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).
Every verse where H3068 appears in the Book of Malachi — 38 distinct verses. 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.
Malachi
- Malachi 1:1 יְהוָ֖ה n Proper An oracle: the word of Yahweh to Israel by Malachi.
- Malachi 1:2 יְהוָ֔ה יְהוָ֔ה n Proper n Proper "I have loved you," says Yahweh. Yet you say, "How have you loved us?" "Wasn't Esau Jacob's brother?" says Yahweh, "Yet I loved Jacob;
- Malachi 1:4 יְהוָ֣ה יְהוָ֖ה n Proper n Proper Whereas Edom says, "We are beaten down, but we will return and build the waste places;" thus says Yahweh of Hosts, "They shall build, but I will throw down; and men will call them 'The Wicked Land,' even the people against whom Yahweh shows wrath forever."
- Malachi 1:5 יְהוָ֔ה n Proper Your eyes will see, and you will say, "Yahweh is great--even beyond the border of Israel!"
- Malachi 1:6 יְהוָ֣ה n Proper "A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If I am a father, then where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is the respect due me? Says Yahweh of Hosts to you, priests, who despise my name. You say, 'How have we despised your name?'
- Malachi 1:7 יְהוָ֖ה n Proper You offer polluted bread on my altar. You say, 'How have we polluted you?' In that you say, 'Yahweh's table contemptible.'
- Malachi 1:8 יְהוָ֥ה n Proper When you offer the blind for sacrifice, isn't that evil? And when you offer the lame and sick, isn't that evil? Present it now to your governor! Will he be pleased with you? Or will he accept your person?" says Yahweh of Hosts.
- Malachi 1:9 יְהוָ֥ה n Proper "Now, please entreat the favor of God, that he may be gracious to us. With this, will he accept any of you?" says Yahweh of Hosts.
- Malachi 1:10 יְהוָ֣ה n Proper "Oh that there were one among you who would shut the doors, that you might not kindle fire on my altar in vain! I have no pleasure in you," says Yahweh of hosts, "neither will I accept an offering at your hand.
- Malachi 1:11 יְהוָ֥ה n Proper For from the rising of the sun even to the going down of the same, my name is great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering: for my name is great among the nations," says Yahweh of Hosts.
- Malachi 1:13 יְהוָ֣ה יְהוָֽה n Proper n Proper You say also, 'Behold, what a weariness it is!' and you have sniffed at it," says Yahweh of Hosts; "and you have brought that which was taken by violence, the lame, and the sick; thus you bring the offering. Should I accept this at your hand?" says Yahweh.
- Malachi 1:14 יְהוָ֣ה n Proper "But the deceiver is cursed, who has in his flock a male, and vows, and sacrifices to the Lord a blemished thing; for I am a great King," says Yahweh of hosts, "and my name is awesome among the nations."
- Malachi 2:2 יְהוָ֣ה n Proper If you will not listen, and if you will not lay it to heart, to give glory to my name," says Yahweh of Hosts, "then will I send the curse on you, and I will curse your blessings. Indeed, I have cursed them already, because you do not lay it to heart.
- Malachi 2:4 יְהוָ֥ה n Proper You will know that I have sent this commandment to you, that my covenant may be with Levi," says Yahweh of Hosts.
- Malachi 2:7 יְהוָֽה n Proper For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth; for he is the messenger of Yahweh of Hosts.
- Malachi 2:8 יְהוָ֥ה n Proper But you have turned aside out of the way. You have caused many to stumble in the law. You have corrupted the covenant of Levi," says Yahweh of Hosts.
- Malachi 2:11 יְהוָה֙ n Proper Judah has dealt treacherously, and an abomination is committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah has profaned the holiness of Yahweh which he loves, and has married the daughter of a foreign god.
- Malachi 2:12 יְהוָ֜ה לַֽ/יהוָ֖ה n Proper prep + n Proper Yahweh will cut off, to the man who does this, him who wakes and him who answers, out of the tents of Jacob, and him who offers an offering to Yahweh of Hosts.
- Malachi 2:13 יְהוָ֔ה n Proper This again you do: you cover the altar of Yahweh with tears, with weeping, and with sighing, because he doesn't regard the offering any more, neither receives it with good will at your hand.
- Malachi 2:14 יְהוָה֩ n Proper Yet you say, 'Why?' Because Yahweh has been witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously, though she is your companion, and the wife of your covenant.
- Malachi 2:16 יְהוָה֙ יְהוָ֣ה n Proper n Proper For I hate divorce," says Yahweh, the God of Israel, "and him who covers his garment with violence!' says Yahweh of Hosts. "Therefore take heed to your spirit, that you don't deal treacherously.
- Malachi 2:17 יְהוָה֙ יְהוָ֗ה n Proper n Proper You have wearied Yahweh with your words. Yet you say, 'How have we wearied him?' In that you say, 'Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of Yahweh, and he delights in them;' or 'Where is the God of justice?'
- Malachi 3:1 יְהוָ֥ה n Proper "Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me; and the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, behold, he comes!" says Yahweh of hosts.
- Malachi 3:3 לַֽ/יהוָ֔ה prep + n Proper and he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi, and refine them as gold and silver; and they shall offer to Yahweh offerings in righteousness.
- Malachi 3:4 לַֽ/יהוָ֔ה prep + n Proper Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasant to Yahweh, as in the days of old, and as in ancient years.
- Malachi 3:5 יְהוָ֥ה n Proper I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against the perjurers, and against those who oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and who deprive the foreigner of justice, and don't fear me," says Yahweh of Hosts.
- Malachi 3:6 יְהוָ֖ה n Proper "For I, Yahweh, don't change; therefore you, sons of Jacob, are not consumed.
- Malachi 3:7 יְהוָ֣ה n Proper From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my ordinances, and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you," says Yahweh of Hosts. "But you say, 'How shall we return?'
- Malachi 3:10 יְהוָ֣ה n Proper Bring the whole tithe into the store-house, that there may be food in my house, and test me now in this," says Yahweh of hosts, "if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough for.
- Malachi 3:11 יְהוָ֥ה n Proper I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast its fruit before its time in the field," says Yahweh of Hosts.
- Malachi 3:12 יְהוָ֥ה n Proper "All nations shall call you blessed, for you will be a delightful land," says Yahweh of Hosts.
- Malachi 3:13 יְהוָ֑ה n Proper "Your words have been stout against me," says Yahweh. "Yet you say, 'What have we spoken against you?'
- Malachi 3:14 יְהוָ֥ה n Proper You have said, 'It is vain to serve God;' and 'What profit is it that we have kept his charge, and that we have walked mournfully before Yahweh of Hosts?
- Malachi 3:16 יְהוָ֖ה יְהוָה֙ יְהוָ֔ה n Proper n Proper n Proper Then those who feared Yahweh spoke one with another; and Yahweh listened, and heard, and a book of memory was written before him, for those who feared Yahweh, and who honored his name.
- Malachi 3:17 יְהוָ֣ה n Proper They shall be mine," says Yahweh of Hosts, "my own possession in the day that I make, and I will spare them, as a man spares his own son who serves him.
- Malachi 4:1 יְהוָ֣ה n Proper "For, behold, the day comes, it burns as a furnace; and all the proud, and all who work wickedness, will be stubble; and the day that comes will burn them up," says Yahweh of Hosts, "that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
- Malachi 4:3 יְהוָ֥ה n Proper You shall tread down the wicked; for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I make," says Yahweh of Hosts.
- Malachi 4:5 יְהוָ֔ה n Proper Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of Yahweh comes.
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.
