So, what’s happening this Feast of Tabernacles? Check out the list below! We will be livestreaming every day so please check the times and dates so you don’t miss anything.
The list of LIVE events will be as follows:
Day 1: Services @ 10:30 am
Day 2: Services @ 10:30 am
Day 3: Services @ 10:30 am
Day 4: Services @ 10:30 am / Outdoor Worship at 6:30 pm
Day 5: Teen led services @ 10:30 am
Day 6: Services @ 10:30 am
Day 7: Services @ 10:30 am / Night of special Music 6:30 pm
Last Great Day: Services @ 10:30 / Final Service @ 3:00 pm
Trumpets New Moon Tonight
If confirmed, tonight’s new moon will mark the start of the seventh scriptural month and its feasts. We will have a live, outdoor new moon (Feast of Trumpets) service at 8 p.m. Central time and encourage all to watch for the crescent and report it on the new moon site if seen (https://yrm.org/new-moon-network/). The skies in the Midwest have been hazy for weeks because of the massive fires in California and other western states. This may make the crescent sighting more difficult even with otherwise clear skies. Technically, the crescent should be the easiest of the year to spot. It will be out for 70 minutes, 12 degrees high, 17 degrees south of the setting sun and 3.8% illuminated.
The Feasts Begin Under the Stars
Besides tonight’s outdoor new moon service, a double Sabbath/Trumpets service will be held outside tomorrow and we invite all to attend in person or to watch online. A high day offering will be taken as usual. We have also been working hard preparing the facilities for the upcoming Feast of Tabernacles, with 25 local volunteers attending a special work day Sunday to help get the grounds in top shape. Watch online HERE>>
Kitchen Addition in the Works
Construction continues on expanding the kitchen facilities. Two gas stoves, a double oven and fryer will be added, along with a recently installed, large exhaust hood. A door to the outside allows easy access to this part of the kitchen. The additional space should be partly functional by Tabernacles. We thank all who contributed to this much-needed expansion.
TEST YOUR TUTELAGE
Jeremiah is considered one of the greatest prophets of the Bible. Which of the following about him is true?
A. He was ordained a prophet to the nations before he was born.
B. When formally called by Yahweh he declined, saying he was still a child (young man).
C. His prophecies can be challenging because they often lack chronological sequence.
D. The Book of Lamentations is attributed to Jeremiah.
E. None of these
F. All of these.
Jeremiah was shy and disposed to melancholy. That is one reason to believe that he wrote the Book of Lamentations (Lamentings) that directly follows Jeremiah. His character parallels Moses’ in his reluctance to take a leading role for Yahweh. As Moses taught the Hebrews in their first 40 years of national history, Jeremiah admonished them in the last 40 years. Answer: F
Filling Up for Tabernacles
This year is shaping up to be a banner year for the Feast of Tabernacles at YRM. All lodging at our Recreation Center has been reserved for weeks. RV parking is nearing capacity, and we have received reservations for 17 tent sites to date. Although the Holts Summit motel is closed, abundant lodging is only seven miles away in Jefferson City.
Online Bible Orders Surging
Since July 1 we have processed 651 online orders for the Restoration Study Bible fourth edition. These orders alone have recouped a third of the cost of publishing the 10,000 Restoration Study Bibles. Proceeds go into the Bible account for future editions. Praise Yahweh that YRM is able to spiritually feed so many hungering for the truth of the Word hidden for millennia. Check it out here>>
TEST YOUR TUTELAGE
Psalm 121:5-6 is one of protection: “Yahweh is thy keeper: Yahweh is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.” This passage shows the involvement of heavenly bodies, like star constellations, in affecting the lives of humans daily.
