Yahweh is the personal name of God in the Old Testament, reflecting the biblical pronunciation of the Hebrew name יהוה – YHWH, known as the Tetragrammaton, comprising four consonants: yod, he, vav, he.
In the biblical text, this name is notably linked to God’s revelation to Moses at the burning bush. When Moses inquires about God’s name, God responds: “I am who I am” or “I am who I am” (Ex. 3:14). God then states: “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: Yahweh, the God of your fathers… has sent me to you” (cf. Ex. 3:15). Consequently, the name Yahweh is connected with the Hebrew verb root for “I am,” “I exist,” “I become,” though its precise etymology remains a topic of scholarly discussion.
The name Yahweh indicates that God is not among the deities of the world nor a force tied to a specific place or natural element. He is the Living, Self-existent, faithful God of the covenant, who freely reveals himself, communicates, and intervenes in history. In the Old Testament, Yahweh is the God who creates the world, selects Abraham, guides Israel out of Egypt, bestows the Law, and directs his people through the prophets.
Out of respect for the name of God, in the Jewish tradition, the Tetragrammaton eventually ceased to be spoken aloud. Instead of YHWH, Adonai, meaning “Lord,” is articulated, and later, Ha-Shem – “The Name” is used. This practice significantly influenced the translations of the Bible. In the Septuagint, the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament, the name of God is generally rendered as Κύριος – “Lord,” leading to the common Christian practice in many translations of the Tetragrammaton to translate it as Lord.
The form “Jehovah” developed later from combining the consonants YHWH with the vowels, reminding the reader to pronounce Adonai. Therefore, in modern biblical studies, the form “Yahweh” is often regarded as closer to the ancient pronunciation, though it cannot be restored with full certainty. In the New Testament, the phrase “I am” – Greek ἐγώ εἰμι, in the Gospel of John holds particular significance. In Johannine theology, this phrase frequently bears a deeper meaning and reflects God’s self-revelation in Ex. 3:14: “I am who I am.” Consequently, Christ’s words “before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58) are seen as a testament to His divine dignity. The same resonance is observed during His arrest in Gethsemane: when the soldiers seek “Jesus of Nazareth,” He replies, “I am,” prompting them to step back and fall to the ground (John 18:5–6).
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