יהוה
LORD
‘LORD’ is one of 2 main senses fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Noun
- A naming word — a person, place, thing, or idea.
Noun type
- Proper
- A name of a specific person, place, or people (e.g. Abraham, Zion, Israel).
Page 2 of 2 — showing verses 201–239 of 239 distinct verses where H3068 appears in the Book of 1 Samuel. Click any verse to open its interlinear word-by-word view. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context — . Each verse’s Hebrew form is shown with its reference; the English is not keyword-highlighted, since the data carries no word-level English alignment. Use “Compare translations” on any verse to read it across multiple English versions. This concordance covers the Hebrew Bible; Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) occurrences are not indexed here.
1 Samuel
- 1 Samuel 23:18 יְהוָ֑ה n Proper They two made a covenant before Yahweh: and David abode in the wood, and Jonathan went to his house.
- 1 Samuel 23:21 לַֽ/יהוָ֑ה prep + n Proper Saul said, Blessed be you of Yahweh; for you have had compassion on me.
- 1 Samuel 24:4 יְהוָ֣ה n Proper The men of David said to him, Behold, the day of which Yahweh said to you, Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you. Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul's robe secretly.
- 1 Samuel 24:6 מֵֽ/יהוָ֗ה יְהוָ֔ה יְהוָ֖ה prep + n Proper n Proper n Proper He said to his men, Yahweh forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, Yahweh's anointed, to put forth my hand against him, seeing he is Yahweh's anointed.
- 1 Samuel 24:10 יְהוָ֨ה יְהוָ֖ה n Proper n Proper Behold, this day your eyes have seen how that Yahweh had delivered you today into my hand in the cave: and some bade me kill you; but [my eye] spared you; and I said, I will not put forth my hand against my lord; for he is Yahweh's anointed.
- 1 Samuel 24:12 יְהוָה֙ יְהוָ֖ה n Proper n Proper Yahweh judge between me and you, and Yahweh avenge me of you; but my hand shall not be on you.
- 1 Samuel 24:15 יְהוָה֙ n Proper Yahweh therefore be judge, and give sentence between me and you, and see, and plead my cause, and deliver me out of your hand.
- 1 Samuel 24:18 יְהוָ֛ה n Proper You have declared this day how that you have dealt well with me, because when Yahweh had delivered me up into your hand, you didn't kill me.
- 1 Samuel 24:19 וַֽ/יהוָה֙ conj + n Proper For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him go away unharmed? Therefore may Yahweh reward you good for that which you have done to me this day.
- 1 Samuel 24:21 בַּֽ/יהוָ֔ה prep + n Proper Swear now therefore to me by Yahweh, that you will not cut off my seed after me, and that you will not destroy my name out of my father's house.
- 1 Samuel 25:26 יְהוָ֤ה יְהוָה֙ n Proper n Proper Now therefore, my lord, as Yahweh lives, and as your soul lives, seeing Yahweh has withheld you from blood guiltiness, and from avenging yourself with your own hand, now therefore let your enemies, and those who seek evil to my lord, be as Nabal.
- 1 Samuel 25:28 יְהוָ֨ה יְהוָה֙ n Proper n Proper Please forgive the trespass of your handmaid: for Yahweh will certainly make my lord a sure house, because my lord fights the battles of Yahweh; and evil shall not be found in you all your days.
- 1 Samuel 25:29 יְהוָ֣ה n Proper Though men be risen up to pursue you, and to seek your soul, yet the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with Yahweh your God; and the souls of your enemies, them shall he sling out, as from the hollow of a sling.
- 1 Samuel 25:30 יְהוָה֙ n Proper It shall come to pass, when Yahweh shall have done to my lord according to all the good that he has spoken concerning you, and shall have appointed you prince over Israel,
- 1 Samuel 25:31 יְהוָה֙ n Proper that this shall be no grief to you, nor offense of heart to my lord, either that you have shed blood without cause, or that my lord has avenged himself. When Yahweh shall have dealt well with my lord, then remember your handmaid.
- 1 Samuel 25:32 יְהוָה֙ n Proper David said to Abigail, Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me:
- 1 Samuel 25:34 יְהוָה֙ n Proper For in very deed, as Yahweh, the God of Israel, lives, who has withheld me from hurting you, except you had hurried and come to meet me, surely there wouldn't have been left to Nabal by the morning light so much as one man-child.
- 1 Samuel 25:38 יְהוָ֛ה n Proper It happened about ten days after, that Yahweh struck Nabal, so that he died.
- 1 Samuel 25:39 יְהוָ֡ה יְהוָ֖ה n Proper n Proper When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, Blessed be Yahweh, who has pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and has kept back his servant from evil: and the evil-doing of Nabal has Yahweh returned on his own head. David sent and spoke concerning Abigail, to take her to him as wife.
- 1 Samuel 26:9 יְהוָ֖ה n Proper David said to Abishai, Don't destroy him; for who can put forth his hand against Yahweh's anointed, and be guiltless?
