YHVH: Difference between revisions

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|seoimage=
|seoimage=
|jpname=YHVH
|jpname=YHVH
|names=Yahweh{{Exp App|SLB1}}<br>God
|names=Yahweh{{Exp App|SLB1}}<br/>God<br/>God of Law<br/>The Creator{{Exp App|SMT5|SMT5V}}
|origin=Abrahamic religions
|origin=Abrahamic religions
|race=[[God]]{{Exp App|KMT}}<br>[[Godly]]{{Exp App|SMT2|SMT4A}}<br>[[Only God]]{{Exp App|MT2}}
|race=[[God]]{{Exp App|KMT}}<br/>[[Godly]]{{Exp App|SMT2|SMT4A}}<br/>[[One True God]]{{Exp App|MT2}}
|alignment=
|alignment=
|arcana=
|arcana=
|order=
|order=
|va=[[Mugihito]] <small>(JP)</small>{{Exp App|SMT4A}}<br>[[William Salyers]] <small>(EN)</small>{{Exp App|SMT4A}}
|va=[[Mugihito]] <small>(JP)</small>{{Exp App|SMT4A}}<br/>[[William Salyers]] <small>(EN)</small>{{Exp App|SMT4A}}
}}
}}
'''{{PAGENAME}}''' is a [[Demon]] in the [[Megami Tensei (Franchise)|''Megami Tensei'' franchise]].
'''{{PAGENAME}}''' is a [[Demon]] in the [[Megami Tensei (Franchise)|''Megami Tensei'' franchise]].
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==Profile==
==Profile==
===Origin===
===Origin===
YHVH in the ''Megami Tensei'' franchise represents the God of the Abrahamic religions. Thought by scholars to have originally been a minor Semitic war and storm god, and a national god of the Israelite kingdoms of Israel and Judah, he was worshiped alongside other Canaanite deities such as [[Asherah]], [[Baal]], and El. Centuries later YHVH became conflated with El, gaining epithets such as [[Shaddai|El Shaddai]]. Over time YHVH would become seen as the supreme creator of the universe and all that is in it, and is now considered by the Abrahamic religions to be the only god: the existence of all other gods is rejected. These religions teach that YHVH is all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-present, and that he is a benevolent deity. Most Christian denominations consider God to be a trinity of one God in three persons (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit), but this doctrine is rejected in Judaism, Islam, and nontrinitarian Christianity.
YHVH in the ''Megami Tensei'' franchise represents the God of the Abrahamic religions. Thought by scholars to have originally been a minor Semitic war and storm god, and a national god of the Israelite kingdoms of Israel and Judah, he was worshiped alongside other Canaanite deities such as [[Asherah]], [[Baal]], and El. Centuries later YHVH became conflated with El, gaining epithets such as [[Shaddai|El Shaddai]]. Over time YHVH would become seen as the supreme creator of the universe and all that is in it, and is now considered by the Abrahamic religions to be the only god: the existence of all other gods is rejected. These religions teach that YHVH is all-powerful, all-knowing, all-present, and a benevolent deity. Most Christian denominations consider God to be a trinity of one God in three persons (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit), but this doctrine is rejected in Judaism, Islam, and nontrinitarian Christianity.
 
The name YHVH{{Note|{{Translit|Hebrew|יהוה|yhwh}}}} (also rendered as YHWH or JHVH), referred to as the Tetragrammaton (Greek for "[name of] four letters"), is used in the Hebrew Bible and Christian Old Testament as the personal name of God. The name is derived from the Hebrew verb meaning "to be,"{{Note|{{Translit|Hebrew|הָיָה|hāyâ}}}}<ref name="lewis">{{Cite Book|book=The Origin and Character of God: Ancient Israelite Religion through the Lens of Divinity|page=p. 214|author=Theodore J. Lewis|publisher= ‎Oxford University Press|isbn={{ISBN|978-0190072544}}|quote=Rather, the consensus of scholarship is certainly correct that ''yhwh'' represents a verbal form, with the ''y-'' representing the third masculine singular verbal prefix of the verb ''hyh'' 'to be.'
 
The foundation for this consensus is the revelation of the divine name in Exodus 3:14, a notoriously difficult passage where God declares 'I am who I am' (''ʾehyeh ʾăšer ʾehyeh'').|publyear=2020}}</ref> which is alluded to in Exodus 3:14 with God telling Moses "I am who I am."{{Note|{{Translit|Hebrew|אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה‎‎|ʾehyê ʾăšer ʾehyê}}}}<ref name="lewis"/>
 
Over time, the name YHVH became considered too sacred to say aloud, and so in speaking began to be replaced with ''Adonai'' (the Lord);{{Note|{{Translit|Hebrew|אֲדֹנָי|ʾăḏōnāy}}}} as such, in English versions of the Bible, it is conventionally translated as "the <span style="font-variant:small-caps">Lord</span>," with the small capitals distinguishing uses of YHVH in the original Hebrew from uses of ''Adonai''. Another traditional way of rendering the name YHVH in English is "Jehovah"; this spelling originates from Jewish scribes putting the vowel marks for ''Adonai'' onto the Tetragrammaton in the Masoretic text{{Note|{{Translit|Hebrew|יְהֹוָה‎|*yŏhōwâ}}; actually pronounced ''ʾăḏōnāy''. The first vowel is simplified from a patach and sheva together (which makes a reduced /a/ sound) to a plain sheva.}} in order to indicate that it is pronounced ''Adonai'', after which the Tetragrammaton was transcribed into the Latin alphabet with those vowels.<ref>{{Cite Web|url=[https://biblehub.com/hebrew/3068.htm Strong's Hebrew: 3068. יְהֹוָה (Yhvh) -- the proper name of the God of Israel]|site=Bible Hub|retrieved=December 25, 2023}}</ref> When the name accompanies an already existing ''Adonai'', the Tetragrammaton is pronounced as ''Elohim'', meaning "God" as a proper noun.{{Note|{{Translit|Hebrew|יֱהֹוִה|*yĕhōwih}}; actually pronounced ''ʾĕlōhîm''.}} The scholarly consensus for the original pronunciation of the name is "Yahweh."{{Note|{{Translit|Hebrew|<span dir<nowiki>=</nowiki>"rtl">*יַהְוֶה‎</span>|*yahwê}}}}<ref>{{Cite Book|author=Robert Alter|quote=The strong consensus of biblical scholarship is that the original pronunciation of the name YHWH that God goes on to use in verse 15 was 'Yahweh.'|book=The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary|volume=3|page=p. 240|isbn={{ISBN|978-0393292503}}|publisher=W. W. Norton & Company|publyear=2018}}</ref>


