How to pronounce YHWH (in Hebrew)

tonychanyt · Jul 8, 2023

During the Second Temple period (535 b.c. to 70 a.d.), Michael Marlowe:

it is said that the Name was spoken only by priests in the Temple. 3
The first Greek translations of the Hebrew books, collectively known as the Septuagint, reflect this custom in various ways. In some ancient manuscripts of the Greek version the tetragrammaton is neither translated nor transliterated, but given in Hebrew characters (without vowels). This effectively hides the pronunciation from those who are not already familiar with it. Jerome mentions that he had seen such manuscripts in his day. 4 In some manuscripts a blank space is left where the Name would appear.

Jerome lived in the 4th century.

Wiki:

Rabbinic Judaism teaches that the name is forbidden to all except the High Priest of Israel, who should only speak it in the Holy of Holies of the Temple in Jerusalem on Yom Kippur. He then pronounces the name "just as it is written."[26] As each blessing was made, the people in the courtyard were to prostrate themselves completely as they heard it spoken aloud. As the Temple has not been rebuilt since its destruction in 70, most modern Jews never pronounce YHWH but instead read Adonai ("My Lord") during prayer and while reading the Torah and as HaShem ("The Name") at other times.[27][28] Similarly, the Vulgate used Dominus ("The Lord") and most English translations of the Bible write "the LORD" for YHWH and "the LORD God", "the LORD God" or "the Sovereign LORD" for Adonai YHWH instead of transcribing the name.

Centuries later, Wiki:

Vowel and cantillation marks were added to the older consonantal layer of the Bible between 600 CE and the beginning of the 10th century.[24][nb 1] The scholars who preserved the pronunciation of the Bibles were known as the Masoretes.

The Masoretes were guessing when they added vowel marks to the tetragrammaton.

More centuries later, King James Bible translated it as "Jehovah".

Today, Wiki:

the scholarly consensus is that the original pronunciation of the Tetragrammaton was Yahweh

What is the proper pronunciation of YHWH?

"Yahweh" is a commonly suggested pronunciation among scholars but no one knows for sure. I would follow the ancient Israelite practice of not writing or saying "Jehovah" or "Yahweh" except in academic/educational contexts. I would write either "the LORD" or "YHWH."

Is it okay to write the Tetragrammaton?

The Dead Sea Scrolls were written between the 3rd century BCE and the 1st century CE. They wrote the Tetragrammaton on the scrolls. In some instances, the writer avoided writing the Tetragrammaton. By the early medieval period, the prohibition on writing the Tetragrammaton had become a widely accepted and firmly established practice in Jewish communities worldwide.

byword · Jul 18, 2023

tonychanyt said:
During the Second Temple period (535 b.c. to 70 a.d.), Michael Marlowe:

it is said that the Name was spoken only by priests in the Temple.

The first Greek translations of the Hebrew books, collectively known as the Septuagint, reflect this custom in various ways. In some ancient manuscripts of the Greek version the tetragrammaton is neither translated nor transliterated, but given in Hebrew characters (**without vowels**). This effectively hides the pronunciation from those who are not already familiar with it. Jerome mentions that he had seen such manuscripts in his day. 4 In some manuscripts a blank space is left where the Name would appear.

Wiki:

Rabbinic Judaism teaches that the name is forbidden to all except the High Priest of Israel, who should only speak it in the Holy of Holies of the Temple in Jerusalem on Yom Kippur. He then pronounces the name "just as it is written."[26] As each blessing was made, the people in the courtyard were to prostrate themselves completely as they heard it spoken aloud. As the Temple has not been rebuilt since its destruction in 70, most modern Jews never pronounce YHWH but instead read Adonai ("My Lord") during prayer and while reading the Torah and as HaShem ("The Name") at other times.[27][28] Similarly, the Vulgate used Dominus ("The Lord") and most English translations of the Bible write "the LORD" for YHWH and "the LORD God", "the LORD God" or "the Sovereign LORD" for Adonai YHWH instead of transcribing the name.

Centuries later, Wiki:

Vowel and cantillation marks were added to the older consonantal layer of the Bible between 600 CE and the beginning of the 10th century.[24][nb 1] The scholars who preserved the pronunciation of the Bibles were known as the Masoretes.

The Masoretes were guessing when they added vowel marks to the tetragrammaton.

More centuries later, King James Bible translated it as "Jehovah".

Today, Wiki:

the scholarly consensus is that the original pronunciation of the Tetragrammaton was Yahweh.

