YHWH, ELOHIM, ALLAH, GOD: CAN THE NAME OF GOD REALLY BE TRANSLATED?

Can YHWH, Elohim, Allah, and God really be treated as straightforward equivalents across Hebrew, Arabic, and English?

This joint presentation focuses on the linguistic and theological problems raised when divine names and designations move between Hebrew, Arabic, and English. Its confirmed title places questions of translation, semantic equivalence, religious terminology, and theological interpretation at the centre of the discussion.

By bringing together expertise from English language studies and Arabic language and literature, Bello-Osagie and Abdullahi approach the subject as an interdisciplinary problem in language, translation, and religious interpretation. The session considers why the translation of divine names involves more than simple lexical substitution and why linguistic form, textual tradition, and theological context matter when religious vocabulary crosses languages.

This joint presentation examines the linguistic and translational complexities of divine naming across Hebrew, Arabic, and English, with particular attention to the relationship between linguistic form, reference, meaning, and theological interpretation. Focusing on YHWH, Elohim, Allah, and God, the study investigates how divine names and designations function within their respective linguistic systems and what happens when they are transferred across languages. Drawing on comparative semantics, historical linguistics, pragmatics, and translation theory, the paper distinguishes between lexical equivalence, referential equivalence, and semantic equivalence. It asks whether a divine name can be translated in the same way as an ordinary lexical item, or whether transliteration, retention, or functional substitution is more appropriate. Particular attention is given to the semantic range and contextual functions of these expressions, as well as to the ways in which translation choices may introduce shifts in meaning and theological nuance. The presentation argues that while divine designations may achieve cross-linguistic referential equivalence, their linguistic, cultural, and theological meanings cannot always be transferred without modification.

Associate Professor Vivien Bello-Osagie, PhD, is Director of the Directorate of General Studies and an Associate Professor in the Department of Languages at Nigerian Army University Biu (NAUB), Nigeria. She holds a B.A. in English Language from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in English for Specific Purposes from Modibbo Adama University, Yola. Her academic work spans English language and linguistics, Critical Discourse Analysis, Systemic Functional Linguistics, English for Specific Purposes, Translation Studies, Media Discourse, Communication Studies, and Corpus Linguistics.

She has extensive experience in undergraduate and postgraduate teaching, research supervision, academic administration, curriculum development, and interdisciplinary research. Before becoming Director of General Studies, she held a number of academic and administrative positions, including Head of the Department of Languages and Dean of Student Affairs at Nigerian Army University Biu. Her research has also included nationally and internationally supported work on peacebuilding and conflict communication in North-East Nigeria.

Her current collaborative research with Yusuf Zakariya Abdullahi extends linguistic analysis into biblical translation and theological interpretation, including work on the Masoretic Hebrew text of Genesis 22 and its representation in major English Bible translations.

Yusuf Zakariya Abdullahi is Lecturer II in the Arabic Language Unit, Department of Languages, Nigerian Army University Biu, Nigeria. His scholarly work engages Arabic language and literature, Qur'anic intertextuality, language and culture, cultural semiotics, and interdisciplinary approaches to language and society. His research also extends to questions of discourse, communication, and translation in multilingual and religious contexts.

Together with Associate Professor Vivien Bello-Osagie, he is engaged in current research connecting linguistic analysis with biblical translation and theological interpretation, including work on the Masoretic Hebrew text of Genesis 22 and its representation in major English Bible translations.

Bello-Osagie, Vivien, and Yusuf Zakariya Abdullahi. "YHWH, ELOHIM, ALLAH, GOD: CAN THE NAME OF GOD REALLY BE TRANSLATED? Hebrew, Arabic, English, and the Theology of Divine Names." Joint conference presentation, New Discoveries and New Directions in Biblical, Hebrew, and Theological Studies, European Hebrew Journal International Online Conference, 7 November 2026.