The following is an explanation of the four-person Godhead as it relates to translating God's name into English to replace “Jehovah” in the ASV for books in the Lighten the Earth series.
The name of God in Hebrew is “YHWH,” (Strong’s #3068) a four-syllable word with no vowels that no one has known how to pronounce for centuries. Other translations often render it as “LORD” in small caps, following Jewish tradition. Historically, the name was deemed too sacred to utter aloud, resulting in loss of the pronunciation.
Perhaps the practice has endured in our times since “LORD” is easier and more familiar than YHWH transliterations. This is acceptable and reminiscent of the original word through the four capital letters. But I like how ASV scholars reasoned that there’s no scriptural basis to avoid saying the term and that we should have a pronounceable word for it.
Of the available transliterations, the closest to biblical usage may be to add a vowel after the initial letters of YHWH, which makes it YaHuWaH, “Yahuwah,” or simply “YaHu” for short. The phonetic “Who” of “YaHu” matches a recurring phonetic theme with God’s name. However, I wasn’t fully satisfied with these words. Since the Bible’s message is for all people, I felt there should be a simple and meaningful English term.
My search led me to the work of Mark Sameth (Wikipedia: “Names of God in Judaism”), who concludes that “YHWH” may have been said backwards as “Hu-Hi,” (“Who-Hi”) a phonetic match to the Hebrew words He/She (Strong’s #1931). This made sense because many things in the Bible and nature indicate the Godhead is composed of both male and female individuals. For example, Creation verses emphasize how God’s likeness is reflected in the male and female aspects of humanity:
And God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…” 27 And God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:26-27
The term “God” here is Elohim, Strong’s #430, the plural form of “El,” suggesting multiple beings. The statement about man being made in God’s image, as male and female, thus implies the Godhead consists of both male and female beings.
The masculine elements of God’s character are widely recognized, but many have not considered that there could be a feminine element of God. There is evidence of a divine female entity in the Bible’s maternal analogies and in original language clues. The word often used to describe the Spirit of God is a feminine noun. The word is “ruach,” pronounced “roo’-akh,” which means spirit, breath, or wind.
It’s sometimes used for masculine terms when given a masculine modifier, but the modifiers are often feminine when referring to the Holy Spirit. This feminine Spirit is also described in passages such as this one in Isaiah 66 that compares our relationship with God to that of a child with its Mother:
You will be borne upon her side and… dandled upon her knees. 13 As one whom his Mother comforts, so will I comfort you… Isaiah 66:12b, 13
Men can provide comfort and contribute to childcare, but women are uniquely good at it. Comfort and nourishment are key functions of motherhood, and we see these themes reflected in biblical descriptions of the Holy Spirit’s ministry to humanity. Many other biblical analogies and verses depict the divine feminine Spirit as well:
Wisdom cries aloud in the street; she utters her voice in the broad places. Proverbs 1:20
I have held my peace a long time, I have been still and refrained myself. Now I will cry out like a travailing woman, I will gasp and pant together. Isaiah 42:14
Wisdom is justified by her children. Matthew 11:19b
Beloved, let us love one another. For love is of God, and everyone that loves is born of God and knows God. 1 John 4:7
The human family reflects from the divine family, Elohim. Rather than challenging traditional roles, these insights confirm them by affirming their reflection of God’s image. The Father administers the universe from Heaven (Matthew 5:16, 6:1, 6:9), a bit more distant from the earth. The Holy Spirit is depicted as ministering on Earth, in direct contact with her children. The Father and Son share similar attributes, so their descriptions sometimes overlap.
At Jesus’ baptism, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were manifested by the waters, as in the beginning (Genesis 1:1-5). Imagine him, dripping wet and praying on the riverbank when a shaft of light illuminates his countenance as the form of a dove descends on him, and the Father speaks from Heaven:
The Holy Spirit descended in a bodily form, as a dove, upon him, and a voice came out of Heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” Luke 3:22
We shouldn’t make the mistake of thinking the Godhead is limited to comparison with the human family, however. The depiction of Christ as the Son is merely a reference to his position. God states things in our terms to help us understand them better, but that doesn’t mean he’s bound by the limits of our language. The word translated “begotten,” used of Jesus in verses such as John 3:16, also means unique or one of a kind. There are many biblical indicators that Jesus had no beginning and has existed throughout eternity (John 8:58, Hebrews 7:3, Isaiah 9:6, Colossians 1:17, Revelation 1:17, Revelation 1:8). To suggest he’s not eternal is a serious mistake that removes Christ’s divinity and nullifies his power to save.
