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Tetragrammaton

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church | 2000 | | Copyright

Tetragrammaton. The technical term for the four-lettered Hebrew name of God הוי' (i.e. YHWH or JHVH). Because of its sacred character, from c.300 BC the Jews tended to avoid uttering it when reading Scripture and substituted ‘Adonai’ (i.e. the Hebrew word for ‘Lord’), whence the rendering Kúpioς of the LXX, Dominus of the Vulgate, and ‘the LORD’ in most English Bibles. When vowel points were put into Hebrew MSS those of ‘Adonai’ were inserted into the letters of the Tetragrammaton, and since the 16th cent. the bastard word ‘Jehovah’, obtained by fusing the vowels of the one word with the consonants of the other, has become established. The original pronunciation is commonly thought to have been ‘Yahweh’ or ‘Jahveh’; both these forms (nowadays mostly the former) are found in scholarly works.

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E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Tetragrammaton." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Tetragrammaton." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-Tetragrammaton.html

E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Tetragrammaton." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-Tetragrammaton.html

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tetragrammaton

A Dictionary of the Bible | 1997 | | Copyright

tetragrammaton Greek for ‘four letters’, that is the sacred Hebrew name for God, the consonants YHWH (Exod. 3: 15); but because it was considered too holy to pronounce, Adonai (‘Lord’) was substituted by readers of the text. When the vowels of Adonai were inserted into YHWH the artificial name Jehovah was produced and established for generations by the AV. English translations (except NJB) adopt the convention LORD for the Hebrew Yahweh. (Elohim is rendered ‘God’.) If used, the probable pronunciation of Yahweh was Yehowah.

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W. R. F. BROWNING. "tetragrammaton." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

W. R. F. BROWNING. "tetragrammaton." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-tetragrammaton.html

W. R. F. BROWNING. "tetragrammaton." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-tetragrammaton.html

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Tetragrammaton

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions | 1997 | | Copyright

Tetragrammaton (Gk., ‘four lettered’). The four letters, YHWH/JHWH, of the Hebrew name for God. Traditionally the tetragrammaton is not pronounced, and in the biblical text, YHWH is read as ‘Adonai’ (my Lord) or ‘Ha- Shem’ (the Name). The English ‘Jehovah’ is a vocalization of JHWH, inserting the vowels from Adonai.

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JOHN BOWKER. "Tetragrammaton." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JOHN BOWKER. "Tetragrammaton." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Tetragrammaton.html

JOHN BOWKER. "Tetragrammaton." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Tetragrammaton.html

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Tetragrammaton

The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable | 2006 | | Copyright

Tetragrammaton the Hebrew name of God transliterated in four letters as YHWH or JHVH and articulated as Yahweh or Jehovah. The word is Greek, the neuter of tetragrammatos ‘having four letters’.

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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Tetragrammaton." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Tetragrammaton." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Tetragrammaton.html

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Tetragrammaton." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Tetragrammaton.html

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Free newspaper and magazine articles

	The Birth of Monotheism: The Rise and Diappearance of Yahwism.(Book review) Magazine article from: Hebrew Studies Journal; 1/1/2008
	Vatican Takes Cue from Jews on God's Name. Newspaper article from: Israel Faxx; 8/22/2008
	The 72-lettered name of God. Magazine article from: Midstream; 1/1/2003