Rooted Way Assembly Foundational Study Series
A Pastoral and Scriptural Guide for Believers Seeking the Pure Roots of Faith
1. Introduction: Stepping Across the Translation Bridge
When a believer first encounters the original languages of Scripture, it is common to experience both wonder and disorientation. For generations, most English-speaking believers were introduced to the Bible through translations that substituted familiar English titles for the living words of the prophets and apostles. We grew up singing songs, praying bedside prayers, and reading Bibles that printed “the LORD” and “God,” ending our petitions with “amen.”
For many of us, those words were spoken with sincere love for our Creator. The Father looks upon the heart, and He has walked patiently with His people through centuries of exile and linguistic confusion (Acts 17:30).
Yet, as we return to the ancient paths (Jeremiah 6:16) and seek a faith rooted in the pure soil of Scripture rather than inherited tradition, we are invited into a deeper sanctification of our speech. Zephaniah 3:9 speaks of a prophetic promise for the restoration of the called-out ones:
“For then I will restore to the peoples a pure lip, that they all may call upon the Name of Yahuah, to serve Him with one shoulder.” (Zephaniah 3:9)
This guide is written to explain—with gentleness, clarity, and historical evidence—why Rooted Way Assembly actively restores the personal covenant Name of Yahuah, refrains from using the title “God,” and concludes prayers with “be it so” rather than “amen.”
2. The Father’s Memorial Name: Yahuah
In modern Western society, a name is often treated as a mere social label or phonetic identifier. In the Hebrew worldview of Scripture, however, a name (shem) represents an entity’s essence, character, authority, and covenant presence.
When Moses stood before the burning bush at Mount Sinai and asked how he should identify the Creator to the enslaved children of Israel, the Father did not offer an ambiguous title. He revealed His personal, eternal Name:
“And Elohim said to Moses, ‘I AM THAT I AM.’ And He said, ‘Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, “I AM has sent me to you.”‘ And Elohim said further to Moses, ‘Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, “Yahuah, Elohim of your fathers, the Elohim of Abraham, the Elohim of Isaac, and the Elohim of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My Name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.”‘” (Exodus 3:14–15)
In the Hebrew Masoretic text, the four sacred letters—the Tetragrammaton (יהוה, Y-H-W-H, pronounced Yahuah) appear nearly 7,000 times. It is by far the most frequent noun in the entire Old Testament.
Yahuah declared through Isaiah:
“I am Yahuah, that is My Name; and My glory I will not give to another, nor My praise to carved images.” (Isaiah 42:8)
Scripture repeatedly commands the covenant community to know His Name (Psalm 91:14), proclaim His Name (Exodus 9:16), love His Name (Psalm 69:36), praise His Name (Psalm 148:13), and sanctify His Name (Matthew 6:9).
How Was His Name Replaced?
Beginning during the Second Temple and Hellenistic eras, Jewish religious leaders developed an unscriptural tradition known as the “ineffable name” doctrine. Out of a superstitious fear of profaning the Third Commandment, scribes and rabbis forbade speaking the Name יהוה aloud, substituting the title Adonai (Lord) or HaShem (The Name).
When the Hebrew Scriptures were later translated into the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate, translators translated Adonai as Kyrios (Greek) and Dominus (Latin). When the English Bible tradition developed (Tyndale, the Geneva Bible, and the King James Version), translators continued this human tradition, replacing יהוה with “the LORD” in capital letters.
By this single editorial decision, the living, personal, covenant Name of the Father was systematically concealed from readers across the English-speaking world.
3. Why Rooted Way Refrains from Saying “God”
Many believers who discover the Father’s Name wonder why Rooted Way also abstains from using the common English noun “God”, choosing instead scriptural titles such as the Father, the Most High, the Creator, and the Hebrew title Elohim.
This conviction is grounded in three converging scriptural and historical realities:
A. The Canaanite Deity of Fortune: Gad / Gawd (Isaiah 65:11)
In the Hebrew language, words are rooted in phonetic consonants. In ancient Canaan, Syria, and Babylon, pagan nations worshiped a prominent false deity of fortune and luck named גָּד (pronounced gawd or gad, Strong’s Hebrew #1408).
This deity was venerated so extensively that cities throughout Canaan were named after his worship, such as Baal-Gad (Master/Lord Gad, Joshua 11:17; 12:7; 13:5) and Migdal-Gad (Tower of Gad, Joshua 15:37).
