is God's name Yahweh or Jehovah?

Yahweh or Jehovah?

Yahweh or Jehovah?

Yahweh or Jehovah?

What is the correct Name for the One we worship, Yahweh or Jehovah? According to Insight on the Scriptures, a Jehovah’s Witnesses publication, the name “ ‘Jehovah’ ” is the best-known English pronunciation of the divine name” (vol. 2, p. 5). However, this same source also states, “ ‘Yahweh’ is favored by most Hebrew scholars” (ibid). The fact that names are not translated but transliterated, therefore the statement, “ ‘Jehovah’ is the best-known English pronunciation,” is factually and grammatically incorrect. The words “translation” and “transliteration” are often confused. Webster’s New Twentieth Century Dictionary defines translate as, “to change from one language into another,” 1967, p. 1939. This same reference states this in reference to transliterate: “To write or spell (words, etc.) in the alphabetical characters of another language that represent the same sound or sounds.” An example of a translation is when Jerome translated the Old Testament from Hebrew to Latin. An example of transliteration is the name “Benjamin Netanyahu,” the Prime Minister of Israel. No matter where Benjamin Netanyahu travels his name is always “Benjamin Netanyahu.” Names are not changed or translated but transliterated. This same concept applies to the Name of our Creator. His Name was never pronounced “Jehovah.” Our Heavenly Father’s Name derives from the Hebrew letters yod-hey- waw-hey.  These four letters are known as the Tetragrammaton (Greek “four letters”) and correspond to the English YHWH. Based on Hebrew and Greek manuscripts, the most accurate transliteration of YHWH is “Yahweh.”

Scholarship, regardless of language, overwhelmingly supports this name. Consider the following references:

  • “The Lord. The Hebrew for his name is Yahweh (often incorrectly spelled ‘Jehovah’)” (NIV Study Bible, note at Exodus 3:15, 1998).
  • “The prophets commonly used Yahweh for God, English sometimes as Lord, sometimes as Jehovah, the latter being a hybrid form which should be written Yahweh (YHWH)” (Harper’s Bible Dictionary, 1973).
  • “Properly, the name should be pronounced; ‘Yahweh’ as it is spelled in many modern versions. In this paraphrase ‘Yahweh’ is translated either ‘Jehovah’ or ‘Lord’ ; (The Living Bible, note at Exodus 3:15, 1971).
  • “Jehovah, n. 1530 Iehoua, borrowing of the New Latin, an erroneous transliteration of the Hebrew name YHWH, often represented as Yahweh” (The Barnhart ConciseDictionary of Etymology, 1995).

These are only a few references confirming Yahweh’s Name. There are countless others that provide the same information. Knowing this, why would anyone choose to use the name “Jehovah”? This hybrid name arose from combining the vowel points of Adonai with the Tetragrammaton. Additionally, Since the Hebrew and Greek languages are without a “J” sound, the name “Jehovah” is an impossibility in these ancient languages. Interestingly, the letter “J” was also the last letter to be added to the English alphabet. The original 1611 KJV did not contain the letter J. Instead, it used the letter I. For example, the name of the Messiah was spelled “Iesus.” While this too is not right, it illustrates the missing “J” from the original KJV. Does it matter that Jehovah is a hybrid of the Hebrew YHWH? Yahweh’s Name appears nearly 7,000 times in the Hebrew Old Testament. In Exodus 20:7, we are told not to take His Name in vain. The word “vain” comes from the Hebrew shaw, meaning “worthlessness.” When we ignore His Name we are breaking this commandment. Also, according to the Old and New testaments, those who call upon Yahweh’s Name will be saved, Joel 2:32 and Acts 2:21. Beyond the scriptural significance, people prefer being called by their personal names and not by a replacement someone may randomly choose. Our Creator is no different. He too desires to be called by His personal revealed Name, Yahweh. If you are not already doing so, we encourage you to begin honoring your Heavenly Father by calling on His revealed personal Name Yahweh and not settle for substitute names or titles.

