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Tetragrammaton (from the Greek Template:Polytonic, meaning "[a word] having four letters"),^[1] refers to the Hebrew term יהוה, that is the personal name of God in the Holy Bible.

יהוה is composed of four Hebrew consonants, and it occurs 6,828 times in the approved consonantal Hebrew text of the Bible.^[2]^[3]

The letters, properly read from right to left (in Biblical Hebrew), are:

Hebrew	Letter name	Pronunciation
י	Yodh	"Y"
ה	He (pronounced "hey")	"H"
ו	Waw	"W" or placeholder for "O"/"U" vowel (see mater lectionis)
ה	He	"H" (or sometimes silent at the ends of words)

These four letters are usually transliterated from Hebrew as IHVH in Latin, JHWH in German, French and Dutch, and JHVH/YHWH in English. This has been variously rendered as "Yahweh" or "Jehovah", based on the Latin form of the term.^[4], while the Hebrew text does not clearly indicate the omitted vowels. In English translations, it is often rendered in capital and small capital letters as "the LORD", following Jewish tradition which reads the word as "Adonai" ("Lord") out of respect for the name of God and the interpretation of the commandment not to take the name of God in vain. The word "haŠem" 'the Name' is also used in Jewish contexts; in Samaritan, "Šemå" is the normal substitution.

See "Historical overview" at Yahweh and Jehovah.

Pronunciation

For views on the pronunciation of the name, see the main article, Yahweh.

Occurrences and uses

The Tetragrammaton occurs 6,828 times in the Hebrew text of both the Biblia Hebraica and Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia.^[3] It does not appear in the Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes, or Esther. It first appears in the Hebrew text in Genesis 2:4.

The Leningrad Codex of 1008-1010 A.D.

Vowel points were added to the Tetragrammaton by the Masoretes, in the first millennium A.D.

Six different Hebrew spellings of the Tetragrammaton are found in:
The Leningrad Codex of 1008-1010 A.D. as shown below (note that the entries in the transliteration column are not intended to indicate how the name is pronounced, but only how the word would be pronounced if read like any other word):

Chapter & Verse	Hebrew Spelling	Transliteration	Codex L. Link	Explanation
Genesis 3:14	יְהֹוָה	Yehovah	[1]	This is the most common set of vowels, which are essentially the vowels from Adonai (with the hataf patah reverting to its natural state as a shwa).
Judges 16:28	יְהוָה	Yehwah	[2]	This is the same as above, but with the dot over the holam/waw left out, because it is a little redundant.
Judges 16:28	יֱהֹוִה	Yehowih*	[3]	When the Tetragrammaton is preceded by Adonai, it receives the vowels from the name Elohim instead. The hataf segol does not revert to a shwa because doing so could lead to confusion with the vowels in Adonai.
Genesis 15:2	יֱהוִה	Yehwih*	[4]	Just as above, this uses the vowels from Elohim, but like the second version, the dot over the holam/waw is omitted as redundant.
1 Kings 2:26	יְהֹוִה	Yehowih	[5]	Here, the dot over the holam/waw is present, but the hataf segol does get reverted to a shwa.
Ezekiel 24:24	יְהוִה	Yehwih	[6]	Here, the dot over the holam/waw is omitted, and the hataf segol gets reverted to a shwa.

The * indicates that the transliteration “e” indicates a Hatef Segol.

References

^ It originates from tetra "four" + gramma (gen. grammatos) "letter". Online Etymology Dictionary
^ The Bible translator. Vol. vol. 56. United Bible Societies. 2005. p. 71. {{cite book}}: |volume= has extra text (help); Nelson's expository dictionary of the Old Testament‎. Merrill Frederick Unger, William White. 1980. p. 229.
^ ^a ^b "Importance of the Name". Insight on the Scriptures. Vol. vol. 2. Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. 1988. p. 8. {{cite book}}: |volume= has extra text (help)
^ In the Latin alphabet there was no distinct lettering to distinguish 'Y' ('I') from 'J', or 'W' from 'V'.

External links

Media related to Tetragrammaton at Wikimedia Commons

Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)

[1] It originates from tetra "four" + gramma (gen. grammatos) "letter". Online Etymology Dictionary

[2] The Bible translator. Vol. vol. 56. United Bible Societies. 2005. p. 71. {{cite book}}: |volume= has extra text (help); Nelson's expository dictionary of the Old Testament‎. Merrill Frederick Unger, William White. 1980. p. 229.

[insight-3] "Importance of the Name". Insight on the Scriptures. Vol. vol. 2. Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. 1988. p. 8. {{cite book}}: |volume= has extra text (help)

[4] In the Latin alphabet there was no distinct lettering to distinguish 'Y' ('I') from 'J', or 'W' from 'V'.

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@@ Line 32: / Line 32: @@
 [[Image:BASILICA OF ST LOUIS KING OF FRANCE MISSOURI USA Near the Gateway Arch TETRAGRAMMATON.jpg|thumb|200px|Front side of the Roman Catholic [[Basilica of St. Louis, King of France]], or the ''Old Cathedral'', built in 1834 and located in downtown [[St. Louis, Missouri]] near the [[Gateway Arch]]. The Tetragrammaton is seen at the top of the front arch.]]
-These four letters are usually transliterated from Hebrew as IHVH in [[Latin language|Latin]], JHWH in [[German language|German]], [[French language|French]] and [[Dutch language|Dutch]], and JHVH/YHWH in [[English language|English]]. This has been variously rendered as "[[Yahweh]]" or "[[Jehovah]]", based on the [[Latin]] form of the term.<ref>In the Latin alphabet there was no distinct lettering to distinguish 'Y' ('I') from 'J', or 'W' from 'V'.</ref>, and while the Hebrew text does not clearly indicate the omitted vowels. In English translations, it is often rendered in [[Small caps|small capital letters]] as "the {{LORD}}", following [[Judaism|Jewish]] tradition which reads the word as "[[Adonai]]" ("Lord") out of respect for the [[names of god|name of God]] and the interpretation of the [[Ten commandments|commandment]] not to take the name of God in vain. The word "haŠem" 'the Name' is also used in Jewish contexts; in Samaritan, "Šemå" is the normal substitution.
+These four letters are usually transliterated from Hebrew as IHVH in [[Latin language|Latin]], JHWH in [[German language|German]], [[French language|French]] and [[Dutch language|Dutch]], and JHVH/YHWH in [[English language|English]]. This has been variously rendered as "[[Yahweh]]" or "[[Jehovah]]", based on the [[Latin]] form of the term.<ref>In the Latin alphabet there was no distinct lettering to distinguish 'Y' ('I') from 'J', or 'W' from 'V'.</ref>, while the Hebrew text does not clearly indicate the omitted vowels. In English translations, it is often rendered in [[Small caps|capital and small capital letters]] as "the {{LORD}}", following [[Judaism|Jewish]] tradition which reads the word as "[[Adonai]]" ("Lord") out of respect for the [[names of god|name of God]] and the interpretation of the [[Ten commandments|commandment]] not to take the name of God in vain. The word "haŠem" 'the Name' is also used in Jewish contexts; in Samaritan, "Šemå" is the normal substitution.
 See [[Yahweh#Historical overview|"Historical overview"]] at [[Yahweh]] and [[Jehovah]].