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Divine Name

Biblical
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

The Divine Name is the sacred designation of God, treated with profound reverence.

Detailed Definition
Biblical tradition gives the divine name extraordinary weight, especially in the revelation to Moses of a name connected with being and presence. Because the name is holy and often not pronounced aloud, it becomes both word and guarded silence. In poetry, the Divine Name can represent the limit of language, the hidden center of prayer, or a presence sensed most strongly where speech falters.
Example
Example in poetry:
A poem may write “I will not spend the Divine Name as a casual charm” to express reverence; The Divine Name can appear as silence, suggesting that holiness exceeds ordinary speech; “At the burning bush, the Divine Name enters the poem as a mystery” uses the biblical revelation to explore identity; A poet may contrast many human names with the singular Divine Name to emphasize unity and transcendence.
Additional Notes
The Divine Name most specifically refers to the personal name of Israel’s God, traditionally represented in Hebrew by the four consonants YHWH and often called the Tetragrammaton. Jewish tradition treats the name with great reverence, commonly reading Adonai, “Lord,” instead. Poets may use “the Name” to suggest God’s presence, holiness, authority, and covenant faithfulness. Related terms include Yahweh, Lord, and I AM.
Also Known As
Tetragrammaton YHWH Yahweh Jehovah
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