What is the Tetragrammaton?

Understanding Exodus 3:14

The Tetragrammaton (from the Greek tetra, 'four,' and gramma, 'letter') is the four-letter Hebrew name of God: יהוה, transliterated as YHWH. It is the most sacred and personal name of God in the Hebrew Bible, appearing approximately 6,828 times in the Old Testament. Revealed to Moses at the burning bush in Exodus 3:14, where God declares 'I AM WHO I AM' (Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh), the Tetragrammaton is the foundational name by which God identified himself to his covenant people.

The Revelation at the Burning Bush

When God commissioned Moses to deliver Israel from Egypt, Moses asked: 'What is his name?' God replied with two statements: 'I AM WHO I AM' — built on the Hebrew verb hayah, meaning 'to be' — and 'The LORD [YHWH], the God of your fathers... This is my name forever' (Exodus 3:15). The name YHWH is linked to being itself — God as self-existent, eternal, and unfailingly present for his people.

The Hebrew Letters

The Tetragrammaton consists of four consonants: Yod (י), He (ה), Vav (ו), He (ה). Ancient Hebrew was written without vowels, so the original pronunciation was transmitted orally. When the Masoretes (6th–10th centuries AD) added vowel pointing, they inserted the vowels from Adonai (Lord) as a signal to substitute that title rather than pronouncing the sacred name.

Yahweh vs. Jehovah

Yahweh is the pronunciation favored by most scholars, supported by early Greek transliterations (Clement of Alexandria rendered it Ιαουε), Theodoret's report of Samaritan pronunciation (Ιαβε), and shortened forms like Yah (Hallelu-Yah, Psalm 150:6) and Yahu (in names like Eliyahu/Elijah).

Jehovah arose when medieval Christian scholars read YHWH with the vowels of Adonai (a-o-a), producing the hybrid YeHoVaH. While linguistically a mistake, 'Jehovah' has deep roots in Christian hymnody and devotion.

Jewish Tradition: Not Speaking the Name

In Jewish practice, the Tetragrammaton is too sacred to pronounce. The Mishnah indicates the High Priest spoke it on Yom Kippur in the Temple. After the Temple's destruction in 70 AD, there was no liturgical context for its pronunciation. Observant Jews substitute Adonai or HaShem ('The Name'). This practice is rooted in the third commandment (Exodus 20:7).

Theological Significance

The name communicates: (1) Self-existence (aseity) — God does not derive his being from anything outside himself; (2) Eternality — 'I AM' has no past or future tense; (3) Covenant faithfulness — YHWH is used in covenant contexts with Abraham, Israel, and David; (4) Sovereignty — God names himself on his own terms.

YHWH in the New Testament

The Septuagint rendered YHWH as Kyrios (Lord), and NT authors followed this convention. Remarkably, Jesus makes seven 'I AM' (ego eimi) declarations in John's Gospel, and in John 8:58 declares 'Before Abraham was born, I am!' — a claim his hearers understood as identification with YHWH. Philippians 2:9-11, echoing Isaiah 45:23 where YHWH speaks, implies that the 'name above every name' given to Jesus is YHWH itself.

Most English Bibles render YHWH as 'the LORD' in small capitals to distinguish it from Adonai ('Lord'). The Tetragrammaton reminds every reader that the God of the Bible is a personal being who revealed his name and invited his people to call upon him.