There is a strange question found in Scripture, an enigmatic riddle that has gone unnoticed by many Believers today:

Who hath established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son’s name, if thou canst tell? (Proverbs 30:4b)

“What is his name, and what is his son’s name, if you can tell?”

Most of us would quickly answer, “Yes, I know the name of the Father, and the name of the Son!”

Let us first realise that the Scriptures do not waste words. There is a very good reason for this question put forth in the Proverbs. Because most Born-Again Believers have not yet found these true names of the Father, and of the Son, the purpose of the Proverb is to challenge us to seek, and to find, their true names!

Most of us have learned the popular names of the Creator, and of the Son, either from tradition, from a cursory reading of the Bible, or from popular sayings and teachings. The names we have learned, however, may not be the true names hidden in the Scriptures. This short writing will look at the true names of the Father and the Son that have been ‘hidden in plain sight’ within the Scriptures!

The true name of the Creator, and likewise the true name of His Son, are not readily apparent in the Bible. Both names are hidden to all but the seekers, but they can be easily found within the Scriptures. Let us then seek out these names, and see what the Scriptures reveal!

As we look more deeply into the Scriptures, let’s first review several principles regarding our study of the Scriptures.

Principles of Scriptural Agreement and Continuity

In order to search the Scriptures successfully, we must understand a few basics. Within Scripture can be found a number of basic principles that tell us how we are to study and apply the Truths of Scripture. Two of these principles are:

As an example of using the above principles, we look to the Believers in Berea:

These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. Therefore many of them believed; also of honourable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few. (Acts 17:11-12)

We notice in the above passage a remarkable event. Here the apostle Paul is teaching them the Good News of the Kingdom, and of Salvation by Grace. Yet the Bereans “searched the Scriptures daily” to see whether the New Covenant teachings of the apostle Paul were in agreement with the Scriptures. We recall that at that time, the only Scriptures anyone had was the Tanak— the “Old Testament” Scriptures.

The men of Berea found agreement in the Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings—the Old Testament—with all the New Covenant truths that Paul brought to them! It was for this reason, therefore, that many of them believed!

If we today would do the same for all the New Testament writings, we too would believe, and understand the Scriptures! Like the Bereans, if we would search for the Torah basis for everything we read in the New Testament, we too would gain understanding of many obscure and hidden truths of the New Covenant!

With these basics in mind, it will be easier to find the true names of the Father and the Son hidden in Scripture.

Scriptures Reveal the Hidden Name of the Father

In the front pages of many Bibles, there are explanatory notes describing that particular version, including a brief description of the manuscripts used as the basis of the translation, and other notes.

One of these notes is the explanation of how the name of the Creator has been replaced by the word “LORD” or “GOD” in all-caps, using all capital letters wherever the name has been replaced. To see the true names in Scripture, we need only to note the Strong’s number for a particular word or name, and look up the corresponding word or name in Hebrew. We will see some examples of this procedure below.

Apparently this custom of using “LORD” instead of the true name was followed in deference to the Jewish tradition of using the title ‘Adonai’ (‘Lord’) in place of the true name. There are many varied explanations for this tradition, all of which appear to have arisen out of superstitions promoted by the oral traditions of the Pharisees.

As we search the Scriptures, however, we see that most of the original writers of Scriptures were inspired by the Holy spirit to write, and to speak, the true name of the Father. Only the true sons will know who the Father is; all others will not know Him (Luke 10:22)!

