Everlasting Good News of Yahweh

The word “Hallelujah” is probably the most often used word of praise heard from the lips of Christians. Sadly, however, many Christians do not fully understand what they are actually proclaiming when the say “Hallelujah”!

The words translated “Praise the LORD” in most English Bibles come from the Hebrew words,    Hallelu Yah  (reading from right to left). It means “Praise you Yah”. When we say “Hallelujah!” we are actually saying Hebrew words calling for the Creator of the heavens and the earth to be praised. There is no letter “J” in the Hebrew alphabet. Therefore the “jah” at the end of “Hallelujah” is incorrectly transliterated. HalleluYah would be correct.

The name “Yah” is actually the shortened or contracted form of the Creator’s name. In Hebrew, the Creator’s name is spelled YHWH and pronounced “Yahweh”. This shortened or contracted form is found in Psalm 68:4.

Sing unto Elohim, sing praises to His name: extol Him that rides upon the heavens by His name YAH, and rejoice before Him.

Most English translations render this name as “JAH”. Since there is no “J” in Hebrew, the correct transliteration is “Yah”. It is for this reason that the longer form of the Creator’s name is not “Jehovah” and His Son’s name is not “Jesus”. The Father’s name is “Yahweh” and His Son’s name is “Yeshua” meaning “he will save”.

Names have meanings in Hebrew. Many Israelite parents chose to name their children in a way that would honor Yahweh their Elohim. The short form “Yah” can be seen at the end of many Hebrew names when reading the text in Hebrew. However, when reading those same names in English Bibles, we can only hear the sound “yah” because the translators rendered “yah” as “iah”, thus somewhat hiding the true short form of our Creator’s name.

Here are a few names ending in “Yah” and their meaning.

Isaiah – Yah has saved

Jeremiah – Yah will rise

Nehemiah – consolation of Yah

Obadiah – serving Yah

Zechariah – Yah has remembered

It is sad that the Name of our Creator has fallen into disuse, even among His own people. However, Yahweh made sure that His name was preserved forever through the names of His people and words like “HalleluYah”.

Blessed be His holy name!