JEHOVAH or YAHWEH?
Definition: The personal name of the only true God. His own self-designation. Jehovah is the Creator and, rightfully, the Sovereign Ruler of the universe.
The name Jehovah is derived from the Hebrew verb "havah," "to be," or "being." This word is almost exactly like the Hebrew verb, "chavah," (to live), or "life." One can readily see the connection between "being" and "life". Thus when we read the name Jehovah, or Lord in capital letters, in our Bible, we think in terms of "being" or "existence and life", and we must think of Jehovah as the Being who is absolutely self-existent, the One who in Himself possesses essential life, permanent existence.
An example of the use of the name, "Jehovah" is found in Isaiah 43:10-11. In Psalm 102:27 we read, "But thou art the same and thy years shall have no end." Literally translated, it should read, "Thou art he, and thy years shall have no end"; the "he" (like the Hebrew word for being), is the equivalent of "the same," the One of old whose years have no end - that is, without beginning and without end.
The word "JEHOVAH" and "YAHWEH" both came from the same root. Both words are an erroneous transliteration (a transliteration is the representation of the letters of a word from one alphabet using a different alphabet).
The four Canaanite-Hebrew letters *Yodh, Heh, Waw, Heh* are correctly transliterated in Roman (Latin) letters as YHWH and erroneously transliterated as JHVH. The erroneous four letter Romanized (Latinized) version, JHVH was rendered as "JEHOVAH".
The word "JEHOVAH" was formed by merging the three vowels (e, o, and a) of the word ELOAH, into the Romanized (Latinized) four letter version JHVH (i.e. JeHoVaH). This was an early concoction. The word "YAHWEH" was formed by merging the vowels (a, and e) of the word HASHEM into the four letter version YHWH (i.e. YaHWeH). This was a more recent invention.
So, the four Canaanite-Hebrew letters have been rendered in Roman (Latin) letters as YHWH, JHWH, and also as IHWH, and then have been erroneously verbalized by some Christians as "YAHWEH", "JAHWEH", and as "IAHWEH.
The truth is, the word YHWH, is actually only one of the titles (the most used in scripture) of the God of the Bible. But it is however, not the true Proper Name of the God of the Bible. YHWH is a title which simply means : God, and is correctly pronounced as : Yay-hoo-wha (YéH-WHoa). The definite article proves this. Please let me explain. The definite article in English is "the". The definite article in Canaanite-Hebrew is the letter "heh", which is attached to the word with which it is associated.
Perhaps it is preferable to say that the sacred name, though perhaps in a somewhat modified form, had been in use in thepatriarchal family before the time of Moses. On Mt. Horeb God revealed and explained the accurate form of His name, Jahveh.
The sacred name occurs in Genesis about 156 times; this frequent occurrence can hardly be a mere prolepsis.
Among the 163 proper names which bear an element of the sacred name in their composition, 48 have yeho or yo at the beginning, and 115 have yahu or yah and the end, while the form Jahveh never occurs in any such composition. Perhaps it might be assumed that these shortened forms yeho, yo, yahu, yah, represent the Divine name as it existed among theIsraelites before the full name Jahveh was revealed on Mt. Horeb. On the other hand, Driver (Studia biblica, I, 5) has shown that these short forms are the regular abbreviations of the full name. At any rate, while it is not certain that Godrevealed His sacred name to Moses for the first time, He surely revealed on Mt. Horeb that Jahveh is His incommunicable name, and explained its meaning.
Jehovah El- shaddai
My all sufficient Almighty God (Genesis 17: 1)
Jehovah Hoseenu
The Lord our maker (Psalm 95:6)
Jehovah Eloheenu
The Lord my God (Psalm 99: 7)
Jehovah Shalom
The lord my Peace (Judges 6: 24)
Jehovah Nissi
The Lord my banner (Exodus 17: 15)
Jehovah Elolam
The everlasting God (Genesis 21: 33)
Jehovah Eloheeka
The Lord my God (Exodus 2: 2, 5, 7)
Jehovah Sabaoth
The Lord of Host (1 samuel 1:3)
Jehovah Shammah
The Lord is Present (Ezekiel 48: 35)
Jehovah Elohin
The eternal Creator (Genesis 1: 1)
Jehovah Makaddishkem
The Lord my Sanctifier (Exodus 31: 15)
Jehovah Rapha
The Lord my healer (Exodus 15: 26)
Jehovah Elyon
The Lord Most high (Genesis 14: 18)
Jehovah Jire
The Lord my Provider (Genesis 22: 14)
Jehovah Adonai
My Sovereign God (Genesis 15: 2)
Jehovah Elgibbor
My mighty God (Isaiah 9: 6)
Jehovah Rohi
The Lord my Shepherd (Psalm 23: 1)
Jehovah Tsidkenu
The Lord my Righteousness (Jeremiah 23: 6)
FREQUENT QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ON THE NAME JEHOVAH
Why do many Bible translations not use the personal name of God or use it only a fewtimes?
