Yahweh is the personal name by which God made himself known to Israel (Ex. 3:15). The name Yahweh is related to the verb "to be," speaking of his self-dependent reality. God alone is self-existing and independent. This name also points to God's relational character, as his revelation of it is couched in the context of his being a covenant-keeping God. God exists independently and transcendently, and he exists for the good of his people.
Because of the Jewish people's reverence for the name, they refused to pronounce it, lest they speak the name disrespectfully. Instead, they substituted the word 'Adonay meaning "Lord." Even today, many of our English versions continue in this tradition, translating Yahweh as LORD (in all capital letters).
