job (term paper)

8/6/2019 Job (Term Paper)

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GODS JOB IN JOBS SUFFERING

(exploration on the role of God in suffering)


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I. Introduction

Suffering is a complex reality that no one has completely figured out. It is a

reality that everyone experiences, and yet, the meaning exceeds from the experience.

When bad things happen to bad people, a common reaction is just it is normal. It is a

consequence of his sinfulness and the search for meaning stops in that. We have limited

the meaning of suffering as a form of punishment.

But reality speaks otherwise because even the most righteous person suffers. The

Job of the Bible is the perfect example for this. Righteous people are not excluded from

that experience. For Kushner, There is only one question which really matters: why do

bad things happen to good people?1 This is a moment of crisis in them that they start to

question why it is happening to them. This is where the problem lies because we limit the

meaning of suffering as a form of punishment. It seems that that kind of view would not

simply apply to them. This is where the quest for a deeper meaning in suffering begins. Is

there something more than just a consequence of sin?

We cannot escape the fact that God has a hand to play in suffering. For the

traditional view, it is God who punishes. But for the righteous, what is there to punish in

them? And if it is not from God, why is there suffering at all? The very fact of suffering

even questions the omnipotence of God. Others would reach in a conclusion that God is

not all powerful because suffering thrives. When there is war, or massive violence, in the

words of N. T. Wright, can there be a Just Godin this Unjust World?2 They cannot

1Harold S. Kushner, When Bad Things Happen to Good People, (New York:

Schocken Books, 1981) p. 6.

2N. T. Wright,Evil and the Justice of God, (Illinois: Intervarsity Press, 2006) p.

43.


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comprehend a good God who seems indifferent in suffering. It is really a reality that no

one has completely figured out.

This paper tries to explore Gods role in suffering. The Book of Job is the primary

basis in this exploration and the ideas to be found in Job regarding suffering and the role

of God would be supported by other books that also joined in the quest for the deeper

meaning of suffering. And this quest begins now.

II. Suffering

Suffering is defined in the Oxford Dictionary as simply a pain of body or mind, or

a feeling of pain or unhappiness.3 This plain definition already captures the encompassing

aspects of suffering: it is not only physical, but also psychological and emotional. In the

case of Job, the loss of his properties can be considered as a physical damage but when he

lost his sons and daughters, was inflicted with boils, and was discriminated, the suffering

is already on a deeper level that crept into his inner being.

A. As Consequence of Sin

In this topic we try to go back to the original and traditional view of suffering as a

consequence of sin. This is displayed vividly by one of the friends of Job who insists that

he deserves punishment because of his guilt. Zophar says to Job, (Job 11:6b) Know then

that God exacts of you less than your guilt deserves,4It seems to suggest that Job might

have done something wrong in his life and he must just have to admit it and ask

3Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary of Current English, Rev. 3 rd Edition. P.

1178.

4The Holy Bible, New Revised Standard Version, (Makati City: St. Pauls

Publication Philippines, 2000) p. 603.


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forgiveness. But Job insists that he is a just and blameless man.5 In that case, Jobs

suffering is not a consequence of his sin because there is no sin in the first place. We

have to throw in the waste basket the idea that the only explanation for suffering is

punishment.

B. Search for a Deeper Meaning

When the traditional view of suffering does not work out, we seek for a deeper

meaning in suffering. It is very hard to accept misfortune for people who have been

faithful to God all their lives. Kushner writes:

The misfortunes of good people are not only a problem to the people whosuffer and to their families. They are a problem to everyone who wants to

believe in a just and fair and livable world. They inevitably raise questions

about the goodness, the kindness, even the existence of God.6

They just feel that they do not deserve such suffering. The common phrase is that

I have been faithful all my life and this is what I get? . Such question is maybe an

expression of resentment and those who quit in the search for deeper meaning ended up

in atheism. They believe that the God that they have believed in is nothing because of the

suffering. But for those who believe that God cannot do such thing- leaving his people in

their pains, that question is the start for a deeper meaning. Even A. Van De Beek entitled

his whole book Why? in his search for the meaning of suffering.7 What prompted him

to search for a deeper meaning is his faith in God as loving and almighty and that God is

there in suffering.

5Ibid., p. 604.

6Harold S. Kushner, When Bad Things Happen to Good People, p. 6.

