Religious Talk

William Shakespeare once asked "What's in a name?"

His starlet famously goes on to say it doesn't really matter:  "That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."

Well, that was Shakespeare, but apparently God has different ideas...

 

Through my fledgling study of the bible, it turns out that God's name is a potent moniker, indeed. Songs were sung by kings to glorify the living power of it. Prophets carried God's name within their own. Temples were to be built by it. And it was even to serve as a saving grace for those who would but call it out. Why then, do so few of the Christian faith not know, or not use, the name of God?..

Part of the answer lay in the fact that many bible translations simply do not include it. God’s name has been omitted, and most times substituted with the title "Lord". (Which is kind of like having someone erase your name on a document and diminishing you to a mere "Mr" or "Ms")

But how could someone presume to do such a thing? The Holy Name, above all?

There are reasons out there as to why this alteration occurred, yet these reasons appear not to harmonise with the scriptures themselves, and what they have to say about the issue. For it seems - if one is to accept the infallibility of “The Word” - God's name is to be known and celebrated.

Isaiah 43:11: “I myself am Yah(weh/hova); and besides me there is no saviour.”

Isaiah 49:26 reads: “...and all flesh shall know that I, Yah(weh/hova), am your Saviour,”

Exodus 20:24: “...in every place where I cause My name to be remembered, I will come to you and bless you.”

Psalm 54:1: “Save me, O God, by your name..."

Psalm 55:16: “As for me, I will call on God. Yah(weh/hova) will save me”

2 Samuel 7:12-13: “When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name...” 

Matthew 6:9: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed (sanctified) be your name...

(There are many other references to be found, for those wanting to find them)

You will note that some translations of the bible which do include the name of God will vary between "Yahweh" and "Yahovah" (sometimes spelled with a J, which is pronounced with the "Y" sound...) However, what remains consistent among these variations is "Yah".

Without too much effort, an interested reader can type these three huge letters into their search engine, and follow the very short trail to discover "Yah" as the Hebrew name for God. (Yeah, Hebrew: the language all those guys were using back in the day...). I found Strongs Concordance particularly valuable in my search...

What I also discovered was that I had been reading God's name over and again, for it was embedded in the very names of the Kings and Prophets throughout the scriptures.

Names like:

"Elijah"; which literally means "Yah is God"

"Zedekiah"; which means "Yah is righteousness"

"Isaiah"; which is "Yah has saved"

"Obadiah"; comes from "Serving Yah"

"Jeremiah"; meaning "Yah exalts"

"Adoniyah"; which means "Yah is my lord"

"Abiyah"; means "Yah is my father"

"Uriyah": means "Yah is my light"

and, "Yehoshua" (also "Yeshua" or "Joshua"); which means in Hebrew "Yah is salvation"

Perhaps what is most interesting is the idea that names can carry power - especially among Christian believers. And what is perceived/believed to be the most powerful name of all is "Jesus". Yet, "Jesus" doesn't figure anywhere except in the Latin tongue... And in that Latin tongue, the name "Je sus" is often purported to be a translation stemming from the term "Earth Pig"... Hogwash, right?

A good question at this point is: what name do we suppose they celebrate in heaven? - the saints, the angels, the elders bowing down and calling out in holy praise... Is the name "Jesus"?

According to Revelation it isn’t.

Revelation 19:1 "After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, "Hallelujah!”...

Revelation 19:3 “A second said, "Hallelujah...”

Revelation 19:4 “The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne, saying, "Amen! Hallelujah!”

What does "Hallelujah" mean?

It means: "Praise be to Yah"

 

So, what’s in a name?

Perhaps if one is to make concessions as “Christian”, and preach in dedication to the faith, there could well be your Everything in a name...

Author's Note

A study

Reviews

[...]

No disrespect to you, Charlie, but the bible has a lot of holes and contradictions in it. Too many for me to believe that it's the word of God. Seems more like the word of man pretending to speak for God to me.
I like the research you put into this and your writing is beautifully descriptive and engaging. I am sorry if I have offended you.

[charlie]

:) Certainly no offence to me, lynn... Thank you for taking the time here.

[Derty Steve]

I've been in churches my whole life, and have never knew the true name of my God. That's sad. Thanks for this, I found it interesting. It also made me think.

[charlie]

Hi Steve. Am happy to hear.

[Stan Lee]

Interesting study. I wonder if W.Shakespeare pondered on the same...

[charlie]

Seems like Shakespeare pondered on everything! :)