- 1 Samuel 26:10 יְהוָ֔ה יְהוָ֖ה n Proper n Proper David said, As Yahweh lives, Yahweh will strike him; or his day shall come to die; or he shall go down into battle and perish.
- 1 Samuel 26:11 מֵֽ/יהוָ֔ה יְהוָ֑ה prep + n Proper n Proper Yahweh forbid that I should put forth my hand against Yahweh's anointed: but now please take the spear that is at his head, and the jar of water, and let us go.
- 1 Samuel 26:12 יְהוָ֔ה n Proper So David took the spear and the jar of water from Saul's head; and they got them away: and no man saw it, nor knew it, neither did any awake; for they were all asleep, because a deep sleep from Yahweh was fallen on them.
- 1 Samuel 26:16 יְהוָ֗ה יְהוָ֑ה n Proper n Proper This thing isn't good that you have done. As Yahweh lives, you are worthy to die, because you have not kept watch over your lord, Yahweh's anointed. Now see where the king's spear is, and the jar of water that was at his head.
- 1 Samuel 26:19 יְהוָ֞ה יְהוָ֔ה יְהוָה֙ n Proper n Proper n Proper Now therefore, please let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If it be Yahweh that has stirred you up against me, let him accept an offering: but if it be the children of men, cursed be they before Yahweh: for they have driven me out this day that I shouldn't cling to Yahweh's inheritance, saying, Go, serve other gods.
- 1 Samuel 26:20 יְהוָ֑ה n Proper Now therefore, don't let my blood fall to the earth away from the presence of Yahweh: for the king of Israel is come out to seek a flea, as when one does hunt a partridge in the mountains.
- 1 Samuel 26:23 וַֽ/יהוָה֙ יְהוָ֤ה יְהוָֽה conj + n Proper n Proper n Proper Yahweh will render to every man his righteousness and his faithfulness; because Yahweh delivered you into my hand today, and I wouldn't put forth my hand against Yahweh's anointed.
- 1 Samuel 26:24 יְהוָ֔ה n Proper Behold, as your life was much set by this day in my eyes, so let my life be much set by in the eyes of Yahweh, and let him deliver me out of all oppression.
- 1 Samuel 28:6 בַּֽ/יהוָ֔ה יְהוָ֑ה prep + n Proper n Proper When Saul inquired of Yahweh, Yahweh didn't answer him, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets.
- 1 Samuel 28:10 בַּֽ/יהוָ֖ה יְהוָ֕ה prep + n Proper n Proper Saul swore to her by Yahweh, saying, As Yahweh lives, there shall no punishment happen to you for this thing.
- 1 Samuel 28:16 וַ/יהוָ֛ה conj + n Proper Samuel said, Why then do you ask of me, seeing Yahweh is departed from you, and is become your adversary?
- 1 Samuel 28:17 יְהוָה֙ יְהוָ֤ה n Proper n Proper Yahweh has done to you, as he spoke by me: and Yahweh has torn the kingdom out of your hand, and given it to your neighbor, even to David.
- 1 Samuel 28:18 יְהוָ֔ה יְהוָ֖ה n Proper n Proper Because you didn't obey the voice of Yahweh, and didn't execute his fierce wrath on Amalek, therefore has Yahweh done this thing to you this day.
- 1 Samuel 28:19 יְ֠הוָה יְהוָ֖ה n Proper n Proper Moreover Yahweh will deliver Israel also with you into the hand of the Philistines; and tomorrow shall you and your sons be with me: Yahweh will deliver the host of Israel also into the hand of the Philistines.
- 1 Samuel 29:6 יְהוָ֞ה n Proper Then Achish called David, and said to him, As Yahweh lives, you have been upright, and your going out and your coming in with me in the host is good in my sight; for I have not found evil in you since the day of your coming to me to this day: nevertheless the lords don't favor you.
- 1 Samuel 30:6 בַּ/יהוָ֖ה prep + n Proper David was greatly distressed; for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David strengthened himself in Yahweh his God.
- 1 Samuel 30:8 בַּֽ/יהוָה֙ prep + n Proper David inquired of Yahweh, saying, If I pursue after this troop, shall I overtake them? He answered him, Pursue; for you shall surely overtake [them], and shall without fail recover [all].
- 1 Samuel 30:23 יְהוָ֥ה n Proper Then said David, You shall not do so, my brothers, with that which Yahweh has given to us, who has preserved us, and delivered the troop that came against us into our hand.
- 1 Samuel 30:26 יְהוָֽה n Proper When David came to Ziklag, he sent of the spoil to the elders of Judah, even to his friends, saying, Behold, a present for you of the spoil of the enemies of Yahweh:
About this entry
At a glance — auto-summarized from this page’s data, not written by a person. Every figure links to its source below. This summary describes the numbers; it doesn’t interpret them.
