YHWH is the GREATEST!

Submitted by Oliver (United States), Jan 21, 2008 at 21:28

zzazzeefrazzee, I'm sorry for any misunderstandings, talking about three or more languages in yet another language is bound to be confusing. I thought you were bringing to my attention that the ‘name' Allah was used in the Arabic translation of the Christian NT, which it is, and it is frequently used in the Arabic translation of the Jewish Tanakh as well.

I took exception to this usage of the ‘name' Allah (the specific ‘name' of the god of Islam) as a reference to the God of the Christian NT and the Jewish Tanakh. From speaking with other Arabic speakers I can concur that al = el in Arabic – the word means ‘the' and nothing more. In Hebrew, however, El is not = ‘the', it is instead a generic word to refer to any god (see Ps. 22:1) – and was used in reference to ‘angels' and important or powerful ‘men' as well. I can agree that ‘ilah' in Arabic is = ‘eloh' in Hebrew, they are both generic words that refer to any deity.

It is my contention that in Arabic translations of the Christian NT or the Jewish Tanakh – wherever the generic word for god is found the Arabic word ‘ilah' MUST be used. If the syntax of Arabic requires the use of the ‘article', as occurs in the Greek, then ‘el' or ‘al' should be used = ‘el ilah' or ‘al ilah' or just ‘ilah'. My point is that any generic reference to god MUST be translated as a generic form, NEVER as a proper (specific) name. No where in the Christian NT is ‘YHWH' used or even referred to – therefore Allah can in no wise be inserted anywhere in these documents.

Ex 3:13 Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, ‘What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?"

14 God said to Moses, "‘I AM WHO I AM.' This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.'"

15 God also said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.'

"This is My name forever, the name you shall call Me from generation to generation." [TNIV]

Here, again, we have examples of the use of the generic word for god and the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob's Eternal Name. Of course, this is English – in the Hebrew the words el – eloh – elohim are translated into English as God. The Hebrew ‘YHWH' in v14 is translated (literally) into English as ‘I AM'. While in v15 it is translated into English as ‘the LORD', this is in deference to the Jewish practice of not speaking (or writing) the name ‘YHWH' but instead, using the word ‘Adonai' in place of the Eternal Name. Adonai means Master or Lord – if Mohammad had come preaching in the name of ‘al rabb' instead of ‘al-lah' he may have gotten a warmer reception from the Jews – maybe NOT.

But, I doubt it, after all the Jews were literate. Because Mohammad was totally ignorant of the ‘true' teachings of the Torah, he had no idea that God's name was YHWH – FOREVER.

You have twice said that the use of the plural form of the generic word for god bespeaks ‘respect' in Hebrew and I suppose in Arabic. There are many places in the Tanakh where the singular form is used (sometimes in the same sentence with the plural form) when referring to God. Is the singular form somehow ‘dis-respectful'? If so, how does one explain the use of the singular with the plural or the use of the singular at all? God is not one to ‘take' disrespect lightly. Which is why the Jews use Adonai in place of YHWH.

Ex 3:6 Then he [YHWH] said, "I am the God [Elohim] of your father, the God [Elohim] of Abraham, the God [Elohim] of Isaac and the God [Elohim] of Jacob." At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at (the) God [Elohim]. [TNIV]

This is an interesting verse in the Arabic translation. In the Hebrew all 5 words for ‘the God' are Elohim. Yet, in the Arabic the first 4 are ‘el ilah' and the 5^th is ‘Allah'!! This, in my opinion, is poor scholarship, not to mention out-and-out deception. My entire point in a nutshell.

As for Ishmael, although he was Abraham's ‘first-born' after the flesh and I'm sure that Abraham loved him as a ‘true' son, YHWH did not look upon Ishmael as the child of promise. It was Isaac that YHWH would consider Abraham's ‘true' son and the child of promise.

Ge 17:17 Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, "Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?"

18 And Abraham said to God, "If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!"

19 Then God said, "Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.

20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation.

21 But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year."

Ge 22:2 Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you."

Ge 22:15 The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16 and said, "I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore.

Now, I have no doubt that Ishmael knew of YHWH and he may have even worshipped Him after a manner that he had seen Abraham worship YHWH. But, 2500 years later the descendents of Ishmael (if in fact the Arabs are of the nation of Ishmael) were absolutely worshipping NOT YHWH but an entire pantheon of 360 so-called gods, the chief of which was ALLAH.

ALLAH has never been – ALLAH is not now – ALLAH will never be YHWH.

‘ALLAH IS GREATER' THAN WHAT?

YHWH has ever been – YHWH is now – YHWH will ever be YHWH.

‘YHWH WAS – IS – SHALL EVER BE THE GREATEST!'

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