Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

b-hebrew - Re: YHWH

b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Biblical Hebrew Forum

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: ben.crick AT argonet.co.uk (Ben Crick)
  • To: b-hebrew AT franklin.oit.unc.edu
  • Subject: Re: YHWH
  • Date: Wed, 2 May 2001 01:28:34 +0100


On Mon 30 Apr 2001 (18:25:52), biblicalscribe AT hotmail.com wrote:
> Secondly, what is the linguistic reasoning
> that assignes the vowels "a" (patach I believe) and "e" (sere I
> believe) under the divine name, as opposed to other vowels? Thanks!

This is the "Qere' perpetuum": the standing substitution of the word
'a:DoNaY (my lord) for the Divine Name YHWH. To remind the reader not to
try to pronounce the Divine Name, the vowels of the Qere' substitute are
pointed into the consonants of YHWH. Thus Y:HoWaH is the composite form
which was transliterated by the KJV translators as Jehovah. The gentile
vocalization Yahweh probably comes from considering that the form YHWH is
derived from the verb 'to be'; compare 'eH:YeH 'a:$eR 'eH:YeH in Exodus 3:14.
Put from the 1st person to the 3rd person, YaH:YeH 'a:$eR YaH:YeH. Then
put an `ayin waw for an `ayin yod, and you get YaH:WeH.

It is not as simple as that; but the above is what I was once told....

Shalom
Ben
--
Revd Ben Crick, BA CF
<ben.crick AT argonet.co.uk>
232 Canterbury Road, Birchington, Kent, CT7 9TD (UK)
http://www.cnetwork.co.uk/crick.htm






  • YHWH, Matthew R. Miller, 04/30/2001
    • <Possible follow-up(s)>
    • Re: YHWH, Trevor Peterson, 05/01/2001
    • Re: YHWH, Eric Krasner, 05/01/2001
    • Re: YHWH, Ben Crick, 05/01/2001
    • Re: YHWH, Stig Norin, 05/02/2001
    • Re: YHWH, George Athas, 05/02/2001
    • RE: YHWH, Peter Kirk, 05/02/2001
    • Re: YHWH, Lee R. Martin, 05/02/2001

Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page