A. True
B. False
Yahweh uses the sun and moon to illustrate His day and night protection of all that distresses us. Some say the moon merely represents nighttime protection. Others point out that not only was sunstroke a real danger in the Middle East, but there was also the ancient notion that over-exposure to the moon’s rays led to lunacy, which is cognate to the word “lunar.” Answer B
“Faith is like swimming the backstroke, reaching above and behind us into an unknown we cannot see.” – Zalman Schachter-Shalomi
If you were to ask my 8-year-old self, a good example would have been “Sheena – Queen of the Jungle.” Sheena was television’s female counterpart to Tarzan. She was beautiful and brave, conversed with animals, and was very proficient at tree-swinging in her mission to protect the innocent. But that was then and now, many years later, I have changed my perceptions. Over the years I have been fortunate to know, and in some cases form lasting friendships with, many whom I consider to be strong women. So, what exactly are the properties or characteristics that determine whether a woman is “strong”?
Throughout the Scriptures there are many examples of women displaying various aspects of strength. The women differ in age, country, and economic circumstance. And while each displays a unique type of strength, all of the women had at least one thing in common – each fearlessly took action when confronted with hard situations.
Rahab: Hebrews 11:31, “By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.”
Living the life of a prostitute in Jericho, Rahab was drawn to the Elohim of the Hebrews who surrounded the city. She sheltered and protected the lives of the Hebrew spies who had been sent to assess the city’s defenses, all at the risk of her life and that of her family. Because of this, Rahab and her family were rescued when the walls of Jericho fell. She later married one of the original spies and became the great-great-grandmother of King David.
Ruth: Ruth 1:16, “Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after thee; For whither thou goest, I will go; And wherever thou lodgest, I will lodge; Thy people shall be my people, And thy Elohim, my Elohim.”
Ruth was the daughter-in-law of Naomi, who, when their respective husbands died, journeyed with Naomi to her native Bethlehem. Instead of going back to the safety of her own Moabite family, Ruth endured many dangers and hardships to protect and provide for Naomi. Ruth later won the love of and married Boaz, a Hebrew, who admired her kindness and diligence. Ruth became one of five women mentioned in Matthew’s genealogy of Yahshua.
Deborah: Judges 5:7, “The [inhabitants of] the villages ceased, they ceased in Israel,
Until I, Deborah, arose, until I arose, a mother in Israel.”
The fourth judge and a prophetess of Israel, Deborah provided civil and spiritual leadership when it was most needed. She inspired the Israelites to a mighty victory over their Canaanite oppressors. Barak, Israel’s military commander, refused to go into battle unless Deborah went with him. Through her courage and leadership, Deborah was a light to her people and turned many back to faith in and service to their Elohim.
Esther: Esther 4:14, “…and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
Esther was a Jewish queen of a Persian king. King Ahasuerus was convinced by Haman, his advisor, to kill all of the Jews in the country. Esther, after fasting and praying, and at great danger to herself, approached the king to ask for mercy on her people. The result is that the king not only spared the Jews in his empire, but also decided to kill all of the enemies of the Jews, Haman included. Esther’s courage saved her people.
Abigail: 1 Samuel 25:35, “So David received of her hand [that] which she had brought him, and said unto her, ‘Go up in peace to thine house; see, I have hearkened to thy voice, and have accepted thy person’.”
Abigail was the wife of Nabal, a churlish, drunken, and selfish fool who refused to help King David and his army with needed provisions. David was readying to kill Nabal and all of his household when Abigail saved them by hastily gathering all that was needed and taking them to David with an apology for her husband’s rebuff. Through Abigail’s quick thinking and courage, Nabal’s household was saved. Nabal died soon after and Abigail became a wife to David.
Phoebe: Romans 16: 1, “I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church in Cenchreae.”
A wealthy woman, Phoebe used her wealth to serve others. She was referred to as a “sister” in the faith by Paul. She was also a deacon of the church in Cenchreae, teaching and helping the sick and administering to the poor. As a spiritual sister, she was entrusted with the task to carry Paul’s Epistle to the Romans to the city of Rome, quite a distance from Corinth in Greece. While there, she also represented Paul and his gospel message to the Roman assembly. Due to her first-hand knowledge of Paul’s message, after serving alongside him as a co-worker, Phoebe was able to explain and answer their questions. Phoebe was not only a generous person, but a skilled leader in proclaiming the gospel.