Understanding God’s likeness provides us with a clearer concept of the divine entities involved in Creation as we prepare to study the Bible in relation to nature. It provides a concept of the Source of the oceans and reveals why they are rich in symbolism. Consider how Genesis 1:2 describes the divine Ruach hovering over the waters, like a brooding Mother hen, when the earth was pregnant with possibilities:
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty, darkness was upon the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God was brooding over the waters. Genesis 1:1-2
The nature of these entities is why we see masculine and feminine characteristics throughout the world. Together, they are powerfully productive, so it makes sense that they would arise from the Godhead. The following verse mirrors the concept:
Has the rain a father? Who has begotten the drops of dew? 29 Out of whose womb came the ice? And the hoary frost of heaven, who gave birth to it? Job 38:28-29
The essences of masculinity and femininity are intertwined, they must be compared with each other to be understood. This is why connecting our souls to God is so grounding. Since he’s the ultimate pattern, it creates a sense of being and purpose that begins to restore the divine image within us, by his power (2 Corinthians 3:18).
These are among the reasons I chose to keep the original word in its Hebrew right-to-left spelling, to make it easier to pronounce as “Who-Hi.” And, just as in Hebrew, it produces phonetic English words. We can’t help but recognize God’s foresight in knowing how universally recognizable basic English words would be. God has a message prepared for our times as part of his unfolding plan.
The “Who” of HWHY prompts you to ponder who God is. When reading passages with repeated use of HWHY, “Who” can be used as a simplified alternative when the context matches. Many verses in Psalms start with “Who” in speaking of God, like in Psalm 135:7 where it says, “Who makes lightnings for the rain.” This abbreviated name matches how God often packs volumes of significance into tiny packages. For example, “Who” is the sound owls make, connecting it with wisdom.
The forest speaks God’s name in quiet echoes.
“HY” can be pronounced like the English words “Hi” or “He.” Both pronunciations are rich in significance. In Hebrew it’s said like “He.” With that pronunciation, HWHY sounds like “Who He,” which implies a hidden “is.” Since “is” links to God’s name, “I AM” (Exodus 3:14, John 8:58), it’s fitting to include. HWHY may also derive from the Hebrew word for “I AM” in Exodus 3:14 (“hayah” Strong’s #1961). Placing “is” within it forms the question, “Who is He?” mirroring the question Inigo asked Wesley, “Who are you?”
Removing the spaces, “Whoishe,” forms the question “Who is She?” These questions invite us to the scriptures to discover who God is. These connections between English and Hebrew phonetic meanings confirm the reversed pronunciation of YHWH (“YaHu”), with its interpretation as signifying “He/She.” Thus, you could also say “He/She” when reading HWHY, in keeping with its implied meaning.
The pronunciation of “HY” as “Hi,” a friendly expression, reveals God’s smiling, benevolent nature. God is like a Father who loves to belly laugh and give bear hugs, and a Mother who is wise and loving. “Hi” also sounds like “High,” pointing to Heaven as God’s throne and the capital of his government. It’s a designation of territory, stating where he lives. “Who High” is a description implying, “Who is High.” But when modifying an entity, “Who” usually requires “He” or “the One” before it, such as “He Who is High” or “The One Who is High.”
Several biblical passages describe God as “One,” like Deuteronomy 6:4, which states “HWHY is One,” and James 2:19, which says “God is One.…” God’s oneness is comparable to the unity found within marriage (Genesis 2:24) or in a family (John 10:30). Though many verses affirm the existence of more than one individual in the Godhead (Matthew 28:19, 2 Corinthians 13:14), they are unified in purpose. Thus, when reading HWHY in verses, you could use this as a title to represent God. For example: “I cry unto the One Who is High with my voice, and he answers me out of his holy hill,” Psalm 3:4.
