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ihoh
יהוה
Jehovah, Yahweh, and Yhvh redirect to here.
'Ihoh' is the proper name of the legendary “lord” of the hyberi (Hebrew) people.
Etymology
There is much debate about the “correct” pronunciation of this name. The most common alternatives are “Yahweh” or Jehovah“. This serves as a good example and reminder that frankly we just do not know how the ancient people would have pronounced most of the Hebrew words, and we can only guess at their pronunciation but can at least try to be consistent.
While pronunciation is essentially unknowable, the same is not true of spelling. “Ihoh” is the definitive spelling of name of the central character in the ancient Hebrew texts.
Based on its own internal origin story documented in Exodus 3, this name appears to stem from the root word ahih (אהיה), and essentially means “I am”. This explanation is somewhat dubious though, given the rather substantial spelling differences between ihoh and ahih.
Origins
Although commonly misinterpreted to play the role of “the Creator”, Ihoh is conspicuously absent from the first chapter of the book of Genesis.
Ihoh's first appearance is in Genesis chapter 2, but only in a rather offhand reference where he is retroactively credited as one of the Alehim who was involved in the events of chapter one. This narrative will be explored further within the Genesis 2 commentary.
Please note - Many Biblical scholars claim that The name of Ihoh (or as they say it “Yahweh”) does not appear in the book of Genesis. They will point out that in the book of Exodus, Ihoh first reveals his name to Moses, and states “I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as 'El-Shaddai' but by my name Ihoh I did not make myself known to them”. These same scholars rely on inventing three fictional sources from which the earlier texts “must have been copied”, which use different names for “the same god”. This concept flies in the face of the internally consistent etymology withing the ancient Hebrew texts, while completely ignoring the plurality of the Alehim, the Semim and other character groups.
genesis21:33 - planted _ _ studied characteristics characteristics Ihoh to beyond
Ihoh is often described as being one of the alehim. In fact, the texts suggests that Ihoh is one character within a type of social structure that is explored further at Semim Hierarchy
Ihoh of the Alehim
One would be hard pressed to deny the statement that Ihoh is the main character of the Hebrew textual corpus. As such, there is abundant textual evidence around his characteristics and nature. One such fact is that Ihoh is a member of the alehim. This is validated by over 250 references linking Ihoh and the Alehim, including eleven instances in Genesis 2, seven in Genesis 3, and many many more which will be examined here.
The first time that Ihoh appears in the text, it is in conjunction with the Alehim, in the second chapter of Genesis. Genesis 2:4 contains the first instance of the word Ihoh, and it occurs within the first instance of the phrase “Ihoh the Alehim”. The phrase appears again in verse 5, 7, 8, 9, 15, 16, 18, 19, 21, and 22. In fact, this pattern continues through chapter 3 with 9 more instances. The first 20 times that Ihoh is mentioned, he appears within the very specific phrase - “Ihoh the Alehim”. It is not until chapter 4 that 'Ihoh' appears independently of the phrase.
show these Genesis verses
(OST)isaiah45:21 - Tell and bring forth [your case] Yes let them take counsel together who has declared this from ancient time from then [Who] has told it [Have] not I Yahweh and [there is] no other God besides Me a God just and a Savior [There is] none besides Me
(LIT)isaiah45:21 - tell come also consult together who communicated this east at that time tell not I Ihoh nobody again the Alehim except to pure save nobody else
ezekiel28:2 - Son of man say to the prince of Tyre thus says the Lord GOD because [is] lifted up your heart and you say a god I [am] [in] the seat of gods I sit in the midst of the seas and yet you [are] a man and not a god and Though you set your heart as the heart of a god
jonah4:2 - So he prayed to Yahweh and said Ah Yahweh was not this what I said when still I was in my country of therefore I fled previously to Tarshish for I know that You [are] God a gracious and merciful slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and one who relents from doing harm
2 Chronicles 33:13
Nehemiah 9:7
Psalm 95:3
Psalm 135:5
Proverbs 2:5
Gen 16:13 states ”And she called the name of Yahweh who spoke to her You [are] the God who sees me for she said also here have I seen the back of Him who sees me “
Genesis 17:1 - ”And when was Abram old ninety years and nine years then appeared Yahweh to Abram and said to him I [am] God Almighty walk before Me and be blameless.
Ihoh's Role in Relation to the Hyberi
The ancient Hyberi(Hebrew) people considered Ihoh their “lord”. At least, some of the Hebrew people did, at least some of the time.
According to the Hebrew texts, Ihoh was not the original 'god' of the story.
In Exodus 2, Ihoh reveals his name to Moses, stating “I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as 'El-Shaddai' but by my name Ihoh I did not make myself known to them“. This statement is reinforced in Joshua 24:2, where Joshua speaks to the people of Israel and recounts God's words about their ancestors who worshiped other gods. Typically Joshua's speech is translated as ”Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Long ago, your ancestors—Terah and his sons Abraham and Nahor—lived beyond the Euphrates River and served other gods.“
The Hebrew words are clear here: it is Ihoh speaking. Ihoh says that Terah, Abraham and Nahor lived in Sumeria and worshipped “alehim aherim” (other gods). “Alehim aherim” is the exact same phrase used in “the ten commandments” in Exodus 20:4, typically translated as ”You shall have no other gods before me.“
Audit earlier mentions of Ihoh's interactions with individuals prior to Moses. Then tie back to ihodit
Other Forms of Governance
Regional Lords
Among these references are some that bear relevance to other fascinating themes and concepts that bear further investigation:
- the territory of Ihoh the Alehim: Psalm 50:1, Psalms 97:9, Hosea 4:1
- “improving the Sethites” - Psalms 73:28
- Jonah 4:6, Zechariah 8:23
Characteristics of Ihoh
Misconceptions About Ihoh
Many misconceptions about Ihoh have somehow or another become embedded into Christian theology over many hundreds of years, to the degree that it has become commonplace to teach certain doctrinal aspects as though they were based in the Hebrew scriptures, despite the fact that the Hebrew texts do not actually support such conclusions. Ihoh (under the names Yahweh, Jehovah, or God) is typically conceived of as being the eternal, invisible, immortal, all powerful creator of the universe.
Eternal
The concept of Ihoh's eternal nature is based on the word yolem being mistranslated as “eternal” rather than “beyond”. There is no Hebrew word that means “eternal” or “eternity”. Ihoh is associated with “beyond”. references please
Invisible
Immortal
Creator
The Hebrew scriptures do not address the question of the creation of the universe, planet earth, or anything else really, other than the creation of a culture.
Genesis 1 is not about a creation event. Even if it was, Ihoh was not present at the event according to the narrative presented in Genesis 1.
LexID 3068
(also 3069, 3070-3074)