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Compiled from numerous
source documents
by
Ari Levitt*
ThM, ThD, DMin, MBA, CNHP
This document is “a work in progress” and will probably
be so for quite some time. I have included words and phrases from Hebrew, Aramaic (Ar.),
Yiddish (Yid.), and even some Greek (Gk.), and English terms that are common to Jewish
writing. I have also included some terms that are familiar to those within Messianic
Judaism, but which might be unfamiliar to others.
Some Interesting Thoughts About the Hebrew Language
You will doubtless note that there are sometimes several
different spellings for the same Hebrew word. That is because there is no one-to-one
relationship between the Hebrew and English alphabets. The transliterator is therefore free
to use whatever spelling best represents the way that he/she hears the Hebrew word in
his/her primary language. The letters “b” and “v” are often used interchangeably for the
Hebrew letter beit [b], as
are the letters “w” and “v” for the Hebrew letter “vav” or “waw” [w].
Hebrew plurals are formed by adding a “t” or “ot” [tw] (or sometimes “os” or “osh”)
sound to the end of words that end with a vowel sound, and by ending an “im” sound [~y] to the end of words that end with a
consonant sound. The difference in pronunciation and transliteration results from the fact
there are two main groups of European ethnic Jews—the Sephardic Jews
from south-western
Europe (primarily
Spain and
Portugal), and the Ashkenazi (from
northern and eastern
Europe—and each group approaches the transliteration from the
starting point of their own national language. Yiddish is an ethnic language with a very
strong German influence.[3]
Although important in most Western languages,
capitalization is unimportant in Hebrew because Hebrew has no capital letters. Interestingly
enough, there are no vowels in early Hebrew (though there are “vowel points” in Masoretic
and Modern Hebrew), and all Hebrew verbs have a three-consonant root. At this particular
point in the evolution of this document, I have not “standardized” capitalization of terms.
Though most proper names are capitalized, not all capitalized terms are proper names. I will
take care of this later as the document progresses.
Hebrew thought, and therefore the Hebrew language, is
significantly different from Western thought. Hebrew thought is very “picture oriented” as
demonstrated by the rich visual images presented in the Psalms. Additionally, for all
practical purposes there are no “tenses” in Hebrew to correspond to the tenses of Western
languages. One must determine from the context whether the events being described are past,
present, or future. Therefore, the Hebrew language presents the hearer (or reader) with a
series of images much like watching a slide show presentation, as compared to the “motion
picture” images presented by Western languages. My personal opinion is that Hebrew was the
original language that HaShem taught Adam and Eve in
Eden. Since HaShem is timeless, it seems appropriate that
the language he gave to man should reflect that timelessness.
The most common Jewish tradition of representing the
Sacred Name [hwhy] is to
write the Name and its various forms and representations such as “G-d” and “L-rd” with a
dash instead of spelling the word. Some Jewish writers claim to follow this tradition to
indicate that the G-d to whom they are referring is the G-d of
Israel, the G-d of Avraham, Yitzchak, and Ya’acov (as if there were some other
G-d to whom one could be referring), or to otherwise show proper respect for
the Sacred Name. Some claim that to use the Sacred Name at all shows disrespect. The
tradition actually seems to stem from the Rabbinical prohibition of erasing the Name, once
having been written, or of destroying any document on which the Sacred Name has been
written. The Rabbis have recently lifted this prohibition when the Sacred Name is written on
a computer or displayed on a computer screen (because it is “destroyed” or “erased” whenever
it scrolls off the screen), but many Jewish websites continue to follow the practice because
the screen images may be printed onto paper and then that printed copy may be destroyed.
Others claim that it is appropriate to use the Sacred
Name when speaking about G-d, but not when speaking to Him
(because, for example, we seldom call our human father by his proper name when speaking to
him).
There are still others, both Jews and non-Jews (who
frequently refer to themselves as Sacred Namists), who insist that the Sacred Name
must always be spoken, or written out, or transliterated as YHWH, YHVH, Yahweh,
Yahovah, Yahowah, or some other variant, to the extent that they insert it where it really
doesn’t really belong: for example the name of Yeshua must, they insist (as a
condition of one’s salvation), be spelled Yahshua, because He is Yahweh come
in the flesh. But they can’t seem to agree on the appropriate spelling, and each group
insists that their own spelling is the only proper spelling, and all other spellings are
heresy. Instead of honoring the Name, they have effectively gone so far as to reduce the
Name to a “magic word” or idol to be worshipped in place of Him Who is represented by the
Name.
