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103 - OMISSION EXAMPLE 1: Analysis of this omission - The meaning of God's name "Yahweh"
This is the first time in the Bible that the true name of God is mentioned: “Yahweh”. This name “Yahweh” is the most frequent and important name of God in the whole Bible. It occurs more than 6500 times in the verses of the Hebrew Bible, while the designation “Elohim” (God) appears only around 2500 times in the Hebrew Bible.
What does this name of God, “Yahweh”, mean?
It does not mean “the LORD”, because this expression “the LORD” is just an English translation of what Jews normally utter in Hebrew, when they read the name “Yahweh” in their scriptures: “Adonai”. They do this, because they are afraid to utter the name of “Yahweh”, their God, in vain (see Exodus 20:7). So, every time they read the word “Yahweh” in their scripture they utter “Adonai”. The exact translation of “Adonai” is “my Lords”, but in English it has become customary to use the expression “the LORD” as a translation of “Adonai”.
The Hebrew name of God, “Yahweh”, expresses the truthfulness and faithfulness of the God of the Bible. He is, what he is and he will be, what he will be (Exodus 3:14 “I am, who I am”, and another possible translation is “I will be, who I will be”). There are no hidden aspects of him, which are different, neither now, nor in future. When he deals with you, when he speaks to you (Ezekiel 12:25), when he grants you his grace and mercy (Exodus 33:19), then he is truthful to himself and to you in these acts of his. In addition, he is now, what he will be in the future and he will be in the future, what he is now (Exodus 3:14, two further possible translations are “I am, who I will be” and “I will be, who I am”). He will not change, being one way today and another way tomorrow, rather he remains faithful to himself and to you. When he forgives you now or when he makes a promise to you now, you will be able to depend on him and on his actions in the future, because he will remain faithful to himself and to you, respecting his acts of forgiveness and his promise to you in the past. This name of God, “Yahweh”, is the reason, why the Bible proclaims that God cannot lie (Numbers 23:19).