The Name
Understanding the Yah Glyph
In the realm of Hebraic iconography, “YaH” serves as an anthropological glyph often resembling an armless stick-figure. This symbolic representation originated as an archaic ligature, combining two Hebrew letters: Yud, which signifies “hand,” and He (at the beginning of a word, indicating “the” /and at the end of a word ‘aH’ making it a noun).
Despite its prevalence in the petroglyphs of the Bajdah—where it appears in approximately 1500 panels—as a representation of “a commoner,” the glyph’s Hebrew significance carries more nuanced and dynamic meanings. The character of “YaH” is portrayed in various roles and stances: as a witness to significant events, as an attendee at an altar draped in a shawl, and in a flying pose adorned with a crown and outstretched arms, referred to as Yi-Ha-aH. Additionally, the figure is shown in states of rest and resurrection, as well as standing with upraised arms, notably in the setting of the Garden Tomb.
Compare the word “Ye’HaUaH” with the terms “HaYaH,” which means ‘was extant – is existing’ (often referred to as the “I AM”), and “HaUaH,” which signifies ‘Being – Becoming.’
The Mesha Stele: An Ancient Moabite Monument Inscribed with the Sacred Name
The Mesha Stele stands as a unique and invaluable artifact from ancient Moabite civilization. Originally discovered in 1868 near Dhiban—Biblical Dibon, capital of Moab—this monument was located just four miles north of the River Arnon. European explorers, including a German missionary named Klein, initially encountered the monument as a single slab of black basalt measuring 3.5 feet in length and 2 feet in width. The monument bearis an inscription by the ninth century B.C.E. Moabite King Mesha.
However, fearing the removal of what they considered a talismanic object, local Arabs fragmented the stone. Fortunately, a paper impression, known as a “squeeze,” had been made earlier by the archaeologist Clermont-Ganneau. Most of the shattered pieces were subsequently retrieved and reassembled by him. Today, both the reconstituted stele and the original squeeze are housed in the Louvre Museum in Paris. A copy of the Mesha Stele is also on display at the Archaeological Museum located in the Citadel in Amman, Jordan.
The Mesha Stele’s inscription comprises 34 lines and approximately 260 words. The inscription dates back to around 860 B.C. and bears the name of Mesha. He tells how Chemosh, the god of Moab, had been angry with his people and had allowed them to be subjugated to the Kingdom of Israel, but at length, Chemosh returned and assisted Mesha to throw off the yoke of Israel and restore the lands of Moab. It also includes the Tetragrammaton Sacred name “YHUH” when the King brags that “I took from there the vessels of YHUH and brought them before Chemosh.”
The Tetragrammaton
In the intricate study of the Name of the Lord, the consonantal sequence Yud – He – Waw – He commands unparalleled attention due to its linguistic and existential depth. Often denoted as LORD or GOD in capitalized forms, this name is alternatively recognized as the Covenant name or the Tetragrammaton. This term is revered as both sacred and ineffable. To avoid uttering it directly, substitutions like “Adonai,” “HaShem,” “Yahweh,” or “Jevovah” are commonly employed.
The name YHUH pronounced YeHaUaH is the second person Ye’ (He) prefix and the word HaUaH (Becoming, proving to Be /Being). If spoken in the first person (with an Aleph first) Eh’ (I) this would be the Judicial affirmation: “I shall Prove to be”. .
Rooted in the etymon H-H, which translates to ‘Happening’ or ‘Occurrence.’ This complex assemblage further carries emotional tones of “Alas,” “Oh,” or “Woe.”
Israel was charged with the Prime Directive “Seek to the place which the LORD shall choose to place His name there”, and while taken to mean the Temple from the time of King Solomon, here we really have a direct connection to only one event in history: the crucifixion of “Jesus” (yet another Name of greatest significance!). Over His head was hung a great sign called a Titulus -a long black walnut placard with carved in letters filled with white gypsum, having three lines in Greek (top) Latin (amid) and Hebrew (beneath). The Latin is famous as INRI (IESVS NAZARENVS REX IVDAEORVM) and so also the Hebrew acronym works as YHUH (Yeshua’a Ha’netzri U’melech Ha’yehudim), a little known “secret” on the common crucifix!