יהוה (Yᵉhôvâh) is a Hebrew name most often rendered “LORD.” Scripture first uses it in Genesis 2:4. Spanning 5,518 verses in 36 books, it ranks among the most common words of the Hebrew Bible. The sections below give every occurrence and version rendering.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H3068 catalogs a Hebrew word from the Hebrew Old Testament.
These counts are not copied from any lexicon or concordance. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged Hebrew Old Testament. What Lemma adds →
- 5,518
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 5,518 distinct verses.
- 36 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 36 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #2
- by frequency
- Top 10 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 2 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 5,518 occurrences in the concordance →
Most concentrated in
- Psalms 624 verses 11%
- Jeremiah 614 verses 11%
- Deuteronomy 438 verses 8%
By section of the Old Testament
By traditional corpus
Conventional, traditional groupings — biblical authorship is debated, so this is a traditional corpus grouping, not an authorship claim. Each share is this word’s portion of its verses in that division of the Hebrew canon. Each figure is a share of the word’s 5,518 distinct verses.
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 2,686 verses · 49%
- Torah (Pentateuch) 1,550 verses · 28%
- Writings (Ketuvim) 1,282 verses · 23%
How translations render this word
Counts come from each version’s own published word-to-Strong’s tagging or interlinear alignment — an approximate guide to how each version renders this word, not a word-level alignment the data otherwise carries. Because each total is that version’s own tagged count, the per-version totals vary from one another and need not match the appearance or distinct-verse counts above. These counts may also differ from a printed concordance because Lemma counts each distinctly tagged rendering and does not collapse phrase taggings into a single head-word total. This is a fixed set of word-tagged versions (KJV, ASV, BSB, ULT) and does not change with the reading translation you choose elsewhere. Each version’s license is shown beside its name below (and on Sources).
BDB lists this Strong’s number as 2 distinct words (homographs). Each count above pools all of them and is not split by sense — see the Senses section below. A low-frequency rendering may belong to a different one of those words, not the primary meaning.
- King James Version†: Lord 5,517×, I am the lord 145×, Lord's 73×
- American Standard Version†: Jehovah 5,068×, Saith jehovah 131×, I am jehovah 115×
- Berean Standard Bible†: Lord 5,806×, Am the lord 156×, Lord’s 110×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text†: Yahweh 5,807×, Yahweh of 117×, Am yahweh 82×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H3068 across 6,518† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 231 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 1 further occurrence.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H3068 across 6,514† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 398 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
Renders H3068 across 6,460† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 49 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 62 further occurrences.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H3068 across 6,226† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 35 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
17 senses and sub-senses in the full BDB
What do BDB’s symbols mean?
BDB uses these scholarly abbreviations:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 𝔊 | the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation, LXX) |
| 𝔙 | the Vulgate (the Latin translation) |
| 𝔖 | the Syriac version (the Peshitta) |
| 𝔗 | the Targum (the Aramaic translation) |
| ψ | the Psalms |
| √ | root (the underlying root or stem) |
| ‖ | parallel passage (a synonymous or contrasted parallel) |
| † | the dagger: every passage where the word occurs is cited |
The 17 senses and sub-senses the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon distinguishes for this word, in lexicon order (not ranked by frequency), with BDB’s own verbatim wording and sub-sense lettering. Shown in Hebrew script with BDB’s own scholarly abbreviations. The condensed entry is in the Lexicon Entry tab. See also the Forms in the corpus table below.
יהוה I 6823 i.e. יַהְוֶה n.pr.dei Yahweh, the proper name of the God of Israel
- I. יהוה is not used by E in Gn, but is given Ex 3:12–15 as the name of the God who revealed Himself to Moses at Horeb, and is explained thus: אֶהְיֶה עִמָּ֑ךְ I shall be with thee (v 12), which is then implied in אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה I shall be the one who will be it v 14a (i.e. with thee v 12) and then compressed into אֶהְיֶה v 14b (i.e. with thee v 12), which then is given in the nominal form יהוה He who will be it v 15 (i.e. with thee v 12). Cf. EwBTh ii. 337, 338 RSl. c., Proph. 385 ff. Other interpretations are: I am he who I am, i.e. it is no concern of yours (Le Clerc LagPsalt. Hieron. 156); I am, (this is my name), inasmuch as I am (אֲשֶׁר = כִּי; AE JDMich WeJD Th xxi, 540 = Comp. Hex. 72); Di al. I am who I am, he who is essentially unnameable, inexplicable.—E uses יהוה sparingly by the side of אלהים and האלהים in his subsequent narrative. The Ephraimitic writers in Ju S K use it in similar proportions. P abstains from the use of יהוה until he gives an account of its revelation to Moses Ex 6:3; but subsequently uses it freely. He gives no explanation of its meaning. He represents that אֵל שַׁדַּי was the God of the patriarchs. J uses יהוה from the beginning of his narrative, possibly explaining it, Gn 21:33 by אל עולם, the evergreen tamarisk being a symbol of the ever-living God; cf. De Gn 21:33. Elsewhere יהוה is the common divine name in pre-exilic writers, but in post-exilic writers gradually falls into disuse, and is supplanted by אלהים and אדני. In Job it is used 31 times in prose parts, and 12:9 (a proverb); not elsewhere in the poem. Chr apart from his sources prefers אלהים and האלהים. Dn uses יהוה only in chap. 9 (7 times); Ec not at all. In the Elohistic group of ψ 42–83 it is used 39 times (see אלהים). It occurs as the name of Israel’s God MI 18. It is doubtful whether it was used by other branches of the Shemitic family, cf. COT Gn 2:4b DlPa 158 ff. DrStud. Bib. i. 7 ff. e.g. Exodus 3:12
- II.
