False names for the God of the Bible And the Only Name Given for Our Salvation
Rev. Steve Marlowe, Evangelist for Christ
“Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth…” (Rev. 12:9)
Where did the name Jehovah, or Yehovah, come from? Let it be known that these names: Jesus, Iesus, Iesous, Jehovah, or lately Yehovah, are all names never revealed by God. The name Jesus in its present form has only existed since the 17th century. Before Jesus (gee-sus) was Iesus (ee-sus, see the 1611 English, King James Version of the Bible). Iesus transformed from Iesous. Iesous is a transliteration of Yeshua. The pronunciation of God’s four-letter [consonant] name, יהוה, is known as the Tetragrammaton (meaning the “four letters”), it is important to know this name, as the revealed name of God. And yet, Jehovah, or “Yehovah,” was never revealed by God, and these names are hybrid concoctions incorrect and based on a misunderstanding of a Jewish scribal custom. Consider the warning of the New Testament: “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13-14). “There are few who find it.” Don’t be surprised that few know the revealed name of God, and consequently, they don’t know the revealed name of salvation! It is very important to know the revealed name of the Savior, and avoid the counterfeit names. “And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:21). The name “Jesus” in its present form has only existed since the 17th-century c.e… These names, Jehovah, Jesus, Iesus, and Iesous, are counterfeit names never revealed by God.
How could this happen?
It happened due to the linguistic evolution of God’s revealed name and by the traditions of men that work against the revelations, commandments, and sovereignty of God. Our Lord and Savior had to deal with the traditions of men, as seen in the Gospel, “Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders…?” He answered and said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men…and many other such things you do.” He said to them, “All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition” (Mark 7:5-9). In vain they (Jews and Christians) worship Him, for laying aside the revelation and commandments of God, they hold to their traditions, not of God!
How do we find the revealed name of God?
It is important to understand that Hebrew was originally written without vowels. However, by the second half of the first millennium CE, a need for a study aid to preserve the pronunciation of biblical Hebrew had arisen. Hebrew pronunciation was maintained by the Jewish scribes known as the Masoretes, who developed a system of diacritical points used to represent vowels added to the Hebrew Scriptures' consonantal text. The Masorets’ vocalization became the definitive Hebrew and Aramaic text for Judaism. The accusation of the pronunciation of Hebrew words and names is lost, they are incorrect.
Where Did the “Jehovah” Pronunciation Come From?
The better question would be, “Where did Yahweh, Yehovah, and Jehovih come from?” Vowels were added to consonant letters of God’s name Yodh-Hey-Waw-Hey (YHWH) to remind the readers in the synagogue not to attempt to pronounce the name, but to say, “Adonai,” instead. After the Babylonian invasion of the Kingdom of Judea, the Jews went to great lengths to hide the name of God from the Gentiles for fear they would profane His Holy, and the revealed name was concealed by adding vowels to the Tetragrammaton from mainly three Hebrew words, Adonai, Eloah, and Elohim. These vowels were added to remind the readers in the synagogues not to pronounce the name of God (HaSHEM), but to recognize the vowels placed onto the Tetragrammaton, and say the word according to the vowels seen.
The Various Names Falsely Attributed to God
YHWH becomes IHVH and to JHVH.
Hebrew Word + YHWH Consonants + Vowels = Name (composite fabrication)
Elohim YHWH/JHVH + e-o-i = YeHoWiH/Jehovih
(Jehovih appeared in 305 texts, see Strong’s Dictionary of Bible Words #3069).
Eloah YHWH/JHVH + e-o-a = Yehovah/Jehovah
Adonai YHWH + a-o-ai = YaHoWaiH/modified to YAHWEH
Among these variations, some have insisted that when יהוה occurs with the three vowels a-o-e, sheva-cholem-qamets (יְהֹוָה), these instances give us the semi-erroneous pronunciation of the Tetragrammaton to form “YAHWEH.” Indeed, it is argued that when the Masoretic scribes wrote יְהֹוָה, they gave us this pronunciation as Yehovah (or Yehowah). However, this assertion by the Roman Catholic scholars of Medieval times is incorrect. To get from YAHWEH to Yehovah we need the vowels to change from a-o-ai to e-o-a. Those three vowels attached to יהוה were not meant to give us the pronunciation of the Sacred Name but as a means to alert the readers in the synagogues to say, “Adonai” (אֲדֹנָי) instead. God revealed none of the above names, however, YAHWEH is the closest to the revealed name, as it has YAH in this name.