7A. Van de Beek, Why? On Suffering, Guilt and God, trans. by John Vriend,

(Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1990)


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In the Book of Job, the silence of God prompted Job to be so desperate even to the

point of challenging God. This is not a movement towards atheism. This is a search for a

deeper meaning: Job 23:2-5- Today also my complaint is bitter; his hand is heavy

despite my groaning. O that I knew where I might find him, that I might come even to his

dwelling! I would lay my case before him, and fill my mouth with arguments. I would

learn what he would answer me, and understand what he would say to me.8 The last

two phrases say it all. Job complains not only for the sake of it but he would like to learn

and understand why he is suffering.

C. Growth as the Deeper Meaning

One of the most important things that any religion can teach us is what it means

to be human.9 Suffering is a great teacher to remind us of our humanity- that we are

vulnerable as human beings. This is a fact that most people forget especially when they

are in the highest peek of their success. They sometimes think that they can do everything

and then suddenly comes suffering. But this is not the case of Job. In the beginning of the

book, it is even God who confirmed, that there is no one like him on earth, a blameless

and upright man who fears God and turns away from evil.10

What kind of learning does Job need? Or what good does suffering bring to Job?

Such question is a difficult one because the Book of Job did not explicitly say what he

learned from that experience of suffering. The only thing sure is that he has proven his

faithfulness to God. He learned that no matter what happens, he still believes in God. The

8The Holy Bible, New Revised Standard Version, p. 614.




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experience of Jobs suffering has also showed that questioning God is reasonable. He has

also learned a thing or two about God:I know that you can do all things, and that no

purpose of yours can be thwarted. Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?

Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I

did not know. 11

III. God

Since the Book of Job is found in the Hebrew Bible, one can assume that it is a

story of faith. Faith here means the relationship of man with God and this chapter

explores the main theme of this paper: the role of God in suffering. God can be more

understood if we explore the other perspectives in how they see Gods involvement in

suffering before going directly to the Book of Job. There are three main perspectives in

this: God as Indifferent, God as Punisher, and God as Potter.

A. God as Indifferent

When it says indifferent, it means that God is not involved in anything. The blame

on peoples suffering is on them because God in the first place has nothing to do with the

activities of the world. This perspective is deeply influenced by the analogy in the

creation of the world seeing God as the watchmaker.

The watchmaker analogy, or watchmaker argument, is a

teleological argument for the existence of God. By way of an analogy theargument states that design implies a designer. In the 17th and 18th

centuries, the analogy was used (by Ren Descartes and Boyle, for

instance) as a device for explaining the structure of the universe andGod's. relationship to it. Later, the analogy played a prominent role in

natural theology and the "argument from design," where it was used to

11 Ibid., 631.


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since the time of Jesus which many people believe until now. The friends of Job hold this

view that no ills befall the righteous.14



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BIBLIOGRAPHY

N. T. Wright, Evil and the Justice of God, (Illinois, Intervarsity Press, 2006) p. 43.


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THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE NAME YAHWEH

A

Term PaperPresented to

Fr. Rudolf Horst, SVD

In Partial FulfillmentOf the Requirements for the Subject

PENTATEUCH

Submitted by:

Bon Llamado Arimbuyutan, MI

January 26, 2010

I. INTRODUCTION

Central to the faith of the Israelites is the Exodus event where they remember how

God had freed them from the bondage of slavery and had established a covenant with

them. Whether or not it happened in history exactly as what is stated in Scriptures, what

is definite is that the book of Exodus bears witness to the religious meaning of what took


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place.15 Freedom from slavery from the Egyptians, the establishment of the covenant,

and of course Moses, who was the instrument of God in making all these things to

happen, are the most common subject matters that people always remember when Exodus

is mentioned.

But another theme which is as equally important as those three is the revelation of

God. It is in this event that God had revealed who He is. It is in Exodus that His divine

name is introduced for the first time. When Moses went up to Mt. Horeb to pasture the

flock, he encountered a burning bush and it was through it that God has spoken to him. It

was there He revealed His name:13 But Moses said to God, "If I come to the Israelites and say tothem, 'The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,' and they ask

me, 'What is his name?' what shall I say to them?" 14 God said to

Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." He said further, "Thus you shall say

to the Israelites, 'I AM has sent me to you.'" 15 God also said toMoses, "Thus you shall say to the Israelites, 'The LORD, the God

of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the

God of Jacob, has sent me to you': This is my name forever, andthis my title for all generations.16

Names and titles reveal something of the identity of a being. Just by looking or

listening to ones name somehow gives us a glimpse of the character of a being. In

Exodus, I am who I am- is the name revealed coming from the mouth of God Himself

as what was stated. This has been the most common interpretation from the

Tetragrammaton YHWH, which for the Israelites is the personal name of God. When

translated to English, it became Yahweh. But it has been still disputed if it is the right

translation. Some even claimed that the real name is Jehovah. There are even arguments

15 The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha, (New York: Oxford

University Press, 1973) p. 67.

