YHWH/JEHOVAH: The name of God All the gods of World Religion have a name. Every single deity has a personal name. Islam worships Allah. Buddhism has variousBuddified deities in association with Siddhartha Buddha. Hinduism has the Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva; and even Krishna as Supreme personality of godhead. In ancient times, the Egyptians directly worshiped their gods using personal names. The ancient Greek had Zeus, who later became Jupiter to the Romans, as their chief deity. The Babylonians had Nebo their god of wisdom and agriculture; and Marduk. The inhabitants of ancient Canaan worshiped Baal; who was basically their god of fertility. Without Baals blessings, the Canaanites believed Mot - a vindictive Canaanite god, would bring disaster upon them. Zoroastrians worshiped their god Ahura Mazda. In Egyptian worship the god of the dead was Anubis and Osiris was the chief god of the underworld. What about the God of the Old Testament; did he have a name? The answer is yes; apart from his title of El��im [God], he has a personal name. El��im is actually a Hebrew word in plural form, used by the Bible writers to express grandeur and supreme sovereignty. In a similar manner, the monarchs of Europe apply this routine when they refer to themselves as we and not I. In ancient times, there was fierce competition between gods. Indeed the God of Israel had to contend for the loyalty of the Israelites with other gods. In Canaan He had to continuously punish the Israelites who kept deviating to worshiping the aforementioned Baal. In this atmosphere, a God not having a name could not have gained fame. The Israelites knew and freely used Gods personal name. In the Hebrew language, Gods name is written YHWH. These four letters are commonly called the Tetragrammaton. The Bible actually encourages Gods name to be in wide appropriate use - [Exodus 3:15; Proverbs 18:10; Isaiah 12:4; Zephaniah 3:9] Gods personal name actually appears almost 7,000 times in the original Hebrew scriptures. Why now do we not know the correct pronunciation of Gods personal name; the name of Jesus Father? By the 1st century CE the Jews developed a superstition about Gods name. Not only did they stop using Gods name, but forbade its pronunciation altogether. Commentaries supplementing scriptural laws, based on explanations by rabbis came to be in writing. From these, an unscriptural book known as the Mishnah began forbidding Gods name from being spoken - [Sanhedrin 10:1] This book began circulating with the Jews in the late second and early third century CE. Even today,Jews strictly forbid the uttering of the divine name. By this act of the Jews, deliberately or otherwise, the correct pronunciation of Gods name seems almost lost. However, many names of people and places mentioned in the Bible contain an abbreviated form of the divine name. Using these, one can arrive at an educated guess on the proper pronunciation. The pronunciation of Biblical names have survived intact throughout the centuries. In ancient times, parents often named their children after their deities. That means that they would have pronounced their childrens names the way the deitys name was pronounced. The Tetragrammaton was used in peoples names, and they always used the middle vowel - George Buchanan, professor emeritus at Wesley Theological Seminary, Washington D.C., U.S.A. Let us consider a few of these examples of proper names found in the Bible that includes a shortened form of Gods name. Jehoaddah (YEHOADDA)- Jehovah has decked himself Jehoaddan (YEHOADDAN)-Jehovah is pleasure Jehoahaz (YEHOAHAZ)- May Jehovah take hold Jehoash (YEHOAS)- Jehovah has been gracious Jehohanan (YEHOHANAN)- Jehovah has shown favor Jehoiachin (YEHOYAKIN)- Jehovah has firmly established Jehoiada (YEHOYADA)- May Jehovah Know Jehoiakim (YEHOYAQIM)- Jehovah raises up Jehoiarib (YEHOYARIB)- May Jehovah contend Jehonadab (YEHONADAB)- Jah is willing; noble; generous Jehonathan (YEHONATHAN)- Jehovah has given Jehoram (YEHORAM)- Jehovah is high; exalted Jehoshabeath (YEHOSABAT)- Jehovah is plenty Jehoshaphat (YEHOSAPAT)- Jehovah is judge Jehosheba (YEHOSEBA)- Jehovah is plenty Jehoshua (YEHOSUA)- Jehovah is Salvation Jehozabad (YEHOZABAD)- Jehovah has endowed Jehozadak (YEHOSADAQ)- Jehovah pronounces righteous Jonathan, which appears as Yoh_na_than or Yehoh_na_than in the Hebrew Bible; means Yaho or Yahowah has given -according to professor Buchanan. The prophet Elijahs name is E_li_yah or E_li_yah_hu in Hebrew; meaning My God is Yahoo or Yahoo_wah. Similarly, Jehoshaphat is Yehoh_sha_phat, meaning Yaho has judged - the professor explains. A two-syllable pronunciation of the Tetragrammaton as Yahweh would not allow