Part 1 Biblical Meaning and Implications for the Word "Name", Including Praying in the "Name" of Jesus, Part I

The Biblical meaning and implications for the word “Name” including Praying in the “Name” of Jesus (and other implications of the use of the “Name/Names” of God the Father and Jesus the Son)

Part I – Biblical meaning and implications for the word “Name” [Part 2 to be posted when complete – Praying in the “Name” of I AM Saves (YHsua, Jesu, Jesus)]

First, what is the Biblical meaning of the word, “name”?

Shm - In the Hebrew of the Old Testament (which is also the way the word/concept would have been used by Jesus and the disciples), the word shm means “name” – and signifies, not primarily the verbal sounds of the letters making up a “name” (as it might in English i.e. Fred) , but infers the nature/character/essence of someone/something.  Another statement related to the word’s derivation in Hebrew is: Shem is derived from the verb Shiym "to place" and carries the meaning of "position, rank, honor, fame, reputation and authority".  

An excellent synonym for the meaning of the word “name” would be identity.  One dictionary definition for the word identity targets this: identity - the fact of being who or what a person or thing is.

 Hence, going to the very important passage in the Old Testament where Moses asks God “Who shall I say sent me? (The way that Moses was to “identify”, both to the Israelites and later to Pharaoh, the nature/character/essence/identity of the being that was sending the message to them). 

Exodus 3:14 “And God answered unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM – YHWH (I AM WHO HAS ALWAYS EXISTED; I AM ALWAYS AM).  And He said, “Thus shalt thou say unto the sons of Israel: I AM has sent me unto you.”

He didn’t say:“Thus shalt thou say unto the sons of Israel: ‘The LORD has sent me unto you.” OR ‘God has sent me unto you.’ OR ‘Jehovah has sent me unto you.’

It seems to have been important to Him that He identify Himself (“to ALL generations”) using a “name” that would identify Him always according to an aspect of His core nature.

So sad that translators were caused (by Him) to undermine that intent (of course, with His Sovereignty, this would have always, in ways we do not yet understand, been ordained as part of His Plan).

So God’s “name” was not just the verbal letters/words assigned by Him about Himself.  Both Moses and God understood that the question and answer was about God’s identity (nature/character/essence) – who or what He was.

UNFORTUNATELY, in almost all Bible translations since the original Hebrew, which was rendered into Greek, then Latin and then into English in the long standing King James Version, the actual “name” with which God identified Himself to Moses (Exodus 3: 13-15) as a “memorial name" (nature/character) to the people of Israel, was taken out of almost all  translations, and in the approximately 5,500 instances in the Old Testament where YHWH occurs, the word “LORD” (in capital letters) was put in its place, stripping it of the meaning that God Himself revealed for it.  Even most current "literal" translations, including those that support Universal Reconciliation/Universal Salvation, generally continue this sad substitution.  See discussion below of a few English translations transliterate the Hebrew YHWH to Jehovah (or a variation thereof), continuing to omit the actual translation of God's memorial name.

The use of the word “LORD”, as a poor and inadequate substitute for YHWH, which should have been appropriately translated into the script as “I AM Always AM”, possibly comes from two sources.

1.       A myth that has existed in Judaism historically, and that continues to the present in many geographical locations and/or congregations, including modern day Israel, is that the personal “name” given by God to Moses was too “holy” to speak aloud.  And for hundreds of years the common Jew has been forbidden to use it verbally and often in writing, only the High Priest being allowed to utter it once a year.  This seems to me to contradict what God told Moses: “this is my name (nature/character) forever, and this is my memorial unto all generations."

 

A significant root cause for the erroneous concept of the “Name” being too “holy” speak or even write, may be that in the Hebrew alphabet, the four letters Y, H, W, and H, used to represent God’s name (nature/identity) are identified to be verbalized as “breath sounds”. In contrast, most of the other letters of the Hebrew alphabet have specific “pronounceable” sounds (like our English vowels and consonants).  Hence, the four letters Y-H-W-H would not be “pronounceable” as words that have specifically “pronounceable” sounds, but could, very interestingly, sound like breathing.

 

 Some translators, if they used the YHWH at all, rather than substituting the completely inaccurate word, LORD,  tried to make the “Name” pronounceable by inserting sounds that make the word pronounceable in English transliterating it into English (Ex: Jehovah, Yahweh, etc.) rather than translating it into English (I AM Always AM).  Again, as the word YHWH occurs approximately 5,500 times in the Old Testament, this is a HUGE error in omitting God’s apparent initial intent for revealing a specific core aspect of His nature/character to Israel (and hence to all humanity) for “all generations”.

