Tag Archives: Exodus 6:3

“My Name יהוה I Did Not Make Known”: The Grammar of Divine Revelation in Exodus 6:3

Posted on June 3, 2025 by Advanced Hebrew Grammar
וָאֵרָ֗א אֶל־אַבְרָהָ֛ם אֶל־יִצְחָ֥ק וְאֶֽל־יַעֲקֹ֖ב בְּאֵ֣ל שַׁדָּ֑י וּשְׁמִ֣י יְהוָ֔ה לֹ֥א נֹודַ֖עְתִּי לָהֶֽם׃ In one of the most enigmatic declarations in the Torah, God tells Moses: וּשְׁמִי יְהוָ֔ה לֹא נֹודַ֖עְתִּי לָהֶֽם “And My name YHWH I did not make known to them.” This statement — from Shemot 6:3 — appears at first to contradict what we know from earlier narratives. After all, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are recorded as using the name YHWH. So how can God say He was not known by that name?… Learn Hebrew
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Unveiling and Withholding: The Dance of the Binyanim in Exodus 6:3

Posted on June 3, 2021 by Biblical Hebrew
וָאֵרָ֗א אֶל־אַבְרָהָ֛ם אֶל־יִצְחָ֥ק וְאֶֽל־יַעֲקֹ֖ב בְּאֵ֣ל שַׁדָּ֑י וּשְׁמִ֣י יְהוָ֔ה לֹ֥א נֹודַ֖עְתִּי לָהֶֽם׃ (Exodus 6:3) And I appeared to Avraham to Yitsḥaq and to Yaʿaqov as El Shaddai and My name YHWH I was not known to them Introduction: Divine Revelation and Hiddenness This verse from Exodus 6:3 captures one of the most theologically charged moments in the Torah: the contrast between appearing and being known. At the heart of this verse lies a subtle and profound play between two binyanim—Niphal and Qal.… Learn Hebrew
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