י-הוה ₆₈₂₃ i.e. יַהְוֶה n.pr.dei Yahweh, the proper name of the God of Israel – ( 1. MT יְהוָֹה (Qr אֲדֹנָי), or יֱהוִֹה (Qr אֱלֹהִים), in the combinations אדני י-הוה & י-הוה אדני (vid. אֲדֹנָי), and with prep. בַּיהוָֹה, לַיהוָֹה, מֵיהוָֹה (Qr בַּאדֹנָי, לַאדֹנָי, מֵאדֹנָי), do not give the original form. G and other Vrss follow the Qr. On the basis of Ex 20:6 Lv 24:11 י-הוה was regarded as a nomen ineffabile (vid. Philo de Vita Mosis iii, 519, 529), called by the Jews הַשֵּׁם and by the Samaritans שׁימא. The pronunciation Jehovah was unknown until 1520, when it was introduced by Galatinus; but it was contested by Le Mercier, J. Drusius, and L. Capellus, as against grammatical and historical propriety (cf. Bö ⁸⁸). The traditional Ἰαβέ of Theodoret and Epiphanius, the ־יָהוּ, יְהוֹ־ of compound n.pr. and the contracted form יָהּ, all favour יַהְוֶה (cf. יַהֲלֹמ֑וּן Ps 74:6; תַּהֲרוּ Is 33:11), v. Lag ^{i. 14} Baudissin ^{i. 179 ff.}; Dr ^{i. 1 ff.} For Jeve v. Sta ^{1881, 346} De ^{ib. 1882, 173 f. & Gn. Excurs. ii}.

2. on liter. of interpret. v. Nes ⁶⁷ Dr. – Many recent scholars explain יַהְוֶה as Hiph. of הוה ( = היה) the one bringing into being, life-giver (cf. הַוָּה Gn 3:20) Schr HSch; giver of existence, creator, Kue Tiele; he who brings to pass (so already Le Clerc), performer of his promises, Lag, Nes ⁸⁸ (but Nes ⁹¹ inclines to Qal as RS^{Brit. & For. Ev. Rev.} v. infr.); or from הוה he who causes to fall, rain or lightning RS ^{ed. 1, 423; om. ed. 2, 245}, cf. We ^{iii. 175}; ‘Fäller,’ destroying foes, Sta ^{i. 429} (dubiously). But most take it as Qal of היה ( = היה); the one who is: i.e. the absolute and unchangeable one, Ri; the existing, ever-living, as self-consistent and unchangeable, Di; or the one ever coming into manifestation as the God of redemption, De Oehl; cf. also RS^{Brit. & For. Ev. Rev. 1876}, he will be it, i.e. all that his servants look for (cf. Ew), he will approve himself (give evidence of being, assert his being Dr ¹⁷).) theories of non-Heb. or non-Sem. origin. opposed (in their older forms) by Bau ^{i. 181 ff. ( especially 230)}; Dl ^{162 ff.} claimed Bab. origin for יהו, against this Kue^{National religions, etc., Note iv ( 329 ff.)} Jastr ^{xiii (1894), 103 f.} cf. Hpt ^{i. 170 N}; Dl ^{Babel u. Bibel, 46 f., 73 f.} makes same claim for י-הוה, agst. this v. especially Hirsch ^{xxiii (1903), 355 ff.} Zim ^{3, 465 ff.}; Spiegelberg ^{liii (1899), 633 ff.} proposes (improb.) Egyptian etymol. for י-הוה; further discussions see in Kö ^{Names, § 112 and 3}. ‘Jehovah’ found in Jacob (? Johann.) Wessel (* 1480), according to Schwally^{, 1905, col. 612}.