 

Definition of transliterate versus translate:

Transliterate - to write words or letters in the characters of another alphabet.  Example of transliteration: Yeshua (Hebrew) transliterates as Jesu (Yay-su) into Latin or transliterates from the Hebrew as Joshua into English OR as another attempt to transliterate through the Latin, Jesu into the English Jesus (Gee sus).  Transliteration simply takes the sound of a word in one language and attempts to make it sound as closely as possible to the sound of the word in the original language.  It does NOT translate the word (give the meaning) from the original language into the secondary language.

 

Translate – to express the sense (meaning) of words or text from one language into another language.  Example of translation: Yeshua (Hebrew) translates into English as I AM Saves! NOT “JESUS”; Example of translation: YHWH – I AM Always AM/I AM who has Always Existed! NOT “JEHOVAH”!  AND CERTAINLY NOT “LORD”

 

Related Possibility for the concept of God’s name and His Breath:

A very startling and exciting place to go with this concept of God’s “memorial” name being breath sounds is to the Garden of Eden. The word in Greek for the “Spirit” of God, pneuma means “wind” and “breath”, and its’ parallels in the Old Testament “neshamah”, the “Breath of Life” that God breathed into Adam and the word for God's personal Spirit/Breath, "ruwach".   In Genesis 2:7 “Then the I AM Always AM (YHWH) Ruler (Adonai – Foundation, Master, Ruler) formed the man of dust of the ground [there is wordplay between “ground” (adama) and “man” (adam)] and blew into his nostrils the Breath of Life, and the man became a living soul/personhood (comprised of mind and emotions).”

 

So the quite extraordinary thought is that when God blew the Breath of Life into the man, was God breathing His OWN NAME into the man (THE breath sounds Y-H-W-H)?  I AM Always AM?  And given the concept of the second person of the Trinity, the Son, the Logos (The Living Word of God; the ACTION force of the Godhead that when God “spoke” anything into being, we understand that it was the accomplishing/action force (The Word) emanating from God’s “mouth” that accomplished that action) John 1:3 “ALL through Him came into [existence/be-ing] and without Him came into [existence/be-ing] not even one [thing] that came into [existence/be-ing].

 

So, what emanated from the Godhead (from God’s “mouth”, out of which His Word is spoken) into man’s nostrils that brought man into existence as a living being?  What came from God’s “mouth” was: The Breath of Life, The Logos (The Living Word of God), God the Son (the action, creating form of the Godhead), who was “spoken” forth from the Godhead as The I AM Saves (Yahsua/YHsua – Jesus) nature/aspect of the Godhead.  Who is also "I AM the Life."ie the I AM Always AM Word of God spoken/breathed into Adam, also known as I AM Saves (Jesus).

 

And what were the specifics of the form of the “Word” that was breathed into man? Y-H-W-H “I AM Always AM”.  Breath sounds (remember, the "Holy, Greek -Set apart for special use/unique, Spirit is also translated as Wind and Breath)

 

Using His "memorial name", God defined many additional "nuances" of His nature to the Israelites: I AM Always AM (YHWH): Your Strong Tower, Your Banner, Your Provider, Your Healer, Your Shepherd, Your Righteousness, Your Peace, Your Light, Your Savior, Your Rock, and I AM Always AM There -  As well as many others.  Again unfortunately (except that God has ordained ALL that EVER occurs as part of His Plan), these names were also incorrectly transliterated: the YHWH as Jehovah or similar transliterations (Jehovah Rapha – I AM Always AM your Healer) and the characteristic of Healer transliterated as Rapha, rather than giving them the beauty that God gave them in expressing more of His attributes/nature/character to the Israelites by accurately translating, rather than inaccurately transliterating them.

 

2.       A second likely source of the use of the word “LORD”, as a poor and inadequate substitute for YHWH in most of the 5,500 occurrences in the Old Testament is again the prejudices/misperceptions of the translators. Those who translated from the Hebrew Old Testament into the Greek Septuagint version, apparently following the tradition of not writing or uttering the YHWH, likely used both the Hebrew word, “adonai” and the Greek word, “kurios” to justify their search for a substitute for YHWH. 

