Is It Wrong to Call God “Yahweh”?

Sometimes you hear some people refer to the Lord as “Yahweh,” and if you feel a bit insecure in your relationship with Jesus or your spiritual gifts, you might feel like you are a second class christian. Should we refer to God as “Yahweh”?

The name of the Lord is given in the Hebrew Scriptures (our Old Testament) in Exodus 3 where Moses asks God “Who shall I say has sent me? What is your name?” The Lord replies: “I AM WHO I AM. Say this to the people of Israel: I AM has sent me to you.” (Exodus 3:14).

In written Hebrew, there were originally no vowels, just consonants. Later the scribes added small marks under each letter to indicate the vowels.

So the holy name of the Lord appears to us as just 4 letters in Hebrew, equivalent to YHWH. When reading the Scriptures, the Jewish people would not read out aloud the name of the Lord, but instead the word “Adonai” which means Lord. (In the Old Testament, this name of God is often translated into English as “THE LORD”.) To remind readers to say Adonai rather than any other name, the written text was given with the vowels for “Adonai.”

The truth is that nobody knows how YHWH should be pronounced. In modern times, the best guess, from the name revealed to Moses, is “Yahweh” which would give something of the meaning of “I am who I am”. It should be noted that the familiar name Jehovah was an attempt by German scholars to understand this name of God, which was imported from German into English.

So the modern pronunciation of “Yahweh” is simply an educated guess.

Here are some reasons why christians should not refer to God as “Yahweh.”

1. The Jews never said Yahweh when reading the Old Testament. It is unlikely that they addressed the Lord in prayer as Yahweh.

2. Jesus referred to God as Father, never as Yahweh. Not only this, He told His disciples to do likewise. "This, then, is how you should pray: "'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,” (Matthew 6:9)

3. The name of Jesus is a better name, even than Yahweh. It is the name above all names. In Philippians 2:9, Paul tells us, “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name.”

4. I always wonder about the motives of people who refer to God as “Yahweh.” They are often the same people who refer to Jesus by the Hebrew name of Yeshua. Are they trying to take us down the track of Old Testament legalism? Is there a sense of pride that they are more spiritual than other believers who do not use these names?

5. Jesus makes it clear in many places in the New Testament that the Lord does not care about the words we use in prayer. He sees the heart, not the outward appearances. If you heart is genuine in seeking the Lord, He will hear your prayers.

The use of the name Yahweh, I think, is misguided. Let us refer to the Lord with our favourite English words that express love and honour to Father, Son and Holy Spirit.