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This article titled "The Tetragrammaton in the Bible" attempts to examine the two Hebrew spellings of the Tetragrammaton ["יְהֺוָה" (e.g. Yehovah") and "יֱהֺוִה" (e.g. Yehovih) ] that are preserved in reprints of the Letteris Edition of the Hebrew Bible, which was originally published in 1866 by the British and Foreign Bible Society. The American Bible Society notes that this Hebrew text is essentially the text from which the KJV Old Testament was translated. [By this the Society means that the Letteris Edition is a revision of the Second Rabbinic Bible of Jacob ben Hayyim, which was used by the KJV translators.] ¹

Both the On Line Jewish Encyclopedia of 1901-1906 and The Catholic Encyclopedia of 1910, state that the vowel points that are preserved in "יְהֺוָה" (e.g. Yehovah) are not the actual vowel points of God's name, but are the vowel points of the name "Adonay".

Both the On Line Jewish Encyclopedia of 1901-1906 and The Catholic Encyclopedia of 1910, state that the vowel points that are preserved in "יֱהֺוִה" (e.g. Yehovih), are not the actual vowel points of God's name, but are the vowel points of the name "Elohiym".

This article intends to examine the criticism of "יְהֺוָה" (e.g. Yehovah) and "יֱהֺוִה" (e.g. Yehovih), that has been made by the On Line Jewish Encyclopedia of 1901-1906, and by The Catholic Encyclopedia of 1910.

Contents

1 "יְהֺוָה" and "יֱהֺוִה" are both found in the Letteris Edition of the Hebrew Bible 2 The Vowel Points of "יְהֺוָה" [e.g. Yehovah] and "אֲדֺנָי" [e.g. Adonay] 3 The Vowel Points of "יֱהֺוִה" [e.g. Yehovih] and "אֱלֺהִים" [e.g. Elohiym] 4 Strong's Concordance of the Bible does not list "יֱהֺוִה" [e.g. Yehovih] 5 The Letteris Edition disagrees with modern Hebrew Grammar rules 6 Jewish Encyclopedia Explains "יְהֺוָה" and "יֱהֺוִה". 7 Footnotes

"יְהֺוָה" and "יֱהֺוִה" are both found in the Letteris Edition of the Hebrew Bible

• When the Tetragrammaton stands alone in the Letteris Edition of the Hebrew Bible, it is spelled "יְהֺוָה" [e.g. Yehovah].
• When the Tetragrammaton follows "Adonay" in the Letteris Edition of the Hebrew Bible it is spelled "יֱהֺוִה" [e.g. Yehovih].
• The On Line Jewish Encyclopedia of 1901-1906 states that the Tetragrammaton occurs 6823 times in the Old Testament. ²
• The BDB Lexicon states that the Hebrew spelling "יְהֺוָה" [e.g. Yehovah] occurs 6518 times in the Masoretic Text.
• The BDB Lexicon states that the Hebrew spelling "יֱהֺוִה" [e.g. Yehovih] occurs 305 times in the Masoretic Text.

The Vowel Points of "יְהֺוָה" [e.g. Yehovah] and "אֲדֺנָי" [e.g. Adonay]

The Vowel Points of "יְהֺוָה" [e.g. Yehovah] and "אֲדֺנָי" [e.g. Adonay] are shown below, as they are preserved in the Letteris Edition of the Hebrew Bible:

----Vowel Points of "יְהֺוָה" [e.g. Yehovah]----	----Vowel Points of "אֲדֺנָי" [e.g. Adonay]----
" ְ " [e.g. shewa]	" ֲ " [e.g. hatef-patah]
" ֺ " [e.g. holem]	" ֺ " [e.g. holem]
" ָ " [e.g. qamets]	" ָ " [e.g. qamets]

The Vowel Points of "יְהֺוָה" [e.g. Yehovah] and "אֲדֺנָי" [e.g. Adonay] are not precisely the same. The Wikipedia Article: Tetragrammaton states that:

the vowels of אֲדֺנָי" [e.g. Adonay] are normally printed with the Tetragrammaton. The Wikipedia Article: Tetragrammaton also states that:

the "א" [e.g. aleph] in "אֲדֺנָי" [e.g. Adonay]has a "ֲ" [e.g. hataf-patah] (pronounce a),

while the "י" [e.g. yod] in "יְהֺוָה" [e.g. Yehovah] has a "ְ" [e.g. shewa] (pronounce e). This difference can be partially explained by rules of Hebrew grammar.

These rules forbid a "ֲ" [e.g. hataf-patah] under "י" [e.g. Yod]. The Catholic Encyclopedia of 1910 (http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08329a.htm) in its Article: Jehovah (Yahweh), agrees with what has been said above:

• What has been said explains the so-called qeri perpetuum, according to which the consonants of Jehovah are always accompanied in the Hebrew text by the vowels of Adonai except in the cases in which Adonai stands in apposition to Jehovah: in these cases the vowels of Elohim are substituted.
• The use of a simple shewa in the first syllable of Jehovah, instead of the compound shewa in the corresponding syllable of Adonai and Elohim, is required by the rules of Hebrew grammar governing the use of shewa.