The preface of the Revised Standard Version explains: "For two reasons the Committee has returned to the more familiar usage of the King James Version: (1) the word 'Jehovah' does not accurately represent any form of the Name ever used in Hebrew; and (2) the use of any proper name for the one and only God, as though there were other gods from whom he had to be distinguished, was discontinued in Judaism before the Christian era and is entirely inappropriate for the universal faith of the Christian Church." (Thus their own view of what is appropriate has been relied on as the basis for removing from the Holy Bible the personal name of its Divine Author, whose name appears in the original Hebrew more often than any other name or any title. They admittedly follow the example of the adherents of Judaism, of whom Jesus said: "You have made the word of God invalid because of your tradition."-Matt. 15:6.)
Translators who have felt obligated to include the personal name of God at least once or perhaps a few times in the main text, though not doing so every time it appears in Hebrew, have evidently followed the example of William Tyndale, who included the divine name in his translation of the Pentateuch published in 1530, thus breaking with the practice of leaving the name out altogether.
The preface of the Revised Standard Version explains: "For two reasons the Committee has returned to the more familiar usage of the King James Version: (1) the word 'Jehovah' does not accurately represent any form of the Name ever used in Hebrew; and (2) the use of any proper name for the one and only God, as though there were other gods from whom he had to be distinguished, was discontinued in Judaism before the Christian era and is entirely inappropriate for the universal faith of the Christian Church." (Thus their own view of what is appropriate has been relied on as the basis for removing from the Holy Bible the personal name of its Divine Author, whose name appears in the original Hebrew more often than any other name or any title. They admittedly follow the example of the adherents of Judaism, of whom Jesus said: "You have made the word of God invalid because of your tradition."-Matt. 15:6.)
Translators who have felt obligated to include the personal name of God at least once or perhaps a few times in the main text, though not doing so every time it appears in Hebrew, have evidently followed the example of William Tyndale, who included the divine name in his translation of the Pentateuch published in 1530, thus breaking with the practice of leaving the name out altogether.
Was the name Jehovah used by the inspired writers of the Christian Greek Scriptures?
Jerome, in the fourth century, wrote: "Matthew, who is also Levi, and who from a publican came to be an apostle, first of all composed a Gospel of Christ inJudaea
in the Hebrew language and characters for the benefit of those of the
circumcision who had believed." (Deviris inlustribus, chap. III) This Gospel includes 11
direct quotations of portions of the Hebrew Scriptures where the Tetragrammaton
is found. There is no reason to believe that Matthew did not quote the passages
as they were written in the Hebrew text from which he quoted.
Other inspired writers who contributed to the contents of the Christian Greek Scriptures quoted hundreds of passages from the Septuagint, a translation of the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek. Many of these passages included the Hebrew Tetragrammaton right in the Greek text of early copies of the Septuagint. In harmony with Jesus' own attitude regarding his Father's name, Jesus' disciples would have retained that name in those quotations.-Compare John 17:6, 26.
In Journal of Biblical Literature, George Howard of theUniversity
of Georgia
Jerome, in the fourth century, wrote: "Matthew, who is also Levi, and who from a publican came to be an apostle, first of all composed a Gospel of Christ in
Other inspired writers who contributed to the contents of the Christian Greek Scriptures quoted hundreds of passages from the Septuagint, a translation of the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek. Many of these passages included the Hebrew Tetragrammaton right in the Greek text of early copies of the Septuagint. In harmony with Jesus' own attitude regarding his Father's name, Jesus' disciples would have retained that name in those quotations.-Compare John 17:6, 26.