If we look around us today, we see many women struggling with the contentions of the world. In our assembly alone, there are women who have lost husbands or are caring for husbands who will never get well. There are women who have suffered the unimaginable sorrow of having lost unborn, young, or adult children. Then, there are the women who are struggling with their own handicaps or health problems, yet manage to make it to Sabbath services. Many women lack a provider, yet are raising and teaching their children with much love in lieu of money. Widows and other single women living alone, uncomplainingly manage to make ends meet while faithfully following Yahweh’s commands, including tithing each month. Despite hardships, these women have drawn their strength to endure and go forward from their obedience to and faith in Yahweh and Yahshua, His Son. It’s not always the outspoken and opinionated voices that pinpoint tenaciousness, but often the unnoticed, humble, and faithful women who demonstrate the most endurance. These are the truly strong women.
Because of damaging hail at the end of March, we are currently replacing the roofs on all YRM buildings, including the guest house. We praise Yahweh that the damage was limited to hail and not from tornadoes or high winds. A land hurricane of 100-mph wind destroyed the corn crop in dozens of counties north of us in Iowa this past week. We pray for those farmers. We are seeing unusual weather in addition to social unrest across the nation—in fulfillment of prophecies of Matthew 24 and Revelation 6.
Our Backhoe Fully Operational
Thanks to the tireless efforts of Bro. Chris Fouts, YRM’s backhoe is again up and running. We were in the process of fixing a ditch on one of our roads after 6 inches of rain created a deep gully when the machine died. Chris was able to locate a short in the wiring and repair it.
We thank all who helped fund the repairs of this essential machine.
TEST YOUR TUTELAGE
Why isn’t the Jewish calendar the same as the biblical calendar?
A. Jewish calendar months begin with the dark conjunction, not the new moon
B. The Jewish calendar begins in the autumn in the month Tishri, not in spring with Abib
C. The Jewish calendar adds a 13th month every 2-3 years to coincide with the seasons
D. The Jewish calendar has postponement rules unknown in Scripture
E. All of these
Yahweh’s calendar is observational to establish the year and months. Feast days are determined by counting days within those months. His design is to get us actively involved in His worship. Calculation produces passivity.
Answer: E
(See charts at Leviticus 23 and Deuteronomy 16 in Restoration Study Bible 4th ed.)
You will do well if you can find one in 10,000 who knows the fundamental biblical teaching on the afterlife, and even fewer who conform to its requisites.
In sampling common beliefs, I selected a few responses to an online blog asking the question of why humans exist. Why on earth am I here?
• “Ah, yes, the most mysterious question that everyone ponders. When this happens in your life, then you begin your journey to know your truth. Everything in your life is placed there to awaken you to your truth and nobody else’s. The truth reveals itself through many and not just one. It’s a puzzle just like we are many but from the one. All I can give you is to stay grounded in love and gratitude.”
• “Isn’t it to be remembered long after you are gone? There had been billions and billions of lives that have been completed before us but almost all of them are forgotten except a few whose names we still remember…That’s the worst fear I have…the fear that the world will forget that I even existed.”
• “I feel life is a test and we don’t know anything because that’s part of the test.”
• “If you don’t want a purpose that’s up to you. Having no purpose is the same as being dead. Life is too short to make just one decision, music is too large for just one station, love is too big for just one, and G-d is too big for just one religion.”
The answer that came closest to the truth was the following (except for the zinger at the end): “The purpose is to know your creator. Then connect to your creator and follow his commands. everything created on this earth had a purpose so how about us? who created us? He is Allah – Almighty the most gracious the most merciful.”
Of the many comments surveyed, not one gave a Bible-based response.
Your Kingdom Potential
Biblical ignorance has serious consequences. Nowhere is that more so than living without knowing why. Yahweh says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you, that thou shall be no priest to me…” Hosea 4:6.