I would follow the ancient Israelite practice. I would not write and say "Jehovah" or "Yahweh" except in the academic/educational contexts. I would prefer to write either "the LORD" or "YHWH".

The pronunciation is done with an exhaling breath, as all the letters are actually vowels…
ee- eh- oo- eh- (Yeh-weh, or yeh-oo-eh)

tonychanyt · Jul 18, 2023

byword said:
The pronunciation is done with an exhaling breath, as all the letters are actually vowels…
ee- eh- oo- eh- (Yeh-weh, or yeh-oo-eh)

reference?

byword · Jul 18, 2023

tonychanyt said:
reference?

The Word of God:

Purely by accident, one day, I noticed the letters of the Tetragrammaton consistently pronounced as vowels elsewhere in scripture.
And I found they function as vowels, and likely were the original vowels of Hebrew before the language was lost.

Since, they literally ‘rebuilt’ the language, added vowel points to consonants because they didn’t know which letters were originally vowels.

His Name relates to breathing, He gives the Breath of Life through His Name, …which is to be spoken as a breath.

I only use it when addressing Him, never in conversation with others, except to answer a specific question about it…

tonychanyt · Jul 18, 2023

byword said:
The Word of God:

Purely by accident, one day, I noticed the letters of the Tetragrammaton consistently pronounced as vowels elsewhere in scripture.
And I found they function as vowels, and likely were the original vowels of Hebrew before the language was lost.

Since, they literally ‘rebuilt’ the language, added vowel points to consonants because they didn’t know which letters were originally vowels.

His Name relates to breathing, He gives the Breath of Life through His Name, …which is to be spoken as a breath.

I only use it when addressing Him, never in conversation with others, except to answer a specific question about it…

Do you have the reference link?

byword · Jul 18, 2023

tonychanyt said:
Do you have the reference link?

I am the reference link.

Sorry to disappoint you; but, on the same note, I only give enough information for someone else to seek their own answers.

It serves two purposes:
1. “…Teach a man to fish.”
2. It’s how I test the spirits online

You have every ability to look at the Hebrew text and find thousands of words that use these letters as vowels.

tonychanyt · Jul 18, 2023

byword said:
I am the reference link.

Sorry to disappoint you; but, on the same note, I only give enough information for someone else to seek their own answers.

It serves two purposes:
1. “…Teach a man to fish.”
2. It’s how I test the spirits online

You have every ability to look at the Hebrew text and find thousands of words that use these letters as vowels.

I don't speak Hebrew. In this case, I like to see the opinions of experts on this matter.

byword · Jul 18, 2023

tonychanyt said:
I don't speak Hebrew. In this case, I like to see the opinions of experts on this matter.

You don’t have to speak it or be able to read it to find the letters and see how the words are pronounced.

I’ve admired the amount of research you do to induce conversation… certainly you wouldn’t turn down this simple challenge to find truth?

I knew nothing of the Hebrew language when I found this, but it inspired me to learn. God honored my efforts and perseverance with a lot more than you could imagine is to be known.

You seem to be gravitating toward my #2 purpose… I’m concerned… seems you’re trying to avoid scripture in order to consult the philosophers/theologians. (1st symptom of an unclean spirit’s influence on an individual- overcome that first… we’ll continue later)

Oh, and I have spoken to men who did their thesis on the Hebrew language- the one thing I was told is that the Name is “lost to antiquity.” But I didn’t believe God would not let His Name be known…

Now, I know His-Name, by Name!

tonychanyt · Jul 18, 2023

byword said:
You don’t have to speak it or be able to read it to find the letters and see how the words are pronounced.

I’ve admired the amount of research you do to induce conversation… certainly you wouldn’t turn down this simple challenge to find truth?

I would for efficiency reasons. It is more efficient for me to just read other experts' opinions about it. In the meantime, I am learning some Hebrew here and there, on and off. I am also learning how to play the piano

If it is as simple as you say, why can't you find some scholarly references about it?

byword · Jul 18, 2023

tonychanyt said:
I would for efficiency reasons. It is more efficient for me to just read other experts' opinions about it. In the meantime, I am learning some Hebrew here and there, on and off. I am also learning how to play the piano

If it is as simple as you say, why can't you find some scholarly references about it?

The Bible really is the only ‘reference’ I use to learn from the Bible.

Are there scholarly articles? I don’t know. If I’d published my work, perhaps you would reference me as one such scholar… but by that, I become one of the ones I don’t trust.