I. י-הוה is given Ex 3:12–15 as the name of the God who revealed Himself to Moses at Horeb, and is explained thus: אֶהְיֶה עִמָּ֑ךְ I shall be with thee (v 12), which is then implied in אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה I shall be the one who will be it v 14a (i.e. with thee v 12) and then compressed into אֶהְיֶה v 14b (i.e. with thee v 12), which then is given in the nominal form י-הוה He who will be it v 15 (i.e. with thee v 12). Cf. Ew ^{ii. 337, 338} RS^{, Proph. 385 ff.} Other interpretations are: I am he who I am, i.e. it is no concern of yours (Le Clerc Lag^{Psalt. Hieron. 156}); I am, (this is my name), inasmuch as I am (אֲשֶׁר = כִּי; AE JDMich We^{JD xxi, 540 72}); Di al. I am who I am, he who is essentially unnameable, inexplicable. – In post-exilic writers gradually falls into disuse, and is supplanted by אלהים and אדני. In Job it is used 31 t. in prose parts, and 12:9 (a proverb); not elsewhere in the poem. Chr apart from his sources prefers אלהים and האלהים. Dn uses י-הוה only in chap. 9 (7 t.); Ec not at all. It occurs as the name of Israel’s God MI ¹⁸. It is doubtful whether it was used by other branches of the Shemitic family, cf. COT Gn 2:4b Dl ^{158 ff.} Dr ^{i. 7 ff.}

II.

1. י-הוה is used with אלהים with or without suffs.
a. with אֱלֹהֶיךָ in the Ten Words Ex 20:2–12 (5 t.) = Dt 5:6-16; in the law of worship, Ex 23:19; 34:24, 26; Dt 234 t. Jos 1:9, 17; 9:9, 24; elsewhere Gn 27:20 Ex 15:26, Ju 6:26; S & K 20 t. 1 Ch 11:2; 22:11, 12 2 Ch 9:8⁽⁺⁾; 16:7 Is 7:11; 37:4⁽⁺⁾; 41:13; 43:3; 51:15; 55:5 Je 40:2 + (3 t.) Ho 12:10; 13:4; 14:2 Am 9:15 Ps 81:11.
b. with אֱלֹהֵיכֶם Ex 23:25; 8:24; 10:8, 16, 17; Ju 6:10 1 S 12:12, 14 2 K 17:39; 23:21 1 Ch 22:18 + (10 t. Chr) Ps 76:12 Je 13:16 + (5 t.) Ez 20:5, 7, 19, 20 Jo 2:13 + (6 t.) Zc 6:15.
c. with אֱלֹהֵינוּ Ex 8:6 Ex 3:18; 5:3; 8:22, 23; 10:25, 26 Ju 11:24 1 S 7:8 1 K 8:57, 59, 61, 65 2 K 18:22; 19:19 = Is 36:7; 37:20, 1 Ch 13:2 + (15 t. Chr) Mi 4:5; 7:17 Is 26:13 Je 3:22 + (17 t.) Ps 20:8; 90:17 (?; Baer אֲדנָי) 94:23; 99:5, 8, 9⁽⁺⁾; 105:7; 106:47; 113:5; 122:9; 123:2 Dn 9:10, 13, 14.
d. c. אֱלֹהֵיהֶם Ex 10:7 Ex 29:46⁽⁺⁾ Lv 26:44 Ju 3:7; 8:34 1 S 12:9 1 K 9:9 2 K 17:7, 9, 14, 16, 19; 18:12 2 Ch 31:6; 33:17; 34:33 Ne 9:3⁽⁺⁾, 4 Je 3:21; 22:9; 30:9; 43:1⁽⁺⁾ 50:4 Ez 28:26; 34:30; 39:22, 28 Ho 1:7; 3:5; 7:10 Zp 2:7 Hag 1:12⁽⁺⁾ Zc 9:16; 10:6.
e. with אֱלֹהָיו Nu 23:21 Ex 32:11 Lv 4:22 Dt 17:19; 18:7 1 S 30:6 1 K 5:17; 11:4; 15:3, 4 2 K 5:11; 16:2 2 Ch 1:1 + 13 t. Chr; Mi 5:3 Je 7:28 Ps 33:12; 144:15; 146:5 Jon 2:2.
f. with אֱלֹהַי Nu 22:18 Dt 4:5; 18:16; 26:14 Jos 14:8, 9 2 S 24:24 1 K 3:7; 5:18, 19; 8:28; 17:20, 21 1 Ch 21:17; 22:7 2 Ch 2:3; 6:19 Ezr 7:28; 9:5 Ps 7:2, 4; 13:4; 18:29; 30:3, 13; 35:24; 40:6; 104:1; 109:26 Is 25:1 Je 31:17 Dn 9:4, 20 Jon 2:7 Hab 1:12 Zc 11:4; 13:9; 14:5.
g. with אֱלֹהַיִךְ Is 60:9 Je 2:17, 19; 3:13 Mi 7:10 Zp 3:17.
h. with אלהים, probably always due to later editors, or to a Qr which has crept into the text Gn 2:4b – 3:23 Ex 9:30 (but not in G Sam.; Sam. אדני י-הוה; possibly MT from earlier Qr, & Sam. from later Qr); 2 S 7:22, 25 (G אדני י-הוה and 1 Ch 17:20–23 only י-הוה); 1 Ch 17:16, 17 (but 2 S 7:18, 19 אדני י-הוה) 1 Ch 28:20; 29:1 2 Ch 1:9; 6:41⁽⁺⁾, 42; 26:18 (but in the original Ps 132:8 stood י-הוה (so ℌ), or else no divine name); Ps 72:18 (the late doxology) 84:12 (but it makes the line too long); Jon 4:6. For the combinations with other divine names see those names.