The Bible gives us the clear answer to the purpose for life as Yahshua taught it. He said the goal in this life is to prepare to be a kingdom of priests in the coming rulership of Yahshua. Revelation 5:10 explains, “And hast made us unto our Elohim kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.”
Because they ignore and miss this simple truth, we see countless questions and uncertainties that have troubled the masses for millennia. Beyond this very plain teaching of Yahshua lie all the misconceptions, false notions, bogus doctrines, man-made creeds and traditional fallacies about what life is about and what follows it.
As a youngster in Sunday school class I once read to the class Revelation 2:26, “And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations.” The teacher just smiled, nodded to me, and continued his lesson praising the Emperor Constantine and his “conversion” to Christianity.
It is this goal of the believer as taught by Yahshua that is hidden in plain sight. It is this teaching that defines our life’s purpose and why we must strive to obey the Truth taught by Yahshua.
Today thousands of ministries spend billions of dollars – and most all of them totally miss the mark when it comes to understanding the destiny of the chosen and what is acceptable in worship and what is not.
The Greatest Story Never Told
What does it mean to become a priestly Kingdom, Revelation 5:10, and how do we fit into that divine plan of salvation now? Do we need to change from a life of sin or come “just as I am” without a plea?
The Apostles and disciples were in training to take on leadership roles in Yahshua’s Work and ultimately to help govern the earth in the Kingdom. The called-out are in the same training now.
How could many overlook Yahweh’s overarching plan of expanding His family on earth? The same way they cannot see the clear Sabbath command, the numerous directives to keep His Feasts, His Name, and many other plain biblical teachings. Most are willingly ignorant.
A columnist in a commercial newspaper explained why so many firmly embrace false beliefs. Two reasons were given:
• Beliefs that are passed down by parents are tightly held to, whether they have a basis in truth or not.
• A person will hold firmly to beliefs that are internalized to become part of a person’s very identity.
Many respond viscerally if someone differs with their beliefs. Disagreements are often seen as a personal attack.
Yahweh has grand plans. The human family is a mere reflection of a far greater one to come. Paul wrote in 1Corinthians 2:9: “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which Elohim hath prepared for them that love him.”
Half of Yahshua’s ministry was about His Kingdom coming to rule the earth. The other half was how to be included in that Kingdom. It’s today’s major truth never taught, even though it is clear as crystal in Scripture and openly seen throughout the New Testament.
Even Yahshua brings it out in His popular model prayer: “Thy Kingdom COME, thy will be DONE, on EARTH as it is in heaven.” His Kingdom is coming to earth and His plan will culminate on earth at that time!
Sweet Nothings Order of the Day
Useless tradition is what drives worship today, while the focus of billions is living to please number one. Lives are spent without direction or promise because of a refusal to obey Yahweh, disrespecting the only one who grants everlasting life.
Suppose you just started a new job. How long would it last if you told the boss that you would come to work whenever you pleased? What if you told your employer that you would decide yourself the tasks you would do? What if you told your boss that you didn’t need to do what he expects you to do? But you still expected a paycheck regardless?
Crazy? Sure. Unheard of? Absolutely. The subordinate doesn’t call the shots. But apparently millions of professing Bible believers think they do. They themselves determine how and when they will worship their Heavenly Father. They defer to fossilized traditions rather than to Yahweh’s Word. Many have the impudence to tell the Supreme Ruler of the universe what name they will call Him – or no name at all.
Biblical worship is never about pleasing the worshiper. It’s always about pleasing the One worshiped. Worship with a future promise of Kingdom rule means learning about and then doing Yahweh’s will.
Billions have no clue about the covenant Yahweh gave to His people. Billions never will until after the thousand years of millennial rule are finished and they are brought up in the Second Resurrection.
The True Believer must never be discouraged when criticized for following the faith. Just remember, a day of reckoning is coming. Today it is the believer who is up for judgment.
It was no accident that Yahweh called you to obedience. Answer the call as did Peter, James, and John at Galilee, who without hesitation or excuse dropped everything to answer Yahshua’s summons.
