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Jehovah is the personal name of the only true God. Jehovah created the universe and is its Sovereign Ruler. Translated from the Hebrew Tetragrammaton, ????,Jehovah means He Causes to Become. Many languages represent these four Hebrew letters as YHWH or JHWH. Jehovah is accepted as the best English pronunciation, although Hebrew Scholars prefer Yahweh.
The Hebrew Consonants for the name of The Almighty are YHWH. These are known without a doubt, although, Hebrew vowel points were not in use at the time of the writing of the original texts of the Bible. Superstition led ancient Jews to quit speaking the name of the Lord. Subsequently, when vowel points were added to the consonantal Hebrew text, the points used in association with the Tetragrammaton pointed the reader to say Adho nai'(Sovereign Lord) or Elo him(God). Hebrew is read from right to left.
If Jehovah is the name of God, why then is it left mostly or entirely out of some translations of the Gospel? The preface of the Revised Standard Edition reads as follows: 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 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.
In this manner the Committee of scholars for the Revised Standard Edition's view of what is appropriate has been used for the removal of the personal name of the Divine Author of the Holy Bible. This is in the face of the fact that the name of Jehovah appears in the Hebrew text more often than Sovereign Lord or any other title applied to Jehovah. Nevertheless, they do follow the example of the adherents of Judaism, about whom Jesus said, You have made the word of God invalid because of your tradition-Matthew 15:6.
Psalm 83:18 That you people may know that you, whose name is Jehovah, You alone are the Most High over all the earth.
The prior verse is one of only seven that include the name Jehovah in King James' version of the Holy Scripture. This is in opposition to the Tetragrammaton appearing 6,828 times in the Hebrew text Biblia Hebraica and Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia. King James had the Bible rewritten such that it would support his theory of divine right. This is enough to denounce his entire version as an atrocity. One bad apple spoils the barrel. More regarding King James will be presented in another article.
It is significant to note the importance given names in the Hebrew scriptures, and by Semitic peoples today. Inspection of the word name in the Old Testament tells us how important a name actually is. A name is more than merely a label, it denotes the real personality of the person to which it belongs.
God is a title, not a name. It does not distinguish the god that is being referred to. Example: In the Hebrew scriptures, the same word (Elo him) is applied to Jehovah and to false gods. This takes place in Judges 16:23 and Samuel 5:7 in reference to the Philistine god Dagon. Also the Assyrian god Nisroch is indicated by the same word at 2 Kings 19:37. This being the case, if a Hebrew told a Philistine or Assyrian that he worshipped God, it would not suitably identify the God of his worship. Of course, in modern translations of the Bible Elohim will be rendered god.
Paul was mindful of the personal name of God, Jehovah, as found in the creation account in Genesis from which Paul quoted. The name Jehovah, distinguishes God the Father, thus blocking any attempt at amalgamating his identity and person with that of any other to whom the title of god or father may be applied.
There are many reasons to know the name of God. Our primary directive, the sanctification of Jehovah's name is, indeed, unachievable without the knowledge of His name. A personal relationship with our creator is impersonal when He is addressed strictly as God or Lord. This is not to suggest He should be respected less. On the contrary, knowing Jehovah's name and what it means, He Causes to Become, engenders the utmost respect.
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