Hayah-‘asher-Hayah
“Halleluyah” is from the Hebrew and a universal expression, “Praise YAH.” YAH comes from the Hebrew word “Hayah” (Hebrew: היה), meaning: “The I AM,” as in “YAH,” meaning “to be,” to “exist,” and “to be ever-present,” essentially “I AM.” YAH (I AM) is part of YHWH, the four consonant letters of God’s actual name known as the Tetragrammaton, and also known by most scholars to be pronounced “YAHWEH.” The phrase "Hayah-'ashar-Hayah" (Hebrew: אהיה אשר אהיה), specifically the word “Hayah” has been found in Hebrew Scriptures in a total of 43 places in the Old Testament. It is accurately translated as "The I AM" -- as is the case for its first occurrence in Exodus 3:14: “HaYAH Ashar HaYAH,” is translated “HaYAH That HaYAH,” or as is commonly translated: "I AM WHO I AM." Scholars identify HaYah, namely YAH, as part of the Tetragrammaton YHWH (YAH), YAHWEH. The false name of Jehovah, or Yehovah, is used by those who strongly stand by this counterfeit name having caused strong debate. Adherents, due to the erroneous name Jehovah, seek to translate God’s reply to Moses as, “Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh,” causing “yeh,” or “jeh,” and thus acknowledging Jeh in Jehovah. Therefore, Exodus 3:14 where we find “HaYAH, is erroneously translated by those who believe in the name Jehovah as Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh. “One of the most debated uses of HaYAH occurs in Ex. 3:14, where God tells Moses His name,” He says: “I AM [HaYAH] that I AM [HaYAH]” (Strong’s Dictionary of Bible Words, #1962, p. 427, 2001). The debate over HaYAH vs. Ehyeh is shown to be fallacious when the expression of praise Halleluyah is made known to all: “Praise YAH.” One is right {YAH} and one is wrong {Yeh}. YAH is the name which is above every name, and there is no other name.
What name are we to call God? First, understand that Jehovah (and lately sometimes written Yehovah) is a hybrid name, a concoction, a euphonious version of the name Yahweh, and supposedly this alleged name (yeh or Jeh) God gave to Moses, however, Jehovah is a proven counterfeit name. YAH is I AM, and more accurately YAHAWAH, reflects the meaning of God’s name: “I AM Ever-present”. “Hawah” in modern Hebrew is “Havah,” which means “‘to be’, in ‘the sense of existence’’” (see Strong’s Dictionary of Bible Words #1933 & #1934). This produces the more modernized name of “YAHAVAH.” Therefore, the names, YAHAVAH, Yahweh, Yehovah, and Jehovah, are not the same, nor do these names have the same meaning. For example, the name Ye-hovah or Je-hovah, as in hovah means “ruin, mischief, and calamity (see Strong’s #1942 & #1943). The name Jehovah does not depict the true character of the God of the Bible, and this euphonious name should be discarded. To worship the god of ruin, mischief, and calamity, is to worship a false god or even the devil. With that established, let’s now understand God’s name by starting at the beginning. YAHAVAH is the more accurate of YaHaWaH. “HaYAH” has the true meaning of “The I AM.” However, due to the false association with the euphonious name Jehovah, the word HaYAH is found to have a negative meaning as seen in Strong’s #1962, “another form for #1943; ruin, calamity” (p. 427). There is no way that the word HaYAH can be defined as ruin, mischief, or calamity unless it is falsely associated with the euphonious name Jehovah!
