yahweh was used as a name to distinguish the true God from all other false gods that were worshiped by the people who lived near the Israelites. Today we assume the word “God” is referring to the God of Christianity and Judaism. But throughout most of history, people worshiped many different “gods”, and it was important to distinguish which god you were talking about.