The Names of Elohim: Translation versus Transliteration

This morning I was preparing the texts which I was to post on my other Blog “Daily Bible Reading“ (http://apenisa-naigulevu.blogspot.com/) and I came across some texts which highlights the practical issue of translating versus transliteration of the name of Elohim. The texts were taken out of Exodus 3:11-15 and Exodus 6:2-3 which you would know discusses the conversation between Moses and Yahweh about how Moses will introduce Him to the Israelites who were in bondage in Egypt. I wonder if we can discuss these, but before we do let us see the translation that took place.

The Fijian translations relative to the English and Hebrew words (and English transliteration) of Elohim are as follows:
a) Elohim (Hebrew - אלהים) – English: God – Fijian: Kalou
b) YHWH i.e. Yahweh, Yahveh etc (Hebrew יהוה ) – English: Jehovah or LORD –Fijian: Jiova or TURAGA
c) Adonai (Hebrew - אֲדֹנָי ) – English: Lord – Fijian: Turaga
d) Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh (Hebrew - אהיה אשר אהיה) – English: I am that I am – Fijian: Sa Bula Koi Au Vakai Au
e) Ehyeh (Hebrew - אֶהְיֶה) – English: I am - Fijian: Sa Bula Koi Au
f) El Shaddai ( Hebrew: שַׁדַּי אל) - English: God Almighty – Fijian: Kalou Kaukaua Duadua Ga

Let us think about these and take the translated names of Elohim both in English and in Fijian and consider it seriously against the Hebrew names as I have shown above?

Before that consider this bible text which explains what transpired around the burning bush ; Exodus 3:15

“Elohim also said to Moses, ‘Say to the Israelites, Yahweh, the Elohim of your fathers — the Elohim of Abraham, the Elohim of Isaac and the Elohim of Jacob — has sent me to you.' This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation”.

Elohim has outlined his name to Moses and qualified it by saying that it was “His name forever” and also said that “it was the name by which He is to be remembered forever”.

When I consider the crux of the message in the text, it becomes very clear that translating Elohim’s name was not a very good idea after all. Of course there are understandable reasons for translating the names, so that people with different languages might understand the concept of an Elohim. Unfortunately by doing so, we inadvertently equate Yahweh Elohim with the pagan deities of our ancestors. In any case it overlooks the fact that the human mind is such that one can quickly adjust ones thinking to accept new things – and the human mind can distinguish differences between what they learn. It would have been better for people to learn the Names of Elohim directly; instead of using substitutes which we concoct from what we think are the meanings of the original Hebrew names? I think so. For the whole of my life till recently I have known Elohim as TURAGA na Kalou (or LORD God), and I pray to him using those words. However through my work pertaining to a new Fijian Translation of the Bible, I am preoccupied with presently, I have slowly become aware of the true sacred names of Elohim and now it is becoming easier for me to rightly distinguish Yahweh, from the host of other deities the human race worship.

The other point appears in Exodus 6:3 which read “I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD, I did not make myself known to them”.

This is strictly speaking not a true reflection of what Yahweh said because it deprives one to see the meaning behind the names he used. The text using the transliterated names of Yahweh is as follows:

“I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as El Shaddai, but by my name Yahweh, I have not made myself known to them”.

That is El Shaddai against God Almighty and Yahweh against LORD. Let us revisit some of the points we have covered to consider the name El Shaddai as a name of Elohim.

El
El (Hebrew: אל) is used in both the singular and plural, both for other elohims and for the Elohim of Israel. As a name of Elohim, however, it is used chiefly in poetry and prophetic discourse, rarely in prose, and then usually with some epithet attached, as "a jealous Elohim." Other examples of its use with some attribute or epithet are: El ("Most High Elohim"), El Shaddai ("Elohim Almighty"), El `Olam ("Everlasting Elohim"), El Hai ("Living Elohim"), El Ro'i ("Elohim of Seeing"), El Elohe Israel ("Elohim, the Elohim of Israel"), El Gibbor ("Elohim of Strength"). In addition, names such as Gabriel ("Strength of Elohim"), Michael ("He Who is Like Elohim"), Raphael ("Elohim's medicine") and Daniel ("Elohim is My Judge") use Elohim's name in a similar fashion.

Shaddai
The name Shaddai (Hebrew: שַׁדַּי), which occurs both independently and in combination with El, is used as a name of Elohim chiefly in the Book of Job. According to Exodus 6:2, 3, this is the name by which Elohim was known to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In the Septuagint and other early translation it was translated with words meaning 'Almighty'.

The root word "shadad" (שדד) means "to overpower" or "to destroy". This would give Shaddai the meaning of "destroyer" as one of the aspects of Elohim.

An alternative view proposed by Albright is that the name is connected to shadayim which means 'breasts' in Hebrew. It may thus be connected to the notion of Elohim’s fertility and blessings of the human race. In several instances it is connected with fruitfulness: “May Elohim Almighty [El Shaddai] bless you and make you fruitful and increase your numbers . . .” (Gen. 28:3). “I am Elohim Almighty [El Shaddai]: be fruitful and increase in number” (Gen. 35:11). “By the Almighty [El Shaddai] who will bless you with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lies beneath, blessings of the breasts [shadayim] and of the womb [racham] ” (Gen. 49:25).