Learn more about Yahweh Name through our booklet, including why it matters whether we use Yahweh or Jehovah, Your Father’s Name.
For more info on the origins of Jehovah please check out our article: The Yehovah Deception.

 Watch: “The Yehovah or Yahweh Question” below.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Posted in Former JW Member? and tagged , .
Subscribe
Notify of
guest

67 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
leon williams
leon williams
7 years ago

this article makes sense to to me ,the word jehova mean distroyer..yahweh and yahshua are not one and the same nor are they part of a trinty,am i correct?

Austin
Austin
Reply to  YRM
8 months ago

so does john 10:30 not exist

Eduardo III Go
Eduardo III Go
Reply to  YRM
4 months ago

There is no such name Y(ah)shua in Hebrew ang Aramaic. You can’t find a vowel sound patach for sound “a” (short vowel) in Hebrew manuscripts to pronounced as Yah in Yahshua or Kamatz (long vowel because the Yah is in the beginning the emphasis never in happened in 2 Syllable or the 1st and last. What we can read in Hebrew is the name “Y(e)shua” a shortened formed of Y(e)hoshua with a shva that sound “a” not “a” and it is evident in transliteration of the name into Greek, Latin and English with the “e” sound. Hebrew: Y(e)hoshua/ Y(e)shua Aramaic:… Read more »

brevory
brevory
Reply to  leon williams
6 years ago

hovah means destoyer not jehovah/yehovah

Lyn
Lyn
7 years ago

How do you say Jerusalem without the j?

Keith Davis
Keith Davis
Reply to  YRM
6 years ago

Cannot be. There is no equivalent to the letter J in Hebrew.

brevory
brevory
Reply to  Lyn
6 years ago

in hebrew its pronounced (yeh- roosh- ah – lie – yim)

Ilmar
Ilmar
Reply to  Lyn
5 years ago

The original name is, Yerushalayim. Egypt original name is Mitsrayim.

Cherrie
Cherrie
Reply to  Lyn
1 year ago

Yerushalayim

Celina
Celina
7 years ago

Thank you for the clarification in regards to His name. I have two questions:

1. why weren’t the rest of the Hebrew names which began with “J” changed to “Y” in your restoration bible?

2. what is the status of all believers who have died not knowing our Father and Savior’s proper name? Are they not saved? Since the proper name was “lost” or purposely hidden by the Jews so no one would take the Name in vain?

Perhaps these questions have been posted before, but I cannot find them. Thank you. Celina

traveler
traveler
Reply to  YRM
6 years ago

Hi, it would simplify your effort if you took note in the dictionary that Jehovah is not an English word, but an English representation. Representation of what you might ask. It is a representation of a mispronunciation of the Latin word coined to hold the original sounds know For the letters in Hebrew of YHWH. This mispronunciation first happen in the Catholic church of Germany. Hebrew: YHWH, Yahweh,
Greek, YHWH, Yahweh, Latin, YHWH, Yahweh, English, YHWH, Yahweh. All pronounced the same way. Jehovah was never even a word only a set sounds to represent a mistake.

Keith Davis
Keith Davis
Reply to  Celina
6 years ago

The commandment is to “not CARRY the Lord’s Name in vain”. Yahweh will have mercy on whom He will have mercy, and compassion on whom “He will have compassion. It is not of him that willeth, nor him that runneth, but of Yahweh who shows mercy”. Selah

Bob Curfman
Bob Curfman
Reply to  Celina
1 year ago

The Name Yehovah as found in Hebrew names But the most numerous hints found in the Scripture are in the Hebrew names that contain the three letters of the Creator’s name Yehovah: יהו. The Hebrew grammar and phonetic rules dictate that when a name begins with these three letters they are pronounced yeho-, however, when they are at the end of the name, they are pronounced -yahu. Such names are: Yeho-shua, that is Joshua, Yehonathan, Yehoyada, Yehoshaphat, Yehoram, Yehonadav, Yeho’achaz, Yeho’ash, Yehozavad, Yehoyakim, Yehoyachin, Yehotsadak, Yehoyada, Yehoyariv, Yehochanan; Yesha-yahu, that is Isaiah, Yirme-yahu, that is Jeremiah, Eliyahu, that is Elijah,… Read more »

Keith Davis
Keith Davis
6 years ago

FREEMASONRY is the enemy we seek. It was Moloch worshiping Pharisees of Judah who fled to Babylon at the fall of Jerusalem 70 ad, and established the satanic Babylonian Talmud as scripture. Freemasonry is the great whore of Babylon spoken of John the Revelator. Beware.

