Those who promote the myth that God’s name isn’t known, that it isn’t important, and that it cannot and should not be pronounced, stop reading at this point.

Restored from the Empower Network archive (2011–2017), lightly edited to meet our current advertising standards. Views are the original author’s.

Those who promote the myth that God’s name isn’t known, that it isn’t important, and that it cannot and should not be pronounced, stop reading at this point. But God was not finished speaking. Moreover, Shemowth / Names 3:13 and 3:14 are Yahowah’s marvelous way of telling us exactly how to spell and speak His name—even understand His name. This was not a random diatribe. ‘Ehayah ‘asher ‘ehayah reveals the basis of Yahowah’s name, the meaning of Yahowah’s name, even the proper pronunciation of Yahowah’s name. He has already left us without excuse. And yet, He was not done talking.

“And (wa) God (‘elohym – Almighty), moreover (‘owd – besides this and in addition), said (‘amar – declared) to (‘el) Moseh (Moseh – from mashah, the one who would draw us away from human oppression and divine judgment), ‘This is what (koh) you should say (‘amar – promise and declare (also scribed in the qal imperfect)) to (‘el) the Children of Yisra’el (beny yisra’el – the children and sons who strive, contend, and struggle with, those who engage, persist, and endure with, those who persevere with, and who are set free and empowered by God), “Yahowah (efei – hwhy- יהוה – Yahowah), God (‘elohym) of your fathers (‘ab), God (‘elohym) of Abraham (‘Abraham – Loving, Enriching, and Merciful Father), God (‘elohym) of Yitzchaq (Yitzchaq – Laughter), and God (‘elohym) of Ya’aqob (Ya’aqob – One who Supplants and Digs in His Heels), He sent me (salah – He has reached out and extended Himself to actually dispatch me (in the qal perfect, revealing that this act of God is indivisible, whole and complete, and valid throughout all time)) to you (‘el).”

This is (zeh) My name (shem – My personal and proper designation (scribed in the singular construct form, making Yahowah inseparable from His one and only shem – name)) forever (la ‘olam – for all time and into eternity). And (wa) this is (zeh) My way of being known and remembered (zeker – My status and renown, My way of being mentioned and recalled, My commemoration and memorial, My inheritance right, symbol, sign, and signature) for (la) all places, times, and generations (dowr dowr).’” (Shemowth / Names / Exodus 3:15)

Yahowah is proclaiming that Hayah and Yahowah are relatively synonymous—His name therefore means “I Exist.” His name defines Him; it describes and identifies Him. Yahowah is God’s only name, the way He wants to be addressed, to be known, to be remembered—forever!

Yes, Yahowah is God’s name ‘owlam—a word that means “forever forward and backward throughout all time—the time beyond this temporal sphere.” ‘Owlam is “associated with Yahowah’s Towrah, His Covenant, His Invitations, and the Ma’aseyah.” In Bare’syth / Genesis 9:16, the “rainbow” of hope is linked to the “owlam beryth (everlasting covenant).”

In Shemowth / Exodus 12 ‘owlam is again associated with the Ma’aseyah, associated with the sign of the Covenant and with the memorial of Passover. It is also used in harmony with hayah:

“I Am Yahowah (efei). The blood shall exist (hayah – shall be the source of existence) to you as a sign, a signal, a miracle, and an awe-inspiring event…and this day shall exist (hayah – shall always be) to you for a memorial and remembrance, a reminder of something in the past that has particular significance. Observe it set apart as a Festival of Yahowah (efei)…a statute forever (‘owlam).”

‘Owlam is again indicative of the Ma’aseyah in Micah 5:2, this time in reference to Yahuwdah and to the passage we just read in Howsha’: “But you, Bethlehem Ephratah, though you be small among the clans of Yahuwdah, yet out of you shall be descended from (yasa) Me, He who exists as (hayah – I Am/Yahowah, shall come forth as) the ruler with authority (masal – the greater luminary [predicted in Bare’syth / Genesis 1:18], with dominion over) Yisra’el (those who engage, strive, and endure with God) whose origins have been from old, from eternity (‘owlam).”