In the book of Isaiah, Yahuah delivers an uncompromising indictment against Israelites who syncretized pagan worship with covenant devotion:
“But you who forsake Yahuah, who forget My holy mountain, who prepare a table for Fortune [Hebrew: לַגַּד – lag-Gawd / lag-Gad] and who fill mixed wine for Destiny [Meni]—I will destine you for the sword, and all of you shall bow down to the slaughter; because when I called, you did not answer; when I spoke, you did not listen.” (Isaiah 65:11–12)
The Hebrew text explicitly condemns setting a ritual table or pouring out offerings for the pagan deity Gad (Gawd). For believers seeking to cleanse their lips of pagan worship, applying a phonetic sound-equivalent explicitly denounced in Isaiah 65:11 to the Holy One of Israel is a serious matter of conscience.
B. The Command to Sanctify Our Lips from Pagan Deities (Exodus 23:13)
When Yahuah gave the foundational covenant instructions at Sinai, He established an absolute boundary regarding the language of His people:
“Now concerning everything which I have said to you, be on your guard; and do not mention the name of other gods, nor let them be heard from your mouth.” (Exodus 23:13)
Joshua reinforced this same boundary before the entire nation of Israel:
“Therefore be very steadfast… do not associate with these nations that remain among you; neither make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause to swear by them, nor serve them, nor bow down to them.” (Joshua 23:6–7)
King David sang in Psalm 16:4:
“Their sorrows will be multiplied who have bartered for another god; I will not pour out their drink offerings of blood, nor will I take their names upon my lips.”
When we know that a word carries ancient lineage to a pagan deity of fortune, continuing to call the Supreme Creator by that title breaches the boundary established in Exodus 23:13.
C. The Germanic and Teutonic Heathen Etymology (Gott / Gudan)
Linguists and etymologists universally confirm that the English word “God” is not rooted in biblical Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek. It is an Anglo-Saxon and Proto-Germanic word:
- Etymological Roots: The word derives from the Proto-Germanic
*gudan(Old Norseguð, Old Saxon and Old High Germangot, modern GermanGott). - Proto-Indo-European Origin: The linguistic ancestor of
*gudanis the Proto-Indo-European root*g̑hu-tó-m, which means “that which is poured out” or “that which is invoked in a libation.” - Pagan Idol Connotation: In ancient Teutonic and Germanic paganism,
*gudanwas originally a neuter noun referring to an inanimate carved idol, an invoked ancestral spirit, or an altar stone upon which sacrificial blood was poured.
When the Germanic and Saxon tribes were baptized into Roman Christianity during the early Middle Ages, missionaries did not teach the converts the Hebrew covenant Name Yahuah, nor did they preserve the biblical title Elohim. Instead, they adopted the heathen vernacular term *gudan / got, Christianized it, and applied it to the Almighty.
D. The Spiritual Tragedy of Jeremiah 23:27
In Jeremiah 23, the Father issued a solemn prophetic warning regarding teachers and leaders who displace His identity:
“They intend to make My people forget My Name by their dreams which they tell each other, as their fathers forgot My Name for Baal.” (Jeremiah 23:27)
The Hebrew word Baal literally translates to “Lord” or “Master.” In the days of the prophets, Israel did not abandon religion; they substituted the generic title Baal for the holy Name Yahuah. In English-speaking Christianity, the exact same pattern occurred: Yahuah was replaced with “the LORD” and “God.”
Rooted Way Assembly does not make this distinction out of academic pedantry. We do it to reverse the forgetting of His Name and restore the pure, unfiltered language of Scripture.
4. Why Rooted Way Avoids “Amen” in Prayer and Declarations
A companion conviction held by Rooted Way Assembly concerns the customary liturgical closing of prayers: the word “amen.”
A. The Egyptian Deity Amun / Amen
In ancient Egyptian religion, Amun (also vocalized Amen, Amon, or Amun-Ra) was the supreme deity of the Theban pantheon. Meaning “The Hidden One” or “The Concealed God,” Amun was worshiped as the king of the gods across the Nile valley for more than a thousand years.
During the Ptolemaic and Roman periods, religious syncretism between Egypt, Greece, and Rome was rampant. Invoking the name of a patron deity at the conclusion of an oath, contract, or petition was standard practice throughout the ancient Mediterranean world. Through liturgical transmission and Alexandrian influence, the phonetic invocation of Amen became entrenched as the standard liturgical closing for prayers.