Is this practice of the Jews a thing, and if so, what is it called?
When יְהֹוָה appears in the Masoretic text (Hebrew Scriptures/Old Testament), the Masoretes were using a scribal custom known as ketiv-qere (Aramaic for “what is written/what is said”) by which they would insert the vowels of the word to be read aloud (qere) with the consonants of the written word (ketiv), creating a false hybrid form, and depending on the vowels used, different forms of the name resulted, Yehovah, Yahweh, and also Yehovih. These names were never considered to be legitimate. In the case of the Tetragrammaton, the vowels for the word Adonai (a-o-ai) were attached to the consonants, יהוה. Again, the vowels were intended to remind the reader to say “Adonai” when they read יהוה, with those vowels. Semitic language scholar, Dr. Michael Brown, explains:
“The name Jehovah is based on a mistaken reading of the biblical text by medieval Christian scholars, who were just being educated in the Hebrew language; but were not aware of certain Jewish scribal customs. In short, they did not realize that it was a Jewish tradition to write the vowels for the word Adonai, “Lord,” with the consonants (YHWH) for the name Yahweh, known as the Tetragrammaton, and they wrongly read this hybrid word as Yehowah or Jehovah in English. That is to say, the name Jehovah (or Yehowah) did not exist in Israel—despite the popularity of this name in English-speaking Christian circles and religious organizations like Jehovah’s Witnesses.”
“The King James Version” only crowd needs to be aware that no version of the Bible is completely correct, however, the word of God is inherently correct in the Hebrew language from which it was revealed, and only in other languages to the extent that the translators do so correctly. Translations of the Bible are greatly improving. The false name “Jehovah” is removed by the New King James Version scholars, as also done in other versions of the Bible. This is also the case when the Tetragrammaton has the Hebrew vowel points as illustrated: יְהֹוִה. In these instances, יהוה is pointed, or has the vowels from Elohim—that is to say, the scribes intended the reader to say “Elohim” when they encountered the Tetragrammaton with those vowels. While proponents of the “Yehovah” pronunciation do not think the occurrences of יהוה with the vowels e-o-a, sheva-cholem-qamets (יְהֹוָה) are instances of ketiv-qere, they do not dispute the fact that when יהוה is pointed as יְהֹוִה that those are instances of ketiv-qere. This of course begs the question: Why should we think that יְהֹוָה is the actual spelling, Jehovah, of the Tetragrammaton יהוה while it is clear, and in truth, all should agree that יְהֹוִה is pointed with the vowels of Elohim causing Yehovih? Yehovih appeared in 305 Hebrew manuscripts, that is the Hebrew Bible, or Old Testament. God never revealed these names, Jehovah, Yehovah, or Yehovih.
It can be proven that the three vowels, qamets-cholem-qamets (a-o-a causing YaHoWeH, shortened to Yahweh), attached to יהוה in the Masoretic text are indeed the vowels for Adonai and not the actual vowels for the Tetragrammaton by looking at prepositional prefixes. For instance, whenever certain prepositional prefixes—such as “in, at, with” (בּ), “to” (ל), or “like” (כּ)—are attached to a word beginning with the letter yod that has a sheva vowel attached to it (יְ), the sheva is dropped and the yod then combines with the chiriq vowel attached to the prepositional prefix. We see this with the Hebrew word for Jerusalem, Yerushalayim. In Hebrew it is spelled, יְרוּשָׁלַםִ. When the preposition “to” (ל) is attached to the beginning, it spells, לִירוּשָׁלַםִ. Likewise, the Hebrew word for Judah is Yehudah, originally Yahudah. In modern Hebrew it is spelled, יְהוּדָה. When the preposition “to” (ל) is attached to the beginning, it spells, לִיהוּדָה. You’ll notice with both words that the sheva (e) under the yod disappears and then the yod combines with the chiriq attached to the prepositional prefix. However, when prepositional prefixes are attached to יְהֹוָה, the scribes treat the first letter, yod (י), as the first letter of Adonai, aleph (א), thus proving that the Masoretes attached the vowels of Adonai to יהוה. Grammar rules are largely made to explain the language as it presently exists, explain changes, and formulate consistency. One should consider that the grammar rules of today, would not necessarily apply to the grammar rules of yesterday.