Justin
Justin
Reply to  Keith Davis
6 years ago

Keith, I am amused by your insight. I’ve been starting to see the connection with freemasonry and the creation of Christian sects to JWs to Mormons etc. Could you share your insights with your spiritual brothers & sisters? I’d like to network with you if you’re legit. Too many friends on blogs and forums like to leave antidotal comments without following through, I hope you aren’t one of them.

traveler
traveler
Reply to  Justin
6 years ago

Sorry Justin, using a reply to you because I couldn’t find where I might just make a new one of my own. I take it Keith is the guy here. The topic of Yahweh or Jehovah could be settled much easier if you note that Jehovah is called a “representation” not an English word in the more authoritative dictionaries. The reason for this is Jehovah is not a word but a mispronunciation used in “church Latin” by the Roman Catholic church. The church in Germany with its beginning English population just misunderstood the letter that looks like the English J… Read more »

Chris
Chris
6 years ago

I disagree with your argument because you say there is no J in Hebrew and therefore that the sound didnt exist. Think about that claim.
Jacob, Jerusalem, Jericho and on and on. If Jehovah is the best way to write the name of god, so you an English speaker, can pronounce it, how would you write that in Hebrew? Because, to me it seems obvious that ancient Hebrews use J sounding words as they spoke,and to suggest that they had no J soumding words seems very wrong to me.

Renée
Renée
Reply to  YRM
1 year ago

YHVH+the vowels: sh-va, kholam and kamats in their place spells the Name of GOD which is: YEHOVAH (YE-HO-VAH) Exodus 3:13-15 Moshe said to God, “Look, when I appear before the people of Isra’el and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you’; and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what am I to tell them?” God said to Moshe, “Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh” (“I am/will be what I am/will be”), and added, “Here is what to say to the people of Isra’el: ‘Ehyeh (I Am or I Will Be) has sent me to you.’” God… Read more »

Natalie Hendricks
Natalie Hendricks
Reply to  Chris
5 years ago

The letter J and the sound is only a few hundred years old. All the prophets included the name for God, which is Yah.

Dennis
Dennis
5 years ago

Saying Jehovah would translate to ‘ Lord Yahweh’, a better address for the Father, perhaps keeping the personal name as well as respect for God?
We wouldn’t royalty from another country by their first name.
“Yea, tell her to have her car parked around back….who? That Elizabeth woman from England.”

David
David
Reply to  YRM
2 years ago

What does Yahweh mean in Hebrew??

Pam
Pam
Reply to  David
1 year ago

Well, we know from Latin, that “iove” (pronounced Yahweh) is the ablative form of Jupiter, meaning to/by/of/for/from Jupiter.

That opens up another discussion. Does YRM address that topic?

Daniel
Daniel
5 years ago

Jehovah is far more accurate then yahweh…
The vowels placed around YHWH are NOT those of ‘Adonai’…

Look it up…

Sean Taylor
Sean Taylor
Reply to  Daniel
5 years ago

http://www.eliyah.com/sn09Chap.pdf and http://truthofyah.net/studies/fathersname.html further explain the gutteral sounds and significance of the Name YHWH being all vowels. Jehovah is a bridge from the Catholic era of ignorance for LORD to the name of the Father. To malign German speakers for saying Jehovah ostracizes adherence to Our God. Rather the premise needs scrutiny in explaining that the German Jehovah substitution for the Hebrew Yahweh featured on this is website attempts an appeal to return to such origins of God’s name and by supporting a rational dialogue.

