What’s in a name?

What’s In a Name?

A name is far more than a simple label – it is the very essence of identity. It distinguishes one person from another and carries with it a sense of character, reputation, and personal history. We use names to build relationships, to connect, and to show we care enough to know someone on a personal level. This universal human experience prompts a deeply significant spiritual question: if names are so important to us, does the Creator of the universe have one? Is the Supreme Being known merely by titles, or does He have a personal name that He wants us to know and use?

Beyond Titles: The Need for a Personal Name

Titles like ‘God’ or ‘Lord’ are descriptive of his office and supreme authority, much like using ‘King’ or ‘President’. While respectful, these terms are generic and do not identify a unique person. They speak of what he is, but not who he is. For a relationship to be genuine and personal, knowing the name of the person is fundamental. It is the difference between referring to a world leader solely by their title and addressing them by their actual name. The latter implies a deeper level of familiarity and connection. This desire for a personal relationship is reflected in the ancient words –

“Draw close to God, and he will draw close to you.” —James 4:8.

How can we truly draw close to someone whose name we do not know?

The Name Revealed in Scripture

The Bible, a text that has shaped human history for millennia, provides a clear and definitive answer. It reveals that God does indeed have a personal name. This name, represented in the original Hebrew language by the four consonants YHWH (known as the Tetragrammaton), appears nearly 7,000 times in the Old Testament alone. This frequency itself is a powerful statement of its importance.

While the exact pronunciation has been lost over centuries due to Jewish tradition avoiding its utterance out of reverence, common renderings in English include ‘Jehovah’ and ‘Yahweh’. The Bible itself emphasises the significance of knowing and using this name. In the book of Psalms, we find a direct declaration –

“That people may know that you, whose name is Jehovah, you alone are the Most High over all the earth.” —Psalm 83:18.

Here, the divine name is presented not as a secret to be hidden, but as a truth to be known by all people. It sets the true God apart from all false deities.

Invitation to a Relationship

The use of God’s personal name, Jehovah, is an invitation to intimacy. It transforms our worship from a distant, formal observance into a personal conversation with a loving Father. It is the name that God himself used when making covenants with his people and when delivering them. The prophet Joel foretold a time when all who seek a relationship with God would call upon this name: “Everyone who calls on the name of Jehovah will be saved.” —Joel 2:32.

This promise is echoed in the Christian Greek Scriptures, reaffirming its enduring importance (Romans 10:13). Knowing God’s name is the first step in knowing his nature—his love, his justice, his mercy, and his ultimate purpose for humankind and the earth. It is a gift that allows us to approach him not as an unknowable force, but as a person with a name, who desires to know us in return.