Let’s look at the Father’s name in several verses of Scripture:

These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD <03068> God made the earth and the heavens. (Genesis 2:4)

And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? 14 And God said unto Moses, I AM <01961> THAT I AM <01961>: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM <01961> hath sent me unto you. (Exodus 3:13-14)

And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD <03068>. (Leviticus 19:12)

Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before the Lord <0113> GOD <03068>. (Exodus 23:17)

Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH <03050>, and rejoice before him. (Psalms 68:4)

Therefore, behold, I will this once cause them to know, I will cause them to know mine hand and my might; and they shall know that my name is The LORD <03068>. (Jeremiah 16:21)

For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name: I have not sent them, saith the LORD <03068>. (Jeremiah 29:9)

And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD <03068> is my God. (Zechariah 13:9)

First, notice we have listed a few of the Strong’s numbers in the Notes below. As we reference these Strong’s Numbers for the names in the above passages, we can easily determine Father’s true Scriptural name. Here is how we can find Father’s true name.

Let us notice in Exodus 3:13-14 above, that Father tells us His name is “I Am” (“HaYah”) that/who (“hu”) I Am (“HaYah”), and as the Strong’s Number reference <01961> tells us, it is this phrase that becomes the original basis for the names seen in <03050> and <03068>, as well as for variations of this same name seen throughout Scripture.

The Strong’s number reference <03068> tells us that the name is “Jehovah.” But what does the evidence reveal?

No Early English Letter ‘J’

In the year 1610, when early the King James Version of the Bible was published, there was no letter ‘J’ in use, nor was there a ‘J’ sound in the name ‘Jehovah.’ The letter ‘J’ did not even exist before the 17th century, and even the modern use of the letter “J” as a soft-“G” sound is a recent linguistic addition[1].

Up to this time the modern English letter ‘I’ was used to represent the Hebrew letter ‘yod,’ and was pronounced as a “Y,” where the Biblical name ‘Jah’ is pronounced correctly as “Yah.” It was not until the 17th century, that the ‘I’ later became a ‘J’ and took on a different pronunciation.

But the letter ‘J’ is not the only modern change.

No Early Hebrew Letter ‘Vav’

We must note also that the modern Hebrew letter ‘vav’ with a “V” sound, is also a recent linguistic addition, as a part of the revival of the modern Hebrew language developed by Eliezer Ben Yehuda in the 19th century, and officially adopted in 1921.[2].

Before this time, the modern Hebrew letter ‘vav’ in its most ancient form was called a ‘waw,’ used as a consonant, but often used as a vowel. That is, in earlier days the letter ‘W’ or “Double-U” was pronounced as ‘U-U’ which is the “oo” sound.

This waw-vav difference can be seen in a number of ways today. One telling example is seen in the two names of the Israeli village of Peta Tiqwa, the first Jewish settlement in the modern land of Israel, founded in 1878. When the modern Hebrew language was officially adopted in 1921, it included the modern ‘vav’ with a “V” sound, in place of the ancient Hebrew letter ‘waw,’ with a “W” sound.

This change would mean that Peta Tikwa would have to change the spelling and pronunciation of its name, in order to accommodate the spelling change from the ancient Hebrew letter ‘waw’ to the modern letter ‘vav,’.

The village of Peta Tiqwa, however, never changed its [official] name. Instead, the modern [unofficial] name was changed to ‘Peta Tiqvah,’ while the official name continues today as ‘Peta Tiqwa,’ as an enduring testimony to the earlier pronunciation of the modern Hebrew letter ‘vav’ as a ‘waw.’[3].

What is Father’s Name?

What do these historical changes in the English and Hebrew languages tell us? First, looking at the Concordance under Strong’s Number 03068 [See below under Notes], we see that the modern Hebrew spelling of Father’s name, reading from right to left, is yod-hay-vav-hay. When we consider the evidence of the changes in the Hebrew and English languages, however, we see that the earlier Hebrew spelling of Father’s name used the Hebrew letter ‘waw’ instead of the letter ‘vav,’ and had the Hebrew spelling yod-hay-waw-hay.

And so we can now see that the English phonetic spelling of Father’s name is not ‘Jeh-hov-ah,’ but more closely resembles ‘Yah-huw-ah’ or ‘Yah-huw-eh,’ and likely pronounced “Yah-hoo-uh.”

