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The etymology of this theonym has been discussed very extensively in scholarly literature, but remains uncertain.
Lewis (2020) presents the scholarly consensus that יהוה (yhwh ~ Yahweh) is the verbal form, prefixed by 3rd singular masculine y-, of hyh ~ hwh ~ hwy "to be"[1] (whose ancestor is reconstructed by Huehnergard (2011) as Proto-Semitic*hwy(“to fall, happen, be, become”)[2]); Lewis further interprets Yahweh as a non-causative meaning "the existing one; the god who is" and a pre-monarchic archaic vocalization from another dialect than classical Hebrew (hence Yahweh instead of expected **yihweh; compare יִֽהְיֶ֣ה(yihyeh, “he will be; it (masc.) will be”)).[1]
Meanwhile, Lewis objects to some other major interpretations (which lack explicit attestations and linguistic connections made by native Biblical Hebrew speakers), namely:
causative "he who causes to be" (reflecting Yahweh’s ability as a creator) by Albright, Freedman, & Cross[1] (also by Huehnergard, 2011[2]).
"he blows (tr.)" (if true, then cognate with Arabicهَوَى(hawā, “to blow (intr.), to breeze, to waft”)) by van der Toorn[3] or "he fells (with lightning)" by Wellhausen[4] (if true, then causative of *hwy "to fall", whence Arabicهَوَى(hawā, “to descend, to sink”)).
Pronunciation
In the Biblical Hebrew of antiquity (before 400 BCE), it was probably pronounced /jahˈwɛː/.
The hypothetical Tiberian descendant would have been יַהְוֶה /jahˈvɛ/ or יַהֲוֶה /ja.hăˈvɛ/ , which would have yielded Modern Israeli/ja(h)ˈve/ or /ja.(h)aˈve/ respectively.
And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enosh; then began men to call upon the name of the Lord.
Usage notes
The word is written in the Hebrew Bible either without vocalisation or as יְהֹוָה, using the vocalization of the word אֲדֹנָי(adonái, “my Lord”), because of the prohibition of uttering the name. It is thought that the original pronunciation was probably lost around the Hellenistic era. In some cases, when preceded by the word אֲדֹנָי(adonái, “my Lord”), it is written as יֱהֹוִה, using the vocalization of the word אֱלֹהִים(elohím, “God”).
Secular Jews in Israel pronounce the word as אדוני / אֲדֹנָי(adonái) usually, under most circumstances.
Religious Jews pronounce it as אֲדֹנָי(adonái, “my Lord”) only for liturgical purposes, otherwise they use other terms such as הַשֵּׁם(hashém, “the name”).
Samaritans pronounce it as ࠔࠝࠌࠠࠀ(šəmā, “the name”) — from שְׁמָא(šəmā, “the name”), the Aramaic equivalent of Hebrew הַשֵּׁם(hashém) — under all circumstances, even in liturgy.
Although Jews would not be likely to use the Tetragrammaton to refer to the Christian God, Hebrew-speaking Christians (and Messianic Jews) may, and it is used in translations of the New Testament.
↑ 1.01.11.2Lewis, Theodore J. (2020) “The Origin of Yahweh”, in The Origin and Character of God: Ancient Israelite Religion through the Lens of Divinity, New York: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, Section I: The Meaning and Revelation of the Name Yahweh in the Hebrew Bible, pages 210-227
↑ 2.02.1Huehnergard, John (2011) “Proto-Semitic Language & Culture; Semitic Roots”, in American Heritage Dictionary, 5th edition, Appendix II: Semitic Roots, page 2074 of 2066-2078
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