Jehovah? Scholars know that Jehovah could never be the name of the LORD. This name was originally spelled Iehovah until the 17th century when the letter J was officially added to the English alphabet. “YAHWEH: judging from the Greek transcriptions of the sacred name, YHWH ought to be pronounced Yahweh, or more modernized Hebrew YHVH, YAHAVAH, as both names mean “YAH is ever-present”. “The pronunciation Jehovah was unknown in ancient Jewish circles, and is based upon a later misunderstanding of the scribal practice of using the vowels of the word Adonai with the consonants of YHWH” (under YHWH see: The New Catholic Encyclopedia, 1967, p. 1065). The name YAHWEH may have a slight alteration due to the vowels of Adonay added to the Tetragrammaton (YHWH), YaHoWayH, YAH is correct, the -o- is dropped and between the W and H, -ay- is changed to -e-, and thus YAHWEH. Halleluyah means “Praise YAH,” and there is no hallelujeh, as we do not praise jeh, or ieh, or ia, as in the false expression “ Alleluia.”
The Revised Standard Version of the Bible, as seen in the preface, “The form Jehovah is of late medieval origin; it is a combination of the consonants of the Divine Name and the vowels attached to it by the Masoretes but belonging to an entirely different word. The sound of Y is represented by J and the sound of W by V, as in Latin. The word ‘Jehovah’ does not accurately represent any form of the Name ever used in Hebrew” (pp. 6-7). “The pronunciation Jehovah was unknown until 1520 (CE) when it was introduced by Peter Galatinus (Confessor to Pope Leo X); but was contested by Le Mercier, J. Drusius, and L. Capellus, as against grammatical and historical propriety… Erroneously written and pronounced Jehovah, which is merely a combination of the sacred Tetragrammaton and the vowels in the Hebrew word for Lord (Heb. Adonai) and pronounces it Jehovah, is about as hybrid a combination as it would be to spell the name Germany with the vowels of the name Portugal–viz., Gormuna” (The Emphasized Bible, pp. 24-25). “This name is commonly represented in modern translations by the form of ‘Jehovah,’ which, however, is a philological impossibility… This form has arisen through attempting to pronounce the consonants of the name with the vowels of Adonai…” (The Jewish Encyclopedia, p. 160). The vowels of Adonay added to YHWH produce the name YAHWEH caused by alterations, however, Jehovah is produced by adding the vowels of Eloah (Heb. for God) to YHVH causing YeHoVaH, and later Jehovah. Another variation is produced by adding of the vowels from the word Elohim (Heb. gods) with the JHVH, which produced JeHoWiH, or Jehovih (see Strong’s #3069).
The Jewish practice of placing vowels
Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God [Elohim] created the heaven and the earth.
“Elohim” literally means “gods” (Heb. “im” is plural), however, Elohim (gods) is most often translated as “God” (Heb. EL, or Eloah, singular) in our English Bibles. Genesis 1:1 does not identify who God is, which god He is, nor is His name indicated here. “Elohim” is a generic word that simply refers to “gods.” It is used according to the translation for both our Creator God and other “gods” (small letter “g”, see Psalm 82:6). Of course, we know in Genesis 1 that “Elohim” refers to the action of creation because of the context. What we seemingly do not want to accept is the idea that gods (elohim) created the heavens and the earth. So where in Scripture do we find Elohim revealed as our God, the Almighty God? And how do we differentiate Him from other elohim (gods)? Consider Deuteronomy 10:17, “For the Lord {YHWH} your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome...” Consider this for Genesis 1:1, “Elohim” means “the God of gods.” The head of the Elohim is Christ, the Son of God, as His God and Father acknowledged Him as the creator. God the Father said of the Son, “ And: ‘You, Lord (YHWH), in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands” (Hebrews 1:10). Not only did the Father acknowledge the Son as the creator, but He called the Son by this name “LORD”, which is YHWH, the very name of God, the God of the Bible who we praise by the expression of HALLELUYAH, “Praise YAH.”
