H3050 — יָהּ (Yah)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: H3050
Original: יָהּ
Transliteration: Yah (also Jah)
Pronunciation: yaw
Part of Speech: Proper noun with reference to deity
Root: Contracted/shortened form of H3068 יְהֹוָה (YHWH) — "the self-Existent or Eternal"
Occurrences: 46 unique verses, 51 tokens in OT
Books: 4 (Exodus, Psalms, Isaiah, Song of Solomon)
First Occurrence: Exo 15:2 — "The LORD [is] my strength and song... he [is] my God"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

Contraction for יְהֹוָה (YHWH), and meaning the same; Jah, the sacred name. Compare names in '-iah,' '-jah.' Strong's gloss: "Jah, the Lord, most vehement." Strong's explicitly directs readers to compare the many theophoric personal names ending in -yah / -iah / -jah, which preserve this shortened form as a suffix element.

Relationship to H3068 (YHWH)¶

Yah is a poetic/liturgical short form of the Tetragrammaton יהוה (YHWH, H3068). It preserves the first and last consonants/vowel of the longer name:

H3068 יְהֹוָה — 6,828x, full sacred name, prose and narrative
H3050 יָהּ — 46x, liturgical/poetic contexts (overwhelmingly Psalms)

The two co-occur in the same verse 20 times (43% of H3050's uses) — most strikingly in the paired expressions where both forms appear adjacently:

Exo 17:16 — "the LORD (Yah) hath sworn [that] the LORD (YHWH) [will have] war..."
Isa 12:2 — "the LORD JEHOVAH" (Yah YHWH)
Isa 26:4 — "in the LORD JEHOVAH [is] everlasting strength" (Yah YHWH)

When KJV renders "the LORD JEHOVAH," the underlying Hebrew is the compound יָהּ יְהוִה (Yah + alternate pointing of YHWH).

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Verses	%
the LORD / The LORD / of the LORD / LORD	40	87%
ye the LORD (in "Praise ye the LORD" = halelu-Yah)	3	7%
JAH (transliterated)	1	2%
O LORD / in the LORD / by	3	7%
most vehement	1	2%

KJV normally absorbs יָהּ into "the LORD" (small caps), identical to its treatment of YHWH. The single transliterated "JAH" at Psa 68:4 marks it as a proper name. At Song 8:6 the compound שַׁלְהֶבֶתְיָה ("flame of Yah") is rendered idiomatically "a most vehement flame."

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Psalms	40	1.6
Isaiah	3	0.2
Exodus	2	0.2
Song of Solomon	1	0.9

Pattern: 87% of all occurrences are in Psalms — overwhelmingly a Psalter word, concentrated in the Hallel collection (Pss 113–118) and the final doxological Hallelujah cluster (Pss 146–150). Absent from the Torah except for two Exodus verses, absent from Prophets except Isaiah, and absent from Wisdom literature except one Song of Solomon compound.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Declaration of Yah as Strength and Salvation¶

A fixed poetic formula — "Yah is my strength and song, and has become my salvation" — appears verbatim at three pivotal moments in Israel's canon. - Exo 15:2 — "The LORD (Yah) [is] my strength and song, and he is become my salvation" - Psa 118:14 — "The LORD (Yah) [is] my strength and song, and is become my salvation" - Isa 12:2 — "for the LORD JEHOVAH (Yah YHWH) [is] my strength and [my] song; he also is become my salvation"

2. Liturgical Call to Praise — Halelu-Yah¶

The imperative "Praise ye the LORD" (הַלְלוּ־יָהּ halelu-Yah) frames entire psalms as opening/closing doxology. - Psa 104:35 — "Praise ye the LORD (halelu-Yah)" - Psa 106:1, 48 — opens and closes Book IV of the Psalter - Psa 113:1 — "Praise ye the LORD. Praise, O ye servants of the LORD" - Psa 146:1; 147:1; 148:1; 149:1; 150:1, 6 — the five-fold Hallelujah doxology closing the Psalter

3. The Proper Name "JAH" in Poetic Address¶

Psa 68:4 — "extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him" (only KJV transliteration of H3050)
Psa 77:11 — "I will remember the works of the LORD (Yah)"
Psa 89:8 — "O LORD God of hosts (Yah elohim tsebaoth)"