16 The Holy Bible, New Revised Standard Version, (Makati City: St. Pauls



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regarding the source of the name. Is it originally from God Himself? Some claim that it is

from a pagan God. There are just many mysteries surrounding the name ofYahweh. This

paper tries to explore this divine name of God, how it originated and how it was used

before. The author does not assure that questions will be answered, rather, he expects that

there will be more questions that will arise.

II. POSSIBLE ORIGINS OF THE NAME

A. Other Tribes

Many biblical experts claimed that Yahweh is a name that is not from the

Israelites themselves, it is not God Himself who gave it. The possible origins can be

traced through the people they encountered and the place they went. According to the

Kenite hypothesis17, it probably came from the Kenites who were nomadic metalworkers.

Their eponymous ancestor was Cain.18 They have a God named Yahweh who is

associated with mountains and storms. From here it can be hypothesized that there are

many gods and goddesses associated with nature like the goddess of rain, or harvest, etc.

Yahweh is just one of the many gods and goddesses. This is implied in the Third

commandment: You shall have no other gods before me.19 They should only worship

Yahweh, not others. This tribe might have influenced them because they were later

incorporated to the tribe of Judah as can be seen in 1 Chronicles 2:55 when the list of

Judahs descendants was given: The families also of the scribes that lived at Jabez: the

17http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yahweh.html

18 The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary (Michigan: William B. Eerdmans PublishingCompany, 1987) p. 620.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yahweh.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yahweh.html


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Tirathites, the Shimeathites, and the Sucathites. These are the Kenites who came from

Hammath, father of the house of Rechab.20

Another study done by Franklin Moore Cross, Jr. suggests that the name Yahweh

came from the Amorites of the 2nd Millenium B.C.21 The Amorites have infiltrated the

Fertile Crescent especially Babylon and there they established the first dynasty,

Hammurabi being their first ruler. Many Biblical texts have proven that this tribe was met

by the Israelites. Sihon, king of Hesbon and Og the king of BashanI, whom the Israelites

have defeated, were rulers of Amorite city-states.22

The Amorites are associated with many deities. In the proper names of the gods of

the Amorites like Yahwi-IL orYahwi-Haddu, the root word Yahwi is there. The IL and

HADDU are proper names of the gods. Yahwi is a verbal which indicates a causation of

being. Thus Yahwi-IL means IL causes to be and Yahwi-HADDU means HADDU

causes to be. 23

B. Jethro24

Jethro (also called Reuel and Hobab) as what was described in the Bible is a priest

of Midian. Moses settled in Midian when he fled from Pharaoh after killing one Egyptian.

He married one of the daughters of Jethro, Zipporah. Nothing was said much about the

20 Ibid., p. 400.

21 George V. Pixley, On Exodus, A Liberation Perspective (New York: Orbis

Books Maryknoll, 1987), p. 70

22 The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary,p. 51.

23 George V. Pixley, On Exodus, A Liberation Perspective, p. 70

24 This topic was chiefly inspired by a discussion in class last January 19, 2010

with Fr. Rudolf Horst, SVD.


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A. Origin

These four letters as the name of God has no meaning at all in Hebrew language

unlike other names in Hebrew. For instance, the name of Jesus (Yehosua) means

Yahweh will save30 or Gabriel (Gabri-El) means man of God31. So there is an

assumption that it came from another Hebrew word. According to Eerdmans Bible

Dictionary, YHWH is most likely a verbal form of the Hebrew haya which was possibly

hwy before. It means be, become or causes to be and like the yahwi from the Amorite

hypothesis, it was also attached to the name of God, thus, Yahweh-El. Another Hebrew

word which has been used in Exodus is Ehyeh which has almost the same meaning

with haya. When Moses asked God what will he tell them of His name, God answered

Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh (I am who I am) and God added I AM (Ehyeh) has sent me to

you. Let us now look at the explanation of Michael D. Guinan, OFM regarding this word:

Ehyeh is a first person, imperfect, simple stem of the verb to be and can be translated

I am/ am continually/ will be who I am/ am continually/ will be. Nor is this to be

meant in an abstract sense. He added, God is not giving, nor would the Israelites have

been interested in, a philosophy lesson. What is at issue here is dynamic, active,

concerned presence For Israel, it meant the God who was/is present to and caring for

Israel; the God they had known in their history; the God who heard their cry of

distress.32

30 The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary, p. 573.

31 Ibid., p. 395

32 Michael D. Guinan, OFM, The Pentateuch, (Quezon City: Claretian Publications,

1990) p. 45.