I’m sure you noticed that in the Shemowth / Exodus passage in which Yahowah introduces Himself to Moseh, that God links hayah, a word which is synonymous with His name, to Yahowah with ‘asher—the same word that is used in connection with the Word and Salvation in Howsha’ 1:1. So Yahowah is saying that hayah which means “to exist” and “to be” is linked to Him, as is the Word and the Savior. We exist because we are linked to Him—created in His image and saved by Him.

‘Asher is the summation of man’s most important questions because ‘asher meaning: “who, what, where, when, and how” is directed at Yahowah—the who, what, where, when, and how” of our existence. In that ‘asher also means: “forasmuch, from whence, through, association and connection,” linked to hayah, ‘asher summarizes Yahowah’s Scriptural message of relationship and salvation.

Now that we know who is inspiring Howsha’, and facilitating Salvation, we are in a better position to understand Yahowah’s message, especially the part when He said: “Name him Not-My-People for you are not My people, and I no longer exist (lo hayah) to you.”

God was warning the Northern Kingdom that they were no longer shareholders in the Covenant. This brought Shemowth / Exodus 6:7 to a close: “I will take you for my people and I will be your God.” For a nation whose very existence was tied to God’s providence, “Not-My-People” was a foreboding omen. Yisra’el was now hopelessly azab—separated from God.

While the job of most Jews (ten of the twelve tribes) was now entering history’s longest intermission, the Yahuwdym from which Judah (Yahuwdah) is derived, still had a mission. They would deliver the Ma’aseyah. And they would not only deliver more prophets like Jeremiah, Daniel, and Ezekiel, they would fulfill their prophecies. So in spite of the divine justice they would endure, they would endure…“Yet the number of the children of Yisra’el shall exist as the sand of the sea, which by way of association cannot be counted. And it shall come to pass that in the place where it was said unto them, ‘You are not my people,’ there it shall be said to them, ‘You are the sons of the living God.’ Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Yisra’el be collected (qabas yahad – gathered together, and assembled as one, united as a community) and consider (sum – appoint and call) the One (echad – the First, the Spirit) the head and their leader and they shall ascend upward to a higher place out of the land, because great shall be the day of Jezreel.” (Howsha’ / He Saves / Hosea 1:10-11)

In the beginning of this passage, through multiple repetitions of hayah, ‘asher and madad, Yahowah linked His existence and infinity to Judah. He explained that in this same land in which the Jews were disowned, they would be gathered and unified as one community called the “sons of the living God.” While Yahowah has recently fulfilled much of this prophecy, Yisra’el is neither unified nor called sons of God. That will occur during the final millennium—a time in which the Yahuwdym will ascend upward to a higher place as a result of calling the One, the First, the Spirit their leader.

The reason Yahowah used the phrase “Living God” was to point out the absurdity of making sacrifices to an inanimate object like the golden calves representing the sun god Lord-Ba’al. While the Satanic spirit camouflaged as Ba’al was alive, he was living on borrowed time. His fate and the fate of all who trusted him was already sealed.

The closing statement is interesting. Jezreel was Yisra’el’s Vietnam. With noble intentions, but limited understanding, treasure was spilled and blood was shed in vain. Ba’alism was Yisra’el’s Communism and at Jezreel, its spread was confronted. Yet, as with our Vietnam, when the fighting was over, nothing had changed. So Yahowah is telling us that in the Tribulation’s final days, during the time Jews finally repent, He will not only strive against the beast, Lord-Ba’al, He will prevail. We’ll learn more about this victory later in the chapter.

By having Howsha’ marry a temple prostitute and conceive children named Jezreel, Not-Pitied, and Not-My-People, Yahowah has communicated a wealth of information and done so in a dramatic and memorable way. The name Jezreel was a warning to the rulers, suggesting that their misguided military adventures were in vain. If Howsha’ were alive today he would name his first child “Iraq” in hope of awakening America’s president to the folly of spilling coin and blood without first dealing with Islam—our Ba’al. Not-Pitied was a warning to the people. They would suffer without mercy. It would be a direct result of their ignorance, infidelity, and immorality. They believed, followed and supported their politicians rather than refuting and disassociating themselves from them. And to the clerics, Not-My-People, signified a breach of the covenant and thus their purpose. If the rabbis and priests wanted to hold on to power they would have to create their own religion—something they have done many times over. God was finished with them.

