In the Torah, we are given the consonant letters Yod-Hey-Vav-Hey, (יהוה). However, they could be pronounced with a number of different vowel combinations. The purpose of this article is to explore these letters and try to establish the correct pronunciation. A couple of introductory Hebrew rules will be valuable to the reader in this pursuit:
- Hebrew words are usually pronounced with an emphasis on the final syllable especially where there are three or fewer syllables. The word Adonai (lord), for example, which is commonly used in lieu of the name, is often mispronounced adOnai, when it should be pronounced adonAI. Rabbinic Jews, especially the Ashkenazic or European tradition of Judaism have perverted the emphasis and pronunciation of many Hebrew words.
- Each consonant must relate to a vowel of some form or another, even a silent one; a vowel must either precede or proceed from each consonant letter.
The Masoretes inform us that the attached vowels are the sh'va ("eh") (in some places the chateph segol which makes a similar "eh" sound), cholam ("Oh"), and patach ("ah") attached to the first three letters respectively.
Our first challenge here is whether the the vav is a vowel or a consonant. There is no question in the pronunciation of the name more controversial than the vav, as it has not one but two degrees of controversy. First, in modern Hebrew the vav is sometimes used as a vowel to indicate an "oh" (cholam) or "ooh" (shuruk) sound. Examples of very ancient Hebrew (the Gezer Calendar and the Siloam Inscription are two examples) are written without any vowels, and do not use the vav as a vowel even in the places where later Hebrew spelling would require it.
From this evidence, archaeologists and historians have developed the currently accepted understanding of ancient Hebrew that only the consonants were written, and that the vav was not in use as a vowel in ancient times. Based on this evidence, it may be assumed that Yuah, Yoah, and similar pronunciations are incorrect, as they rely upon the use the of vav as a vowel.
The presence of the vav as a vowel in modern copies of the scriptures is likely the result of various scribes "correcting" the copies to adjust them to newer rules of Hebrew grammar and spelling. This was not done to tamper with the scriptures, but rather to make them more accessible to Hebrew readers in their time. These scribes had no way of knowing that the more ancient copies of the scriptures would be lost and we would be left with their corrections and no way to discern them from the original.
The second controversy surrounding the vav arises from whether it originally was a "v" or a "w." Many scholars and religious thinkers point to the fact that there is no "v" sound present in the languages comprising the Western Semitic Family (Arabic, as an example). They argue that the vav and vet (the two "v" consonants in Hebrew) came to be pronounced as they currently are when the Jews lived in ancient Persia. In Persian, and likewise in modern Farsi, the "w" sound is pronounced as a "v" (much like German), so the Jews may have picked up this way of pronouncing these consonants.
However, proponents of the waw overlook several possibilities:
The second controversy surrounding the vav arises from whether it originally was a "v" or a "w." Many scholars and religious thinkers point to the fact that there is no "v" sound present in the languages comprising the Western Semitic Family (Arabic, as an example). They argue that the vav and vet (the two "v" consonants in Hebrew) came to be pronounced as they currently are when the Jews lived in ancient Persia. In Persian, and likewise in modern Farsi, the "w" sound is pronounced as a "v" (much like German), so the Jews may have picked up this way of pronouncing these consonants.
However, proponents of the waw overlook several possibilities:
- It is possible that some or all of these ancient languages had a "v" sound that ceased to be pronounced that way at some point in history
- Our modern assumptions regarding the pronunciation of some of their letters may be incorrect
- Many academics reject the biblical idea that the ancient Hebrews actually originated in Sumer, now southern Iraq. In this region there were several languages that had or may have had a "v" sound including the Elamites, predecessors of the Persians. Academic scholars often reject much of the Torah's contents as mere legends made up by later Israelites in the Kingdoms of Yisrael and Yehudah (Israel and Judah) in the Ninth Century BCE or after the Babylonian Exile circa the Fifth or Fourth Centuries BCE. As a result they do not consider the possibility that the vav may have been pronounced as a "v" and not as a "w" throughout the biblical age.
