God's Actual Name

[jgh7]

I've seen God called by different names. As much as I know, the consonants for his name are given in the OT, but the vowels are missing.

Does anyone here claim to know what the vowels are and thus the proper pronunciation of God's name. Or is it a mystery that will remain unknown?

[jgh7]

[Replying to post 20 by onewithhim]

Some bibles use Yahweh instead of Jehovah. They think that allows for a more accurate pronuncition of what the authentic pronunciation was. What are your thoughts on that? I personally like Yahweh more. Is it just a personal preference sort of thing?

[tigger2]

[Replying to post 20 by onewithhim]

Joel 2:26, 32 - “And ye ... shall praise the name of Jehovah your God .... And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of Jehovah shall be delivered.� - ASV.

Jer. 16:19, 21 - “O Jehovah ... unto thee shall the nations come from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Our fathers have inherited nought but lies ... and they will know that my name is Jehovah.� - ASV.

Zech. 13:9 - “They shall call on my name, and I will answer them: I will say, It is my people; and they shall say, Jehovah is my God.� - Darby.

Ezek. 39:7 - “And my holy name will I make known ... and the nations shall know that I am Jehovah� - ASV.

Ps. 83:16, 18 - “Fill their faces with shame, that they may seek Your name .... Let them be ashamed and troubled forever; yea, let them be put to shame, and lost; so that men may know that Your name is JEHOVAH, that You alone are the Most High over all the earth.� - MKJV (Compare KJV).

“Of primary significance is the name of Yahweh [or Jehovah] which he himself made known in his revelation (Gen. 17:1; Exod. 3:14 [and 3:15]; 6:2...). One of the most fundamental and essential features of the biblical revelation is the fact that God is not without a name: he has a personal name [Jehovah or Yahweh], by which he can, and is to be, invoked.� - p. 649, The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, Vol. 2, Zondervan, 1986.

“Jehovah denotes specifically the one true God, whose people the Jews were, and who made them the guardians of his truth. .... The substitution of the word ‘Lord’ is most unhappy, for it in no way represents the meaning of the sacred name.� - p. 220, Smith’s Bible Dictionary, Hendrickson Publ.

The Divine Name is used around 7000 times in the OT and was used in everyday speech.

We see that in the very first section of the Jewish Mishnah (Darby's translation) the decree that "a man should salute his fellow with [the use of] the Name [of God]," the example of Boaz (Ru 2:4) then being cited. - Berakhot 9:5.

Ruth 2:4 - "And, behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said to the reapers, Jehovah be with you. And they answered him, Jehovah bless you." - The Interlinear Bible (J.P. Green), Baker Book House.

[Elijah John]

[Replying to post 20 by onewithhim]

Some bibles use Yahweh instead of Jehovah. They think that allows for a more accurate pronuncition of what the authentic pronunciation was. What are your thoughts on that? I personally like Yahweh more. Is it just a personal preference sort of thing?

Since we have lost the exact pronunciation, (due to the Rabbinic prohibition) it does seem to be somewhat a matter of personal preference, and God seems to honor any reasonable rendition of the Tetragrammaton, YHVH. (given that God considers the heart and intentions, according to Scripture.)

Some good reconstructions have been attempted, The Kariate Jewish "Yehovah", and this is supported by Keith E. Johnson and Peter and Linda Miller-Russo.

If the Divine name has only two syllables, it is most likely "Yahveh", as there is no "W" in Hebrew.

[jgh7]

[Replying to Elijah John]

Here's the completely subjective reason I like Yahweh. My cousin told me something interesting. This particular pronunciation, when done extremely slowly and stressed, goes through every single vowel sound possible. I can't give a proper demonstration through typing unfortunately. But I just found that to be super cool and somewhat mystical to me.

[tigger2]

EJ wrote:

If the Divine name has only two syllables, it is most likely "Yahveh", as there is no "W" in Hebrew.

This is a common error today because it is so pronounced in modern Hebrew.

"Please note that the letter ו in Biblical Hebrew was known as waw and pronounced as w, as יהוה Yahweh, and ויקר� Wayiqra, the original Hebrew name for the Book of Leviticus, whereas in modern Hebrew ו is known as vav and pronounced as v." -
http://biblescripture.net/Hebrew.html

[Elijah John]

EJ wrote:

If the Divine name has only two syllables, it is most likely "Yahveh", as there is no "W" in Hebrew.

This is a common error today because it is so pronounced in modern Hebrew.