Unlike the pleadings we find throughout the Towrah, there was no call for repentance in Howsha’. These names were an announcement, not an invitation back home. That would not occur until the prodigal’s son parable was manifest in Yahowsha’—although He was also rejected by the Yahuwdym. According to Scripture, for people who continually and repeatedly refuse relationship, the possibility of forming a relationship is withdrawn. God is informing Yisra’el that apart from Judah, He is separating Himself from them. They sought fellowship with Ba’al and will have to rely on the Devil as a result.

Yet there was still a glimmer of hope, far off on the distant horizon. This was an intermission after all. In the end God would restore them to fellowship. This is how Howsha’ describes the reconciliation: “Say to your brother, ‘My People.’ And to your sister, say, ‘She Has Obtained Pity.’” (Howsha’ / He Saves / Hosea 2:1)

Set in the context of being called “Sons of the Living God,” this is a harbinger of the fulfillment of Bikuwrym – FirstFruits. Before we can appreciate God’s provision and mercy we must first come to understand that we are sinners in need of redemption because separation precedes reconciliation. And because choice is required for love, to experience Yahowah’s affection we must ask for admission into His family. It should therefore be no surprise then that Shim’own quotes this passage from Howsha’ in what we know as I Shim’own / He Listens / Peter 2:10.

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Having introduced the tangible metaphor of an unfaithful marriage replete with immoral children, Howsha’, inspired by Yahowah, submitted a legal brief. In verses two through fifteen of the second chapter the language is characterized by expressions lawyers would use at trial. God is filing for divorce.

As with the actual nature of the prophet’s marriage to the temple prostitute, Howsha’ is not only personally separating himself from Gomer, Yahowah through this example is dissolving His relationship with Yisra’el. And because there are many parties to, and victims of, a broken marriage, the passages address them all.

In this tangible metaphor, Yahowah is the lawyer, the judge, and the husband. Howsha’s unfaithful partner, Gomer, is wife and mother. Their children are the Yisra’elites. As a wife, Gomer broke her covenant with both Howsha’ and Yahowah. By pursuing other men and spirits, she was guilty of adultery. In the role of mother, her infidelity demonstrates a biblical truth. Her bad choices negatively impact her family—in this case, the children of Yisra’el.

“Rebuke(rib – quarrel in a state of hostility, be in opposition and contend with) your mother, bring a lawsuit forth to prosecute: for she is not my wife, neither am I her husband.” (Howsha’ / He Saves / Hosea 2:2) Lesson one: according to Yahowah, quarreling can be good. We need to be in a state of hostility with evil. We must contend with and oppose false teaching not ignore, tolerate or appease it.

Lesson two: according to Yahowah the best way to oppose evil is to know and apply Scripture. In this legal proceeding, the basis for the suit is the breach of the Beryth as outlined in the Towrah. Dabarym / Deuteronomy 22 legislates that if a woman engages in harlotry or if a person commits adultery, the penalty is death. So if Scripture is good enough for God to use, I reckon it’s sufficient for us, too.

Lesson three: according to Yahowah repetitive sin, especially those related to religion, can be fatal. Hope can be extinguished. If we are bad enough, long enough, God gives up on us and divorces Himself from us—nationally and personally.

Lesson four: according to Yahowah, a child’s fate can be linked to their parent’s beliefs and conduct. If a mother is a devil-worshiping Ba’al prostitute, chances are her children will be immoral and idolatrous. A Muslim mother will breed jihadists just as the modern state turns the seed of secular humanists into amoral atheists. There is a reason Yahowah didn’t remove the children from the flood that consumed Noah’s evil generation, from the brimstone that ravaged Sodom, or from the Lord-Ba’al worshiping Canaanite towns the Yisra’elis conquered. Being all knowing and being able to maneuver in time, Yahowah knew that these children would grow up to be just like their parents.

