שמע ישראל ה 'הוא האלוהים שלנו הוא אחד

Shema Yisrael Adonai Elohaynu Adonai Echad
"Hear Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One"

The Holy Name of the Echad Elohiym

By Rabbi Yochanan ben Avraham © 11.15.10

B"H

The Echad Elohiym (One God) of Israel Has a Name and He has revealed it to us:

KJV: Exodus 6:3 And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.

A closer rendering of this verse is:

Exodus 6:3 I appeared to Avraham, Yitz'chak and Ya'akov as El Shaddai, although I did not make myself known to them by my name, יהוה.

The Holy Name is used over 6700 times in the Bible. Other common terms include El as in Elohiym. This can be properly translated using the English word god. Hence the Holy One is sometimes known as Echad Elohiym, the One (echad) Elohiym (God). Many biblical titles are based on this, such as Elohiym-Tzva'ot (God of hosts).

But the Holy Name belongs only to the Eternal and it is unique among all names. The Sacred Name is sometimes known by the Greek term Tetragrammaton or "Name of Four Letters."

The Holy Name consists of the Hebrew letters Yod, Heh, Vav and Heh. In Hebrew the Name is written, right to left, as יהוה.

Pronunciation of the Holy Name

Historically English speaking people have usually pronounced the Holy Name as Jehovah ("Jahohvah"), as in the King James Version cited above. This pronunciation was made popular by the Arian sect Jehovah's Christian Witnesses and others. We know however that it can not be correct. The letter J was not even invented until a few hundred years ago and is not found in the Hebrew language at all. Indeed, the original 1611 King James has this verse as:

1611 KJV: Exodus 6:3 And I appeared vnto Abraham, vnto Isaac, and vnto Iacob, by the Name of God Almighty, but by my name IEHOVAH was I not knowen to them.

Note the absence of the letter J also in the name Iacob (Jacob, which is actually Ya'akov).

Seeking the correct pronunciation many versions have been offered by different people. Today the most popular of these is probably Yahveh ("Yah Vay") or Yahweh ("Yah Way"). There are problems with these versions as well however. The debate will doubtless continue until Rebbe Y'shua returns and we hear him pronounce it personally!

The letters of the Holy Name and standard pronunciation give us:

In Hebrew the first letter of the Name is Yud (י) which makes a Y sound. The J sound (as in "Jehovah") is absolutely not correct then.

When we pronounce the Name as we would any other Hebrew name we get the following likely pronunciation in my opinion:

Ya (Yod) Hao (Heh) Va (Vav) H or Yahova(h) (when written) with the emphasis being placed on the Yah for a pronunciation of Ya'hova(h) or ("Yah-haovah"). The first he reacts to the vav when pronounced and would seem to suggest the ao sound to me. The final he is silent, however it does follow the previous letter (vav) in ways not heard in the popular pronunciation (Yaveh).

Take this with as many grains of salt as you wish, however in my opinion this is the most likely pronunciation of the Holy name: Yahova(h).

Birchat HaShem (Honoring the Holy Name)

However the Holy Name is pronounced, because it is so sacred it should never be uttered without full intention and with all due respect. Using the Holy Name in normal conversation as one uses ordinary names lessens its sanctity. The Birchat HaShem commandment to bless the Name of the Echad Elohiym includes within it the prohibition against using it disrespectfully. To honor the Most Holy of all Names it is preferable to employ titles of respect such as HaShem or Adonai when referring the Eternal One. Using such conventions acknowledges the utter Holiness of the One we serve.