Now the investigation turns to the vowels themselves. The first syllable of the name given us by the Masoretes is Ye'. The vowel here is the sh'va, which is often silent, except where it is the first syllable of a word, or when the consonant letter carries a dagesh (a small dot that can effect the letter's pronunciation). In many Hebrew words that are three-syllables or longer the sh'va is used at the beginning to allow for an easier emphasis on the final syllable. As an example: B'ReiSHiYT בראשית ("in the Beginning" and the Hebrew name of the book of Genesis) starts with a sh'va; it is pronounced: b'reishEET, essentially comprising of 2 and a half syllables; where the root reish-sheen רש means "first," the prefix bet ב means "in," and the suffix yod-tov ית_ indicates "of" (a mechanical translation is literally "in the first of"). This example is a good demonstration of the typical Hebrew practice of building a word out of a base root with addition of prefixes and suffixes to apply the root concept to various specific ideas or things. How might this system apply to the name?
The name of G-d itself is a variation on the verb "to be" in Hebrew: I am EH'YeH אהיה. In Shemot (Exodus) 3:14 YHVH describes himself to Moshe (Moses) as "I am that I am:" EH'YeH ASHeR EH'YeH אהיה אשר אהיה. When one examines three other conjugations of the verb he will find some compelling evidence about the name's pronunciation: the future tense, "He will be," of the verb "to be" is Ye'HiY יהי; the gerund "He is being" is HoVeH הוה; and the past tense "He was" is HaYaH היה.
The consonants yod-hei YH יה are found in both the present and future tenses. They also contain the root YaH for "lord." Ho'V is the next syllable, which is from the gerund and is followed by the "aH" which is at the end of the past tense. This reading based upon the past, present, and future tenses of the verb "to be" (EH'YeH אהיה) renders the pronunciation Ye'Ho'VaH. A translation of the name is more complex. A thorough and accurate translation would be "He is the lord who will be, is being, and has been." A translation that offers us a sentence instead of a word. Perhaps the word "eternal" would be most accurate single word translation. The name seems to be as much a title as it is a name, given to help man relate to the universal personality.
Some variation is still possible, however. The first hei ה in the name can serve two purposes: it could complete the syllable Ye'H or it could commence a new syllable. Hebrew consonants that are intended to end a syllable have the Sh'va vowel to indicate this (the alef א and ayin ע, Hebrew's silent consonants, are exceptions to this rule). The name "Yitz'chak" יצחק (Isaac) is a good example of syllables in Hebrew. The tzadik צ, the second letter of Yitz'chak, carries a sh'va to indicate that it concludes the first syllable ("yitz") and does not itself begin another. Otherwise, the name might be pronounced "Yi'tzachak" or "Yitzechak." The kof ק at the end of the word does not require a sh'va as it ends the word, this is an example of how consonants at the conclusion of a word do not require a sh'va. Typically, when the first letter of or prefix to a word carries the sh'va, it is to indicate that the next letter begins the first full syllable. It seems clear from this evidence that this hei carries a vowel and commences a syllable.
This eliminates the version of the name ever popular among academic scholars: YaH'WeH, as this pronunciation relies on the first hei carrying no vowel, but instead acting as the completion of the first syllable. This theory also presupposes that the Masoretes reversed the proper vowels in order to prevent anyone from speaking the name, a preconception that is almost certainly not the case.
An early Greek transliteration offers: Ioue (ee-oh-weh). This is the also a basis for the academic transliterations of the name which center on one version or another of YaH'WeH. Here the "i" sound at the beginning is a Greek attempt to mimic the Hebrew "y" sound. Ancient Greek lacks a "v" sound, as a result this offers us no help on the vav/waw question. This was an attempt by Greek speakers to copy the name into Greek so it could be pronounced by Greeks, it does not give us any definitive answers concerning the Hebrew. Some believe that the word adonai, used to as a substitute for the name, carries the same vowels but uses different consonants. This is also misleading and no evidence supports this conclusion. In both cases, however, we have an "oh" as the second vowel. I see this, taken with the evidence regarding the three conjugations of "to be," as a strong hint that the second vowel is "oh," rendering Ye'Ho' for the first two syllables of the name.
