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According to Strongs H3050, there are 48 occurrences in the Hebrew Bible where God's name is rendered as יָהּ (Yah). Most of these are found in the Psalms. This suggests it is a poetic form. However, the un-contracted form of His name is also used in the Psalms. Is there anything suggested by the rhythm of these passages and their contexts in the Hebrew that that calls for this form?

Is there anything else intrinsic to these passages or their context that would cause the writers to choose this form. Is there anything that ties these occurrences together?

I am endeavoring to discern if these forms are truly inter-changable or if they are in some way unique?

Susan
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  • possible duplicate of How are contractions formed in Hebrew and how does YHWH become Yah? – James Shewey Sep 19 '14 at 14:22
  • Thank you James. While both these questions are in regard to the same form of the name of God, they are separate and distinct. The first deals with the Hebrew construction and grammar, how the contraction came into existence and technically which letters are dropped, etc. This question deals with meaning of the two forms of God's name and any distinctions in meaning that may or may not exist between them. –  Sep 21 '14 at 19:54
  • You might want to review the answers at http://judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/23463/which-names-of-hashem-can-cant-we-say-in-regular-conversation – Bruce James Oct 01 '14 at 19:37
  • The link you provide appears to convey rabbinic law in regard to this most holy and divine name; but it does not address matters of meaning or reason for the contracted form. I assure you that, while I am not Jewish, nor under rabbinic authority, I do revere our Creator and hold His name in utmost reverence. It is in a spirit of worship and an effort to hallow His name that I make my inquiries, that I might bring glory to His name, for He is exalted above all and His name is above all names in heaven or on earth. –  Oct 03 '14 at 13:50
  • NASB, Jeremiah 23:27 - who intend to make My people forget My name by their dreams which they relate to one another, just as their fathers forgot My name because of Baal? *It is ironic that Scripture - and even Jews today - say that the name of God has been forgotten*, but somehow people presume to know how "The Name" of God was actually spelled, and even know how it was pronounced in Ancient Israel. (For example, the Yemini's likely have preserved Hebrew the most accurately - but their pronunciations are very, very, different). – elika kohen Aug 24 '17 at 03:52

3 Answers3

1

For the most part the reason for the use of this form arises from common local usage in 4th Century BCE Persian province of Yehud. There may be specific instances in Psalms where the name Yah is also used for it's numerical value as part of mathematical calculations in the text, but this is not the primary reason for it's usage. It's simply that the people were using that name at that time by common convention, similar to the popular use of the name 'Hashem' in modern times.

This is established by excavations in the region that showed the most frequent seals used were yh seals.

Percy Stuart Peache Handcock 1 writes:

Pages 297,298
A number of stamped jar handles were also found at Jericho. … These are probably to be dated in ‎the fifth century b.c. Ten of these later seals bear the name Yah, and three the name Yahu.

Charles E. Carter 2 writes:

Page 162
J.R.Bartlett, who provides the best discussion of the date of these seals … places the yh seals in ‎either the fifth or fourth century BCE.

‎Page 161
During the Sellin and Watzinger excavations ten YH and three YHD seals were discovered and dated by ‎the excavators to the fourth century.

Pages 151,152
‎Ramat Rahel was rich in epigraphic finds. … 69 Yh seals … which date generally from the Persian ‎period ….
The seals, then, represent the most significant evidence of Persian period occupation at ‎Ramat Rahel. … Most of the pottery found in the same fills with the seal impressions dates generally ‎to the fifth or the fourth centuries BC, though some dates to the sixth century.
Note – the Yh seals from Ramat Rahel were the most numerous type found.

Footnotes:
1 The Archaeology of the Holy Land, by Percy Stuart Peache Handcock.

2 The Emergence of Yehud in the Persian Period: A social and demographic study, by Charles E. Carter.

enegue
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Bethsheba Ashe
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    Bethsheba, since you weren't a resident in the Persian province of Yehud in the 4th Century, you are either referencing material or making this up. It is unlikely you are making it up, so please cite the material you are using. – enegue Aug 23 '17 at 11:50
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    Apologies. I'll pull my socks up. How's it looking now Enegue? – Bethsheba Ashe Aug 23 '17 at 15:40
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    Welcome to the Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange. We are glad you are here! Thank you for taking a moment to take the site [tour]. This is an excellent improvement to your answer as it now follows our "show your work" guideline. This, and several other topic are discussed in the FAQs. You may also be interested in our sister Stack Exchange Mi Yodeya as well. Again, welcome! We are constantly looking for knowledgeable new users to contribute to the site! – James Shewey Aug 23 '17 at 15:56
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    +1 Thanks, Bethsheba. I have edited to move the quotes into the body of your answer, with the standard quote formatting to set them apart from your own words. The format is not meant to be prescriptive, just an example of how it might be done. – enegue Aug 24 '17 at 03:30
  • I fail to see how this post comes close to actually answering any of the questions that the OP asks. 2. The "numerical" uses that you claim are not considered rigorous scholarship. No academic takes these seriously. 3. The connection between YH in some of the Ramat Rachel seal impressions that were mostly associated with taxes, and YH in the vernacular of the time is unsubstantiated, as is the connection with the use of YH in Psalms. 4. Please substantiate the claim that most of the seal impressions were YH.
    • –  Aug 24 '17 at 06:23
  • The gematria of the Tanakh was an intrinsic part of the Merkabah, and Judah the Patriarch prohibited the Jewish people from talking about the Merkabah. Standard gematria is a blind. The correct values have shin as 3 and tav as 4 and there are no final values for final letters. Prior investigations into gematria use Standard or a later derivative, and I agree with the academic community that these number sets are useless for serious scholarship. To damn one n.s. for the failure of another is illogical and poor scholarship. And Professor Lieberman takes it seriously btw.
    • – Bethsheba Ashe Aug 24 '17 at 16:37
  • Abu - if you turn to page 261 and consult the chart in 'The Emergence of Yehud in the Persian Period: A social and demographic study', by Charles E. Carter then you'll see the claim about the seals is substantiated.
    • – Bethsheba Ashe Aug 24 '17 at 16:39