In Journal of Biblical Literature, George Howard of the
Which form of the divine name is correct-Jehovah or Yahweh?
No human today can be certain how it was originally pronounced in Hebrew. Why not? Biblical Hebrew was originally written with only consonants, no vowels. When the language was in everyday use, readers easily provided the proper vowels. In time, however, the Jews came to have the superstitious idea that it was wrong to say God's personal name out loud, so they used substitute expressions. Centuries later, Jewish scholars developed a system of points by which to indicate which vowels to use when reading ancient Hebrew, but they put the vowels for the substitute expressions around the four consonants representing the divine name. Thus the original pronunciation of the divine name was lost.
Many scholars favor the spelling "Yahweh," but it is uncertain and there is not agreement among them. On the other hand, "Jehovah" is the form of the name that is most readily recognized, because it has been used in English for centuries and preserves, equally with other forms, the four consonants of the Hebrew Tetragrammaton.
J. B. Rotherham, in The Emphasised Bible, used the form Yahweh throughout the Hebrew Scriptures. However, later in his Studies in the Psalms he used the form "Jehovah." He explained: "JEHOVAH-The employment of this English form of the Memorial name . . . in the present version of the Psalter does not arise from any misgiving as to the more correct pronunciation, as being Yahwéh; but solely from practical evidence personally selected of the desirability of keeping in touch with the public ear and eye in a matter of this kind, in which the principal thing is the easy recognition of the Divine name intended."-(London
After discussing various pronunciations, German professor Gustav Friedrich Oehler concluded: "From this point onward I use the word Jehovah, because, as a matter of fact, this name has now become more naturalized in our vocabulary, and cannot be supplanted."-Theologie des Alten Testaments, second edition (Stuttgart
Jesuit scholar Paul Joüon states: "In our translations, instead of the (hypothetical) formYahweh, we have used the form Jéhovah . . . which is the conventional literary form used in French."-Grammaire de l'hébreu biblique (Rome
Most names change to some extent when transferred from one language to another. Jesus was born a Jew, and his name in Hebrew was perhaps pronounced Ye·shu´a‛, but the inspired writers of the Christian Scriptures did not hesitate to use the Greek form of the name, I·e·sous´. In most other languages the pronunciation is slightly different, but we freely use the form that is common in our tongue. The same is true of other Bible names. How, then, can we show proper respect for the One to whom the most important name of all belongs? Would it be by never speaking or writing his name because we do not know exactly how it was originally pronounced? Or, rather, would it be by using the pronunciation and spelling that are common in our language, while speaking well of its Owner and conducting ourselves as his worshipers in a manner that honors him?
No human today can be certain how it was originally pronounced in Hebrew. Why not? Biblical Hebrew was originally written with only consonants, no vowels. When the language was in everyday use, readers easily provided the proper vowels. In time, however, the Jews came to have the superstitious idea that it was wrong to say God's personal name out loud, so they used substitute expressions. Centuries later, Jewish scholars developed a system of points by which to indicate which vowels to use when reading ancient Hebrew, but they put the vowels for the substitute expressions around the four consonants representing the divine name. Thus the original pronunciation of the divine name was lost.
Many scholars favor the spelling "Yahweh," but it is uncertain and there is not agreement among them. On the other hand, "Jehovah" is the form of the name that is most readily recognized, because it has been used in English for centuries and preserves, equally with other forms, the four consonants of the Hebrew Tetragrammaton.
J. B. Rotherham, in The Emphasised Bible, used the form Yahweh throughout the Hebrew Scriptures. However, later in his Studies in the Psalms he used the form "Jehovah." He explained: "JEHOVAH-The employment of this English form of the Memorial name . . . in the present version of the Psalter does not arise from any misgiving as to the more correct pronunciation, as being Yahwéh; but solely from practical evidence personally selected of the desirability of keeping in touch with the public ear and eye in a matter of this kind, in which the principal thing is the easy recognition of the Divine name intended."-(
After discussing various pronunciations, German professor Gustav Friedrich Oehler concluded: "From this point onward I use the word Jehovah, because, as a matter of fact, this name has now become more naturalized in our vocabulary, and cannot be supplanted."-Theologie des Alten Testaments, second edition (
Jesuit scholar Paul Joüon states: "In our translations, instead of the (hypothetical) formYahweh, we have used the form Jéhovah . . . which is the conventional literary form used in French."-Grammaire de l'hébreu biblique (
Most names change to some extent when transferred from one language to another. Jesus was born a Jew, and his name in Hebrew was perhaps pronounced Ye·shu´a‛, but the inspired writers of the Christian Scriptures did not hesitate to use the Greek form of the name, I·e·sous´. In most other languages the pronunciation is slightly different, but we freely use the form that is common in our tongue. The same is true of other Bible names. How, then, can we show proper respect for the One to whom the most important name of all belongs? Would it be by never speaking or writing his name because we do not know exactly how it was originally pronounced? Or, rather, would it be by using the pronunciation and spelling that are common in our language, while speaking well of its Owner and conducting ourselves as his worshipers in a manner that honors him?