Academics hold that the final vowel is "eh." This is one of those areas where conflict arises between those who learn a tradition from the outside and those who practice that tradition as a community. The Torah is full of poetry and rhymes called Hebraisms. It is intended to flow like poetic verse. One section where this is certainly the case is in the Song of the Sea rendered in Shemot (Exodus) 15:1-18. The song is a poem about what YHVH did for the Israelites in preventing the Egyptians from crossing the Yom Suf (Sea of Reeds). The following is a transliteration of a section of the beginning of the song (emphasis is included from the rhythm of the song):
Shemot (Exodus) 15:1-3
"...ashirAH l'adonAI, kiy gao gaAH, sus vayrochvo ramAH ba'yam
aziy vezimrat yAH, vayhi-liy li'shuAH, zeh e'liy v'anveHU, elohey aviy va'arom'menHU,
adonAI ish milchamAH, adonAI shemo."
Notice a poetic pattern? The first stanza is: AH-AI-AH-AH, the second is: AH-AH-HU-HU, and the third: AI-AH-AI. As much as possible the words are arranged to end in the syllable AH. Suppose we make this vowel the final vowel in the name of G-d. How does the song sound now?
"...ashirAH l'ayhovAH, kiy gao gaAH, sus vayrochvo ramAH ba'yam
Notice a poetic pattern? The first stanza is: AH-AI-AH-AH, the second is: AH-AH-HU-HU, and the third: AI-AH-AI. As much as possible the words are arranged to end in the syllable AH. Suppose we make this vowel the final vowel in the name of G-d. How does the song sound now?
"...ashirAH l'ayhovAH, kiy gao gaAH, sus vayrochvo ramAH ba'yam
aziy vezimrat yAH, vayhi-liy li'shuAH, zeh e'liy v'anveHU, elohey aviy va'arom'menHU
yehovAH ish milchamAH, yehovAH shemo."
It looks a little different doesn't it? The rhymes are stronger, the rhythm more concrete. It is more satisfying. From this example, and there are more like it, I believe the rhymes strongly indicate an "ah" vowel at the end of the name. Academic scholars are simply unaware of this need for rhyme because they do not sing the Song of the Sea in Hebrew every week (on Shabbat) as Karaite Jews do.
It looks a little different doesn't it? The rhymes are stronger, the rhythm more concrete. It is more satisfying. From this example, and there are more like it, I believe the rhymes strongly indicate an "ah" vowel at the end of the name. Academic scholars are simply unaware of this need for rhyme because they do not sing the Song of the Sea in Hebrew every week (on Shabbat) as Karaite Jews do.
It is likely that scholars are simply over thinking it, something that happens with many very important concepts. For the ancient Hebrews there was little room for abstraction. Most frequently, the simplest explanation is the correct one. In this case, the simplest explanation is that the name is tied to the verb "to be," and we can pronounce it based upon that assertion. Moshe (Moses) recorded the name in such a way as to convey G-d's eternality to the Israelites as quickly and easily as possible. The vowels I have proposed here each fit that mold, rendering a name that combines "He will be," "He is being," "He was," and the root for lord. Having examined this evidence I believe the strongest case can be made for the use of the vowels I have described in this article. As a result I believe the name is either: Ye'HoVaH or Ye'HoWaH. Naturally, I fall in the Ye'HoVaH camp because tradition has left us the vav as a "v," and there is enough historical evidence from the cultures in and around ancient Sumer to substantiate the probable presence of a "v" consonant in ancient Hebrew.
