I AM or YAM?
By Your servant, Dan Baxley
Special
Note from the author of this article: I would like to make it plain that
this article is covering a new look at the "IAM that IAM" and the
Greek influence upon the Hebrew Scriptures and no one, that is, NO ONE, is
making this observation. This is not a point of "salvation", and it is
not an absolute and I admit to this being my own speculation and even guessing in some
places to make my point. Scripture is always first and it is the scriptures you
should be most attune to not the ranting of someone like me with a new
"theory" to push. But I do find this observation concerning IAM that
IAM interesting and worth a look. First you need to know that there is a Hebrew
Bible avoiding the use of our Creator's Name but put some kind of
"holy" value on their substitution, replacing His Holy Name just as
those have replace His Name, YHWH, with the term, LORD, so these Jews have
replace His Name with this term -- HASHEM. What does HaSHEM mean, it means and
is to say, THE NAME. I hope you can understand the following example. This is
not speculation, that comes later in seen the IAM or YAM as another form of
revelation concerning our Creator, and Savior.
HaShem = The Name
IAM = HaYaH = The YaH
Knowing
and understanding that our God and Savior has a personal Name and that the God
of Israel also has a Personal Name we can look at the Hebrew Scriptures and the
correct wording, without the Greek, and we come up with the Hebrew
"ha" for the Greek "I" and the Hebrew YaH in place of the
Greek for "AM". Marvelous isn't it? Ha-YeH, or I YaH, I-YeH, if you
insist on including the Greek or discarding the Greek all together we have
Ha-YaH, or THE YaH. If you think I am making this up, then let's have a look at
Strong's Hebrew Dictionary:
(Exodus 3:14, IAM) H1961 - hayah - A primitive root (compare H1933); to exist, that is, be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary): - beacon, X altogether, be (-come, accomplished, committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), continue, do, faint, fall, + follow, happen, X have, last, pertain, quit (one-) self, require, X use.
So,
what do we see if we stay with the Hebrew only? "And God (El) said to Moses, The YaH that
(that is to say) The YaH: and He said, thus shall you say to the children of
Israel, The-YaH (eh-YeH) has sent me to you." It just keeps
getting better, doesn’t it. For IAM we can look at Strong's H1961 -- hayah, and it does
not get much better than this.
I
Would like to thank those that have questioned this and given me the
opportunity to clarify some points in this article, so thank you Adam and Duane
(you know who you are), also I will mention a book given me to read that also
mentions and makes plain, IAM is Ha-YeH in the original Hebrew Scriptures --
the book titled, "Jesus And YAHWEH The Names Divine" by Harold Bloom,
page 128, and, of course, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, H1961, where we see the
Hebrew rendered "hayah" with the "a" marked as a vowel.
What can we make of this? Understanding the Dictionary does not recognize the
Holy Name in many of its definitions, is that to those with this knowledge see
the ha-YaH for what it really is -- the declaration of the Name of the God of
Israel and our Savior YaH-shua is declared to Moses and the world. Moses did
not confuse this but the world has but Moses knew exactly what he was hearing
and did not question this because there was nothing to question, especially
when you read the wording as Moses heard it --
Now
let's return the Exodus 3:14 with this corrected --
(Exodus
3:14) And God said to Moses, ha YaH (that is) ha Yah: and he said, This shall
you say to the children of Israel, The YaH has sent me unto you.
How
simple is this? Can it be any plainer? The KJV and all modern translation
following the "tradition" of the KJV bible allowing the Greek
influence to muddy the clear reading of the original Hebrew. IAM is a Greek
mess, and when it is further degenerated by the English misunderstanding we do
not see the Name at all. Once we resort back to the Hebrew we see YHWH
declaring Himself.
The
main thrust of this article, as mentioned before, is considering the Scripture
in light of the Greek
influence which many translations, especially the King James
Version, have gone to as their primary source and exhibit this Greek influence
throughout the Scriptures. This is a kind of misdirection and hiding of our Savior
and Creator's true identity has backlashed on the original instigator of this
covering, or attempted covering of the Holy Name. In the attempted deception,
certainly influenced by Satan, the truth still comes forward. The absolute
truth of the IAM that IAM is HaYaH
that HaYAH once restored. This,
my friends, is the truth, uncovered, and stands in plains sight but ignored. It
is not IAM that speaks but he-YaH - The YaH.
The
rest of this article is full of speculation but I think may demonstrate how a plan
to hide the Creator God can, and perhaps has, boomeranged on the deceiver, and
in this deception we can still see the True God of Creation as the misused
Greek, IAM or YAM, points to a god known as YAM, identified as the God of the
Flood and thus coming full circle pointing to His personal Name, YaH - YaHWeH
-- the God of the Flood.
