Names have meaning and are powerful,
especially biblical names. You know the names and “nicknames” of your friends,
do you know the names of God and their meaning? Each name gives us another picture
of our LORD God.
September’s
Awakening, Day 13
And
God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the
children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ” Moreover God said to Moses,
“Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘The LORD God of your fathers,
the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.
This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.’ Exodus
3:14–15 NKJV
“I
AM WHO I AM,” or “I will be who I will be,” is the transliteration of the Tetragrammaton,
the four Hebrew consonants denoting the personal name of God—YHWH. The Hebrew
language has no written vowels—they are only pronounced through the knowledge
of oral tradition. Hence, the best representation of the personal name of God
is Yahweh. The Latinized version of
YHWH was JHVH, which ultimately became transliterated as Jehovah. In Scripture, the personal name of God is most commonly
transliterated as “LORD,” in all capitals, in the KJV and NKJV versions of the
Bible. Oftentimes, we see “LORD God” together (or simply “Lord God” in most
other translations), denoting the personal nature of God. Keep that nuance in
mind as you read Scripture and God is revealing His very personal nature to
you. It is tragically disappointing that most of our newer translations do not
distinctly represent much of the true meaning and nuances of the Hebrew
language.
So
the LORD said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the
deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the LORD? Exodus 4:11
NKJV
Adonai reverently means “Lord
or Master” and was the name of God used instead of Yahweh at an early point in
time when Yahweh became thought of as too sacred to be pronounced in any public
fashion. Hence, Adonai was almost always substituted for Yahweh when praying or
reading the Scriptures, but the connotation was the same as the personal name
of God. Therefore, even though the Scripture read “Yahweh,” “Adonai” was
spoken instead.
In summary, Yahweh, Jehovah, and
Adonai all reference the personal name of God. Yahweh is by convention the most
appropriate, since it is the best direct transliteration of the original Hebrew. Good sheep
know the Shepherd’s voice and His name.
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