"Please note that the letter ו in Biblical Hebrew was known as waw and pronounced as w, as יהוה Yahweh, and ויקר� Wayiqra, the original Hebrew name for the Book of Leviticus, whereas in modern Hebrew ו is known as vav and pronounced as v." -
http://biblescripture.net/Hebrew.html

Sounds reasonable. I defer to your explanation and claim no expertise in Hebrew, ancient or modern!

[Yahu]

EJ wrote:

If the Divine name has only two syllables, it is most likely "Yahveh", as there is no "W" in Hebrew.

This is a common error today because it is so pronounced in modern Hebrew.

"Please note that the letter ו in Biblical Hebrew was known as waw and pronounced as w, as יהוה Yahweh, and ויקר� Wayiqra, the original Hebrew name for the Book of Leviticus, whereas in modern Hebrew ו is known as vav and pronounced as v." -
http://biblescripture.net/Hebrew.html

Again, this is the influence from German on the Hebrew language. Germany was the center of religious studies outside of Catholicism for many centuries due to the abundance of printing presses. Many religious texts were only in German. The Latin scripture was 1st translated into German with the Gutenburg bible.

Note how German have problems with 'w's and 'v's and 'f's. For example a Volkswagen was pronounced Folksvagon in German.

[JehovahsWitness]

I've seen God called by different names. As much as I know, the consonants for his name are given in the OT, but the vowels are missing.

Does anyone here claim to know what the vowels are and thus the proper pronunciation of God's name. Or is it a mystery that will remain unknown?

No one can claim to know the exact pronunciation of the Divine Name but we can make "educated guesses" because we have the consonants and the number of vowel sounds are not infinite. Also as I think has been mentioned, the rules of grammar and the existence of Hebrew names that incorporate part of the tetragrammaton mean that we can have a pretty good idea of how it was originally pronounced but we cannot be certain.

Jehovah's Witnesses believe it is more important to use a form that is acceptable and common in any given language rather than follow Jewish tradition and not use it at all (mainstream Christian tradition of largely replacing it with a title) or to not use it on the pretext that we do not know exactly how it was pronounced in ancient times.


JW

[B Bob]

[Replying to post 1 by jgh7]

Name of YHWH / Jehovah was a mystery in the OT, However the mystery was revealed in the NT.

There is a Lord God of the the OT and a Lord God of the NT. They are the one and the same Lord God. In the OT, God only revealed Himself as the Lord God of Israel. In the NT, the mystery of His name has been revealed; Jesus Christ, He is both the Lord God of the OT and the NT.

[tigger2]

[Replying to post 1 by jgh7]

Name of YHWH / Jehovah was a mystery in the OT, However the mystery was revealed in the NT.

There is a Lord God of the the OT and a Lord God of the NT. They are the one and the same Lord God. In the OT, God only revealed Himself as the Lord God of Israel. In the NT, the mystery of His name has been revealed; Jesus Christ, He is both the Lord God of the OT and the NT.

The same God is the God of the OT and the God of the NT, the Father alone, the God Jesus prayed to and called "the only true God" (John 17:3). Even after his resurrection Jesus called the Father "My God."

Many people recorded in the Bible were given personal names praising Jehovah as the Father (e.g. “Abijah,� “Abiah,� “Joab,� etc.). No such names ever praised him as the Son, Messiah, Holy Spirit, etc.

Straightforward statements of Scripture actually identify Jehovah as the Father (e.g. Is. 64:8 - “O Jehovah, thou art our Father,� ASV) but never as the Son, Messiah, Firstborn, etc.

The unique personal name 'Jehovah' is always applied to the Father (never the Son, etc.): in Ps 110, for example, the heavenly glorified Jesus sits at the right hand OF Jehovah (cf. Acts 2:33-36 and Eph 1:17, 20); “Yet it pleased Jehovah to bruise [the Messiah]� - Is. 53:10, ASV; Jesus does his work “in the majesty of the name of Jehovah HIS GOD� - Micah 5:4, ASV; “I will tell of the decree: Jehovah said unto me [Christ], Thou art my son; This day have I begotten thee.� - Ps 2:7, ASV (cf. Acts 13:33); “The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, Against Jehovah and against his anointed [Christ]� - Ps. 2:2, ASV (cf. Acts 4:25, 26).

Isn’t it clear that “Jehovah� is the name of the Father only and He is God alone?

"That men may know that thou, whose name alone is Jehovah, art the most high over all the earth." - Psalm 83:18, KJV.