Reflections

The Sacred Hebrew Names I Use

The Reflections shared here often mention the Sacred Names found in the Hebrew text of Scripture. These Names carry meaning, identity, and purpose — not titles, but real Names. Below is a simple guide to help you understand each form and how it appears in the original language.

Yah (יה)

The short, poetic form of the Father’s Name.
Meaning: “He who exists / The Eternal One / The Self-existent One.”
Found throughout Tehillim (Psalms) and preserved in many Hebrew names.
Expresses the nearness and identity of Eloah/Aluah — the singular form of Elohim/Alahiym which is Hebrew for Mighty One.
Scripture: Tehillim / Psalms 68:4 speaks His Name directly as Yah: “Sing to Elohim, sing praises to His Name; extol Him who rides upon the heavens by His Name Yah…”

Hebrew Names Containing “Yah” — With English Forms & Meanings

These names carry the short form Yah, revealing aspects of His character and His works:

YeshaYahu (ישעיהו) — Isaiah – Meaning: “Yahuah is salvation.”
YirmeYahu (ירמיהו) — Jeremiah – Meaning: “Yahuah will exalt / Yahuah will raise.”
NetanYahu (נתניהו) — Nathaniel – Meaning: “Gift of Yahuah.”
ZecharYah (זכריה) — Zechariah – Meaning: “Yahuah remembers.”
Ovadyah (עבדיה) — Obadiah – Meaning: “Servant of Yah.”

These names show how the early Hebrew people carried Yah’s identity within their own names — a living testimony of His character, His acts, and those who belong to Him.

Yahuah (יהוה)

The full, set-apart Name of the Most High.
Meaning: “He who exists,” “The Eternal One,” “The Self-existent One.”
Preserved in the Hebrew Scriptures over 6,000 times, but often replaced with the title “LORD” in English translations.
Reveals His identity as the self-existent Eloah/Aluah (Mighty One).

Scripture — His Name as a Remembrance

Shemoth / Exodus 3:15:

“Thus shall you say to the children of Yashar’el: Yahuah, the Eloah of your fathers… has sent me to you.
This is My Name forever, and this is My remembrance to all generations.”

Understanding the Form

The Name Yahuah contains Yah (יה) at its core, showing continuity of identity.
It appears within many Hebrew names — YeshaYahu, YirmeYahu, Ovadyah — revealing that His people carried His Name within their own names.

About the Different Pronunciations

The four Hebrew letters יהוה (written in English as YHWH) appear in the ancient scrolls with no vowel marks. Because early Hebrew recorded only consonants, people today attempt to restore the pronunciation based on Scripture, Hebrew patterns, and ancient names. This is why different forms exist:

Common restorations today:

Yahuah
Yahuwah
Yahuwa
Yahweh
YHWH (spoken as the four-letter Name)

Forms influenced by later traditions:

Yehova
Yahova

Forms used by some groups:

Yahawah
Yahawahh

These variations arise because the original manuscripts did not include vowel indicators. Modern readers rebuild the sound by studying patterns in names like YeshaYahu, YirmeYahu, NetanYahu, and Ovadyah, which all carry the “Yahu” element.

I personally use Yahuah, because it preserves the short form Yah (יה) and aligns with the oldest name-bearing patterns found in the Tanakh.

Connection to the Third Commandment

Shemoth / Exodus 20:7

“You shall not bring the Name of Yahuah your Eloah/Aluah to nothing, for Yahuah will not hold him guiltless who brings His Name to nothing.”

This command is not only about avoiding misuse — it is also about not emptying, erasing, or replacing His Name with titles or traditions.
Restoring the Name is part of remembering it, honoring it, and not letting it be covered or substituted.

This is why pronunciation matters to many of us today. Even when pronunciations differ, the heart behind it is the same:
to guard His Name, to speak it with respect, and to keep it from being brought to nothing.

Connection to the Name “Yahudah” (יהודה)

Another strong witness comes from the name Yahudah — often written as Judah in English. In Hebrew it is spelled:

יהודה — Yahudah

This name contains four of the same letters found in Yahuah (יהוה), with only the letter dalet (ד) added.
The shared sequence יהו — Yahu is unchanged.

If the people called Yahudah carried the Father’s Name openly in their own name, then the pronunciation Yahuah fits the same ancient pattern seen in YeshaYahu, YirmeYahu, Ovadyah, NetanYahu, and many others.

This is another reason I choose Yahuah — it is the pronunciation that best reflects the evidence preserved within the Hebrew names of His people. In my humble opinion.

Yahusha (יהושע)

The Name of the Mashiach (Messiah / Anointed One).

The Hebrew name Yahusha means “Yahuah is deliverance” or “Yahuah saves.”
It carries the Yahu of the Father’s Name at the beginning, revealing the unity between the Father and the Son — deliverance coming from Yahuah Himself.

This is the name Mosheh gave to Hoshea (Joshua) son of Nun, showing that this form is ancient and original.

Bemidbar / Numbers 13:16:
“And Mosheh called Hoshea son of Nun Yahusha.”

This establishes the full Hebrew form יהושע.

English Form: Joshua

In English Bibles, the Hebrew name Yahusha appears as Joshua — the direct English transliteration of the original Hebrew.

Translation vs. Transliteration

Understanding this difference helps bring clarity:

Translation

Translation expresses the meaning of a word.
Example: Shalom translated means peace.

Transliteration

Transliteration carries the sound of a name from one language to another.
Example: Shalom transliterated stays shalom — the sound is preserved.

Names should be transliterated, not translated.
We do not translate “Dawid” into “Beloved.” We transliterate it as David.
In the same way, the Name of the Son should carry its original sound.

How the Name Changed Over Time

This is a simple historical path as I understand it — not a criticism or attack. That is not my intent.

The original Hebrew name is Yahusha (יהושע).
When written into Greek manuscripts, Hebrew names were adapted to Greek sounds.
The Greek form became Iesous (Ιησους).
In Latin, this became Iesus.
In English, after the development of the letter J, it later became Jesus.

About the Letter J

The letter J did not exist in ancient Hebrew.
It did not exist in Greek, Latin, Aramaic, or many ancient languages.
The letter J is very new — only a few hundred years old, becoming widely used around the 1600s.
Before this, the English name “Jesus” was written Iesus, reflecting the Greek form Iesous.

This is why the English name Joshua is a more direct transliteration of the Hebrew Yahusha, while Jesus is the transliteration of the Greek form.

Both point to the same person — but only Yahusha preserves the original Hebrew meaning:
“Yahuah saves.”

The Importance of the Son’s Name

Acts 4:12:
“And there is salvation in no other, for there is no other Name under the heavens given among men by which we must be saved.”

The Name carries identity, purpose and the revelation that Yah Saves.

Psalms 119:105 Your word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.