for the o vowel sound to exist as part of Gods name. But in the dozens of Biblical names that incorporate the divine name, this middle vowel sound appears in both the original and shortened form; such as Jehonathan and Jonathan. Thus, Professor Buchanan says regarding the divine name: In no case is the vowel oo or oh omitted. The word was sometimes abbreviated as Ya, but never as Ya_weh...in one syllable it was Yah or Yo. When it was pronounced in three syllables it would have been Yahowah or Yahoowah. If it was ever abbreviated to two syllable it would have been Yaho - [Biblical Archaeological Review] Usually, Gods name is presented as fundamental in the monotheistic religions, but its pronunciation is controversial (YeHoWaH, Yahve, Jehovah,...). However, the key to unlock this mystery was provided by the famous Maimonides 800 years ago, when he wrote that the Name of God (the tetragram YHWH) is read as it is written. The paradox starts and ends here with these intriguing words. THE NAME OF GOD Y_EH_OW_AH WHICH IS PRONOUNCED AS IT IS WRITTEN I_EH_OU_AH. G�ard Gertoux, University Press of America,�Inc Lanham _ New York _ Oxford How Gods Name Was Pronounced Biblical Archaeology Review, Mar./Apr. 1995 Volume 21 Number 2; page 30: 1) Among the magical papyri the name appears as IAWOUHE (Ya_oh_oo_ay_eh), but it is difficult to know how much this pronunciation had to do with the Tetragrammaton...so it is not certain how many of these syllables were thought to belong to the name. At least, however, it has more syllables than two, and the central vowel is not omitted, as is done in Yah-weh. However, if the word were spelled with four letters in Moses day, we would expect it to have had more than two syllables, for at that period there were no vowel letters. All the letters were sounded. At the end of the OT period the Elephantine papyri write the word YHW to be read either yahu (as in names like Shemayahu) or yaho (as in names like Jehozadek). The pronunciation yaho would be favored by the later Greek from iao found in Qumran Greek fragments (2d or 1st centuries B.C.) and in Gnostic materials of the first Christian centuries.-Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament There was only one group in antiquity to pronounce the divine name similar to the popular form, Yahweh. And this only because Theodoret (fifth-century CE Antiochene theologioan) claimed that the Samaritans pronounced the divine name as Iahe. But, all other examples [from antiquity] maintain the middle vowel. George Buchanan, How Gods Name Was Pronounced BAR 21.2 (March-April 1995, 31-32 Also arguing for a trisyllable pronounciation is David Thomas: It is sometimes argued that the form Jehovah is a made-up composite form which bears little resemblance to Yahweh, the presumed Hebrew pronunciation...If we accept Yitschak=Isaac without any problem, this appears to be straining at the gnat.-A Further Note on YHWH BT 44.4(October 1993), 444-445 In the history of the English language however, the letter J has a written counterpart in the German J, although the latter J in German is pronounced like an English Y. The bulk of theological studies having come from the German sources, there has been an intermixed usage in English of the J and the Y. Our English translations of the bible reflect this, so we have chosen to use J, thus Jehovah, rather than Yahweh, because this is established English usage for Biblical names beginning with this Hebrew letters. No one suggests that we ought to change Jacob, Joseph, Jehoshaphat, Joshua etc. to begin with a Y, and neither should we at this late date change Jehovah to Yahweh. -Bible Translator Jay P. Green, Sr. Johann David Michaelis in his German translation of the Old Testament of the eighteenth century...said in part: On the other hand, the name Jehovah [Jehova in German] is used. . . . so I considered it to be a matter of integrity in translation to identify it, even though it might not always be pleasing to the German ear. ....Several of my friends insisted that I not at all insert this foreign word. . . Jehovah is a Nomen Proprium, and, just as properly as I retain other nomina propria [such as] Abraham, Isaac, Jacob... In the translation of a classical author one would not have the slightest hesitance toward the use of the names Jupiter, Apollo and Diana; and why then should the name of the Only True God sound more offensive? I do not therefore see why I should not use the name Jehovah in the German Bible. In English, the shout of Hallelujah means Praise Jah you people. The Jah comes from the one syllable Hebrew translation of the divine name to Yah. Hence, Gods name in English is Jehovah; from the above Yahowah. The personal name is the