Why do we have The LORD in our Bibles rather than Yahuah? The word יהוה is used as a name for the God of Israel nearly seven thousand times in the Hebrew Scripture. Theologians call it the tetragrammaton. It all began with a Jewish tradition called the ineffable name doctrine. Jews, for various reasons, started to substitute His name with the Hebrew Title Adonai. Adonai is the Hebrew word for My Lord. This information can be easily verified in many Bible dictionaries and various encyclopedias. For instance, the Encyclopedia Britannica states: Yahuah, the God of the Israelites, his name being revealed to Moses as four Hebrew CONSONANTS (YHUH/YHVH) CALLED THE TETRAGRAMMATON. AFTER THE EXILE (6TH CENTURY BC), and especially from the 3rd century BC on, Hebrews ceased to use the name Yahuah for two reasons. As Judaism became a universal religion through its proselytizing in the Greco-Roman world, the more common noun Alahym (Elohim), meaning god, tended to replace Yahuah to demonstrate the universal sovereignty of Israels Alahym (God) over all others. At the same time, the divine name was increasingly regarded as too sacred to be uttered; it was thus replaced vocally in the synagogue ritual by the Hebrew word Adonai (My Lord), which was translated as Kyrios (Lord) in the Septuagint, the Greek version of the Old Testament. We see in the above quote that Hebrews started to vocally replace the name Yahuah with Adonai (My Lord) for two reasons: 1. It was beginning to be believed that His name was too sacred to be uttered 2. They preferred to simply call Him Alahym (God) rather than Yahuah to demonstrate to the world that He is the only true Alahym (God). While on the surface these reasons may seem honorable, they are very unscriptural. They were and are attempts to improve on Yahuahs already perfect ways. If Yahuah really wanted a substitute, why would He have placed His name there to begin with? Though scripture says to follow Yahuah rather than man, we find that nearly 7,000 times the most important name of all is replaced with a another word that man has chosen. This tradition was not practiced by the Messiah or the apostles, but it was adopted by some Christians during the early half of the 2nd Century CE/AD. By the 4th century, this practice was well established and widely practiced. Jerome, a 4th century Church Father who authored the Latin Vulgate version, substituted the name Yahuah throughout the Bible with the Latin word Dominus (meaning Lord). The tradition of replacing Yahuahs name with the LORD continues to this day. Most English translations substitute the name Yahuah with the LORD and translations into other languages will also commonly choose a title meaning The Lord in their own language. “You shall not take the name of Yahuah your Alahym (God) in vain, for Yahuah will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. Exodus 20:7 In “Vain” is the Hebrew word “shav” and literally means “Nothingness”or Worthlessness! H7723 from the same as 7722 in the sense of desolating; Shav; Shawv; Noun; Masculine: 1.) Emptiness, vanity, falsehood. 2.) Emptiness, nothingness, vanity. 3.) Emptiness of speech, lying. 4.) Worthlessness (of conduct) To obliterate and Blot out the personal Name of our Almighty Creator, YHWH and mask it with a title of “The LORD” or “GOD” is utter blasphemy and brings it to nothingness, because his Name is not known to the World and therefore has been made worthless! You need to know his Name and call upon it! Our starting point is the Bible’s own explanation of the meaning of the tetragrammaton in the third chapter of the Book of Exodus. We will begin with an English version of verses 13 to 15. 13 Then Moses said to Alahym (God), Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, The Alahym (God) of your fathers has sent me to you, and they say to me, What is His name? what shall I say to them? 14 And Alahym (God) said to Moses, The YAH who is the YAH (I AM who/That I AM) אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה. And He said, Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, The YAH (I AM) אֶהְיֶה has sent me to you. 15 Moreover Alahym (God) said to Moses, Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: Yahuah (יהוה) Alahym (God) of your fathers, the Alahym (God) of Abraham, the Alahym (God) of Isaac, and the