It is also given a Midrashic interpretation as an acronym standing for 'Guardian of the Doors of Israel' (Hebrew: שׁוֹמֶר דְלָתוֹת יִשְׂרָאֶל), which is commonly found as carvings or writings upon the Mezuzah, a vessel which houses a scroll of parchment with Biblical text written on it, that is situated upon all the doorframes in a home or establishment.

Does “God Almighty” which is used to translate “El Shaddai” even give us a real picture of the concept of Elohim? I do not think so. I think we need to use the translitered name of Elohim and prevent any further confusion.

Any debate over the names of Elohim can be resolved if we merely revert to the use of Elohim in Hebrew or its English transliteration.

Let me caution though that this is not about the names alone. This is about the worship of Yahweh Elohim of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Christianity is a religion which has set its credos and its forms of worship and its holidays and customs and traditions. I have no intention of upsetting the “apple cart” as the saying goes. It reminds me of the story of the prophet Elijah when he confronted the prophets of Baal.

The story is in I King 18 and I begin in verse 20 through to verse 39:

"So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto Mount Carmel. 21 And Elijah came unto all the people and said, "How long halt you between two opinions? If Yahweh be Elohim, follow Him; but if Baal, then follow him." And the people answered him not a word. 22 Then said Elijah unto the people, "I, even I only, remain a prophet of the Yahweh, but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men. 23 Let them therefore give us two bullocks. And let them choose one bullock for themselves and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood and put no fire under it; and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under it. 24 And call ye on the name of your elohims, and I will call on the name of Yahweh; and the Elohim that answered by fire, let Him be Elohim." And all the people answered and said, "It is well spoken." 25 And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, "Choose you one bullock for yourselves and dress it first, for ye are many; and call on the name of your elohim, but put no fire under it." 26 And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, "O Baal, hear us!" But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made. 27 And it came to pass at noon that Elijah mocked them and said, "Cry aloud, for he is an elohim! Either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he sleepeth and must be awakened." 28 And they cried aloud, and cut themselves according to their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them. 29 And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded. 30 And Elijah said unto all the people, "Come near unto me." And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of Yahweh that was broken down. 31 And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of Yahweh came, saying, "Israel shall be thy name." 32 And with the stones he built an altar in the name of Yahweh, and he made a trench about the altar as great as would contain two measures of seed. 33 And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood and said, "Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice and on the wood." 34 And he said, "Do it the second time." And they did it the second time. And he said, "Do it the third time." And they did it the third time. 35 And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water. 36 And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, "Yahweh Elohim of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that Thou art Elohim in Israel, and that I am Thy servant, and that I have done all these things at Thy word. 37 Hear me, O Yahweh! Hear me, that this people may know that Thou art Yahweh Elohim, and that Thou hast turned their heart back again." 38 Then the fire of Yahweh fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and they said, "Yahweh, He is Elohim! Yahweh, He is Elohim!" (Please note that I have substituted the words LORD God with Yahweh Elohim as it should.)

This is an interesting episode in the promotion of Yahweh the one true Elohim creator of the universe. Elijah posed a question to us today and let me repeat it,

“And Elijah came unto all the people and said, "How long halt ye between two opinions? If Yahweh be Elohim, follow Him; but if Baal, then follow him." (I King 18: 21)

It is interesting that the name Baal was transliterated but the words Yahweh Elohim was translated to LORD God. It is, I think an unforgivable act; and now needs to be corrected. It is time that we shout out "Yahweh, He is Elohim! Yahweh, He is Elohim!"

Till my next installment please seriously consider Yahweh’s Name the one and only Elohim. Translating Yahweh’s name was not fair really to us all, if we think about this issue seriously.

What’s in a Name

The title of this blog of mine has been weighing on my mind, because “Lahag”, while it means earnest studying and nothing but studying, it is alleged that it does not necessarily mean that a student will be moved to change. Under normal circumstances, changing, is the ultimate aim, key if you please, of any study revolving around Elohim, and this appears to be absent from the Lahag process.

But in considering this, it gave me a new insight to a problem that Paul experienced in some of the cities he worked in, namely falling away. Paul was actually saying that there was no panacea for those who fell away, after tasting the sweetness of the Kingdom of Elohim. Falling away was (and is) dangerous and I think that it can only happen if our conversion was at the very outset artificial, in the sense that we engineered our own conversion, before we truly understood what was involved.

This I think, is where Lahag would work. Let Yahweh and Yahshua convert us, our job in the process is merely to study the words of Yahweh and understand completely what Yahweh requires of us. You see, once you know, surrendering is not a problem and surrendering is an essential component of conversion.