Douglas James Cameron
Douglas James Cameron
5 years ago

Has anyone ever considered the letter G, Gimel in Hebrew or the Gamma in Greek?
Think about the English pronunciation of the name ‘Gina’. Easy solution to the question of J. A gutteral or masculine pronunciation of G would be like the English name ‘Gary’.
The letter Y in Hebrew is Yod (yode), and is much like a couple commas on top of each other, but the top one reversed. A simple lack of ink in the handwriting or etching could easily mistake a Latin speller to be the letter J.
So … I, Y or G?

Robert
Robert
5 years ago

It seems to me that Satan decieves the WHOLE world. Jehovah nor Yahweh seem correct. If there were no vowels used in Paleo Hebrew or Early Aramaic ….why would YHWH be Yahweh?.. especially since the Israelites forgot how to pronounce The Almighty Father’s sacred name centuries before The Christ was born..,had HE erased it from their hearts by then? Because the Babylonian oral law that Jesus spoke against said so? The same that corrupted Moses teachings? Or maybe the Masoretic text by Jews who hadn’t accepted the Messiah and to this day still spouting the same erroneous teachings of the… Read more »

sonny blacksmith
Reply to  Robert
5 years ago

Robert i agree YHWH is the original name men are the ones that added the vowels weather Yahweh or Jehovah are there name of choice for God’s name all is mans speculation. So if we stick to some of this ridicules argument english speaking people have had it all wrong for 2, 000 years and are in danger of going to Hell because they use the Name Jesus instead of calling him Yashahua.You talk about creating a ball of confusion for people God is not a God of confusion.

Michael
Michael
Reply to  sonny blacksmith
5 years ago

People, you do not go to hell or heaven by a secret name. The Name of The Lord is the action of his Saving Grace found in Jesus/YAHshua/The WORD of GOD. To believe in God’s salvation is to believe in his name. How you pronounce the name has nothing to do with salvation. It’s about your heart. In the meantime we can try to be as accurate as possible.

Ilmar
Ilmar
5 years ago

May YHWH our Elohim (Elah, Eloah, El shaddai) baruķ everybody here and those that don’t know the real name YHWH, in the qodesh name of the bĕn of Adam, the bĕn of YHWH, Yahshua Ha’ Mashiach the beloved yacheed of YHWH. May YHWH shine his light upon ya’ll and give ya’ll his shalom. Baruķ are all the neb(v)i’im, Hanoķ, Noah, Dawid, Yeshayahu, Yirmeyahu etc. Baruķ are Uri’El, Micha’El, Gab(v)ri’El, Rapha’El, Phanu’El, Ragu’El, Chamu’El, Saraqqa’El, Rame’El and all the ten thousand times ten thousand of malachim, cherub(v)im, ophanim and serafim that serve YHWH ELOAH EL SHADDAI in the shamayim.

Ahmein

Warriorforthetruth
Warriorforthetruth
4 years ago

Your article is 100 percent incorrect. I know Hebrew go to a messanic Jewish church and there is NOT a letter W in the Hebrew alephbet. (alphabet) nor is there a letter J. There is a V vav which someone down the line in English has changed to equated the English letter W. In English the J is close enough to the pronunciation of Yud so that letter is fine. However, there is not a letter W (wav) in Hebrew and the letter used in his name represents a V not a W. That is like taking a letter A… Read more »

Bob Curfman
Bob Curfman
Reply to  Warriorforthetruth
1 year ago

What the Pharisees saw that Pilate wrote made them want to change

of the Jews היהודים and King ומלך the Nazarene הנצרי Yeshua ישוע

YESHUA HANATSRI V’MELECH HAYEHUDIM

Do we see the hidden message on the cross the Pharisees saw? Yeshua Hanatsri V‘melech Hayehudim, shows that the account is not merely being informative here, but that it reveals an acronym which reads the Set-apart Name of the Creator, YHVH.

jkjkj
jkjkj
4 years ago

Jehovah is the name, all that other is what all those lying pagans or satanists spread, or or,rewrtting history insulting or faith n gdo and Hoim too

Descendant of David
Descendant of David
Reply to  jkjkj
3 years ago

Jehovah is NOT THE NAME not ONE PROPHET would have used that name because It is NOT AN AFRICAN NAME! Hebrew is an AFRICAN LANGUAGE so the name must reflect the same you racist NAME IMPERIALISTS!

