Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Awohili AT aol.com]

In a message dated 06/28/2006 8:40:26 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time,  
hholmyard AT ont.com writes:

1) There is  no strong reason to think that God has a name like Ralph to 
distinguish  him from others, since there is only one God.
No, but that is not the only reason to have a name.  A name expresses  
essence and qualities and purpose, especially a self-given name.  There is  
no 
evidence in the Scriptures that YHWH is a name that man gave to God.  It  
appears 
to be that it is the name that God gave to Himself and revealed to  humanity 
over 6,000 times in the Hebrew text.
 
And even though monotheists believe there is only one true God,  there have 
been other entities worshiped throughout human history from  which YHWH has 
to 
be distinguished.

3) The  explaining of the divine name in the context of the name "I am" 
suggests  that Yahweh is a meaningful word, too, and the form of Yahweh 
is quite  similar to the verb for "I am," except in a third person form. 
Here is the  HCSB Exodus 3:13-15:
"I am" is only one possible English translation for ehyeh.  Even the  King 
James Version translates ehyeh as "I will be" at Exodus 3:12.

14 God  replied to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to 
the  Israelites: I AM has sent me to you." 15 God also said to Moses, 
"Say this  to the Israelites: Yahweh, the 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; this is how I am to be remembered in every  
generation.



Correct.  YHWH is His name. Forever.  And how He wants  to be remembered in 
every generation.  So how do modern English versions  remember it?  By 
covering 
it up with "Lord."  Some remembrance!   "Lord" expresses only a little of 
what YHWH signifies.
 
Solomon Landers

Yours,
Harold Holmyard