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THE SACRED NAMES

By Pastor Tony Cirigliano

Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in His fists? Who hath bound the waters in a garment? Who hath established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is His Son's name, if thou canst tell? – Proverbs 30:4. 

In the above verse our heavenly Father asks the question, “What is My name or My Son’s name if you can tell?” The ancient Hebrew language that the Hebrew Scriptures were written in did not have vowels. In the original Hebrew, God’s name is given as “YHWH.” Because of the lack of vowels, Bible scholars debate how “YHWH” was pronounced. It was likely either “Yahweh” or “Yehowah.”  "Yehowah" is where the name “Jehovah” comes from. It was German Bible scholars who first started teaching God’s name as “Jehovah.” In German, a “y” is pronounced as a “j” and a “w” is pronounced as a “v.” So, the name “Jehovah” is a German version of God’s Hebrew name. Out of reverence for God’s name, most modern Bible translations used “LORD” in all caps or small caps in place of God’s name “YHWH.”

Why do we have "The Lord" in our bibles rather than Yahweh?

This is a very common question. It all began with a Jewish tradition called the "ineffable name" doctrine. Jews, for various reasons, started to substitute His name with the Hebrew title "Adonai". Adonai is the Hebrew word for "Lord".

This information can be easily verified in many Bible dictionaries and various encyclopedias. For instance, the Encyclopedia Britannica states:

Yahweh, the God of the Israelites, His name being revealed to Moses as four Hebrew CONSONANTS (YHWH) CALLED THE TETRAGRAMMATON. AFTER THE EXILE (6TH CENTURY BC), and especially from the 3rd century BC on, Jews ceased to use the name Yahweh for two reasons. As Judaism became a universal religion through its proselytizing in the Greco-Roman world, the more common noun Elohim, meaning "god," tended to replace Yahweh to demonstrate the universal sovereignty of Israel's God over all others. At the same time, the divine name was increasingly regarded as too sacred to be uttered; it was thus replaced vocally in the synagogue ritual by the Hebrew word Adonai ("My Lord"), which was translated as Kyrios ("Lord") in the Septuagint, the Greek version of the Old Testament.

We see in the above quote that Jews started to vocally replace the name "Yahweh" with "Adonai" (Lord) for two reasons:

1. It was beginning to be believed that His name was too sacred to be uttered

2. They preferred to simply call Him "Elohim" rather than "Yahweh" to demonstrate to the world that He is the only true Elohim.

While on the surface these reasons may seem honorable, they are very unscriptural. They were and are attempts to improve on Yahweh's already perfect ways. If Yahweh really wanted a substitute, why would He have placed His name there to begin with? Though scripture says to follow Yahweh rather than man, we find that nearly 7,000 times the most important name of all is replaced with a another word that man has chosen. 

This tradition was not practiced by the Messiah or the apostles, but it was adopted by some Christians during the early half of the 2nd Century CE/AD. By the 4th century, this practice was well established and widely practiced. Jerome, a 4th century "Church Father" who authored the Latin Vulgate version, substituted the name "Yahweh" throughout with the Latin word "Dominus" (meaning "Lord"). The tradition of replacing Yahweh's name with "the Lord" continues to this day. Most English translations substitute the name Yahweh with "the LORD" and translations into other languages will also commonly choose a title meaning "Lord" in their own language. More information on this can be found in the preface of many modern bibles.

So, what is God's name and what does it mean? Modern study of ancient Hebrew pronunciation leans heavily toward the view that God's name was pronounced "Yahweh." The name "Yahweh" refers to God's self-existence. "Yahweh" is linked with how God described Himself in Exodus 3:14, "God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'" God's name is a reflection of His being. God is the only self-existent / self-sufficient Being in the universe. Only God has life in and of Himself. That is the essential meaning of "YHWH" / "Yahweh."

 The name Jehovah is not the correct name of God according to the Jewish Encyclopedia, Vol. 7, p. 87 which states, “The pronunciation Jehovah is grammatically impossible. It arose through pronouncing the vowels of the word ‘Adonai’ with the consonants of YHWH.” Even though Ellen White used the name Jehovah, she said that truth is progressive and that there was more light to be revealed. The book of Revelation says that in the last days, the remnant will have the Father’s name “written in their foreheads.” (See Rev. 22:4.) This means they will know the true name of Yahweh whom they love and are faithful to, and it also secondarily refers to having the Lord’s character.

It has been good to see in recent times the sacred name Yahweh used in Sabbath school quarterlies. In fact, the Seventh-day Adventist Bible Dictionary has this to say about the name Yahweh.

“A conjectural transliteration of the sacred name by which God instructed that Israel was to know Him, to distinguish Him from all false gods. In consonantal Hebrew the name was written YHWH which, according to LVTL, occurs 6,823 times in the OT. These four letters are commonly known as the Tetragrammaton. Although conclusive documentary evidence to confirm the vocalization Yahweh is lacking, scholars are now rather generally in agreement that this was the original pronunciation. . . Yahweh is generally believed to be a form of the verb hayah, “to be” in which case it would mean “the Eternal One” or the “Self-existent One, “the Self-sufficient One,” “The One who loves eternally.” SDA Bible Dictionary, pps. 1192-1193.

What our heavenly Father says about His name YAHWEH

Exodus 3:15
And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, Yahweh Elohim of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.

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

Exodus 9:16
And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to shew in thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth.

Leviticus 19:12
And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am Yahweh. (profane can mean top “dissolve away” or make nothing of!)