The name Jesus has only existed since the 17th century, as it was the name Iesus found in the 1611 King James Version of the Bible. Jesus (gee-sus) changed from Iesus (ee-sus), which in turn came from Iesous (ee-sous), which is a transliteration from the Aramaic name Yeshua. The Apostle Paul never testified to the counterfeit names of Jesus, Iesus, or Iesous, when he said before the Sanhedrin (the Jewish Court) “
YAH is the name which is above every name. And Moses introduces this name as part of hawah, which means to be “ever-present,” and YAH means I AM, together: YAHAWAH as revealed to Moses, means “I AM ever-present.” Christ as manifested in Genesis 1:1 with the Elohim, as the God of gods. The apostle Paul on the road to Damascus heard the savior’s name in Hebrew: “YAHSHUA”, which means: “I AM Salvation”, as indicated by the angel in Matthew 1:21, “for He will save His people.” The apostle Paul wrote, “9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 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, 11 and that every tongue should confess that YAHSHUA the Christ is LORD, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11). Every tongue, language, is to confess this one name YAHSHUA! Christ identifies as being the Head of the Elohim, the God of gods. 34 YAHSHUA answered them, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, “You are (elohim) gods” ’? 35 If He called them (elohim) gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), 36 do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? 37 If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; 38 but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.” 39 Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand” (John 10:34-39).
Christ YAHSHUA is the preeminent Son of God, 9 For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. 18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence (Colossians 1:9-18).
The first reference to the name of God, we find, is in the second chapter of Genesis where Moses used God’s name (LORD=YHWH=YAHAVAH) and wrote seemingly another account for creation, which is to give further details about His creative work:
Genesis 2:4
These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God (YAHAVAH of the Elohim) made the earth and the heavens,
Here is the first mention of God’s name in the Bible covered by the title of “LORD,” is for the Hebrew name for God YAHAVAH (also Yahweh), and it’s used in conjunction with elohim (the word for “gods” in Genesis 1) to specify the Almighty God of gods (Deuteronomy 10:17) who created all things.
While the name of “Jehovah” was never introduced by Moses, the name of YAHAVAH was first given here in Genesis 2, we must remember that the Torah was written by Moses long after creation, and not be confused that Moses inserted a name not known by the Patriarchs. This name was not given to man until God made it known to Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3:14-15). Jehovah was never given as the name of God, and Yahavah was a name unknown to Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all others prior to the time recorded when God called Moses. And God said:
Exodus 3:6
“I am the God of your father; the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”
Still here, we only have the title “God” (elohim). So, Moses responded and asked,
Exodus 3:13 “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?”
And God answered,
Exodus 3:14 “I AM That I AM (HaYAH Ashar HaYAH): and He said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM {YAH} hath sent me unto you.”
What Moses did not hear is “ehyeh asher ehyeh.” Translators have translated “ehyeh” in English as “I AM”, but rightly spelled “hayah” in Strong’s Dictionary).
The Great I AM
“I AM” is the English translation of the Hebrew word HaYAH. In the Hebrew language, “HaYAH” has every tense of the verb “to be.” It can be translated as “I was, I am, and I shall be.” Therefore, we can understand it to mean that God was conveying to Moses: “I shall always be the eternally existent, unchanging God”, that is YAHAVAH, “I AM Ever-present”, not ehyeh.
“Ehyeh” is not a word that conveys time from eternity past to eternity future. When we read “I AM” as the name YAH [I AM, HaYAH] of God, it reveals His eternality. It also reveals His attribute of faithfulness and His immutable nature. “HaYAH” tells who He was, who He is, and who He will forever be. And it reminds us that all of God’s attributes are eternal, i.e. His holiness, love, grace, mercy, truth, faithfulness, and justice. He IS these things. In contrast, we are only sometimes these things. But God has always been these things, and He will always be these things.
“I AM” — is both the LORD (YHWH=YAHAVAH) God and YAHSHUA (I AM Salvation).
“Behold, God is my salvation,
I will trust and not be afraid;
‘For Yah, the Lord, is my strength and song;
He also has become my salvation’” (Isaiah 12:2 NKJV).