 

Adonai by itself is not really a proper name but rather a title like “Sir”, Doctor, “Madam”, Mr./Mrs. It is used to show deference or respect for someone’s position/autiority.  It literally means 'mister' or my lord, master or owner (and has additional roots in its meaning related to “fundamental/foundational, father).  So Adonai YHWH could translate literally as “Mister/Owner I AM Always Am.”  So “adonai” when combined with God’s personal, memorial name, “I AM Always Am” (YHWH), added an address of additional respect to His memorial name.

 

The New Testament Greek, “kurios” (“owner, master, lord [of the feudal manor], sovereign, supreme ruler, potentate) came into the New Testament in English as Lord (first letter incorrectly capitalized) a translation choice related to the authority of the lord of the feudal manor.  BUT it incorrectly picked up the idea, through years of usage, as inferring diety, which it never possessed in the original Greek.  The word for God in Greek is “theos”, and is the Greek word that references the characteristic of deity. 

 

Because the word “Lord” in the New Testament has been so misinterpreted as referring to the characteristic of diety rather than authority (ownership, control, rule), it is has been exciting to me to select a different choice from the meanings for “kurios” that I believe is much truer to the original meaning.  I use “Owner” where “Lord” has been translated from “kurios”.  And I find new and heightened meaning and power from this translation of the original into English.

 

Some scriptural examples of accurately translating YHWH in the Old Testament and “kurios” in the New Testament:

 

Old Testament: (accurately translating rather than transliterating God’s “memorial” name)

·         Exodus 15:26 “For I am I AM ALWAYS AM, your Healer.”

·         Psalm 23:1 “I AM Always AM is my Shepherd.  I have no lack.”

·         Isaiah 45:6-7 “I am I AM Always AM and there is no other, forming light and creating darkness; making well-being and creating calamity; I, I AM Always AM do all these things.

 

New Testament: (dropping the word “Lord”, to omit the erroneous historical trappings of diety, incorrectly connected to the translation of “kurios”, rather than the correct implication of authority)

·         John 13:13 “You call me the teacher and the Owner/Master.  And you say well, for I am.” (Interestingly logical that Jesus is referring to Himself also as the eternal "I AM" as He does in other passages.)

·         John 21:17 [Peter speaking] “Owner/Master, you perceive all things.  You know that I love you.”

·         John 20:28  “And Thomas answered and said to him, “My Owner/Master and my God (Gr for God: theos – which actually does express diety, whereas Kurios does not)!

Summary: A New Practice for using the accurate names of the Godhead (Suggestions/thoughts – and You may have more):

So, as individuals and fellowships, how can we begin to use the names of God accurately (including the name of the action entity of the Godhead, the Word of God, through whom God accomplished the reconciliation/salvation/rescue of Adam’s Race: I AM Saves (YHsua, Jesu, Jesus)?

•    When we read the word "name" in the Old or New Testament, or talk about God's "Name(s)" substitute the word "Identity", "Nature", Character, etc.

·         When we address the persons of the Godhead aloud or use their names personally in prayer, thought, etc., use their accurate and actual names

·         When we read scripture, as much as possible, substitute their accurate/actual names for their transliterated inaccurate names

·         Teach others the reasons for the historical inaccuracy and the beauty clarity and deep truths in returning to the accurate names

·         As God provides opportunity, encourage/support efforts to produce written translations that use the accurate names

·         Keep the accurate names in mind as you read hymns/songs/literature that may not use the accurate names

• An addition: 2/26/17 An important "name" that I accidentally omitted from this article in Part I and I will include more in Part II is that, in the New Testament when the disciples asked I AM Saves (YHSUA- Jesus) how to pray, He began: "Our Father".  In another scripture, I AM Saves (YHSUA) addressed the First Person of the Trinity as "Abba" - close to our English word for "Daddy".  So, where I AM Always AM (YHWH) gave the that "name" as a memorial name (identity) to the Jews and to all generations, Jesus gave us the understanding of God's character /nature/identity in an even more personal way in the New Testament, as it relates not only to Jesus himself, as "Father"/"Daddy" but for us also since ALL humanity is in Him (Acts 17:28 "In Him we live and exist and are moved about.") And that is possibly an even more important name for us because it shows us our character/nature/identity in relationship to YHWH. JA

 

Note from June:  It will likely take me several more weeks of work to get Part 2 of this article posted: Praying in the "Name" of Jesus.  But I hope I have "wetted" your appetite.