Numbers 6:27
And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them. (This is wonderful to do for your children!)

Deuteronomy 18:19
And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.

Psalm 91:14
Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.

Isaiah 42:8
I am Yahweh: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.

Isaiah 52:6
Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak: behold, it is I.

Jeremiah 16:21
Therefore, behold, I will this once cause them to know, I will cause them to know mine hand and my might; and they shall know that my name is Yahweh.

Jeremiah 23:27
Which think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbour, as their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal. (Baal was called “My Lord.” See Hosea 2:16-17 in a study Bible. Today Yahweh’s name has been forgotten by man and replaced by the title Lord which is not a personal name.)

Malachi 1:6
A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith Yahweh of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name? (Some people simply hate to hear the name Yahweh as much as some hate to hear the word “Sabbath.”)

Malachi 1:11
For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith Yahweh of hosts. (How can the name Yahweh be great among unbelievers if no one mentions it or teaches it?)

Malachi 2:2
If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith Yahweh of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart. (If we do not give glory to the name of Yahweh, we will be cursed. That’s what Yahweh says.)

Malachi 4:2
But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. (Fear means reverence for the sacred name Yahweh. The ones who revere this name and don’t ignore it will receive the blessings promised.)

     What about the name “Jesus”? How did it come about from His true Hebrew name Yahshua?  In the New Testament of the Bible there were two instances where an angel and the spirit form of the Messiah appeared to humans and spoke to them in Hebrew. First, Gabriel spoke to Mary regarding her unborn son. Since Mary was Hebrew of the tribe of Judah (Lk. 1:27), Gabriel had to communicate to her in the Hebrew tongue, her native language, not Chinese or Greek, for she would not have been able to understand him. “And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with Elohim (God). And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS (Luke 1:30-31).” As shown in the Hebrew alphabet, there is no J in Hebrew (see alphabet on p. 8). So the question is what did the angel Gabriel say that the baby would be named?  It was impossible for him to say Jesus because Jesus is Greek for Yahshua.

     In another instance, the Messiah appeared in spirit form and in a vision, to the Apostle Paul on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-7) and spoke in Hebrew.  Paul described what happened. “And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks (Acts 26:14).”

Paul asked this spirit, “Who art thou, Lord (Acts 26:15)?” The Messiah replied, “I am Jesus [in the King James Bible and most English Bibles] whom thou persecutest.”

One thing is clear. The Messiah knows His name and as was stated and repeated throughout this article it is impossible for him to have said Jesus as it is translated since Yahshua spoke to Paul in the Hebrew tongue.

Anyone that thinks the Jewish parents of the Jewish Messiah that were strong adherents to the Judaic principles and lived in a Jewish contextual setting would give their son a Greek name is lacking in common sense!  Seriously!  How can anyone be deceived to the point of thinking the HEBREW Messiah would have a GREEK name?  

Even though I use the name Jesus and do not believe calling Him Yahshua is required for salvation, I definitely do know Yahshua is His true name and means “Yahweh is salvation” or “Yahweh’s salvation.” If I know someone’s true name, I usually use it rather than translate it into Greek then Latin then English as was done with the sacred name Yahshua. I also believe that promises made by Yahshua regarding His name apply to His true name and not any other!

Matthew 18:5
And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.

Matthew 18:20
For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

Mark 9:37
Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me.

Mark 16:17
And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;

John 14:13
And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

John 14:26
But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

John 15:16
Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

John 16:23
And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.John 16:22-24

John 16:24
Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.

Revelation 2:13
I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.

Revelation 3:8
I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.

Acts 4:12
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

John 17:6 I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. (Yahshua made His disciples know the sacred name of His Father which is Yahweh. He spoke Aramaic and would not have told the disciples to call His Father Adonai or Theos which are Greek titles for God and not the personal Hebrew name!)

John 17:11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. (The name Yahweh would keep the apostles safe. So surely they used it. Too bad that when their words were translated into Greek, the sacred names were replaced with Greek titles and “yah” sound of the sacred name was replaced with the “ias” Greek sound. Isaiah (IsaYAH) became Isaias. (See Matthew 4:14) and Jeremiah (JeremiYAH) became Jeremias. (See Matthew 16:14.) Yahshua became Ieous then to English Jesus again removing the YAH part of the sacred name.

John 17:26 And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.

Yahshua Jesus said that He would declare His Father’s name Yahweh (that is the name His Father said He was to be called forever!) And in the heavenly sanctuary where Yahshua is acting as out Advocate He is still declaring the everlasting name! And the light will shine down from heaven to those who want to know truth and want to call upon the true name of our Father. True, we are to call Him Father, or Abba (daddy), just as we called our earthly fathers. But if someone asked me what my father’s name was, I’d say, “His name was Joseph Cirigliano.” I call Yahweh “Father.” But when the world needs to know what God is worship. I say, “His name is Yahweh.”

     The bottom line is. If you know your heavenly Father’s name and His Son’s name, then why be afraid to use it? I use Jesus and Lord but I also use Yahshua and Yahweh! I know it has cost me donations and troubled some as the word Sabbath troubles other Christians, but truth is truth. Yahweh has blessed our ministry incredibly and I know it is because of using His sacred name and His Son’s true name. Never compromise truth for money or fame or popularity.  “Whosoever calls upon the name of Yahweh shall be delivered.” Joel 2:32. “The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.” – Prov. 18:10. HalleluYAH!