The Trigrammaton (Hebrew: ื™ื”ื•) is a three-letter theonym used in some editions of the Hebrew Bible. It occurs in the 4Q120 manuscript, as well as in the Sefer Yetzirah. It may be transliterated into English as YHW[1] or IHV[2].

Quotes

Scripture

  • [ฮฑฯ†ฮตฮธฮทฯƒฮตฯ„ฮฑฮน] ฮฑฯ…ฯ„ฯ‰ฮน ฮตฮฑฮฝ [ฮดฮต ฯˆฯ…ฯ‡ฮท ฮผฮนฮฑ] [ฮฑฮผฮฑฯฯ„]ฮท[ฮน] [ฮฑ]ฮบฮฟฯ…ฯƒฮนฯ‰ฯ‚ ฮตฮบ [ฯ„ฮฟฯ… ฮปฮฑฮฟฯ… ฯ„ฮทฯ‚] [ฮณฮทฯ‚] ฮตฮฝ ฯ„ฯ‰ฮน ฯ€ฮฟฮนฮทฯƒฮฑฮน ฮผฮนฮฑฮฝ ฮฑฯ€[ฮฟ] [ฯ€ฮฑฯƒฯ‰ฮฝ] ฯ„ฯ‰ฮฝ ฮตฮฝฯ„ฮฟฮปฯ‰ฮฝ ฮนฮฑฯ‰ ฮฟฯ… ฯ€ฮฟ[ฮนฮทฮธฮทฯƒฮต]
    • Leviticus 4:27 as expressed by the 4Q120 manuscript, which uses a Greek version of the Trigrammaton, ฮนฮฑฯ‰. In English: "And if any one of the common people sin through ignorance, while he doeth somewhat against any of the commandments of the Lord concerning things which ought not to be done, and be guilty."
  • (ื—ืžืฉ ืฉืœืฉ ืื•ืชื™ื•ืช ืžืŸ ื”ืคืฉื•ื˜ื•ืช ื—ืชื ืจื•ื ื‘ืจืจ ืฉืœืฉ ื•ืงื‘ืขืŸ ื‘ืฉืžื• ื”ื’ื“ื•ืœ ื™ื”ืดื•. ื•ื—ืชื ื‘ื”ื ืฉืฉ ืงืฆื•ื•ืช) [ื”ื ื•ืกื—ื ื”ื ื›ื•ื ื”: ื‘ื™ืจืจ ื’ืณ ืื•ืชื™ื•ืช ืžืŸ ื”ืคืฉื•ื˜ื•ืช ื‘ืกื•ื“ ื’ืณ ืืžื•ืช ืืžืดืฉ ื•ืงื‘ืขืŸ ื‘ืฉืžื• ื”ื’ื“ื•ืœ ื•ื—ืชื ื‘ื”ื ื•ืณ ืงืฆื•ื•ืช, ื—ืžืฉ ื—ืชื ืจื•ื] ื•ืคื ื” ืœืžืขืœื” ื•ื—ืชืžื• ื‘ื™ื”ืดื•. ืฉืฉ ื—ืชื ืชื—ืช ื•ืคื ื” ืœืžื˜ื” ื•ื—ืชืžื• ื‘ื™ื•ืดื”. ืฉื‘ืข ื—ืชื ืžื–ืจื— ื•ืคื ื” ืœืคื ื™ื• ื•ื—ืชืžื• ื‘ื”ื™ืดื•. ืฉืžื ื” ื—ืชื ืžืขืจื‘ ื•ืคื ื” ืœืื—ืจื™ื• ื•ื—ืชืžื• ื‘ื”ื•ืดื™. ืชืฉืข ื—ืชื ื“ืจื•ื ื•ืคื ื” ืœื™ืžื™ื ื• ื•ื—ืชืžื• ื‘ื•ื™ืดื”. ืขืฉืจ ื—ืชื ืฆืคื•ืŸ ื•ืคื ื” ืœืฉืžืืœื• ื•ื—ืชืžื• ื‘ื•ื”ืดื™:
    • Sefer Yetzirah 1:13
    • Translations:
      • He selected three consonants from the simple ones which are in the hidden secret of three mothers or first elements: ืืดืžืดืฉ air, water and ether or fire. He sealed them with spirit and fastened them to His great name and sealed with it six dimensions. He sealed the height and turned towards above, and sealed it with ื™ื”ื•. He sealed the depth, turned towards below and sealed it with ื™ื”ื•. He sealed the east and turned forward, and sealed it with ื”ื™ื•. He sealed the west and turned backward, and sealed it with ื”ื•ื™. He sealed the south and turned to the right and sealed it with ื•ื™ื”. He sealed the north and turned to the left and sealed it with ื•ื”ื™.
      • He selected three letters from among the simple ones and sealed them and formed them into a Great Name, IHV, and with this He sealed the universe in six directions. He looked above, and sealed the Height with IHV. He looked below and sealed the Depth with IVH. He looked forward, and sealed the East with HIV. He looked backward, and sealed the West with HVI. He looked to the right, and sealed the South with VIH. He looked to the left, and sealed the North with VHI.
        • Westcott translation (New York: Weiser, 1980)

Literature

  • A text discovered at Qumrรขn (4QpapLXXLev) that contains a fragment of the book of Leviticus in Greek (4:26โ€“28) renders the tetragrammaton as Iaแน“: "If anyone transgresses even one of the commandments of Iaแน“ and does not follow it โ€ฆ" (4:27). โ€ฆ This investigation leads to the conclusion that the ancient pronunciation of the name of the god of Israel was "Yahรด", which amounts to saying that the tetragrammaton was originally a trigrammaton. The w in "Yhwh" was not a consonant, but a mater lectionis indicating the sound "o". The letter h at the end of the tetragrammaton Yhwh should be understood as indicating a lengthening of the preceding o.
  • "Yahu" was in fact used in magic, as is clear from the "Sefer Yeแบ“irah", which shows many traces of Gnosticism; in the cosmology of this work the permutation of the letters ื™ื”ื• furnishes the instruments of the Creation.

References

  1. โ†‘ "In addition to the tetragrammaton Yhwh, the Masoretic vocalization of which goes back to the substitute 'Lord', there are numerous attestations of a short form Yhw, which is found particularly in theophoric proper namesโ€”that is, names constructed with an element derived from the name of the god of Israel, such as Yirmฤ•yฤhรป (Jeremiah), Yฤ•ลกaโ€˜yฤhรป (Isaiah), Yฤ•hรดnฤtฤn (Jonathan), and so forth. This suggests that the short form of the divine name was pronounced 'Yahu/Yaho'." Thomas Rรถmer: The Invention of God, pp. 27โ€“28.
  2. โ†‘ "He selected three letters from among the simple ones and sealed them and formed them into a Great Name, IHV, and with this He sealed the universe in six directions." Sefer Yetzirah 1:13, Westcott translation. New York: Weiser, 1980.

See also


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