What is not likely, however, is that our heavenly Father would adjust the pronunciation of His Name, just to keep up with the changes man has made to the Hebrew and English languages. Mankind may have made changes, but Father has not changed the original spelling, nor the pronunciation of His own Name.

Nevertheless, it is important for us to realise, that there are many today having various views of how the true Scriptural name of the Father is to be pronounced. As in all things, we must not be dogmatic about what we each see and understand. We are all seeking, and we do not all see the same things at the same time.

We are all in a learning mode. Let us therefore learn from each other. If we are learning and growing in our understanding, we may see some things differently tomorrow from how we see them today.

Let’s now discover the hidden name of the Son.

Scriptures Reveal the Hidden Name of the Son

Using the same approach as above, we will first look at several passages that give us some valuable clues:

And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. (Matthew 1:21)

In the above passage, we are told that the name of the Son translated into Greek, and then we are given reason for the Hebrew meaning of His name: “for he shall save his people from their sins.” This meaning tells us that His name includes some form of the Hebrew word yasha, Strong’s number <03467> meaning “save, saviour, salvation.”

Here is another clue seen in Hebrews:

For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. (Hebrews 4:8)

Notice from the context that this passage is referring to Joshua son of Nun, who brought the Israelites into the Promised Land. We then have our second clue—that the Hebrew name Joshua was translated as the Greek name Jesus.

Let’s look at a third clue in the same chapter of Hebrews:

Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. (Hebrews 4:14)

In order to prove the passage in Hebrews, we should look for the Scripture passages in Torah, that reveal the name of the great High Priest in the heavens. Now notice the following:

And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. (Zechariah 3:1)

Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH. (Zechariah 3:8)

Then take silver and gold, and make crowns, and set them upon the head of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest 12 And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD: (Zechariah 6:11-12)

The above passages tell us the name of the High Priest in the heavens is called Joshua, Strong’s number <03091>, the Hebrew name Y@howshuwa, pronounced “Yeh-ho-shoo’-ah” or “Yah-hu-shoo’-ah.”

This Hebrew name Yahu-shua is a compound of two Hebrew words. The first word is the abbreviated name of the Father, Yahuwah or Yahuweh, Strong’s number <03068>. The second word is a form of the word yasha, Strong’s number <03467>, meaning “save, saviour, salvation.” Taken together, the name Yahu-shua means “Yahuweh is Saviour” or “Yahuweh is Salvation.”

This brings us back to the first clue seen above in Matthew 1:21, where we are told the meaning of the Son’s name was because “he shall save his people from their sins.” This name Yahu-shua confirms the meaning, and reveals the purpose for his name.

The Bereans would have concluded from the above passages in Torah, that the Saviour’s name is Yahushua, and that this same Yahushua is also the High Priest in the heavens, which confirmation we have in the New Testament writings.

Now, let’s ask one final question in this study.

Who is the Son?

We have seen from Torah that the Son’s Hebrew name is Yahushua, or some close variation in pronunciation of this name.

Our final question is this: “Whom do you say that I am?”

What did the Bereans say? Did the Bereans believe Yahushua is the Christ?

In order to answer this question, we will look at several passages, and then try to find out what the Bereans would have found, as to the Torah basis for who Yahushua is.

“Whom do you say that I am?” Here is Peter’s answer:

And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. (Matthew 16:16)

In the above passage, Peter tells Yahushua that Yahushua is the Christ. Let’s try to verify what this means.

“Whom do you say that I am?” Here is what the apostle Paul told the Believers in Thessalonica:

And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures, 3 Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ. (Acts 17:2-3)

Immediately following Paul’s visit to Thessalonica, Paul went to Berea, where the Believers likely heard the same message Paul had just given in Thessalonica.

The Bereans, who were more noble, must have then searched the scriptures to verify Paul’s message. What would they have found, as to the identity of Yahushua?

“Whom do you say that I am?” Perhaps this question was asked of the Bereans—just as it is being asked of us today. The Bereans searched the Torah, in order to verify the truth of any claims made by the apostle Paul.