That means we must keep the same laws Yahshua did, including the Sabbath and Feasts.
The Evil One is well aware that Yahweh Himself wants you at His Feasts. Satan would not try so hard to make it challenging if these were just man-made celebrations like Xmas or the Fourth of July. Yahweh’s Feasts are holy times to Him and are called “His.”
Disobedience Is Sin
We sin when we know Yahweh’s days are obligatory but refuse to observe them anyway. James wrote in 4:17, “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”
At its core sin stems from ignorance of Yahweh. If man could see Yahweh in all His magnificence, in all His unfathomable power, all His glory, man would be as dumb as rocks not to humble himself instantly and obey without question.
Children who obey their parents have a healthy respect for their parents and know the consequences of rebellion. But those who ignorantly break Yahweh’s laws don’t know Yahweh and have no fear of the consequences.
Anyone who has ever held a job is familiar with one of the oldest excuses for not attempting something different: “But that’s the way we’ve always done it.” How does that make it right or better? For thousands of years people bowed to non-existent, pagan deities. Does that mean we should continue that pointless worship?
Proverbs 16:25 tells us: “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”
All that matters is what Yahweh dictates. Period. He makes the final ruling.
Where in the 66 books of the Bible does righteousness come by anything other than what the Bible says it does? Where does it say that righteousness comes by doing what we ourselves decide is best?
The very definition of righteousness means doing what is right. Yahweh sets the standard for what is “right.” How can we be righteous with Yahweh if we don’t measure up to His standard? Including the days He commands us to observe?
That is why from the very start in the very first Commandment He lays down an imperative. He says I am Yahweh and you must worship none else. Everything about proper worship emanates from that first commandment. There is no other way. Many still believe otherwise.
This is illustrated in a book on textual interpretation. The author was discussing a controversial verse with a fellow. The author realized the man misinterpreted the text because of the archaic English of the KJV and also because the verse misrepresented the Greek text. So the author gently suggested that the fellow was in error. The fellow’s response was that the Holy Spirit doesn’t lie and so his own interpretation had to be right, citing 1Corinthians 2:10-15, that spiritual things must be spiritually discerned, which left little doubt as to the status of the author. The author then asked, but what if Yahweh had given ME the proper interpretation? After a pause the fellow said, “I guess that would mean the Spirit says the Bible means different things to different people.”
Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:5 that there is “one Master, one faith, one baptism.” There is only one right interpretation.
Romans 6:16: “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” Sin is doing what the Word prohibits.
Please Yahweh and Be Blessed
Nothing is more fundamental than honoring the one we worship in all things. It means following what Yahweh expects and not what we desire and decide. Biblical worship has a promise, a future, and His blessing.
This was no mystery to the pagans, who sought to please their deity in ways they believed were acceptable. Whether that meant sacrificing children to Molech, burning fires to the sun divinity Mithra, or coloring eggs in honor of the goddess Astarte – each was done specifically for their mighty one.
No doubt they learned the concept of worship itself from how Yahweh instructed man to worship Him soon after creation (Gen. 4:4-5).
The difference is that pagans are generally more dedicated in their false worship.
Paul asks in Romans 9:21, “Has not the potter power over the clay…?” Who put the clay in charge?
All of this is to say that a correct understanding of the Bible necessitates that we know its author. We cannot worship in truth unless we know the One we worship and what He expects. The more we know who Yahweh is, the more our worship will honor Him.
The less we know about Him, the more likely we will be living and worshiping in ways He does not accept. And that has been a problem through the millennia.
He says, “Because you have rejected knowledge, I will reject you, that you shall be no priest to me.” Do you want to be a priest in the Kingdom? If so get educated. Learn about Him. Why? Because in rejecting knowledge, you also reject knowing Yahweh, which is a basic expectation of His.
Once we humble ourselves before Yahweh the errors of our past worship end. Now we do it His way, all the way, and in no other way, or else have no part in the Kingdom reward.