4. Yah as Covenant God of Israel¶

Exo 17:16 — "the LORD (Yah) hath sworn [that] the LORD (YHWH) [will have] war with Amalek"
Psa 94:7, 12 — Yah as judge and teacher of Israel
Psa 122:4 — "the tribes of the LORD (Yah), unto the testimony of Israel"
Psa 135:3, 4 — "the LORD (Yah)... hath chosen Jacob"

5. Declarations of Life, Death, and Remembrance Before Yah¶

Psa 115:17–18 — "The dead praise not the LORD (Yah)... But we will bless the LORD (Yah) from this time forth"
Psa 118:17 — "I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD (Yah)"
Psa 118:18 — "The LORD (Yah) hath chastened me sore"
Psa 130:3 — "If thou, LORD (Yah), shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?"

6. Compound Forms¶

Song 8:6 — שַׁלְהֶבֶתְיָה shalhevet-yah, "a flame of Yah," KJV "a most vehement flame"
Theophoric personal names (see below): the -yah / -iah / -jah suffix in hundreds of Hebrew names is this same element.

Theophoric -yah Suffix in Personal Names¶

Strong's lexicon note explicitly invokes this feature: "Compare names in '-iah,' '-jah.'" Though H3050 as an independent word appears only 46 times, it lives on as the most common theophoric element in Hebrew onomastics. The short form Yah (or the fuller -yahu) terminates the names of prophets, kings, and officials, declaring "Yah is " or " of Yah":

Name	Meaning	Strong's
Eliyahu / Elijah (אֵלִיָּהוּ)	"My God is Yah"	H452
Yeshayahu / Isaiah (יְשַׁעְיָהוּ)	"Yah is salvation"	H3470
Yirmeyahu / Jeremiah (יִרְמְיָהוּ)	"Yah lifts up / appoints"	H3414
Obadyah / Obadiah (עֹבַדְיָה)	"Servant of Yah"	H5662
Zechariah (זְכַרְיָה)	"Yah remembers"	H2148
Nechemyah / Nehemiah (נְחֶמְיָה)	"Yah has comforted"	H5166
Yeshayah, Adonijah, Ahaziah, Josiah, Hezekiah, etc.	all end in -iah / -yahu	—

The short form -יָה and the longer theophoric -יָהוּ are orthographic variants of the same divine element. Every such name is a miniature confession of YHWH's character.

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
הָלַל halal (to praise)	H1984	26x (57%)	"Praise ye Yah" — halelu-Yah
יְהֹוָה YHWH	H3068	20x (43%)	Yah and YHWH paired in same verse
אֱלֹהִים elohim (God)	H430	8x (17%)	"Yah God of hosts" / "Yah our God"
כֹּל kol (all)	H3605	7x (15%)	"all generations... praise Yah"
עוֹלָם olam (everlasting)	H5769	6x (13%)	"Yah shall reign for ever"
שֵׁם shem (name)	H8034	5x (11%)	"by his name JAH" / "praise the name of Yah"
בָּרַךְ barak (to bless)	H1288	4x (9%)	"we will bless Yah"
יָדָה yadah (to give thanks)	H3034	4x (9%)	"give thanks unto Yah"
יִשְׂרָאֵל Israel	H3478	4x (9%)	"Yah... God of Israel"
עֹז oz (strength)	H5797	4x (9%)	"Yah is my strength" (Exo 15:2; Psa 118:14; Isa 12:2)
זִמְרָת zimrath (song)	H2176	3x (7%)	"my strength and song" formula
יְשׁוּעָה yeshuah (salvation)	H3444	3x (7%)	"become my salvation" formula
חָסִיד chasid (godly one)	H2623	3x (7%)	"honour... of all his saints"

The dominant collocation with H1984 halal (57%) reflects the Hebrew halelu-Yah construction — literally "praise ye Yah" — which is parsed by Strong's concordance as two separate words (H1984 imperative + H3050 object).

Word Family / Cognates¶

H3068 יְהֹוָה (YHWH / Yehovah) — the full Tetragrammaton; H3050 is its contraction
H3069 יְהֹוִה (Yehovih) — alternate pointing of YHWH used after Adonai; co-occurs with Yah at Isa 12:2, 26:4, 38:11
Theophoric name stems: H452 (Elijah), H3470 (Isaiah), H3414 (Jeremiah), H5662 (Obadiah), and dozens of others

Synonyms¶

The only direct-name synonym returned by search_relationships.py is H3068 יְהֹוָה, already listed above under Word Family / Cognates. The tool also surfaced adjacent divine-title vocabulary used in overlapping worship contexts:

H410 אֵל (El) — divine title overlap in poetic praise contexts; not a formal equivalent of the Tetragrammaton.
H430 אֱלֹהִים (Elohim) — generic deity title that shares many of the same confessional and worship settings.