causative form, the imperfect state, of the Hebrew verb ha�ah [become]; meaning He Causes to Become. However, if we are reasonably sure of Gods true name in its original Hebrew language, is it acceptable to use its English equivalent? Absolutely. Francis B. Denio, who studied and taught Hebrew for 40 years says: Jehovah misrepresents Yahweh no more than Jeremiah misrepresents Yirmeyahu. The settled connotation of Isaiah and Jeremiah forbid questioning their right. Usage has given them the connotations proper for designating the personalities which these words represent. Much the same is true of Jehovah. It is not barbarism. It has already many of the connotations needed for the proper name of the covenant God of Israel. There is no other word which can faintly compare with it. For centuries it has been gathering these connotations. No other word approaches this name in fulness of associations required. The use of any other word falls so far short of the proper ideas that it is a serious blemish in a translation. On the Use of the Word Jehovah, JBL 46, 1927, 147-148 On the name Jehovah the Catholic Encyclopedia states: (1913) (newadvent.org) Jehovah: The proper name of God in the Old Testament; hence the Jews called it the name by excellence, the great name, the only name,.... Finally, the word is found even in the Pugio fidei of Raymund Martin, a work written about 1270 (ed. Paris, 1651, pt. III, dist. ii, cap. iii, p. 448, and Note, p. 745). PROBABLY THE INTRODUCTION OF THE NAME JEHOVAH ANTEDATES EVEN R. MARTIN. No wonder then that this form has been regarded as the true pronunciation of the Divine name by such scholars as Michaelis (Supplementa ad lexica hebraica, I, 1792, p. 524), Drach (loc. cit., I, 469-98), Stier (Lehrgeb�de der hebr. Sprache, 327), and others. So, Gods name was most probably pronounced Yehowah or Yahoowah before mans traditions deemed it unutterable. Today, the name Jehovah is absolutely acceptable when referring to YWHW, the Almighty God of the Bible. And we can see that Jehovahs Witnesses are not the only people to recognize Jehovah as the proper English name for identifying the True God. Nor are Jehovahs Witnesses the only people to use the Divine Name Jehovah in their Bible(NWT) either. The King James Version uses Jehovah at Ex.6:3, Ps.83:18, Is.12:2;26:4 The American Standard Version uses Jehovah thousands of times. Youngs Literal Translation uses Jehovah thousands of times. The Holy Bible by J.N.Darby uses Jehovah thousands of times. The Literal Translation/King James 2 Version by Jay P. Green uses Jehovah thousands of times. The Recovery Version by Livings Dreams Ministry uses Jehovah thousands of times. The New English Bible uses Jehovah at Exodus chapters 3 and 6. The Living Bible/Protestant and Catholic editions uses Jehovah over 300 times. The English Revised Version uses Jehovah at Ex. 6:2,3,6,7,8, Ps. 83:18, Is. 12:2;26:4. The Bible in Living English by Byington uses Jehovah thousands of times. The Webster Bible uses Jehovah in the same places as the KJV above. The Modern Language Bible/New Berkeley Version uses Jehovah at Exodus 3:15; 6:3, Numbers 3:13, 45; 15:41; 21:14; 35:34, Ezra 6:21; Ps. 8:1, 9; 16:2, Is 12:2; 140:7; 141:8; 147:1, Hosea 12:5, Zech. 4:10 etc. The Emphatic Diaglott uses Jehovah at Matt 21:42; 22:37, 44, 23:39, Mark 11:9 and Acts 2:34 Boothroyds Versions uses Jehovah thousands of times. S. Sharps translation uses Jehovah thousands of times. The Reina Valera Bible uses Jehova thousands of times. The Moderna version uses Jehova thousands of times. At Exodus 9: 15,16 Jehovah stated, For by now I could have thrust my hand out that I might strike you and your people with pestilence and that you might be effaced from the earth. But, in fact, for this case I have kept you in existence, for the sake of showing you my power and in order to have my name declared in all the earth. Jehovah, the author of mankinds languages(Gen11:7), has truly made His Name, His character, the kind of being that He is(One that will prove to be with his people) known to the most distant parts of the earth. And as he did with the gods of Egypt, Jehovah God will do again when he fulfills his promises, as written in his inspired words, And I will bring myself into judgment with him, with pestilence and with blood: and a flooding downpour and hailstones, fire and sulphur I shall rain down upon him and upon his bands and upon the many peoples that will be with him. And I shall certainly magnify myself and sanctify myself and make myself known before the eyes of many nations; and they will have to know that I am Jehovah. Eze. 38: 22,23.
Posted on: Sun, 10 Aug 2014 05:05:07 +0000
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