Alahym (God) of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations. Here, as in most English versions, we find יהוה represented by the English word “The Lord.” But this is not a translation of יהוה, it is a substitution/Title, which obscures the fact that the passage is making an etymological connection between the word אֶהְיֶה “The YAH (I am)” and יהוה “he is” or “he who is.” In this the English versions are following an ancient tradition, which was also observed by the writers of the New Testament. Long before the birth of the Messiah it had become customary among Hebrews to avoid pronouncing the sacred Name by substituting אֲדֹנָי (Adonai, meaning “My Lord”) for יהוה when the Hebrew text was read aloud, and the Greek equivalent to this is κύριος. so we find in the Greek New Testament κύριος used in quotations from the Old Testament, where the Hebrew has יהוה. Why did the Jews avoid saying the Name? Many have described this as a kind of superstitious taboo, but the custom was used as reverence. In all times and places, people have used titles rather than names when speaking of persons in authority. Every child knows better than to call his father by his name. Another consideration is that, during the Exile, the Hebrews had to live among Gentiles who might speak disrespectfully about the Kadosh (Holy) One of Israel, and it would have been especially hard for the Hebrews to tolerate such blasphemy if the very Name of Alahym (God) were used. So it would be best if the Gentiles did not even know it. Another problem was the opposite tendency of some to invoke the Name presumptuously in magical spells, as if they could control Alahym (God) by uttering his name. We know that this was very commonly done with the names of deities in ancient times. The prohibition of speaking the Name would have served all these good purposes. The custom of the Second Temple period (535 b.c. to 70 a.d.) may be seen in some remarks made by Philo of Alexandria. In a description of the head-dress of the high priest, which bore the words קדש ליהוה (“Kadosh (holy) to יהוה,”. Exodus 28:36; 39:30), he mentions that only the pure in the Kadosh (holy) place (i.e. the Temple of Jerusalem) were permitted to pronounce or hear the Name: “And a golden leaf was wrought like a crown, having engraved on it the four [letters] of the name which only those whose ears and tongues are purified unto wisdom may hear or speak in the Kadosh (holy) place, and by no one else at all in any place whatever.” This agrees with several statements recorded in the Talmud, in which it is said that the Name was spoken only by priests in the Temple. It is not that the correct pronunciation was unknown to anyone at the time. As we have mentioned above, ancient sources state that it was spoken by the priests in the Temple service. And in the writings of the Church Fathers there is evidence that Christians had received accurate information about the pronunciation, because in these writings we find the phonetically accurate transcriptions ιαουε, ιαουαι, and ιαβε. But these are not found in manuscripts of the Greek version itself. In any case, it was not necessary or even desirable to have an accurate transcription of the name in the Greek version, because the version was to be used in the synagogues of the diaspora, where the pronunciation of the name was forbidden. In nearly all extant manuscripts of the Septuagint we find the sacred Name represented by the Greek word κύριος, meaning “The Lord.” The rule is applied consistently, even in such a verse as Isaiah 42:8, ἐγὼ κύριος ὁ θεός τοῦτό μού ἐστιν τὸ ὄνομα, “I am the Lord God, that is my name.” This was nothing other than a Greek application of the Jewish custom of substituting אֲדֹנָי for יהוה when the Hebrew text was read aloud in the Synagogue. In Jewish thought, a name is not merely an arbitrary designation, a random combination of sounds. The name conveys the nature, Character and essence of the one being named. The most important of Alahyms (Gods) Names is the four-letter Name represented by the Hebrew letters Yod-Heh-Uau/Vav-Heh (YHUH/YHVH). It is often referred to as the Ineffable Name, the Unutterable Name or the Distinctive Name. Linguistically, it is related to the Hebrew root Heh-Yod-Heh (to be), and reflects the idea that Alahyms (Gods) existence is