The Name of God

What is the significance of God's name as revealed to Moses at the burning bush?

Let's dig in and see what we can find.

Exodus 3:14-15
And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” Moreover God said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘YHVH, 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, and this is My memorial to all generations.’

The term "the LORD" in Hebrew is YHVH (you-heh-vav-heh) 

It is often translated "Jehovah" but there was no J in Hebrew. There are varying translations of this name, but the most popular are; Yahweh, Yehovah, Yahveh, and Yahuah

The english letters YHVH are the Hebrew letters yod-heh-vav-heh. Below is a comparison of the english transliteration to the modern Hebrew letters. Hebrew reads right to left, instead of left to right as in English.

Hebrew is a pictographic language and has evolved over time. The most ancient form of Hebrew is Paleo Hebrew. this would have been used from Abraham to Moses.

In ancient pictographic Hebrew, YHVH looks like this:

The first letter Yod is a picture of an arm with a hand. The second letter Heh is a picture of a man with his arms raised shouting, or proclaiming. The third letter Vav is a tent peg, a stake, or a nail (fastening object). The last letter is Heh again.

Together, when we read the ancient Hebrew meaning of God's name, it means "Hand proclaimed, nail proclaimed"

This has great significance! When we look into the New Testament, specifically in the book of John ch. 8 vs. 28:

Then said Jesus unto them, "When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things."

Also John 19:17-22

And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha, where they crucified Him, and two others with Him, one on either side, and Jesus in the center. Now Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross. And the writing was: 

JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. 

Then many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. Therefore the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘He said, “I am the King of the Jews.”" Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”

In Hebrew this would be:

Yeshua HaNazarei V-Melech HaYehudim: Jesus the Nazarei and King of the Jews.

The first letter of each word is YHVH, the very name that God revealed to Moses!

"When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I AM"


These are just a few examples of the hidden treasure we discover when we look at the scriptures from a Hebraic/Jewish perspective. This is not even scratching the surface of the depth of discovery that is waiting for us.