"Yahweh: Its Origins and Significance"

The Tetragrammaton (YHWH)is an important aspect of the Old Testament and can be discussed in many areas. From a linguistic point of view, the origin and meaning of the Tetragrammaton is important because it may give a different meaning to the talk of God. This linguistic development of the Tetragrammaton will be first dealt with. This will be followed by the development of the worship of Yahweh which is important in tracing the development and acquisition of the Israelites religious beliefs. One way in which this can be looked at is through the Kenite Hypothesis. This hypothesis will be discussed in light of social and historical evidence that is put forth from both sides of the argument. Another way one can look at the Tetragrammaton is in reference to its uses in the Old Testament, patterns in the Old Testament and also its sources in the Old Testament. This final area of interest will be discussed with specific regards to the Yahwist and the Elohist and will be mainly a theological comparison of the use of the Tetragrammaton and 'Elohim.

The first way in which one can look at the Tetragrammaton is from a linguistic point of view. Where does the term Yahweh come from and when? Most sources today translate Yahweh as "The Lord", whereas other Hebrew words such as 'el or 'elohim would seem to mean either God or gods. Since the word 'elohim is used very often throughout the Old Testament, it is necessary to show the difference between it and Yahweh. As a rule of thumb, we can generally interpret these two words to show the meaning between the specific God of Israel and the generic term for God or gods respectively. Since 'elohim is plural in form, it is sometimes used in the Old Testament to denote foreign gods. This said, it is important to note that in most instances however, the plural 'Elohim is often paired with a singular adjective or verb.1 Thus it is usually translated as God and is often said to be plural in the magisterial sense of the word, just as members of royalty sometimes refer to themselves as a plural. The Tetragrammaton is said to be the specific and more personal name of the Israelite God.2 The form of the word Yahweh in Hebrew is identical to the third person imperfect of the verb he was, thus in a theological sense we get the meaning of the term Yahweh to be that which is Being. Other meanings of Yahweh can also be adapted from its similarity to the verb (even though it may not actually have a relation to the verb) ie, "Yahweh was that of a Being that both is, and manifests His Being"3. Driver gives another possibility as to the meaning of Yahweh and that it is the Imperfect of the Hiphil (that is the causative conjunction).4 Weingreen states that the Hiphil state is that which implies causation5, therefore Yahweh in this sense could mean He who makes to be.6 Jack Miles however states that the term Yahweh "is a verb functioning as a noun." Most likely in similar context to the use of names used by the American Indians.7

Another debate about the term Yahweh with regards to its origins is whether or not the longer or shorter version of this name was the first.8 The long version of course is the Tetragrammaton and the short is given as yh, yhh, or yhw. Eichrodt states that it is most probable that Yahweh derived from the Babylonian use of the short version in proper names. He says that although it is not known whether the Babylonian names indicate theological meanings, it is likely that the term Yahweh developed from this root.9

It is more important to discuss first the origin of Yahweh worship and second the theological implications of this name. This will be discussed in regards to the Kenite hypothesis that G.H. Parke-Taylor describes and examines.10 The Kenite hypothesis simply stated says that Yahweh was the tribal God of the Kenites before the Israelites and that Moses developed his attachment to Yahweh through Jethro, his father-in-law. The hypothesis, first put forward in 1862 by R. Ghillany,11 claims that when Moses fled from Egypt and married Zipporah, Jethro's daughter, he was introduced to the God Yahweh. Once Moses returned to his people, he told them of this God and encouraged them to follow him to this God in the land of Canaan. The success of Moses in getting the tribes to follow Yahweh was due to not only the oppression which they were faced with, but also their disappointment with tribal gods that had not worked as well as they would have liked. This hypothesis maintains that the southern tribes that were not part of the Exodus with Moses, had already had contact with the Kenites and worshipped Yahweh prior to the arrival of Moses.12

Evidence of this worship of Yahweh prior to Moses can be found in Genesis 4:26 “At that time people began to invoke the name of the Lord”. This of course shows that our earliest written source (J) says that the name Yahweh has been used since the time of Cain. Parke-Taylor in her explanation of this hypothesis agrees that some notable scholars have rejected it and continues to address their concerns by exploring some of the evidence in detail. First is the confusion of the names of Jethro, in Exodus 3:1 he is referred to as Jethro, in Exodus 2:18 he is referred to as Reuel and in Numbers 10:29 as Hobab.13 She concludes that if certain interpretations are accepted, it is possible that none of these three names denote the same person and therefore it is possible that they are all members of the Kenite clan. To oppose the Kenite Hypothesis, T.J. Meek argues that even though Yahweh is introduced to the Israelites by Moses, it is not necessary that Yahweh was a new God, only that He may have been a new interpretation, significance and/or a new understanding of the existing God.14 Parke-Taylor argues that the ritual ceremony and the counselling of Moses that takes place in Exodus 18 shows that Jethro was significant in Moses relation to the people and ultimately, Yahweh, thereby indicating that Jethro was more familiar with Yahweh.15 Meek however counters this statement or theory by saying that even though Jethro played an important role in the ritual in Exodus 18, he is never said to be the Priest of Yahweh and according to Meek, it was at this point that Jethro recognized his allegiance to Yahweh for the first time.16 Of course the difference in opinion in this instance depends entirely on the interpretation of the reader. Another objection that is brought forth against the Kenite hypothesis observes that Moses' mother's name was Jochebed. Meek argues that this name found in Exodus 6:20 and Numbers 26:59 was clearly a Yahwistic name (the “yo” sound of the first two letters of her name are rooted in the term Yahweh) since this was the case, Yahweh was likely worshipped by Moses' family.17 Both occurrences of Moses’ mother’s name are thought to be from the Priestly source and therefore can be seen as a later addition and may not be accurate in the naming of the mother of Moses. H.H. Rowley states that Moses'family did not necessarily worship Yahweh before the theophany and explains that the name of Moses' mother "...occurs as the result of intermarriage between a Levite and a Kenite woman, thereby introducing a Kenite name, compounded with the divine name, into the line from which Moses descended, in fact the name by which his mother was known.”18 As is evident from this brief list of evidence concerning both sides of the Kenite hypothesis, the origin of the worship of Yahweh is still debated and unknown. The Kenite hypothesis does not in anyway explain the origins of the worship of Yahweh but it does provide us with a likely precursor to the worship by the Israelites. The hypothesis is likely for one very important reason, that is the seemingly important function of Jethro as a priest in the ceremony found in Exodus 18 would indicate that Yahweh was the god that he would perform rituals for.

