The Hebrew verb havah (הָוָה) is an archaic or poetic form of hayah (H1961), the primary verb of being in Hebrew. It means to be, to exist, to become, or to happen. This older spelling appears in poetic texts and may represent an earlier form of the verb from which the divine name YHWH (H3068) derives.
The verb appears relatively rarely in its archaic form, but its theological significance is immense. Scholars connect it directly to the divine name: YHWH is often interpreted as a causative or simple form of this verb — "He who is," "He who causes to be," or "He who will be."
The root hav/hay underlies God's self-revelation to Moses: "I AM WHO I AM" (Exodus 3:14, where the related hayah is used). The divine name YHWH encapsulates absolute, self-existent being — God does not merely exist alongside creation; He is the ground of all existence. Everything that is, is because He is.
This verb, even in its archaic form, points to the central theological affirmation of Israel: their God is not a tribal deity or a force of nature, but the self-existent One whose very name declares His being. When Jesus declares "Before Abraham was, I am" (John 8:58), He reaches back to this same root — claiming the being of YHWH for Himself.