I don’t read from any teachers… I’m sorry, I don’t ever consider that an option. Just not on my radar to turn to…

I learn only from the Word of God - whether He speaks in scripture or my meditations, He’s the only one I trust teaching me.

tonychanyt · Jul 18, 2023

byword said:
The Bible really is the only ‘reference’ I use to learn from the Bible.

Are there scholarly articles? I don’t know. If I’d published my work, perhaps you would reference me as one such scholar… but by that, I become one of the ones I don’t trust.

I don’t read from any teachers… I’m sorry, I don’t ever consider that an option. Just not on my radar to turn to…

I learn only from the Word of God - whether He speaks in scripture or my meditations, He’s the only one I trust teaching me.

BTW, you see Dark earth?. How did you place your comment there? How do I reply to your comment there?

ViaCrucis · Jul 18, 2023

byword said:
The pronunciation is done with an exhaling breath, as all the letters are actually vowels…
ee- eh- oo- eh- (Yeh-weh, or yeh-oo-eh)

Consonants. There are no written vowels* in Hebrew. Vowels are assumed, but unwritten. The creation of niqqud, vowel marks, were added by Jewish scribes and scholars in the middle ages to aid in pronunciation and help revive the reading and learning of Hebrew among Jews.

*Some Hebrew letters can become vowel-like in certain contexts, but are nevertheless considered consonants. The Tetragrammaton, or four letters, which make up the written name of God, are all consonants.

-CryptoLutheran

byword · Jul 18, 2023

tonychanyt said:
BTW, you see Dark earth?. How did you place your comment there? How do I reply to your comment there?

I’ll write something tomorrow, I just wanted to make sure it’s expected to be speculation… I want to make sure I don’t get accused of presenting new doctrine, lol.

byword · Jul 18, 2023

ViaCrucis said:
Consonants. There are no written vowels* in Hebrew. Vowels are assumed, but unwritten. The creation of niqqud, vowel marks, were added by Jewish scribes and scholars in the middle ages to aid in pronunciation and help revive the reading and learning of Hebrew among Jews.

*Some Hebrew letters can become vowel-like in certain contexts, but are nevertheless considered consonants. The Tetragrammaton, or four letters, which make up the written name of God, are all consonants.

-CryptoLutheran

There is an unwritten vowel sound, but its primary function was in the ancient forms of the language.

You’re certainly welcome to the scholarly explanation, as I once did, but I’ve learned a lot about the language that even professors don't know.

One example, a Hebrew scholar with an high degree asked what the first prophecy of Jesus was…. I answered Genesis 1:1.
I revealed a secondary language hidden in the text…
He became quite agitated with that, spouting that he never learned that and that he has a doctorate in the language.

Anyone can tell me I’m wrong, that seems to be easier than considering there might be information they’ve never come across before.

Bottom line is, I know it, I speak to Him with it, He responds, I’m more than satisfied that I chose to not give up because someone told me I was wrong.

ViaCrucis · Jul 18, 2023

byword said:
There is an unwritten vowel sound, but its primary function was in the ancient forms of the language.

You’re certainly welcome to the scholarly explanation, as I once did, but I’ve learned a lot about the language that even professors don't know.

Well that's a red flag.

byword said:
One example, a Hebrew scholar with an high degree asked what the first prophecy of Jesus was…. I answered Genesis 1:1.
I revealed a secondary language hidden in the text…
He became quite agitated with that, spouting that he never learned that and that he has a doctorate in the language.

Second red flag.

byword said:
Anyone can tell me I’m wrong, that seems to be easier than considering there might be information they’ve never come across before.

Bottom line is, I know it, I speak to Him with it, He responds, I’m more than satisfied that I chose to not give up because someone told me I was wrong.

If I had a dollar every time someone "knew" something no one else did, and that God told them/confirmed it. I'd be able to afford an expensive vacation.

-CryptoLutheran

ViaCrucis · Jul 18, 2023

As for the pronunciation of the Tetragrammaton. Nobody knows.

Some guesses are better than others. Which is why "Yahweh" is probably pretty close. Very similar to the handful of transliterations into other languages in Greek, Jewish, and Samaritan texts and artifacts from antiquity.

Tetragrammaton - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

-CryptoLutheran

Zao is life · Jul 19, 2023

ViaCrucis said:
As for the pronunciation of the Tetragrammaton. Nobody knows.

Some guesses are better than others. Which is why "Yahweh" is probably pretty close. Very similar to the handful of transliterations into other languages in Greek, Jewish, and Samaritan texts and artifacts from antiquity.

