June 23, 2012—SnyderTalk Editorial: Yahweh Commanded Us to Declare His Name to the World

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Yahweh Commanded Us to Declare His Name to the World

In this book, as a rule I avoid criticizing any Bible translation.  Clearly, translating from one language to another is difficult since words may have multiple meanings and because colloquial expressions can change the natural meanings of words.  However, in this and in one other instance I’ll make an exception to my rule.

The New American Standard Bible translates Genesis 4: 26 in the following way:

“To Seth, to him also a son was born; and he called his name Enosh.  Then men began to call upon the Name of Yahweh.”[i]

The King James Version and the New International Version differ only slightly from the NAS translation.  However, The Septuagint Tanach (a version of the Tanach, or the Jewish Old Testament, that was translated from Hebrew to Greek in 285 B.C. by a team of 70 rabbis) and The New Jerusalem Bible tell us in Genesis 4: 26 that Enosh (not men as the NAS, KJV, and NIV suggest) was the first person in history “to invoke the Name of Yahweh.”[ii]

Below is a literal translation of the Hebrew in Genesis 4: 26:

“And to Seth also was born a son, and he called his name Enosh.  Then he (Enosh) began to call on the Name of Yahweh.”[iii]

The Hebrew word translated in this verse as “to call” is qara (kaw-raw’).  It means to call upon, to cry unto, or to proclaim.  Obviously, Yahweh had a reason for including this information in the Bible.  He wanted us to know who invoked His Name the first time and when he did it.

Clearly, this verse in Genesis challenges the Jewish tradition forbidding the use of God’s Name, and it should raise serious questions about the legitimacy of that tradition.  In spite of this, in The Stone Edition Tanach, The ArtScroll Series®, a highly regarded version of the Tanach, Rabbi Nosson Scherman translates Genesis 4: 26 in the following way:

“And as for Seth, to him also a son was born, and he named him Enosh.  Then to call in the Name of HASHEM (Yahweh) became profaned.”[iv]

Rabbi Scherman’s translation of Genesis 4: 26 contradicts most Bible translations on the market today, and it also disagrees with The Septuagint Tanach.  Moreover, his translation is internally inconsistent because the Psalms, the prophets, and the Torah that he translates make it perfectly clear that Yahweh commanded us to declare His Name to the world.

I bring this up to make a critical point.  It is dangerous and irresponsible to mistranslate God’s Word deliberately in an attempt to make it comply with our traditions.  If God’s Word contradicts our traditions, then we should abandon our traditions.  Yahweh will not give anyone permission to alter the plain meaning of His Word.

God forbids the misuse of His Name or the use of it in a deceitful or duplicitous manner.  In his translation of Genesis 4: 26, Rabbi Scherman has distorted the true meaning of God’s Word to make it comply with a Jewish tradition that contradicts His Word.  Jewish people need to know this, and Rabbi Scherman should correct his error.

I used strong words in criticizing Rabbi Scherman’s translation of Genesis 4: 26, and later you will see that I used strong words to criticize his translation of Proverbs 30: 4.  Thus, I felt compelled to let him read what I said about his work before publishing this book.  I telephoned him and asked him if he would read the sections of this book that are critical of his work, and he agreed.  I mailed him the manuscript for His Name is Yahweh and identified the sections he should read.  One week later, I received this response from him:

“My translation is based on Talmudic and Rabbinic sources going back hundreds—indeed, according to our faith—thousands of years.  Judaism rejects your contention that the recipients of the Torah doctored its meaning, which pre-dates the Common Era.”[v]

Rabbi Scherman did not challenge my interpretation of the Hebrew words used in Genesis 4: 26 and Proverbs 30: 4.  Instead, he defended his translation by referencing “Talmudic and Rabbinic sources” that interpret the Tanach differently.  Later, I will show that these non-Scriptural sources have been the source of much difficulty for the Jewish people.  The Talmud, the Mishnah, and other non-Scriptural sources present and discuss Judaic laws and traditions, many of which defy Yahweh’s written Word.

