YHVH

YHVH is the personal name of God in the Hebrew Bible, also known as the Tetragrammaton. It is composed of four Hebrew letters: Yod, He, Waw, and He. The exact pronunciation of YHVH is uncertain, as ancient Hebrew was written without vowels. For centuries, out of reverence, the name was not spoken aloud, and instead, the title Adonai (Lord) was substituted during public readings.

The etymology of YHVH is debated, but it is commonly linked to the Hebrew verb "to be" or "to exist." This suggests a meaning of "He who is" or "He who causes to be." The name appears frequently in the Torah, beginning with its first mention in Genesis. It signifies God's covenantal relationship with Israel and his active presence in history.

In Jewish tradition, the uttering of YHVH outside of specific ritual contexts is forbidden. This practice has led to various scholarly attempts to reconstruct the original pronunciation, with "Yahweh" being a widely accepted scholarly hypothesis. However, the name remains a sacred and profound aspect of Jewish theology and identity, representing the eternal, transcendent, and immanent nature of the divine. The Christian tradition also recognizes YHVH as the name of God, often transliterated as "Jehovah," though this form is less common in modern scholarship.