|
|
|
|
 Malpaisillo, Nicaragua, 7 September 2016
¡Buenos días! I'm in Central America. Some people think countries like Nicaragua and Costa Rica are in South America -- but that's a different continent. From Panamá northward, it's North America. [End of geography lesson.]
The point of being here is to teach (and to visit family). Yesterday I spoke in Malpaisillo. Tonight, it's Managua, and Fri-Sun I'm in San José, Costa Rica.
|
|
Biblical Words Series:
N.T. Greek – O.T. Hebrew – O.T. Aramaic
|
|
YHWH
In the Old Testament, the two most common names for God are Elohim and Yahweh. The word Yahweh appears nearly 7000 times in the O.T.! Now I realize what some of you are thinking: "If it's so common, how come I've never seen Yahweh in my Old Testament?"
Well, that's because of a translation convention. I would wager that the foreword to your Bible explains that the word YHWH, the consonants for Yahweh, is rendered LORD (all capital letters). The Hebrew letters yod-heth-waw-heth are also called the Tetragrammaton (Greek for four letters).
Of course such a convention is confusing, first because LORD isn't a translation of Yahweh at all, and secondly because there is already a word for Lord, Adonai. I admit that when I read the Bible, I easily miss the subtle distinction between LORD and Lord. So what's the origin of this odd convention?
 Over the course of time, when the Jews saw YHWH, they spoke Adonai -- out of reverence for the name of God. Others would simply say ha-Shem (the name). Yet there's no verse in the Bible forbidding our use of the word Yahweh. Read also Q&A 0851 on The Name.
Yet even if we say Yahweh, pronouncing the Hebrew properly, are we sure we're on the right track? Actually, Yahweh isn't so much a name as one of his attributes. Yahweh comes from the verb to be, implying something about his (absolute?) existence. (If you are a website member, be sure to listen to the podcast on The Name of God.) We close with a few assorted thoughts:
- Elí, Elí, lema sabachthaní (Ἠλί, Ἠλί, λιμὰ σαβαχθανί), or My God, My God, why have you forsaken me has the word El (God), a shorter form of Elohim. The 'í' after the word means my. Thus Elí is my God.
- Hallelujah is composed of two words, the verb for praise and Jah, which is a shortened form of Yahweh. (The J is pronounced like a Y.) For a great article by Jerry Maday, click Hallelujah. In Latin, the word became alleluia, from the N.T. Greek 'allēlouïá.
- Jerry also has a great piece on Selah, the unusual word that appears in some of the Psalms.
- Consider the name of God in Isaiah 44:6, "the first and the last" -- equivalent to Jesus' name, "the Alpha and the Omega," in Revelation 21:6. He is the one who is, has always been, and always will be!
Next week: oikoumené. Not familiar? Prepare for some surprises.
|
|
ISRAEL 2017
Have you ever been to Israel, the land of the Bible? For the last two decades I've been organizing tours to the Bible lands -- Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, plus Italy, Greece and other nations where the events and culture of the Bible may be illuminated. The 2016 Israel tour has filled up, so next July Steve Kinnard (friend, preacher, and teacher, New York) and I will lead another.
You've thought about these locations for years; now's your chance to experience them -- or to experience them anew, if this will be a return visit. CLICK for full details.
|
|
Prayers
Tomorrow night I leave Nicaragua for Costa Rica. I appreciate your prayers for the current teaching trip. Thanks also to those who, after last week's nudge, decided to become members of the website.
In Him,
Douglas Jacoby
IBTM, T&R, AIM
DouglasJacoby.com
   
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
