Tetragrammaton

The Names and Nature of God

The Names and Nature of God

To understand God’s nature, attributes, and works, we begin by studying the names of God. Names are so important to the Lord that He dedicated an entire chapter in the book of Exodus called Shemot (names). We read, “Now these are the names of the children of Israel who came to Egypt” (Exodus 1:1). Names have meaning, and they have power. It says, “Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light” (Genesis 1:1), for the Lord God created the universe by His spoken word. And names have authority. We read, “What a word this is! For with authority and power, He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out” (Luke 4:36).

The Name of God—YHVH

The Name of God—YHVH

God's name is the most frequently used noun in the Hebrew Bible, occurring over 6,800 times. It is spelled with only four consonants: Yud, Hey, Vav, Hey (יְהוָה), and is called the “Four-Letter” name of God, or the “Tetragrammaton” in Greek. This is God’s written name because He is the Word of God, and we know that Yeshua is the word of God who came in human form. In other words, God’s written word came to life. Hence, the “word became flesh.”