# What is God's name? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [March 17, 2003, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-gods-name/162036 "2003-03-17T17:07:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![X\_Slayer\_ALE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/bbe5ce/32.png) [@X\_Slayer\_ALE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/X_Slayer_ALE)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-gods-name/162036/21 "2003-03-17T22:13:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by asterion \* > \*\*And wasn’t there an Arthur C. Clarke short story about what happens when you know all nine billion names of God? \*\* Yes. The monks in Tibet bought the biggest supercomputer available and programmed it to list out all the possible names for God. After some time, the stars started to wink out. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-gods-name/162036/22 "2003-03-17T22:34:41Z")
Harold. I thought _everyone_ knew that. “Our Father, who art in heaven, [Harold be Thy name](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_033.html)…” Which also is what the “H.” in “Jesus H. Christ” stands for. 🙂 Re pronunciation of YHVH: we know how the first syllable is pronounced, because we do so frequently: “Hallelu-Yah” means, you guessed it, “Praise Yah.” But my OT prof in college told me that no comparable degree of certainty exists concerning the vowel sound of the second syllable. I don’t know this firsthand, obviously, but I have every reason to believe Dr. G. knew what he was talking about. ---
**Author:** ![TVAA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c57346/32.png) [@TVAA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TVAA)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-gods-name/162036/23 "2003-03-17T22:41:31Z")
It doesn’t matter if someone knew The Name. Really, it doesn’t. Jewish mysticism holds that names are profoundly connected with what they name; not only do Hebrew names have meanings, but it was once the tradition to induce traits in offspring by giving them appropriate names. Naming something is equivalent to asserting power over it (which is why Jewish fathers were the ones to name their children, and why some traditions hold that Adam’s function was to name all of Creation). The Hebrew name translated as ‘Adam’ means ‘clay’, referring to his essential nature and origins. Without understanding the Judeo-Christian creation myths, however, merely knowing this fact is not helpful. It wouldn’t matter if a person pronounced the Hebrew syllables that make up God’s Name. Without understanding the significance of the Name, it would have no power – and the significance could not be understood without comprehending the nature of God. ---
**Author:** ![Shaolinrabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Shaolinrabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shaolinrabbit)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-gods-name/162036/24 "2003-03-17T23:01:46Z")
It’s an interesting debate, I’ve never used a name when I pray. I never really thought about it. I guess I’ve always assumed He got who I was talking to. I guess it’s a good thing there isn’t a mailer daemon for prayers. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Tarantara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a4c791/32.png) [@Tarantara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tarantara)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2003, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-gods-name/162036/25 "2003-03-18T00:41:45Z")
that there is really only one “correct” name for the Creator, or that she even cares? ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2003, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-gods-name/162036/26 "2003-03-18T00:50:04Z")
> [@](#): > > [14] And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM > \*\* …AND THAT’S ALL WHAT I YAM! ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2003, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-gods-name/162036/27 "2003-03-18T01:21:35Z")
Nice discussion of YHWH and some fun riffs on Clarke and the divine nomenclature. Starting with the Masoretic text, YHWH was written with the vowels for _adonai_, “Lord,” as a reminder to readers to say “Adonai” instead of the Divine Name, which was supposed to be pronounced only by the High Priest in the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement (presumably there was an exception to the rule to allow each High Priest to learn how the Name was pronounced from his predecessor). This is the reason for “LORD” in small caps in the King James and several other versions of the Bible – What’s being translated is “YHWH God Almighty said…” What YHWH means, more or less, is an archaic third person verb with the approximate meaning “He causes to be.” When God told Moses His Name, what He said was “Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh” – “I cause to be what I cause to be.” The third person of the verb of which Ehyeh is the first person is YHWH. ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2003, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-gods-name/162036/28 "2003-03-18T05:35:04Z")
