YHWH / Yahweh
YHWH is the covenant name by which God revealed himself in the Old Testament, often represented in English Bibles as “LORD.” “Yahweh” is the most common scholarly reconstruction of its pronunciation.
At a Glance
YHWH is the covenant name by which God revealed himself in the Old Testament, often represented in English Bibles as “LORD.” “Yahweh” is the most common scholarly reconstruction of its pronunciation.
Description
YHWH is the divine name by which the God of Israel identified himself in the Old Testament, especially in passages that emphasize his covenant relationship, faithfulness, holiness, and sovereign being. It is closely associated with God’s self-revelation to Moses and is commonly linked with the statement “I AM” in Exodus 3, though interpreters differ on the precise linguistic relationship and should not claim more than the text clearly supports. Since the Hebrew text preserves the consonants of the name but not its original vowels, “Yahweh” is the most widely accepted scholarly reconstruction, while “Jehovah” is a later form that arose through a different vocalization tradition. In most English Bibles, YHWH is translated as “LORD” to reflect long-standing reverence in Jewish and Christian reading practice.