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Although it is not certain that YHWH came from the Hebrew word Ehyeh, it

somehow gives us an understanding of who is God for the Israelites- a God who is

always present and walks with them in history. For the Yahwist, this is the core character

ofYahweh who they present in their writings as an anthropomorphic God- He walks and

talks with us.33

B. YHWH as Yahweh

The question now arises if Yahweh is the right translation for the

Tetragrammaton. There are many who claim that Yahweh is just a guess in translating

YHWH because many names can be derived from the Tetragrammaton. Dr. G. Reckart

posted that there are twenty-two (22) guess names:34

Yahueh (ya-hu-eh) Yohweh (yoh-weh) Yahweh (yah-weh)

Iahueh (i-a-hu-eh) Iohweh (i-oh-weh) Iahweh (i-ah-weh)

Yahuah (ya-hu-ah) Yahwah (yah-wah) Yahwe (yah-we)

Iahuah (ia-hu-ah) Iahwah (i-ah-wah) Iahwe (i-ah-we)

Yahevahe (yah-e-va-he) Yehwah (yeh-wah) Yahohewah (yah-o-he-wah)

Iahevahe (ia-he-va-he) Iehwah (i-eh-wah) Iahohewah (i-a-ho-he-wah)

Yohwah (yoh-wah) Yehweh (yeh-weh) Yahuwah (ya-hu-wah)

Iohwah (i-oh-wah) Iehweh (i-eh-weh) Iahuwah (i-a-hu-wah)

Yahveh (yah-veh) Yehveh (yeh-veh) Yahohevah (yah-o-he-vah)

Jove (ho-ve) Jehovah (je-ho-vah) Iehovah (i-eh-ho-vah)

33 Lawrence Boadt,Reading the Old Testament, An Introduction, (Makati City: St.

Pauls Publication Philippines, 1993) p. 97.

34 http://www.jesus-messiah.com/studies/yahweh-full-copy.html


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In the Bible that we have today, we never encountered the Tetragrammaton but

only Yahweh. The probable beginning of this usage may be derived from the Greek

pronunciation Jave first used by the Ancient Fathers in translating the Hebrew

Tetragrammaton. One of these is St. Clement of Alexandria who wrote in his Stromata

the translation of the four letters.

Further, the mystic name of four letters which was affixed to

those alone to whom the adytum was accessible, is called Jave,

which is interpreted, Who is shall be. The name of God, too,among the Greeks contains four letters.35

For the Roman Catholic Church, Iahveh was used as the translation of the

Tetragrammaton. This is found in the official Vatican Nova Vulgata Bibliorum Sacrum,

published in 1979.36 This is in Latin, so when the Bible was translated to English, it

became Yahweh. Actually, the way Yahweh was pronounced in English may have been

more close to the original pronunciation of the Jews. Yahweh enjoys a high degree of

probability37 in the translation of YHWH. The Hebrew scholar Willhelm Gesenius has

agreed to this translation saying that the vowel points of Yahweh are closer to the

Tetragrammaton.38 He supported this by citing various Greek transcriptions dating from

the first century AD. His proposal has been accepted by many Biblical scholars.

Although the origin of the name Yahweh and the corresponding Hebrew for

YHWH are not clear, the development of the name Yahweh from the Tetragrammaton is

understandable now. But what about Jehovah as a translation of YHWH? Is it also

35 Ibid.

36 Ibid.

37 Michael D. Guinan, OFM, The Pentateuch, 42.

38 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetragrammaton.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetragrammaton.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetragrammaton.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetragrammaton.html


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acceptable since many are using that name? It is even a name of a religious

denomination- Jehovahs Witnesses. We try to explore it in a separate part.

C. YHWH as Jehovah

For the Jews, the name of God is too sacred that they dare not mention YHWH.