I don’t know about **thoughtpolice** , but I’m in my second semester of Biblical Hebrew, so I have been reading the Bible in Hebrew quite a bit lately. The Tetragrammaton ("[word] having four letters") does **not** look like two apostrophes (though the **first** letter, yod does look vaguely like a styalized apostrophe), nor could it conceivably be pronounced “yih-yuh”. Nor is it clear how it **was** pronounced. Yahweh is the concensus among scholars, but it is not undisputed. (As the Rev. Will B. Dunn once said in Doug Marlette’s comic strip Kudzu, “You say it Yahweh, ah’ll say it mah way.”) Written Hebrew traditionally lacks vowels. Even today, Israli newspapers are generally “unpointed,” that is without the small vowel markings below (and sometimes above) the letters. Vowels were added to the Biblical text turing the Medieval period by a group of rabbis called the Masoretes. As **Polycarp** pointed out, the Masoretes used the vowels for Adonai (Lord) to remind the reader to say Adonai rather than pronounce God’s name. When German scholars read the text, they tried to pronounce the vowels (for Adonai) with the letters (JHWH) that were written and (using the trasliteration system in Germany at the time) produced Jehovah! All that being said, it looks like **thoughtpolice** was trolling, as he already knew the answer. ---
**Author:** ![ThoughtPolice](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecae2f/32.png) [@ThoughtPolice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThoughtPolice)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-gods-name/162036/29 "2003-03-19T10:40:42Z")
Alan Smithee, Yes, I put this in the wrong forum. I am new on this site. Alan, you are right about “Jehovah” being totally wrong. I’ve studied this issue in depth - really, just out of my own interest - and the paleo-Hebrew that the Bible was written in is rather clear on God’s name (YHWH). I have a Jewish friend that I worked with for years that freely admits Yahweh is the correct name (he isn’t supposed to use it, but he did admit it to me). Sorry I put this in the wrong spot. I meant no offense. I’ll learn more about this forum as I post, and I’ll get stuff in the right place. Sorry about the “trolling” (that’s a new term to me and a good one, too). ---
**Author:** ![rmbnxs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b9e5f3/32.png) [@rmbnxs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rmbnxs)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-gods-name/162036/30 "2003-03-19T20:01:59Z")
God’s name is Sh’neequa. She’s black. ---
**Author:** ![zev\_steinhardt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/97f17d/32.png) [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-gods-name/162036/31 "2003-03-19T20:21:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Alan Smithee \* > \*\*Nor is it clear how it **was** pronounced. Yahweh is the concensus among scholars, but it is not undisputed. (As the Rev. Will B. Dunn once said in Doug Marlette’s comic strip Kudzu, “You say it Yahweh, ah’ll say it mah way.”) Written Hebrew traditionally lacks vowels. \*\* It also lacks "w"s, so I doubt if the “scholarly” opinion is correct. Zev Steinhardt ---
**Author:** ![ThoughtPolice](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecae2f/32.png) [@ThoughtPolice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThoughtPolice)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-gods-name/162036/32 "2003-03-19T20:40:53Z")
zev\_steinhardt, Of course, you are right about the vowels. Vowels are merely inserted to help us read the Bible. You are, however, wrong about the Ws. (Please consult someone that understands paleo-Hebrew like I have. You don’t have to be Jewish to understand paleo-Hebrew, and Jews do not have a patent on how God’s name is pronounced.) So how does one say “YHWH”? Well, 95% of the Bible scholars - scholars in the Hebrew language - say it is pronounced “yah-weh.” I realize it is Jewish custom not to use God’s name. Even though I respect Jewish custom concerning this, I don’t agree with it. There is NO prohibition in the Hebrew Bible about using God’s name. His name is YHWH, and it is said “yah-weh.” As I posted before, even a Jew I was a partner with for many years admits this. (Most Jews sidetrack the question; he did not.) I choose to give my praise to YHWH. If you want to use HaShem, that is fine with me, and I am sure God knows whom you are praising. You know, I gotta learn how to spell.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lost\_Goat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3be4f8/32.png) [@Lost\_Goat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lost_Goat)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-gods-name/162036/33 "2003-03-19T20:53:51Z")
