Jehovah
The word Jehovah is found in the King James Version of the Bible (Genesis 22:14; Exodus 6:3; 17:15; Judges 6:24; Psalm 83:18; Isaiah 12:2; 26:4). “Jehovah” is translated from the Hebrew Tetragrammaton, יהוה, which means “He Causes to Become.” These four Hebrew letters are represented in many languages by the letters JHVH or YHWH. Jehovah is essentially a Germanic pronunciation of the Latinized transliteration of the Hebrew YHWH.
Where did the name “Jehovah” originate from? Because of the lack of vowels, no one knows how the tetragrammaton YHWH was pronounced. Because of a fear of accidentally taking God’s name in vain (Leviticus 24:16), the Jews quit saying it out loud. The most likely word for how the tetragrammaton was pronounced is “YAH-way,” “YAH-weh,” or something similar.
Jewish and Christian biblical scholars do not consider “Jehovah” to be the proper pronunciation of YHWH because there was no true J sound in ancient Hebrew and even the Hebrew letter vav, which is transliterated as the W in YHWH, is said to have originally had a pronunciation closer to W than the V of Jehovah.
Knowing God’s Name
The Bible teaches that the believers should both love Jehovah (Luke 10:27) and fear him (1 Peter 2:17; Proverbs 1:7; 2:1-5; 16:6). Fearing Jehovah means more than just knowing His name or its pronunciation. The Jews claimed to know the name of God yet, they crucified Him. Therefore a mere knowledge of His name doesn’t save anyone.
Knowing God’s name means a reverence and submission to His good will. Love for Jehovah means having a living relationship with Him, having a desire do the things that are pleasing to Him, and expressing our appreciation for the countless manifestations of His love and undeserved kindness.
Jesus taught the believers to call the Lord “our Father” as seen in the Lord’s prayer (Mathew 6:9). This term of endearment shows a living submissive relationship between the Creator and His children. We may be unworthy to call Him as “Father,” but whenever we do so in truth He accepts us with love (Luke 15:21–24) and acknowledges us as His sons and daughters.
In His service,
BibleAsk Team