If we are not pleasing Him by our conduct and worship, we are wasting our time. Our very blueprint for worship, Yahshua the Son, said He came to do His Father’s will, John 4:34. That’s also what we must do.
Peter wrote in 1Peter 2:21, “For even here unto were ye called: because Messiah also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow his steps.”
To be free from your past life of sin takes action. Just praying the sinner’s prayer won’t cut it. Just saying I’m sorry is not enough without a permanent change.
Even though He lived a life without sin, Yahshua took on our sins. Our transgressions, which were placed upon Him, had to be dealt with. By His death and resurrection He showed that those sins were remitted permanently.
Yahweh is not taken seriously when we are not serious about our own destiny. Israel didn’t take Him seriously most of the time, either.
The prophet Jeremiah wrote in 5:2-4 (although this is a prophecy, it has had a prior fulfillment in the rebellion of Judah): “And though they say, Yahweh liveth; surely they swear falsely. O Yahweh, are not thine eyes upon the truth? thou hast stricken them, but they have not grieved; thou hast consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction: they have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return. Therefore I said, Surely these are poor; they are foolish: for they know not the way of Yahweh, nor the judgment of their Elohim.”
Our desire is to present to the world the real Father in heaven. We do this by revealing what He expects of His people. He has a Name, He has a family, and He has a plan to expand His family to the far reaches of the very universe itself – starting with us, here on planet earth.
We find in the prayer of Hannah, in the writings of the prophet Samuel, “Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let [not] arrogancy come out of your mouth: for Yahweh is an Elohim of Knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.” (1Sam. 2:3)
All Our Actions Reveal Us
Why is He weighing actions? Because it takes more than faith alone. Two facts are key to our relationship with our Heavenly Father: He is: “An Elohim of knowledge” and “By Him actions are weighed…” Whose actions? OURS! Here the prophet applies Yahweh’s wisdom, His understanding, His knowledge to OUR actions.
To find out whether we are pleasing Him by our lives, we need to know how He looks at our behavior, what His desires are for His creation and what we can expect from our actions. We must know His standard of measurement and judgment. A reverential respect of Yahweh will lead us to greater knowledge still. He promises it.
“The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom” the Psalmist wrote, “a good understanding have all they that do his commandments” (Ps. 111:10). This being the case, the reverse is true as well. A person who will not obey and do His commandments will lack understanding.
The next time you are tempted to listen to someone claiming to be a minister of the Word, ask, does the man pattern His own life by Yahweh’s Word? Does he call on Yahweh’s Name (2nd-3rd Commandments)? Does he remember the Sabbath and Feast days to keep them holy? Does he live by the statutes of Scripture? Is his life moral and an example for others to follow?
We are in training to be a kingdom of priests, according to Revelation 1:6. A biblical priest is very well educated in the office he holds.
So, ask yourself again “Why on earth am I here?”
This life is a training ground. Doing Yahweh’s will is central to a future in His Kingdom soon coming to earth.
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We are trying to use every tool we can to get Yahweh’s word out to the world. Right now, we are trying to get the Restoration Study Bible on the Logos software. Right now we need help! everyone can visit the following link! All you need to do is put in your name and email and you can cast up to 3 votes! Every vote counts and this is just one more way for us to get the word out!
In the first two weeks after the release of the fourth edition Restoration Study Bible, we have filled nearly a thousand orders. Many are requesting multiple copies to share with family and friends. The paperback Outreach version is making up about half of the orders. Time to upgrade your third edition with the many new features in the fourth, including a topical reference of 120 pages of in-depth study of 100 key topics. Subjects cover the gamut and include: Yahweh, Yahshua, baptism, Feast days, grace, jubilees, millennium, rapture, Sabbath, salvation, and sin. Call or conveniently place your order online at: https://www.yrmstore.org/
Tabernacles Lodging Filled at YRM
All Recreation Center lodging rooms are full for the Feast of Tabernacles. This is unusual for so early in the year. RV spots are also mostly filled. Tenting spots are still available. There are also numerous hotels in Jefferson City. We advise not waiting to make your lodging reservations. Register Here>>
TEST YOUR TUTELAGE
What was Esther’s answer to Mordecai’s second demand that she approach the throne uninvited, at great personal risk, and plead the cause of the Jews?
