(Christ’s personal name in the Old
Testament)
Behold,
God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; “For YAH, the LORD, is my strength
and song; He also has become my salvation. "
Isaiah
12:2
Twice the title YAH appears in the New King James Bible (besides the verse above, also Isaiah 26:4). Other versions employ the name “Jehovah,” “Yahweh,” or “the
LORD.” In all these cases, the translators looked for an English rendering of
the Hebrew "tetragamatan" - YHWH (sometimes
also written JHVH). That’s not easy. Four consonants without vowels make
the word unpronounceable in any language.
Used 6,300 times,* YHWH is
one of the three major titles for God in the Old Testament.** Most of the time
the NKJV. utilizes the term “the LORD.” This is in keeping with Jewish tradition begun three
centuries before Christ. God’s name was regarded to be so sacred by the pious
keepers of the Law that it was forbidden to be spoken in public. When the
Hebrew Scriptures were read out loud, the title “LORD” was substituted in its place. Soon
the original pronunciation was totally lost and God appeared to be more distant
and unknowable than ever before.
People could forget how to call out
to God by name, but He knew every man, woman, and child on this planet by their names and He
reached out to them. YHWH, the Creator God (Isaiah 43:1) came in
human form (Colossians 1:16). The self-existent One, who had life in
Himself (John 5:26) became close and approachable, the visible
manifestation of the Great I AM (John 8:58).
God became flesh and then came up-close and personal to Adam's race. He was given the name that is above every name (Philippians 2:9), but YHWH was always hard to pronounce, so in the New Testament, He was called "Yeshua" which means "Salvation" in Hebrew. In English we say "Jesus".
God became flesh and then came up-close and personal to Adam's race. He was given the name that is above every name (Philippians 2:9), but YHWH was always hard to pronounce, so in the New Testament, He was called "Yeshua" which means "Salvation" in Hebrew. In English we say "Jesus".
*see also Genesis 17:1; Exodus
6:3; Psalm 83:18; Isaiah 6:1 plus thousands of other references
**It is regarded by many to be the
actual name of God and in essence conveys the message “I AM” (Exodus 3:14).
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