Even during the time of Jesus, we see no mention of the name ofYahweh in the Gospels

although the texts that they have been using have the inscriptions of the Tetragrammaton.

Whenever they encounter the sacred name in their reading, they substitute YHWH with

Adonai (my Lord) in their pronunciation.

39

In the Hebrew text of the Bible starting from

the first millenium, the Masoretes40 started putting the vowel points ofAdonai with the

consonant YHWH to remind the reader of what to pronounce. From this point will the

term Jehovah comes in.

Unfortunately, the resource books and pages in the internet did not provide the

real culprit. It is just mentioned that some Christian readers have misunderstood the way

it was written and took it as it is. They combined the consonants YHWH and the vowels

ofAdonai and created a non-existent word41. This resulted into Jehovah. This name

existed because of a mistake. Other scholars said that if only they knew the background

of how the Jews use the sacred name, Jehovah will never come into existence.

39

George V. Pixley, On Exodus, A Liberation Perspective, p. 69.40These are Jewish scholars who guarded the transmission of the consonantal text

and developed the vocalization signs as an effort to retain the traditional vocalizations of

the words of the biblical text. In Hebrew, masoret means tradition. (Definition from

Eerdmans Bible Dictionary)

41Michael D. Guinan, OFM, The Pentateuch, 42.


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IV. YAHWEH AND THE JEWS

Yahweh is the God of the Jews. In knowing the Jews, we will know Yahweh.

Culture and tradition holds a claim on a particular group of people. These two form their

way of thinking and living, even their entire selves. To look at these will make things

clearer for us to understand.

A. Jewish Tradition

One reason why until now YHWH remains a mystery is because of the tradition

of the Jews on how they regard a sacred name. YHWH is a name that they dare not to

pronounce. It was only the high priest who is aloud to proclaim the Tetragrammaton and

it is only during one occasion- the Yom Kippur. It is also known as the Day of

Atonement- the most important annual Israelite fast, held on the tenth day of the seventh

month. It is a day which included purification ceremony and a general fast.42 It was their

practice when the temple of Jerusalem was still intact. So, the sacred name is pronounced

but how come the scholars have the difficulty in determining the real pronunciation of the

Tetragrammaton? Explanation of the uncertainty of the pronunciation follows:

Since the destruction of Second Temple of Jerusalem in 70 CE,

the Tetragrammaton is no longer pronounced, and while Jewish

tradition holds that the correct pronunciation is known to a select

few people in each generation, it is not generally known what this pronunciation is. Instead, common Jewish use has been to

substitute the name "Adonai" ("My Lord") where the

Tetragrammaton appears.43

42 The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary, p. 106.

43 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetragrammaton.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Temple_of_Jerusalemhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adonaihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetragrammaton.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetragrammaton.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetragrammaton.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Temple_of_Jerusalemhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adonai


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beginning of the world. And in his divine plan, He has chosen the Israelites to be his

people. This is who and what is Yahweh for them.

C. The Other Names of Yahweh

In Jewish tradition, names play an important role not only as identification but

more importantly, the nature of its bearer. Names somehow give a sense of understanding

not only of who but what the being is. Yahweh has been considered the most important

name of God because along with the revelation of this name is their covenant. But aside

from that, God has acquired several names before and after he was called Yahweh.

Exploring these names somehow gives us an understanding how the Israelites see God.

Let us explore some of the names of God:46

1. Elohim

Among the names of God, Elohim appeared the most in the texts of the Old

Testament specifically in the Pentateuch. Elohistic and Priestly tradition are said to be the

sources. The etymology is unclear but the root meaning is probably strength or power.

Other studies show that Elohim is a plural of El, which is the name of the highest

Canaanite God. Although it implies a polytheistic background as if God is with a divine

council, the way it was written was clearly monotheistic.

2. El Elyon, El Shaddai,

Elyon and Shaddai are adjectives of El (God). Elyon is translated most high.

This title has been found in earliest biblical poetry. El Shaddai is generally translated as

46 The definitions of the names of God came mainly from Eerdmans Bible

Dictionary.


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God Almighty in English versions. But scholars translate it God of the mountain as

the alleged root is sadu (mountain) from the Akkadian. These two are not actually

names of God but rather attributes to God. These are descriptions of who is God and

there are more of these kinds.

3. Adonai

The existence of this name had been explained in the earlier part together with the

Tetragrammaton. Adonai (my Lord) is the substitute for the unspeakable name of God.

