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b-hebrew - Re[2]: YHWH vs. Yahweh

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  • From: peter_kirk AT SIL.ORG
  • To: b-hebrew AT franklin.oit.unc.edu
  • Subject: Re[2]: YHWH vs. Yahweh
  • Date: Thu, 29 Apr 1999 01:39:15 -0400


Shalom!

Thanks for the explanations in your other E-mail.

You asked:

This is so interesting for me. Can you recommend any good books or web
sites for me to learn about this?

Well, all of what I wrote is at least implicit in standard Hebrew
grammar books like Gesenius-Kautsch-Cowley, but you would have to wade
through a lot of irrelevance to find this. Any tips from others on a
good but simple guide to Hebrew orthography and pronunciation?

Then you wrote:

Yes, but does the name "YAH + WH" mean much grammatically? I always found
it more logical, since Hebrew names have numerical values and theological
synonymity with concepts and teachings, that 'YAHU' or 'YAHUWAH' packed
much more meaning than an empty 'YAHWEH.' One means 'Oh he WHo is' and the
other one individualy, means "Be And" or "Exist ANd" or some other
strange definition, since "YAH" in hebrew means "be, exist, is" "WEH" in
modern hebrew means "AND." Does that make much sense?

Sorry, I'm afraid you just can't do this with Hebrew words any more
than with English ones. For example (off the top of my head), "father"
does not mean "fat" + "her" - it did not originally mean a pregnant
woman! Your Hebrew examples seem to me just as far-fetched, especially
taking a FINAL waw as meaning "and" as the conjunction is always at
the beginning of a word. The numerical values were assigned long after
the Hebrew Bible was written.

Peter Kirk





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