You Say it Yahweh, I'll Say it Mine Quiz

Answer: Elohim

Elohim is seen by many as more a title than a specific name of God although in Hebrew no such distinction exists. Interestingly, the word Elohim is a plural form of the word El or Eloah and only occurs in the Hebrew language and no other Semitic languages, even though El and Eloah are common in these languages. As a plural it would be assumed that plural verbs and adjectives would apply but in the Hebrew text it is mainly found accompanied by singular verbs and adjectives when referring to the God of Israel. Although this use of singular verbs with plural nouns does occur with other Hebrew words, it is rare and has led some Christian scholars see this as proof of the existence of the Godhead or trinity even in the Old Testament. Others see the use of the plural merely as a statement of God's majesty and nothing more.

The distinction of the use of Elohim throughout the creation account in the first chapter of Genesis and then of Yahweh in the second chapter is seen by some liberal scholars as evidence to prove the documentary hypothesis, which maintains several different authors wrote the Pentateuch, and reject the authorship of one author, namely Moses. Traditionally the authorship is broken down into four categories with one of these author(s) classified as the Elohist. This hypothesis is rejected by most denominations who believe in the divine inspiration of the Bible.

William Blake's "Elohim Created Adam" is part of the Tate Collection and as of 2011 was on loan to Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow. Another of his works, "Illustrations of the Book of Job", is considered to be one of his greatest masterpieces, comprising 22 engraved prints, and encompasses several portrayals of God's interactions as seen in the book of Job.

Answer: Tetragrammaton

The Hebrew letters Yod, Het or Heth, Waw or Vav, and Het or Heth form to make the name of God referred to as the Tetragrammaton. The difference in pronunciation comes from whether a Y or J and W or V are used and mixtures thereof. Complicating the issue are the changes in both Hebrew and English throughout the generations. The word is formed using four consonants and no vowels because ancient Hebrew had no vowels. The Masoretic Text added vowel signs in the centuries (starting most likely around the 8th century) following the time of Christ.

The word appears over 6,800 times in the Hebrew Bible and is the most common name for God. There is still much debate about which is better, Yahweh or Jehovah, but the Tetragrammaton itself is only the four consonants.

Answer: Yahweh

In modern Biblical scholarship the term Yahweh has gained wide acceptance over the term Jehovah, which was popular throughout the Renaissance and Reformation. The name is found as early as Genesis 2 and is considered the personal name of God. According to the "Encyclopaedia Britannica Online", "the most proper meaning may be 'He Brings Into Existence Whatever Exists' (Yahweh-Asher-Yahweh)."

In the many English translations the word was translated as "LORD" with all caps or, more consistently, with the "L" being a normal capital followed by "ord" all in small caps so as to differentiate it from Adonai, Lord. Yah, which is most probably a shortened form of Yahweh, appears 50 times in the Old Testament/Tanakh.

"Yahweh" was the eleventh and final track on U2's album "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb". Bono was aware and sensitive to the fact that according to Jewish tradition the name was not to be spoken but he figured he got around that by singing it and hoped he would not offend anyone.

Answer: Jehovah

The use of Jehovah is seen by most scholars as starting around 1100 CE, although some earlier occurrences can be found. Most agree that the practice of using Jehovah came about as a result of the Masorate practice of using the vowels from Adonai and placing them in the Tetragrammaton. This was done to remind the person reading the text to substitute Adonai for God's name which was not to be spoken. The Jewish tradition of writing the Tetragrammaton and not speaking it developed in the Hellenistic period, 3rd and 2nd century BCE. The Masorates added vowel points to the Hebrew text around the 8th century CE. The Masorates mainly used the vowel points of Adonai unless the Tetragrammaton was combined in the text with Adonai and then they used the vowel points for Elohim. The switch from Jehovah to Yahweh began in the 19th century and is now the accepted norm among Biblical scholars.

Jay-Z released the song "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" from his album "Blueprint" in 2001. According to songfacts.com, this song contains his God name, J-Hova, which is a play on Jehovah.

According to Jungian analysis, the Jehovah complex is one that has a neurotic self-inflation of the ego that demands complete conformity to its perspective. It derives from seeing the God of the Old Testament as a God who demanded complete conformity to His Law to the exclusion by genocide of anyone who disagreed. As such it has become a term used to describe religious bigotry in the extreme.

Answer: The angel of the LORD

Note that LORD is in all caps. In many translations the Tetragrammaton is rendered as a capital "L" followed by "ord" all in small caps but since that is not possible here, they all needed to be caps. The Hebrew term is malak YHWH or messenger of Yahweh. All major branches of Christianity - Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant - consider the angel of the LORD to be Christ. "The Catholic Encyclopedia. Volume 1" states the angel of the LORD is "the Only-begotten Son, the Angel of great Counsel." It also says the Eastern Orthodox believe the angel of the LORD was "the Word of God" referencing John's description of Christ as the Word. During the Reformation, Protestantism was not as clear in its delineation but Evangelical Christianity is clearer. According to "Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology" the link between the angel of the LORD and the preincarnate Christ cannot be denied.