“Let her therefore turn away from(suwr – change direction, move on a different path, be removed from and remove, forsake, reject, and abolish) illicit relationships to a false deities(zenunym – fornication, prostitution, adultery, and idolatry,) away from(min – out of) her presence….” (Howsha’ / He Saves / Hosea 2:2-3)

The Hebrew word zenunym is most often used in Scripture as a religious term to describe unfaithfulness. Its inferences to fornication, adultery and prostitution are symbolic of the sexual rituals of sun god fertility religions like Ba’alism. It is designed to contrast this with the fidelity and morality of a monogamous marriage and loving family relationship with Yahowah. By using sur before zenunym, God is telling us that we must not only reject false doctrines, we must separate ourselves from them and then abolish them, removing them from society. The word translated “presence” above actually means that immorality shouldn’t be allowed to exist right “under our noses.” There is to be no tolerance when it comes to Satan’s guiles. Sur denotes a change of direction toward God. Choosing beryth and following Yahowah’s path is good. Forsaking azab, rejecting and banning false teachings and rituals is also good. But one without the other is insufficient.

The remainder of the passage uses language that is allegorical of Jews being judged without the benefit of a savior. The defendant in God’s presence quickly finds themselves naked, unable to hide their sin, and thus destitute and vulnerable. Without hope, they are destined for incarceration in God’s wilderness—the lifeless place of separation, known as She’owl.

The fourth verse of Howsha’s second chapter opens with a verdict that many find troubling: “And I will not love (raham – show affection for, have mercy on, demonstrate compassion or pity to) her children; for they are the children of fornication (zenunym – prostitution, adultery, idolatry, and illicit relationships with false deities). For their mother wantonly committed adultery and idolatry (zanah – was a harlot and a whore). She who conceived them made a serious mistake (bowsh – did something wrong and lost hope by acting shamefully). She said, ‘I will go after my lovers that provide my bread, my water, my wool, my linen, my oil and my drink.’” (Howsha’ / He Saves / Hosea 2:4-5)

God is talking in first person. These are His rules; this is His verdict. If you don’t like His judgment regarding children being damned for their parent’s infidelity, there is nothing you can do about it short of creating your own universe. Gomer was not raped. Her fornication and adultery were neither casual nor occasional. She had made a conscious decision to separate herself from a beryth with her husband and God and depend instead on the dark spirit of the sun god, Lord-Ba’al. As a result, as a consequence of her poor choice, she and her children were separated from God. While history and archeology confirm that the children of Yisra’el were as idolatrous and unfaithful as their mother, and thus choosing and deserving her fate, Gomer’s religion was sufficient to condemn her children. Now that’s a sobering and profound thought.

Halal, the spirit behind the sun god Ba’al is the same spirit upon which Muhammad modeled Allah. So since Yahowah is a just and consistent judge, would not the children born of that satanic religion also share their parents’ fate? And could that be why God wants us to reject religions and remove their false teachings from our presence? And since secular humanism, and its political manifestation Socialism, the religion of man for men, runs rampant in the West, according to God what is the fate of our children?

The list of things Yahowah articulates is significant in the passage above. He says that Gomer was reliant on Ba’al to provide her bread, water, wool, linen, oil and drink. Bread and water are necessary to keep us alive—temporarily sustaining our mortal bodies. Wool and linen are woven into clothing and thereby provide a covering to hide the sins of the flesh, albeit only temporarily. That is why God told Gomer she would appear naked at judgment. Oil and drink are spiritual references in that oil represents Yahowah’s Spirit and pure light, while wine is symbolic of His blood which was shed as the Passover Lamb. But it’s interesting to note that the Hebrew word translated “oil” in this list is shemen which is “perfumed grease.” The word is derived from shaman, meaning a “gross shine.” So it’s indicative of Satan. By receiving Ba’al’s grease, Gomer accepted Halal’s spirit. Even today a “shaman” is an occult medium.

The same is true of the “drink.” It was not wine, but hard liquor instead. Only wine is symbolic of blood atonement. Liquor is intoxicating and disorienting, symbolic of Satan’s guiles. All satanic religions deny the Ma’aseyah’s sacrifice and thus the benefit of blood atonement. So the consequence of accepting and relying upon religious rituals is death, not life.

Yahowah’s next line begins with a “therefore” so it is written as a result of Gomer’s religious practices. The Hebrew word is ken, meaning: “pertaining to a sequence of events and referencing that which precedes, therefore, likewise, that which is honest and right, telling the truth as it pertains to what is proper in a relationship or standing.”