What we’re seeing is how HWHY functions as God’s signature seal, like a king’s stamp or seal matrix. It contains his proper Hebrew name (HWHY), title (The One Who is High), and territory (High/Heaven). This is why symbolisms emerge from YHWH when the word is reversed, as seal matrices mirror the imprints they leave. The principles of God’s law of love, representing his character, are part of this matrix (Romans 13:8-10). Like the stone cylinder seals of Mesopotamia, God wants to imprint his likeness on our souls through the Holy Spirit’s influence (Hebrews 10:16).
This involves beholding Christ, as studying the ancient and modern Hebrew letters of “HWHY” reveals. These four letters are known as the tetragrammaton. The modern Hebrew letter “H” symbolizes “behold” and looks something like a window:
יהוה
The ancient and modern pictographs (below the text on this page) of the “W” looks something like the nail shape it symbolizes. And the “Y” appears to have a hand on an arm and means “hand.” Thus, “HWHY” can be understood to read, “Behold the nail, behold the hand.”
This word order, that forms an English sentence, confirms the backward pronunciation of YHWH. God’s name spells the cry of his heart to his doubting children, as voiced by Jesus:
Behold my hands… put your hand into my side: and be not faithless but believing. John 20:27
But there’s another recurring theme hidden in this name, which is the “Four.” What few realize is that the four letters of God’s name correspond to four individuals. Because male and female are opposing concepts that give rise to creation, it requires teams of two. It wouldn’t make sense to think of Elohim as composed of only three if they are male and female Creators. This is an important understanding for symbolisms we’ll be covering.
The persons of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the Godhead are clearly identified in scripture as separate divine members of the Godhead. All of them are portrayed as speaking and having emotions in different verses, so these are not just floating “energies” of some kind. While it’s not inaccurate or wrong to identify God as three separate persons, we should also note that nothing in the Bible says the Godhead has only three persons.
Some people have reservations about accepting the idea that God could be male and female because pagan cultures have represented their gods this way. And while it’s right to be cautious not to receive every wind of doctrine, when careful and unbiased scriptural research supports a viewpoint, we know it can be accepted. And, as I will be showing, the four-person Godhead is firmly supportable in scripture. It can also be demonstrated that this fact has been purposefully hidden by the wisdom of Providence.
Regarding pagan deities, we should consider that Satan lived in Heaven and knows about the nature of God. So, if he depicts deities as male and female, this could be a counterfeit of truth. Almost all of Satan’s work is done by counterfeiting things that are true on some level. He does this to provide cheap substitutes for truths that resonate in our hearts, to try to distract us from seeking the full story.
The Holy Spirit has been seen as female by many, but who could the fourth person be? Since God, the Father, and Jesus the Son are males, the individual would have to be female, a divine counterpart of Jesus. Though Mary is seen by some as a fourth member of the Godhead, there’s no biblical support for this idea. She was an ordinary human in every way, having no existence before birth, and is now resting in the grave until Jesus returns (1 Corinthians 15:52-53). And, being his mother, she could not be his partner, a wifely role.
Claims of a romantic relationship between Jesus and Mary Magdalene are also false. The symbolisms in Jesus’ parables and words, such as Matthew 24:44, resemble a Jewish betrothal, implying he wouldn’t marry until after he lived in Heaven. In the courtroom before his death, he said he had spoken nothing in secret (John 18:20), which would include marriage vows or secret relationships. As far as him having children, biblical portrayals are all symbolic, illustrating spiritual rebirth (John 3:3).
As Revelation of Christ is unsealing and the mystery of God is finishing, the more we look the more evidence we find confirming our new understanding of who God is. It's so beautifully simple, and makes so much sense to think that the Godhead is more like the human family than we ever thought!
But for those who still have doubts or questions for God, his sympathy is evident in how uttering his name in one breath, “HWHY,” poses the question, “Why?” Here, he directs us to himself and to the scriptures for all unanswered questions. The tetragrammaton is the most mysterious and meaningful Hebrew word, packed with insights from its early pictographs to its modern usage. I love that we can use it in its transliterated form with English phonetic meanings…
…and what that says about God.
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