- 1. יהוה is used with אלהים with or without suffs., especially in D;
- a. with אֱלֹהֶיךָ in the Ten Words Ex 20:2–12 (5 times) = Dt 5:6–16; in the law of worship of JE, Ex 23:19; 34:24, 26; in D 234 times; Jos 1:9, 17; 9:9, 24 (D2); elsewhere Gn 27:20 Ex 15:26 (JE), Ju 6:26; S & K 20 times 1 Ch 11:2; 22:11, 12 2 Ch 9:8(×2); 16:7; Is 7:11; 37:4(×2); 41:13; 43:3; 51:15; 55:5; Je 40:2 + (3 times) Ho 12:10; 13:4; 14:2; Am 9:15; ψ 81:11. e.g. Exodus 20:12
- b. with אֱלֹהֵיכֶם in D 46 times; D2 28 times; H 15 times; P 15 times; elsewhere Ex 23:25 (E); 8:24; 10:8, 16, 17 (JE); Ju 6:10; 1 S 12:12, 14; 2 K 17:39; 23:21; 1 Ch 22:18 + (10 times Chr) ψ 76:12; Je 13:16; + (5 times) Ez 20:5, 7, 19, 20; Jo 2:13 + (6 times) Zc 6:15. e.g. Exodus 23:25
- c. with אֱלֹהֵינוּ in D 23 times; in D2 5 times; Ex 8:6 (JE) Ex 3:18; 5:3; 8:22, 23; 10:25, 26 (E) Ju 11:24; 1 S 7:8; 1 K 8:57, 59, 61, 65 2 K 18:22; 19:19 = Is 36:7; 37:20, 1 Ch 13:2 + (15 times Chr) Mi 4:5; 7:17; Is 26:13; Je 3:22 + (17 times) ψ 20:8; 90:17 (?; Baer אֲדֹנָי) 94:23; 99:5, 8, 9(×2); 105:7; 106:47; 113:5; 122:9; 123:2 Dn 9:10, 13, 14. e.g. Exodus 8:6
- d. c. אֱלֹהֵיהֶם Ex 10:7 (J) Ex 29:46(×2) Lv 26:44 (P) Ju 3:7; 8:34; 1 S 12:9; 1 K 9:9; 2 K 17:7, 9, 14, 16, 19; 18:12 2 Ch 31:6; 33:17; 34:33; Ne 9:3(×2), 4; Je 3:21; 22:9; 30:9; 43:1(×2) 50:4; Ez 28:26; 34:30; 39:22, 28 Ho 1:7; 3:5; 7:10; Zp 2:7; Hag 1:12(×2) Zc 9:16; 10:6. e.g. Exodus 10:7
- e. with אֱלֹהָיו Nu 23:21 (E) Ex 32:11 (J) Lv 4:22 (P) Dt 17:19; 18:7; 1 S 30:6; 1 K 5:17; 11:4; 15:3, 4; 2 K 5:11; 16:2; 2 Ch 1:1; + 13 times Chr; Mi 5:3; Je 7:28; ψ 33:12; 144:15; 146:5; Jon 2:2. e.g. Numbers 23:21
- f. with אֱלֹהַי Nu 22:18 (JE) Dt 4:5; 18:16; 26:14; Jos 14:8, 9; 2 S 24:24; 1 K 3:7; 5:18, 19; 8:28; 17:20, 21; 1 Ch 21:17; 22:7; 2 Ch 2:3; 6:19; Ezr 7:28; 9:5; ψ 7:2, 4; 13:4; 18:29; 30:3, 13; 35:24; 40:6; 104:1; 109:26; Is 25:1; Je 31:18; Dn 9:4, 20; Jon 2:7; Hab 1:12; Zc 11:4; 13:9; 14:5. e.g. Numbers 22:18
- g. with אֱלֹהַיִךְ Is 60:9 Je 2:17, 19; 3:13; Mi 7:10; Zp 3:17. e.g. Isaiah 60:9
- h. with אלהים, probably always due to later editors, or to a Qr which has crept into the text Gn 2:4b—3:23 (J, 20 times either אלהים inserted by RP as Di De; or יהוה inserted by J in an older source); Ex 9:30 (J, but not in 𝔊 Sam.; Sam. אדני יהוה; possibly MT from earlier Qr, & Sam. from later Qr); 2 S 7:22, 25 (𝔊 אדני יהוה and 1 Ch 17:20–23 only יהוה); 1 Ch 17:16, 17 (but 2 S 7:18, 19 אדני יהוה) 1 Ch 28:20; 29:1; 2 Ch 1:9; 6:41(×2), 42; 26:18 (but in the original ψ 132:8 stood יהוה (so ℌ), or else no divine name); ψ 72:18 (the late doxology) 84:12 (but it makes the line too long); Jon 4:6. For the combinations with other divine names see those names. e.g. Exodus 9:30
