Yahweh is
the personal covenant name
of the God of Israel,
revealed most clearly to Moses
at the burning bush.
It is the name
by which God makes Himself known
in relationship to His people.
In most English Bibles
this name is represented
by the word LORD in capital letters.
More than any other name,
Yahweh speaks of
God’s eternal self-existence
and His faithful commitment
to the covenant He has made.
When Moses asked God what name he should give the Israelites, God replied:
“I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The LORD [Yahweh], the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.” (Exodus 3:14-15)
The name is connected to the Hebrew verb “to be.” God is the One who is — the self-existent, eternal, unchanging God who depends on nothing outside Himself.
Yahweh is not a distant title but a relational name. It reveals:
In Jewish tradition the name came to be regarded as so holy that it was not pronounced aloud. Readers would say “Adonai” (Lord) instead. This reverence continues in many translations today through the use of LORD in small capitals.
Yahweh appears thousands of times in the Old Testament. It is especially prominent in contexts of covenant, redemption, and worship. Many of the compound names of God are built on Yahweh and reveal specific aspects of His character in particular situations:
These names show that the God who is Yahweh is actively involved in the lives of His people.
Although the New Testament is written in Greek and does not use the Hebrew name Yahweh directly, the identity of Yahweh is clearly applied to Jesus. Jesus’ repeated “I am” statements in the Gospel of John (especially John 8:58 — “before Abraham was, I am”) echo the divine name revealed in Exodus 3. The early church confessed Jesus as Lord in a way that identified Him with the God of Israel.
The name Yahweh therefore stands at the center of both Old and New Testament revelation: the same God who redeemed Israel from Egypt is the God who has redeemed His people through the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Yahweh is the name that reveals God as the eternal, self-existent One who enters into covenant with His people and remains faithful forever. To know God as Yahweh is to know Him as the God who is present, powerful, and true to every promise He has made. This name invites both deep reverence and confident trust.