2. the phrase *אֲנִי י-הוה is noteworthy:
a. after אמר either alone Ex 6:2, 29 or before relative and other clauses: Gn 28:13 15:7 Ex 6:6 with אלהיכם Ju 6:10 Ez 20:5.
b. after ידע כי (α) Ex 7:17; 8:18; 10:2; Ex 7:5; 14:4, 18; 1 K 20:13, 28 Je 24:7 Ez 6:7 + 4:8 t. Ez; (β) with אלהיכם Ex 6:7; 16:12 Dt 29:5 Ez 20:20 Jo 4:17; (γ) with אלהיהם Ex 29:46 Ez 28:26; 34:30; 39:22, 28; (δ) before relative and other clauses Is 45:3; 49:23, 26; 60:16 Ez 7:9; 17:24; 21:10; 22:22; 35:12; 36:36; (ε) with various forms of קדשׁ Ex 31:13 Ez 20:12; 37:28; 39:7; (ζ) with דברתי Ez 5:13; 17:21, cf. יֵדְעוּ אשׁר אני י׳ Ez 20:26.
c. after כִּי in various combinations Lv 11:44, 45 Nu 35:34, Lv 20:7, 26; 21:8, 15, 23; 22:16; 24:22; 25:17; 26:1, 44; Ex 15:26 Is 41:13; 43:3; 61:8; Je 9:23 Ez 12:25; 21:4 Zc 10:6 Mal 3:6.
d. emphatic Ex 6:8; 12:12 Lv 26:2, 45 Nu 3:13, 41, 45; Lv 18:5, 6, 21; 19:12, 14, 16, 18, 28, 30, 32, 37; 21:12; 22:2, 3, 8, 30, 31, 33 Is 43:15; with אלהיהם Ex 29:46; with אלהיךָ Is 48:17; with אלהיכם Lv 23:43; 25:38, 55 Nu 10:10; 15:41⁽⁺⁾ Lv 18:2, 4, 30; 19:2, 3, 4, 10, 25, 31, 34, 36; 20:24; 23:22; 26:13 Ez 20:7, 19 Jo 2:27; with מְקַדֵּשׁ Lv 20:8; 22:9, 32, with דברתי Nu 14:35 Ez 5:15 + (11 t. Ez); with clauses Is 27:3; 41:4, 17; 42:6, 8; 45:5, 6, 7, 8, 18, 19, 21; 60:22 Je 17:10; 32:27 Ez 14:4, 7, 9; 34:24; *אָנֹכִי י-הוה is used in the Ten Words Ex 20:2, 5 = Dt 5:6, 9 cited Ps 81:11 Ho 12:10; 13:4; elsewhere only Ex 4:11 Is 43:11; 44:24; 51:15.

3. י-הוה is also used with several predicates, to form sacred names of holy places of Yahweh י-הוה יראה Gn 22:14; י-הוה נסי Ex 17:15 י-הוה שׁלום Ju 6:24 י-הוה צדקנו Je 33:16 (cf. 23:6 where it is applied to the Messiah); י-הוה שָׁ֑מָּה Ez 48:35. – On combinations such as הַר י׳, י׳ צְבָאוֹת etc., v. הַר, צָבָא, etc.

Note. – Bonk ^{1891, 126 ff.} seems to show that as prefix, in comp. n.pr., יְהוֹ is the oldest and the latest form and that יוֹ is intermediate, belonging to the earlier post-exilic period until the time of Chr; occasional copyists’ mistakes being taken into the account.

This dictionary is a modified version of: F. Brown, S. R. Driver, and C. A. Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Oxford, 1906). Comments and corrections can be sent to us at: support@alhatorah.org