===Design===
===Design===
YHVH is usually depicted as a floating human head whose color varies depending on game. The head is blue in {{link|game|MT2}} and {{link|game|KMT}}, and the head is yellow in {{Link|Game|SMT2}} and {{link|Game|SMT4A}}. His eyes have black sclera and white irises in ''Megami Tensei II'' and ''Kyūyaku Megami Tensei'', black sclera and red irises in ''Shin Megami Tensei II'', and white sclera and no irises or pupils in ''Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse''. He has long, pointed ears in ''Shin Megami Tensei II''. In ''Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse'', the head has a pattern of triangles on it.
YHVH is usually depicted as a floating human head whose color varies depending on game. The head is blue in {{link|game|MT2}} and {{link|game|KMT}}, and the head is yellow in {{Link|Game|SMT2}} and {{link|Game|SMT4A}}. His eyes have black sclera and white irises in ''Megami Tensei II'' and ''Kyūyaku Megami Tensei'', black sclera and red irises in ''Shin Megami Tensei II'', and white sclera and no irises or pupils in ''Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse''. He has long, pointed ears in ''Shin Megami Tensei II''. In ''Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse'', the head has a pattern of triangles on it.


YHVH receives a second form in ''Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse''. This is not a true form, but rather a demonized form forced upon him to deprive him of his true power.<ref>"The corrupted figure that appears depending on the player’s choices; it is, therefore, not the true god’s form. Depending on the way Christianity was propagated, the inconvenient local gods were slandered and degraded. These gods were given the extreme forms of demons, the animals and reptiles they disliked, but in this game irony has it that YHVH’s second form is degraded by the very entities he hated." - '''Masayuki Doi''' https://dijehtranslations.wordpress.com/2016/08/12/970/</ref> In this form he appears as a four winged serpent with various animals emerging from flames and surrounding a demonic head at the center that represent various biblical stories.<ref>"The first form was the head of the first man, Adam, created in his own image. However, the second form turns into a strange chimera that resembles a demon. The goat wanted by god in the Scriptures, the snake that tempted Eve in Eden or the swarm of locusts that appeared in the Exodus, threatening the Pharaoh if he refused to free the Jews, all can be seen in this form. Each part of the chimera is connected to the other." - '''Masayuki Doi''' https://dijehtranslations.wordpress.com/2016/08/12/970/</ref> Notably, the insect represents the plague of locusts in the book of Exodus,<ref>“This is what Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, that they may serve me. Or else, if you refuse to let my people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your country, and they shall cover the surface of the earth, so that one won’t be able to see the earth. They shall eat the residue of that which has escaped, which remains to you from the hail, and shall eat every tree which grows for you out of the field. Your houses shall be filled, and the houses of all your servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians, as neither your fathers nor your fathers’ fathers have seen, since the day that they were on the earth to this day.’” -  '''Exodus 10:3–6''' (WEB)</ref> the serpent from Genesis that tempted Adam and Eve with knowledge, and the goat references the sacrifices performed in His name. When attacking a humanoid specter emerges from the flames writhing in fury.
YHVH receives a second form in ''Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse''. This is not a true form, but rather a demonized form forced upon him to deprive him of his true power.<ref>"The corrupted figure that appears depending on the player’s choices; it is, therefore, not the true god’s form. Depending on the way Christianity was propagated, the inconvenient local gods were slandered and degraded. These gods were given the extreme forms of demons, the animals and reptiles they disliked, but in this game irony has it that YHVH’s second form is degraded by the very entities he hated." - '''Masayuki Doi''' https://dijehtranslations.wordpress.com/2016/08/12/970/</ref> In this form he appears as a four winged serpent with various animals emerging from flames and surrounding a demonic head at the center that represent various biblical stories.<ref>"The first form was the head of the first man, Adam, created in his own image. However, the second form turns into a strange chimera that resembles a demon. The goat wanted by god in the Scriptures, the snake that tempted Eve in Eden or the swarm of locusts that appeared in the Exodus, threatening the Pharaoh if he refused to free the Jews, all can be seen in this form. Each part of the chimera is connected to the other." - '''Masayuki Doi''' https://dijehtranslations.wordpress.com/2016/08/12/970/</ref> Notably, the insect represents the plague of locusts in the book of Exodus,<ref>“This is what Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, that they may serve me. Or else, if you refuse to let my people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your country, and they shall cover the surface of the earth, so that one won’t be able to see the earth. They shall eat the residue of that which has escaped, which remains to you from the hail, and shall eat every tree which grows for you out of the field. Your houses shall be filled, and the houses of all your servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians, as neither your fathers nor your fathers’ fathers have seen, since the day that they were on the earth to this day.’” -  '''Exodus 10:3–6''' (WEB)</ref> the serpent from Genesis that tempted [[Adam]] and [[Eve]] with knowledge,<ref name="biblegateway">{{Cite Web|url=[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%203&version=NIV/ Genesis 3]|retrieved=November 1, 2024|site=Bible Gateway}}</ref> and the goat references the sacrifices performed in His name. When attacking a humanoid specter emerges from the flames writhing in fury.