Indeed, if the sheva under the yod in יְהֹוָה is in fact the actual first vowel of the Sacred Name (YAH), the same rule mentioned earlier would be followed when prepositions such as ל or בּ are attached to it—that is, the sheva attached to the yod in יְהֹוָה would be dropped and then the yod would combine with the chiriq of the prepositional prefix. But this never happens whenever these prepositional prefixes are attached to יְהֹוָה. In five instances the preposition “to” (ל) is attached to יְהֹוָה, spelling לַיהֹוָה. In one instance the preposition “in” (בּ) is attached to יְהֹוָה spelling בַּיהֹוָה. Notice in these instances that the sheva is dropped but the yodcombines with a patach instead of a chiriq. Grammar changes, and this is why, Yeh, for Yehovah, is false, and YAH, as in YAHAVAH, is true.
This proves that the scribes intended for the reader to substitute the word Adonai (אֲדֹנָי) for יהוה since the prefixed preposition on אֲדֹנָי takes a patach vowel. Indeed, since the prefixed preposition on יְהֹוָה likewise takes a patach, instead of a chiriq, this confirms that when the reader encountered יְהֹוָה, the scribes intended them to say, “Adonai.” The Tetragrammaton with the vowels of Adonai was not meant to be pronounced, but if one did, it would be Yahwaih, or, as it was shortened to “Yahweh.” Due to the arbitrary addition of vowels, the grammar rules do not apply to the name Yahweh. This is further confirmed when we examine the preposition “from”—that is, min (מִן). Min occurs as an independent preposition (a separate word) and a prepositional prefix. When min is attached to a word, the nun (ן) assimilates into the following letter and is then represented by a dagesh (a dot in the middle of the letter) in the first letter of the word to which מִן is attached. However, when מִן is attached to a word beginning with a guttural letter, the chiriq attached to the prepositional prefix (מִ) is lengthened to a tzerei (מֵ) and the first letter of the word does not receive a dagesh. Interestingly, when מִן is attached to יְהֹוָה in the Hebrew Scriptures, the chiriq attached to מ is lengthened to a tzereiand the yod does not receive a dagesh. This indicates that the scribes treated the yod in יְהֹוָה as an aleph, the first letter of Adonai, which is a guttural letter. Why? Because they intended the reader to say Adonai when they read the Tetragrammaton, or Elohim, or Eloah. Anyone, who seeks to establish Yehovah via grammar rules is deceiving you.
One argument against יְהֹוָה being a ketiv-qere is this: Unlike other cases of ketiv-qere in Hebrew manuscripts, no scribal note indicates that one should say a different word when they encounter יְהֹוָה. However, Dr. Michael Brown explains why that argument is invalid: How then was it that the Christian scholars who began studying Hebrew in the late Middle Ages missed the fact that the Hebrew form Yehovah was a combination of the consonants for YHWH, modified to JHVH and the vowels for Eloah? It is very simple, and the artificial result is Jehovah. In the case of the divine name YHWH, which occurs roughly 6,800 times in the Hebrew Bible, the scribes did not write the “qere” form, Adonai, in the margins, so the Catholic scholars had no idea that they were looking at a hybrid form. It has been a Jewish belief for many centuries that the Lord’s name was too sacred to be pronounced and so, whenever it occurred in the text, Jews would say, “Adonai!” “The Lord” (Adonai) in its place, or Eloah (God), or Elohim (as referencing “the God of gods” in Deuteronomy 10:17, Elohim stands for “the God of gods,” Psalm 136:2). This hiding of the name {YAH} is reflected as far back as the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures made by Jewish scholars in the third to second centuries b.c.e., in which the Greek word kurios, “lord,” was substituted for the name YaHaWaH, or modernized to Yahavah. It may also be reflected in the scribal practice found in the Dead Sea Scrolls in which a different script was used when writing out the consonants y-h-w-h. There was no need, then, for later Jewish scribes to constantly indicate in the margins that Yehovah (and later Jehovah) was not the original reading since this was universally known to all literate Jews.
