YAHWEH

YAHWEH is the personal name of God as revealed to Moses at the burning bush — the most sacred name in the Hebrew Scriptures, so holy that observant Jews do not pronounce it aloud but substitute "Adonai" (Lord) in its place. It comes from the Hebrew verb "to be" and is connected to God's self-revelation: "I AM WHO I AM" (Exodus 3:14; CCC 206).

The Revelation of the Name

When Moses asked God his name, God answered: Ehyeh asher ehyeh — "I AM WHO I AM" — and said to tell Israel: "I AM has sent me to you" (Exodus 3:14). The divine name YHWH (four Hebrew letters called the Tetragrammaton) derives from this same root. Unlike the generic title Elohim (God), YHWH is the personal name by which God made himself known to Israel as their covenant God (CCC 206).

What the Name Reveals

The name YAHWEH reveals that God is the one who simply IS — the only being who exists by his own nature, without receiving existence from anything outside himself. Everything else that exists is contingent; God alone is Being itself. This is the philosophical foundation of all Catholic theology about God's nature (CCC 213).

The Name in the New Testament

The Greek word Kyrios (Lord) was used in the Septuagint to translate YHWH. When the New Testament calls Jesus "Lord" (Kyrios), it is applying the divine name of YAHWEH to Jesus — the most direct way the New Testament affirms Jesus's divinity (CCC 209, 446).

Frequently Asked Questions

Is "Jehovah" the correct pronunciation? No. "Jehovah" is a hybrid form created in the Middle Ages by combining the consonants of YHWH with the vowels of "Adonai." The original pronunciation is uncertain but is reconstructed by scholars as "Yahweh." The Church respects the Jewish tradition and does not use "Yahweh" in liturgical settings (CCC 209).