{"id":79685,"date":"2020-09-07T17:13:04","date_gmt":"2020-09-07T14:13:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=79685"},"modified":"2020-09-07T17:27:19","modified_gmt":"2020-09-07T14:27:19","slug":"whats-in-a-name-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/whats-in-a-name-4\/","title":{"rendered":"What’s In A NAME?"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[],"acf":{"old_id":"79685","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":38047,"related_cahpter":"564","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"One name that encapsulates past, present and future\r\n\r\n","content":"

As part of his eschatological vision, Zechariah foresees that in some future time \u201cthere shall be one LORD with one name\u201d (v. 9). One name? What is so important about that? Moreover, if you look at the Hebrew, Zechariah doesn\u2019t use the Hebrew word for \u201cLord\u201d which is \u201c<\/span>Adonay<\/span><\/em>\u201d but rather the ineffable four letter name that we can transliterate Y-H-V-H.<\/span><\/p>\n

This substitution is common throughout the Bible and Jewish tradition, and the God of Israel is also called by many other names. Zechariah\u2019s declaration is an invitation to pause and think about God\u2019s name and what it might mean for God to truly have one name.<\/span><\/p>\n

Most of the names we use for God: \u201cCreator of the Universe,\u201d \u201cRedeemer of Israel,\u201d \u201cHealer of the Sick\u201d \u201cCompassionate\u201d and even, \u201cGod\u201d\u00a0 aren\u2019t actually names. Rather, they are adjectives or job descriptions that express the ways we understand God to act in the world (or ways we would like God to act in the world).\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Only Y-H-V-H is a proper noun, a name in the truest sense of the word. And that might be all we can say about it with any certainty. Its pronunciation is long lost, and its significance debated.<\/span><\/p>\n

One possibility derives from Moses\u2019 first direct encounter with God at the burning bush, where God declares \u201c<\/span>Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh<\/span><\/em> \u2013 I \u200eWill Be What I Will Be. God is present and calls Godself\u00a0 \u201c\u05d0\u05d4\u05d9\u05d4 <\/span>Ehyeh<\/span><\/em> I Will Be\u201d in the first person, as the speaker. When Moses reports to the people, he switches to the third person \u201c\u200e \u05d9\u05d4\u05d9\u05d4 <\/span>Yehiyeh<\/span><\/em>\u200e<\/em> \u2013 God will be\u201d because he is speaking about God, who is unseen. According to the 12<\/span>th<\/span> century commentator R. Samuel ben Meir (Rashbam), the proper name Y-H-V-H is formed by substituting the \u200eletter <\/span>vav<\/span><\/em> for the second <\/span>yod<\/span><\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the past, God spoke to Moses about the future. <\/span>Ehyeh<\/em> <\/span>and <\/span>Yehiyeh<\/em> <\/span>are imperfect\/future forms, while the <\/span>vav<\/em> <\/span>is an indicator of the present tense. Therefore, the blended spelling can be understood as bringing together all of the tenses in Biblical Hebrew. Y-H-V-H represents God who speaks but is unseen, in the present, past and future. That\u2019s a complicated mouthful.<\/span><\/p>\n

Perhaps that is why we prefer to use epithets when speaking about and to God, and why the ability to call and know God by God\u2019s proper name will be a sign that the world has entered a new era.<\/span><\/p>\n

Image: The Adoration of the Name of God, or The Glory, fresco, Francisco Goya, 1772 \/ wikipedia<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":79686,"id":79686,"title":"zech14-Adoration_of_the_Name_of_God_by_Goya","filename":"zech14-Adoration_of_the_Name_of_God_by_Goya.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/zech14-Adoration_of_the_Name_of_God_by_Goya.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/whats-in-a-name-4\/zech14-adoration_of_the_name_of_god_by_goya\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"zech14-adoration_of_the_name_of_god_by_goya","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":79685,"date":"2020-09-07 14:12:42","modified":"2022-04-18 10:52:50","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1280,"height":627,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/zech14-Adoration_of_the_Name_of_God_by_Goya-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/zech14-Adoration_of_the_Name_of_God_by_Goya-300x147.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":147,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/zech14-Adoration_of_the_Name_of_God_by_Goya-768x376.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":376,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/zech14-Adoration_of_the_Name_of_God_by_Goya-1024x502.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":502,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/zech14-Adoration_of_the_Name_of_God_by_Goya.jpg","1536x1536-width":1280,"1536x1536-height":627,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/zech14-Adoration_of_the_Name_of_God_by_Goya.jpg","2048x2048-width":1280,"2048x2048-height":627,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/zech14-Adoration_of_the_Name_of_God_by_Goya-1200x588.jpg","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":588,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/zech14-Adoration_of_the_Name_of_God_by_Goya-857x420.jpg","home_baner-width":857,"home_baner-height":420}},"embedded_video":"","video_duration":"","show_fb_comments":true,"credit_media":""},"tile":{"top_caption":"","main_caption":"What's In A NAME?","main_caption_size":"1","sub_caption":"One name that encapsulates past, present and future","preview_embedded":"","preview_image":{"ID":79686,"id":79686,"title":"zech14-Adoration_of_the_Name_of_God_by_Goya","filename":"zech14-Adoration_of_the_Name_of_God_by_Goya.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/zech14-Adoration_of_the_Name_of_God_by_Goya.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/whats-in-a-name-4\/zech14-adoration_of_the_name_of_god_by_goya\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"zech14-adoration_of_the_name_of_god_by_goya","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":79685,"date":"2020-09-07 14:12:42","modified":"2022-04-18 10:52:50","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1280,"height":627,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/zech14-Adoration_of_the_Name_of_God_by_Goya-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/zech14-Adoration_of_the_Name_of_God_by_Goya-300x147.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":147,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/zech14-Adoration_of_the_Name_of_God_by_Goya-768x376.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":376,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/zech14-Adoration_of_the_Name_of_God_by_Goya-1024x502.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":502,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/zech14-Adoration_of_the_Name_of_God_by_Goya.jpg","1536x1536-width":1280,"1536x1536-height":627,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/zech14-Adoration_of_the_Name_of_God_by_Goya.jpg","2048x2048-width":1280,"2048x2048-height":627,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/zech14-Adoration_of_the_Name_of_God_by_Goya-1200x588.jpg","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":588,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/zech14-Adoration_of_the_Name_of_God_by_Goya-857x420.jpg","home_baner-width":857,"home_baner-height":420}},"preview_video":"","external_link":"","link_for_pay":false,"tile_gallery_items":false,"credits":""},"alternate_tile":{"top_caption":"","main_caption":"","main_caption_size":"1","sub_caption":"","hide_media":false},"tile_group":{"preview_image_url":false,"main_caption":"","sub_caption":"","":null,"popup_package_extra_content":"","read_time":""},"home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo":{"seo_title":"","seo_description":"","seo_default_title":"","seo_default_description":""},"links":false},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79685"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=79685"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79685\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":79689,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79685\/revisions\/79689"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79685"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=79685"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=79685"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}