==Gameplay==
==Gameplay==
==={{link|game|smt2}}===
{{Tabs
|Center|
{{SMT2 Boss Stats
|img=PS Fake YHVH
|name= YHVH
|level= 69
|hp= 3987
|mp= 1449
|st= 25
|in= 20
|ma= 20
|vi= 17
|ag= 15
|lu= 11
|location= [[Center]] 22F
|race=Godly
|alignment= 2
|atk=188
|acc=127
|def=172
|eva=125
|matk=25
|mefc=25
|exp= 3864
|macca={{currency|macca}}7728
|magnetite={{currency|mag}}3864
|resist= 52
|moon= A
|hit= 1~3
|magic= {{Skill|SMT2|Maragion}}
{{Skill|SMT2|Mabufula}}
{{Skill|SMT2|God Voice Fake}}
{{Skill|SMT2|Mazionga}}
{{Skill|SMT2|Mazanma}}
{{Skill|SMT2|Megidolaon}}
{{Skill|SMT2|Diarama}}
}}
|Higher Dimensional Space|
{{SMT2 Boss Stats
|name=YHVH
|level=108
|hp=17079
|mp=5852
|st=40
|in=32
|ma=35
|vi=39
|ag=24
|lu=28
|location=[[Higher Dimensional Space]]
|race=Godly
|alignment=1
|atk=296
|acc=203
|def=294
|eva=201
|matk=43
|mefc=40
|resist=67
|moon=A
|hit=All
|magic= {{Skill|SMT2|Megido}}
{{Skill|SMT2|Megidolaon}}
{{Skill|SMT2|Dekaja}}
{{Skill|SMT2|Rekaja}}
{{Skill|SMT2|God Voice}}
|extra={{Skill|SMT2|Guard}}
}}
}}
==={{link|game|smt4a}}===
==={{link|game|smt4a}}===
<tabber>
{{Tabs
1st Form=
|1st Form|
<!-- Do not remove onlyinclude or transclude tags --><onlyinclude>{{#ifeq:{{{transcludesection|SMT4ABoss1}}}|SMT4ABoss1|
<!-- Do not remove onlyinclude or transclude tags --><onlyinclude>{{#ifeq:{{{transcludesection|SMT4ABoss1}}}|SMT4ABoss1|
{{SMT4A Boss Stats
{{SMT4A Boss Stats
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|lu=100
|lu=100
|race=Godly
|race=Godly
|align=Law
|alignment=Law
|hp=20000
|hp=20000
|mp=7000
|mp=7000
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{{Skill|SMT4A|Silence}}
{{Skill|SMT4A|Silence}}
}}}}</onlyinclude>
}}}}</onlyinclude>
|-|
|2nd Form|
2nd Form=
<!-- Do not remove onlyinclude or transclude tags --><onlyinclude>{{#ifeq:{{{transcludesection|SMT4ABoss2}}}|SMT4ABoss2|
<!-- Do not remove onlyinclude or transclude tags --><onlyinclude>{{#ifeq:{{{transcludesection|SMT4ABoss2}}}|SMT4ABoss2|
{{SMT4A Boss Stats
{{SMT4A Boss Stats
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|lu=99
|lu=99
|race=Godly
|race=Godly
|align=Law
|alignment=Law
|hp=30190
|hp=30190
|mp=7901
|mp=7901
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{{Skill|SMT4A|Scorn}}
{{Skill|SMT4A|Scorn}}
}}}}</onlyinclude>
}}}}</onlyinclude>
</tabber>
==Compendium==
{{Compendium
|smt1=
|smt2=
|smt3=
|smtsj=
|smt4=
|smt4a=
|smt5=
|smti=
|dx2=
|sh1=
|dsrk1=
|dsrk2=
|sh2=
|p2is=
|p2ep=
|p3=
|p4=
|p5=
|pq1=
|pq2=
|p5s=
|dcbr=
|dcw=
|dcld=
|dcfi=
|desu1=
|desu2=
}}
}}


