Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

b-hebrew - Re: [b-hebrew] Holy Name Unpronounced

b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Biblical Hebrew Forum

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Rolf Furuli <furuli AT online.no>
  • To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Holy Name Unpronounced
  • Date: Mon, 8 Mar 2010 07:57:04 +0100

Dear Doug,

The name was known and used (pronounced) in everyday speech in the days of the first temple (cf. the Lakish letters). It was also used in the days of the second temple, but sometime during this time the superstition arose that caused some groups not to use the name. There is evidence that the Qumran people did not use the name, and there is evidence that the Pharisees and Morning-bathers continued to use it. Exactly when different groups stopped using (pronouncing) the name is unknown. Even as late as the first part of the first century C.E. the name may be used by some; evidence to the contrary is lacking.

The name of God was known in the past, and we still know that the only personal name of the creator is expressed by the four consonants YHWH. What we do not know is which vowels were used when it was pronounced and their timbre. But that is the same with other ancient Hebrew names as well. The Masoretes vocalized these other names, and their system of vowels seems to be close to the system used by those who wrote the DSS. But still we cannot know exactly how these proper names were pronounced. For example, there is evidence that the vowel shewa used by the Masoretes was pronounced as an "a"-sound and not an "e"-sound. The lack of knowledge of how a Hebrew name exactly was pronounced, is no argument in favor of substituting the name with another word, and the same is true with the name of God-it is as yet known!

I am not sure what you mean by your question about blaspheming. But an account of how this could occur is found in Leviticus 24:15,16 (NIV). The key words here are "curses his God" and "blasphemes the name of the LORD (YHWH), which seem to be parallel phrases. Any wrong and unworthy use of the name of God, both in the past and in the present is the same as blaspheming the name.

Personally I would say that when the NIV substitutes YHWH with "the LORD," the translators are then blaspheming the name. There are two reasons for my bold claim, 1) the translators have violated a fundamental rule of translation because of their own theological views, and 2) the unique identification that only can be used for the creator of the universe-his personal name YHWH-is taken away and concealed, and an appellative, which can refer to many different persons, is used instead. Thus, an important part of the dignity and uniqueness of God i taken away.

BTW, Neither in the days of the first temple nor the second temple is there any evidence that to pronounce the name was the same as to blaspheme it. All passages in the Tanakh dealing with the name tell that it should be used (pronounced); some even say that the name always should be used.


Best regards,

Rolf Furuli
University of Oslo



Hi Rolf , do we have any consensus as to what does constitute blasheming the name of the Lord. I assume that we agree that the name is as yet unknown , as such how could we blaspheme such name.

doug belot.







Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page