The article was written as a result of controversy with Jehovah's Witnesses

For the study, we took a new translation of the books of the Old Testament, made by the Russian Bible Society from Hebrew.
The translation is noteworthy for several reasons. As the series editor M.G. notes. Seleznev:
“Addressing directly to the ancient original distinguishes the series “OLD TESTAMENT. TRANSLATION FROM ANCIENT HEBREW" both from the Synodal Bible (the Old Testament part of which bizarrely combines readings from the Jewish, Greek and Slavic traditions), and from those biblical translations last decade, behind which shines through not the Hebrew, but the English “original”.

Translations are made from the standard scholarly edition Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (Stuttgart, 1990). Where the Hebrew text is unclear or clearly corrupt, we endeavor to follow the most authoritative and reliable reconstructions of modern Old Testament textual scholarship; materials are used, in particular Qumran manuscripts- for the first time in the history of Bible translations into Russian for a wide readership.

The fundamental feature of our translations is their focus on modern literary norms. We are convinced that the Russian language is capable of expressing all the stylistic and semantic diversity of the biblical text and that the translator does not need to resort to clumsy literalism.

Publications of texts are accompanied by historical and philological commentary, which should reflect the untranslatable features of the Hebrew text (for example, wordplay), as well as introduce the reader to those features of ancient Eastern life and worldview that are reflected in the Bible.”

Let's consider what the name of God is

1.
In the first book of Genesis, in the story of creation, we read:
Genesis 2:4
When LORD * God created the earth and sky

Commentary on this verse:

*Word LORD in Russian translations corresponds to what is considered by Jewish tradition to be the real Name of God - יהוה . Originally it probably sounded like Yahw e′ , but then (apparently, after the Babylonian captivity) a ban was formed on saying it out loud. Instead, Jews usually say “Master,” “God,” or simply “Name.”

2.
In the book of Exodus, God reveals His name to Moses:

4. The Bible revealed to Christians the only name of salvation - this is the name of the Lord Jesus Christ:
“10 Let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, he has been presented before you in health.
11 He is the stone that was neglected by you builders, but has become the head of the corner, and there is salvation in no one else,
12 for there is no other name under heaven, given to people by which we must be saved"(Acts 4:10-12).

Old Testament. Translation from Hebrew. Genesis. – M.: Publishing House of the Russian State University, 1999. – p. 23

The Jewish race treats names and character as synonymous. To understand the names of God is to understand God's revelation of Himself. Just the names of God found in Scripture:

Yahweh, Jehovah - Existent, I am. There is an opinion that this name combines the masculine and feminine principles of “Iya” and “Hava”. By the way, it was “Hava” - that was the name of “Eva”.

Jehovah - Nissi - The Lord is our banner

Elohim - Creator. Generally speaking - plural

Adonai - Lord

El Shaddai - Provider, literally - “many-breasted”

HaShem (Name) - the Jews considered it blasphemous to even utter the word “Adonai.” They just said "name". In our style, they wrote "G-d" instead of "God"

hosts - The Lord of hosts, the Lord of hosts.

Jehovah - Shalom - Lord peace, peace

Jehovah - Jireh - The Lord will provide

God of Israel

Emmanuel - God is with us

Jehovah - Tsidkeinu - - our righteousness

El Olam - in the Russian synodal translation “God is Mighty” [

1. El Elyon: God Almighty; ruler and owner of heaven and earth; one who commands (Genesis 14:18; 2 Samuel 22:14).

2. El Shaddai: Almighty, possessor of all power; constantly providing for His children and meeting their needs (Genesis 17:1).

3. Yahweh, Lord or Jehovah: the one who is always there; constant "I AM"; eternally existing (Exodus 3:15; Psalm 83:18; Isaiah 26:4).

4. Elohim: God. This name plural, shows us the plurality of the one God. God said in Genesis 1:26, “Let us make man in our image.” This refers to two or more in one (Exodus 35:31).

5. Jehovah-Shammah: The Lord is there; He is ever present where we are (Ezekiel 48:35).

6. Jehovah Shalom: The Lord is our peace and completeness (Judges 6:24).

7. Jehovah-Jireh: The Lord will provide for us (Genesis 22:14).

8. Jehovah-Nissi: The Lord is our banner and our victory (Exodus 17:15).

9. Jehovah-Tsidkenu. The Lord is our justification; The Lord clothes Him with righteousness (Jeremiah 23:6; Jeremiah 33:16).

10. Jehovah-Rophe(rapha): The Lord heals us (Exodus 15:26).

11. Jehovah-Po-xu(pa"ah): The Lord is our loving, guiding Shepherd (Psalm 23:1).

12. Jehovah-Mekadish-Kem: The Lord who sanctifies us (Exodus 31:13).

13. Jehovah-Yasha-Gaal: The Lord is our Savior and Redeemer (Isaiah 49:26; Isaiah 60:16).

14. Adonai: My Lord (Genesis 15:2; Deuteronomy 9:26; Psalm 51:16).

15. Tsur: Rock, stronghold (Isaiah 44:8).

1. « Elohim» . This name is the most common in the Old Testament and can be found in Genesis 2:4 ( note: in the Russian Synodal translation this name is translated as Lord). This compound word written in the PLURAL and clearly indicates the Godhead in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. "Elohim" can also be translated as "gods" when we're talking about about "gods" opposing true God- God the Father. It is very important to know what the Lord said: “ The gods who did not create heaven and earth will disappear from the earth and from under the heavens"(Jer. 10:11). The Lord Himself also said: “ I am the Lord, and there is no other; there is no God except Me”(Isa. 45:5). There is no other Savior, and a Christian who has doubts about this matter should study Isaiah 41-48. Name of God "Elohim" means: "God is Mighty" or "The Lord who creates".

2. « Elelion» . This name appears in Genesis 14:22 and means: "Lord God Most High" or "Lord".

3. « Adonai» . This name appears in Genesis 15:2 and means: "Sovereign Lord", "Teacher" or "The Lord who owns".

4. « Al Olam» . This name appears in Genesis 21:33 and means: "The Lord, the Eternal God", "The Lord Revealing Himself" or "Mysterious Lord".

5. « Jehovah-jireh» . This name appears in Genesis 22:14 and means "The Lord will provide".

6. « Jehovah-rapha» . This name appears in Exodus 15:26 and means "The Lord is a healer".