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===''{{link|Game|KMT}}''===
===''{{link|Game|KMT}}''===
===''{{link|Game|SMT2}}''===
===''{{link|Game|SMT2}}''===
As [[Tokyo Millennium]] is a theocracy governed by the [[Messian Church]], the city is centered around the worship of God, otherwise known as YHVH. Supposedly, the city is aligned to God's will, and according to the Messian Church, God will soon send the people a [[Messiah (Concept)|Messiah]] that will guide them to create the [[Millennium Kingdom]], a utopia where people can live in peace forever.
{{startspoiler}}
After seeing all the atrocities committed by the [[Center]] and invading the Center HQ, [[Aleph]] comes across one of the [[Center Elders]], who calls out the other Elders' actions and says that their efforts to create the Millennium Kingdom are against God's will. Once Aleph strikes down the three Elders, who in actuality are the three Archangels [[Uriel]], [[Raphael]], and [[Michael]], a dying Michael pleads to God to save them and deliver justice unto Aleph's party, which summons a being claiming to be YHVH, who also attacks the party for daring to oppose it's will. After Aleph defeats the perceived god, the non-hostile Elder reveals herself to be the Archangel [[Gabriel]] and explains that though the other Elders had initially tried to bring about the Millennium Kingdom according to God's will, their vision of God and the Millennium Kingdom became perverted, and the Millennium they ended up creating strayed far from God's true vision of it. God had also promised that He would send a Messiah to save the people, but seeing that this Messiah was not coming soon enough, Michael, Uriel, and Raphael attempted to artificially create the Messiah themselves, which was in direct opposition to God's will, causing Him to abandon them and contact only Gabriel to order her to separate from her fellow Archangels to follow His true will.
Later, when Aleph is brought to [[Keter Castle]] to meet [[Lucifer]], the demon lord informs him that not only was Tokyo Millennium, contrary to the Elders' belief, in opposition to God's will, but also that the YHVH Aleph had defeated at the Center was not the real God; It was a fake generated from the fervent belief the Elders' held that they were following God's will. Lucifer also informs him of the impending return of God's tool of judgment, [[Satan]], who, in the distant past, was defeated by God and split in half, with one of those halves being [[Seth]]. God had him sealed away until the time he is needed arrives, a time Lucifer suspects is drawing near as Seth is beginning to awaken.
After this, Aleph is brought to [[Eden (Shin Megami Tensei II)|Eden]], Zayin's new base located at the top of the Center HQ. There, multiple people who have heard the voice of God, chosen regardless of their origin or class, have been assembled to be part of a new world where God's true Millennium Kingdom will be created, a goal Zayin asks Aleph to help bring to fruition.
Later, on the Neutral route, Lucifer reveals to Aleph that his weapon, the [[Kuzuryu]], was given to him by God under the orders that he use it to destroy humanity, which Lucifer pretended to obey while secretly planning to use it for his own purposes. God eventually found out about Lucifer's treachery however and had Gabriel secretly install a new weapon into Eden instead, the [[Ark (Shin Megami Tensei II)|Megiddo Ark]], which will cleanse the Earth of everyone apart from God's chosen people in Eden. In the Neutral and Chaos routes, Aleph's party infiltrates the Ark to stop it from firing, along the way defeating God's avatars [[Sabaoth]], [[Shaddai]], and [[Elohim]]. At the top of the Ark, Aleph's party confronts Satan, who, on the Neutral route, will briefly assume the appearance of his former self Zayin to explain why the situation had escalated to this state, with the reason being that God had abandoned Tokyo Millennium. Despite their cries for a Messiah, God never sent one to humanity because it was never His intention to do so; He knew that so long as humanity held knowledge, they would continue to turn away from Him, and so when the Archangels took matters into their own hands and started the [[Messiah Project]], He gave the fifth and final member of the project, Zayin, the soul of Satan, so that he would judge and punish all who were not chosen to be part of the new world. After Satan's defeat on the Chaos and Neutral routes, YHVH speaks directly to the party, ordering the ones who killed Satan to show themselves to Him. As they enter His [[Higher Dimensional Space|realm]], they finally face God Himself. On the Chaos route, YHVH admonishes Lucifer for disobeying Him, determining that not a speck of his former status as an Archangel remains. On the Neutral route, YHVH severely belittles and disparages Aleph and [[Hiroko]], calling Aleph an evil human created against the law of His life, and viewing Hiroko the same for bearing him with her body. In both routes, he calls them demons who have joined hands with the devil and unleashes His wrath upon the party.
On the Law route, Aleph and Satan successfully fire the Megiddo Ark, cleansing the Earth for God's chosen to repopulate on. After this, YHVH calls out to them, ordering them to come before Him. As the party goes into His realm to receive YHVH's praise for their work, Satan reveals that he still has one more person to judge: YHVH Himself, enraging the god and making Him unleash His wrath onto the party just as He does on the Neutral and Chaos routes. Regardless of the route Aleph takes, as YHVH is defeated and dying, He warns that humanity is not strong enough to live without anything to rely on or cling to, and as they continue to yearn for His salvation, He will be revived by the [[Great Will]] time and time again.
{{endspoiler}}
==={{Link|Game|SMT4A}}===
==={{Link|Game|SMT4A}}===


==Audio Drama Appearances==
<!-- ==Audio Drama Appearances==


==Novel Appearances==
==Novel Appearances==
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==Manga Appearances==
==Manga Appearances==


==Other Appearances==
==Other Appearances== -->


==Trivia==
==Trivia==
Line 206: Line 254:


==Nomenclature==
==Nomenclature==
The name YHVH{{Note|{{Translit|he|יהוה|yhwh}}}} (also rendered as YHWH or JHVH), referred to as the Tetragrammaton (Greek for "[name of] four letters"), is used in the Hebrew Bible and Christian Old Testament as the personal name of God. The name is derived from the Hebrew verb meaning "to be,"{{Note|{{Translit|he|הָיָה|hāyâ}}}}<ref name="lewis">{{Cite Book|book=The Origin and Character of God: Ancient Israelite Religion through the Lens of Divinity|page=p. 214|author=Theodore J. Lewis|publisher= ‎Oxford University Press|isbn={{ISBN|978-0190072544}}|quote=Rather, the consensus of scholarship is certainly correct that ''yhwh'' represents a verbal form, with the ''y-'' representing the third masculine singular verbal prefix of the verb ''hyh'' 'to be.'
The foundation for this consensus is the revelation of the divine name in Exodus 3:14, a notoriously difficult passage where God declares 'I am who I am' (''ʾehyeh ʾăšer ʾehyeh'').|publyear=2020}}</ref> which is alluded to in Exodus 3:14 with God telling Moses "I am who I am."{{Note|{{Translit|he|אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה‎‎|ʾehyê ʾăšer ʾehyê}}}}<ref name="lewis"/>
Over time, the name YHVH became considered too sacred to say aloud, and so in speaking began to be replaced with ''Adonai'' (my Lord);{{Note|{{Translit|he|אֲדֹנָי|ʾăḏōnāy}}}} as such, in English versions of the Bible, it is conventionally translated as "the <span style="font-variant:small-caps">Lord</span>," with the small capitals distinguishing uses of YHVH in the original Hebrew from uses of ''Adonai''. Another traditional way of rendering the name YHVH in English is "Jehovah"; this spelling originates from Jewish scribes putting the vowel marks for ''Adonai'' onto the Tetragrammaton in the Masoretic text{{Note|{{Translit|he|יְהֹוָה‎|*yŏhōwâ}}; actually pronounced ''ʾăḏōnāy''. The first vowel is simplified from a patach and sheva together (which makes a reduced /a/ sound) to a plain sheva.}} in order to indicate that it is pronounced ''Adonai'', after which the Tetragrammaton was transcribed into the Latin alphabet with those vowels.<ref>{{Cite Web|url=[https://biblehub.com/hebrew/3068.htm Strong's Hebrew: 3068. יְהֹוָה (Yhvh) -- the proper name of the God of Israel]|site=Bible Hub|retrieved=December 25, 2023}}</ref> When the name accompanies an already existing ''Adonai'', the Tetragrammaton is pronounced as ''Elohim'', meaning "God" as a proper noun.{{Note|{{Translit|he|יֱהֹוִה|*yĕhōwih}}; actually pronounced ''ʾĕlōhîm''.}} The scholarly consensus for the original pronunciation of the name is "Yahweh."{{Note|{{Translit|he|*יַהְוֶה‎|*yahwê}}}}<ref>{{Cite Book|author=Robert Alter|quote=The strong consensus of biblical scholarship is that the original pronunciation of the name YHWH that God goes on to use in verse 15 was 'Yahweh.'|book=The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary|volume=3|page=p. 240|isbn={{ISBN|978-0393292503}}|publisher=W. W. Norton & Company|publyear=2018}}</ref>
{{Names
{{Names
|ja=Y・H・V・H{{Exp App|MT2|KMT}}<br>YHVH{{Exp App|SMT2|SMT4A}}<br>ヤハウェ{{Exp App|SLB1}}
|ja=Y・H・V・H
|jaM=Transliteration of יהוה<br>Same as above but without dots.<br>Yahweh
|jaE={{Exp App|MT2|KMT}}
|jaM=Transliteration of {{Translit|he|יהוה|hidelabel=y}}
|ja2=YHVH
|jaE2={{Exp App|SMT2|SMT4A}}
|jaM2=Same as above but without dots.
|ja3=ヤハウェ
|jaE3={{Exp App|SLB1}}
|jaM3=Yahweh
|ja4=創造主
|jaE4={{Exp App|SMT5|SMT5V}}
|jaM4=The Creator
|zhS=  
|zhS=  
|zhSM=
|zhSM=
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MT2 YHVH Sprite.png|Sprite of YHVH from {{Link|Game|MT2}}.
MT2 YHVH Sprite.png|Sprite of YHVH from {{Link|Game|MT2}}.
MT2 YHVH Animated Sprite.gif|Animated sprite of YHVH from {{Link|Game|MT2}}.
MT2 YHVH Animated Sprite.gif|Animated sprite of YHVH from {{Link|Game|MT2}}.
SMT2 PS Fake YHVH Sprite.png|Sprite of the false YHVH from {{Link|Game|SMT2}}
SMT2 PS Fake YHVH Sprite.png|Sprite of the false YHVH from {{Link|Game|SMT2}} (Playstation).
SMT2 PS YHVH Sprite.png|Sprite of the true YHVH from {{Link|Game|SMT2}}
SMT2 PS YHVH Sprite.png|Sprite of the true YHVH from {{Link|Game|SMT2}} (Playstation).
SLB1 Yahweh Sprite.png|Sprite of Yahweh in {{Link|Game|SLB1}}
SLB1 Yahweh Sprite.png|Sprite of Yahweh in {{Link|Game|SLB1}}.
SMT4A YHVH Artwork.png|Artwork of YHVH from {{Link|Game|SMT4A}}
SMT4A YHVH Artwork.png|Artwork of YHVH from {{Link|Game|SMT4A}}.
SMT4A YHVH Concept Artwork.jpg|Concept artwork of YHVH from {{Link|Game|SMT4A}}
SMT4A YHVH Concept Artwork.jpg|Concept artwork of YHVH from {{Link|Game|SMT4A}}.
SMT4A Demonized YHVH Artwork.jpg|Artwork of YHVH's demonized from {{Link|Game|SMT4A}}
SMT4A Demonized YHVH Artwork.jpg|Artwork of YHVH's demonized from {{Link|Game|SMT4A}}.
SMT4A YHVH II Concept Artwork 1.jpg|Concept art 1 of YHVH's demonized form from {{Link|Game|SMT4A}}
SMT4A YHVH II Concept Artwork 1.jpg|Concept art 1 of YHVH's demonized form from {{Link|Game|SMT4A}}.
SMT4A YHVH II Concept Artwork 2.jpg|Concept art 2 of YHVH's demonized form from {{Link|Game|SMT4A}}
SMT4A YHVH II Concept Artwork 2.jpg|Concept art 2 of YHVH's demonized form from {{Link|Game|SMT4A}}.
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Latest revision as of 14:51, 13 November 2024

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YHVH is a Demon in the Megami Tensei franchise.

Profile

Origin

YHVH in the Megami Tensei franchise represents the God of the Abrahamic religions. Thought by scholars to have originally been a minor Semitic war and storm god, and a national god of the Israelite kingdoms of Israel and Judah, he was worshiped alongside other Canaanite deities such as Asherah, Baal, and El. Centuries later YHVH became conflated with El, gaining epithets such as El Shaddai. Over time YHVH would become seen as the supreme creator of the universe and all that is in it, and is now considered by the Abrahamic religions to be the only god: the existence of all other gods is rejected. These religions teach that YHVH is all-powerful, all-knowing, all-present, and a benevolent deity. Most Christian denominations consider God to be a trinity of one God in three persons (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit), but this doctrine is rejected in Judaism, Islam, and nontrinitarian Christianity.

Design

YHVH is usually depicted as a floating human head whose color varies depending on game. The head is blue in Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei II and Kyūyaku Megami Tensei, and the head is yellow in Shin Megami Tensei II and Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse. His eyes have black sclera and white irises in Megami Tensei II and Kyūyaku Megami Tensei, black sclera and red irises in Shin Megami Tensei II, and white sclera and no irises or pupils in Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse. He has long, pointed ears in Shin Megami Tensei II. In Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse, the head has a pattern of triangles on it.

