AncientWord

I've always wondered. Who is God? What is his most glorified Name? Why do we have several names of God such as the LORD, Lord, King, Jehovah, Yahweh, YHWH, Nissi, Roi amongst others?

It is fascinating that sometimes we don't really know the name of GOD. We worship him yet we are not sure who he is. Is any of the names wrong? Certainly NOT.

However,

Among the most sacred declarations in the Bible is Exodus 3:15, where God reveals His eternal name to Moses:

"God also said to Moses, 'Say to the Israelites, "YHWH, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you." This is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation.'" (Exodus 3:15, Hebrew word-to-word rendering)

Yet, for centuries, this name—YHWH (often vocalized as "Yahweh")—has been hidden under substitutions like "the LORD" or "Adonai." While often done out of reverence, this practice has led to the near-erasure of the very name God instructed His people to remember forever. This article seeks to trace the theological and historical journey of God's name, examine how and why it was lost from common usage, and ultimately show how Jesus, the Son of God, restores access to the Divine Name for all who believe.

1. The Revelation of the Name: YHWH in Exodus 3

In Exodus 3, God introduces Himself not merely by title but by name. When Moses asks, "What is His name? What shall I say to them?" (Ex. 3:13), God replies with two profound declarations:

• "I AM WHO I AM" (Ex. 3:14, Hebrew: Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh)

• "YHWH... this is My name forever" (Ex. 3:15)

YHWH, spelled with the four Hebrew consonants yod-heh-vav-heh (יהוה), is known as the Tetragrammaton. Its root is linked to the Hebrew verb "to be" (היה), suggesting God's eternal, self-existent nature. In declaring this name, God was not giving Moses a title like "the Almighty" or "the Lord." He was offering an intimate, covenantal identifier. This name was to be known, invoked, and remembered through all generations.

2. The Gradual Silencing of the Name

Despite God's command to use His name, by the Second Temple period (post-exilic Judaism), the pronunciation of YHWH was increasingly avoided. Out of concern for violating the Third Commandment (“You shall not misuse the name of YHWH your God” – Ex. 20:7), religious leaders instituted a protective tradition:

• Instead of reading "YHWH," they would say "Adonai" (Lord) or "HaShem" (the Name).

• In Greek translations (e.g., the Septuagint), "YHWH" was rendered as "Kyrios" (Lord).

• This became entrenched in Christian translations, most notably the Latin Vulgate and later English Bibles (KJV, NIV, etc.) where "YHWH" is consistently replaced with "the LORD" (all caps).

While this may have been motivated by reverence, the result was the effective removal of God's personal name from Scripture in practice. Instead of reading, "YHWH is my shepherd" (Psalm 23:1), readers saw only, "The LORD is my shepherd."

Each name as we know them has a meaning but are they the real name? The LORD/Lord means master coming from the hebrew word Adonai. Immediately the second temple was destroyed, the Jews feared calling the real name of God, YHWH. They were right, traditionally, the high priests were responsible for calling this name in the holy of holies - now imagine a situation where the place is not accessible and has been desecrated. 

Moreover, they feared breaking the third commandment that prohibited using the name of God for unworthy circumstances. They therefore coined names such as Hashem (the Name) or Adonai (Master) became more common such that in their gatherings, whenever they met "YHWH" in their readings, they replaced it with Adonai or Hashem.

3. What Was Lost: Theological and Relational Richness

Replacing YHWH with "the LORD" introduces several problems:

• Loss of specificity: "Lord" is a title and can refer to any superior figure. YHWH is a unique, covenantal name.

• Broken continuity: It obscures the link between Exodus 3:14 ("I AM") and 3:15 ("YHWH"), where the name is rooted in God's eternal being.

• Suppression of the divine self-revelation: God explicitly said, "This is My name forever."

Moreover, the emotional and relational aspect of calling upon YHWH is lost. Scripture repeatedly emphasizes calling upon the name of YHWH (e.g., Joel 2:32, Psalm 116:4), not simply a title. 

In short, they replaced someone's name with a title. While that is not wrong but imagine someone permanently replacing your name "John" with Mr. It's respectful but that's not your name. And at one point or another, you gonna wanna hear you name. Right?

4. Jesus and the Restoration of the Name

Jesus (Hebrew: יֵשּׁוּע / Yeshua) literally means "YHWH saves." His name itself contains and proclaims the divine name, affirming that He is both representative of and one with the God of Israel.

Jesus makes this even clearer:

"I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world..." (John 17:6) "I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known..." (John 17:26)

These are not abstract statements. Jesus came to restore access to God's name—not just the knowledge of His power, but His personal identity. In the tearing of the veil at His death (Matthew 27:51), Jesus removed the barrier not just to the Holy of Holies, but to the Name itself.

Jesus the restorer tore the veil. He allowed the children of Israel to access the holy of holies without a high preist. Mmh, think of that for a second. So while on the high priest were commonly calling the name, a key was granted. Everyone could call him. Now compound it  with Jesus, whose name means Yahweh saves, gave us his name; a highly exalted name that every knee shall bow and toungue shall confess, he is the LORD - he is YHWH.

5. A Royal Priesthood and the Reclaiming of the Name

Peter declares:

"You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood..." (1 Peter 2:5) "You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you..." (1 Peter 2:9)

Under the Old Covenant, only priests could speak the divine name in the temple. Under the New Covenant, every believer becomes a priest through Christ. Therefore:

• We are authorized to call upon YHWH.

• We are empowered to proclaim His Name.

• We are invited to restore what was hidden.

This is not merely theological theory—it is a return to the fullness of divine relationship.

6. Restoring the Name in Scripture and Worship

The faithful response is not to continue the silence, but to recover what God declared eternal.

• In Bible translation: YHWH should be preserved where it occurs in the original Hebrew, with footnotes explaining its meaning and significance.

• In teaching: The church must reintroduce YHWH as the living, relational God who covenants with His people.

• In worship: Songs and prayers may use Yahweh or Jehovah (a later Latinized form), but always with the understanding that this is the God who was, who is, and who always will be.

Conclusion: Jesus Reopens What Religion Closed

Through fear or tradition, the name YHWH was buried under titles. But Jesus came not only to reconcile sinners, but to restore what religion had lost:

• The presence of God

• The intimacy with God

• The Name of God

To follow Jesus is to know the One who said, "Before Abraham was, I AM" (John 8:58), echoing the very name revealed in Exodus. To call Him Savior is to declare that YHWH saves.

Therefore, let us:

• Proclaim YHWH’s name as Jesus did

• Call upon YHWH as the prophets did

• And restore the glory of the Name that was never meant to be hidden, but known from generation to generation.

"This is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation." (Exodus 3:15)