eternal. In scripture, this Name is used when discussing Alahyms (Gods) relation with human beings, and when emphasizing his qualities of loving kindness and mercy. It is frequently shortened to Yah (Yod-Heh), Yahu (Yod-Heh-Uau/Vav), especially when used in combination with names or phrases, as in Yahusha (Joshua, meaning Yahuah is Salvation), Eliyahu (Elijah, meaning my Alahym (God) is YAH), and HalleluYAH (praise YAH). Nothing in the Torah prohibits a person from pronouncing the Name of Alahym (God). Indeed, it is evident from scripture that Alahyms (Gods) Name was pronounced routinely. Many common Hebrew names contain Yah or Yahu, part of Alahyms (Gods) four-letter Name. The Name was pronounced as part of daily services in the Temple. The Mishnah confirms that there was no prohibition against pronouncing The Name in ancient times. In fact, the Mishnah recommends using Alahyms (Gods) Name as a routine greeting to a fellow Hebrews. Berakhot 9,5. However, by the time of the Talmud, it was the custom to use substitute Names for Alahym (God). Some rabbis asserted that a person who pronounces Yahuah (YHUH/YHVH) according to its letters (instead of using a substitute) has no place in the World to Come, and should be put to death. Although the prohibition on pronunciation applies only to the four-letter Name, Hebrews customarily do not pronounce any of Alahyms (Gods) many Names except in prayer or study. The usual Orthodox practice is to substitute letters or syllables, so that Adonai becomes Ha-Shem or Adoshem and Eloheynu and Elohim become Elokeynu and Elokim, etc. This practice is quite unnecessary in the context of learning Torah, and it is especially offensive when whole verses are read from the Bible with these ugly substititutes for Alahyms (Gods) names. Some religious scholars suggest that the Name was pronounced Yahweh, but others do not find this pronunciation particularly persuasive; our opinion is that this pronunciation is quite insulting to Yahuah and expresses more the man-centered ignorance of the scholars than the true name of Yahuah (in other words, never say Yahweh, unless you intend to insult Him, God forbid!). Some Christian scholars render the four-letter Name as Jehovah, but this pronunciation is particularly unlikely. The word Jehovah comes from practice of writing YHVH in the Hebrew Bible with the vowels of the Name Adonai (the usual substitute for YHUH/YHVH) on the consonants of YHUH/YHVH to remind people not to pronounce Yahuah as written. A sixteenth century German Christian scribe, while transliterating the Bible into Latin for the Pope, wrote the Name out as it appeared in his texts, with the consonants of YHVH and the vowels of Adonai, and came up with the word JeHoVaH, and the name stuck. The KJV, as with most other translations, uses The LORD (in all capital letters) to refer to the covenant name of Alahym (God). The Hebrew word is יהוה (YHUH/YHVH), which is called the Tetragrammaton. The Jews refrained from pronouncing this sacred name lest they accidentally take Alahyms (Gods) name in vain. These Jews adopted the practice of reading the Tetragrammaton as Adonai, which is the Hebrew word for My Lord. Scripture says that the old serpent, called the Devil and HaSatan (Satan), has deceived the whole world: And the great dragon was thrown out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and HaSatan, who leads all the world astray. (Rev. 12:9) Do you realize just how deep that deception is? Does it not behoove us, therefore, to study the Scriptures in order to see if we too have been led astray? More so in light of the following Scripture which explicitly tells us that salvation comes in only one exclusive name: And there is no deliverance in anyone else, for there is no other name under the heaven given among men by which we need to be saved. (Acts 4:12) Is it not evident then, according to the above quoted verse, that if HaSatan wants to keep us from being saved or delivered, all he has to do is to deceive us into calling on another name rather than the one exclusive name that has been given for that very purpose by our Creator? Baal / The Lord: Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary #1167 ba’al, bah’al; from 1166; a master; hence a husband, or (fig.) owner (often used with another noun in modification of this latter