“Therefore (ken), behold (hineh – I call your attention to this change of scene, emphasizing it) I will hedge up (suk – fence in, erect a restraining barrier, and block) your path (derek – pattern of life) with thorns (syr – thorn bushes burnt to cook something in a pot), and closing off (gadar gader – wall up, make a barrier of loose stones) that she shall not find or attain her path (natyb – way of life conceived by men).

And she shall pursue (radap – chase after, follow) her lusts (ahab – lovers including objects like idols and things like money), but she shall not obtain (nasag – reach or come to possess) them. She shall search for(baqash – try to procure and learn information about) them, but shall not discover (matsa – uncover, learn the location or gain information about these objects).” (Howsha’ / He Saves / Hosea 2:6-7)

In that Yahowah is warning that He will “fence people in and block their path,” this passage is worthy of our undivided attention. The reference to thorn bushes reveals that those who choose to go their own way will find His restraining barrier unpleasant. Beyond being prickly, the bushes being described here were used to kindle the fires beneath cooking pots. And make no mistake, those who find themselves stewing amongst these thorns will have chosen their destiny. This was Gomer’s path, her natyb—pattern of life based upon the religions conceived by men. God neither chose this path for her nor desired for her to embark on it. She made her choice and must now suffer the consequences.

Gader is used figuratively in Ezekiel 13 of false prophets whose words proved unreliable. Therefore, in this setting the “wall of loose stones” is both symbolic and ironic. The demonic promises of protection the false prophets of Lord-Ba’al proclaimed will only serve to crush the deceived. This is the nature of all religions and their end result. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the Ka’aba, Allah’s House in Mecca, was four low intersecting walls of unhewn and unmortared loose stones.

Concerning “gader,” Yahowah spoke these words to Ezekiel, warning the people about trusting religions—the inspiration of men—as opposed to God: “Prophesy against the prophets of Yisra’el who prophesy from their own inspiration, ‘Listen to the word of Yahowah!’ Thus says Yahowah, ‘Woe to the foolish prophets who are following their own spirit and have seen nothing.’ …You have not built the wall of loose stones(gader) around the house of Yisra’el to stand up or endure (amad) in battle in the day of Yahowah. They see and perceive deceit, evil, vanity, and useless frauds (saw) and lying, deceptive, abominations(kazab) divinations (qesem)…. They have made others hope that their words were worthy…. Thus says Yahowah: ‘Because you have spoken deceit, evil, and vanity (saw) and lying, deceptive, abominations(kazab) and divination, therefore behold, I am against you, says Yahowah…. You shall not be in the counsel of my people…because you have seduced, lead astray, deceptively whitewashed(ta’ah) My people, saying, Peace; and there was no peace. And one built a thin, unstable wall(hays), and, lo, others plastered over(tuwah) it with useless, tasteless, misleading foolishness, whitewash and hypocrisy (tapel). Say unto them who plastered over(tuwah) with useless, tasteless, misleading foolishness, whitewash and hypocrisy (tapel), that it shall fall and prostrate itself(napal)…. Behold, when the stone wall (qyr [that crushed Balaam’s foot and donkey]) is fallen, shall it not be said unto you, Where is your whitewash? Therefore says Yahowah, “I will break it to pieces with a whirlwind in My displeasure and wrath (hemah) and there shall be a cleansing (satap) deluge in My presence…bringing it down to the ground so that its foundation shall be revealed.”

It’s safe to say that Yahowah doesn’t much care for false religious promises. The very wall of whitewashed words the practitioners rely upon for temporal and eternal protection will become a barricade, precluding them from ever entering into fellowship with God. Moreover, Yahowah is telling us that religions deceive by plastering over, whitewashing, loose stones. Working through clerics and kings to create Ba’alism, Satan replaced Yahowah’s message with his mirror image reversal of useless, misleading foolishness. Rabbinical Judaism is a plastering over of Scripture. Religious Christianity is a whitewashing of Yahowah’s revelations. Islam is a counterfeit, a façade, in which loose stones from Scripture were tastelessly recast and then carelessly thrown together. In each case, the religion grew because a half truth is more beguiling than an outright lie.

