The CJB vs. The Name

In the forward to the Complete Jewish Bible, under section X. (page xxxiii) "THE NAME OF GOD IN THE COMPLETE JEWISH BIBLE," the author, Dr. David Stern makes a startling but telling statement: "The Basic Problem: God's Personal Name is Never Spoken. When Moshe turned aside in the wilderness of Midyan to see the bush that burned without being consumed, God revealed himself to him and told him his own personal Name. That name in Hebrew consists of the four letters Yud-Heh-Vav-Hey Y  ((YHWH ) and is therefore called the Tetragrammaton  (four-letter writing)." *

Lets stop here and scrutinize what Dr. Stern has said so far, or rather, what he did not say. Stern begins with an emphatic statement typical of the theology of those espousing the so-called "ineffable name" doctrine. He simply declares that "The Name" is NEVER (emphasis mine) spoken, yet cites the account of Exodus 3 (sans quoting the actual Scripture).

Let's examine Shemoth (Exodus) 3, concentrating on verses 13 to 15 to understand the situation regarding the use of Yahweh's Name. Moshe was about to return to his people in Mitsrayim (Egypt). He reasons that they might question his authenticity as a prophet of Yahweh by asking a simple question: 13: And Moshe said to Elohim, "See, when I come to the children of Yisra'el and say to them. 'The Elohim of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they say to me, 'What is His Name?' what shall I say to them?"

In verse 14, Yahweh first declares "I am that which I am. ('eyeh 'asher 'eyeh) meaning that He is both self existent and eternal. (The verb eyeh means to be, to exist).

Now we come to the crux of the matter in verse 15. And Elohim said further to Mosheh, "Thus you are to say to the children of Yisra'el, 'Yahweh Elohim of your fathers, the Elohim of Abraham, the Elohim of Yitshaq, and the Elohim of Ya'aqob, has sent me to you. This is my Name forever, and this is my remembrance to all generations.'

Can we see a contradiction here between Dr. Stern's emphatic declaration and the Word of Yahweh? Stern uses Shemoth 3 to somehow give the impression that the heavenly Father's Name is never spoken. Yet, contrary to his contention, Almighty Yahweh gives Moshe an explicit command to speak in His Name, adding that: His name is a memorial, or how He wants to be remembered—to all generations. The author must assume that either Stern does not see the contradiction, or he chooses to ignore it. If the latter is true, no explanation is offered.

Stern's next point is almost equally vague "The Bible makes it clear that this Name was not to be used casually."  Exactly how does Stern define casual use of Yahweh's Name? If, for example, when someone is about to depart on a journey, and a loved one says "Yahweh be with you," or if one intends to do something in the future, but qualifies his intention by saying "Yahweh willing, I will (do this or that)," does this constitute "casual use?" Again, Stern does not bother to define what he means by casual use.

Coincidentally, such historical documents as the Lachish Letters show that Yahweh's Name was used as an everyday greeting and salutation in common secular writings as late as BCE 586.

Stern next refers to the Third Commandment (Exodus 20:7; Deuteronomy 5:11), saying "The third commandment prohibits taking God's Name in vain, and the man who used it in a curse was put to death at God's explicit instruction."  (The latter a reference to Leviticus 24:10-23).

The Third Commandment indeed prohibits taking in vain, or blaspheming, Yahweh's Great Name. However, there are a few questions we might ask at this point: What exactly is blasphemy? How do you blaspheme a name? To answer these questions, let's us examine the above Scripture in Wayyiqra (Leviticus) 24:11 "And the Yisraelites woman's son blasphemed the Name, and cursed..."

It is this verse that the rabbis of mainstream Judaism base their doctrine of the ineffable name — that "The name" (Hebrew, HaShem) is too sacred to pronounce. Their contention is based on defining the word "blasphemed" in the above verse.

"Blasphemed" as used here is number 5344 in Strong's and is the Hebrew word "NaQaB" (naqab). Strong says "naqab" is a prime root meaning: to puncture (perforate with violence) and can mean to "curse" or to "strike through." Naqab can also mean, simply, to "express" or to "name." It is with these latter definitions that those upholding the ineffable name doctrine make their case. Some interpret "express" or "name" as meaning "to pronounce distinctly."

If we define "blaspheme" as meaning "to pronounce distinctly," then we must ask if Moshe blasphemed when he carried out the command to answer the question, "What is His Name?" Shemoth (Exodus) 3:13.
Interestingly, we are asked the same question in Mishle (Proverbs) 30:4 (latter part of verse) "...What is His Name, and what is His Son's Name, if you know it?"  A footnote on this verse in The Scriptures edition says this verse is: "A reproof, and invitation, a call to seek these two Names which have been suppressed." Indeed, many attempts are made to suppress the one Name by which we are to be saved (Acts 4:12) and to make that Name "ineffable."

While Dr. Stern seems to go to great lengths to promote the ineffable name doctrine, he offers not one shred of Scriptural evidence that Yahweh's Name is too holy to be pronounced. In fact, it should be obvious that he offers no evidence of any kind for his apparent endorsement of  the ineffable name doctrine.

In the section titled Other Problems (pages xxxiii and xxxiv) in the third paragraph, Stern points out that certain of the ultra-Orthodox have, "...withdrawn even specific terms (note: terms, not names) such as "Adonai" and "Elohim." He points out that the ultra-Orthodox have taken to using such contrived terms as "Ado-Shem," a combination of Adonai and "HaShem," and "Elokim" (an intentional mispronunciation of Elohim).