In late 2006, I suffered a terrible health problem with my postrate glands and as a result I was unable to urinate for a period of about eight hours. The pain was appalling and as I lay on my bed, one of my sons explained to me the implications I faced and told me that he was taking me to the hospital, before I suffered something truly drastic like poisoning which could eventually take my life. So I went. I am one of those guys who are terrified no end when it came to going to the hospital. But that day my son Jerry reconfirmed to me the problem I faced and that knowledge, helped me to surrender to the hospital authority, in the form of a doctor who inserted a rubber tube up my penis, through which came the urine of a fairly large quantity. For close to two months after that I had this tube helping me to discharge waste water from my body and I am rather thankful for it. In the process, my prostrate glands was healed and it is I guess working again normally.

I was later told of a younger man who suffered the same problem I had, but he refused to surrender to hospital authorities, to have his postrate glands removed. When extreme pain began to set in, several months later, he rushed to the hospital and begged to have his prostarate glands removed, but it was too late because his bladder had deteriorated beyond repair. He died in extreme pain. He confided to his cousin who told me this story, “If I knew at the time, I would have had my prostrate glands removed without hesitation.” He did not know and He did not surrender. Knowledge I thought was important.

In terms of Yahweh Elohim, what exactly do we know about Him as our Creator? Many people cannot even recognise him, and think they should be forgiven if they called him, a string of names including GOD or for Fijians TURAGA na Kalou.

Back in 2003, I published the book of Matthew in Fijian (ISBN 928-9048-01-2) and distributed it to friends and realtives for the purpose of critical analysis and feedback. It was written in colloquil Fijian. My aim was to publish the New Testament later. Of those who came back to me with a feedback, one asked a very valid question; “Where is Yahweh’s name in all these? Not a mention of his Name, that is terrible Apenisa” he concluded.

It was a good and valid point, but I was writing a Fijian Bible am I not? Where does Yahweh’s name fit in a Fijian Bble? Hey, even the English do not use Yahweh’s name in their Bibles! Some of the English translations of Jewish (Hebrew/Aramaic/Syriac) Bibles do not use Yahweh’s name, they translate it and names like God, Lord etc appear in lieu of his Holy Names.

When I sat down to think through the implications of all these, it dawned on me that there must have been a plot to hide Elohim’s name. If the names of all the prophets remained intact through transliteration – Isaiah, Jeremiah, Zecchariah etc – why is it that the name of our Elohim was blotted out by translations?

It reminded me of a Bible text (John 4:24) about worshiping Yahweh which reads, “ Elohim is spirit; and they that worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.” We need to surrender our human spirit to engage with the Spirit of Elohim when we worship him. We also need to deal only in truth. The question I ask; what is the truth about the Holy Names of our Elohim? Do we even know Him?
Just before that Yahshua said a few things that would be quite alarming to a lot of people today; John 4: 22-23 (WOY) which reads and I quote, “You worship you know not what; we know what we worship; for salvation is of the Jews. 23 But the hour is come, and now is, when true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father seeks such to worship him.”

We need to study Yahweh and make it our business. We need to be prepared to surrender, when Yahweh seeks those who are to worship him in spirit and in truth.

I guess I am a Johnny come lately in advocating that Elohim’s sacred name should be resstored but I think it should be done wthout reservation. In surfing the Web I came across the following reasons for doing this and I cold not quote my source because I did not take it down when I gleaned this information several years ago:

1) “With due respect to our Jewish readers and to the Almighty, we teach, use and print the Sacred Name for the following reasons, which we feel do override all other considerations:

2) To identify and accordingly exalt the bearer of this Name as the PERSONAL Elohim of Israel and of the universe, as opposed to the general interpretation of a rather mystical, almost unidentifiable Being, as held by most religions.

3) To proclaim and make known this Name unto the masses of believers who claim to follow Him but know not His Name - so that they may sanctify and praise His name that His Name may be honored among the nations (Malachi 1:11; Isaiah 12:4).

4) To conform with what may really be the more correctly interpreted instruction of Exod. 20:7 concerning the use of His Name: viz. "Do not make His Name worthless" "Lo tisah et Shem YHVH Eloheicha l'shav." By withholding the proclamation of His Name, we may well be guilty of "making His Name worthless."

5) The Torah and Tanach ('Old' Testament) clearly records how Hebraic Patriarchs and Prophets actually proclaimed and pronounced the Sacred Name as a Testimony to non-Jews and non-believers and how His followers will come to know His Name and call upon Him, using this Name!

I will end this edition here but I will provide a substantial answer to the question, “should we refrain from using the sacred name of Elohim in my next post.

The Other Names of our Elohim

I have been discussing the name of Elohim and in this issue I intend to continue the discussion. Let me at the outset say that I am not too interested in the derivations of the names as some may want to discover. They can do this by researching these in the worldwide web which is full of information one may want to see.

My purpose is diferent. The holy scriptures uses names in relation to our Elohim, the one we call Yahweh (Hebrew: יהוה), which we have already discussed to my satisfaction. Right now we want to cover the other names used in the Holy Scriptures. Again I will glean from the internet (in blue) as follows:

Adonai
Jews also call Elohim, Adonai, Hebrew for "Lord" (Hebrew: אֲדֹנָי). Formally, this is plural ("my Lords"), but the plural is usually construed as a respectful, and not a syntactic plural. (The singular form is Adoni: "my lord".