Not
YAM but YaH
I
need to start this article with the reader understanding the our Creator's Name
is not YAM, the when this name was first introduced, to Moses, it was a name
known among the ancients as the God of the Flood. This was a name men gave Him,
not His personal Name. Read the article, I AM that I am YAM, for more on
this. It has recently been brought to my attention that it sounds like I am
saying IAM, orYAM is His Name, this is not the case and I wish to make it
clear, this name is a name given to our Creator, YHWH, by the ancient people
not long after the worldwide flood. In other words, the Egyptians knew of a God
they called YAM, a mean God that used water to destroy the world, a God of
water. His personal Name, as revealed to Moses, is YaHWeH (YHWH) the God of
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and it is by this Name, YHWH, He made Himself known
to the founders of the people of Israel. The application of the name YAM is for
the sole purpose of identifying to Moses and to the people of then which of the
gods He is. He was seen as the "water god' having power over the "surf",
the oceans.
With
this clarification I hope this article and its big sister article will make
more sense. This treatment is not unlike our Savior's Name. Many have given Him
a name that is not His but is applied to Him as opposed to His personal, birth
name, which is, for the most part ignored. Christians, as a whole, want to call
our Savior by any name except the Name given Him by His Heavenly Father. They
preach in a name that did not exist some 400-500 years ago. What a deception
this has become. Like the Israelites, having lost the identity of the God of
their Fathers, they began to call on other gods, other names of gods and so
have the Christians traded in the true Name of the Savior for a name imagined.
I
have written on this before, see The Great I AM, but new information shows up now and again
and new thoughts on this cover-up. Wikipedia has a very good definition and
understandings concerning the origin and the placement of this name, YAM, given
to Moses as an aide in identify Himself to the children of Israel, so long
under Egyptian domination and influences. I my previous article I demonstrated
the association with the “Great Flood waters” with that of the God YAM, the
Great IAM and how this is not defined as “I am” as the English speaking world
defines it. Here is the excerpt from Wikipedia with many links for deeper
study, enjoy.
___________________________________
Excerpt
taken from Wikipedia, YAM (god):
Yamm,
from the Canaanite
word Yam,
(Hebrew ??) meaning "Sea", is one name of the Ugaritic god of
Rivers and Sea. Also titled Judge
Nahar
("Judge River"), he is also one of the 'ilhm (Elohim)
or sons of El,
the name given to the Levantinepantheon.
Others dispute the existence of the alternative names, claiming it is a
mistranslation of a damaged tablet. Despite linguistic overlap, theologically
this god is not a part of the later subregional monotheistic theology, but
rather is part of a broader and archaic Levantine po
Yam
is the deity of the primordial chaos and represents the power of the sea untamed and raging;
he is seen as ruling storms and the disasters they wreak. The gods cast out Yam
from the heavenly mountain Sappan (modern Jebel Aqra;
"Sappan" is cognate to Tsephon (Tsion). The seven-headed dragonLotan is associated
closely with him and the
serpent
is frequently used to describe him.
Of
all the gods, despite being the champion of El, Yam holds special
hostility against BaalHadad, son of Dagon. Yam is a deity
of the sea and his palace is in the abyss associated with the depths, or Biblical tehwom, of the
oceans. (This is not to be confused with the abode of Mot, the ruler of the
netherworlds.) In Ugaritic
texts, Yam's special enemy Hadad is also known as the "king of
heaven" and the "first born son" of El, whom ancient
Greeks identified with their god Kronos, just as Baal was identified with Zeus, Yam with Poseidon and Mot
with Hades. Yam
wished to become the Lord god in his place. In turns the two beings kill each
other, yet Hadad is resurrected and Yam also returns. Some authors have
suggested that these tales reflect the experience of seasonal cycles in the
Levant.
_____________________________
If
you read Exodus 3:14, you will see YHWH identifies Himself, to Moses, as
YAM.
“God
said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the
Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.' "
Understanding
modern translations, following the KJV example, traditions, used many words
from the Greek Septuagint of the Old Testament. This can be seen in the use of
the letter “I” in place of the more correct Hebrew “Y”. On the surface this may
seem unimportant but in the English language, as it has changed, however, we
see a confusion not realized – an ignorance unknown. If the Hebrew “Y” instead
of the “I” were used no one would suggest some of the definitions they attempt
for this verse. “YAM (not I am) has sent me to you”, would be the natural
application that is soon followed by the declaration that this YAM is actually
YHWH, the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, the founding Fathers of the
people of Israel.
(Exo
3:15) And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children
of Israel, The LORD YHWH) God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of
Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever,
and this is my memorial unto all generations.