7. « Jehovah-nissi» found in Exodus 17:15 and means "The Lord is my banner".

8. « El Shadai» from Genesis 17:1 means "God Almighty".

9. « Jehovah Shalom» from Judges 6:24 means "The Lord is peace".

10. « Jehovah Hosts» from I Book of Samuel means "Lord of Hosts".

11. « Jehovah tsidkenu» from Jeremiah 23:6 means: "The Lord is our justification".

12. « Jehovah shamai» from Ezekiel 48:35 means "The Lord is there".

13. « Jehovah Elion " from Psalm 7:18 means: "Blessing of the Lord" or "The Lord is our Blesser".

14. « Jehovah-raa» from Psalm 22:1 means "The Lord is my Shepherd".

  1. Lamb of God. John 13:29
  2. Alpha and Omega . Revelation 1:8
  3. Resurrection and life. John 11:25
  4. Second person. 1 Corinthians 15:47
  5. Door to heaven. John 10:19
  6. Emmanuel. Matthew 1:23
  7. Searcher of the hearts and reins Revelation 1:23
  8. True Grapevine
  9. Foundation stone
  10. Lion of the Tribe of Judah
  11. Good Shepherd
  12. First and last
  13. The Last Adam
  14. The way and the truth and the life
  15. Light of the World
  16. Word
  17. Son of David
  18. Son of Man
  19. morning Star
  20. Bread of life
  21. Bread that came down from heaven.
  22. King of the Jews
  23. This is I (Greek “ego eimi”, a prototype of the Hebrew “I Am”)
  1. Bible. John 15:1
  2. Bible. 1 Peter 1:6
  3. Bible. Revelation 5:5
  4. Bible. John 11:12
  5. Bible. Revelation 1:10
  6. Bible. 1 Corinthians 15:45

What are different names God and what do they mean?

Answer: Each of the many names of God describes various aspects Its multifaceted nature. Most famous names The Gods in the Bible are as follows:

EL, ELOAH:“God is Mighty” (Genesis 7:1; Isaiah 9:6) – etymologically, the word “El” seems to mean “power, ability,” as in, “There is power in my hand to do you harm” (Genesis 31 :29, Synodal translation). El is associated with other qualities such as integrity (Numbers 23:19), zeal (Deuteronomy 5:9), and compassion (Nehemiah 9:31), but the core idea remains power.

ELOHIM:“God the Creator, Mighty and Mighty” (Genesis 17:7; Jeremiah 31:33) is the plural form of Eloah, which confirms the doctrine of the Trinity. From the first sentence of the Bible, the superior nature of God's power is evident when God (Elohim) calls the world into existence (Genesis 1:1).

AL SHADDAI:“The Mighty God, the Mighty of Jacob” (Genesis 49:24; Psalm 132:2, 5) speaks of God’s absolute power over all.

ADONAI:"Lord" (Genesis 15:2; Judges 6:15) - used instead of "YHWH", which the Jews considered too sacred to be uttered by sinful people. In the Old Testament, "YHWH" is used more often in God's dealings with His people, while "Adonai" is used when He was dealing with the Gentiles.

YHWH / JEHOVAH:“Lord” (Deuteronomy 6:4; Daniel 9:14) is strictly speaking the only real name of God. In some translations of the Bible it appears as “LORD” (all capital letters) to distinguish it from “Adonai” - “Lord”. The revelation of the name is first given to Moses: “I AM THAT I AM” (Exodus 3:14). This name defines spontaneity, presence. “YHWH” is present, available, and close to those who call upon Him for deliverance (Psalm 107:13), forgiveness (Psalm 24:11), and guidance (Psalm 31:3).

YHWH-IREH:“The Lord will provide” (Genesis 22:14), a name immortalized by Abraham when God gave a ram as a sacrifice in place of Isaac.

YHWH-RAFA:“The Lord heals” (Exodus 15:26) – “I am the Lord, your healer!” He is the Healer of body and soul. Bodies – preserving and healing from diseases; souls - forgiving iniquities.

YHWH-NISSI:“The Lord is our banner” (Exodus 17:15), where the banner is understood as a gathering place. This name commemorates the desert victory over Amalek in Exodus 17.

YHWH-M'KADDESH:“The Lord is the source of holiness” (Leviticus 20:8; Ezekiel 37:28) – God makes it clear that only He, and not the law, can purify His people and make them holy.

YAHWEH SHALOM:“The Lord is our peace” (Judges 6:24) is the name Gideon gave to the altar he built after the Angel of the Lord assured him that he would not die, as he thought when he saw Him.

YHWH-ELOHIM:“The Lord God” (Genesis 2:4; Psalm 59:5) is a combination of God’s unique name “Yahweh” and the general name “Lord,” meaning that He is the Lord of lords.

YHWH-TSIDKENU:“The Lord is our justification” (Jeremiah 33:16) – as with “YAHWEH-M”KADDESH”, only God provides righteousness to man in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ, who became sin for us, “to make us into unity with Christ, the divine righteousness" (2 Corinthians 5:21).

YAHWEH-ROHI:“The Lord is our Shepherd” (Psalm 22:1) – After David pondered his relationship as a shepherd to his sheep, he realized that this is exactly the relationship God has with him and says: “The Lord is my Shepherd; I will lack for nothing” (Psalm 22:1, New Testament Version).

YHWH-SHAMMA:“The Lord is there” (Ezekiel 48:35) – a title that applied to Jerusalem and the temple, noting that the glory of the Lord that had once departed (Ezekiel 8–11) had returned (Ezekiel 44:1–4).

YHWH-SABAOTH:“Lord of Hosts” (Isaiah 1:24; Psalm 46:7) – The word “hosts” means “hordes, crowds, hosts” of both angels and men. He is the Lord of the host of heaven and the inhabitants of the Earth, Jews and Gentiles, rich and poor, masters and slaves. This name expresses the greatness, power and authority of God and shows that He is able to do what He chooses to do.

EL-ELION:“Most High” (Deuteronomy 26:19) – comes from the Hebrew root words for “up” or “to rise,” and therefore means that He is the highest. "El Elyon" means exaltation and speaks of His absolute right to rule.

EL-ROI:“God who sees” (Genesis 16:13) is the name attributed to God by Hagar, who was alone and desperate in the wilderness after Sarai drove her out (Genesis 16:1–14). When Hagar met the Angel of the Lord, she realized that she had seen God Himself. She also realized that “El-Roi” saw her in distress and showed her that He is God who lives and sees everything.