Since pronouncing YHWH was considered sinful, Jews used Adonai instead in prayers, and colloquially would use Hashem (The Name). When the Masoretes added vowel pointings to the text of the Hebrew Bible in the first century CE, they gave the word YHWH the vowels of Adonai, to remind the reader to say Adonai instead.

Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh
The name Ehyeh (Hebrew: אֶהְיֶה) denotes Elohim's potency in the immediate future, and is part of YHWH. The phrase "ehyeh-asher-ehyeh" (Exodus 3:14) is interpreted by some authorities as "I will be because I will be," using the second part as a gloss and referring to Elohim's promise, "Certainly I will be [ehyeh] with thee" (Exodus 3:12). Other authorities claim that the whole phrase forms one name. The Targum Onkelos leaves the phrase untranslated and is so quoted in the Talmud (B. B. 73a). The "I am that I am" of the Authorized Version is based on this view.

I am that I am (Hebrew: אהיה אשר אהיה, pronounced ''Ehyeh asher ehyeh') is the sole response used in (Exodus 3:14) when Moses asked for Elohim's name. It is one of the most famous verses in the Hebrew Bible. Hayah means "existed" or "was" in Hebrew; ehyeh is the first-person singular imperfect form. Ehyeh asher ehyeh is generally interpreted to mean "I will be what I will be", I shall be what I shall be or I am that I am (King James Bible and others). The Tetragrammaton itself may derive from the same verbal root.

El
El (Hebrew: אל) is used in both the singular and plural, both for other elohims and for the Elohim of Israel. As a name of Elohim, however, it is used chiefly in poetry and prophetic discourse, rarely in prose, and then usually with some epithet attached, as "a jealous Elohim." Other examples of its use with some attribute or epithet are: El ' a Elyon<>("Most High Elohim"), El Shaddai ("Elohim Almighty"), El `Olam ("Everlasting Elohim"), El Hai ("Living Elohim"), El Ro'i ("Elohim of Seeing"), El Elohe Israel ("Elohim, the Elohim of Israel"), El Gibbor ("Elohim of Strength"). In addition, names such as Gabriel ("Strength of Elohim"), Michael ("He Who is Like Elohim"), Raphael ("Elohim's medicine") and Daniel ("Elohim is My Judge") use Elohim's name in a similar fashion.

Elohim
A title of Yahweh in the Hebrew Bible is Elohim (Hebrew: אלהים); as opposed to other names mentioned in this article, this name also describes gods of other religions. Despite the -im ending common to many plural nouns in Hebrew, the word Elohim, when referring to Yahweh is grammatically singular, and regularly takes a singular verb in the Hebrew Bible. It is argued that the word elohim had an origin in a plural grammatical form. When the Hebrew Bible uses elohim not in reference to Yahweh, it usually takes plural forms of the verb (for example, Exodus 20:3). There are a few other such uses in Hebrew, for example Behemoth. In Modern Hebrew, the singular word be'alim ("owner") looks plural, but likewise takes a singular verb.

Other scholars interpret the -im ending as an expression of majesty (pluralis majestatis) or excellence (pluralis excellentiae), expressing high dignity or greatness. For these reasons many Christians cite the apparent plurality of elohim as evidence for the basic Christian doctrine of the Trinity. This was a traditional position but modern Christian theologians now largely accept that this is an exegetical fallacy.

Theologians who dispute this claim, cite the hypothesis that plurals of majesty came about in more modern times. Richard Toporoski, a classics scholar, asserts that plurals of majesty first appeared in the reign of Diocletian (284-305 CE)1. Indeed, Gesenius states in his book Hebrew Grammar 2 the following:
The Jewish grammarians call such plurals … plur. virium or virtutum; later grammarians call them plur. excellentiae, magnitudinis, or plur. maiestaticus. This last name may have been suggested by the we used by kings when speaking of themselves and the plural used by Elohim in Genesis 1:26 and 11:7; Isaiah 6:8 has been incorrectly explained in this way). It is, however, either communicative (including the attendant angels: so at all events in Isaiah 6:8 and Genesis 3:22), or according to others, an indication of the fullness of power and might implied. It is best explained as a plural of self-deliberation. The use of the plural as a form of respectful address is quite foreign to Hebrew.

The plural form ending in -im can also be understood as denoting abstraction, as in the Hebrew words chayyim: "life" or betulim: "virginity". If understood this way Elohim means "divinity" or "deity". The word chayyim is similarly syntactically singular when used as a name but syntactically plural otherwise.
The Hebrew form Eloah (אלוה, which looks as though it might be a singular form of Elohim) is comparatively rare, occurring only in poetry and late prose (in the Book of Job, 41 times). What is probably the same divine name is found in Arabic (Ilah as singular "a Elohim", as opposed to Allah meaning "The Elohim" or "Elohim") and in Aramaic (Elaha). This unusual singular form is used in six places for heathen deities (examples: 2 Chronicles 32:15; Daniel 11:37, 38;). The normal Elohim form is also used in the plural a few times, either for Elohims or images (Exodus 9:1, 12:12, 20:3; and so forth) or for one Elohim (Exodus 32:1; Genesis 31:30, 32; and elsewhere). In the great majority of cases both are used as names of the one Elohim of Israel.
The root-meaning of the word is unknown. One theory is that it may be connected with the old Arabic verb alih (to be perplexed, afraid; to seek refuge because of fear). Eloah, Elohim, would, therefore, be "He who is the object of fear or reverence," or "He with whom one who is afraid takes refuge."
In many of the passages in which Elohim occurs in the Bible it refers to non-Israelite deities, or in some instances to powerful men or judges (Exodus 21:6).