YHVH receives a second form in Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse. This is not a true form, but rather a demonized form forced upon him to deprive him of his true power.[1] In this form he appears as a four winged serpent with various animals emerging from flames and surrounding a demonic head at the center that represent various biblical stories.[2] Notably, the insect represents the plague of locusts in the book of Exodus,[3] the serpent from Genesis that tempted Adam and Eve with knowledge,[4] and the goat references the sacrifices performed in His name. When attacking a humanoid specter emerges from the flames writhing in fury.

Gameplay

Shin Megami Tensei II

CenterHigher Dimensional Space
Name Level HP MP
YHVH 69 3987 1449
Strength
25
Intelligence
20
Magic
20
Vitality
17
Agility
15
Luck
11
Location Center 22F
Species Race Alignment EXP Macca Magnetite Drop
God Godly Light-Law (2) 3864 ♄Macca7728 MAGMagnetite3864 —
Attack Accuracy Defense Evasion M. Attack M. Effect
188 127 172 125 25 25
Resistances
Sword Gun Fire Ice Elec Force Light Dark Almighty
×⅞ NulNull ×1 ×⅝ ×⅝ ×1 Rfl ×½Reflect (×½ Damage) Rfl ×½Reflect (×½ Damage) ×1
Charge Hand Skill Leg Skill Fly Skill Nerve Ruin Bind Type
×½ ×½ ×½ ×½ NulNull Rfl ×½Reflect (×½ Damage) Rfl ×½Reflect (×½ Damage) Substance-Lacking Boss
Moon Phase Damage Output
New New 1/8 1/8 2/8 2/8 3/8 3/8 Half Half 5/8 5/8 6/8 6/8 7/8 7/8 Full Full
100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%
Basic Attack Element Hit(s) Target
Sword 1~3 Single enemy
Magic Skills
Skill Attribute Cost Description
Maragion Fire 9 MP Burns all enemies with strong flames.
Mabufula Ice 11 MP Strongly freezes all enemies and puts them into the Freeze state.
God VoiceFake Ruin 10 MP —
Mazionga Electric 12 MP Drops strong lightning and puts all enemies into the Shock state.
Mazanma Force 7 MP Throws a strong shockwave at all enemies.
Megidolaon Almighty 15 MP Deals strong non-elemental damage to all enemies.
Diarama Recovery 4 MP Greatly recovers HP of 1 ally.
Name Level HP MP
YHVH 108 17079 5852
Strength
40
Intelligence
32
Magic
35
Vitality
39
Agility
24
Luck
28
Location Higher Dimensional Space
Species Race Alignment EXP Macca Magnetite Drop
God Godly Light-Law (1) — — — —
Attack Accuracy Defense Evasion M. Attack M. Effect
296 203 294 201 43 40
Resistances
Sword Gun Fire Ice Elec Force Light Dark Almighty
×1 RflReflect ×¾ RflReflect RflReflect ×½ RflReflect RflReflect ×1
Charge Hand Skill Leg Skill Fly Skill Nerve Ruin Bind Type
RflReflect RflReflect RflReflect RflReflect RflReflect RflReflect RflReflect Final
Moon Phase Damage Output
New New 1/8 1/8 2/8 2/8 3/8 3/8 Half Half 5/8 5/8 6/8 6/8 7/8 7/8 Full Full
100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%
Basic Attack Element Hit(s) Target
Sword All Single enemy
Magic Skills
Skill Attribute Cost Description
Megido Almighty 15 MP Deals non-elemental damage to all enemies.
Megidolaon Almighty 15 MP Deals strong non-elemental damage to all enemies.
Dekaja Support 10 MP Removes effects of all kaja-type magic.
Rekaja Support 5 MP Restores all stats lowered by nda-type magic.
God Voice Force 10 MP —
Extra Skills
Skill Attribute Cost Description
Sacrifice Support 0% HP —

Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse

1st Form2nd Form
File:SMT4A YHVH 1st Form Sprite.png
Name Level HP MP
YHVH 100 20000 7000
Strength
130
Dexterity
130
Magic
130
Agility
140
Luck
100

Race AlignmentFactored with certain skills EXP
Godly Law —
Drop
— — —
Resistances
RsResist RsResist RsResist RsResist RsResist RsResist RsResist RsResist
×0.50 ×0.50 ×0.50 ×0.50 ×0.50 ×0.50 ×0.50 ×0.50
Ailment Resistances
×0 ×0 ×0 ×0 ×0 ×0 ×0 ×0
Skill Affinity
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
Basic Attack Element Hit(s) Target Effect
Phys 1 Single enemy —
Skills
Skill Cost Description
Inferno of God 46 MP Heavy fire damage to all foes that pierces resistances.
Hailstorm of God 46 MP Heavy ice damage to all foes that pierces resistances.
Lightning of God 46 MP Heavy elec damage to all foes that pierces resistances.
Tornado of God 46 MP Heavy force damage to all foes that pierces resistances.
Divine Wave 1 MP Severe physical damage to one foe.
Authoritative Stance 1 MP Removes 3 press turn icons on the foe's next turn.
Holy Stigmata 1 MP Severe physical damage to one foe. Inflicts Brand.
Divine Harmony 1 MP Nullifies all foes' support effects.
Mouth of God 1 MP Instant kill to one foe with 100% accuracy.
Planned Chaos 1 MP Medium almighty damage to one foe. Inflicts Bind/Panic/Charm.
Miracle 1 MP Almighty attack that reduces all foes' HP to 1.
Luster Candy 80 MP Buffs party's attack, defense, and agility by 1 level.
Debilitate 100 MP Debuffs all foes' attack, defense, and agility by 1 level.
Smile Charge 50 MP Bestows the user with Smirk. Cannot be used if the user has ailment(s).
Silence 1 MP No effect.
File:SMT4A YHVH 2nd Form Sprite.png
Name Level HP MP
YHVH 100 30190 7901
Strength
155
Dexterity
113
Magic
162
Agility
101
Luck
99

