For a Jewish person who knows something about the meaning of YHVH?

Question

I'm trying to learn Hebrew and came up on the unutterable name of G-d and had a question about it. I know that when we come up on Yod, Hey, Vav, Hey that it is proper to say Adonai. I also know that in ancient times that the Levitacal Priest was the only one that could utter that name, and only after the atonement sacrifice at Yom Kippur. Is the unutterable name of G-d unutterable because it can not be formed by the mouth, or is it that you can only say the word "YeHoVaH" (Jehovah) from a purified mouth? Please don't think this question is out of disrespect. It's just that that's what I seen as I was meditating on it. Mostly it's out of just not knowing.....

To Inat,
I thoutht I took great care as not to use the name of the Lord in vain(with no meaning or desirved honor). Please excuse my ignorance, I'm trying to learn. I don't mean any disrespect at all. May the Lord G-d trully bless you.

I just wanted to know if it was forbidden to speak that form of the name of G-d because of the awesomeness and Holiness that this form of His name represents, or was it unpronounceable. I learned that His name in this form appears 6800 times in scripture. To me that in itself is awesome.

Answer 1

It's a combination of both things you said. On the one hand it is considered disrespectful to utter G-d's actual Name, and hence other terms are used. On the other hand it's equally true that with the end of the Levitical priesthood the exact pronunciation of the Tetragrammaton (Yod-Hey-Vav-Hey) was lost, as were the pronunciations of other forms of the Divine Name. The word "Jehovah" is actually an English transliteration of the vowelized form of the word--as you may know, ancient Hebrew did not use vowels; they only came into being with the later Masoretic texts. Some believe that the vowels used with YHVH are correct because they are the same as those for Adonai, hence the pronunciation; some believe that the original YHVH vowels were something different. I appreciate your asking!

Answer 2

If you check carefully, you will see that Levis' descendants received an inheritance (that of the priesthood) because Levi feared the name of the Lord.

There is a commandment not to take the name of the Lord in vain.

It is a serious matter, because that particular expression of His name is Holy, and does not seem to have been spoken by the Lord except to Moses and the priests, prophets and others who were sanctified.

It is generally held to mean I AM THAT I AM; a name worthy of great reflection and meditation, even fear.

I have thought about this name and it was spoken to moses, the context was in answer to moses question, whom shall I say sent me? First the Lord says I am the god of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. Then he says I am that I am.

Remember that the Son of God, spoke his name and the earth shook, as if an earthquake.

For me the name Jah (I am) was a revelation, as it is the predicate upon which all existence (and therefore all nonexistence) is based. He alone is able to stand.

Answer 3

The most important of God's Names is the four-letter Name represented by the Hebrew letters Yod-Hei-Vav-Hei (YHVH). It is often referred to as the Ineffable Name, the Unutterable Name or the Distinctive Name. Linguistically, it is related to the Hebrew root Hei-Yod-Hei (to be), and reflects the fact that God's existence is eternal. In scripture, this Name is used when discussing God's relation with human beings, and when emphasizing his qualities of lovingkindness and mercy. It is frequently shortened to Yah (Yod-Hei), Yahu or Yeho (Yod-Hei-Vav), especially when used in combination with names or phrases, as in Yehoshua (Joshua, meaning "the Lord is my Salvation"), Eliyahu (Elijah, meaning "my God is the Lord"), and Halleluyah ("praise the Lord").

Nothing in the Torah prohibits a person from pronouncing the Name of God. Indeed, it is evident from scripture that God's Name was pronounced routinely. Many common Hebrew names contain "Yah" or "Yahu," part of God's four-letter Name. The Name was pronounced as part of daily services in the Temple.

The Mishnah confirms that there was no prohibition against pronouncing The Name in ancient times. In fact, the Mishnah recommends using God's Name as a routine greeting to a fellow Jew. Berakhot 9:5. However, by the time of the Talmud, it was the custom to use substitute Names for God. Some rabbis asserted that a person who pronounces YHVH according to its letters (instead of using a substitute) has no place in the World to Come, and should be put to death. Instead of pronouncing the four-letter Name, we usually substitute the Name "Adonai," or simply say "Ha-Shem" (lit. The Name).

Although the prohibition on pronunciation applies only to the four-letter Name, Jews customarily do not pronounce any of God's many Names except in prayer or study. The usual practice is to substitute letters or syllables, so that Adonai becomes Adoshem or Ha-Shem, Elohaynu and Elohim become Elokaynu and Elokim, etc.

With the Temple destroyed and the prohibition on pronouncing The Name outside of the Temple, pronunciation of the Name fell into disuse. Scholars passed down knowledge of the correct pronunciation of YHVH for many generations, but eventually the correct pronunciation was lost, and we no longer know it with any certainty. We do not know what vowels were used, or even whether the Vav in the Name was a vowel or a consonant. See Hebrew Alphabet for more information about the difficulties in pronouncing Hebrew. Some religious scholars suggest that the Name was pronounced "Yahweh," but others do not find this pronunciation particularly persuasive.

Some people render the four-letter Name as "Jehovah," but this pronunciation is particularly unlikely. The word "Jehovah" comes from the fact that ancient Jewish texts used to put the vowels of the Name "Adonai" (the usual substitute for YHVH) under the consonants of YHVH to remind people not to pronounce YHVH as written. A sixteenth century German Christian scribe, while transliterating the Bible into Latin for the Pope, wrote the Name out as it appeared in his texts, with the consonants of YHVH and the vowels of Adonai, and came up with the word JeHoVaH, and the name stuck.

Answer 4

That name is not to be pronounced because it is holy. We are not allowed to use G-d's name in vain.
The meaning of that name is: (always) was, is, (always) will be, which expresses the essence of G-d.

Answer 5

uhhh yeah what david t said