Examining the other names of God, Yahweh stands out from the rest because it is

regarded not merely as a title of God but the personal name of God Himself. The

reverence they give to Yahweh cannot be equal to how they use the other names of God.

For the Jews, there is really something divine in Yahweh. They regard the Name as too

sacred to be used for common activities.47

V. CONCLUSION

A. Summary

In the first two parts of the paper, we try to establish the scientific grounding of

the divine name of God. We try to determine the facts about the name Yahweh by citing

the possible origins because the background will somehow give us an understanding of

why it came to be like that. The Tetragrammaton is a fact about Yahweh. Without it, we

will never know where to start, or we might never know the name of God. Through

scientific studies, we can have a clearer understanding grounded in facts. But these do not

47http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetragrammaton.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetragrammaton.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetragrammaton.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetragrammaton.html


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guarantee the final answer. These are possible answers, in short, hypotheses. These are

given in Chapters II and III.

The last part is focused on how the Jews regard the name Yahweh. It is to put

ourselves into their own context because the name Yahweh comes from them. Although

the scientific aspect has failed to give the clearest explanation about the name, Jewish

tradition has made it clear who or what is Yahweh for them. Two important points are

revealed: Yahweh is a God who walks with them and utmost reverence must be given to

His name. The name Yahweh is above every other name of God.

B. Evaluation

To know who or what Yahweh is, we have to know the people who worship

Yahweh. The revelation of the name of God is closely connected to the story of the

Israelites. To study the name of God as independent object of study might lead us stray.

Scientific explorations have been a big help in deepening our knowledge about what,

when, and how things happened. But it can become a hindrance when we regard science

as the ultimate source of truth. Until now, the name of Yahweh is not clear in the world

of science, but for the Jews, who and what is Yahweh has long been answered.

When we ask, What does Yahweh mean? We try to put Yahweh out of its

context. To know Yahweh, we should always be connected with the people- What does

Yahweh mean for them? So in this exploration, what we really try to discover is not

really who God is, but how the Israelites view God. What we discover is not knowledge

about some being that is beyond our realm but of a group of people who envisions a God

who is with them:


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13 But Moses said to God, "If I come to the Israelites and say to

them, 'The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,' and they ask

me, 'What is his name?' what shall I say to them?" 14 God said toMoses, "I AM WHO I AM." He said further, "Thus you shall say

to the Israelites, 'I AM has sent me to you.'" 15 God also said to

Moses, "Thus you shall say to the Israelites, 'The LORD, the Godof your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the

God of Jacob, has sent me to you': This is my name forever, and

this my title for all generations.48

We can give a lot of interpretations about the name of God. But in the beginning,

it was made clear already. God is the God of presence. We will only be convinced of this

answer if we experienced how God works in our everyday lives. The Israelites

experienced the abiding presence of Yahweh. To know Yahweh, we have to know the

people who worship Yahweh.

48 The Holy Bible, New Revised Standard Version, (Makati City: St. Pauls



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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Books

Boadt, Lawrence.Reading the Old Testament, An Introduction. Makati City: St. Pauls

Publication Philippines, 1993.

Guinan, Michael. The Pentateuch. Quezon City: Claretian Publications, 1990.

Pixley, George. On Exodus, A Liberation Perspective. New York: Orbis Books

Maryknoll, 1987.

Zimmerli, Walter. I am Yahweh, trans. By Douglas W. Stott. Atlanta: John Knox Press,1982.

References

The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary. Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company,

1987.

The Holy Bible, New Revised Standard Version. Makati City: St. Pauls Publication

Philippines, 2000.

The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha.New York: Oxford University

Press, 1973.

Journal

Janzen, Gerard. Whats In A Name? Yahweh in Exodus 3 and the Wider Biblical

Context. Interpretation, July 1979.

Internet

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetragrammaton.html

http://www.jesus-messiah.com/studies/yahweh-full-copy.html

http://mb-soft.com/believe/txth/namesgod.html

http://www.eliyah.com/proof.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetragrammaton.htmlhttp://www.jesus-messiah.com/studies/yahweh-full-copy.htmlhttp://mb-soft.com/believe/txth/namesgod.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetragrammaton.htmlhttp://www.jesus-messiah.com/studies/yahweh-full-copy.htmlhttp://mb-soft.com/believe/txth/namesgod.html

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