References
1R. Toporoski, "What was the origin of the royal "we" and why is it no longer used?", (Times of London, May 29, 2002. Ed. F1, p. 32)

2Gesenius' Hebrew Grammar (A. E. Cowley, ed., Oxford, 1976, p.398)

Elyon
The name `Elyon (Hebrew: עליון) occurs in combination with El, YHWH or Elohim, and also alone. It appears chiefly in poetic and later Biblical passages. The modern Hebrew adjective "`Elyon" means "supreme" (as in "Supreme Court") or "Most High". El Elyon has been traditionally translated into English as 'Elohim Most High'.

Shaddai
The name Shaddai (Hebrew: שַׁדַּי), which occurs both independently and in combination with El, is used as a name of Elohim chiefly in the Book of Job. According to Exodus 6:2, 3, this is the name by which Elohim was known to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In the Septuagint and other early translation it was translated with words meaning 'Almighty'.

The root word "shadad" (שדד) means "to overpower" or "to destroy". This would give Shaddai the meaning of "destroyer" as one of the aspects of Elohim.

An alternative view proposed by Albright is that the name is connected to shadayim which means 'breasts' in Hebrew. It may thus be connected to the notion of Elohim’s fertility and blessings of the human race. In several instances it is connected with fruitfulness: “May Elohim Almighty [El Shaddai] bless you and make you fruitful and increase your numbers . . .” (Gen. 28:3). “I am Elohim Almighty [El Shaddai]: be fruitful and increase in number” (Gen. 35:11). “By the Almighty [El Shaddai] who will bless you with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lies beneath, blessings of the breasts [shadayim] and of the womb [racham] ” (Gen. 49:25).

It is also given a Midrashic interpretation as an acronym standing for 'Guardian of the Doors of Israel' (Hebrew: שׁוֹמֶר דְלָתוֹת יִשְׂרָאֶל), which is commonly found as carvings or writings upon the Mezuzah, a vessel which houses a scroll of parchment with Biblical text written on it, that is situated upon all the doorframes in a home or establishment.

Shalom
Shalom ("Peace"; Hebrew: שלום)
The Talmud says "the name of Elohim is 'Peace'" (Pereḳ ha-Shalom, Shab. 10b), (Judges 6:24); consequently, one is not permitted to greet another with the word shalom in unholy places such as a bathroom (Talmud, Shabbat, 10b). The name Sh'lomo literally His peace (from shalom, Solomon, שלומו) refers to the Elohim of Peace.

Shekhinah
Shekhinah (Hebrew: שכינה) is the presence or manifestation of Elohim which has descended to "dwell" among humanity. The term never appears in the Hebrew Bible; later rabbis used the word when speaking of Elohim dwelling either in the Tabernacle or amongst the people of Israel. The root of the word means "dwelling". Of the principal names of Elohim, it is the only one that is of the feminine gender in Hebrew grammar.

Yah
The name Yah is composed of the first letters of YHWH.

YHWH Tzevaot/Sabaoth
The names YHWH and Elohim frequently occur with the word tzevaot or sabaoth ("hosts" or "armies", Hebrew: צבאות) as YHWH Elohe Tzevaot ("YHWH Elohim of Hosts"), Elohe Tzevaot ("Elohim of Hosts"), Adonai YHWH Tzevaot ("Lord YHWH of Hosts") or, most frequently, YHWH Tzevaot ("YHWH of Hosts"). This name is traditionally transliterated in Latin as Sabaoth, a form that will be more familiar to many English readers, as it was used in the King James Version of the Bible.

This compound divine name occurs chiefly in the prophetic literature and does not appear at all in the Pentateuch, Joshua or Judges. The original meaning of tzevaot may be found in 1 Samuel 17:45, where it is interpreted as denoting "the Elohim of the armies of Israel". The word, apart from this special use, always means armies or hosts of men, as, for example, in Exodus 6:26, 7:4, 12:41, while the singular is used to designate the heavenly host.