EL-OLAM:“The Eternal God” (Psalm 89:1–3) – God’s nature has no beginning or end, is free from all limitations of time, and He is the cause of time itself. “From everlasting to everlasting You are God.”

EL-GIBHOR:“Mighty God” (Isaiah 9:6) is a name that describes the Messiah, Jesus Christ, in this prophetic portion of the book of Isaiah. As a strong and mighty warrior, the Messiah—the mighty God—will destroy the enemies of God and rule with a rod of iron (Revelation 19:15).

When writing this answer on the site, materials from the got site were partially or fully used Questions? org!

Owners of the Bible Online resource may partially or not at all share the opinion of this article.

Jesus crucified on the cross exclaims: “Either, Or!” Lama Savakhthani? (Matthew 27:46). Through the eyes of an Arabist, the meaning of what the god-man said is seen as follows: “Il is mine! Il is mine! Why did you shed my blood (or why did you dishonor me)?” To die at the hands of mortals, people - isn’t this a disgrace for a demigod?

There are, however, some rough edges in this version of mine. To be one hundred percent consistent Arabic, it should have sounded “Either, Or!” Lima safakhtani? However, such roughness is more than justified by a number of compelling reasons.

Christ spoke not Arabic, but Aramaic (Syriac). Although it is very close to modern Arabic, it is still a different, special language.
The words of Jesus came to us through the ancient Greek language, which inevitably led to some distortions. Not everyone who heard these words understood them, since they themselves spoke other languages. These include the Apostle Matthew, who spoke Hebrew. Without understanding or knowing the Aramaic language, they inevitably had to distort their exact sound in their transmission. In the transmission of the Apostle Mark, who spoke spoken Aramaic, the same words already sound like “Eloi, Eloi! lamma sabachthani? (Mark 15:34). Thus, the truth is that none of the listed languages ​​(Aramaic, Hebrew and Arabic) explain with 100% accuracy this saying of Christ, which has come down to us in such a somewhat distorted form. And this is quite natural because we received it through transcription in another, ancient Greek language, and then through a series of translations from language to language. That is why S. Yesenin writes about God the Father, calling him Ili, and M. Tsvetaeva calls him Eloi. Having freed the words Ili and Eloi from the ending -i, meaning “my,” we receive the name of God the Father: Il or Elo.

Copyright: Valery Osipov, 2012
Certificate of publication No. 212122501031

Reviews

Thank you for raising the topic... The article is very deep and interesting... I thought about this myself... and then EVERYTHING turns out very interesting... this is what I came to, in continuation of yours:
1. As we know, in ancient times there was such a letter “YAT”, which was pronounced as “Ie”, “Ye”, “Ya” or simply “I”, which coincided in Essence and Pronunciation with the letter “ER”.. .
Hence: “Jehovah”, “Yahweh”, etc...
and due to the fact that the “holy enlighteners” did not understand the Divine meaning of the Letter “YAT”, it was subsequently simply abolished, replaced by a similar pronunciation - “ER” (O-short), and sometimes as “Ie” or “Iya” ... and then this initial letter completely turned into a simple “Ъ” Solid sign... ceasing to DETERMINE what is needed - and in the way it is needed...
BUT, the letter “YAT” had a deeper meaning and a more ancient vowel - “YE” or “IE”... and based on this, the concept - “Il” and “El” have same value(as in the word Rous - Rus or Ros, since Rus' was once written with the initial letter "OUK")...
Hence the names - Mikhai-IL, Ah-IL, Satan-IL (son of God IL)...
The very letter “YAT” had a definition - to re-experience someone else’s experience, to know the Truth from God...
Hence the words: Take, Take away, Accept.
Hence such words with the root “Yat”, such as “R-YAT” (plurality), “EMBRACE” (to embrace something - with thought, gaze, hands, soul), “SI-YAT” (to glow with rays of happiness, receiving energy from other sources or emitting a lot of energy, fueled from the outside), “SO-DE-YAT” (to do something with inspiration and conscientiously), “PA-M-YAT” (what helps to gain wisdom through spiritual experience of the Ancestors), “PO-N-YAT” (gain secret meaning, rethink other people’s truths), “DEV-YAT” (gaining a diva), “DES-YAT” (gaining a spirit).

2. Now let’s move on to the very concept of “IL”, which literally has a definition - river sand. But, it is also identified with the Stars, which are in the sky, like grains of sand on the bank of a river. It also has a definition - the Creative Divine principle of all that exists, in its Light and Dark hypostases (like Indra), because in the Earthly World, as in Man himself, everything is One and Indivisible.

Now let’s try to figure out what kind of SAND this is, which is compared with both the Stars and the Divine Principle...
I will give a comparison of the changed concept of “YAT” to “EPЪ”, but with an amplifying effect in the form of two dots above the “E”, which seem to tell us - “We Are and We know how to Ascend” through “ЁКЪ” (Unification of the DNA Factor and everything the World around us). The letter “Yo” is a strengthened “E”, through the connecting Image of the Essence.
And this is where interesting comparative words appear:
YO-MOYO is a strong Spiritual-Emotional expression of Surprise, Admiration or Indignation.
YOR - a trifle, a sweetheart, and also a small forest (like small bristles that prick). Hence the word: Jiggle.
YORA - frisky, fast, restless. Hence the word: Yorazati (To fidget). However, in a more modern interpretation, the word “Yora” has become a household word, defining a dissolute person, a rogue, a swindler, a malicious libertine. Hence the word: Make fun. In the Far North, “Yora” is a shrub growing in the tundra.
JERK - rub.
To fidget - not to find a place for yourself, to be always on the move.
YORUK - earthworm (as a prototype of the masculine principle).
YORЪ - coarse-grained sand of yellow color. In Latin, “Ora” means coast, sandy shore, edge, limit, and “Ore” means hourglass. On French"Or" - gold, golden color. On English language"Or" - otherwise, golden or yellow, and "Ore" - iron ore. Among the Scandinavians, “Ore” is the smallest small change coin (1/100 crown).

The letter “Y” emphasizes the deep inner Power of the human Spirit, defining its increased sensitivity to surrounding events.