Why is it important to know and use God's personal name?
Do you have a close relationship with anyone whose personal name you do not know? For people to whom God is nameless he is often merely an impersonal force, not a real person, not someone that they know and love and to whom they can speak from the heart in prayer. If they do pray, their prayers are merely a ritual, a formalistic repetition of memorized expressions.
True Christians have a commission from Jesus Christ to make disciples of people of all nations. When teaching these people, how would it be possible to identify the true God as different from the false gods of the nations? Only by using His personal name, as the Bible itself does.-Matt. 28:19, 20; 1 Cor. 8:5, 6.
Ex. 3:15: "God said . . . to Moses: 'This is what you are to say to the sons ofIsrael
Isa. 12:4: "Give thanks to Jehovah, you people! Call upon his name. Make known among the peoples his dealings. Make mention that his name is put on high."
Ezek. 38:17, 23: "This is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said, ' . . . And I shall certainly magnify myself and sanctify myself and make myself known before the eyes of many nations; and they will have to know that I am Jehovah.'"
Mal. 3:16: "Those in fear of Jehovah spoke with one another, each one with his companion, and Jehovah kept paying attention and listening. And a book of remembrance began to be written up before him for those in fear of Jehovah and for those thinking upon his name."
John 17:26: "[Jesus prayed to his Father:] I have made your name known to them [his followers] and will make it known, in order that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in union with them."
Acts 15:14: "Symeon has related thoroughly how God for the first time turned his attention to the nations to take out of them a people for his name."
Do you have a close relationship with anyone whose personal name you do not know? For people to whom God is nameless he is often merely an impersonal force, not a real person, not someone that they know and love and to whom they can speak from the heart in prayer. If they do pray, their prayers are merely a ritual, a formalistic repetition of memorized expressions.
True Christians have a commission from Jesus Christ to make disciples of people of all nations. When teaching these people, how would it be possible to identify the true God as different from the false gods of the nations? Only by using His personal name, as the Bible itself does.-Matt. 28:19, 20; 1 Cor. 8:5, 6.
Ex. 3:15: "God said . . . to Moses: 'This is what you are to say to the sons of
Isa. 12:4: "Give thanks to Jehovah, you people! Call upon his name. Make known among the peoples his dealings. Make mention that his name is put on high."
Ezek. 38:17, 23: "This is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said, ' . . . And I shall certainly magnify myself and sanctify myself and make myself known before the eyes of many nations; and they will have to know that I am Jehovah.'"
Mal. 3:16: "Those in fear of Jehovah spoke with one another, each one with his companion, and Jehovah kept paying attention and listening. And a book of remembrance began to be written up before him for those in fear of Jehovah and for those thinking upon his name."
John 17:26: "[Jesus prayed to his Father:] I have made your name known to them [his followers] and will make it known, in order that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in union with them."
Acts 15:14: "Symeon has related thoroughly how God for the first time turned his attention to the nations to take out of them a people for his name."
Is Jehovah in the "Old Testament" Jesus Christ in the "New Testament"?
Matt. 4:10: "Jesus said to him: 'Go away, Satan! For it is written, "It is Jehovah ["the Lord," KJand others] your God you must worship, and it is to him alone you must render sacred service."'" (Jesus was obviously not saying that he himself was to be worshiped.)
John 8:54: "Jesus answered [the Jews]: 'If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father that glorifies me, he who you say is your God.'" (The Hebrew Scriptures clearly identify Jehovah as the God that the Jews professed to worship. Jesus said, not that he himself was Jehovah, but that Jehovah was his Father. Jesus here made it very clear that he and his Father were distinct individuals.)
