The First Law and the Sacred Name

 As mentioned previously, the first of the Ten Statements/words is the one that proclaims the authority by which the other 9 immutable laws of the Creator are given. This statement of fact is found in Exodus 20:2 and Deuteronomy 5:6.
                                                                    NKJV
“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage”

                                                           Literal translation
“I Am Jehovah your Mighty One which has brought you from [the] land [of] Egypt from [the] house [of] servants” 

Here the Creator is introducing Himself by His name–not by the common English title of “Lord.”
His name in is Hebrew יהוה (Strong’s H3068), spelled yod hey vav hey, from right to left. The exact pronunciation of this name is heavily debated among some Messianic and Hebrew Roots circles. It is primarily the lack of vowels present in the Hebrew text that leaves room for disagreement. The 3 letters that make up this name are consonants of their own accord; however, the vav ( ו ), which makes a V sound (in ancient times it was called waw and made a W sound), can also have the sound “oh” or “oo.” The yod makes a Y sound and the hey an H sound, except at the end of a word where it is silent. This leaves multiple possibilities for the correct pronunciation: YeHovah, YehoVah, YeHuah, YehuAh, Yahuah, Yehuah, YahuWah, YaHoah, Yahveh, Yaweh, and the list goes on… It is clear, though, that there is no J sound in Hebrew to make “Jehovah”  
There is a shortened version of His name that is used 49 times in the Bible. It is the name יה (Yah), Strong’s # H3050. Thirty times it is used in Hallelujahs (Hallel-lu-Yah means Praise to Yah).  Nineteen times it is used as His name, an example of which is Psalm 68:4:  "Sing to God, sing praises to His name; Extol Him who rides on the clouds, By His name Yah, And rejoice before Him" (NKJV). 
Unlike the name יהוה, the pronunciation of the shortened version יה is obvious.  

Since the Bible has been preserved in the Hebrew language, shouldn't the Jews know how to pronounce the name of the Creator? Actually, no. The Jews, in millennia past, began to worship the name יהוה rather than the One to whom the name belonged. They deemed His name too holy to be uttered by man, and therefore to this day whenever a Jew is reading the Torah and encounters the name of יהוה, he will strike a line through this name in his mind and render it as השם, “HaShem,” which means, “The Name.” It seems an odd way to reverence the name of the Creator (in my opinion). After all, the Creator introduced Himself by this name to the Israelites, who would turn to paganism at every opportunity, and even to the Pharaoh of Egypt. If they were allowed to utter His name, why can't we? If the Creator did not intend for us to know His name, then why is it used some 6,519 times in the Bible?

What, then, is the correct pronunciation of His name, and why does it matter?

Let us consider the latter question first. This name matters because it is the personal name of the Almighty God, the King of the universe. And the fact that it is included some 6,519 times in the book that has been given to mankind means that He wants us to know Him, and to have a personal relationship with Him. Christ makes this clear in His intercessory prayer when he prayed, “O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them” (John 17:25‭-‬26, NKJV).
And again in Psalm 91: 14-16. “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him, And show him My salvation” (NKJV).  
This does not mean that we can use His name as a good luck charm to protect us from evil, or to acquire things that we want, but rather, that if we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us. (James 4:7-10). 

Now, getting back to the first question, what is the correct pronunciation of His name?
I have my own opinion, but I am not going to state that here because it is just that, my opinion. You may also have an opinion on the correct pronunciation, but bear in mind that it is only your opinion. There is no way to prove (at least to the best of my knowledge) what vowel sounds must be included in His name, nor which syllable gets the added emphasis. Do you know what we can do, though? You and I can each work on our personal relationship with the Almighty, regardless of other people’s opinions.  What is important is that we know the One whom we worship, and as long as someone is referring to the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob, his version of the pronunciation of His name is as valid as ours.  
"Moreover God said to Moses, 'Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: "The Lord יהוה God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations"'"  (Exodus 3:15, NKJV).

