The glorious name of Jesus
Psalm 8:2ab and 5-9. April 13, 2023 - Thursday in the Octave of Easter
Psalm 8 begins and ends with the proclamation of the greatness of God’s name: “O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” (Ps 8:2, 10). The name of the Lord in Hebrew is composed of four letters: Yud-Hei-Vav-Hei known as Tetragrammaton (YHWH) and was revealed to Moses on Mount Horeb (Ex 3:14). The book of Exodus, that tells us the story of God revealing his name to Moses, begins with the following sentence: “These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob, each with his household” (Ex 1:1). Therefore, it is known in Hebrew as the Book of Names.
The holy name is pronounced by God in Exodus 6. God said to Moses: “I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name [YHWH] I did not make myself known to them” (Exodus 6:3). English translations usually render it as “Yahweh” or replace it with the word “LORD” - all in capital letters. However, out of reverence, the Jews never pronounced God’s holy name and some Jewish scholars state that we do not know how to pronounce it; the right pronunciation was lost over centuries.
Our liturgical translation chose to render God’s holy name with the word “LORD” and so we hear” “O LORD, our Lord”. The first word “LORD” replaces the holy name of God and the second word “Lord” is a translation of the Hebrew word “adonai” that means “lord or master”. It is important to remember that the God of the Bible has a personal name. Even if we do not know how to pronounce it today, it does not change the fact that God’s holy name is glorious “over all the earth”.
With the incarnation of the Divine Word, the unpronounceable name of God has become pronounceable. The Gospel of Matthew explains to us the meaning of this name as God’s salvation, “for [Jesus] will save his people from their sins” (Matt 1:21). Our catechism in this way explains this change: “The divine name may not be spoken by human lips, but by assuming our humanity The Word of God hands it over to us and we can invoke it: "Jesus," "YHWH saves." (CCC, 2666).
In Catholic tradition, there is a litany to the Holy Name of Jesus. When we pray this litany we immediately realise how glorious this name is. As the catechism further explains: “The name "Jesus" contains all: God and man and the whole economy of creation and salvation. To pray "Jesus" is to invoke him and to call him within us. His name is the only one that contains the presence it signifies. Jesus is the Risen One, and whoever invokes the name of Jesus is welcoming the Son of God who loved him and who gave himself up for him” (CCC, 2666).