Now let's summarize:
YOR (trifle, sweetheart), YORA (playful), YERGAT (rub), YORUK (prototype of masculinity)... and all This comes from “Ila”... enhanced by vibration “YOKY” (intensified ascension internal energy Spirit).
Does THIS remind you of anything???
Well, for example, the moment of the creation of a child... where the “frisky sweetheart”, as a symbol of the “Masculine principle” penetrates into LO-NO... under the influence of YORGANYA - turns into the Symbol “YOK” - the Unity of the DNA Factor and the entire World around us, where the letter “E” is a strengthened “E”, through the connecting Image of the Essence (which the Creator-Il - “IL”).
Hence such an expression, amazing in its emotionality - “The heart skipped a beat.”

Yuri Ulyanov 01/02/2013 15:08

Review of “The Real Name of God” (Valery Osipov)

What is there to especially think and reflect on?
It is enough to turn to the Bible, a reliable source, for clarification of this issue:
Genesis 22:14; Exodus 6:3 (in footnote); Exodus 15:3; 17:15; 33:19;34:5;
Judges 6:24; Hosea 12:5
In the second half of the sixth century BC. When the Jews returned from Babylonian captivity, a group of Jewish scholars - the Sopherim (scribes) - became the custodians of the Hebrew Scriptures, now known as the Old Testament.
They had a superstitious fear of misusing the name of God and replaced it with the titles Adonai (Lord) and Elohim (God). Elohim is the plural of eloah (god), conveying greatness.

Before this, the name of God was designated in the form of the Tetragrammaton, four Hebrew consonant letters - YHVH or YHVH.
Since there are no vowels in the Hebrew alphabet, initially the reader was forced to add vowel sounds based on his knowledge of the language.
In Russian, this name was pronounced as Jehovah.
This name was known and used in their works by many Russian classics - poets, writers, composers:
Nikolai Karamzin, Alexander Radishchev, Ivan Turgenev, Alexander Pushkin,
Ivan Turgenev, Anton Chekhov, Leo Tolstoy, Ivan Bunin and many others.

And also many foreign ones:
William Shakespeare, John Milton, Voltaire, Byron, Walter Scott, George Sand,
Arthur Schopenhauer, Ray Bradbury, Bernard Shaw, Erich Remarque, etc.
Jehovah is a spelling and pronunciation of God's name that has been used for centuries. In Hebrew, where words are read from right to left, this name is written using the four consonants יהוה. These letters - in Russian transliteration YHVH - are known as the Tetragrammaton. In this form the name of God for a long time depicted on coins in Europe.

God's name is also found on buildings, monuments, works of art, and in many church hymns. According to the German Brockhaus Encyclopedia, at one time it was customary for Protestant princes to wear an emblem that included a stylized image of the sun and the Tetragrammaton. This symbol was also used on flags and coins and was known as the Jehovah-Sun emblem. Based on this, we can conclude that deeply religious Europeans of the 17th-18th centuries knew the name of Almighty God. And what's more remarkable is that they weren't afraid to use it.

The name of God was not a secret for colonial America either. Let's take for example American soldier Ethan Allen, who served in the Revolutionary War. According to his memoirs, in 1775 he demanded that his enemies surrender “in the name of the Great Jehovah.” Later, during the administration of Abraham Lincoln, some of the President's advisers often mentioned the name Jehovah in their letters to him. In many libraries you can see other American historical documents containing the name of God. These are just a few examples to show that the name of God has been used throughout the centuries.

How are things going today? Has the name of God been forgotten? It's hardly possible to say that. In Bible translations, God's personal name appears in many verses. If you go to the library or open a dictionary at home, within a few minutes you can probably find evidence that the name Jehovah is often used as an equivalent to the Tetragrammaton. For example, in Encyclopedic Dictionary Brockhaus and Ephron say that “Jehovah is one of the most sacred names of God in the Old Testament.” And in one of the latest editions of the New Encyclopedia Britannica it is written that Jehovah is “the Judeo-Christian name of God.”

This name is the causative form of the Hebrew verb havaʹh (“to be”) and therefore means “He causes to be,” or causes to become. In other words, Jehovah, by exercising wisdom, becomes what is necessary to carry out his purposes. For the sake of fulfilling promises, he becomes the Creator, Judge, Savior, Guardian of life, and so on.

The name of God in the Bible. Are Jehovah's Witnesses correct about the name Tetragrammaton?

    QUESTION FROM OLGA
    Jehovah's Witnesses talk a lot about the name of God and use the Holy Scriptures to prove its importance. Are they right? Help me to understand

Let's figure it out together. At the same time, we will rely only on facts, on the text of the original Bible, and not on its interpretation by representatives of different faiths.

So, from my communication with a representative of Jehovah's Witnesses, I understood the following: Witnesses believe that the name of God “Jehovah” has great importance for people. Knowing this name, believers are saved; Satan and his demons are afraid of this name, so the name of Jehovah God must be paid attention to! Jehovah's Witnesses refer to Jesus that He taught: “Hallowed be thy NAME,” sanctifying this name not only in prayers, but also by His deeds.

Indeed, the Bible uses the name of God Tetragrammaton (Jehovah) and repeatedly speaks of sanctification and glorification of the name of God. Besides, Holy Bible proclaims that the name of God must be preached among the nations:

“For this very reason I raised you up, that I might show My power over you, and that it might be preached My name is throughout all the earth» (Rom. 9:17, see also Exod. 9:16).

However, the Bible contains other names for God. So which name of God should be sanctified and preached to believers?

Names of God Found in the Bible

Especially often in the Bible, God is called Elohim (which in Hebrew means El (god) with a plural ending, in Greek Teos). God is also called Lord (derived from lord, in Hebrew Adonai, in Greek Kyurios)

We will now list the names of God found in the Bible:

God at least shows His 5 names, directly saying that these are His NAMES:

Zealot: “For you must not worship any god other than the Lord; because His name is zealot; He is a jealous God"(Ex. 34.14).

hosts(translated as Strength¸ Host): “Our Redeemer is the Lord His name is hosts» (Isa. 47:4).

Saint: “For thus says the High and Exalted One, the One Who Lives Forever,” Holy is His name» (Isa. 57:15).

Redeemer: “Only You are our Father; ... You, Lord, are our Father, from all eternity your name: "Redeemer our""(Isa. 63:16).

