whatever happened to Jehovah?

It's still in mine.

 

Jehovah and the KJV

I have been comparing over 200 editions of the KJV, and I have not noticed that any of them do not still have "Jehovah" the few times that it was in the 1611 KJV. I have not been especially checking those verses, but I am not aware of any KJV editions that do not keep it those few times.

If you know of a specific edition of the KJV that does not have "Jehovah" at all, could you identify which one it is?

The KJV has Jehovah (Exodus 6:3, Psalm 83:18, Isaiah 12:2, Isaiah 26:4), Jehovah-jireh (Genesis 22:14), Jehovah-nissi (Exodus 17:15), Jehovah-shalom (Judges 6:24), and JAH (Psalm 68:4). The 1611 KJV also has the following marginal note at Jeremiah 33:16: "Heb. Jehova-tsidkenu." Arthur T. Pierson claimed that "it is a blemish, if not a blunder" that the name Jehovah "finds it way into the English translation four times only (Ex. 6:3; Ps. 83:18, Is. 12:2; 26:4), shutting out the common reader from the full significance of hundreds of passages" (Knowing the Scriptures, p. 61). Mark Cambron, who was dean of a fundamentalist Bible School, wrote: “the words GOD and LORD (all capital letters) in the King James Version are best translated Jehovah” (Bible Doctrines, p. 15). In the Hebrew Old Testament, this Hebrew name of God is actually found over 5,000 times. The book of Psalms alone has this name 700 times.

The 1842 revision of the KJV by Baptists did have "Jehovah" over 5,000 times in the Old Testament, but it is not a typical edition of the KJV.

 

I remember Gail Riplinger complaining that the NIV or some other 'modern' versions had removed the word "Jehovah" from the Bible; of course, she fails to mention that it appears merely 4 times in the KJV when it potentially could have been included thousands of times (the ASV uses "Jehovah" almost 7000 times).

 

I think the Hebrew has the four letter (YHWH) and the KJB translated it "LORD" almost all the time and in a few cases Jehovah. Most modern translations think the way to say "YHWH" is Ya-way, and they spell it, adding letters, as Yahweh. However, rather than put YHWH or Yahweh, they put LORD all in caps and then you have to find the footnote that says this is how they translated YHWH. All this seem to me to do is add confusion needlessly.

As far as disappearance of the mistranslation "Jehovah" it is not found in modern translations, except that the NKJV puts in a footnote saying "LORD" is Jehovah, i.e. "Exodus 6:3 Hebrew YHWH, traditionally Jehovah."

 

Along with the 1842 revision of the KJV mentioned earlier, the 1862 Young's Literal Translation, the 1885 Darby's Bible, 1901 American Standard Version, 1912 Improved Edition by American Baptist Publication Society, and the 1987 Literal Translation by Jay Green have "Jehovah." Most KJV-only advocates usually include the 1901 ASV in modern translations. Young’s Literal Translation, Darby’s translation, and the ASV have “Jehovah” over 5,700 times.

Concerning the pre-1611 English Bibles, it could be noted that Tyndale's Old Testament and the 1537 Matthew's Bible used the rendering Jehovah at least twenty times where the KJV does not (Genesis 15:2, Exodus 15:3, 23:17, 33:19, 34:23, Deuteronomy 3:24, 9:26, Joshua 3:13, 7:7, 22:22, Judges 6:22, 16:28, 2 Samuel 7:18, 7:19 [twice], 7:20, 7:28, 7:29, 1 Kings 2:26, 8:53). Tyndale also used Jehovah at Ezekiel 18:23 and 36:23 in some portions of Old Testament books he translated that were included at the end of this 1534 New Testament. The 1560 Geneva Bible has Jehovah at Exodus 15:3, 23:17, and 34:23 where the KJV does not. The Bishops’ Bible has Jehovah at Exodus 6:2, 6, 8, 33:19, and Ezekiel 3:12 where the KJV does not.

 

I know that the 1842 revision by Baptist was printed at least 6 or 7 years [perhaps longer], and one publisher put the name "Baptist Bible" on its binding, but I do not think that it was still printed in the 1900's. If you grew up with it, you would probably know it more for its use of "immerse" instead of "baptize" in the New Testament.

The later 1912 Improved Edition printed by American Baptist Publication Society also used "Jehovah" often in the Old Testament.

 

What happened to it?

The Jehovahs Witness's stole it, and wont give it back! :laugh:

 

I do not know of any edition that has KJV on the spine and that does not use "Jehovah" in the few places listed earlier. I would be interested in knowing which edition by which publisher made that change. The NKJV does not have "Jehovah" in the Old Testament so perhaps someone had it.

There are a number of differences in KJV editions since they are 20 to 30 varying editions of the KJV in print today.