"Jehovah" became more widely accepted in English-speaking Christian traditions. The King James Version (1611) uses "Jehovah" in a few places (e.g., Exodus 6:3; Psalm 83:18; Isaiah 12:2; 26:4).
So apparently if you use the KJV, (the only true Bible for so many) you will have no problem using the English version of the divine name in the English translations....? No one objects to the transliteration either so what is the excuse for not saying it at all? It has been eliminated from almost all modern translations...which speaks volumes, doesn’t it? At least the Jews retained it in their Scripture...which is more than Christendom does.
Who does not want God’s name known and used freely and with due reverence? The OT Bible writers certainly had no compunction in addressing Jehovah/Yahweh by name....almost 7,000 times! That is a lot of substitution for a name that was never supposed to go out of human speech.
After all, there is no “J” in Hebrew so all the names beginning with “J” in the Bible must of necessity be eliminated for those who balk over the name “Jehovah”.....Jesus is also a “J” name, so it should be eliminated as well......? How ridiculous do we need to get?
Your own name is not said with the “J” sound, is it Johann?
However, modern biblical scholarship and translations tend to use "Yahweh" or "LORD" (in all capitals) to more accurately reflect the original Hebrew.
Theological and Scholarly Perspectives
Jewish Tradition: In Judaism, the name YHWH is considered ineffable and sacred. "Adonai" or "HaShem" (The Name) are commonly used substitutes in prayer and scripture reading.
Where and when did this “Jewish tradition” originate? Where was Israel ever told that God’s name was too sacred to be uttered? Is that what God told Moses in connection with his name?
From the Jewish Tanakh.....Exodus 3:13-15....
| 13 And Moses said to God, "Behold I come to the children of Israel, and I say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they say to me, 'What is His name?' what shall I say to them?" | | יגוַיֹּ֨אמֶר משֶׁ֜ה אֶל־הָֽאֱלֹהִ֗ים הִנֵּ֨ה אָֽנֹכִ֣י בָא֘ אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵל֒ וְאָֽמַרְתִּ֣י לָהֶ֔ם אֱלֹהֵ֥י אֲבֽוֹתֵיכֶ֖ם שְׁלָחַ֣נִי אֲלֵיכֶ֑ם וְאָֽמְרוּ־לִ֣י מַה־שְּׁמ֔וֹ מָ֥ה אֹמַ֖ר אֲלֵהֶֽם: |
| 14 God said to Moses, "Ehyeh asher ehyeh (I will be what I will be)," and He said, "So shall you say to the children of Israel, 'Ehyeh (I will be) has sent me to you.'" | | ידוַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֱלֹהִים֙ אֶל־משֶׁ֔ה אֶֽהְיֶ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר אֶֽהְיֶ֑ה וַיֹּ֗אמֶר כֹּ֤ה תֹאמַר֙ לִבְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֶֽהְיֶ֖ה שְׁלָחַ֥נִי אֲלֵיכֶֽם: |
| 15 And God said further to Moses, "So shall you say to the children of Israel, 'The Lord God of your forefathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.' This is My name forever, and this is how I should be mentioned in every generation. | | טווַיֹּ֩אמֶר֩ ע֨וֹד אֱלֹהִ֜ים אֶל־משֶׁ֗ה כֹּ֣ה תֹאמַר֘ אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵל֒ יְהֹוָ֞ה אֱלֹהֵ֣י אֲבֹֽתֵיכֶ֗ם אֱלֹהֵ֨י אַבְרָהָ֜ם אֱלֹהֵ֥י יִצְחָ֛ק וֵֽאלֹהֵ֥י יַֽעֲקֹ֖ב שְׁלָחַ֣נִי אֲלֵיכֶ֑ם זֶה־שְּׁמִ֣י לְעֹלָ֔ם וְזֶ֥ה זִכְרִ֖י לְדֹ֥ר דֹּֽר: |
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יְהֹוָ֞ה” is “The Lord God” in verse 15.
And God’s eternal name was to be “mentioned in every generation”....so where was permission given to stop saying it? Was there a scriptural reason to “lose” it? Was it lost forever or only for a time?
Jesus said he had “come to make his Father’s name known” to his disciples......so did he?
When Jesus got up in the synagogue to read from the Hebrew Scriptures, would he have substituted God’s name for a mere title? (John 17:6, 11) Would he have followed a man made tradition that he condemned the Pharisees for? (Matt 15:7-9)
It was said that the rabbis could say the name only when reading scripture or in prayer.....so if this is true, then the true pronunciation was not really lost until after Jesus and his apostles died....allowing the foretold apostasy to do what it did to Christianity. Modern day Jews are far removed from their roots and are divided in their beliefs, but not quite as much as Christendom.
They say if you ask a dozen Jews a question, you will receive a dozen answers...and they would all be right.....
Johann said:
Christian Tradition: Different Christian denominations have various practices regarding the use of "Jehovah." Some, like the Jehovah's Witnesses, emphasize "Jehovah" as God's personal name, while others prefer "Yahweh" or "LORD."
For us, it’s not the pronunciation that matters, otherwise no one could say Jesus instead of Yeshua, because that would also be “taking God’s name in vain” for obvious reasons.
It’s what the name signifies in your language...English is not the only language into which the Bible is translated. Many versions of God’s name and Jesus’ name are different in the various languages.
God recognises his name in all languages because he is the inventor of all language.
Key Points in Summary
Tetragrammaton (YHWH): The original Hebrew name for God, considered sacred and traditionally not pronounced.
Masoretic Tradition: Added vowel points of "Adonai" to YHWH, leading to "Yehowah."
Latinization: Christian scholars in the Renaissance and Reformation popularized "Jehovah."
Modern Scholarship: Prefers "Yahweh" or "LORD" to more accurately reflect the Hebrew original.
Conclusion
The term "Jehovah" is not found in the original Hebrew Bible but is a result of historical linguistic development and translation practices. Its usage illustrates the intersection of reverence, tradition, and scholarship in the transmission and understanding of sacred texts.
Again...we make no apology for how we use and promote the divine name as Jesus did in his own language to his own people. It was the first thing mentioned in the Lord’s Prayer.....it doesn’t say “hallowed be they title”....it says “hallowed be thy name”....how do you sanctify a name you never use?
The Jews took God’s laws to ridiculous extremes as many do today....all practiced from human tradition, not Biblical instruction. Orthodox Jews have a litany of rituals to perform before they walk out of their front door in the morning. And if you happen to live in a tall building that is not mindful of Jewish tradition, you can’t go anywhere on the Sabbath because you aren’t allowed to push a button to select your floor. And you can only walk a certain distance.
In Jewish constructions the lifts are programmed to stop at every floor so you don’t break the Sabbath.....any wonder Jesus said that they invalidated God’s word because of their traditions....”straining at gnats and gulping down camels”......how on earth are such ridiculous behaviours acceptable to God? What do they accomplish?
