Ordinances Against Us?
The Apostolic Letter to Gentiles
The Law of Yahweh & of Moses
The Veil Over Their Minds
Yoke Our Fathers/Unable to Bear
Yahshua: The End of the Law
Yahshua was not a Lawgiver
How to Count to Pentecost
Yahweh's Passover
Yahshua is Coming
Love the Heavenly Father
Salvation & the Sacred Names
The Creator/What is His Name?
The Father's Name
The Importance of the Name
Read & Restore Sacred Names
What is the Messiah's Name?
John 5:18
The Sabbath
Clothing for Men and Women
Feet Washing
Is This Your Ancestor?
Speaking in Tongues
The Plan of Salvation
The Soul of Man
When does the Day Begin?
Wine in the Bible
What Body are the Dead Raised?
Women
Yahweh's Dietary Laws
HALLELUYAH
Its Origin, Meaning & Significance
The word hallelujah, pronounced hal-le-lu-yah, is the most ancient of all words of praise. It is spoken both on earth and in heaven in worship to the Almighty (Rev. 19:1-6). What is its origin, meaning, and significance?
Halleluyah is a pure Hebrew word, and yet is found in almost every language on earth. The first part of the word, hallelu. means praise you. The last part, Yah. Is the one being praised.
YAH is the basic or short form of the Heavenly Father’s name. The full form of this name is YAHWEH. This personal name is found more than 6,800 times in the original Hebrew Bible. That is impressive. The Most High planned for us to call on and extol his name, otherwise he would not have placed it in Scriptures so many times.
We also find the shortened form (Yah) at the end of many Biblical names, such as Elijah (Eliyah), which means “my El [or Mighty One) is Yah.” Others are Jeremiah, Obadiah, Isaiah, and Zechariah, etc. The name Yahweh is found not only in the Hebrew Scriptures, but in encyclopedias, dictionaries, Bible dictionaries, archaeological reports, and in current publications such as Time Magazine. The spell-checker in your computer lists the name Yahweh.
Jehovah: A Mistake
In recent centuries it was thought the Sacred Name is “Jehovah.” But as the Encyclopedia Britannica and other reference materials explain, “Jehovah” is an erroneous form of the name. The true form is “Yahweh.” Modern dictionaries and the preface to many Bibles reveal the same. This erroneous form came about in the following way: In ancient times Jewish leaders eventually began teaching that the name Yahweh is too sacred to be spoken. In its place, people were instructed to call on a substitute - Adonai (Lord) - even when reading the Scriptures. In about the 8th century C.E. vowel marks were added to the Hebrew Scriptures which, until then, had been written with consonants only. Vowel marks for the word adonai were inserted within the consonants of the name YHWH for the purpose of alerting the reader to vocalize the word “Adonai,” instead of “Yahweh, the ineffable Name.” The result: In recent centuries, not realizing the reason for these vowel markings in the name YHWH, German and English translators mistakenly combined the vowels of the word adonai with the four consonants YHWH. And so, the hybrid word “Jehovah” was born.
Importance of the Biblical Name
Some may ask, “Suppose Jehovah is not the Creator’s name. What is the importance of all this?” But why will anyone ask this? Every person on earth has a name, even Satan, so why not the Creator? Scriptures do not leave us in doubt about the importance of the name Yahweh.
When the true name is restored to the Scriptures, the Sacred Writings have more meaning, greater clarity, and seem to bring the Almighty closer to us. Scriptures tell us every believer should love and call on the name Yahweh (Ps. 5:11; 69:36; 119:132; Isa. 56:6).
“You shall not take the name of Yahweh your Elohim [God] in vain; for Yahweh will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain” (Ex. 20:7, RSV).
“The voice of Yahweh cries unto the city, and it is sound wisdom to fear thy name” (Micah 6:9,RSV).
“And my holy name I will make known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let my holy name be profaned any more; and the nations shall know that I am Yahweh, the Holy one of Israel” (Ezek. 39:7).
“And it shall come to pass that whosoever shall call on the name of Yahweh shall be delivered [saved) “ (Joel 2:32; Romans 10:13).
“Then those who feared Yahweh spoke with one another; Yahweh heeded and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared Yahweh and thought on his name” (Mal. 3:16).
The one verse in the King James Version which brings this name over into English should be enough proof for the sincere believer. That one verse reads as follows:
“Sing unto Elohim. sing praises to his name: extol him... by his name JAH. and rejoice before him” (Ps. 68:4).