What is wrong with referring to the Creator by the English title “God” ? *

The Webster's 1828 dictionary defines “God” as:
1. The Supreme Being; Jehovah; the eternal and infinite spirit, the creator, and the sovereign of the universe.
2. A false god; a heathen deity; an idol.
3. A prince; a ruler; a magistrate or judge; an angel.

In short, you could say a “Mighty One,” ** and the Hebrew seems to back this idea up. The Hebrew word EL אל has the meaning of Strong Leader, Chief Shepherd, aka, a Mighty One. The plural form of this word, Elohim אלהים, is used many times in the Bible referring to the Almighty, and because it is plural it also refers to the Son, as seen in Genesis 1:1: “In the beginning God (Elohim) created the heavens and the earth”    
This word can also be used to refer to pagan deities. “According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt, even to this day—with which they have forsaken Me and served other gods [elohim] —so they are doing to you also” (I Samuel 8:8, NKJV). It is for this reason that I consider “God” to be a decent approximation of the Hebrew "EL."   

Some people assert that it is wrong to use any title for the Almighty and that He may be called by His name only. This is incorrect, as the Creator has many titles that are used throughout the Bible. 

El                     meaning “Mighty One” the modern English equivalent might be rendered as “God.”
Elohim           the ending of “im” makes this title plural, which would be used to include the Son.
El Shaddai     the All-Sufficient God.
El Elyon        God Most High.
Adonai          means "Lord." when refering to God. 
The name יהוה is often connected to another word as a description of the attributes of the King, such as Nissi (My Banner), Roeh (Shepherd), Rapha (Healer), Shammah (Is there), Tzidkenu (Our Righteousness), Mekkodishkem (Who makes Holy), Yireh (Will See), Shalom (Peace), Tzeva’ot (Of Hosts).        
       
It is commonly believed that the Creator did not introduce Himself by name until Exodus 3 at the burning bush incident. This idea comes from the English rendering of Exodus 6:2-3. “And God spoke to Moses and said to him: ‘I am the Lord. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name Lord I was not known to them’” (NKJV).
Another translation gives this verse an entirely different meaning:

“And Elohim spoke to Mosheh and said to him, ‘I am יהוה. And I appeared to Aḇraham, to Yitsḥaq, and to Ya‛aqoḇ, as Ěl Shaddai. And by My Name, יהוה, was I not known to them?’”
(Shemoth–Exodus 6:2‭-‬3, TS2009). 

 The Hebrew could be translated into English either way, but this version actually makes more sense when one takes into account all the times people before Moses’ time used the name יהוה.

    
In Genesis 15:7 the Almighty introduced Himself to Abram by name.
In Genesis 28:13 the Almighty introduced Himself to Jacob by name.
There are 8 verses about people calling on His name.
There are 30 verses that contain His name in a direct quote. An example of this is Genesis 24:12: “Then he said, “O Lord יהוה God of my master Abraham, please give me success this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham” (NKJV).  



And now, getting back to the latter half of the first law, “...who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage” Here the Almighty is referencing an event that took place so that the Israelites He was speaking to would know that these laws were from the same God that had delivered them from Egypt. In much the same way when we read this statement now, we are reminded that these laws are from the One who delivered us from Egypt, spiritually speaking. Egypt represents sin and death. It's a beautiful picture!


       

When we die, let us be like Abraham; let it be said of us, “He was a friend of God.”











*The reason I prefer to use a title such as “the Creator” or “the Almighty” is because what pops into someone’s mind when you say “God” is probably not the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to whom I am referring. The same reasoning applies to Jesus vs, Yeshua, not to mention that the frequency with which I hear of people using “God” and “Jesus” in profanity and cursing renders those English words somewhat less attractive to me. All of this is my personal opinion and should not be considered as more than such. 

**This is also the word used in Genesis 6:2 about what many consider to be angels that mated with humans. However, the “sons of elohim” is likely a reference to the sons of powerful people or dignitaries, but that is another subject.