The Hebrew Grammar rule that forbids using the compound shewa "ֲ" [e.g. hatef-patah] under a "י" [e.g. yod] is found at Hebrew for Christians: Hebrew A-Type Vowels (http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Grammar/Unit_Two/A-Type_Vowels/a-type_vowels.html) it states:

• "The Chateph Patach ( ֲ ) [aka hatef-patah] is sometimes called a 'half vowel' and is the shortest of all vowels: it can only appear under the guttural letters (and is usually part of the following syllable)."

The online Jewish Encyclopedia of 1901-1906 (http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=206&letter=J&search=Jehovah), at the end of its Article titled "Jehovah", states that the reason that the "patah" is dropped in "יְהֺוָה" [e.g. Yehovah] is because of the non-guttural character of the "yod".

The Vowel Points of "יֱהֺוִה" [e.g. Yehovih] and "אֱלֺהִים" [e.g. Elohiym]

The vowel points of "יֱהֺוִה" [e.g. Yehovih] and "אֱלֺהִים" [e.g. Elohiym] are shown below, as they are preseved in the Letteris Edition of the Hebrew Bible:

----Vowel Points of "יֱהֺוִה" [e.g. Yehovih]----	----Vowel Points of "אֱלֺהִים" [e.g. Elohiym]----
" ֱ " [e.g. hatef-segol]	" ֱ " [e.g. hatef-segol]
" ֺ " [e.g. holem]	" ֺ " [e.g. holem]
" ִ " [e.g. hireq]	" ִ " [e.g. hireq]

Note that the vowel points of "יֱהֺוִה" [e.g. Yehovih] and "אֱלֺהִים" [e.g. Elohiym] are precisely the same.

Because of the fact that the vowel points of "Yehovih" and "Elohiym" are precisely the same, scholarly sources state that it was the intention of the Masoretes that the Hebrew reader read "אֱלֺהִים" [e.g. Elohiym], and not God's name, when he saw "יֱהֺוִה" [e.g. Yehovih] in the Hebrew text. The Wkipedia Article: Tetragrammaton: states that the presence of the vowels of Elohiym in Yehovih, provide evidence that "Yehovah" (sic) is grammatically implausible:

The Wikipedia Article: Tetragrammaton states:

• ...the pronunciation "Yehovah", which is generally held to be grammatically implausible, based on the written form "יֱהֺוִה" [e.g. Yehovih] that was used to indicate to the reader of the Bible in Hebrew to pronounce it "אֱלֺהִים" [e.g. Elohiym].

The Jewish Encyclopedia of 1901-1906 (http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=52&letter=N) says:

• Of the names of God in the Old Testament, that which occurs most frequently ( 6,823 times ) is the so-called Tetragrammaton, Yhwh ( יהוה), the distinctive personal name of the God of Israel. This name is commonly represented in modern translations by the form "Jehovah," which, however, is a philological impossibility.
• This form has arisen through attempting to pronounce the consonants of the name with the vowels of Adonai ( "אדני" = "Lord" ), which the Masorites have inserted in the text, indicating thereby that Adonai was to be read (as a "Qeri perpetuum") instead of Yhwh.
• When the name Adonai itself precedes, to avoid repetition of this name, Yhwh is written by the Masorites with the vowels of Elohim, in which case Elohim is read instead of Yhwh.
• In consequence of this Masoretic reading the authorized and revised English versions ( though not the American edition of the revised version ) render Yhwh by the word "Lord" in the great majority of cases.

A Hebrew Grammar rule that forbids the use of the compound shewa "ֱ" [e.g. hatef-segol] under a "י" [e.g. yod] is found at Hebrew for Christians Hebrew E-Type Vowels (http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Grammar/Unit_Two/E-Type_Vowels/e-type_vowels.html) it states:

• "The Chateph Segol ( ֱ ) [aka hatef-segol] is sometimes called a 'half vowel' and is the shortest of all vowels: it can only appear under the guttural letters."

The Hebrew yod is not a guttural letter.

Note that it has previously been mentioned in this Article, that in the Letteris Edition of the Hebrew Bible, "יֱהֺוִה" [ e.g. Yehovih] has a "ֱ" [e.g. Hatef-Segol], not a "ְ" [e.g. shewa]under the "י" [e.g. yod].

To be redundant, the Letteris Edition of the Hebrew Bible, does not follow the modern Hebrew Grammar rules that forbid placing the vowel point " ֱ" [e.g. hatef-segol] under a "י" [e.g. yod].