“Jah” is pronounced “Yah,” as in halleluyah. There was, and is, no letter J in the Hebrew language. (Write for more free literature). It is now clear that the name Yahweh will be known and used by those who love the Most High El (God).
The Name Link Between Father and Son
There is a direct connection between the name Yahweh, the Supreme Being, and that of his Son, our Savior and Messiah. The Savior reported, “I have come in my Father’s name” (John 5:43). Not only did the Savior come as Yahweh’s representative, but his name is derived from the Father’s name - in this way: The son of Nun had the name Joshua, shortened from Jehoshua (more correctly, Yahoshua), meaning “Yahweh’s salvation.” Check your study Bible, dictionary, and other reference works. And what did the Angel of Yahweh tell Mary, the mother of our Savior?
“...and you shall call his name [......] because he will SAVE HIS PEOPLE from their sins” (Mt. 1:21).
That’s right. The Son of Mary, the man from Galilee, had the same, identical name as the son of Nun; Yah-oshua meaning, “Yahweh’s salvation.” Why? Because he will save his people from their sins (Mt. 1:21). Therefore the Son of Yah-weh came in his Father’s name, Yah-oshua: that is, “Yahweh’s salvation.” Just as the name of the son of Nun was shortened to Joshua, so the Messiah’s name is often written in a shortened form; Yah-shua, “for he will save his people from their sins.” This is why Scriptures tell us, “And there is salvation in no one else for there is NO OTHER NAME under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
Bible scholars admit that in the first century the Savior was not known by the name “Jesus.” That many have accepted the person of the Savior while knowing only the name Jesus, in no way makes that his actual name. He was born a Hebrew, as the prophets predicted (Isa. 9:6,7; Micah 5:2), and was given a Hebrew name as the angel advised (Mt. 1:21). Jesus is not a Hebrew name. It is from “lesous,” derived from the Greek language. But the over-riding point is not what his name is got, but what his name IS. As noted above, the Savior’s name is the same as Joshua, the successor of Moses. The King James Version graphically shows this in two passages where the name Jesus appears when it is Joshua who is spoken of (Acts 7:45; Heb. 4:8). Jesus was inadvertently substituted for the name Joshua, because they are the same name. The Hebrew alphabet has no letter J, remember, therefore no J sound. Originally, Joshua was called Hoshua, or Oshea, meaning “salvation,” or “deliverance” (Num. 13:8). However, Moses added to this the brief form of the Sacred Name and called him Yah-oshua, meaning “salvation of Yah” (Num. 13:16).
In later usage, the “O” was dropped, and the name became shortened to Yahshua. The shortened form, then, was already in use when our Savior was given this name by the angel (Mt. 1:21). He literally and truly came in the Father’s name (John 5:43). He alone brings the “salvation of Yah.” This is not to say those who have never heard the Savior’s true name have not found salvation in the person of the Savior. Yahweh is full of mercy, as well as justice. However, his past mercy in no way justifies a refusal to accept the Savior’s true name. To use the words of the great Apostle Paul:
“The times of this ignorance Yahweh winked at; but now he commands all men everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30).When truth is restored, after having been hidden by traditions of men, it becomes the obligation of every responsible believer to accept this restored truth, regardless of the cost.
“Therefore, to him that knows to do good and does it not, to him it is sin” (James 4:17).
The Substitute Name
Please keep in mind that LORD is a substitute which has replaced the true name YAHWEH, the Supreme Being. Do we need substitute name for the majestic and Most High Yahweh; the Creator of the heavens and the earth? If so, he would no doubt have indicated this long ago. No one, not even the most renowned scholar, has the authority to replace the true name with a substitute. The same is true of the Messiah’s name. His name is too important to be set aside by a substitute name.
Today is the day of salvation. Today is the day to call upon and to acknowledge the name Yahweh and that of his Son, Yahshua the Messiah.
Believe: Have faith in Yahweh & Yahshua (Heb. 11:6).
Repent: So your sins will be blotted out (Acts 3:19).
Confess: Yahshua as Savior (Romans 10:9,10).
Be baptized: In the name of Yahshua the Messiah for the remission of sins, and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38,8:38; 22:16). Salvation is tied to these names. There is salvation in no other (Acts 4:12). Having done this, we can then truly exclaim, “HALLELUYAH!” [Praise Yah!].