- 2. the phrase †אֲנִי יהוה is noteworthy:—
- a. after אמר either alone Ex 6:2, 29 (P) or before relative and other clauses: Gn 28:13 (J) 15:7 (R) Ex 6:6 (P) with אלהיכם Ju 6:10; Ez 20:5. e.g. Exodus 6:2
- b. after ידע כי (α) Ex 7:17; 8:18; 10:2 (J); Ex 7:5; 14:4, 18 (P); 1 K 20:13, 28; Je 24:7 Ez 6:7 + 4:8 times Ez; (β) with אלהיכם Ex 6:7; 16:12; Dt 29:5 (P) Ez 20:20; Jo 4:17; (γ) with אלהיהם Ex 29:46 (P) Ez 28:26; 34:30; 39:22, 28; (δ) before relative and other clauses Is 45:3; 49:23, 26; 60:16 Ez 7:9; 17:24; 21:10; 22:22; 35:12; 36:36; (ε) with various forms of קדשׁ Ex 31:13 (P) Ez 20:12; 37:28; 39:7; (ζ) with דברתי Ez 5:13; 17:21, cf. יֵדְעוּ אשׁר אני י׳ Ez 20:26. e.g. Exodus 7:17
- c. after כִּי in various combinations Lv 11:44, 45; Nu 35:34 (P), Lv 20:7, 26; 21:8, 15, 23; 22:16; 24:22; 25:17; 26:1, 44 (all H); Ex 15:26 (R) Is 41:13; 43:3; 61:8; Je 9:23; Ez 12:25; 21:4 Zc 10:6; Mal 3:6. e.g. Leviticus 11:44
- d. emphatic Ex 6:8; 12:12 Lv 26:2, 45; Nu 3:13, 41, 45 (all P); Lv 18:5, 6, 21; 19:12, 14, 16, 18, 28, 30, 32, 37; 21:12; 22:2, 3, 8, 30, 31, 33 (all H) Is 43:15; with אלהיהם Ex 29:46; with אלהיךָ Is 48:17; with אלהיכם Lv 23:43; 25:38, 55; Nu 10:10; 15:41(×2) (P) Lv 18:2, 4, 30; 19:2, 3, 4, 10, 25, 31, 34, 36; 20:24; 23:22; 26:13 (all H) Ez 20:7, 19 Jo 2:27; with מְקַדֵּשׁ Lv 20:8; 22:9, 32 (H), with דברתי Nu 14:35 (P) Ez 5:15 + (11 times Ez); with clauses Is 27:3; 41:4, 17; 42:6, 8; 45:5, 6, 7, 8, 18, 19, 21; 60:22 Je 17:10; 32:27; Ez 14:4, 7, 9; 34:24; †אָנֹכִי יהוה is used in the Ten Words Ex 20:2, 5 = Dt 5:6, 9 cited ψ 81:11 Ho 12:10; 13:4; elsewhere only Ex 4:11 (J) Is 43:11; 44:24; 51:15. e.g. Exodus 6:8
- 3. יהוה is also used with several predicates, to form sacred names of holy places of Yahweh יהוה יראה Gn 22:14 (J); יהוה נסי Ex 17:15 (E) יהוה שׁלום Ju 6:24 יהוה צדקנו Je 33:16 (cf. 23:6 where it is applied to the Messiah); יהוה שָׁ֑מָּה Ez 48:35.—On combinations such as הַר י׳, י׳ צְבָאוֹת etc., v. הַר, צָבָא, etc. e.g. Genesis 22:14
- 1. יהוה is used with אלהים with or without suffs., especially in D;
- —BonkZAW 1891, 126 ff. seems to shew that as prefix, in comp. n.pr., יְהוֹ is the oldest and the latest form and that יוֹ is intermediate, belonging to the earlier post-exilic period until the time of Chr; occasional copyists’ mistakes being taken into the account.
יהוה II dei, v. sub הוה p. 217 ff.
Senses from the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon (Brown, Driver, Briggs; Oxford 1906 — public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). Full attribution on Sources.
