hmm, never noticed that before

[cellio]

The torah uses different names for God in different places, with the most common being Elo[k]im and the tetragramaton (yud - hey - vav - hey). When I've been paying attention they've been distinct -- the first creation story is the E-name, the revelation at Sinai is the Y-name, and so on.

In preparing this week's portion (specifically the binding of Yitzchak) I've noticed something odd. The God who commands Avraham to sacrifice his son is the E-name, and Avraham uses that name when he tells Yitzchak that God will provide the sacrificial animal (there's some nice ambiguity here, but that's a tangent). Then, when the angel intervenes, it's suddenly an angel of the Y-name, and Avraham names the place "awe of Y-name".

Is the mingling of these two names in a single passage common and I haven't been paying enough attention? Is it uncommon but random/not meaningful? Uncommon but meaningful in some way?

Comments

[ichur72.livejournal.com]

As I understand it, the E-name is often used at times when G-d exercises the attribute of strictness (discipline, judgment, etc) and so is used here when He commands Avraham to do something unpleasant and objectionable. The Y-name, on the other hand, is often used when G-d exercises the attribute of mercy and so is used at a moment when He intervenes and saves the day, as it were.

[cellio]

Thanks! That makes sense.