Key Passage
“God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’ And he said, ‘Say this to the people of Israel: I AM has sent me to you.’”
—Exodus 3:14 (ESV)
The Sacred Name Revealed
When Moses stood before the burning bush, trembling and barefoot, he asked a question many of us would: "What is Your name?"
God's answer was not like any name before. It was not a label. It was a statement of being:
“I AM WHO I AM” — אהיה אשר אהיה (Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh)
He instructed Moses to tell the people that “I AM” (Ehyeh) had sent him. This was the moment the divine name YHWH (often rendered “Yahweh”) was introduced to God’s people.
The Hebrew Letters
The divine name YHWH is written in Hebrew as:
יהוה (Yod – He – Vav – He)
- י (Yod) – A hand or action. Symbol of divine power or activity.
- ה (He) – Breath, revelation, Spirit. Represents “behold” or divine presence.
- ו (Vav) – A hook or nail. Symbol of connection or joining.
- ה (He) – Again, symbol of breath or divine revelation.
A Name Too Holy to Speak
By tradition, the sacred name of God was not spoken by the people. Only the high priest, and only on the Day of Atonement, could utter it aloud in the Holy of Holies. Out of reverence and fear, readers substituted the name with Adonai (Lord) or HaShem (The Name).
When the temple was destroyed in 70 A.D., the oral tradition of pronouncing the name was lost. Today, the exact pronunciation is uncertain. Most scholars and theologians agree that “Yahweh” is the most likely vocalization—but we cannot say for sure.
Breathing the Name
Some Jewish and Christian thinkers have noted that the divine name may be breathed, not spoken.
The sounds “Yah” (inhaled) and “Weh” (exhaled) mirror our breath. With each breath, we speak the name of God.
Our life begins with a breath—and that breath speaks His name. Our final breath, too, may be the last time we utter His name on earth.
Whether scientifically precise or not, the imagery is beautiful: God is the very source of life, and in Him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28).
Where "Yahweh" Came From
The name Yahweh as spoken today was popularized by Gilbert Genebrard, a 16th-century French biblical scholar and professor of Hebrew at the Collège Royal in Paris. Before that, the name was written but not spoken. His influence helped shape how modern readers and scholars vocalize the sacred name.
Reflection
- What does it mean that God’s name is “I AM”?
- How does it change your perspective to think of God’s name being breathed with every inhale and exhale?
- Are we living each day aware that God is not just present—but that He is being itself?
Closing Prayer
Father, You are the great I AM—eternal, unchanging, and ever-present. Your name is too wonderful for me to fully understand, yet I long to know You more. Thank You for revealing Yourself, not just through words, but through Your presence in my life. With every breath I take, help me to remember You are near. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.