יְהוָ֥ה

The Name Never Spoken

The Name is set apart as holy, such that no one pronounces it or should attempt to.

These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens.

Genesis 2:4 (BHS)
אֵ֣לֶּה תוֹלְד֧וֹת הַשָּׁמַ֛יִם וְהָאָ֖רֶץ בְּהִבָּֽרְאָ֑ם בְּי֗וֹם עֲשׂ֛וֹת יְהוָ֥ה אֶלֹהִ֖ים אֶ֥רֶץ וְשָׁמָֽיִם׃ 

God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” 

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֶלֹהִים֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה אֶֽהְיֶ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר אֶֽהְיֶ֑ה וַיֹּ֗אמֶר כֹּ֤ה תֹאמַר֙ לִבְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֶֽהְיֶ֖ה שְׁלָחַ֥נִי אֲלֵיכֶֽם׃ 

The Unspoken Name      

The name of the Lord is never to be spoken nor any attempt made.

The name is regarded as so holy that it not spoken out loud as a form of reverential deferrence.

 In place of pronouncing the Name when reading Scripture, which is clearly written, the word "Lord" is spoken.  Therefore, the Name of the Lord is pronounced as "Adonai" in Hebrew.

No one knows how to pronounce the name.  The decision to never utter or discover the true pronounciation of the Name is intentional and enforced.  

The first occurrence of the the Name is in Genesis 2:4.  Wherever this Name occurs in Scripture, the word "Adonai" is used instead.  Or the word "HaShem", meaning "The Name", is said.

The first occurrence of the second name by which God calls himself is found in Exodus 3:14. This is the "I AM".  This version of the name is pronounced.


The wider script from Genesis 2:4 goes here.
The wider script from Exodus 3:14 goes here.
Mobirise

A Caveat about the Name

The Name is traditionally accepted as pronounced either as "JEHOVAH" or as "YAHWEH" for ecclesiastical and academic purposes.

In the Jewish community, the received pronounciations are "Adonai" or "HaShem".

Simply stated, there seems to be no one who knows and it is left at that.

Furthermore, no historical record posits how the name is to be pronounced.  

Either the proper pronounciation was never conveyed or perhaps it was agreed to purposely forget.

It is about never seeking to know a mystery.

Because the Name is so holy and infinitely set apart, no one pronounces it or should attempt to.