Tetragramaton– (Jehovah, Yahweh): "The Lord is a man of war, Jehovah (Tetragrammaton) His name» (Ex. 15:3).

As can be seen from the text of the Holy Scriptures, God does not have one single name. Moreover, simple analysis it is enough to see that the names of God carry information about Him, characterize Him: Zealot, Strength, Holy, Redeem...

Indicative in this vein is the analysis of another text of the Bible - chapters 33 and 34 of the book of Exodus. In chapter 33 we read:

“(Moses) said: Show me Your glory. And the Lord said: I I WILL spend before by you ALL THE GLORY Mine and I will proclaim the NAME Jehovah is before you..."(Ex. 33:18,19).

“And the Lord (tetragrammaton) descended in the cloud... and proclaimed the NAME Jehovah (Tetragrammaton). AND passed Lord (Tetragrammaton) before his face and proclaimed: The Lord (tetragrammaton), the Lord (tetragrammaton), God, loving and merciful, long-suffering and abounding in mercy and truth, ... forgiving iniquity and crime and sin, but not leaving unpunished ... Moses immediately fell to the ground and bowed down"(Ex. 34:5-8).

As follows from the text, Moses asked to be shown GLORY Creator. To which the Lord immediately connected glory with His proclamation NAME. But, it is obvious that the Creator here did not reveal to Moses the name Tetrammaton, since He did this much earlier, which we will examine in the next section of the article. But God announced the name of the Tetragrammaton! Look - this phrase is repeated several times! But if the Tetragrammaton is a name, then how can a name have another name? There is only one logical explanation, confirmed by the Bible itself - the name indicates character. Therefore, the Lord proclaimed His name, which consists not only of the tetragrammaton, but also of other characteristics - philanthropic, merciful, long-suffering, abundantly merciful, true, forgiving, but just... This is ALL THE Glory God, which He, as He promised, spent in front of Moses!

In general, any person familiar with the Bible and history knows that names in ancient times were not just proper names, but carriers of information about who they belonged to. Therefore, it was practiced to change names when certain conditions changed. For example, Jacob (the sneak) was called Israel (the winner), Abram (great by father) was renamed by the Lord to Abraham (father of nations), Sarah (princess) to Sarah (princess of the nations), Simon (God heard) Christ called Peter (the rock) )… Each name had a meaning. For example, Jesus in translation means – the Lord will save.

And the name of God is no exception to this rule. If everything is more or less clear with the names Zealot, Strength, Holy, Redeem, then what does the name of God tetragrammaton (Jehovah, Yahweh) mean?

What does the name of God tetragrammaton (Jehovah, Yahweh, Jehovah) mean?

The first time God calls Himself by the name Tetragrammaton is in Ex. Chapter 3 Look what the Creator said to the patriarch when Moses asked about the name of God...

“Moses said to God: Behold, I will come to the children of Israel and say to them: The God of your fathers sent me to you. And they will tell me: WHAT IS HIS NAME? What should I tell them?(Ex. 3:13)

To this God answered word by word in the original:

“God said to Moses: Tell the children of Israel Existing(היה – ehiye-asher-ehiye - I am He Who Am, in Hebrew “to be”, translated into Russian as “Existing”) sent» (Ex. 3:14)

But in the next, 15 text of Ex. Chapter 3 we meet the famous Tetragrammaton (tetragrammaton in Greek means a word of 4 letters, i.e. four-letter), which believers pronounce and understand in different ways - Jehovah, Yahweh, Jehovah... We quote this verse word by word as in the original Hebrew:

“God said again to Moses: Say to the children of Israel: tetragrammaton(יהוה), God of your fathers, God of Abraham, God of Isaac and God of Jacob sent. A name forever, remembrance from generation to generation.”(Ex. 3:15).

The Tetragrammaton is written יהוה. And the word Jehovah used in verse 14 is היה. Look at them carefully. And now re-read verses 13, 14 and 15. It can be seen that in text 15 God clarifies what he said in verse 14. Most theologians have no doubt that the names of God mentioned in verses 14 and 15 are very close, almost identical. This is what you can read about the name Jehovah and the Tetragrammaton in the Electronic Jewish Encyclopedia, which preserved the traditions of the ancestors, that is, the Old Testament Israelites:

“The explanation of the name given in Ex. 3:14 (I am He Who I Am) is an example of the folk etymology characteristic of the biblical system of explaining proper names. However, there is no doubt that this name comes from the root היה (to be). In modern biblical studies, it is customary to interpret the name Yahweh as “He who causes to be” or “He who is the cause of being.”

Now let's see how the concept of the Tetragrammaton is explained by a Jew, a former Jew, and now a Christian, a doctor of theology, who studied at the Jewish Theological Academy, Alexander Bolotnikov:

“The divine name YHWH (Tetragrammaton יהוה) is derived from the Hebrew verb “to be” in the third person in the imperfect tense... The imperfect aspect signifies an unfinished action... the verb “to be” in the imperfect aspect signifies a state of being that has no end. It includes “was, is and will be.”

Here it is worth remembering in what words the Apostle John quoted how the Lord introduced himself to him in the book of Revelation:

"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, ... Which is and was and is to come» (Rev. 1:8).

Here John, with the help of the first and last letter the Greek alphabet and verbs in different tenses conveys the same idea, because Greek does not have verbs in the imperfect tense like Hebrew.

That is, the tetragrammaton is not just a proper name, but a characteristic of God: “was, is and will be,” which can be translated into Russian as Existing (eternally existing, source of existence). To see this, look at the context of Ex. 3 chapters. At 15 Art. God introducing himself to Moses" was, is and it will be,” immediately emphasizes that He exists same The God they had "of the fathers..., the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob"... There is definitely a direct connection here.

How to correctly read the Tetragrammaton of Yahweh, Jehovah or Jehovah?

How to correctly read the Tetragrammaton in Russian depends on the method. Basically, we read foreign words, replacing them with semantic analogues, that is, we translate them. In this case, as explained above, the Tetragrammaton is better pronounced Jehovah. However, sometimes we read foreign words by pronouncing specific foreign letters in our language. This is especially true for proper names. In this case, the question arises, is it correct to say Jehovah? Or maybe the name of God is Yahweh?

For Jehovah's Witnesses this is extremely important, since they attach great importance to the name of God, forgetting that its main purpose is to reflect the character of the Creator.