Jesus condemned the practice of relying on these “non-Scriptural sources” by saying that Jewish religious leaders had “invalidated the Word of God for the sake of tradition.”[vi]  In other words, the tradition I’m addressing in this book is the same problem Jesus confronted almost 2000 years ago.  It affects both Jews and Gentiles because Yahweh’s Name has been edited out of virtually every English Bible translation on the market today.

Although we must be respectful when saying or writing God’s Name, He commanded us to declare His Name to the world, and in the end, His Name is Yahweh.  For instance, Isaiah 12: 4 tells us to declare Yahweh’s Name and to make His acts known among people everywhere so that His Name will be exalted.  Declaring Yahweh’s Name means more than simply saying it.  Declaring His Name means to shout it out boldly so people everywhere can hear it and know that Yahweh is God.

The Bible is overflowing with instructions to declare Yahweh’s Name.  For example, it commands us to shout out His Name[vii] and to tell the world about His righteousness,[viii] His truth,[ix] His works,[x] His mighty acts,[xi] and His greatness.[xii]  It orders us to proclaim Yahweh’s Name when we assemble together,[xiii] to our children,[xiv] and to heathen peoples.[xv]  It directs us to call on His Name,[xvi] to seek His Name,[xvii] to fear His Name,[xviii] to confess His Name,[xix] to glorify His Name,[xx] to sing praises to His Name,[xxi] and to bless His Name.[xxii]

It is absolutely clear that Yahweh commanded us to cry out with a loud voice and say, “Yahweh is our God!  Look and see what He has done!”  God wants us to know Him and His Name and to declare His Name to the world, and it is impossible to reconcile the unambiguous commands in the Bible with Rabbi Scherman’s translation of Genesis 4: 26.

This is an excerpt from His Name is Yahweh.  It explains why the Name of God, Yahweh, is so important.  It’s a book that you need to read and share.  It’s available in eBook format and in paperback.

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[i] Genesis 4: 26.

[ii] Genesis 4: 26 from The New Jerusalem Bible.

[iii] Genesis 4: 26 in The Interlinear NIV Hebrew-English Old Testament by John Kohlenberger, III.  The parentheses are mine.

[iv] Genesis 4: 26 in The Stone Edition Tanach, The ArtScroll Series®, by Rabbi Nosson Scherman.  The parentheses are mine.

[v] This quote is taken from a letter Rabbi Scherman sent me that is dated May 8, 2003.

[vi] Matthew 15: 6.

[vii] Psalm 22: 31.

[viii] Psalm 22: 31.

[ix] Psalm 30: 9.

[x] Psalm 73: 28.

[xi] Psalm 145: 4.

[xii] Psalm 145: 6.

[xiii] Psalm 22: 22.

[xiv] Psalm 78: 6.

[xv] Psalm 96: 3.

[xvi] Psalm 80: 18.

[xvii] Psalm 83:16.

[xviii] Psalm 86: 11.

[xix] Isaiah 26: 13.

[xx] Psalm 86: 12.

[xxi] Psalm 92: 1.

[xxii] Psalm 96:2.

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Ezekiel 3: 12-15

Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard a great rumbling sound behind me, “Blessed be the glory of Yahweh in His place.”  And I heard the sound of the wings of the living beings touching one another and the sound of the wheels beside them, even a great rumbling sound.  So the Spirit lifted me up and took me away; and I went embittered in the rage of my spirit, and the hand of Yahweh was strong on me.  Then I came to the exiles who lived beside the river Chebar at Tel-abib, and I sat there seven days where they were living, causing consternation among them.

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His Name is Yahweh explains why the Name of God, Yahweh, is so important.  It’s available in eBook format and in paperback.

  • God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘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 [Yahweh] is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.” (Exodus 3: 15)
  • “Therefore behold, I am going to make them know—this time I will make them know My power and My might; and they shall know that My name is Yahweh.” (Jeremiah 16: 21)
  • “Behold, the days are coming,” declares Yahweh, “when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; and He will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land.  In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely; and this is His name by which He will be called, ‘Yahweh our righteousness.’” (Jeremiah 23: 5-6)

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Hosea 4: 6

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.

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