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The name Jehovah

Discussion in '2003 Archive' started by TheOliveBranch, Oct 24, 2003.

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  1. TheOliveBranch

    TheOliveBranch New Member

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    Does anybody know why the name "Jehovah" is translated as such only seven times in the KJV, and translated as another word, or LORD, the rest of the time? I was wondering why in these seven instances, in these particular verses?
     
    #1 TheOliveBranch, Oct 24, 2003
  2. Nomad

    Nomad New Member

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    Three of those references are to place names that incorporate the name "Jehovah." As for the other four, I don't know why the KJV translators chose to use "Jehovah" rather than "LORD." In each passage the name of God is emphasized, so that may be why, although to use "Jehovah" here and not elsewhere seems to be somewhat arbitrary.
     
    #2 Nomad, Oct 24, 2003
  3. TheOliveBranch

    TheOliveBranch New Member

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    Wouldn't you think that every time the Bible stated "in the name of the LORD" they ould have used Jehovah, and not just in those four places?

    Are all other translations like this?
     
    #3 TheOliveBranch, Oct 24, 2003
  4. Johnv

    Johnv New Member

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    The word" Jehovah" is a bastardization of the Hebrew words "Yahweh and Elohim", derived from incorrectly combining these two words. In layman's terms, it's a made-up word, and has no business being in any bible, nor any biblical commentary.
     
    #4 Johnv, Oct 24, 2003
  5. Dr. Bob

    Dr. Bob Administrator
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    Johnv is correct. YHWH, the sacred and personal name of God, is accurate. Not Jehovah.

    BTW, it is a combination from the consonants of YHWH and the vowels of Adonai. Why? Jews felt that the sacred name YHWH was so sacred it should NEVER be said out loud or written on anything that might be destroyed.

    Even today they write G-d instead of God.

    So even if the inspired text said h'YHWH, they would always say Adonai. Christians adopted it when translating the sacred tetragrametton into English.
     
    #5 Dr. Bob, Oct 25, 2003
  6. Dr. Bob

    Dr. Bob Administrator
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    Oh, and answering the original question . .

    6500 times when YHWH is found in the Scripture, it is translated as LORD (all caps). Sometimes it is used in combination with other names of God (like Adonai YHWH) it is translated GOD (all caps.)

    But in 4 special places, the AV translators opted to use the old word for YHWH which was Jehovah.

    (Exo 6:3 KJV1769 revision) And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty (el shaddai), but by my name JEHOVAH (YHWHwas I not known to them.

    In that place God is teaching them that this special 4-letter tetragramatton was his intimate and special name. So the translators thought the generic LORD might not be enough.

    (Psa 83:18 KJV1769 revision) That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.

    Again, in a very special place dealing with this special, intimate name, the translators opted to use the unique name Jehovah

    (Isa 12:2 KJV1769 revision) Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.

    (Isa 26:4 KJV1769 revision) Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:

    These two posed problems since it was basically YH h'YHWH (Yah ha-Yahweh) - repeating the name. So to contrast and not say LORD LORD, they employed Lord Jehovah.

    Hope this helps.

    Dr. Bob Bob Griffin
    Just doesn't sound right, does it :rolleyes:
     
    #6 Dr. Bob, Oct 25, 2003
  7. timothy 1769

    timothy 1769 New Member

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    In orthodox Jewish circles even saying Adonai was permitted only during prayer or study. At other times the term Hashem ("the name") is used, and elohim ("God") becomes elokim.
     
    #7 timothy 1769, Oct 25, 2003
  8. timothy 1769

    timothy 1769 New Member

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    BTW, nice post Dr. Bob! [​IMG]

    Looks like you pretty much nailed it.
     
    #8 timothy 1769, Oct 25, 2003
  9. Dr. Bob

    Dr. Bob Administrator
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    And we picked up some of the Jewish mystique for the sacred name in our Baptist worship and singing!

    Sing -
    Now to that same tune sing
     
    #9 Dr. Bob, Oct 25, 2003
  10. Joseph_Botwinick

    Joseph_Botwinick <img src=/532.jpg>Banned

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    For once, I agree with JohnV about something.

    Joseph Botwinick
     
    #10 Joseph_Botwinick, Oct 25, 2003
  11. Deacon

    Deacon Well-Known Member
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    Please allow me to share what I learned a while back while studing Hebrew.

    YHVH is the covenant name for Israel's God. At a very early date in Jewish history, it came to be regarded as too sacred to be pronounced. Pious readers avoided pronouncing it by substituting for it the word, "Adonai", meaning "my Lord". When Masoretic scholars began to supply vowel points to the consonantal text of biblical books, they applied the vowels of "Adonai" to the consonants of YHVH. With the modification of vowels, the pronounciation became "Jehovah" rather than the more-than-likely pronounciation, "Yahveh" (there is no "Y" in the German alphabet when first translated so "Jehovah" became the accepted spelling rather than "Yehovah").

    loosely copied from the book, Biblical Hebrew, by Page H. Kelley, p32

    Rob
     
    #11 Deacon, Oct 27, 2003
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