The Bereans were likely told, just as those in Thessalonica, “Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ.”

Now, what could the Bereans do with this statement? The word christ does not appear anywhere in the Torah—so we need more clues. Here are passages that give us more clues:

He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias <3323>, which is, being interpreted, the Christ <5547>. (John 1:41)

The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias <3323> cometh, which is called Christ <5547>: when he is come, he will tell us all things. (John 4:25)

These verses show that the word christ, from the Greek word christos, Strong’s number <5547>, is interpreted from the Greek word messias, Strong’s number <3323>; but we are told this word comes from the Hebrew word Messiah, Strong’s number <04899>. We can thus see that how the Bereans were able to search the Scriptures to prove any doctrines.

The Bereans searched the only Scriptures they had—the Tanak, or ‘Old Testament’ Scriptures. They would have concluded from their search that Paul’s message, that Yahushua is the Messiah, is true. For it can be seen throughout the Torah, that Yahushua is indeed the High Priest in the heavens, the Son of David, and is the promised Messiah.

Conclusion

We have discovered the true names of the Father and the Son, hidden in Scripture. We have also seen some examples of how Torah is to be used to verify every truth found within the New Testament writings.

We have found the answers to the questions, “What is his name, and what is his son’s name, if you can tell?”

We have also seen how the Bereans might have answered the question Yahushua asked, “Whom do you say that I am?”

We have seen that if we are to be as the Bereans, we too must search the same Scriptures the Bereans searched. We must submit any notions of what we think the New Testament is saying, to the scrutiny of the Law (Torah), and the Prophets, and the Writings.

Only then may we be more noble as the Bereans. Only then may we understand the Good News of the King, of the Kingdom, and of the matchless mercy and Grace of the King.

What do you say, Dear Reader?

Yahushua continues to ask each of us today, these two questions:

“Whom do you say that I am?”

“What is His name, and what is His Son’s name, if you can tell?”

Epilogue

The various forms of the name of the Saviour are given to us by Father Himself (Isa 56.5; Rev 2:17). They can be thought of as ‘stepping-stones’ we encounter at each stage of our growth, as we search and seek for Him in Scripture, and as we overcome various obstacles. As we proceed along the Way, and as we mature in our knowledge of Him, we move from one stepping-stone to another, and we come ever closer what His name is.

When we learn of a more ‘Biblical’ form of the Saviour’s name, we dare not stop on that one stepping-stone, thinking we can go no further, or that we have somehow arrived. There may be more for us to learn of His name. Let us therefore not criticise any of the names that someone else has found in their search along the Way, even though we might have moved on from that stepping-stone, from that particular understanding of His name.

We are reminded that each blessing we receive from Father carries with it a test of our stewardship of that blessing. The name of the Saviour is just such a blessing, so let us be good stewards, and not bicker and argue with one another over which may be the more ‘correct’ form of His name.

Most importantly, let us remember that we are saved and delivered by His name (which speaks of who He is), and not by a certain pronunciation — whether spoken as Jesus, Yahushua, Yeshua, יהושוע, or any other variation.

Whatever names are used, when spoken by a sincere and seeking heart, our Heavenly Father responds to them all!

Notes:

• [1] See article on the letter ‘J’ at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J
• [2] See article on Revival of the Hebrew Language at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebrew_language
• [3] See ‘official’ and ‘unofficial’ names of Peta Tiqwa at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peta%EF%9D%85_Tiqwa

Strong’s Numbers-Hebrew:

01961  היה   hayah {haw-yaw}
a primitive root [compare 01933]; TWOT – 491; (v)
AV – was, come to pass, came, has been, were happened, become,
pertained, better for thee; 75