B. True Biblical Affirmation: Emunah & “Be It So”
In biblical Hebrew, the concept of truth, faithfulness, and steadfast reliability is derived from the root letters א-מ-ן (aleph-mem-nun), from which we receive Emunah (active, faithful trust) and Omen (truth/faithfulness).
When Scripture affirms a truth, it is not an incantation or magical closing word. Yeshua frequently introduced solemn teachings by saying: “Truly, truly, I say to you” (Hebrew: Amein, amein, meaning “In absolute truth and reliability, I say to you”). In Deuteronomy 27, when the Levites pronounced the blessings and curses of the covenant, the people responded to affirm their solemn agreement: “So let it be.”
Rooted Way chooses to translate the concept plainly into truthful English: – “Be it so” – “So let it be” – “In truth and faithfulness”
By closing prayers with “be it so,” we state our conscious, intelligent agreement with the will of the Father, while completely severing our speech from the historical shadow of the Theban deity Amun.
5. Walking in Grace: How to Relate to Other Believers
One of the greatest dangers when discovering the Hebrew roots of the faith is the temptation of spiritual pride. It is easy for a learner who has just discovered Yahuah’s Name to look down upon sincere believers in traditional churches who still say “God,” “the LORD,” and “amen.”
Scripture strictly warns us against arrogance and sectarian elitism:
- Yahuah Looks at the Heart: Millions of sincere saints throughout church history lived, suffered, and died in deep love for the Messiah without ever having access to Hebrew lexicons or historical etymology. The Father does not reject sincere faith offered in ignorance (Acts 17:30).
- Not a Magic Formula: Knowing the correct phonetic pronunciation of a Hebrew word does not save anyone. Yeshua made this unmistakably clear: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). Living by His righteous character traits, loving neighbor, caring for the needy, and walking in humility is the true test of covenant fidelity.
- Gentle Educational Bridges: When speaking with family members, friends, or new believers who use traditional church language, we do not attack them, condemn their prayers, or interrupt them with hostility. We listen with love, pray with sincerity, and share the beauty of the Father’s Name when the Spirit opens the door for honest study.
6. Summary of Rooted Way Speech Standards
| Traditional Church Practice | Historical / Etymological Context | Rooted Way House Practice | Scriptural Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| “God” | Derived from Proto-Germanic *gudan (heathen libations/idols); phonetically identical to Canaanite deity of fortune Gad / Gawd |
Yahuah (Proper Covenant Name) Elohim (Biblical Hebrew Title) The Father / The Creator |
Exodus 3:15 Exodus 23:13 Isaiah 65:11 Isaiah 42:8 |
| “The LORD” | Replaced the Tetragrammaton (יהוה) per rabbinic tradition; literal translation of Baal | Yahuah | Exodus 3:15 Jeremiah 23:27 Psalm 83:18 |
| “Jesus” | Anglophone transliteration of Greek Iesous (Ἰησοῦς) | Yeshua the Messiah (“Yahuah is Salvation”) | Matthew 1:21 Acts 4:12 John 5:43 |
| “Amen” | Historically associated with the Egyptian deity Amun / Amen-Ra (The Hidden One of Thebes) | “Be it so” “So let it be” “In truth” |
Deuteronomy 27:15–26 Psalm 106:48 2 Corinthians 1:20 |
7. Reflection and Study Questions
- Read Exodus 3:13–15 and Isaiah 42:8. Why did Yahuah declare that His personal Name is His memorial to all generations? How does replacing a personal name with a generic title affect the intimacy of a relationship?
- Read Isaiah 65:11–12 and Joshua 11:17. What does Scripture reveal about the pagan worship of Gad / Gawd in ancient Canaan? How does this influence our conscience regarding Exodus 23:13?
- Read Jeremiah 23:25–27. How did ancient Israel forget the Father’s Name in the days of Jeremiah? In what ways has modern church tradition mirrored that same process?
- Read Zephaniah 3:9. What is the connection between having a “pure lip” and calling upon the Name of Yahuah to serve Him with one shoulder?
- How can you share these biblical truths with family members or friends in a way that reflects the patience, kindness, and love of Yeshua, rather than legalistic judgment?