A. No way! Do you want me to die?
B. Okay, but you’ll need to go with me.
C. Your demand is much too risky.
D. I will do it and take the consequences.
“So will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish” (Esther 4:15-17).
Following is a compilation of sources confirming the pronunciation of the sacred Name “Yahweh.” While some maintain that the name is Yehovah or Jehovah, this form is a hybrid that developed through the practice of adding the vowel points from the Hebrew Adonai to the Tetragrammaton. Those vowels were not intended to be inserted into the Tetragrammaton, but were to warn the reader to use Adonai instead.
A Book About the Bible:
George Stimpson, p. 247. “Jehovah in that form was unknown to the ancient Israelites. In fact, Hebrew scholars say that Jehovah would have been impossible according to the strict principles of Hebrew vocalization. The God of Israel was known by a name approximately rendered into English as Yahweh.”
Wycliff Bible Dictionary:
Charles Pfeiffer, Ed., “God, Names and Titles of,” p. 694. “Yahweh was doubtless the approximate pronunciation of the tetragrammaton, the four-letter word YHWH, since transliterations into Gr. in early Christian literature have been found in the form of iaoue (Clement of Alexander) and iahe (Theodoret) pronounced ‘iave.’ The name is a variant connected with the verb haya, ‘to be,’ from an earlier form, hawa.”
The Oxford Companion to the Bible:
Bruce Metzger, Ed., “Names of God in the Hebrew Bible,” p. 548. “The Bible often refers to God by his proper name, which was probably pronounced Yahweh …In the Hebrew Bible, the consonants yhwh are usually to be read as Adonai…’my Lord,’ for the sake of reverence, and English versions represent the word by ‘Lord’ or (less often) ‘God’ in capital letters.”
The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary:
Allen C. Myers, Ed., “Yahweh,” p. 1075. “Although the meaning of the name remains subject to debate, Yahweh is most likely a verbal form of Heb. haya (perhaps originally hwy)…Because of the utmost sanctity ascribed to the name, Jews from postexilic times on have declined to pronounce it in public reading, and only the consonants were written (YHWH; the Dead Sea Scrolls use the archaic, ‘paleo-Hebrew’ script). Although the original pronunciation was thus eventually lost, inscriptional evidence favors yahwae or yahwe. The name is represented in the MT by the consonants with the vowel pointing for ‘adonay ‘Lord.’ From this derived ca, the sixteenth century the form ‘Jehovah’ (yehowah). In modern usage pious Jews often substitute the expression has-sem ‘the Name.’”
The Journey from Texts to Translations:
Paul D. Wegner, pp. 172-173. “The scribes reasoned that if they did not point the name Yahweh then it could never be treated lightly since his name would not really be known. Initially the real pointing was probably passed along by tradition, but in time it was lost. In Exodus 20:7 the name Lord is written in capital letters according to the convention of signifying the name Yahweh, but the name as it appears in the Hebrew text is hwhy (yehowa), in which appear the consonants from the name Yahweh (hwhy [yhwh]) and the vowels from the word Lord (ynda [‘idonay]). Proof for the fabricated nature of this word are the two vowels which appear on the waw, an impossibility in Hebrew. However, until the revival of the Hebrew language in western Europe scholars read the consonants YHWH (Germans would read them as JHVH) with the vowels of ‘adonay, thereby originating the incorrect form Jehovah. This word was then introduced into English by William Tyndale and was continued by the King James Version.”
Understanding the Old Testament:
Bernhard Anderson, “Definition: ‘Jehovah,’ ‘The Lord,’” p. 61. “The personal divine name YHWH…has had an interesting history. In the Old Testament period the Hebrew language was written only with consonants; vowels were not added until the Common Era, when Hebrew was no longer a living language. On the basis of Greek texts, which of course use both vowels and consonants, it is believed that the original pronunciation of the name was Yahweh. Notice the shortened form of the divine name in the exclamation, ‘Halleluyah’ — ‘Praise Yah.’