1) to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out
1a) (Qal)
1a1) —–
1a1a) to happen, fall out, occur, take place, come about,
come to pass
1a1b) to come about, come to pass
1a2) to come into being, become
1a2a) to arise, appear, come
1a2b) to become
1a2b1) to become
1a2b2) to become like
1a2b3) to be instituted, be established
1a3) to be
1a3a) to exist, be in existence
1a3b) to abide, remain, continue (with word of place or time)
1a3c) to stand, lie, be in, be at, be situated (with word
of locality)
1a3d) to accompany, be with
1b) (Niphal)
1b1) to occur, come to pass, be done, be brought about
1b2) to be done, be finished, be gone

03050   יה  Yahh {yaw}
contraction for 03068, and meaning the same; TWOT – 484b; n pr dei
AV – LORD 48, JAH 1; 49

1) Jah (Jehovah in the shortened form)
1a) the proper name of the one true God
1b) used in many compounds
1b1) names beginning with the letters ‘Je’
1b2) names ending with ‘iah’ or ‘jah’

03068  יהוה  Yehovah {yeh-ho-vaw’}  or  Yahuwah {yah-hu-waw’}
from 01961; TWOT – 484a; n pr dei
AV – LORD 6510, GOD 4, JEHOVAH 4, variant 1; 6519

Yahuwah = “the existing One”
1) the proper name of the one true God
1a) unpronounced except with the vowel pointings of 0136,
according to tradition.

03091  יהושוע  Y@howshuwa` {yeh-ho-shoo’-ah} or Y@howshu`a {yeh-ho-shoo’-ah}
from 03068 and 03467;
AV – Joshua 218; 218

Joshua or Jehoshua = “Jehovah is salvation” n pr m
1) son of Nun of the tribe of Ephraim and successor to Moses as the
leader of the children of Israel; led the conquest of Canaan
2) a resident of Beth-shemesh on whose land the Ark of the Covenant
came to a stop after the Philistines returned it
3) son of Jehozadak and high priest after the restoration
4) governor of Jerusalem under king Josiah who gave his name to a
gate of the city of Jerusalem

04886  משח  mashach {maw-shakh’}
a primitive root; TWOT – 1255; v
AV – anoint 68, painted 1; 69

1) to smear, anoint, spread a liquid
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to smear
1a2) to anoint (as consecration)
1a3) to anoint, consecrate
1b) (Niphal) to be anointed

04899  משיח  mashiyach {maw-shee’-akh}
from 04886; TWOT – 1255c; n m
AV – anointed 37, Messiah 2; 39

1) anointed, anointed one
1a) of the Messiah, Messianic prince
1b) of the king of Israel
1c) of the high priest of Israel
1d) of Cyrus
1e) of the patriarchs as anointed kings

Strong’s Numbers-Greek

2424 Ἰησοῦς Iesous {ee-ay-sooce’}
of Hebrew origin 03091; TDNT – 3:284,360; n pr m
AV – Jesus 972, Jesus (Joshua) 2, Jesus (Justus) 1; 975

Jesus = “Jehovah is salvation”
1) Jesus, the Son of God, the Saviour of mankind, God incarnate
2) Jesus Barabbas was the captive robber whom the Jews begged Pilate
to release instead of Christ
3) Joshua was the famous captain of the Israelites, Moses’ successor
(Ac. 7:45, Heb. 4:8)
4) Jesus, son of Eliezer, one of the ancestors of Christ (Lu. 3:29)
5) Jesus, surnamed Justus, a Jewish Christian, an associate with
Paul in the preaching of the gospel (Col. 4:11)

3323 Μεσσίας  Messias {mes-see’-as}
of Hebrew origin 04899; see 5547 Christos, TDNT 9:493, 1322; n m
AV – Messias 2; 2

Messias = “anointed”
1) the Greek form of Messiah
2) a name of Christ

5547 Χριστός  Christos {khris-tos’}
from 5548; TDNT – 9:493,1322; adj
AV – Christ 569; 569

Christ = “anointed”
1) Christ was the Messiah, the Son of God
2) anointed