Frequently used names of Elohim
Adir — "Strong One".
Adon Olam — "Master of the World".
Avinu Malkeinu — "Our Father, our King".
Boreh — "the Creator".
Ehiyeh sh'Ehiyeh — "I Am That I Am": a modern Hebrew version of "Ehyeh asher Ehyeh".
Elohei Avraham, Elohei Yitzchak ve Elohei Ya`aqov — "Elohim of Abraham, Elohim of Isaac, Elohim of Jacob".
El ha-Gibbor — "Elohim the hero" or "Elohim the strong one".
Emet — "Truth".
E'in Sof — "endless, infinite", Kabbalistic name of Elohim
Ro'eh Yisra'el — "Shepherd of Israel".
Ha-Kaddosh, Baruch Hu — "The Holy One, Blessed be He".
Kaddosh Israel — "Holy One of Israel".
Melech ha-Melachim — "The King of Kings" or Melech Malchei ha-Melachim "King of Kings of Kings", to express superiority to the earthly rulers title.
Makom or Hamakom — literally "the place", meaning "The Omnipresent"; see Tzimtzum.
Magen Avraham — "Shield of Abraham".
YHWH-Yireh (Yahweh-Yireh) — "The Lord will provide" (Genesis 22:13, 14).
YHWH-Rapha" — "The Lord that healeth" (Exodus 15:26).
YHWH-Niss"i (Yahweh-Nissi) — "The Lord our Banner" (Exodus 17:8-15).
YHWH-Shalom — "The Lord our Peace" (Judges 6:24).
YHWH-Ra-ah — "The Lord my Shepherd" (Psalms 23:1).
YHWH-Tsidkenu — "The Lord our Righteousness" (Jeremiah 23:6).
YHWH-Shammah — "The Lord is present" (Ezekiel 48:35).
Tzur Israel — "Rock of Israel".
Ha Shem — "The Name"

I hope we now have an appreciation of the names of Yahweh our Elohim as captured in the articles I have used here. We are told to trust in the name of Yahweh in Isaiah 50:10 which reads (WOY):

“Who is among you who fears Yahweh, that obeys the voice of his servant, that walks in darkness and has no lights? Let him trust in the name of Yahweh, and stay upon his Elohim“

Yah Our Elohim

It is clear that the name of our Elohim is Yahweh and it is this name that Yahshua exposed to the world, but the world seem to have chosen to call him God, LORD or Lord and other names such as Theos etc.

The name is represented by the Tetragramaton transliterated YHWH. In Hebrew- יהוה - reading from the right) is pronounced Yahweh as far as I know. The pronounciation I know some people may prefer is Jehovah in lieu of Yahweh, and people I am sure can argue their cases. I prefer Yahweh until I am convinced otherwise, which is a long form of the name Yah.

May I say that the word “Yahweh” appears 6828 times in the Jewish Bibles. Some people may prefer to pronounce the Tetragramaton as Yahvah or Yahveh instead of Yahweh.

When we give praise to our Elohim we would say “Halleluiah” and in doing this we are actually saying “Praise be to Yah isn’t it? I gleaned that name from Psalms 68:4 which read:

“Sing unto Elohim, sing praises to his Name, extol him that rides upon the Heavens by his name YAH, and rejoice before him”

I have noted in the KJV that the name is spelt JAH, which needs to be pronounced with a silent J.

Let me explore the name a little further and borrow from a website I had read sometimes ago, unfortunately its reference I did not take down. Nevertheless the article (In blue) is as follows:

THE NAME OF ELOHIM
The concept of the name of Elohim is one which has fascinated scholars and philosophers from the dawn of time. Bluethread explores how a little knowledge of Hebrew helps to enrich this quest.

Moses said to Elohim, "When I come to the Israelites and say to them 'The Elohim of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me 'What is his name?' what shall I say to them?" And Elohim said to Moses, "Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh." He continued, "Ehyeh sent me to you.'" And Elohim said further to Moses, "Thus shall you speak to the Israelites: The Yahweh, the Elohim of your fathers, the Elohim of Abraham, the Elohim of Isaac, and the Elohim of Jacob, has sent me to you: This shall be my name forever,

This My appellation for all eternity. (Exodus 3:13-15)


אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה

Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh

So Elohim's name, at least the one given to Moses in the above Torah passage, is "Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh." What does that mean? In biblical Hebrew, "Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh" is a deceptively simple phrase consisting of the relative pronoun "asher" sandwiched between two instances of the first person singular imperfect of the verb hayah--to be. "Ehyeh" is most commonly translated as "I will be." Asher is a remarkable Hebrew word. Imagine, in English, a single word that can mean "that" "who" "which" or "where." So the phrase could mean:

I will be that I will be
I will be who I will be
I will be which I will be
I will be where I will be

English has many distinguishable tenses, but biblical Hebrew has only two main tenses, perfect and imperfect. The perfect tense describes actions that are completed:

I walked
I did walk
I had walked

The imperfect tense describes actions or states that are not completed:

I will walk
I usually walk
I might walk
May I walk?
I would walk

A Hebrew verb that appears in the imperfect tense can be translated with any of these meanings. (Simon, The First Hebrew Primer, p. 94) The first Ehyeh might be one tense (for instance, "I am") and the second another ("I will be.")
Here are some other possible translations:

I am that I am (Hertz, p 215)
I will be what I will be (Rashi, from Hertz, p 215)
I am who I am (Sarna, 1986, p 52)
I will be what I want to be (S.R. Hirsch from Plaut, p 405)
I will be what tomorrow demands (Plaut, p 405)
It is he who creates what comes into existence (Albright, p 171)
He brings into existence whatever exists (Enc. Jud.)
I will be with him that I will be, I exist and fulfill my promises The one who spoke and the world came into being,spoke and all was (Drazin, p. 59, various sources)

The one who spoke to the world at the beginning "be",and it was, and in the future will say to it"be" and it will be (ibid.)
I am he who was, am and will be (ibid.)


