Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Shoshanna Walker <rosewalk AT concentric.net>]

> Tony Prete quoted Niccacci as saying, in part: "This is done by a word-play
> on God's personal Name based on verb *hayâ*."
>
> Is Exod 3 a word-play on the tetragrammaton, or vice versa?  That is, is
> the holy Name based on the verb *hayah*, or does the Name stand on its own
> without traceable etymology but one can make a pun on it using the verb
> *hayah*?

It stands on its own.

No one except the high priest even knew how to pronounce it

And he placed himself in great danger by pronouncing it even the one 
single time per year that he was allowed, so that they had to tie a 
string around him, in case he died and had to be pulled out

Shoshanna