However, which is correct: Jehovah or Yahweh, or neither?

No one will ever be able to find a 100% correct answer to this question. The fact is that the Tetragrammaton is written 4 consonant letters, since the biblical writing of Hebrew did not have vowels. Fearing that they might accidentally break the third commandment of the Decalogue, “Thou shalt not take the name of God in vain” (see Exodus 20:7), the Israelites stopped saying the Tetragrammaton out loud several centuries BC. Therefore, the vocalization of the four consonant letters is not known for certain, since no ancient indisputable written evidence has been preserved about this. Not wanting to “in vain” pronounce the Tetragrammaton out loud when reading the Holy Scriptures, it was replaced with the word Adonai (Lord) or Elohim (God). Thus, some translations of the Bible contained an error - in a significant number of cases, the word Tetragrammaton was replaced by Adonai or Elohim.

Subsequently Christian theologians tried to voice the known 4 consonant letters, that is, to find out how the Tetragrammaton should sound. And of course, Christians turned to the original source - the Hebrew text of Scripture preserved by the Masoretes. Masoretes are Jews responsible for preserving ancient traditions, mainly the Scriptures.

The Masoretes, trying to preserve the correct pronunciation of Hebrew words, at the beginning of our era began to place vowel sounds on consonants in the Bible test. And of course, such a vowel was given to the name of God Tetragrammaton. However, the Masoretes did not know how to pronounce Tetrarammaton correctly. Moreover, they remained faithful to the cardinal fulfillment of the third commandment and did not intend to pronounce the name of God Tetragrammaton. Therefore, when vocalizing the Tetragrammaton, they used the rule qere / ketib - readable / written, according to which some words were deliberately vocalized incorrectly due to the taboo on their pronunciation. According to this rule, the reader, seeing such a word, had to read it in a certain way. The Tetragrammaton was voweled in some cases with vowels from the word Adonai, and in others from Elohim. A person seeing a vowel from Adonai on the Tetragrammaton had to read Adonai instead of the Tetragrammaton, and if there were vowels from Elohim, then Elohim was read.

However, Christians initially did not know these rules of Judaism due to their distance from the Jews. Therefore, seeing the voiced Tetraagrammaton in the Masoretic text, they accepted this as a correct, albeit hidden, voicing of the name of God. Vocalization of the Tetragramaton with vowels from Adonai is more common in different options pronounced similar to the word Jehovah. This is where the name of God Jehovah came from.

That is, the name Jehovah is an invented name of God, and cannot be His real name, because the following facts remain:

  • The rule of qere/ketib (read/written) was applied to the reading of the name of God by the Jews.
  • The Tetragrammaton was vocalized not only by vowels from Adonai, but also from the word Elohim, which even in the Masoretic text gives several different readings of the Tetragrammaton.
  • The name Jehovah appeared only in the Middle Ages thanks to Christian translators. How can one be sure that they are right if the bearers of the name of God, the Jews themselves, never used the name Jehovah and, moreover, they are sure that this is not the name of God.
  • The pronunciation of the Tetragrammaton is not recorded in ancient (BC) Jewish sources.

Thus, only with a strong desire can one believe that the ancient name of God, the Tetragrammaton, was pronounced as Jehovah. Today on the Internet you can find many articles and materials about the name Jehovah, but they are all just hypotheses and theories...

The same applies to the name of God Yahweh. He has a slightly different story. Many learned theologians understood that the name of God cannot be Jehovah. But how then to pronounce the Tetragrammaton? In the 19th century, the scientist G. Ewald proposed another reading of YHVeH (Yahweh). He referred to some early Christian authors; the abbreviated form of the name of God YAH, found in a number of Bible texts (see Ex. 15:2; Ps. 67:5); as well as the endings -yahu and -yah in some Hebrew names.

Jews and a significant part of Christians agree that it is more correct to pronounce the Teragrammaton by Yahweh. But other Christians are convinced that it is correct to say the name of God - Jehovah. Whether anyone is right or wrong we will never know until Hebrew written evidence is found, which seems unlikely.

Taking this into account, and understanding that, first of all, the name of God reflects His character, we can draw only one conclusion - for the salvation and spiritual life of the believer, it does not matter how correctly the name of God was originally pronounced, the Tetragrammaton!

Think about it, if this were important, then all the prophets and apostles, and, of course, Christ, would strongly point this out to believers! But this is not in the Bible! In the next section of the material we will examine this issue.

Is it important to know the name of God? What does it mean to glorify the name of God?

If for salvation it was necessary to know the name of God, then, I repeat, ALL the prophets and apostles would CONSTANTLY talk about this. And Satan could not prevent this in any way by helping to hide the true name of God, because he is not stronger than the Lord! And, of course, Christ would have proclaimed this! However, the name Tetragrammaton is not used SINGLE TIME in the New Testament! Didn’t God’s messengers know this or think about the importance of this name for their followers?! Did Jesus really not want the salvation of believers when he taught to call God not the Tetragrammaton, but Father and Daddy (Abba)?!

Let's remember the famous words of Christ that we mentioned at the beginning of the article: "Hallowed be thy name"(Matt. 6:9). This is not a separate phrase, but part of a prayer that begins as follows: « Pray like this: FATHER ours, who art in heaven! Hallowed be thy name"(Matt. 6:9 and also Luke 11:2).

Here Jesus calls believers to turn to God in prayer: "Father". And what kind of consecration of the name are we talking about next?

Here's another most interesting words Christ:

« I discovered the name Yours to people … I have revealed Your name to them and will reveal that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”(John 17:6,26).

What name of God the Father did Jesus reveal to people? If this name is Tetragrammaton, then why does Jesus never mention this name, and the apostles do not remember it, and even the first Christians...?

Everything is simple here. To understand the words of Christ, you just need to know the Old Testament scriptures and the mentality of the people of that time well. As previously noted, the names of God symbolized His character, that is, all the names of the God of Israel were inextricably linked with the Creator. At the same time, other peoples believed in their gods, who also had their own names: Moloch, Baal and others. Therefore, when the Bible speaks of magnifying the name of God, it means that believers should glorify exclusively the God of Israel, and not other gods.

Another well-known text that Jehovah’s Witnesses often use to defend their position speaks to this.

“And the Lord will be King over all the earth; IN THAT DAY there will be one Lord, and His name will be one.”(Zechariah 14:9).

