What Is the Proper Pronunciation of God's Name?

Today there is a debate regarding how to properly pronounce God’s name as was revealed to Moses in Exodus 3:14-15. The rationale seems to be that knowing this is important.

14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ” Exodus 3:14 (NASB95)

14 And God said to Moses, saying “I am the One who exists.” And he said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘The One who exists has sent me to you.’ ” Exodus 3:14 (LES2)

The first quote from the NASB is based on the Hebrew Masoretic text (MT), which is written in modern Hebrew block script derived from Aramaic and was completed somewhere between 500-1000 AD. The second is from the Lexham English Septuagint (LXX), a translation of the Greek Old Testament in use at the time of Christ. The MT translates the tetragrammaton, YHVH, as “I am who I am.” The LXX translated the now dead paleo-Hebrew Phoenician script into the Greek language in 285 BC as “Ego eimi ho on,” which can be translated most literally as, “I am the Being.”

Scholars believe that when God revealed his name as YHVH he meant to communicate his preexistence, unchangeableness, eternity, and his being the Creator. Some even think it was God’s promise to Moses that he would be with him in the future.

12 And God spoke to Moses, saying, “I will be with you, and this is for you the sign that I will send you out: When you bring out my people from Egypt, and you will also worship God at this mountain.” Exodus 3:12 (LES2)

God’s promised presence was certainly a major motivation for Moses to trust and obey him. It is for us as well.

When God revealed to Moses his name, the emphasis seemed to be on what it communicated about God rather than its being simply a proper name.

This became more obvious during the ministry of our Lord Jesus. The Old Covenant scriptures all pointed to Jesus, who came from God’s very presence in heaven (John 1:1 and 1:14) and is the exact representation or revelation of God (Hebrews 1:3)

What Jesus revealed to us about God fulfills and interprets everything that came before.

It is highly significant that he did not teach us to use the tetragrammaton or even mention any proper name for God at all. Instead, he told us to call him “Abba Father,” Abba being Aramaic for “Daddy” or “Papa.” If the one who knows most about God, who came from God, and is the exact representation of God told us only to call him Father, to go beyond that is tantamount to trying to resurrect the dead corpse of the Old Covenant, which was set aside at the inauguration of the New.

18 For on the one hand there is an annulling of the former commandment because of its weakness and unprofitableness, 19 for the law made nothing perfect; on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God. Hebrews 7:18–19 (NKJV)

Jesus warned us that it is impossible to put the “new wine” of the Spirit released in the New Covenant back into the “old wine skin” of Judaism.

37 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined. 38 But new wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved. 39 And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, ‘The old is better.’ ” Luke 5:37–39 (NKJV)

The Old Covenant was unable to contain the spiritual explosion that happened on Pentecost when the risen and ascended Lord poured out his Spirit. Shortly thereafter, the enormity of what God had done became apparent when the Gentile Roman centurion and his family were baptized in the Spirit while listening to Peter preach the gospel. The Jewish disciples of Christ could scarcely take it in that God now includes the Gentiles in his great salvation. The Apostle Paul seemed to be the one who understood it best.

14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, 15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, 16 and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. 17 And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. 18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. Ephesians 2:14–18 (NKJV)

This expansion of God’s grace has drawn millions into God’s family from every ethnic group all over the world.

Nevertheless, Satan has done his level best to put a lid on what God is doing. The Judaizers hounded new converts during the days of the apostles in an effort to lure new Gentile Christians into becoming Jews and following the law of Moses.

The effort to stuff the Spirit of God and the New Covenant back into the old wine skin of the Law is doomed to failure, but sadly many fall for the deception and trade their freedom for bondage.

Rather than looking backward to how God revealed himself to Moses, as Judaizers say we must, the New Covenant teaches us that the Old Covenant was fulfilled and explained by the New.

Jesus is the end or fulfillment of the Law and the highest revelation of God.

Jesus told us over and over that he is the manifestation of the “I Am.” His most direct statement was made to the Pharisees.

Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” John 8:58 (NKJV)

In several other places he made “I am” claims as well, each time revealing some aspect of God’s character and power. Each represents how God satisfies our deepest needs and desires.

48 I am the bread of life. John 6:48 (NKJV) 

12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” John 8:12 (NKJV) 

7 Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. John 10:7 (NKJV) 

11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. John 10:11 (NKJV) 

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. John 11:25 (NKJV) 

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. John 14:6 (NKJV) 

1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. John 15:1 (NKJV)

Peter preached that Jesus is the only name we need to know in order to be saved.

12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12 (NKJV)

It seems to me that trying to figure out how to pronounce the name God revealed to Moses is taking giant step backward. If it were important for us to know a proper name for our Father in heaven, it is reasonable to assume that Jesus would have told us, but he did not. Therefore, since he did not, there is no reason to be concerned at all about having a proper pronunciation of YHVH.

Why is it that when we are given an opportunity to partake of the freedom and life found in Christ alone that we are so often drawn to go back to the Law and the Old Covenant? Why is it we are ready to trade in our freedom for bondage? It is important to keep in mind what Paul wrote so long ago.

28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise. 29 But, as he who was born according to the flesh then persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, even so it is now. 30 Nevertheless what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.” 31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free. 1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. Galatians 4:28–5:1 (NKJV)

The Jewish mystical Kabbalah is quite concerned about proper pronunciations of the names of God in its pursuit of esoteric magical power. It teaches that such power is released when a person says the divine names accurately. Some Kabbalistic traditions hold that Moses parted the Red Sea by pronouncing the 72-letter name of God, something which is decidedly occult.

Therefore, a case can be made that an emphasis placed on properly pronouncing God’s Old Covenant proper name is more related to the Kabbalah than to the New Covenant.

Since neither Jesus nor the New Testament give us any name for God besides Abba Father, there is absolutely no reason to pursue this matter.

The name of Jesus, which is given to us in the New Testament, is written in Greek and is pronounced very much like English or Spanish. We do not need to go back to the Hebrew to get his name right. If that were so, the New Testament would have given us the Hebrew version, but it did not. Once again, we are being persuaded that there is some deeper truth to going back to Hebrew and Judaism. There is not.

The Jews, except for the remnant who have been born again through faith, continue to reject Jesus as the Messiah and Lord, which makes them “anti-Christ” in the simple definition of the word. Our Lord Jesus taught that the kingdom of God was taken from them and given to another people who would bear fruit. (Matthew 21:43) The new people to whom Jesus referred includes both Jew and Gentile who have become part of the “one new man” in Christ through the new birth. (Ephesians 2:15) This group is called the Israel of God, the bride of Christ – the church. I have written several articles on this very important topic. You can click here to see them.

God will be glorified through eternity through the church, not through those who refuse to acknowledge Christ.

20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20–21 (NKJV)

We are not to believe anyone who advocates a return to or reliance upon the Old Covenant or Old Testament for acquiring “deeper” knowledge about God and salvation not found in the New Testament. We are not to trust in any name but that of Jesus our Lord.