This will be discussed more fully in the next sub-topic.

Strong's Concordance of the Bible does not list "יֱהֺוִה" [e.g. Yehovih]

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Of The Bible [published in 1890] does not list "יֱהֺוִה" [e.g. Yehovih], which is preserved in the Letteris Edition of the Hebrew Bible. Since the original Letteris Edition of "The Hebrew Bible" was published in 1866, James Strong was likely to have known of its existance, in 1890.

When the Tetragrammaton follows "Adonay" in what James Strong calls "The Hebrew Bible", Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Of The Bible [published in 1890] identifies that form of the Tetragrammaton as Hebrew Word #3069. However James Strong's Concordance spells Hebrew Word #3069 as "יְהֺוִה" not "יֱהֺוִה" .

Strong's Hebrew Word #3069 is found in that section of his concordance which is titled:

• A Concise Dictionary of the words in The Hebrew Bible
• With their renderings in the Authorized English Version

It is possible that James Strong's Hebrew word #3069 is spelled the way it is preserved in the Ben Chayyim Hebrew Text, which underlies the Authorized English Version [e.g. the KJV]. The Letteris Edition of the Hebrew Bible, is a revision of the Ben Chayyim Hebrew Text, and may not preserve Hebrew Word #3069, as it was preserved in the Ben Chayyim Hebrew text of 1530.

The Letteris Edition disagrees with modern Hebrew Grammar rules

As mentioned previously in this Article, in the Letteris Edition of the Hebrew Bible, "יֱהֺוִה" [ e.g. Yehovih] has a "ֱ" [e.g. Hatef-Segol], not a "ְ" [e.g. shewa].

Thus, even though there are modern Hebrew Grammar rules that state that a "ֱ" [e.g. hatef-segol can only appear under a guttural, in the Letteris Edition of the Hebrew Bible, in "יֱהֺוִה" [e.g. Yehovih], a "ֱ" [e.g. hatef-segol] appears under the "י" [e.g. yod], which is not a guttural.

The Jewish Encyclopedia of 1901-1906 (http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=206&letter=J) states:

• A mispronunciation ( introduced by Christian theologians, but almost entirely disregarded by the Jews ) of the Hebrew "Yhwh," the (ineffable) name of God ( the Tetragrammaton or "Shem ha-Meforash" ).
• This pronunciation is grammatically impossible; it arose through pronouncing the vowels of the "Qere" ( marginal reading of the Masorites: אֲדֺנָי = "Adonay" ) with the consonants of the "ketib" ( text-reading: יהוה = "Yhwh" )—"Adonay" ( the Lord ) being substituted with one exception wherever Yhwh occurs in the Biblical and liturgical books.
• "Adonay" presents the vowels "shewa" ( the composite ֲ under the guttural א becomes simple ְ under the י ), "holem," and "Qamets," and these give the reading יְהֺוָה ( = "Jehovah" ).
• Sometimes, when the two names “יהוה” and "אדנָ" occur together, the former is pointed with "hatef segol" ( "ֱ" ) under the "י" —thus, "יֱהֺוִה" (="Jehovah")—to indicate that in this combination it is to be pronounced "Elohim" ( “אֱלֺהִימ" ).
• These substitutions of "Adonay"and "Elohim" for Yhwh were devised to avoid the profanation of the Ineffable Name.

Jewish Encyclopedia Explains "יְהֺוָה" and "יֱהֺוִה".

The text below was found at The Jewish Encyclopedia 1901-1906: Jehovah. (http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=206&letter=J) It has been reproduced using Wikipedia Hebrew fonts. The names of Hebrew vowel points have been changed to agree with the "Transcription Guidelines" for the B-Hebrew forum. ³ The spelling of Hebrew words has been changed to agree with the spellings found in Strong's concordance. The Jewish Encyclopedia says:

• The use of the composite "shewa" "hatef-segol" ( ֱ ) in cases where "Elohiym" is to be read, has led to the opinion that the composite "shewa" "hatef-patah" ( ֲ ) ought to have been used to indicate the reading "Adonay".
• It has been argued in reply that the disuse of the "patah" is in keeping with the Babylonian system, in which the composite "shewa" is not usual.
• But the reason why the "patah" is dropped is plainly the non-guttural character of the "yod".
• To indicate the reading "Elohiym," however, the "segol" (and "hireq" under the last syllable, i.e. "יֱהֺוִה" ) had to appear in order that a mistake might not be made and "Adonay" be repeated.

Footnotes

1. Explanation of the reprint of the 1866 Letteris Edition of the Hebrew Bible. (http://www.rakkav.com/kdhinc/pages/books.htm)

2. The Online Jewish Encyclopedia of 1901-1906: Name of God / YHWH. (http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=52&letter=N)

3. Transcription Guidelines for the B-Hebrew forum. (http://www.ibiblio.org/bhebrew/)