Race AlignmentFactored with certain skills EXP
Godly Law —
Drop
— — —
Resistances
RsResist RsResist RsResist RsResist RsResist RsResist RsResist RsResist
×0.50 ×0.50 ×0.50 ×0.50 ×0.50 ×0.50 ×0.50 ×0.50
Ailment Resistances
×0 ×0 ×0 ×0 ×0 ×0 ×0 ×0
Skill Affinity
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
Basic Attack Element Hit(s) Target Effect
Phys 1 Single enemy —
Skills
Skill Cost Description
Inferno of God 46 MP Heavy fire damage to all foes that pierces resistances.
Hailstorm of God 46 MP Heavy ice damage to all foes that pierces resistances.
Lightning of God 46 MP Heavy elec damage to all foes that pierces resistances.
Tornado of God 46 MP Heavy force damage to all foes that pierces resistances.
Crush 1 MP Severe physical damage to one foe.
Holy Stigmata 1 MP Severe physical damage to one foe. Inflicts Brand.
Divine Harmony 1 MP Nullifies all foes' support effects.
Mouth of God 1 MP Instant kill to one foe with 100% accuracy.
Planned Chaos 1 MP Medium almighty damage to one foe. Inflicts Bind/Panic/Charm.
Rampage 1 MP 6 to 10 hits of heavy physical damage to multiple foes.
Black Hole 1 MP Almighty attack that drains MP from all foes.
Supernova 1 MP Severe almighty damage to all foes.
Infinite Power 1 MP Fully buffs all stats and bestows Smirk.
Unending Curse 1 MP Fully debuffs all stats of all foes. Inflicts Mute.
Scorn 1 MP No effect.

Game Appearances

Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei II

Kyūyaku Megami Tensei

Shin Megami Tensei II

As Tokyo Millennium is a theocracy governed by the Messian Church, the city is centered around the worship of God, otherwise known as YHVH. Supposedly, the city is aligned to God's will, and according to the Messian Church, God will soon send the people a Messiah that will guide them to create the Millennium Kingdom, a utopia where people can live in peace forever.

This section contains spoilers. (Skip Section)

After seeing all the atrocities committed by the Center and invading the Center HQ, Aleph comes across one of the Center Elders, who calls out the other Elders' actions and says that their efforts to create the Millennium Kingdom are against God's will. Once Aleph strikes down the three Elders, who in actuality are the three Archangels Uriel, Raphael, and Michael, a dying Michael pleads to God to save them and deliver justice unto Aleph's party, which summons a being claiming to be YHVH, who also attacks the party for daring to oppose it's will. After Aleph defeats the perceived god, the non-hostile Elder reveals herself to be the Archangel Gabriel and explains that though the other Elders had initially tried to bring about the Millennium Kingdom according to God's will, their vision of God and the Millennium Kingdom became perverted, and the Millennium they ended up creating strayed far from God's true vision of it. God had also promised that He would send a Messiah to save the people, but seeing that this Messiah was not coming soon enough, Michael, Uriel, and Raphael attempted to artificially create the Messiah themselves, which was in direct opposition to God's will, causing Him to abandon them and contact only Gabriel to order her to separate from her fellow Archangels to follow His true will.

Later, when Aleph is brought to Keter Castle to meet Lucifer, the demon lord informs him that not only was Tokyo Millennium, contrary to the Elders' belief, in opposition to God's will, but also that the YHVH Aleph had defeated at the Center was not the real God; It was a fake generated from the fervent belief the Elders' held that they were following God's will. Lucifer also informs him of the impending return of God's tool of judgment, Satan, who, in the distant past, was defeated by God and split in half, with one of those halves being Seth. God had him sealed away until the time he is needed arrives, a time Lucifer suspects is drawing near as Seth is beginning to awaken.

After this, Aleph is brought to Eden, Zayin's new base located at the top of the Center HQ. There, multiple people who have heard the voice of God, chosen regardless of their origin or class, have been assembled to be part of a new world where God's true Millennium Kingdom will be created, a goal Zayin asks Aleph to help bring to fruition.

Later, on the Neutral route, Lucifer reveals to Aleph that his weapon, the Kuzuryu, was given to him by God under the orders that he use it to destroy humanity, which Lucifer pretended to obey while secretly planning to use it for his own purposes. God eventually found out about Lucifer's treachery however and had Gabriel secretly install a new weapon into Eden instead, the Megiddo Ark, which will cleanse the Earth of everyone apart from God's chosen people in Eden. In the Neutral and Chaos routes, Aleph's party infiltrates the Ark to stop it from firing, along the way defeating God's avatars Sabaoth, Shaddai, and Elohim. At the top of the Ark, Aleph's party confronts Satan, who, on the Neutral route, will briefly assume the appearance of his former self Zayin to explain why the situation had escalated to this state, with the reason being that God had abandoned Tokyo Millennium. Despite their cries for a Messiah, God never sent one to humanity because it was never His intention to do so; He knew that so long as humanity held knowledge, they would continue to turn away from Him, and so when the Archangels took matters into their own hands and started the Messiah Project, He gave the fifth and final member of the project, Zayin, the soul of Satan, so that he would judge and punish all who were not chosen to be part of the new world. After Satan's defeat on the Chaos and Neutral routes, YHVH speaks directly to the party, ordering the ones who killed Satan to show themselves to Him. As they enter His realm, they finally face God Himself. On the Chaos route, YHVH admonishes Lucifer for disobeying Him, determining that not a speck of his former status as an Archangel remains. On the Neutral route, YHVH severely belittles and disparages Aleph and Hiroko, calling Aleph an evil human created against the law of His life, and viewing Hiroko the same for bearing him with her body. In both routes, he calls them demons who have joined hands with the devil and unleashes His wrath upon the party.