> [@](#): > > - Originally posted by\ ***ThoughtPolice** > “Allah” is not a name. It is merely “God” in Arabic. The God of the Koran doesn’t have a name. Allah does indeed mean God. However it is a name, one of the 99 names of God in Islamic mysticism. For the others, see here: [http://99-names.com/99Names.shtml](http://99-names.com/99Names.shtml) My guess would be God’s real name takes forever to say… ---
**Author:** ![zev\_steinhardt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/97f17d/32.png) [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-gods-name/162036/34 "2003-03-19T20:58:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ThoughtPolice \* > \*\*zev\_steinhardt, > Of course, you are right about the vowels. Vowels are merely inserted to help us read the Bible. You are, however, wrong about the Ws. (Please consult someone that understands paleo-Hebrew like I have. You don’t have to be Jewish to understand paleo-Hebrew, and Jews do not have a patent on how God’s name is pronounced.) \*\* OK, so what Hebrew letter produced a “w” sound? > [@](#): > > \*\* > I realize it is Jewish custom not to use God’s name. Even though I respect Jewish custom concerning this, I don’t agree with it. There is NO prohibition in the Hebrew Bible about using God’s name. \*\* You must have missed the Third Commandment. > [@](#): > > \*\* > I choose to give my praise to YHWH. If you want to use HaShem, that is fine with me, and I am sure God knows whom you are praising. \*\* That’s fine. Now please tell me which Hebrew letter produces the “w” sound. > [@](#): > > \*\* > You know, I gotta learn how to spell.🙂 \*\* …Hebrew 🙂 Zev Steinhardt ---
**Author:** ![photopat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e95f7d/32.png) [@photopat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/photopat)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-gods-name/162036/35 "2003-03-19T22:38:24Z")
I thought God’s name was “dog” spelled backward. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-gods-name/162036/36 "2003-03-19T23:17:13Z")
**Photopat** , only if “dog” in Hebrew is HWHY! 😉 **Zev** , the letter variously named “vau” or “waw” (between He and Zain) is sounded with a “V” or a “W” depending on your “accent” – it’s my understanding that it followed much the pattern of Roman “V” (W sound) becoming Italian “V” (V sound) as Hebrew was preserved through the Diaspora, in both Ashkenazic and Sephardic traditions, though you will know more about that than I. ---
**Author:** ![photopat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e95f7d/32.png) [@photopat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/photopat)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-gods-name/162036/37 "2003-03-20T00:01:02Z")
Well, that clinches it. If I ever get another dog, I’ll name it “Hewey,” spelled HWHY. ---
**Author:** ![Severian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/49beb7/32.png) [@Severian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Severian)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-gods-name/162036/38 "2003-03-20T01:59:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SimonX \* > \*\*Exod.3 > > [14] And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. \*\* Reminds me of the Alice In Chains song _God Am_. “Can I be as my God am” [Lyrics](http://www.lyricsstyle.com/a/aliceinchains/godam.html) ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-gods-name/162036/39 "2003-03-20T02:03:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by photopat \* > \*\*Well, that clinches it. If I ever get another dog, I’ll name it “Hewey,” spelled HWHY. \*\* And you could name its littermates DWY and LWY! And then see if their barks will echo… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![zev\_steinhardt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/97f17d/32.png) [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-gods-name/162036/40 "2003-03-20T02:08:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Polycarp \* > \*\* > **Zev** , the letter variously named “vau” or “waw” (between He and Zain) is sounded with a “V” or a “W” depending on your “accent” \*\* I’ve gotta tell you, **Polycarp** , I have _never_ heard it pronounced with a “w” sound. Zev Steinhardt [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-gods-name/162036.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-gods-name/162036.md?page=3)