Returning to Yahowah’s declaration against Howsha’s unfaithful wife we read: “Then she will say, I will go and reverse course and return to (suwb – restore the relationship with) my first and foremost (rishown – In the beginning pertaining to space-time) husband (‘ysh – one who exists, male individual, or husband, invocative of God’s relationship with Yisra’el); for it was better (towbah – more fruitful and morally correct, prosperous and good) for me than now. But she did not discern (da’ah – acknowledge information that requires wisdom) that I gave long lasting (yatan) grain, and new wine, and olive oil (yitshar), and increased her silver and gold, which they assigned to Ba’al.” (Howsha’ / He Saves / Hosea 2:7-8)

This suggests willful ignorance on the part of Yisra’el and thus it is symbolic of us today. Yahowah had given the Jews and has given us an accurate accounting of Himself, His plan and His provision but we have chosen to ignore it and pervert it.

Gomer had come to recognize that Ba’alism was unworthy of her trust. She wanted to leave the false religion to restore her relationship with her husband, in this case God, but it was too late. She had been hedged in by thorns and encompassed by a wall of loose stones—by lies and false hope. The use of ‘ysh in this passage could mean different things. Prophetically, it may suggest that Jews will no longer reject the Ma’aseyah Yahowsha’—the human male manifestation of Yahowah. It could mean husband and thus be invocative of restoring the marriage or beryth with God. And it could mean extant individual personality and thus indicate a turn away from Ba’al and to Yahowah.

While Gomer was religious, all paths do not lead to God. Not only were her rituals of no value—whitewashed and hypocritical counterfeits—they were observed in place of Yahowah’s Festivals, precluding Yisra’el from recognizing their prophetic symbolism regarding the Ma’aseyah. Unlike her Ba’al inspired leavened bread, polluted with sin and thus perishable, Yahowah wanted her to have “long lasting grain”—symbolic of the FirstFruits harvest of saved souls. Rather than drink to Ba’al, Yahowah wanted Yisra’el to enjoy the gift of new wine, symbolic of Yahowsha’s bloodshed on Passover. And unlike Ba’al’s spirit, represented by a gross greasy shine, Yahowah had offered His spirit of pure light to the Jews. But the riches Yahowah had lavished upon the Yahuwdym had been callously tossed at Ba’al’s feet.

So who was this Lord-Ba’al? Why would preaching on his behalf and worshiping him create such a ruckus? Well, when we study the origin of this name, we learn that God loves words. One of the reasons Yahowah elected to use this tangible metaphor of marriage was because the secondary meaning for the word Ba’al is husband. God is providing a clear choice—we can marry Yahowah or Ba’al. And this choice of marriage partners, of Ba’alim (husbands and lords), is the synthesis of the entire Scriptural message. It is one of the many reasons dissecting Howsha’s prophetic book is essential to our understanding of God, His plan, His people, our times and ourselves.

One of the reasons I have hyphenated Lord-Ba’al is to confirm a theologically crucial concept: the primary use and literal meaning of the Hebrew word Ba’al in most all Semitic languages was “lord.” Ba’al was considered to be “the owner”—as in “the Lord” with a capital “L.” In fact, for most Babylonians, Assyrians, Chaldeans, Phoenicians, Philistines, Canaanites, and now Yisra’elites, Ba’al was God. At the very least, Ba’al represented the spirit clerics and kings presented as God. Ba’al was Lord; that’s what Ba’al means.

In most early religions the name denoted the sun god, a deity the people called “Lord.” As part of the cycle of the sun, Ba’al was worshiped as a fertility deity whose rites of death and resurrection were celebrated seasonally by the Canaanites and Phoenicians in ceremonies that included human sacrifice and temple prostitution.

The most popular graven image associated with Lord-Ba’al was a bull, a “golden calf,” because the sun is in the constellation of Taurus during the spring equinox. When it “crosses” the equator at noon, it was believed to have impregnated mother earth, represented by Ishtar, the goddess “Christians” celebrate as Easter during the first Sun-day of spring. The sun is then resurrected nine months later at the winter solstice, Ba’al’s birthday, the date Constantine designated Christmas. This was initially the birthday of Tammuz in Mesopotamia and became the birthday of Mithras in Rome; one was Ba’al’s predecessor, the other a derivative.

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