Antonyms¶

No antonym entries were returned by search_relationships.py for H3050.

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
יְהֹוָה Yehovah	H3068	"the LORD" (3,392v)	Full sacred name; prose/narrative; all genres
אֲדֹנָי Adonai	H136	"the LORD" (312v)	Title "my Lord/Sovereign," not the Name
אָדוֹן Adon	H113	"lord" (12v)	Generic "master/lord," applied to humans and God
יְהֹוִה Yehovih	H3069	"GOD" / "LORD"	Alternate pointing of YHWH used after Adonai

KJV renders both H3068 and H3050 by "the LORD" in small caps, obliterating the distinction in English; only Psa 68:4 ("JAH") preserves H3050's independent identity in translation.

Semantic Domains¶

UBS / Relationship Domains¶

[003001004] Names of Deities — the single stable UBS domain returned for H3050, reflecting Yah as a proper divine name rather than a common title.

LXX Mapping¶

Greek Equivalent	Strong's	Co-occ	PMI	Notes
ἀλληλουϊα allēlouïa	G239	11	8.04	Direct transliteration of halelu-Yah; 4x in Rev 19
αἰνέω aineō (to praise)	G134	9	5.77	Translates the halal verb when -Yah gets absorbed
αἴνεσις ainesis (praise)	G133	4	5.25	Nominal praise-word
ἐξομολογέω exomologeō (confess/give thanks)	G1843	4	4.60	Renders yadah + Yah contexts
ὅσιος hosios (holy/godly)	G3741	3	5.24	Used for chasid in Yah-contexts
κύριος kyrios (Lord)	G2962	37	1.62	Default LXX rendering of both YHWH and Yah
σωτηρία sōtēria (salvation)	G4991	3	3.88	"Yah... salvation" formula (Exo 15:2; Isa 12:2; Psa 118:14)

LXX treatment summary: The Septuagint most often translates H3050 as κύριος (Lord), the same default rendering used for the Tetragrammaton — dissolving the short/long distinction. However, the halelu-Yah formula is preserved through direct transliteration as ἀλληλουϊα (allēlouïa), keeping the Hebrew divine name audible in Greek. This transliteration is the only LXX case where Yah survives as a recognizable proper name in the Greek text.

New Testament Reflex¶

ἀλληλουϊα (G239) appears 4 times in the NT, all clustered in Revelation 19:1, 3, 4, 6 — the heavenly multitude's cry at the fall of Babylon and the marriage of the Lamb. This is the only NT liturgical borrowing of H3050. Revelation preserves the Hebrew divine name Yah in worship contexts fifteen centuries after the Exodus 15 song, forming a canonical inclusio: Yah praised at the exodus from Egypt (Exo 15) and Yah praised at the exodus from Babylon (Rev 19).

All Verse Texts (selected featured verses)¶

Exo 15:2 — "The LORD [is] my strength and song, and he is become my salvation"
Exo 17:16 — "the LORD hath sworn [that] the LORD [will have] war with Amalek"
Psa 68:4 — "extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH"
Psa 118:14 — "The LORD [is] my strength and song, and is become my salvation"
Psa 118:17 — "I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD"
Psa 150:6 — "Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD"
Isa 12:2 — "Behold, God [is] my salvation... for the LORD JEHOVAH [is] my strength"
Isa 26:4 — "in the LORD JEHOVAH [is] everlasting strength"
Song 8:6 — "the coals thereof... a most vehement flame" (shalhevet-Yah)

(Full list of 46 verses: Exo 15:2; 17:16; Psa 68:4, 18; 77:11; 89:8; 94:7, 12; 102:18; 104:35; 105:45; 106:1, 48; 111:1; 112:1; 113:1, 9; 115:17, 18; 116:19; 117:2; 118:5, 14, 17, 18, 19; 122:4; 130:3; 135:1, 3, 4, 21; 146:1, 10; 147:1, 20; 148:1, 14; 149:1, 9; 150:1, 6; Isa 12:2; 26:4; 38:11; Song 8:6)