“However, because of its holy character, the name Yahweh was withdrawn from ordinary speech during the period of the Second Temple (c. 500 B.C.E. and later) and the substitute word — actually a title not a personal name — Adonai, or (The) Lord, was used, as is still the practice in synagogues. Scholars who translated the Hebrew Bible into Greek (the Septuagint) in the third century B.C.E. adopted this synagogue convention and rendered YHWH as (ho) kurios, ‘(The) Lord.’ From this Greek translation the practice was carried over into the New Testament.
“The word Jehovah is an artificial form that arose from the erroneous combination of the consonants YHWH with the vowels of Adonai — written under or over the Hebrew consonants to indicate that the substitute is to be pronounced. This hybrid form is often held to be the invention of Pater Galatin…but in actuality it can be traced back to a work by a certain Raymond Martin in 1270.”
The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible:
“Yahweh,” Vol. 4, p. 923. “YAHWEH. The vocalization of the four consonants of the Israelite name for God which scholars believe to approximate the original pronunciation.”
The Zondervan Pictoral Encyclopedia of the Bible:
“Yahweh,” Vol. 5, p. 1021. “Yahweh…meaning debated but often tied to the root meaning to be, become. The word Yahweh is a vocalization of the four consonants in the way many scholars think this covenant name for God was pronounced in OT times.”
Encyclopedia Americana:
“Jehovah, ” Vol. 16, p. 8. “An erroneous pronunciation of the name of the God of Israel in the Bible, due to pronouncing the vowels of the term ‘Adonay,’ the marginal Masoretic reading, with the consonants of the text-reading ‘Yahweh’…”
The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia:
“God, Names of,” Vol. 4, p. 241. “The English form ‘Jehovah’ arose by a Latinized combination of the four consonants (YHWH) with the vowel points that the Masoretes used to show that they meant the reader to say ‘Adonai’ when reading the tetragrammaton. That is, they left the consonants for ‘Yahweh’ in the text but put with them the vowels for ‘Adonai’…Though the older English versions sometimes used this hybrid form with compound names (such as ‘Jehovah-Jireh’ [Gen. 22:14]), usually the divine name has been rendered by ‘the Lord,’ following the ancient Greek translations of the OT, which commonly rendered Yahweh by kyrios.”
The Encyclopedia of the Lutheran Church:
“Yahweh,” Vol. N-Z, p. 2537. “The probable pronunciation of the OT four-lettered word YHWH, the most profound and sacred of the Hebrew names for God. The name is interpreted in Ex. 3:14 as ‘I am who I am.’ The name was held in such high regard that the Jews were forbidden to pronounce it and read the word ‘Adonai’ (i.e., lord) instead. When the Hebrew masoretes added the vowel points to the consonantal text, they used the vowels of Adonai with the four consonants YHWH; this was transliterated in the early versions as Jehovah. This form of the word became quite popular, but it should be remembered that such a word never existed.”
The New Brown, Driver, and Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament:
pp. 217-218. “Yahweh, the proper name of the God of Israel … The pronunciation Jehovah was unknown until 1520, when it was introduced by Galatinus; but was contested by Le Mercier, J. Drusius, and L. Capellus, as against grammatical and historical propriety.”
Insight on the Scriptures:
Vol. 2, p. 5: “Jehovah,” (Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, 1988). “Correct Pronunciation of the Divine Name. ‘Jehovah’ is the best known English pronunciation of the divine name, although ‘Yahweh’ is favored by most Hebrew scholars.”
Did you know?
“hovah” (Je-hovah) means ruin, and in Scripture is translated calamity, wickedness, perverse thing, iniquity, naughty, and mischievous. (Strong’s Hebrew and Aramaic Dictionary Nos. 1942 and 1943).