Tetragrammaton - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

-CryptoLutheran

The "w" in the word is from the German and Dutch pronunciation of the letter "w", which is "v" in English.

In a song I heard, the Hebrew of "who is and who was and who will come" sounded something lke "aser haYAH veh HOVEH v'yavo. (Higher case letters are my own).

I could be totally wrong of course, but I found the Hebrew pronunciation in that song interesting, because if the Hebrew of the above is what God's name is derived from, then to me it seems likely that the vowels would then be Yahoveh, or Yahveh (or Yahweh - which, though in English is pronounced with the English sound for the letter "w", should be pronounced as "v", because it's a Germanic "w").

Ancient Hebrew was pronounced with vowels, but written without vowels.

byword · Jul 19, 2023

ViaCrucis said:
Well that's a red flag.

Second red flag.

If I had a dollar every time someone "knew" something no one else did, and that God told them/confirmed it. I'd be able to afford an expensive vacation.

-CryptoLutheran

I never said no one else knows…

Wow, you are a door-slammer…. God forbid anyone dare again speak up for themselves with you in the room.

The biggest red flag is that you stand on the fallibility of man’s interpretation—- I merely ask God to show me stuff…. Didn’t He promise to do that for those who love Him and ask according to His will?

The second red flag is that you refused to engage scripture, or God, on this matter. I alluded to something that would absolutely amaze you and that YOU could prove in your own. (I’m sorry to say, but I test spirits online with this. …always and without fail, it has to do with God’s identity. This really fascinates me that my reference to spiritual things will cause agitation in certain

The third red flag is that you think it’s your duty to accuse me of sending up red flags. Very judgmental, you didn’t ask for any verification or that I back up what I claimed.

Keep your shallow, meaningless doctrines and defensive posturing to yourself. I’ve no use for it.

And, on behalf of anyone who might have wanted to know, thanks a lot, because I have been so accused two days in a row, and I am required to consider myself ‘rejected.’ I must leave when unclean spirits have their way with someone at the expense of God’s Word and my witness.

Spirit quenched, you have your reward.

byword · Jul 19, 2023

tonychanyt said:
BTW, you see Dark earth?. How did you place your comment there? How do I reply to your comment there?

…gotta postpone my take on your dark matter thread. I’ve been forced to enter a debate in order to justify my posts addressed to you by someone who has ALL the knowledge on this topic. This is a no-no for me to continue.

Gotta let the dust settle on this, or I’ll have to shake the dust from my feet permanently.

Be back in a few days, maybe… His will, not mine.

ViaCrucis · Jul 19, 2023

byword said:
I never said no one else knows…

Wow, you are a door-slammer…. God forbid anyone dare again speak up for themselves with you in the room.

The biggest red flag is that you stand on the fallibility of man’s interpretation—- I merely ask God to show me stuff…. Didn’t He promise to do that for those who love Him and ask according to His will?

God made a lot of promises. That He would reveal secret information that He did not make otherwise known through the Apostles and which has been believed and received since Christ founded His Church isn't one of them. So, no, God didn't promise to "show us stuff".

The promise was that the Holy Spirit would come to comfort us, convict the world, and to guide the Church--through the Apostles--to all truth, the fullness of truth made known and revealed by them in their preaching, ministry, and which is plainly found in the word of God.

byword said:
The second red flag is that you refused to engage scripture, or God, on this matter. I alluded to something that would absolutely amaze you and that YOU could prove in your own. (I’m sorry to say, but I test spirits online with this. …always and without fail, it has to do with God’s identity. This really fascinates me that my reference to spiritual things will cause agitation in certain

I'm happy to engage with Scripture. But I'm not going to play along with someone claiming they have special knowledge of the Bible.

byword said:
The third red flag is that you think it’s your duty to accuse me of sending up red flags. Very judgmental, you didn’t ask for any verification or that I back up what I claimed.

Because, frankly, the fact that you have to discredit credible scholarship in order to promote your claim is all I need to know to know.

If I claimed to have special knowledge about how your car engine works, and that all engineers, mechanics, and electricians are wrong. Would you trust me to work on your car?

byword said:
Keep your shallow, meaningless doctrines and defensive posturing to yourself. I’ve no use for it.

And, on behalf of anyone who might have wanted to know, thanks a lot, because I have been so accused two days in a row, and I am required to consider myself ‘rejected.’ I must leave when unclean spirits have their way with someone at the expense of God’s Word and my witness.

Spirit quenched, you have your reward.

-CryptoLutheran

How to pronounce YHWH (in Hebrew)

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