What
happened to the name YAM? It is kicked to the side, discarded and Moses had no
problem understanding what he was being told -- "...for all
generations", not I AM, or YAM but YHWH (YaHWeH).
From
the information found in Wikipedia you can easily chase down the origin of YAM
(again, not I am but YAM) and see the connections this God has with the power
of the ocean. He is the flood God and from the Canaanite legends you can see a
tale of conflict between the children of El (the Bull) and Yam’s
representative, Judge Nahar. The article above suggests Judge Nahar is a
possible title for Prince Yam. Certainly you have to piece this together but
what this shows is that there had been a God known as “YAM” and we see this God
making Himself known to Moses and then fine tuning His identity for Moses as
YHWH (Exodus 3:15-16) in the next two verses, the God of Abraham. The worship
of the god that had flooded the earth had been replaced by the worship of the
children of Adam (EL, the Bull), identified as Baal and Ashroth. The worship of
men as gods had begun with Cain and continued on through the Flood. Worshiping
families as gods and children of god, as we see in the Egyptian model, followed
by other nations to one degree or another
Immanuel
– God with us?
(Isa
7:14) Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall
conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
(Isa
8:8) And he shall pass through Judah; he shall overflow and go over, he shall
reach even to the neck; and the stretching out of his wings shall fill the
breadth of thy land, O Immanuel.
(Mat
1:23) Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and
they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
We have
another example of the KJV changing letters in names. The Greek/Latin influence
mixed, then, with the English language in the creation of the KJV bible is
unmistakable. In the verses above we see the name in the New Testament with the
first letter, the most important part of any name, as being and “E”, whereas in
the Old Testament we see the lead, or head letter, as the Greek “I”.
If we
can understand the Greek and Latin influence on the Hebrew Scriptures, we can
see the name Immanuel in a new light. Today this name is pronounced as
EE-MAN-U-EL but knowing the first letter is from the Greek, i, and originally
was pronounced as, or close to the Hebrew Yod, or Y, it should be pronounced,
Y-MAN-U-EL. This is the way I would present the name – Yam – man – El, which
would be to say, YaM as Man and God. I know, I know, and will be the first to
admit I am reaching way out there and there is no one, no one making a
suggestion like this. This is all from my own observation but, in this case,
why not, the biblical scholars have been doing this for centuries – making a
best guess. One thing is certain, the head letters are different in the KJV and
it appears the letter for the name should be the Greek “I” and that being the
case it should really be represented by the English “Y” for the Hebrew Yod. I
do not believe it is a mistake the name Immanuel’s head letter is the Yod, or
“Y”, as this is the reference to the name of our Creator. Also, when you
consider what we have just seen in the name IAM as YAM and its connection with
the identity of the Creator and Father of Israel, the God of Abraham, all of
this seems to be saying more than, “God with us”. To me it seems to be saying
the God YaM is with us, or among us, or becomes man? The God YaM is identified
for Israel (Ysrael,
Strongs’s H3478, meaning “He will Rule as God”) by His personal
Name, YHWH (YaHWeH).
There
are many names in the Old and New Testaments that obscure the Holy Name of our
God. The names Israel, Jacob, Jesus, John, and Joshua are all names that should
be corrected to reflect their Creator’s name and character. In the name Israel
we see the same sort of covering we see in the name Immanuel, the use of the
Greek “I”, a letter that has changed over the centuries. The English “J” is a
replacement for the Greek “I” and this change can be seen in the KJV 1611, the
original version, later revised and the name Iesus changed to Jesus. Now, look
at the name Israel and change the head letter to “J” and you will see what is
meant by covering the identity of YHWH. Jsrael? Seems silly doesn’ it? Staying
consistent with the KJV the IAM should be JAM. This is like throwing another
shovel of dirt on top of the identity of our Creator and God YHWH. He named the
Judah and the people of Judah after Himself and we can see this when the name
Judah is restored to YaHudah, which is how it is pronounced by the Jew, or
people of Yahu-shua, the YaHudahians themselves.
It is
my hope that those with skills in languages will pick up on this and unravel
this hidden mystery surrounding this God YAM. Why? Simple, it points to YHWH as
God of Israel and begins to uncover the damage done to the identity of the True
God, the One God and Father of Israel and the One Father and God of us all.
YaHshua came in His Father’s Name, and it is a Name given Him at birth and that
Name is not the name presented to the world. Another name for the Christ is
being preached, by another name, a name that is not His Name but “another”
name. Say it anyway you want, JESUS does not come out to YaHshua, the birth
Name and the only Name by which all must and will be saved.
Peace to you in His Name, YaHshua, and your servant, Dan
Read also -- I Am that I Am YAM
Email: dan@servantsofyahshua.com