While Stern does not necessarily endorse the use of such artificial terms as substitutes for Yahweh's Name, he does not give any valid reason for their use. He does however, go on in the same paragraph, to explain why he decided to not use "Yahweh" in the CJB.

"At the same time, I did not use "Yahweh," or "Yahveh," as some versions do, on the grounds, first, that Jews, as explained, don't pronounce the Name at all; second, that we don't really know if these (Yahweh or Yahveh) are good representations of how the Name was pronounced; and third, that these words s sound strange in the ears of most Jews...etc."

While the above contention is par for ineffable name proponents, again no Scriptural proof is offered for this view. The basis for their belief can be summed up in one word: TRADITION! Therefore, the matter boils down to a simple decision: Will we follow tradition blindly, or will we base our practices on the written word. It is apparent to the author that Dr. Stern chooses to place Jewish tradition above Sacred Scripture.

A few words must be said about Stern's final case for not using Yahweh's Name, as he writes in the section, The Tetragrammaton in the New Testament. (Page xxxiv).

To be brief, it is what Stern didn't say, or rather what he ignored in the section, that immediately caught the author's attention.

Stern makes a reference to four basic Scriptures: Philippians 2:10-11; YeshaYahu (Isaiah) 45:23; 2 Corinthians 3:16-18 and Shemoth (Exodus) 34:34, none of which even hint that the Name should not be pronounced. In fact, properly restoring the Sacred Names to these texts give them a better sense of logic and understanding.

However, four passages in the Brit Chadasha came to the author's mind as he read Stern's dissertation: Yohanan (John) 17:6, 11 and 26 and Ibrim (Hebrews) 2:12. Yohanan 17:26 "A nd I have made your Name known to them, and shall make it known." (The words of Yahshua).

These passages are based on the prophetic pronouncement in Tehill (Psalm) 22:22 I make known Your Name to My brothers: In the midst of the assembly I praise You.

Part of Yahshua's mission was to reveal His Father's Name to His Talmidim (Apostles). Apparently, He did just that, but the question is: Why did He have to? Evidentially, the ineffable name doctrine was well entrenched in the Jewish worship and practices of that day. Scholar's believe that the ineffable name idea originated during the Babylonian Captivity in a zealous (but misguided) attempt to harbor the Name form blasphemy by Pagans. Therefore, Yahshua took up the challenge outlined in Mishle (Proverbs) 30:4
The author believes that Dr. Stern's (seemingly deliberate) omission of Yohanan 17; Ibrim 2:12 and Tehill 22:22 from the section The Tetragrammaton in the New Testament, is at best, selective scholarship, and at worst, perhaps a deliberate attempt to suppress the truth.

For the sake of brevity we shall end our critical look at the reasons given in the CJB for not using Yahweh's Name. Suffice it to say, that Dr. Stern is, of course, not alone in his point of view that the Name should be suppressed. Let us conclude by stating that Moshe used the Name of Yahweh. Yahshua came in His Father's Name and taught it to His talmidim. The Prophet Malaki cautions religious leaders that they will be cursed for not giving glory to Yahweh's Great name. How do we blaspheme a name? Remember the definition of blaspheme is to "strike though." We can blaspheme Yahweh's Name by "striking it through and substituting something in its place. The author will declare emphatically that there is no scriptural justification for doing so. However, those proponents of the ineffable name doctrine would do well to heed the admonition given in several verses in Malaki: 1:11 "For from the rising of the sun, even to its going down, My Name is great among the nations..." 2:2 "If you do not hear, and if you do not take it to heart, to give esteem (glory) to My Name," Said Yahweh of Hosts, "I shall send a curse upon you, and I shall curse your blessings. And indeed, I have cursed them, because you do not take it to heart."

I humbly ask the reader to consider the validity of Acts 4:12 "...for there is no other Name under the heaven given among men by which we need to be saved." The Name of Yahweh is of prime importance to the believer, and is a vital key to developing a Hebrew minbdset and a correct understanding of Sacred Scripture.

While "The Name" doctrine can be a divisive issue, Yahweh's Name is intended to bring believers into unity. Yohanan (John) 17:11 "...Set-Apart Father, guard them in Your name which You have given Me, so that they might be one, as We are." Indeed, acceptance and use of Yahweh's Name in any congregation will serve to do just that.  

To learn more about Yahweh's Great name, and the Name of His Son, our Messiah Yahshua, the author recommends the following publications:

The above publications are available for a freewill donation. The author recommends a minimum of $1 to cover shipping and handling costs.

All Scripture quotations are from The Scriptures, a version published by the Institute For Scripture Research, South Africa. The Scriptures version restores the Names Yahweh and Yahshua in their Hebrew forms. Copies are available from: Bnai Avraham, 102 S. Webster St. Ottumwa, IA  52501 write them at info@bnaiavraham.net

 Questions regarding this article may be addressed to: yoel@arm-tek.net

* In Sephardic Hebrew, and in older Hebrew grammars, the third letter of the Tetragrammaton, presented here as a "vuv," (V) is a "wau." (W), thus making the four letters: Yud, Hey, Wau, Hey.

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