sense):- + archer, + babbler, + bird, captain, chief man, + confederate, + have to do, + dreamer, those to whom it is due, + furious, those that are given to it, great, + hairy, he that hath it, have, +horseman, husband, lord, man, + married, master, person, + sworn, they of. Now, if these were the only uses of the word baal, we really couldn’t complain, could we? Why? Because even Scripture reveals that Yahuah was a husband to Israel (Isaiah 54:5; Jeremiah 31:32). This in Hebrew, would be, Yahuah is Baal to Israel. Thus, Baal is used in a good sense. But this is not the only usage of the word, as we shall show. #1168 ba’al, bah’al; the same as 1167; Baal, a Phoenician deity:-Baal, (plur.) Baalim. Here we find another Baal, a bad one, a false deity. Can we find out more about this false deity? Ba’al: This word it seems, gradually became a proper name. A similar Semitic word derives from the Aryan root Bhal, which means to shine, according to some. According to W. H. Roscher’s well-known lexicon of mythology, Ba’al (Bel, Belos) was the ancestral and national deity of the Semites, and says that Ba’al was the founder of Babel (Babylon), according to secular history. He is identified with Zeus, Jupiter, Ammon, Asshur, Assur, Kronos, and Bel-Marduk. Morris Jastrow, Max Müller, and W. H. Roscher all three agree: Baal is the Babylonian sun deity. The Ba’als (The Lords) of the nations were sun deities, and Ba’al (The Lord) worship means sun worship (Sunday Worship). Quite revealing isnt it? Now, would Yahuah appreciate it if we called Him after the name of a false deity? A closer look at a couple of Scriptures will answer that question easily! Let us see just what the Mind of Yahuah is in regards to the above question. And in all that I have said to you take heed, and make no mention of the name of other mighty ones, let it not be heard from your mouth, Ex. 23:13. ...And make no mention of the name of their mighty ones, nor swear by them, nor serve them, nor bow down to them, Josh. 23:7. How long will this continue in the hearts of these lying prophets, who prophesy the delusions of their own minds? 27 They think the dreams they tell one another will make my people forget My Name, just as their ancestors forgot My Name through Baal (The Lord) worship. Jeremiah 23:26,27 And in that day, declares Yahuah, you will call me ‘My Husband,’ and no longer will you call me ‘Baal/The Lord.’ For I will remove the names of the Baals/The Lords from her mouth, and they shall be remembered by name no more. Hosea 2:16-17 Yahuah has explicitly spoken to us, by the above verses of Scripture, not to mention the name of the other mighty ones, even to the point that they not be heard coming out of our lips. Yahuah is not pleased that we call Him by the name of any other mighty one! So Yahuah would not be pleased if we called Him Baal (The Lord) in the bad sense. But, how is it that we can call Him Baal/The Lord in a good sense and be right, but yet use the same word, and it be in a wrong sense, causing Yahuahs anger to burn against us? What is the answer to this apparent contradiction of Yahuahs word? Lets look again at Strong’s #1167. Do you see the answer? It’s really simple! Notice that it says: #1167 Baal is...(often used with another noun in modification of this latter sense)... But what does this mean? To find the answer we need to research a few more Scriptures that will shed much needed light on the subject. The three Scriptures I want us to look at relate to a place in Syria called Baal Gad. Thus Yahusha (Joshua) took all this land: the mountain country, and all the South, and all the land of Goshen, and the low country, and the desert plain, and the mountains of Yisrael and its low lands, from Mount Halak that goes up to Seir, and as far as Baal Gad in the valley of Lebanon below Mount Hermon…, Josh. 11:16-17. And these are the kings of the land which Yahusha (Joshua) and the children of Israel smote beyond the Jordan, on the west, from Baal Gad in the valley of Lebanon as far as Mount Halak that goes up to Seir, which Yahusha (Joshua) gave to the tribes of Israel as a possession according to their divisions, Josh. 12:7. And the land of the Gebalites, and all Lebanon toward the sunrise, from Baal Gad below Mount Hermon as far as the entrance to Hamath, Josh. 13:5. Have you