Why Jews avoid the Tetragrammaton.
The whole matter seems absurd. Yet, was it? Actually , there are two verses in the Torah which can be interpreted as a prohibition against phonetically expressing the name of יהוה. These scriptures are Lev 24: 11-16. ” And an Israelite women’s son blasphemed the name of the Lord , and that he that blasphemed the name of the Lord should be put to death.
The word blaspheme comes from the Hebrew word ” nachav” . This word can be susceptible to more than one meaning. As Davidson’s lexicon shows, the verb can signify “to bore ” or to “perforate”. Sometimes translated as “pierce”. (2 kings 18: 21) or “bore” (2 Kings 12:9) or “strike through” (Hab 3:14). By extension it can mean to pierce (as in speech) or to give “cutting remarks.” This is tantamount to cursing or to blaspheming. It is also used in this way a few other times in the Bible. But another meaning and commonly used in the OT to mean to “say clearly” or to name with precision. It is used in this way in 1 Chronicles 12: 31, 16:41, 2 Chronicles 28: 15, 31: 19, Esra 8: 20, Numbers 1: 17, Isaiah 62: 2 and Amos 6:1. There is no question about it . The word nachav can mean, as one of its prime meanings, “to pronounce” or “express distinctly” . This is where the trouble starts.
The Jews about the time of Nehemia began to wonder just how nachav in Lev 24: 11-16 was to be interpreted. This is a fact which no one can argue with. Now take the latter meaning as the correct rendering of nachav. This then reads ” And the Israelite women’s son pronounced distinctly the name of “יהוה . The Jews soon decided they were on far safer grounds not even to express or pronounce the name יהוה. They came to believe that Lev 24:11-16 commanded one NOT to pronounce the name because it was so holy …..which is the motive why some people today feel they MUST pronounce it, because it is so holy! They want to give honour to the name but don’t realise how easily it can be profaned and brought to naught by doing so.
NEITHER OF COURSE IS CORRECT.
The use of יהוה and history of its prohibition.
From the time of Moses to the period of Jeremiah, the name יהוה was freely used without any fear of pronouncing it. The Lachish Letters written in the time of Jeremiah use the name indiscriminately and show that it was commonly used even in everyday parlance. Immediately after the Babylonian captivity, we find Ezra the priest preaching before the people in Jerusalem using the name. (Neh 8:1-8) However , a change in Jewish attitude concerning it’s use commences about this time. With Nehemia ( during the latter part of Ezra’s life), it had been noticed by scholars that Nehemia almost wholly shuns it’s use” ( Heinish, theology of the OT , p 39. )
About the time of Nehemia we meet with a moment to be careful in relation to the use of the name. The common people were told not to utter the name. Only the priests we privileged to retain the pronunciation of it, because it was included in certain benedictions prescribed in the law which they were compelled to read to the people in the Temple.
The Tetragrammaton was fully pronounced only by the priests in the Temple when blessing the people. Everywhere else it was pronounced “Adonai”( Note to Avodah Zara, the Talmud p 90 Soncino).
As time went on, the use of the name of God, was fully pronounced only by the priests and even he might pronounce it only on the Day of Atonement.
The universal Jewish Encyclopedia says:
The rabbis, however, we certainty at the true name of God was the Tetragrammaton.
In the period of the second Temple יהוה was never pronounced except by the high priest on Yom Kippur.
We are told by R. H. Charles, the translator of the Apocrypha and Pseudopigrapha, published by Oxford University Press, that the day of Atonement was the only occasion on which the Holy name was pronounced (Pseudopigrapha, p 510).
Jewish history, as related in the Talmud, shows that Simon the High Priest (300-270BCE) was able to utter the divine name on the day of Atonement throughout all of his pontificate. Sirach, author of the apocryphal book of Ecclesiasticus, wrote about 180 BCE that Simon the Righteous while giving hus glorious benedictions had been ” privileged to pronounce His ( the Eternal’s ) name ( Eccles 50:20, Jerusalem Bible).
BUT THIS ALLOWANCE SOON CEASED.
At Simon’s death, the rest of the priesthood decreed that from thenceforth no one, not even the High Priests, was permitted to pronounce the name. The later Jewish historians in the period of the Talmud record.
….The Ineffable name could be pronounced only when there was some indication that the Shechinah had rested on the Sanctuary. When Simon indicated that such glory was no more enjoyed his brethren no more dared utter the ineffable name ( Note to Yoma, 39b , thd Talmud , p 186, Soncino version).
This historical fact is expressed by The Jewish Encyclopedia as follows.
After the death of Simon the Righteous …the priest’s ceased to pronounce the Name. From that time on the pronunciation of the name was prohibited. ” Whoever pronounces the name forfeits his portion in the future world”. (Sanhedrin 9, 1) The majority of priests in the last days of the Temple ( during the time of Yeshua and the Apostles) were unworthy to pronounce the Name.
There can be no doubt about it – from the death of Simon the Righteous in 270 BCE ….NO ONE, NOT EVEN THE PRIESTS IN THE TEMPLE, was permitted to pronounce the name of יהוה. It’s utterance meant THE DEATH SENTENCE. ( Sanhedrin 56a Talmud).
Hebrew Messianic Israel 