Word origin
I. 6823 i.e. יַהְוֶה n.pr.dei Yahweh, the proper name of the God of Israel—(1. MT יְהוָֹה6518 (Qr אֲדֹנָי), or יֱהוִֹה305 (Qr אֱלֹהִים), in the combinations אדני יהוה & יהוה אדני (vid. אֲדֹנָי), and with prep. בַּיהוָֹה, לַיהוָֹה, מֵיהוָֹה (Qr בַּאדֹנָי, לַאדֹנָי, מֵאדֹנָי), do not give the original form. 𝔊 and other Vrss follow the Qr. On the basis of Ex 20:7; Lv 24:11 יהוה was regarded as a nomen ineffabile (vid. Philo de Vita Mosis iii, 519, 529), called by the Jews הַשֵּׁם and by the Samaritans שׁימא. The pronunciation Jehovah was unknown until 1520, when it was introduced by Galatinus; but it was contested by Le Mercier, J. Drusius, and L. Capellus, as against grammatical and historical propriety (cf. Bö§ 88). The traditional Ἰαβέ of Theodoret and Epiphanius, the ־יָהוּ, יְהוֹ־ of compound n.pr. and the contracted form יָהּ, all favour יַהְוֶה (cf. יַהֲלֹמ֑וּן ψ 74:6; תַּהֲרוּ Is 33:11), v. LagSym. i. 14 BaudissinStudien i. 179 ff.; DrStud. Bib. i. 1 ff. For Jeve v. StaZAW 1881, 346 De ib. 1882, 173 f. & Gn. Excurs. ii. 2. on liter. of interpret. v. NesEg 67 Drl.c..—Many recent scholars explain יַהְוֶה as Hiph. of הוה (= היה) the one bringing into being, life-giver (cf. הַוָּה Gn 3:20) Schr HSch; giver of existence, creator, Kue Tiele; he who brings to pass (so already Le Clerc), performer of his promises, Lag, Nes.Eg 88 (but NesEg. 91 inclines to Qal as RSBrit. & For. Ev. Rev. v. infr.); or from הוה he who causes to fall, rain or lightning RSOTJC ed. 1, 423; om. ed. 2, 245, cf. WeSkizzen iii. 175; ‘Fäller,’ destroying foes, StaG. i. 429 (dubiously). But most take it as Qal of היה (= היה); the one who is: i.e. the absolute and unchangeable one, Ri; the existing, ever-living, as self-consistent and unchangeable, Di; or the one ever coming into manifestation as the God of redemption, De Oehl; cf. also RSBrit. & For. Ev. Rev. 1876, he will be it, i.e. all that his servants look for (cf. Ewinfr.), he will approve himself (give evidence of being, assert his being Drl. c. 17)). theories of non-Heb. or non-Sem. origin. opposed (in their older forms) by BauRel i. 181 ff. (v. especially 230); DlPa 162 ff. claimed Bab. origin for יהו, against this KueNational religions, etc., Note iv (Eng. Trans. 329 ff.) JastrJBL xiii (1894), 103 f. cf. HptBAS i. 170 N; Dl Babel u. Bibel, 46 f., 73 f. makes same claim for יהוה, agst. this v. especially HirschZAW xxiii (1903), 355 ff. ZimKAT 3, 465 ff.; SpiegelbergZMG liii (1899), 633 ff. proposes (improb.) Egyptian etymol. for יהוה; further discussions see in KöEB Names, § 112 and n. 3. ‘Jehovah’ found in Jacob (? Johann.) Wessel († 1480), according to SchwallyThLZ, 1905, col. 612.
II. n.pr.dei, v. sub הוה p. 217 ff.
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Derived from היה (hâyâh) (H1961) — to be.
Forms in the corpus
The 179 distinct written forms H3068 takes in the Hebrew Bible, most frequent first — each parse links to that state’s occurrences in the concordance. Hebrew forms include their vowel points and cantillation, so a single lemma takes many written forms.