It’s important to understand the eternality of “I AM” (HaYAH, the I AM) to know that the LORD God (Yahavah of the Elohim, or YAHAVAH of the Gods) and YAHSHUA the Christ (Yahshua Ha Mashiach) are the same Person. The eternality links them, YAHAVAH and YAHSHUA, together as one God, who is the Son of God. Back to Exodus 3 and the burning bush. When Moses asked God what name he should give to the children of Israel to tell them who had sent him (Ex 3:13), God first said that His name is “I AM THAT I AM” (HaYAH Ashar HaYAH), Exodus 3:14). YAH, But then God gave Moses an extension of the name to tell the children of Israel:
Exodus 3:15
And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD [Yahweh, or YAHAVAH] God [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 forever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.
This now raises the question, why did some theologians say “Ehyeh” for Exodus 3:14 and yet Moses was to use the name “YAHAWAH” when speaking to the children of Israel?
Exo 3:15 And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD [Yahweh/YAHAVAH] God [Elohim] … hath sent me unto you: this is my name forever…
“Ehyeh” and “Yahweh” do not both designate the eternality and immutability of our God, for God revealed YAH (The I AM=HaYAH). And when God said “HaYAH,” He was speaking His own name–speaking in first person, the I AM. When He gave Moses His name to speak to the children of Israel, He gave Moses the name in the third person. Why? Because if Moses had said, “HaYAH [I AM] has sent me to you,” he would have been speaking in the first person and claiming eternality for himself.
YAH = He [God] was, He [HaYAH] is, He [YAHSHUA] will be our salvation.
14 And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ” 15 Moreover God said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘The Lord 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 to all generations’” (Exodus 3:14-15).
Christ is YAHAVAH, I AM Ever-present, and YAHSHUA, I AM Salvation.
In YAHSHUA’S earthly ministry, He made claims to be YAHAVAH of the Elohim — by His works, by His words, and especially by claiming His eternality by the name YAH, as in I AM.
John 8:58 YAHSHUA said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I AM.
“I AM” meaning YAH, as in Halleluyah! So how do we know YAHSHUA was intending this to be understood as “HaYAH,” and not just a way to express a thought (e.g. the seven “I AM” statements). Because YAHSHUA was clearly speaking of time, or existence in John 8:58. He was born in the flesh and within the bounds of our time dimension, yet He claimed a pre-existence before Abraham. That reveals His eternality. And that was a claim to be, ”HaYAH” — I WAS, I AM, and I WILL BE. Again, only God can claim such eternality of Himself.
YAHSHUA is the Eternal God YAHAVAH
Christ is ever-present! And, YAHSHUA is the One True God among all elohim (gods).
1 Cor 8:5-6 “For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord YAHSHUA the Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live” (1 Corinthians 8:5-6).
In Conclusion, In Exodus 3:15, at the burning bush, God told Moses to tell the Israelites that His name is “YAHAVAH” (according to Modern Hebrew, and Yahweh according to the added vowels of Adonai to YHWH). And from that time on, Israelites have called Him by that name until the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem (587 BC), at which time the Jews refused to say the LORD’S name to keep His name from being profaned, or taken in vain, by the Gentiles. The Jewish scribes added vowels to God’s name to remind the readers in the synagogues not to say the name, but to say, “Adonai,” instead. The vowels of Adonay were added to YHWH to cause the name Yahweh. The vowels of Elohim were added to YHWH to cause the hybrid name Yahovih (Jehovih). The vowels of Eloah were added to YHWH to cause the hybrid name Yehovah, Jehovah. Therefore, none of these names, YAHWEH, Jehovah, and Jehovih accurately represent the true name of the LORD. These false names, never revealed by God, are counterfeit names, and will never be accepted by God. How do we know this? Because the LORD {YAH} gave strict warning to all priests, preachers, teachers, and evangelists: “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).
Deu 5:6-7 I am the LORD thy God [YAHAVAH of the Elohim], which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. Thou shalt have none other gods [elohim] before me.
The Israelis of today never called God “Jehovah,” but we know Him through further revelation as our sole God — YAHSHUA, who is One with the Father. And most interesting, the name “YAHSHUA” means “YAH Saves.”
Acts 4:10, 12 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of YAHSHUA the Christ of Nazareth… Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is no other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved
