Yahwehs

Yahwehs is a term used in scholarly and encyclopedic contexts to refer to the name Yahweh as it appears in the Hebrew Bible, or to discuss the various textual attestations and aspects associated with the Israelite God identified by that name. The primary label for the God of Israel in the Hebrew Bible is the tetragrammaton YHWH, a four-letter Hebrew name traditionally considered sacred and to be pronounced only in certain liturgical contexts. In modern scholarship, the vocalization most often reconstruction is Yahweh, though the ancient pronunciation is not known with certainty. The form Jehovah emerged in later European Christian tradition from a mistaken combination of the consonants YHWH with the vowels of Adonai.

In biblical usage, Yahweh is associated with concepts of covenant, salvation, and kingship, and is often linked to epithets such as Yahweh of Hosts or Yahweh Elohim. The name appears throughout the Hebrew scriptures, in diverse literary contexts, and its reverence influenced Jewish reading practices, where vocalization shifted to substitutes like Adonai or Hashem.

As a topic of modern discussion, Yahwehs (plural) can indicate attention to the different occurrences, renderings, or theological emphases tied to the deity’s name across various books and traditions. The name itself is treated as a proper noun referring to the national God of Israel, though scholarly debates also address its origins, historical development, and the extent to which early Israelite religion was strictly monotheistic versus recognizing other divine beings in ancillary ways.

See also: YHWH, Tetragrammaton, Jehovah, Exodus 3:14.