Let's look at the entire prophecy. A little earlier, in the previous chapter, God speaks through the prophet:

"And will be IN THAT DAY, says the Lord of hosts, I I will destroy the NAMES of the idols from this earth... they (God's people) they will call on my name, and I will hear them and say: “These are My people,” and they will say: “The Lord is my God!”(Zechariah 13:2,9).

And after this, in chapter 14 we talk about defeat IN THE LAST (Judgment) "THAT DAY" God of the enemies of His people and the restoration of His Kingdom on earth. From the meaning of the text it is clear that what we are talking about here is that the NAMES of other gods (idols, see above) will no longer be mentioned by people, and they will all call on the One God. That is, as can be seen from the context, we are not talking about the only name of God, but directly about one God reigning on earth.

Therefore, Scripture does not constantly indicate specific names of God that need to be glorified, but speaks of the name of the God of Israel in general. Moreover, this applies not only to the actual glorification of the Lord in prayers, writings and songs, but also to the glorification of Him by one’s deeds. Because the wicked behavior of God's people brought disgrace to His name among the Gentiles! This is extremely important, because previously the gods were looked at and assessed for their “power and character” by the lives of the peoples who professed them. In this regard, the actions of the Jews, respectively, either glorified the name of God, that is, God himself, or dishonored Him.

“I judged them according to their ways and according to their deeds. And they came to the nations... and disgraced holy name My, because they say about them: “They are the people of the Lord, and came out of His land.”(Ezek. 26:19,20).

"And I will sanctify the great My name is dishonored among the nations, among which you dishonored him And the nations will know that I am the Lord, says the Lord God, when I will show My holiness to you before their eyes.”(Ezek. 36:23).

“They desire that the dust of the earth should be on the heads of the poor, and they pervert the path of the meek; even father and son go to the same woman, to dishonor my holy name» (Amos 2:7).

From these texts it is clear that the Jews did not dishonor the name of the Lord as such, but their God Himself. And of course, it doesn’t matter what exactly His name is, but the main thing is that because of the behavior of the Israelites in the eyes of other nations, the God of the people of Israel was dishonored.

There are other texts in the Bible that show how the name of God can be dishonored and that this applies directly to the Creator Himself.

“If I am a father, then where is the respect for Me? and if I am the Lord, then where is the reverence for Me? says the Lord of hosts to you, priests, dishonoring my name. You speak: " WHY do we dishonor Your name?“You offer My unclean bread on the altar... And when you sacrifice the blind, is it not bad? Or when you offer the lame and sick, is it not bad? ... says the Lord of hosts"(Mal. 1:6-8).

Realizing HOW you can dishonor the name of the Lord, it becomes clear that you can glorify the name of God - what Jesus spoke about in Matt. 6:9. Glorifying the name of God is not only voicing the name of the Tetragrammaton in songs, prayers and sermons, but glorifying the God of Israel Himself in the eyes of other nations!

This follows both from the meaning of Scripture and its specific texts. It is significant how the Word of God talks about the exaltation of names:

"I will produce from you great people and I will bless you and I will magnify your name» (Gen. 12:2).

With these words, God addresses Abraham, and clearly here we are talking not just about exalting the name “Abraham,” but about Abraham himself, the forefather of God’s people.

“I worship before Your holy temple and I praise Your name for Thy mercy and for Thy truth, for Thou hast magnified Thy word above all Thy name.”(Ps. 137:2).

From this verse it is clear that David praises God Himself for His mercy, and it is also important that the presence of several names of God is mentioned here... And besides, the prophet places God’s message (word, Scripture) above the names of God, since Scripture describes the character much more broadly God, as reflected in His names.

"And yes Your name will be magnified forever, that they may say, “The Lord of hosts is God over Israel.”(2 Kings 7:26)

Here we are talking about the God of Israel being glorified among the nations of that time, so that the Jews would be proud that they have such a God... And again there are two names of God...

“And the Lord said to him: I have heard your prayer and your petition, which you asked of Me. I have consecrated this temple that you built so that abide my name there forever"(1 Kings 9:3).

It talks about the Jerusalem Temple. Of course, the name of God, the Tetragrammaton, did not reside there directly, being written on the walls... The point is that this temple was dedicated to the One God of Israel. In the Bible, the temple of Israel is not called only the temple named after Tetragarammaton, but the temple of the God of Israel.

“Praise the name of the Lord...From the rising of the sun to the west, let the name of the Lord be glorified. The Lord is high above all nations."(Ps. 112:1-4).

Here it is clear that we are talking about praising not just a name, as a set of letters, but the Lord Himself, proclaiming that He is high above all nations.

What then do Jesus’ words mean that He revealed the name of God to people (see John 17:6,26 above)? What name of God the Father did Jesus reveal to believers? He didn't talk about names specifically! But remember Ex. 34:6 “The Lord is gracious, merciful, abounding in mercy...”

It is about the character of God that Jesus spoke:

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.”(John 3:16, 1 John 4:10,16)

Jesus also, by Himself - by His life, selfless service, incomprehensible sacrifice, revealed to people the character of God - the Lord “loving mankind, merciful, abounding in mercy...”

"He who has seen Me saw the Father» (John 14:9).

“Who (Christ) is the image of the invisible God... God... has shone in our hearts to give light to us knowledge of GLORY God in the person of Jesus Christ"(2 Cor. 4:4,6).

Remember, above discussing Ex. In chapters 33 and 34, we saw a direct connection between God's name, His character, and His glory that He held before Moses. In the New Testament we clearly see the same connection.

Does knowledge of the name Tetragrammaton (Yahweh, Jehovah, Jehovah) save?

If direct knowledge of the name Tetragrammaton (Jehovah or Yahweh or Jehovah) was important for salvation, then the Lord would have taken care of this... For example, he would have helped so that the prophets would not allow the Israelites to impose a ban on the pronunciation of this name, or so that its pronunciation - the vowel - would be preserved in some either manuscripts..., or so that Jesus and the apostles, and then their followers (Christians of the first centuries) conveyed to their Christian disciples the importance of knowing the name of God and its correct pronunciation! But this is not the case!

It also becomes strange that Scripture does not mention the name of God tetragramaton (Jehovah, Yahweh, Jehovah) until chapter 3 of the book of Exodus. In these texts of the Bible, God is called mainly Elohim with different epithets (elion - the Most High, shaddai - the Almighty, etc.). Moreover, when Jacob asked God to reveal His name, God did not give him any name. Most likely, God understood that for Jacob it was enough that he knew about Him - Elohim Most High, Almighty...

