ARAMAIC WORD STUDY – THE WEDDING DANCE – CHADOTHA חדותא Cheth Daleth Vav Taw Aleph
Exodus 3:14: “And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.”
Genesis 17:1 “The Lord appeared unto Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God, walk before me and be thou perfect.”
The Lord appeared Moses and said that His name was “I Am.” Now, this is not the usual words in Hebrew for “I am.” As we find in Genesis 17:1 God says “I am the Almighty.” Here the word I am is ‘ani which is really the pronoun “I” without the am. The “am” is inserted by translators as you really cannot say: “I the Almighty.” You could but it just doesn’t sound right so the translators put the “am” in there to make it sound more like English talk.
In Exodus 17:1 we have the word “I Am” as the expression of God’s name. Still, this is not the familiar YHWH that we all know. Here the word is ‘Ehyeh from the root word hayah which means to be or to exist. Most of us as I said would be familiar with the word YHWH which is traditionally pronounced Yah way. However, you may have noticed that YHWH has no vowels. It is impossible to speak a word in English without a vowel. The Hebrew alphabet, like the alphabet in most Semitic languages, is an abjab in other words they consist of just consonants and no vowels. Vowels were added by Scribes known as the Masorites about 700 years after Jesus walked the earth. As it was forbidden to pronounce the name of God and only prophets dared to really invoke the sacred name of God, John the Baptist being the last in that line, the true pronunciation if YHWH has been lost and only tradition gives us a hint. However, we cannot be sure Yah way is really the true pronunciation of God’s name. Should it be Yah way or Yoh woha. It could also be Yeh weh. Maybe it is Yoh way, Yeh way or some other combination of the vowels a,e, i,o,u.
Would you like Chaim Bentorah as your personal Hebrew teacher?
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What some Jewish scholars did was take the vowels for the word ‘adonai which means Lord and put them into YHWH using the Semitic pattern of consonant, vowel, consonant-vowel and they got yahovahi. The Vav is pronounced as a “v” rather than a “w.” Went that entered into the European languages the “y” became a “j” and you ended up with Jehovah. As you can see it gets pretty complicated to decide on the correct pronunciation if you use the Sefer Torah (Torah Scrolls) which do not have vowels as opposed to the Masoretic text which specifically adds the vowels according to the best that tradition had to offer seven hundred years after the birth of Christ and the dispersion of the Jews throughout the world learning other languages and developing different accents.
So, you can see why I do not concern myself with developing a correct pronunciation as I am pronunciation-ally challenged. The last time I tried to learn Spanish the Spanish-speaking people on my disability bus all laughed at me. I tried to learn German and a German missionary laughed at me. I tried to learn French and my French teacher stuck her tongue in her cheek to keep from laughing. I was just a kid at the time and it sure sounded like “mercy buckets” to me. So, I deal in dead languages and to me when a language is dead its pronunciation is also dead. I can read these languages just fine, but don’t ask me to speak them, I don’t care to be laughed at anymore.
So I just say Jehovah and Jesus and if you don’t like it or are offended that a Hebrew teacher will not use the Hebrew name, well that is just tough, I hope you have a long cold winter.
Since I don’t bother wasting my time with proper pronunciation I can devote my time to the grammar, etymology, and construction of words, their cultural history, and various usages. I can even spend time examining words letter by letter.
Now there is something I discovered about the word YHWH that just fascinates me. The that it is in an imperfect form but a rabbi told me it could also be a particle and another really thought we could consider the word as having a perfect inflection. Many rabbis will say that the word YHWH could be understood as all three and it would therefore mean, “I was, I am and I will be.” That is a perfect name for God who is infinite. Only He and He alone could bear such a name.
The Talmud teaches that Moses had a thick tongue and could not pronounce any of the names of God, so God gave Him a name he could pronounce with his breath – YHWH.
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Thanks & Blessings, it means a lot to me!
From many sources I note a lot of energy being spent regarding the true name of God. This study is liberating, it brings peace.
Wonderful to breathe the Holy name in worship.
Thank you.
” I hope you have a long cold winter”
Classic… Love you brother!
You should come to Vegas and visit… get out of the dreary dark winter skies of the Midwest!
David in Vegas :)
The second to last paragraph fits with that bit in Revelations. “Holy, Holy is… he who is, and was, and is to come.”
If the issue was a thick tongue for Moses not to pronounce the names of God, how could God entrust Moses then to pronounce the commandments and ordinances?
This is so beautiful. I love the idea that I WAS, I AM, and IWILL BE. Is perfect for God’s name. Thank you for this teaching.
Agreed Chaim God looks on the heart not the tongue and the sounds.i was born with a typed tongue and stuttered also from being uptight about getting my words out correctly. Thank God I know he heard me and knew my heart
Another great writing brother. I agree with You about His Name. It’s not like He could not have made it where it would he absolutely sure!!! I am sure He is my Heavenly Father. Jesus is His only begotten Son and is my Passover Lamb of God, and that Holy Spirit has sealed me. And I do not love this life unto death. As I watch daily for Him.
Wow, what a close to the study. Moses had a thick tongue, so God gave him a name he could pronounce with his breath! Good God of Sabbaoth! To each person, God reveals Himself in a form, name and token that each can understand and is at their point of need.
Dear Chaim, I just want to express my deepest appreciation for all your teachings and materials. Many I read over and over. Some are my favorites—one on prayer Jan 12, 2023. I will order your book when it is ready. I was introduced to you with Hebrew Word Study book. The pages are tagged and reread. It’s amazing how Holy Spirit has connected my spirit with all of it. And now I’ve watched your video series on God’s Love and your tears brought me to tears as my heart was so impacted by your teachings. I’m so hungry for His truth! Thank you so much for your faithfulness to your gift and calling. I’m sure you will hear Jesus say when you get to Heaven “well done good and faithful servant!” “See how you blessed my daughter Rosemary as you brought my truth to her heart.”…and for many many others. Thank you for being so real and transparent! “May God, our true Father, release upon your life, the riches of His kind favor and heavenly peace thru Jesus. Col 1:2
Professor Chaim you are hilarious! Love you man! I can’t afford the $20 a month right now, but if I AM wills I Will Be joining lol. Little humor. Be blessed!
I love your teachings.. I especially liked today’s last paragraph..
Moses had a thick tongue so God gave Him name He could breathe.. wonderful!