Ehyeh asher ehyeh--the self-existent and eternal Elohim; a declaration of the unity and spirituality of the Divine Nature, the exact opposite of all the forms of idolatry, human, animal, and celestial that prevailed everywhere else. [It is]...however, not merely a philosophical phrase; the emphasis is on the active manifestation of the Divine existence....To the Israelites in bondage, the meaning would be, 'Although He has not yet displayed His power towards you, he will do so'....The answer which Moses receives in these words is thus equivalent to, 'I shall save in the way I shall save.' It is to assure the Israelites of the fact of deliverance, but does not disclose the manner. It must suffice the Israelites to learn that 'Ehyeh, I will be (with you) hath sent me unto you.' (Hertz, p. 215)

Martin Buber muses that "Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh" has a special meaning because of what happens almost immediately before and after it appears in the Torah. He notes that Elohim makes a promise before revealing his name:

But Moses said to Elohim, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and free the Israelites from Egypt?" And He said, I will be with you... (Exodus 3:11-12)

and repeats it soon afterward:
And the Yahweh said to him,"Who gives man speech?Who makes him dumb or deaf,seeing or blind?Is it not I, the Yahweh? Now go, and I will be with you... "(Exodus 4:11-12)

Placed as the phrase is between two concrete expressions of Elohim's promise it clearly means: I am and remain present. Moses (p.51-2).

Although Moses initially asks for the name of Elohim so that he could take it back to Israel "not a single instance is reported in the Torah where he is shown to have actually used it." From this we can conclude that the revelation was never meant for the people at all, nor did Moses really inquire for the sake of the people: Moses had asked for himself, and the answer he receives is also meant for him.--Plaut, p 405-406.

GENERAL REFERENCES
Full citations can be found on our references page.
Albright, Yaweh And The Gods Of Canaan,
Buber, Moses: The Revelation And The Covenant,
Cassuto, A Commentary on the Book Of Exodus
Drazin, Targum Onkelos To Exodus
Exodus Rabbah
Fields, A Torah Commentary For Our Times, Vol II: Exodus and Leviticus
Fox, The Five Books Of Moses
Gianotti, "The meaning of the divine name YHWH," Bibliotheca Sacra
Hertz, The Pentateuch And Haftorahs.
Leibowitz, Studies In Shemot, Part I: Shemot - Yitro
Plaut, The Torah
Sarna, Exploring Exodus: The Heritage Of Biblical Israel
Sarna, The J.P.S. Torah Commentary--Exodus, Philadelphia
Sarna, The J.P.S Torah Commentary--Genesis
Simon, The First Hebrew Primer
Steinsaltz,The Essential Talmud

Well I will end here this time around but I will continue to discuss Elohim’s name in my next article. We are told to fear and think about the name of Yahweh our Elohim. Malachi 3:16 (WOY) reads;

“Then that feared Yahweh, spoke often one to another: and Yahweh hearkened and heard it, and the book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared Yahweh, and that thought about His name”

Thanks for your attention

The Name of Our Elohim

One of the most interesting prayers recorded in the Holy Scriptures is that one uttered by Yahshua Messiah in John 17. In verse 6 it reads, “I have manifested thy name to the men you gave me out of the world” and again in verse 12 this name is again mentioned “Whilst in the world with them, I have kept them in thy name.”

I know, when I first read this prayer in its entirety, apart from crying, I did not really take due cognizant of these particular verses. Well I was part of the Church of God at the time and surely the Eternal’s name was God … well isn’t it? He was referred to as God by name and by title and we took that for granted, perhaps we were brainwashed to believe that this was the Creator’s name.

Later when I was translating the New Testament into the Fijian language, that I received the most interesting critical analysis of what I had done, from a friend who told me that it was alright except that I was not directly using the name of the Creator and that I should. This prompted me to research the name, that Yahshua, when reporting to the Eternal in that prayer, said he had exposed to the Apostles.

The best way to do this was to go back to the Old Testament and find out the name of the Eternal, Ever-living Creator of all things.

By elimination, I had to write off several names such as God, Lord, LORD or Theos because these names were translations, God for Elohim, LORD for Yahweh etc. Name translations can be done, that is for sure, but I think they are actually unacceptable. I remember the example of Johannes Strauss whose name can be translated as John Heron or in Fijian Iowane Belo. Herr Strauss though would not accept it if we decided to call him those, without his permission.

So it is with the Creator don’t you think? Could one simply call our great Creator whatever one wishes.

