Note 165 — Chapter III · THE EXODUS OUT OF EGYPT
Reading edition
No satisfactory etymology of the name Yahveh has yet been found. This, however, is not strange, considering that the etymology was unknown to the Hebrews themselves, as is shown by the explanation of the name in Exod. iii. 14, where it is derived from the Aramaic hewâ, the Hebrew equivalent being hâyâh, with y instead of w (or v). The Babylonians were also ignorant of the original meaning of the word, since one of the lexical cuneiform tablets gives Yahu or Yahveh as meaning ‘god’ (in Israelitish), and identifies it with the Assyrian word yahu, ‘myself’ (83, 1-18, 1332 Obv.; Col. ii. 1). No certain traces of the name have been found except among the Israelites. It is a verbal formation like Jacob, Joseph, etc.