Ps. 110:1: "The utterance of Jehovah to my [David's] Lord is: 'Sit at my right hand until I place your enemies as a stool for your feet.'" (At Matthew 22:41-45, Jesus explained that he himself was David's "Lord," referred to in this psalm. So Jesus is not Jehovah but is the one to whom Jehovah's words were here directed.)
Phil. 2:9-11: "For this very reason also God exalted him [Jesus Christ] to a superior position and kindly gave him the name that is above every other name, so that in the name of Jesus every knee should bend of those in heaven and those on earth and those under the ground, and every tongue should openly acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. [Dy reads: " . . . every tongue should confess that the Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father." Kx and CC read similarly, but a footnote in Kx acknowledges: " . . . the Greek is perhaps more naturally rendered 'to the glory,'" and NAB and JB render it that way.]" (Notice that Jesus Christ is here shown to be different from God the Father and subject to Him.)
Matt. 4:10: "Jesus said to him: 'Go away, Satan! For it is written, "It is Jehovah ["the Lord," KJand others] your God you must worship, and it is to him alone you must render sacred service."'" (Jesus was obviously not saying that he himself was to be worshiped.)
John 8:54: "Jesus answered [the Jews]: 'If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father that glorifies me, he who you say is your God.'" (The Hebrew Scriptures clearly identify Jehovah as the God that the Jews professed to worship. Jesus said, not that he himself was Jehovah, but that Jehovah was his Father. Jesus here made it very clear that he and his Father were distinct individuals.)
Ps. 110:1: "The utterance of Jehovah to my [David's] Lord is: 'Sit at my right hand until I place your enemies as a stool for your feet.'" (At Matthew 22:41-45, Jesus explained that he himself was David's "Lord," referred to in this psalm. So Jesus is not Jehovah but is the one to whom Jehovah's words were here directed.)
Phil. 2:9-11: "For this very reason also God exalted him [Jesus Christ] to a superior position and kindly gave him the name that is above every other name, so that in the name of Jesus every knee should bend of those in heaven and those on earth and those under the ground, and every tongue should openly acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. [Dy reads: " . . . every tongue should confess that the Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father." Kx and CC read similarly, but a footnote in Kx acknowledges: " . . . the Greek is perhaps more naturally rendered 'to the glory,'" and NAB and JB render it that way.]" (Notice that Jesus Christ is here shown to be different from God the Father and subject to Him.)
How can a person love Jehovah if he is also to fear Him?
The Bible tells us that we should both love Jehovah (Luke 10:27) and fear him. (1 Pet. 2:17; Prov. 1:7; 2:1-5; 16:6) Wholesome fear of God will make us very careful to avoid incurring his displeasure. Our love for Jehovah will move us to want to do the things that are pleasing to him, to express our appreciation for the countless expressions of his love and undeserved kindness.
Illustrations: A son properly fears to displease his father, but appreciation for all that his father does for him should also move the son to express genuine love for his father. A scuba diver may say that he loves the sea, but a wholesome fear of it causes him to realize that there are certain things that he should avoid doing. Similarly, our love for God should be coupled with a wholesome fear of doing anything that will incur his displeasure.
Reference: www.justthetruth.net, www.comeyouout.hubpages.com, www.newadvent.org,
work-together-cm.com, www.wiki.answers.com,
The Bible tells us that we should both love Jehovah (Luke 10:27) and fear him. (1 Pet. 2:17; Prov. 1:7; 2:1-5; 16:6) Wholesome fear of God will make us very careful to avoid incurring his displeasure. Our love for Jehovah will move us to want to do the things that are pleasing to him, to express our appreciation for the countless expressions of his love and undeserved kindness.
Illustrations: A son properly fears to displease his father, but appreciation for all that his father does for him should also move the son to express genuine love for his father. A scuba diver may say that he loves the sea, but a wholesome fear of it causes him to realize that there are certain things that he should avoid doing. Similarly, our love for God should be coupled with a wholesome fear of doing anything that will incur his displeasure.
Reference: www.justthetruth.net, www.comeyouout.hubpages.com, www.newadvent.org,
work-together-cm.com, www.wiki.answers.com,
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