To discuss our Elohim’s Name, let me refer to http://www.yhwh.com/GINGN/gingn.htm and borrow their explanations, which I rather like. Exodus 3:13-15 reads:

13 Then Moses said to Elohim, "Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I shall say to them, `The Elohim of your fathers has sent me to you.' Now they may say to me, `What is His name?' What shall I say to them?" 14 And Elohim said to Moses, "I AM THAT I AM"; and He said, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, `I AM has sent me to you.'" 15 And Elohim, furthermore, said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, `The Yahweh, the Elohim of Abraham, the Elohim of Isaac, and the Elohim of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations."
So there you have it. Elohim's personal name, as they translate its meaning in English, is "I am that I am." Here are some other ways it has been translated:
a) He who is
b) The self-existent one
c) He who is ever becoming what He is
d) Is-ness is is-ness

That may not seem like it says very much. That's because it is a statement of infinite truth. Elohim's name, the I Am, reveals the fullness of His nature. All of Elohim's nature and attributes are embodied in His name. To do that we're going to need a brief lesson in linguistics. This may seem confusing, but believe me, this is very important. It goes like this:
a) To translate is to explain the meaning of one language using the words of another.
b) To transliterate is to spell a word using the letters of another language.
c) "I am" is the English translation of the meaning of Elohim's personal name.
d) The English transliteration of Elohim's personal name is YHWH.
e) The four Hebrew letters transliterated YHWH are:

i) Yod, rhymes with "rode", which we transliterate "Y"
ii) He, rhymes with "say", which we transliterate "H"
iii) Vav, like "lava", which we transliterate "W" or "V"

iv) and another He

f) Originally, Hebrew (we're talkin' over 3000 years ago, folks!) didn't have any vowels, and was written right to left.

The Name of Our Elohim is as folows:
Transliterated into English: YHWH
With vowels added: YAHWEH
Translated: I AM WHO I AM

You've heard the saying, "The more things change, the more they stay the same." Well, that's certainly true here. No matter what language you use, whether you translate, transliterate, or what direction you spell, YHWH's name means "I am that I am." And it directly points to His Real name, which is the same in all languages.

Well I will end it here, this time around but I will continue to discuss Elohim’s name in my next article. (By the ways I had personally edited out the use of the words God from the article I have used with appreciation.)

We are told to sing to the name of Yahweh our Elohim. Psalms 9:1-2 reads;
“I will praise thee O Yahweh, with my whole heart, I will show forth all your marvellous works, I will be glad and rejoice in you, I will sing praise to your name, O thou most high”

Thank You

Seeking Yahweh Elohim

I do not know how to put this title into Hebrew, but it might spell Yod Heh Vav Heh – Lamed Gimel Heh so someone can do that for me later. Perhaps it should read Lahag YHWH I stand corrected. I first considered a title like Yahweh–ology as in Theo-ology and YHWH- Darash but having perused the meanings I thought YHWH Lahag was more appropriate because this is what we wanted to achieve, in relations to Yahweh our Elohim “to study, studying, devotion to study with eagerness”.

We are a small study group over here in the Fiji Islands and we were discussing the Holy Name of the Elohim of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob last Sabbath and I thought that it was a shame that the one true Elohim and Creator of everything has to be studied along with the rest of the deities of this world in what is called theology. There was a need to correct this, and to begin the correction process I am launching this Blog.

We need a separate study of our Elohim to fulfill one of his commands which reads “And you shall seek me and find me. And when you shall search for me with all your heart, and I will be found by you” says Yahweh; and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you says Yahweh; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.” (Jeremiah 29:13-14 - WOY).

What are we going to study?

Well there are millions plus one item that we need to know about Yahweh and all those who are reading this who can contribute fruitfully in the development of this body of knowledge is cordially invited to do so. We can begin with His Holy Name and then move on to what makes Him happy or angry and of course cover the warnings that he had authorised his prophets to pass down to us. Of course the study of Yahweh will not be complete if we did not cover his creation - physical or spiritual. Then there is the all important understanding of how we should relate to Him. Then there is the compulsory need to understand everything about His Holy Messiah, prophets and the angels. What about his heavenly abode and His plans relating to the future of humanity?

The Holy Scriptures will have to be the basic source of our information. We currently use the Words of Yahweh produced by the Assembly of Yahweh in Eaton Rapids. But we also have access to some translations of the Eastern Text of the Aramaic Peshitta, in particular the Lamsa Bible and translation by Etheridge and Murdock in respect of the Syriac Peshitta.

Our aim is to gather and collate information logically and duly disseminate and made available to one and all to help individuals who are searching for Yahweh our Elohim, to find Him, the Eternal and Ever-living who created us all.

Can I make myself clear that this Blog is about Yahweh our Elohim. Not God – please understand. For far too long we see and hear people pointing fingers at the established “Christian” religions that they were approaching the worship of “God Almighty” wrongly even falsely. We do these at our own expenses (money, time and respect) don’t we? We have to understand that we cannot change anything because Christianity is well established and what they choose to do, is of their choice. The basic point is simple though, we do NOT have any business with Christianity, so leave them at peace, ours is with Yahweh our Elohim.

We need to get on with our own business of getting to know Yahweh for this is His call to us, “And you shall seek me and find me. And when you shall search for me with all your heart …. I will be found by you.