Within the Old Testament/Tanakh the angel of the LORD is many times referred to as God and therefore holds a distinction from other 'normal' angels (see Genesis 16:7-14, Numbers 22:22-38, Judges 6:11-23, and Judges 13:3-22 for examples). In II Kings 19:35, the angel of the LORD slays 185,000 Assyrian soldiers. The angel of the LORD appeared to Abraham, Moses, and Joshua among others. One of the most important appearances of the angel of the LORD was to Moses in the burning bush when God revealed Himself to Moses and revealed Himself as 'I Am that I Am'.

Answer: Adonai

The Greek god Adonis shares the same root word as Adonai. The root is the Phoenician word "adon" meaning "lord". Adonai is the plural form of the word and in the Old Testament/Tanakh and in modern Hebrew it is used exclusively to apply to God. It is accompanied by singular verbs and adjectives just like Elohim. The word appears 300 times in the Tanakh and appears first in Genesis 15:2 in combination with YHWH (adonai YHWH).

Adonai has been used as a substitute for the Tetragrammaton when the scripture is to be spoken in religious ceremonies. Because of this elevated importance of Adonai and the desire not to desecrate the holy, many Jews took up the practice of referring to God in daily practice as HaShem or 'The Name' so as to not take the chance of using God's name in vain. This practice is still in use today.

Answer: Elyon

Elyon means "highest" or "uppermost" so in this case would be rendered "Most High", and is usually found in combination with El, YHWH and Elohim. As an example, take El Elyon, which means God Most High. It also does stand alone being found in the Hebrew Bible 34 times by itself. It appears as early as Numbers 24:16 and is used in Moses final song in Deuteronomy (32:8). But it appears mainly in the Psalms (e.g. 7:17, 83:18, and 91:1).

The most interesting use of the compound El Elyon is found in Genesis 14:18-22 where Melchizedek is identified as a priest of El Elyon - God Most High or The Most High God. This meeting between Abram and Melchizedek and the establishment of a priesthood outside of the Aaronic priesthood was further developed in Psalm 110:4 wherein the order of Melchizedek is specifically mentioned. This idea is further developed in the New Testament book of Hebrews and is applied to Christ.

Answer: El Shaddai

El Shaddai means Almighty God or God Almighty. The name first appears in Genesis 17:1 in relation to God and his dealings with Abram concerning the covenant between the two.

Shaddai also stands alone as a name for God and appears 41 times in the Old Testament/Tanakh. 29 of these 41 appearances are found in the book of Job. Clearly in the book of Job the name is meant to denote the power of God and His ability to control all things in Job's life.

Brother Mike started the El Shaddai movement in 1984 in the Philippines on his radio show on DWXI. The movement has since grown to a worldwide movement claiming over eight million adherents.

Amy Grant released "El Shaddai" as a single from her album "Age to Age". It was a Number One hit on the US Billboard Christian chart and won the GMA Dove award for Song of the Year and Songwriter of the Year in 1983. The song is unique in that about half the lyrics are sung in Hebrew. Besides El Shaddai, the song also contains El Elyon and Adonai in the lyrics.

Answer: From the burning bush

The name Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh is most commonly translated as "I Am that I Am" and is often contracted to just "I AM". Some scholars link the root of this name with the root of YHWH but others disagree and see the names as two distinct names. The NASB translation has the phrase denoted as "I AM WHO I AM" (Exodus 3:14) and clearly links it in the footnotes to YHWH and the root verb HAYAH - to be.

The name is meant to express the timelessness of God, that He has no beginning and no ending. He has always existed, He exists now and He will always exist. It is one of three responses God gave to Moses from the burning bush. Exodus 3:1-22 mentions the angel of the LORD, Elohim, YHWH, and Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh.

In the New Testament, Jesus was clearly referencing this scene and this revelation of God with all of its significance and importance when He said, "Before Abraham was, I am" (John 8:58). Jesus further expanded on this theme throughout John with His seven I am phrases -
"I am the Bread of Life
I am the Light of the World
I am the Door
I am the Good Shepherd
I am the Resurrection of Life
I am the Way, the Truth and the Life
I am the Vine."

Answer: Seven

According to the Talmud, there are seven names of God that should never be erased. These are:
1. YHWH
2. Adonai
3. El
4. Elohim
5. Shaddai
6. Tzevaot
7. Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh
The reason they should not be erased goes back to the Ten Commandments and the admonition not to take the Lord's name in vain (Exodus 20:7).

The only two not discussed at length in this quiz are El and Tzevaot. Both of these names usually appear in combination with other names or qualifiers and do not really stand alone in the text of the Old Testament/Tanakh. El appears over 250 times but mostly in conjunction with other names like El Shaddai (God Almighty) or El Elyon (The Most High God) or El Hakkadosh (The Holy God). When referring to God, Tzevaot is almost always combined with either YHWH, Adonai, or Elohim.