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Glite Dictionary
Tetragrammaton

Tetragrammaton

1 9.9
Four Hebrew letters that show God's name and are not spoken aloud by Jews
  • noun
  • /ˌtɛtrəˈɡræmətɒn/
  • Specialized
translation icon : Tetragrámaton
  • The struggle continues until Lilith becomes so frustrated with Adam's stubbornness and arrogance that she brazenly pronounces the Tetragrammaton, the ineffable name of the Lord.

Examples

  • For Buber, the Hebrew name of God, the tetragrammaton (YHVH), means He is present.

    Academic text (1993)

  • The Tetragrammaton, YHWH, has always been considered unpronounceable, just as its referent is ineffable.

    Academic text (1992)

  • The Tetragrammaton holds a place for the God that cannot be perceived face to face.

    Academic text (1992)

  • What instantiation of the Tetragrammaton do you claim to represent?

    Blog text (15)

  • The Tetragrammaton is considered "the name that comprises all" (Zohar 19a).

    Blog text (23)

  • In many translations of the Bible, when the word "LORD" is in all capitals, it signifies that the word represents the tetragrammaton.

    Blog text (6)

  • Adonis makes a very frequent cameo, most famously as "Adonai" in the Sh'ma and anywhere else the tetragrammaton appears in the Torah when read aloud.

    Blog text (19)

  • Also consistent with the "secret name of God" discussed by Rabbi Mark Sameth in an article - read the Tetragrammaton (YHWH) backward, and you get the Hebrew words hu and he - meaning he/she.

    Blog text (9)

  • The same holds for Hebrew El, but in Judaism, God is also given a proper name, the tetragrammaton (written YHWH), originally the name of an Edomite or Midianite deity, Yahweh.

    Blog text (6)

  • The Tetragrammaton, YHWH, is a name so sacred that Jews often refrain from pronouncing it aloud.

Synonyms

Jehovah
vsTetragrammaton
50 7.5

A name used for God in the Old Testament

is the original four-letter Hebrew form distinct from later traditional renditions
Yahweh
vsTetragrammaton
18 9.3

The name used for the God of ancient Israel in the Old Testament

is the unspoken four-letter Hebrew form rather than a spoken rendering
YHWH
vsTetragrammaton
  • Literature
3 9.9

A sacred name for God used in the Hebrew Bible, written as YHWH

is the canonical four-letter Hebrew representation regarded as too sacred to speak
YHVH
vsTetragrammaton
  • Literature
1 9.9

A sacred name for God in the Old Testament

is the original four-letter Hebrew form treated as too sacred to speak
Jahweh
vsTetragrammaton
  • Formal
1 9.9

A name for God in the Old Testament

is the original four-letter Hebrew sequence kept as a sacred written form
JHVH
vsTetragrammaton
9.9

The holy name of God in the Hebrew Bible written with four Hebrew letters

is the canonical four-letter Hebrew form kept unsaid for religious reasons
Yahveh
vsTetragrammaton
9.9

A name for God in the Hebrew Bible

refers to the strict four-letter Hebrew written form not meant to be pronounced
Yahwe
vsTetragrammaton
9.9

A name for God in the Hebrew Bible

is the fuller Hebrew letter sequence treated as too holy to vocalize
Jahvey
vsTetragrammaton
  • Formal
9.9

A name for God written using the Hebrew letters YHVH

is the basic four-letter Hebrew representation valued for its unwritten sanctity

Surface Forms

Tetragrammaton singular
Tetragrammatons plural

Morphology

Tetragrammaton = tetra + grammaton

Formally built from Greek elements meaning 'four' + 'letters', so the literal composition is clear to learners familiar with scientific/learned prefixes, but the term is a specialized theological borrowing and its sacred/religious usage is not obvious to an average B1 learner.

Etymology

Tetragrammaton comes from the Greek parts tetra 'four' and gramma 'letter', and the gramma part is like the 'gram' in telegram, which relates to writing. So it literally means 'four letters' and refers to the four Hebrew letters that stand for God's sacred name, which Jewish tradition often avoids speaking aloud.