“Jacob asked, saying: say your name. And He said: Why do you ask about My name? And he blessed him there"(Gen. 32:29).

Let me remind you that God explained to Moses that He same God is the same as the God of their ancestors - Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and therefore was called ETERNALLY existing - Existing. The Creator emphasized this in chapter 6 of the book of Exodus:

“I appeared to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as God Almighty, and under the name of the Tetragrammaton (Jehovah, Yahweh, Jehovah - eternally existing, source of existence) did not open up to them"(Exodus 6:3, translated from the original).

Will Jacob and Abraham, and Isaac, and Noah, and their contemporaries not be saved, since they did not know the name tetragrammaton? Of course, they will be saved, God’s messenger directly speaks about this in the 11th chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews. Read it and see for yourself.

But if we are not saved in the name of God, then what does the famous text of Holy Scripture proclaim?

“And it will be: everyone,”(Joel 2:32).

What did the prophet Joel foretell?

Knowing the main rule of Bible interpretation - the Word of God explains itself (read about the rules of Bible interpretation in the material), we will find the answer to this question in the Bible itself. The Apostle Peter refers to this prophecy at Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended on the believers.

“And it will be: everyone whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved» (Acts 2:21).

The Apostle Peter not only mentions this prophecy, but also says that it has been fulfilled:

« It's there foretold by the prophet Joel"(Acts 2:16).

Peter connects the fulfillment of what was prophesied by Joel with the descent of the Holy Spirit promised by Jesus (see John 14-16 chapters) and in general with the coming and ministry of Jesus Christ, which he speaks about further, starting right from verse 22, following the study:

« Men of Israel! listen to these words: Jesus of Nazareth…» (Acts 2:22).

The Apostle Paul also spoke about what this prophecy announced about Jesus. He also spoke the said prophecy of Joel, directly linking it to Jesus.

“For if you confess with your mouth Jesus Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, then you will be saved...For everyone whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved» (Rom.10:9,13).

Only with a strong desire can one fail to notice in these verses the unambiguous connection between Joel’s prophecy and Jesus. Only a person who is categorically determined and convinced of the opposite can turn a blind eye to the New Testament texts connecting Jesus and Joel’s prophecy about salvation. Look, in Romans 9. 10 ch. Paul clearly says that people who believe in Jesus as Lord and do not doubt His resurrection will be saved... Only then does Paul pronounce the words of Joel. Look carefully - chapter 10 up to 14 of the text is dedicated exclusively to Jesus. At the same time, in texts 9 and 13 the same word Lord is used in the original - κύριος. The same word is used in Acts. 2:21. Despite this, Jehovah's Witnesses in their translation of the “New World” put the word Jehovah in these texts.

Other Bible texts also say that people will be saved in the name of Jesus. Peter, in the same book of Acts, a little further into the text under study, proclaims:

« There's no other name under heaven (talking about Jesus), given to men, by whom we should save yourself» (Acts 4:12).

In the context of the sermons of Peter and Paul, the prophecy of Joel has only one explanation - people are saved by Jesus, and not by awareness of the name Tetragrammaton. But even at the same time, believers are saved not just by knowing the name Jesus Christ, but by Golgotha ​​- His substitutionary sacrifice for humanity. This is what the entire Bible is about, redemption through substitutionary sacrifice: Old Testament– in the form of prototypes of Jesus - sacrificial animals, the New One reveals the true Lamb - Christ. I think that a person who carefully studies the Bible, and does not close his eyes to texts he does not like, understands that for Salvation it is not enough to know the pronunciation of the Tetragrammaton and call on the name “Jesus Christ,” but it is necessary to live as taught by the One who bears this name.

And again we see what we talked about earlier. The point is not in the name as such, but in its bearer. The name only indicates the source - its bearer.

Therefore, the belief that knowledge of the name of God saves gives people a sense of false security. After all, a name is not a magical code or password that gives access to the throne of God. Think for yourself, what is more important for salvation - to know the name of God or to live according to His will? What is more correct: to go and tell that God’s name is Jehovah, or to preach about the mercy of God, His love for mankind, justice and sacrifice? painful death for every person Jesus Christ? All Holy Scripture speaks of the destructiveness of sin and calls on believers to try to live righteously. Many texts show that those who strive to live according to the righteousness of God by keeping His commandments will be saved. Most of them are given in my book “Returning to the Origins of the Christian Faith.” I will end this material with words from the last chapter last book Bible.

"Blessed are those who keep His commandments so that they may have the right to the tree of life and enter the city (New Jerusalem on the new earth) by the gate. A outside- dogs, and sorcerers, and fornicators, and murderers, and idolaters, and everyone who loves and does injustice» (Rev. 22:14,15).

As you can see, love for untruth and non-observance of God’s law, and not ignorance of His name, the Tetragrammaton, can block a person from entering God’s holy city, where everyone will praise the name of the One God, that is, Himself!

Let's review the facts one last time:

  1. The Bible mentions several names of God.
  2. In Biblical times, a name was a carrier of information about its owner.
  3. The Tetragrammaton comes from the word "to be."
  4. The Old Testament prophets did not focus on the need to know the name Tetragrammaton for salvation.
  5. The New Testament apostles, Jesus and the Christians of the first centuries did not mention the name Tetragrammaton and did not focus on the fact that it is necessary to know the name Tetragrammaton for salvation.
  6. The Bible connects the lives of believers with the glorification of God's name or dishonor.
  7. There is no 100% evidence that the name of God tetrarammaton is read specifically as Jehovah.
  8. The name Jehovah was proposed by Christian translators centuries after the life of Jesus and the apostles.
  9. The Masoretic Text (the original Hebrew Scripture) contains several different vowels of the Tetragrammaton.
  10. When reading the Tetragrammaton, the Jews applied the rule of kere / ketib - readable / written.
  11. The Jews, the original bearers, custodians of Scripture and ancient traditions, do not know the name of God, but are sure that it is not Jehovah.
  12. The New Testament says that people are saved only in the name of Jesus.

* Due to the fact that not all programs and browsers display Hebrew, you may not see Hebrew words in the text


Valery Tatarkin