Ann Stalter
Ann Stalter
3 years ago

so is it correct to say Yahweh Rapha? As I see Jehovah Rapha, Jehova Raah, Nissi Tsidkenu etc. I am most curious

Paul
Paul
3 years ago

To claim to be of God while doing evil is taking his name in vain

Demarius Peterson
Demarius Peterson
2 years ago

What’s the difference in Yahweh and Yahuah?

Lester
Lester
2 years ago

Jehovah is actually just the German pronunciation of Yahweh, heavily accentuated. It’s ridiculous how Jehovah’s witnesses push it if they actually knew this historical fact.

Sue
Sue
2 years ago

Someone needs to show this article to the Jehovah Witnesses. I’m so tired of their indoctrination practices.

Daniyel
Daniyel
Reply to  Sue
2 years ago

A lot of JW know those claims, and they couldn’t care less because a lot of the claims here are not even true. “Yahweh” is just a scholarly guess, Yehovah (Ieahova, Jehovah, Yehowa etc.) is actually proven to be at least a serious possibility of the correct pronunciation. It is used widely in the world, be it on buildings, coins, manuscripts, books, poems etc. I can recommend you to look up Nehemia Gordon’s channel on YouTube, he explains all the science around that name in detail and he reviewed a lot more manuscripts than any other scholar.

Emmanuel D'Souza
Reply to  YRM
1 year ago

יַהְוֶה is pronounced as “Yahweh”. Whereas, the Masoretes combined the vowels of “Adonay” with the name of YHWH to concoct “Yehowah” which became “Jehovah”.

Martin
Martin
2 years ago

I once read, but I have lost the source, that the translation of Yahweh as Jehovah was the result of non-believing Jews who were consulted on the Hebrew translation for the King James Bible and that they purposely suggested the mistranslation in order to profane the King James Bible. I’m curious if anyone on your team has ever heard anything such as this. Its hard to understand how anyone with any understanding of the Hebrew language and the original words and meanings would ever arrive at “Jehovah.”

Bob Curfman
Bob Curfman
1 year ago

יְהוָֹהYEHOVAH
Jewish Sages say that the four letters Y-H-V-H, the Tetragrammaton, represent, “Hayah Hoveh Yihyieh – He was, He is, He will be.” Or He who existed, He who exists, and He who will exist, hence the idea that the Creator is the Everlasting One:
Ha-YaH, “He was”            הָיָה 
Ho-VeH, “He is”               הוֶֹה 
YiH-YieH, He will be”     יהִיהֶ

Bob Curfman
Bob Curfman
1 year ago

Why are you afraid of the truth about the name YeHoVah. Time you study the Hebrew texts of the Apostles writings you would learn Yahweh and Yahshua are not in them. But YeHoVah and Yehoshua are

A bunch of false teaching

Bob Curfman
Bob Curfman
1 year ago

Are you afraid to have a discussion?

Eduardo III Go
Eduardo III Go
4 months ago

The difference of the two vocalization of God’s name is YaHWeH has NO Scriptural basis that this vocalization was used in Biblical Hebrew except the name JeHoVaH that we can read in Jewish Hebrew manuscripts the Hebrew name of God, YeHoVaH. Even before the use of diacritical signs or Niqqud in Hebrew writing the name of God was vocalized in the beginning as “Yeho” in various Hebrew names in the Bibe like Yehoshua, Yehohannan, Yehoshafat, Yehoram, Yehosheba etc. But if the abbreviation of God’s is connected at the end of Hebrew word it is vocalized as “Yahu” or the shortened… Read more »