noticed that in each of the above quoted texts reference is made to a place called Baal Gad? Just what and where was this place called Baal Gad? Let’s again go to the Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary for the answer. #1171 Baal Gad, bah’al gawd; from 1168; Baal of Fortune: Baal Gad, a place in Syria: Baal-gad. Strong’s #1409 gad, gawd; from 1464 (in the sense of distributing); fortune: troop. Didnt Yahusha tell us our search for truth would be like searching for hidden treasure? (Matthew 13:44) Do you find hidden treasure just lying on top of the ground or do you have to dig to find it? Believe me, the answer was revealed under Strong’s #1409 if you know where to find the Scripture that reveals this false deity—Baal of fortune! Actually it will be quite revealing once you see it! But you are those who forsake Yahuah, who forget My set-apart mountain, who prepare a table for Gad [that troop], and who fill a drink offering for Meni [that number]. And I shall allot you to the sword, and let you bow down to the slaughter, because I called and you did not answer, I spoke and you did not hear, and you did evil before My eyes and chose that in which I did not delight, Isaiah 65:11-12. If you have a KJV Bible, you will find for Gad it says that troop (Strong’s #1409). In fact many Bibles have center or side column references that inform the readers that Gad (that troop) is a false deity! This can also be discovered by looking at Strong’s #1408: #1408 Gad, gad; a var. of 1409; Fortune, a Bab. Deity: that troop. Here is where HaSatan has played word games to deceive the whole world into worshiping a false Babylonian deity of Fortune! But who is really being worshiped behind the name of this ancient idol Baal-Gad? And how has HaSatan accomplished this so easily? Word Games! Remember Acts 4:12 (Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven whereby we must be saved. Remember that Yahusha also said, ...if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive. (John 5:43) Notice under Strong’s #1167, one of the definitions of the word Baal into English is The Lord! BAAL ZEBUWB OR BEELZEBOUL #1176 Baal Zebuwb, bah’al zeb-oob; from 1168 and 2070; Baal of (the) fly; Baal-zebub, a special deity of the Ekronites: Baal-Zebub. Remember when the Pharisees called Yahusha the Messiah Beelzebub (Mat. 10:25) and claimed that He cast out the demons by the prince of demons (Mat. 12:24, 27; Mk. 3:22; Lk. 11:15, 18, 19). Well, now go to Strong’s Greek #954 and be ready for a shock! #954 (Greek) Beelzeboul, beh-el-zeb-ool’; of Chald. Or. [by parody upon 1176]; dung-god; Beelzebul, a name of HaSatan: Beelzebub. Are you beginning to see that Baal = The lord or LORD or master and that Baal is none other than HaSatan himself?! But coupled with Satan’s title of Baal which equals lord, or Lord, or LORD, or master is the word Gad. Gad meant Fortune or that troop. Could the old saying about a person selling their soul to HaSatan have any bearing here? HaSatan will give you a fortune for your soul, but once you have sold it to him, he will usually double cross you and take your life (soul) away! How many troops of lost souls does HaSatan have through his deceptions?! Notice how the Masorites vowel pointed the word Gad in Hebrew in 1409 like this: גָד: When pointed like this, the word is pronounced Gawd or God or god in Hebrew. Now if we translate Baal Gad into English what does it become? Does it not become THE LORD GOD? Or lord god? Or Lord God? The capitalization doesn’t change the sound of the word in any way and even so the fact is Baal Gad is the Lord God, who is The Lord HaSatan or Master HaSatan! In Conclusion: HaSatan has deceived the whole World into worshiping him through the Title, The Lord, stealing your worship and Praise which is due to Yahuah Alone. Remember HaSatan stated Isaiah 14:13 I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of Alahym (God); I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High. who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of Alahym (God), displaying himself as being Alahym (God). 2 Thessalonians 2:4 Scripture reveals all if we search for it. Do not harden your heart to truth, call upon the true Name Yahuah alone!
Posted on: Wed, 29 Jan 2014 17:21:33 +0000
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