Stop using false names for God, as any other name not revealed by God is a form of idolatry. Our Savior’s name is YAHSHUA unto salvation, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12), and His name revealed to Moses was YaHaWaH before His incarnation (birth). This is to all the Pastors, Evangelists, and teachers, who seek to represent Christ in spirit and truth, “And now, O priests, this commandment is for you. If you will not hear, and if you will not take it to heart, to give glory to My name,” Says the Lord of hosts, “I will send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have cursed them already, because you do not take it to heart” (Malachi 2:1-2). Halleluyah, Praise YAH, Praise YAHSHUA! This name YAHSHUA was revealed to Saul, who became known as Paul, in Hebrew. He testified, “While thus occupied, as I journeyed to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests, at midday, O king, along the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who journeyed with me. And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ So I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I am YAHSHUA, whom you are persecuting. But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’ (Acts 26:12-18).
We know from history that the Savior was never in His lifetime known as “Jesus,” a name that did not officially exist until the late 17th century (Ernest Renan, The Life of Jesus, p. 90).
“Halleluyah” means “Praise YAH!” There is no name greater than the essential name of God, “YAH!” YAH was revealed to Moses. “Then Moses said to God, ‘Behold, I am about to come to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ And they will say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them? And God said to Moses, “HaYAH Ashar HaYAH” [meaning: “[f]I AM WHO [g]I AM”]; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘[h]I AM [YAH] has sent me to you.’” And God furthermore said to Moses, ‘Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘YaHaWaH, the 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-name from generation to generation” (Exodus 3:13-15, Based on the Legacy Bible).
[f] Exodus 3:14 Related to the name of God, YAH (I AM), which is derived from the verb hayah; lit “to be.”
[g] Exodus 3:14 Related to the name of God, YAH (I AM), which is derived from the verb hayah; lit “to be.”
[b] Exodus 3:14 Related to the name of God, YAH, which is derived from the verb hayah; lit. ‘to be,’ or literally, “the I AM.”
Some have said, “God has many names.” This is not correct, God has many descriptive names but only one Personal name, which essentially includes: YAH. We read, “And God spoke to Moses and said to him: “I am YHWH {YaHaWaH}. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as EL Shaddai [God Almighty], but by My name YAHAWAH I was not known to them (Exodus 6:2-3). YHWH in modern Hebrew is YHVH, Yodh-Hey-Vav-Hey, and they would, if they allowed themselves, pronounce the name of God as “YAHAVAH.” Meaning, that “I AM ‘to be,’” as in “I AM Everpresent” (see Oxford English Dictionary, hawah, titled: “Jehovah”).
YAH “the name which is above every name,” is the essential name given for our salvation as presented by the prophet Isaiah. “Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; ‘For Yah, the Lord [YHWH], is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation’” (Isaiah 12:2 NKJV). “And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:21). YAH is “the name which is above every name.” Christ acknowledged to the people, that He is I AM, that is YAH. He said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM” (John 8:58). Not only did Christ tell them that He is YAH, the I AM, but He was telling them that He is their God. Their reaction was to pick up stones to stone Him for blasphemy! The apostle Paul wrote that Christ has the name which is above every name, note: That He, Christ, has the name which is above every name, not that His name is the name which is above every name. The apostle Paul wrote, translated correctly, “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of YAHSHUA, every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that YAHSHUA the Christ is LORD, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11). The name YAHSHUA is of such importance that to reject this name is to be already condemned. This is the essence of the Gospel: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:16-18). Behold the name: “YAHSHUA,” “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). This is why we praise the name YAH, when properly we say, “Halleluyah!” Praise YAH! Be it not said, that you accepted a name for your salvation by the tongue of man, and consequently rejected the revealed name of our Savior given by God, the very name “YAHSHUA!”
In John 5:34-47, The Lord YAHSHUA said, “Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved. He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light. But I have a greater witness than John’s; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish—the very works that I do—bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me. And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form. But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe. You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life. I do not receive honor from men. But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you. I have come in My Father’s name (YAH), and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name (Jesus), him you will receive. How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God? Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you—Moses, in whom you trust. For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?” Because of Moses, we say, “Halleluyah,” Praise YAH!
YAHSHUA, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
