etymology of name of god, western 1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semitic_root

D - We mostly use 'Yahweh'. More obscurely, it is derived from a Semitic triliteral root plus one modifier for masculine and subject.

Semitic root
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The roots of verbs and most nouns in the Semitic languages are characterized as a sequence of consonants or "radicals" (hence also the term consonantal root). Such abstract consonantal roots are used in the formation of actual words by adding the vowels and non-root consonants (or "transfixes") which go with a particular morphological category around the root consonants, in an appropriate way, generally following specific patterns. It is a peculiarity of Semitic linguistics that a large majority of these consonantal roots are triliterals (although there are a number of quadriliterals, and in some languages also biliterals). (Wiki)

Etymology
Most scholars accept that YHWH is made up of Y, meaning "he", plus a form of HWY, the root of a group of words connected with "being" and "becoming".

It appears 6,823 times in the Jewish Bible, according to the Jewish Encyclopedia, and 6,828 times each in the Biblia Hebraica and Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia texts of the Hebrew Scriptures. This number in itself is quite remarkable considering the name compared with titles given to God, namely: God (2,605), Almighty (48), Lord (40), Maker (25), Creator (7), Father (7), Ancient of Days (3) and Grand Instructor (2).

D - some speculation follows. I don't have an opinion on it.

http://jesus-messiah.com/html/yaho-meaning.html

Yaho (Heb.). Furst shows this to be the same as the Greek Iao. Yaho is an old Semitic and very mystic name of the supreme deity, while Yah (q.v.) is a later abbreviation which, from containing an abstract ideal, became finally applied to, and connected with, a phallic symbol -- the lingham of creation. Both Yah and Yaho were Hebrew "mystery names" derived from Iao, but the Chaldeans had a Yaho named Ia or Ya(h) before the Jews adopted the name, and with them, as explained by some Gnostics and Neo-Platonists (Clement--Iao-ve, Origen--Iao, Epiphanius--Iave, Theodoret--Iabe, Jews--Ala: see Jehovah Ency Britannica Vol 12, Page 995, 1958 edtion); The true key of this mystery god was communicated to the Initiates only, was that the name of IAO was "triliteral (triune, trinity) and its nature secret", as explained by the Hierophants. The Phoenicians too had a supreme deity whose name was triliteral, triune, and trinity, and its meanings secret, this was also Iao; and Y-ha-ho was a sacred word in the Egyptian mysteries, which signified "the one eternal and concealed deity." Iah or Yah is also the Egyptian moon god.
D - another place we see this triliteral Semitic-style word is in old Arabic. Take the elative in the Islamic Takbir.

The Takbīr or Tekbir (تَكْبِير) is the Arabic term for the phrase Allāhu Akbar (الله أكبر). It is usually translated "God is [the] Greatest," or "God is Great". It is a common Islamic Arabic expression. It is used in various contexts by Muslims: in formal prayer, as an informal expression of faith, in times of distress, to express celebration or victory, and to express resolute determination or defiance (especially in politically-charged context).
The form Allāhu is the nominative of Allah "God". The form akbar is the elative of the adjective kabīr "great", from the root k-b-r. As used in the takbir it is usually translated as "greatest", but some authors prefer "greater".[1] The term takbīr itself is the stem II verbal noun (tafʿīlun) of the triliteral root k-b-r "great".

D - Then the 2 A's denote the elative form - kinda like a combo comparative and superlative. At any rate, regardless of translation into English, there is widespread consensus that the Big Guy is pretty darn swell.

D - Now here's where it gets interesting. Allah and Elohim (Old Testament - another name for deity) are both cognates from the same origin. In Uratic, I think.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elohim

Elohim (אֱלהִים) is a grammatically singular or plural noun for "god" or "gods" in both modern and ancient Hebrew language. When used with singular verbs and adjectives elohim is usually singular, "god" or especially, the God. When used with plural verbs and adjectives elohim is usually plural, "gods" or "powers".[1][2] It is generally thought that Elohim is a formation from eloah, the latter being an expanded form of the Northwest Semitic noun il (אֱל, ʾēl [3]). It is usually translated as "God" in the Hebrew Bible, referring with singular verbs both to the one God of Israel, and also in a few examples to other singular pagan deities. With plural verbs the word is also used as a true plural with the meaning "gods".[3] The related nouns eloah (אלוה) and el (אֱל) are used as proper names or as generics, in which case they are interchangeable with elohim.[3] (wiki)

Allah (English pronunciation: /ˈælə/ or /ˈɑːlə/; Arabic: الله‎ Allāh, IPA: [ʔɑlˈlɑː] ( listen), [ʔalˤˈlˤɑː]) is a word for God used in the context of Islam and other monotheistic religions of Arabic-speaking communities.[1] In Arabic, the word means simply "the God".[2][3][4] It is used primarily by Muslims and Bahá'ís, and often, albeit not exclusively, used by Arabic-speaking Eastern Catholic Christians, Maltese Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Mizrahi Jews and Sikhs.[5][6][7] It is related to ʼĔlāhā in Aramaic. (wiki)


The Aramaic alphabet is adapted from the Phoenician alphabet and became distinctive from it by the 8th century BCE. The letters all represent consonants, some of which are matres lectionis, which also indicate long vowels.
The Aramaic alphabet is historically significant, since virtually all modern Middle Eastern writing systems use a script that can be traced back to it, as well as numerous Altaic writing systems of Central and East Asia. This is primarily due to the widespread usage of the Aramaic language as both a lingua franca and the official language of the Neo-Assyrian, and its successor, the Achaemenid Empire. Among the scripts in modern use, the Hebrew alphabet bears the closest relation to the Imperial Aramaic script of the 5th century BCE, with an identical letter inventory and, for the most part, nearly identical letter shapes.

D - again, check out the origin of "alphabet" from Alef and Bet - and the original ox and house pictograms. (It sounded the same too. )

Interesting Facts About Aleph

Interestingly enough, our word Alphabet comes from the first two letters in the Hebrew Alphabet, Aleph and Bet: Aleph-Bet or AlphaBet. And other nice rat facts: the letter A, or Alpha in Greek is a derivative of an ox head turned upright. Also, coincidentally enough, the Hebrew letter Aleph means ox as well.

The letter itself (aleph) when scribed and superimposed on a drawing of an ox or cow with horns resembles the cow in stick figure. The two upper portions being the horns, and the lower two portions the legs.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1552829

And on Bet -

http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Grammar/Unit_One/Aleph-Bet/Bet/bet.html

Well there you have it folks. Happy Holidays!