Who Is Yahweh?

The question “Who is Yahweh?” reaches to the very center of Scripture, because it asks about the identity of the one true and living God. In the pages of the Bible, God reveals Himself not as an impersonal force or a distant Creator, but as a personal, eternal, self-existent God who enters into covenant relationship with humanity. The name Yahweh, YHWH (יהוה)—also rendered as Jehovah in some English translations—is God’s sacred, personal name, unlike any other in human language. It is the name by which He chooses to be known, and through which He reveals His nature, His character, and His saving purpose. Yahweh is not merely “a god,” nor simply “the supreme deity of Israel.

”Yahweh is God Himself—the Creator of all things, the sustainer of life, the Judge of all the earth, and the Savior of mankind.

To understand who Yahweh is, we must allow Scripture to speak for itself, because only God can define Himself. Humanity does not shape God; God reveals Himself.

The significance of the name Yahweh begins in Exodus, when Moses encounters God in the burning bush. When Moses asks for God’s name, God answers with words that transcend human categories: “I AM WHO I AM.” (Exodus 3:14) Then He adds,

“Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” (Exodus 3:14)

This is not merely a title—it is a revelation of God’s nature. “I AM” comes from the Hebrew verb hayah, meaning “to be.” In other words, God is declaring: I exist by Myself. I depend on no one. I have no beginning and no end. I am unchangeable and eternal. Immediately after this declaration, God connects “I AM” to His personal name when He says,

“This is My name forever.” (Exodus 3:15)

This name appears in Hebrew as the four consonants YHWH—the Tetragrammaton. Because ancient Hebrew was written without vowels, later readers vocalized it as “Yahweh,” while earlier English translators rendered it “Jehovah.” Whenever you see “LORD” in all capital letters in the Old Testament, it represents this sacred name.

The name Yahweh is not treated as ordinary speech. It is holy, majestic, and fearful. Scripture repeatedly declares:

“Holy and awesome is His name.” (Psalm 111:9)

“O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth!” (Psalm 8:1)

God’s Third Commandment warns,

“You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.” (Exodus 20:7)

Because of the weight and holiness of Yahweh’s name, the covenant people of Israel refused to pronounce it casually. Out of fear of misusing it, they chose instead to say Adonai (“Lord”) or HaShem (“The Name”). In later Jewish practice, only the high priest would speak the name Yahweh aloud—and only once a year, inside the Holy of Holies, on the Day of Atonement. Their deep reverence reflects a profound truth: the name of Yahweh is sacred because Yahweh Himself is infinitely holy.

Another important biblical word describing God is Elohim (אֱלֹהִים), the Hebrew word for “God” or “Mighty One.” Unlike Yahweh, this is not a personal name but a title—a declaration of who God is in His divine nature, especially as Creator. The Bible opens with this statement:

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1)

Throughout Scripture, Yahweh and Elohim refer to the same God. The Bible repeatedly equates the two, as when it says,

“But the LORD is the true God.” (Jeremiah 10:10)

In Hebrew this reads, “Yahweh is the true Elohim.” When Elijah confronted the prophets of Baal, the people cried out in conviction,

“The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!” (1 Kings 18:39)

Literally, they shouted, “Yahweh, He is Elohim!” Together these terms reveal a complete picture: Yahweh is God’s personal covenant name, and Elohim is His divine title.

Yahweh is the true Elohim, and the true Elohim is Yahweh.

Some assume Yahweh refers only to God the Father. But the Old and New Testaments together reveal a deeper truth: the name Yahweh belongs to the fullness of the Godhead—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Father is called Yahweh, as seen when Hebrews applies a Psalm addressed to Yahweh directly to Him:

“You, LORD, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth.” (Hebrews 1:10)

The Son, Jesus Christ, is also identified with Yahweh, as the New Testament consistently applies Yahweh passages to Him. Isaiah 40:3 says, “Prepare the way of the LORD,” and Matthew applies this to Jesus, “Prepare the way of the Lord.” (Matthew 3:3)

The prophecy, “Whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved,” (Joel 2:32) is used of Jesus in “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13)

Most clearly, Jesus uses the divine name for Himself when He says,

“Before Abraham was, I AM.” (John 8:58)

Those who heard Him understood exactly what He claimed, which is why they picked up stones to kill Him for blasphemy. Jesus was not merely claiming to be old—He was claiming to be Yahweh, the eternal “I AM.” The Holy Spirit is also identified with Yahweh. In Isaiah 6, Yahweh speaks and commissions the prophet, but when Paul quotes this passage in Acts, he says,

“The Holy Spirit spoke rightly through Isaiah the prophet.” (Acts 28:25)

The Holy Spirit is therefore the One speaking the words Isaiah attributes to Yahweh. Scripture reveals that the Father is Yahweh, the Son is Yahweh, and the Spirit is Yahweh, yet the Father is not the Son, and the Son is not the Spirit. The divine name belongs to the one true God in three Persons.

Yahweh is the God who created all things, sustains all things, judges all things, and saves all who come to Him. He is eternal, as Scripture says,

“From everlasting to everlasting, You are God.” (Psalm 90:2)

He is all-powerful, as Job confessed,

“I know that You can do everything.” (Job 42:2)

He is righteous and just,

“For the LORD is a God of justice,” (Isaiah 30:18)

and He is merciful and gracious,

“The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth.” (Exodus 34:6)

The name Yahweh therefore is not merely a designation but a declaration of God’s eternal character, holiness, and glory.