| Form | Parsing | Example | Uses |
|---|---|---|---|
| יְהוָ֖ה | Noun, Proper | Amos 5:4 | 870 |
| יְהוָ֔ה | Noun, Proper | Amos 1:3 | 731 |
| יְהוָֽה | Noun, Proper | Amos 1:5 | 598 |
| יְהוָה֙ | Noun, Proper | Amos 1:2 | 568 |
| יְהוָ֑ה | Noun, Proper | Amos 3:10 | 552 |
| יְהוָ֣ה | Noun, Proper | Daniel 9:10 | 484 |
| יְהוָ֥ה | Noun, Proper | Amos 4:13 | 358 |
| יְהוָ֗ה | Noun, Proper | Amos 2:4 | 289 |
| יְהוָ֛ה | Noun, Proper | Amos 3:1 | 252 |
| יְהוָ֤ה | Noun, Proper | Deuteronomy 1:30 | 180 |
| יְהוָ֜ה | Noun, Proper | Amos 5:16 | 172 |
| יְ֭הוָה | Noun, Proper | Proverbs 1:7 | 139 |
| יְהוָ֨ה | Noun, Proper | Deuteronomy 2:7 | 112 |
| לַ/יהוָֽה | Noun, Proper | Exodus 8:8 | 73 |
| יְהוָ֧ה | Noun, Proper | Amos 5:14 | 69 |
| יְ֝הוָ֗ה | Noun, Proper | Proverbs 3:7 | 67 |
| לַ/יהוָ֖ה | Noun, Proper | Deuteronomy 7:6 | 66 |
| לַֽ/יהוָ֔ה | Noun, Proper | Exodus 12:42 | 61 |
| לַ/יהוָ֑ה | Noun, Proper | Exodus 16:25 | 59 |
| יְהוָה֮ | Noun, Proper | Deuteronomy 9:26 | 50 |
| לַ/יהוָ֣ה | Noun, Proper | Deuteronomy 5:14 | 42 |
| לַֽ/יהוָה֙ | Noun, Proper | Exodus 15:21 | 39 |
| לַֽ/יהוָ֑ה | Noun, Proper | Exodus 12:14 | 32 |
| לַֽ/יהוָֽה | Noun, Proper | Deuteronomy 12:11 | 32 |
| יְֽהוָ֗ה | Noun, Proper | Proverbs 3:19 | 28 |
| לַֽ/יהוָ֖ה | Noun, Proper | Deuteronomy 14:1 | 27 |
| יְהוָ֞ה | Noun, Proper | Deuteronomy 1:11 | 25 |
| לַ/יהוָ֔ה | Noun, Proper | Ezra 8:28 | 24 |
| יְהוָה֒ | Noun, Proper | Amos 3:12 | 23 |
| יְהוָ֡ה | Noun, Proper | Deuteronomy 6:22 | 20 |
| בַּֽ/יהוָ֔ה | Noun, Proper | Deuteronomy 33:29 | 18 |
| לַ/יהוָ֥ה | Noun, Proper | Daniel 9:4 | 17 |
| יְ֠הוָה | Noun, Proper | Deuteronomy 1:8 | 14 |
| וַֽ/יהוָה֙ | Noun, Proper | Deuteronomy 17:16 | 13 |
| וַ/יהוָ֖ה | Noun, Proper | Amos 3:6 | 12 |
| וַֽ/יהוָ֖ה | Noun, Proper | Deuteronomy 32:30 | 12 |
| יְהוָ֕ה | Noun, Proper | 1 Chronicles 17:19 | 12 |
| יְהוָה֩ | Noun, Proper | Deuteronomy 9:4 | 12 |
| בַּ/יהוָ֑ה | Noun, Proper | 2 Chronicles 28:22 | 10 |
| יְהֹוָ֖ה | Noun, Proper | Deuteronomy 32:9 | 9 |
| לַ/יהוָה֙ | Noun, Proper | 1 Chronicles 16:34 | 9 |
| לַ֭/יהוָה | Noun, Proper | Psalms 9:11 | 9 |
| בַּ/יהוָ֣ה | Noun, Proper | Habakkuk 3:18 | 8 |
| בַּ/יהוָֽה | Noun, Proper | 2 Chronicles 12:2 | 8 |
| בַּֽ/יהוָ֖ה | Noun, Proper | 1 Chronicles 10:14 | 8 |
| וַ/יהוָ֣ה | Noun, Proper | 1 Samuel 9:17 | 8 |
| לַֽ/יהוָ֗ה | Noun, Proper | Exodus 12:27 | 8 |
| לַֽ֭/יהוָה | Noun, Proper | Psalms 16:2 | 8 |
| יְה֘וָ֤ה | Noun, Proper | Psalms 80:19 | 7 |
| לַ/יהוָ֗ה | Noun, Proper | 1 Chronicles 22:5 | 7 |
| בַּ/יהוָ֖ה | Noun, Proper | Deuteronomy 1:32 | 6 |
| בַּֽ/יהוָ֑ה | Noun, Proper | 1 Samuel 2:1 | 6 |
| יְה֫וָ֥ה | Noun, Proper | Proverbs 30:9 | 6 |
| יְהֹוָ֑ה | Noun, Proper | Jeremiah 5:9 | 6 |
| יְהֹוָ֗ה | Noun, Proper | Exodus 14:8 | 6 |
| לַ֝/יהוָ֗ה | Noun, Proper | Psalms 29:1 | 6 |
| וַֽ/יהוָ֔ה | Noun, Proper | 1 Chronicles 19:13 | 5 |
| וַֽ/יהוָ֗ה | Noun, Proper | Exodus 9:23 | 5 |
| יְ֝הוָה | Noun, Proper | Job 12:9 | 5 |
| לַֽ/יהוָ֥ה | Noun, Proper | Exodus 3:18 | 5 |
The 60 most common forms are shown; 119 rarer forms follow in the full concordance.
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H3068, grouped by Strong’s listed origin. These share a root / origin per the lexicon — not necessarily a shared meaning. Each links to that word’s own entry.