To look at Yahweh from a theological perspective it is important to look to the Bible and determine how and when it was used. For the purpose of this essay, only the Book of Genesis will be dealt with when considering this. The Book of Genesis is usually (in the religious tradition) credited to Moses. From a historical and literary perspective however, it is accepted that there were at least two sources at work here. The main two that contribute to the Book of Genesis are the Yahwist source and the Elohist source. Also mixed in with these two is some redaction by the Priestly source.

The Yahwist is generally regarded by most scholars as the larger contributor to the first three books of the Old Testament. The Yahwist source is given this name because of his constant use of Yahweh throughout his writing (as opposed to the Elohist who uses 'Elohim). The differences in the ideas of God between these two writers tells us a little about the theological motives for using the two different names of God. As has already been stated, the term Yahweh denotes a more personal and specific God while 'Elohim is used in the more generic sense. Since the term Yahweh denotes a more personal God, it is not surprising that the Yahwist refers to his God the same way that he sees him. The Yahwist God, according to Boadt,19 is seen as anthropomorphic, who will walk and talk with humans.

Since the Yahwist is generally regarded to be the earliest written source of the Bible, it may be reasonable to suggest that in earlier times, the name Yahweh may have not had the reverence that it took on in later times. Parke-Taylor argues that the reverence for the term began somewhere in the post-exilic period wherein Adonai was to replace the verbal pronunciation of Yahweh.20 Therefore the term Yahweh used by the earliest source shows that the more ancient religious beliefs may have been of a more personal nature. The Elohist source which is said to be later in time (approx. 100 years)21 may have developed this sort of reverence for the God and thus it would have been taboo to mention Yahweh in excess. The Elohist God in Genesis is much less personal (as the translation indicates) and is therefore parallel to the views that the E source may hold. Fear and reverence of God is attributed to this writer22 and probably reflects the main views of this writer’s peers in their religious outlook. From a theological standpoint within the sociology of ancient Israel we can see the main differences between the use of Yahweh and 'Elohim. The purpose of the Yahwist writer was to convey a message of God that everyone could relate to. The Elohist tried to perpetuate a powerful God so as to perhaps keep the faith stronger and more ordered. The third source (Priestly), is thought by most scholars to have contributed to the Bible in approximately 500 B.C.E. This source is generally regarded as a group of Priests that placed a great emphasis on law and genealogy in order to reinforce the importance of the earlier times in the Israelite tradition.

The three topics of discussion in this paper have many facets to them. This study was meant to provide an overview of these areas and are worth much more effort. In doing so, this paper has given to give a brief summary of the linguistic origin of the Tetragrammaton and its meanings. It has also given an overview of the Kenite hypothesis which attempts to explain the origins or at least another of worship of Yahweh. To put these into perspective, a brief look at the theology of the book of Genesis was given. From this discussion one can conclude that perhaps the name Yahweh is just as elusive as that which it is naming.

Copyright 1995 Chris Linton

Endnotes

1.Driver, S.R. The Book of Genesis. (London: Methuen and Co., 1904) p.402.

2.Driver, p.407.

3.Driver, p.408.

4.Driver, p.408.

5.Weingreen, J. A Practical Grammar for Classical Hebrew. (New York: Oxford University Press, 1959) p.112.

6.This case however is very unlikely according to Driver and Eichrodt.

7.Miles, Jack. God: A Biography. (New York: A. Knopf, 1995) p.420.

8.Eichrodt, Walther. Theology of the Old Testament. Translated by J.A. Baker. (London: SCM Press Ltd., 1961) p.187. 9.Eichrodt, p.187. 10.Parke-Taylor, G.H. Yahweh: The Divine Name in the Bible. (Waterloo: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 1975) p.20.

11.Meek, T.J. Hebrew Origins. (New York: Harper Torchbooks, 1960) p.93.

12.Parke-Taylor, p.21.

13.Parke-Taylor, p.23.

14.Meek, p.94.

15.Parke-Taylor, p.23.

16.Meek, p.94-95.

17.Meek, p.97. 18.Parke-Taylor, p.27.

19.Boadt, Lawrence. Reading the Old Testament. (New York: Paulist Press, 1984) p.97.

20.Parke-Taylor, p.9.

21.Boadt, p.96.

22.Boadt, p.97.