For a long time we attempted to follow the practice of
using the forms “G-d” and “L-rd” on this site, not out of any personal conviction, but
rather as a concession to any reader who might be offended by what he/she may consider an
“innapropriate” use of The Name. However, we have received enough communications from a
number of parties on each side of the issue to assure us that we are never going to be able
to please everyone, so we have simply given up trying.
Additionally, we have found that practice to be both
cumbersome and at times confusing. It also introduces a certain level of inaccuracy and
ambiguity into our teaching. If we believe that Ruach HaKodesh actually inspired the Sacred
Scriptures and guided the Nevhi’im (Prophets) and Shliachim (Apostles) in their choice of
words and the spelling of those words, then we must assume that Ruach HaKodesh had a
specific purpose in mind when He chose the word
hwhy, or the word Adonai, or the word El, or the word
Eloha, or the word Elohim when referring to the Creator. If Ruach HaKodesh deemed
it appropriate to make a distinction between those terms, then it should also be appropriate
for us to likewise distinguish between them.
We have therefore (finally) decided that it is more
important for us to accurately teach the Word of G-d than it is for us to be
“politically correct” or to bow to what may actually be a form of idolatry where the Name is
concerned. We have therefore determined that we will follow this policy concerning the use
of the Name:
Where the Scriptures
use the tetragrammaton [hwhy] we so indicate by using one of these forms:
hwhy, YHWH, Yahweh, ADONAI, LORD or L-RD. Where the Scriptures use the the word Adonai next
to hwhy, use the form “Lord
GOD” or “Lord G-D.” We otherwise use the transliteration of whatever term Ruach HaKodesh uses in the
Scriptures, as we assume that He had a particular reason in mind when He chose the specific
word. We also use the form “LORD” (with small
capital letters) when referring to Yeshua HaMashiach when it is important to emphasize His
deity. When referring to the Creator in a non-technical context, we use either “the LORD” or “God” or “HaShem” interchangeably. We will also
occasionally refer to Him as “Abba” (Hebrew for “Daddy” or “Papa”) as Yeshua taught us. Out
of respect, we also capitalize the pronouns He, Him, and His when referring either to
G-d or to Yeshua (even when quoting from Scripture translations that do not follow
that convention). When quoting the works of other authors, we use those authors’ forms
without modification (except for capitalization, as indicated above). Since we have a
loving, not a legalistic, relationship with our Abba, we don’t really believe He
minds when we lovingly write His Name in any of its representations.
Why is it important for a Believer in Yeshua
to learn to use Hebraic terms?
Because Hebrew is the set apart [holy] language of our
G-d. We, as His children, need to learn the language of
Yeshua. You will often
notice some variation in spelling of these terms. This is because the Hebrew language has no
direct equivalent of English vowels (though it does have a system of vowel points),
and so when the writer transliterates Hebrew words into the English alphabet, there is the
freedom to use the vowels which produce the sound most appropriate to the writer’s own ear.
The same is true of the English letters “W” and “V”. They
are used to transliterate the Hebrew letter which is pronounced somewhere between the
English “W” and “V”. Thus, some writers will use a “W” because they pronounce the Hebrew
letter “waw”; others will use a “V” because they pronounce the Hebrew letter as “vav”;
both forms are correct.
A brief note concerning the English letter “J”, as in “Jehovah” and “Jesus.” There is no letter “J”
in the Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek languages, nor do those languages contain the “jay” sound
in any form. Therefore, it is grammatically impossible to say
either the word “Jehovah” or the word “Jesus” in the Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek
languages. So the question must be asked, why does the Gentile Church insist on clinging so
tenaciously to these two words, when they could not possibly be spoken in the original
languages of Scripture?
See also
Why Read Hebrew?
Use this
“Jump Bar” to directly to any letter of the AlephBet
A B C D
E F G H
I J K L
M N O P
Q R S T
U V W X
Y Z Appendix
Pronunciation [More]
  
http://www.familybible.org/Glossary/index.htm
was last revised at
03:20 AM on
Sunday, 30 March 2008 |
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