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Religion See other Religion Articles Title: Does God have a name? And if so, what is it? Does God have a name? And if so, what is it? Jehovah – The personal name of the only true God. His own self-designation. Jehovah is the Creator and, rightfully, the Sovereign Ruler of the universe. “Jehovah” is translated from the Hebrew Tetragrammaton, which means “He Causes to Become.” Those 4 Hebrew letters are represented in many languages by the letters JHVH or YHWH. Which form of the divine name is correct? JHVH or YHWH? JeHoVaH or YaHWeH? No human alive 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 every day 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. NOTE; the letter J is relatively new in the English language, having been brought into general use about 250 years ago. J.B. Rotherham, in The Emphasized 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 Yahweh; 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, 1911), p. 29. (Other scholars have written similar thoughts on His Divine Name and how it should be written and pronounced.) Most names change to some extent when transferred from one language to another. Jesus was born a Jew (Israelite), 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? John 17:26; (Jesus prayed to his Father) “I have made your name known to them and will make it known, it order that the love which you loved me may be in them and I in union with them.” 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.” 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.” 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.” See also; Ex. 3:15; Ezek. 38:17, 23; and others. Is Jehovah in the “Old Testament” Jesus Christ in the “New Testament”? (You may note that there is a very good reason that they each have a name, which may have a lot to do with why the name of Jehovah was and is hidden, in order to sow as much confusion as possible.) Matt. 4:10; “Jesus said to him: ‘Go away, Satan! For it is written, “It is Jehovah 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 mde 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.” (Notice that Jesus Christ is here shown to be different from God the Father and subject to Him.) The Translation of the Bible into English (Specifically, New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures) – and quoted from page 6 of that translation. Since the Bible sets forth the sacred will of the Sovereign Lord of the universe, it would be a great indignity, indeed an affront to his majesty and authority, to omit or hide his unique divine name, which plainly occurs in the Hebrew text nearly 7,000 times as ---- YHWH (the Tetragrammaton). Therefore, the foremost feature of this translation is the restoration of the divine name to its rightful place in the English text. It has been done, using the commonly accepted English form “Jehovah” 6,973 times in the Hebrew Scriptures and 237 times in the Christian Greek Scriptures. In the New World Translation an effort was made to capture the authority, power, dynamism and directness of the original Hebrew and Greek Scriptures and to convey these characteristics in modern English. This translation is presented in modern English, using current speech forms, and does not use archaic English even in the various prayers and addresses to God. Thus we have not used the now-sanctimonious formal pronouns thou, thy, thine, thee, and ye, with their corresponding verb inflections. Paraphrases of the Scriptures are not offered. Rather, an effort has been made to give as literal a translation as possible where the modern-English idiom allows and where a literal rendition does not, by any awkwardness, hide the thought. In that way the desire of those who are scrupulous for getting an almost word-for-word statement of the original is met. It is realized that even such a seemingly insignificant matter as the use or omission of a comma or of a definite or an indefinite article may at times alter the correct sense of the original passage. Taking liberties with the texts for the mere sake of brevity, and substituting some modern parallel when a literal rendering of the original makes good sense, has been avoided. Uniformity of rendering has been maintained by assigning one meaning to each major word and by holding to that meaning as far as the context permits. At times this has imposed a restriction upon word choice, but it aids in cross-reference work and in comparing related texts. Special care was taken in translating Hebrew and Greek verbs in order to capture the simplicity, warmth, character and forcefulness of the original expressions. An effort was made to preserve the flavor of the ancient Hebrew and Greek times, the people’s way of thinking, reasoning and talking, their social dealings, etc. This has prevented any indulgence in translating as one may think the original speaker or writer should have said it. So, care has been taken not to modernize the verbal renderings to such an extent as to alter their ancient background beyond recognition. This means the reader will encounter many Hebrew and Greek idioms. In many cases the footnotes show the literalness of certain expressions. I have about a dozen different translations of the Bible, from Moffet to the King James Study Bible and others. In addition, I have books describing where the various sources for the translations of the Bible came from, i.e., were found or preserved. It is quite fascinating to compare Scriptures and see the differences in translations. However, one thing has become clear to me, and that is that we, as a people, were not intended to have full access to His Inspired Word until near the end of this worldly system of things. That end draws near, and as it does, more and older/better copies of the Scriptures are being found, and translated. In addition, the new translations, when done in a correct manner (most are not being done correctly), are much clearer in meaning. That is what I have found to be true of this translation; the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures. To be frank, it was shocking to me when I first learned that His Holy Name was removed from the Bible, when it occurred more than 7,000 times! I am very pleased to see it restored to its rightful place in Scripture. There is one more thing to be covered. Why was His Holy Name removed from our Bibles? First off, please note that the Roman church considered it to be a sin for an average man to posses or read a Bible, going so far as to put to death those who did so. This was back before there was printing. What is called the Reformation came about because more and more people got access to Bibles, and began to learn directly from the source the Truth about the world and Jehovah. That is a very good indication that it is dangerous for the Roman church when people actually read the Bible! I certainly have found this to be true, even if the only Bible you have is a copy of the King James Bible. Even in that archaic style, there is more than enough information, if you actually read it, to change your life. But why take His Name out, even after Bibles became common in our society? I think that the Roman Church has the best explanation for this; “August 13, 2008; Vatican: “Yahweh” Inappropriate for Liturgical Use http://www.catholicculture.org/news/features/index.cfm?recnum=60153 The Vatican has ruled that the Name of God, commonly rendered as "Yahweh," should not be pronounced in the Catholic liturgy. The Vatican directive will not require any changes in the language of liturgy, since the Name of God is not spelled out in any authorized translation of the Roman Missal. However some hymns may be deemed inappropriate for liturgical use. The Congregation for Divine Worship, in issuing the new directive, reminds bishops that in the Hebrew tradition, which the early Christians adopted, the faithful avoided pronouncing the Name of God. The Vatican directive explains that "as an expression of the infinite greatness and majesty of God, it was held to be unpronounceable." In place of the Name of God, pious Hebrews used the four-letter tetragammaton YHWH, or substituted the terms "Adonai" or "the Lord." The first Christians continued this practice, the Vatican notes. “ That makes it fairly plain; tradition. More plainly still, JEWISH TRADITIONS. Ummmm. Let me see, who was it that had Jesus Christ put to death? Matthew 15:6-9; … And so you have made the word of God invalid because of your tradition. You hypocrites, Isaiah aptly prophesied about you, when he said, ‘This people honors me with their lips, yet their heart is far removed from me. It is in vain that they keep worshipping me, because they teach commands of men as doctrines.’”
Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest Begin Trace Mode for Comment # 7.
#6. To: richard9151 (#0)
When Moses asked God what (his) name was, God answered, "I am that I am." Exodus 3:14 JHVH The letters or the words aren't so important as the meanings originally intended. I figure God was saying he doesn't have a name. This would explain why (some people) say his name can't be mentioned. People are always getting this sorta shit mixed up. Either intentionally or because they're just generally stupid.
I'd go with "Just generally stupid". I think you pretty much nailed that one.
#8. To: Elliott Jackalope (#7)
Thank you. It's kinda mean but... true. I don't think God has a gender either. God is everything. God transcends gender.
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