On the Law route, Aleph and Satan successfully fire the Megiddo Ark, cleansing the Earth for God's chosen to repopulate on. After this, YHVH calls out to them, ordering them to come before Him. As the party goes into His realm to receive YHVH's praise for their work, Satan reveals that he still has one more person to judge: YHVH Himself, enraging the god and making Him unleash His wrath onto the party just as He does on the Neutral and Chaos routes. Regardless of the route Aleph takes, as YHVH is defeated and dying, He warns that humanity is not strong enough to live without anything to rely on or cling to, and as they continue to yearn for His salvation, He will be revived by the Great Will time and time again.

End of spoilers.

Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse

Trivia

In-game Intended

Nomenclature

The name YHVH[a] (also rendered as YHWH or JHVH), referred to as the Tetragrammaton (Greek for "[name of] four letters"), is used in the Hebrew Bible and Christian Old Testament as the personal name of God. The name is derived from the Hebrew verb meaning "to be,"[b][5] which is alluded to in Exodus 3:14 with God telling Moses "I am who I am."[c][5]

Over time, the name YHVH became considered too sacred to say aloud, and so in speaking began to be replaced with Adonai (my Lord);[d] as such, in English versions of the Bible, it is conventionally translated as "the Lord," with the small capitals distinguishing uses of YHVH in the original Hebrew from uses of Adonai. Another traditional way of rendering the name YHVH in English is "Jehovah"; this spelling originates from Jewish scribes putting the vowel marks for Adonai onto the Tetragrammaton in the Masoretic text[e] in order to indicate that it is pronounced Adonai, after which the Tetragrammaton was transcribed into the Latin alphabet with those vowels.[6] When the name accompanies an already existing Adonai, the Tetragrammaton is pronounced as Elohim, meaning "God" as a proper noun.[f] The scholarly consensus for the original pronunciation of the name is "Yahweh."[g][7]

Names in Other Languages
Language Name Meaning
Japanese Y・H・V・HDigital Devil Story: Megami Tensei II
Kyūyaku Megami Tensei
Transliteration of יהוה
YHVHShin Megami Tensei II
Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse
Same as above but without dots.
ヤハウェShinyaku Last Bible
Yahweh
創造主Shin Megami Tensei V
Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance
The Creator

Gallery

Notes

  1. ↑ Hebrew: יהוה, romanized yhwh
  2. ↑ Hebrew: הָיָה, romanized hāyâ
  3. ↑ Hebrew: אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה‎‎, romanized ʾehyê ʾăšer ʾehyê
  4. ↑ Hebrew: אֲדֹנָי, romanized ʾăḏōnāy
  5. ↑ Hebrew: יְהֹוָה‎, romanized *yŏhōwâ; actually pronounced ʾăḏōnāy. The first vowel is simplified from a patach and sheva together (which makes a reduced /a/ sound) to a plain sheva.
  6. ↑ Hebrew: יֱהֹוִה, romanized *yĕhōwih; actually pronounced ʾĕlōhîm.
  7. ↑ Hebrew: *יַהְוֶה‎, romanized *yahwê

References

  1. ↑ "The corrupted figure that appears depending on the player’s choices; it is, therefore, not the true god’s form. Depending on the way Christianity was propagated, the inconvenient local gods were slandered and degraded. These gods were given the extreme forms of demons, the animals and reptiles they disliked, but in this game irony has it that YHVH’s second form is degraded by the very entities he hated." - Masayuki Doi https://dijehtranslations.wordpress.com/2016/08/12/970/
  2. ↑ "The first form was the head of the first man, Adam, created in his own image. However, the second form turns into a strange chimera that resembles a demon. The goat wanted by god in the Scriptures, the snake that tempted Eve in Eden or the swarm of locusts that appeared in the Exodus, threatening the Pharaoh if he refused to free the Jews, all can be seen in this form. Each part of the chimera is connected to the other." - Masayuki Doi https://dijehtranslations.wordpress.com/2016/08/12/970/
  3. ↑ “This is what Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, that they may serve me. Or else, if you refuse to let my people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your country, and they shall cover the surface of the earth, so that one won’t be able to see the earth. They shall eat the residue of that which has escaped, which remains to you from the hail, and shall eat every tree which grows for you out of the field. Your houses shall be filled, and the houses of all your servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians, as neither your fathers nor your fathers’ fathers have seen, since the day that they were on the earth to this day.’” -  Exodus 10:3–6 (WEB)
  4. ↑ Genesis 3. Retrieved November 1, 2024. Bible Gateway.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Rather, the consensus of scholarship is certainly correct that yhwh represents a verbal form, with the y- representing the third masculine singular verbal prefix of the verb hyh 'to be.' The foundation for this consensus is the revelation of the divine name in Exodus 3:14, a notoriously difficult passage where God declares 'I am who I am' (ʾehyeh ʾăšer ʾehyeh)." The Origin and Character of God: Ancient Israelite Religion through the Lens of Divinity (2020), Theodore J. Lewis. Published by ‎Oxford University Press. p. 214. ISBN-13: 978-0190072544.
  6. ↑ Strong's Hebrew: 3068. יְהֹוָה (Yhvh) -- the proper name of the God of Israel. Retrieved December 25, 2023. Bible Hub.
  7. ↑ "The strong consensus of biblical scholarship is that the original pronunciation of the name YHWH that God goes on to use in verse 15 was 'Yahweh.'" The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary (2018), Robert Alter. Published by W. W. Norton & Company. Vol. 3 p. 240. ISBN-13: 978-0393292503.
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