Derives from
Proper names from this root
People and places named from this root — a name, not an additional meaning of the word.
- הושמע Hôwshâmâʻ H1953 Hoshama
- יה Yâhh H3050 Jah
- יהוא Yêhûwʼ H3058 Jehu
- יהואחז Yᵉhôwʼâchâz H3059 Jehoahaz
- יהואש Yᵉhôwʼâsh H3060 Jehoash
- יהוה Yᵉhôvih H3069 LORD
- יהוה יראה Yᵉhôvâh yirʼeh H3070 Jehovah-jireh
- יהוה נסי Yᵉhôvâh niççîy H3071 Jehovah-nissi
- יהוה צדקנו Yᵉhôvâh tsidqênûw H3072 a sacred name symbolically applied to
- יהוה שלום Yᵉhôvâh shâlôwm H3073 Jehovah-shalom
- יהוה שמה Yᵉhôvâh shâmmâh H3074 Jehovahshammah
- יהוזבד Yᵉhôwzâbâd H3075 Jehozabad
- יהוחנן Yᵉhôwchânân H3076 Jehohanan
- יהוידע Yᵉhôwyâdâʻ H3077 Jehoiada
- יהויכין Yᵉhôwyâkîyn H3078 Jehoiachin
- יהויקים Yᵉhôwyâqîym H3079 Jehoiakim
- יהויריב Yᵉhôwyârîyb H3080 Jehoiarib
- יהונדב Yᵉhôwnâdâb H3082 Jehonadab
- יהונתן Yᵉhôwnâthân H3083 Jonathan
- יהועדה Yᵉhôwʻaddâh H3085 Jehoadah
- יהועדין Yᵉhôwʻaddîyn H3086 Jehoaddan
- יהוצדק Yᵉhôwtsâdâq H3087 Jehozadak
- יהורם Yᵉhôwrâm H3088 Jehoram
- יהושבע Yᵉhôwshebaʻ H3089 Jehosheba
+12 more proper names from this root (not shown).
Compare all same-root words → Showing 4 of 38 — not the complete family. 36 of the same-root words are proper names (people or places). They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Bible dictionary
Public-domain dictionary articles matched to this entry by name (LORD). A biblical name can be shared by more than one person or place, so an article may treat several.
Easton's Bible Dictionary · M. G. Easton, 1897
There are various Hebrew and Greek words so rendered.
(1.) Heb. Jehovah, has been rendered in the English Bible LORD, printed in small capitals. This is the proper name of the God of the Hebrews. The form "Jehovah" is retained only in Ex. 6:3; Ps. 83:18; Isa. 12:2; 26:4, both in the Authorized and the Revised Version.
(2.) Heb. adon, means one possessed of absolute control. It denotes a master, as of slaves (Gen. 24:14, 27), or a ruler of his subjects (45:8), or a husband, as lord of his wife (18:12).
The old plural form of this Hebrew word is 'adonai. From a superstitious reverence for the name "Jehovah," the Jews, in reading their Scriptures, whenever that name occurred, always pronounced it 'Adonai.
(3.) Greek kurios, a supreme master, etc. In the LXX. this is invariably used for "Jehovah" and "Adonai."
(4.) Heb. ba'al, a master, as having domination. This word is applied to human relations, as that of husband, to persons skilled in some art or profession, and to heathen deities. "The men of Shechem," literally "the baals of Shechem" (Judg. 9:2, 3). These were the Israelite inhabitants who had reduced the Canaanites to a condition of vassalage (Josh. 16:10; 17:13).
(5.) Heb. seren, applied exclusively to the "lords of the Philistines" (Judg. 3:3). The LXX. render it by satrapies. At this period the Philistines were not, as at a later period (1 Sam. 21:10), under a kingly government. (See Josh. 13:3; 1 Sam. 6:18.) There were five such lordships, viz., Gath, Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, and Ekron.
Smith's Bible Dictionary · William Smith, 1863
[God]
Classic public-domain reference works; full attribution on Sources.
Septuagint verse parallels
Most of the 5,518 Hebrew verses this word occurs in also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), so the same passages can be read in Greek by switching the Old Testament edition to the Septuagint.
Read these verses in the Septuagint
- Genesis 2:4
- Exodus 3:2
- Leviticus 1:1
- Numbers 1:1
- Deuteronomy 1:3
- Joshua 1:1
- Judges 1:1
- Ruth 1:6
- 1 Samuel 1:3
- 2 Samuel 1:12
- 1 Kings 1:17
- 2 Kings 1:3
This is a verse-level parallel only — the same verses exist in both the Hebrew and Greek Old Testaments. No word-level Hebrew↔Greek correspondence is claimed: the data carries no such alignment, so no Greek word is shown as this Hebrew word’s translation. Coverage is not total — the Septuagint omits the deuterocanon and renumbers the Psalms, so some Hebrew verses have no direct Greek parallel.
