LIBERTY UNIVERSITY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
NOUN WORD STUDY OF h'wh.y
A PAPER SUBMITTED TO PROFESSOR DR. JOHN MCLEAN
IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR
OTCL 505
LIBERTY UNIVERSITY ONLINE
BY
MICHAEL DAVID LEIPOLD SR.
LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA
General Meaning
According to the BDB Hebrew and English Lexicon, h'wh.y is a noun that that
identifies the one true God of the Bible, Yahweh. Within the NIV h'wh.y is found over six
thousand five hundred and fifty times, always defining the God of the Bible as its focus within
the context of the sentence structure. The use of this noun implies a personal or covenantal
relationship with God as the one who exists or causes existence.1 The number of times h'wh.y
is used within the King James Version is significantly less at just five thousand five hundred and
twenty one times. The two translations differ in occurrences but the definition remains the same
in each.2
Word Usage
The noun h'wh.y is found eighty seven times within Proverbs. The first occurrence is
found in chapter one, verse seven, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but
fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Again, it is evident that the noun is descriptive of the true
God of the Bible and exhibits a knowledge of His deity.
The first use of the noun h'wh.yI is found in Genesis chapter two. Within the verses of
four and five the noun h'wh.y is found twice, once in each verse. Each occurrence identifies
the true God of the Bible and His existence within the creation account.3 The significance of the
1 Goodrick, W. & Kohlenberger, J. The Strongest NIV Exhaustive Concordance. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1999)
p. 1414
2 Gesenius, William. A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament: With Appendix Containing the Biblical
Aramaic. (New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin, 1906) p.26
3 Strong, James. A Concise Dictionary of the Words of the Hebrew Bible With Their Renderings in the Authorized
English Version. (Madison, NJ: Strong, 1890) p. 555
noun h'wh.y is overwhelming as it not only describes the true God of the Bible but is only
used to identify God. h'wh.y is not utilized as a common term for a god but is used as a term
of reverence for the true God of the Bible.
English Words for h'wh.y
There are two English words used in translation of h'wh.y, the first is Yahweh and the
second is Jehovah.4 The latter of the two English translated nouns is found primarily in the King
James Version. Yahweh is found numerous times (611 times) within the Holman Christian
Standard Bible and well over several thousand in the Names of God Bible (NOG). Yahweh is
sometimes followed with Elohim and is utilized as a title or to give the nature of deity to Yahweh
when used. It is not a proper noun used primarily as a title of Yahweh as it is used within the
Hebrew Bible to describe other gods as well.5
Contextual Setting of the Noun
In each occurrence of the noun h'wh.y, the contextual setting is descriptive of the
nature of God or Yahweh. It can mean “the one who is, the existing and ever-living, as well as
the absolute and unchangeable one.” The one thing that remains is the unchanging definition of
the noun h'wh.y, it is always used to describe the one true God of the Bible.
4 Freedman, David N. Eerdman’s Dictionary of the Bible. (Grand Rapids, MI: William B Eerdman’s Publishing, 2000)
p.720
5 Ibid., 913
Bibiliography
Goodrick, W. & Kohlenberger, J. The Strongest NIV Exhaustive Concordance. Grand Rapids,
MI: Zondervan, 1999
Gesenius, William. A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament: With Appendix
Containing the Biblical Aramaic. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin, 1906
Strong, James. A Concise Dictionary of the Words of the Hebrew Bible With Their Renderings in
the Authorized English Version. Madison, NJ: Strong, 1890
Freedman, David N. Eerdman’s Dictionary of the Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: William B.
Eerdman’s Publishing, 2000
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