A few years ago I was faced with a dilemma. Though it doesn’t seem like it should be a big deal, perhaps it is to some. It came about when a preacher that I was listening to spoke about the Memorial Name of God: YHWH (though you might be more familiar with the various transliterations—Jehovah, Yehovah, Yahweh, or even Jah).
So what did he say? He said that Jehovah was an incorrect pronunciation and that “if God had His druthers” He would prefer Yahweh over Jehovah. But then, since it wasn’t the main point of what he was saying, he moved on in his preaching.
Less than a year later I read an article by a different minister stating the same thing, however he was much more emphatic and condemning on the subject. He stated that to say Jehovah or Yahweh was offensive to God. Since we didn’t know how to pronounce it we shouldn’t say it. He was very aggressive as he stated that it was dead wrong to say, “Jehovah".
Maybe you’re confused about what the fuss is all about… to be honest, I am too…
To give a quick background on the issue let me tell you the facts about the Name YHWH. This Name of God first shows up in Exodus 3:14. God tells Moses to tell the children of Israel that I AM WHO I AM has sent Moses to Israel. He states more at the end of verse 15 when He says “This is My Name forever, and this is My Memorial Name to all generations”. That Name (translated as YHWH) was God’s Memorial Name.
Now in the Hebrew (Jewish) culture this Name was so revered that the people didn’t like to say it out loud. Sometimes in writing there would be strict ceremonial washings every time the scribe wrote the Name out on his parchment. There are also some confusing rules involved in the Hebrew language about vowels. As you may have already noticed there are no vowels (only consonants) in the Name YHWH. Therefore, we do not know how to properly say the Name YHWH.
But I would like to add that even if we did, most of us could still not pronounce it correctly. Why? Because we don’t speak Hebrew, we speak English.
In fact, we already mispronounce most of the names and places in the Bible. Ever talked about the city of Jerusalem? You’re mispronouncing it. They say Ye-ru-sha-ly-im. It even has an extra syllable in it. Do you have a friend named Joel? That’s a Hebrew name, and they say Yo-el. That’s two syllables not one.
And, hey, what’s up with this “Y” to “J” thing? Well neither a “Y” nor a “J” is a great letter to use in these words, because in the Hebrew language they have some different sounds that we do not have in English. (This happens a lot with all foreign languages. Think names like Juan or Jean Claude.)
So, since we don’t pronounce most of God’s Names properly, whether it’s El Shaddai, El Elyon, Elohim, Adonai, Qana, Jehovah (Yahweh), or any of the other great Names He has called Himself, should we cease all together to call on His Name? Should we always and only refer to Him as “God” and “Lord”? I believe the apostle Paul would say “May it never be!”
As early as the 13th Century, there appeared to be a man named Raymundus Martini that chose to use the vowels from God’s Name “Adonai” to fill in the lack of vowels in the Name YHWH therefore getting “YeHoWaH” which has slightly changed to Jehovah through the interchange of languages—Hebrew to Latin and Latin to English. (PS. This is just the first recorded use that I am aware of, however that does not mean that he came up with it himself.) Though I do not know a lot about the man I believe I would disagree with some, if not many, of his beliefs; however that does not mean I believe that what he did here was wrong (if he indeed did it).
Paul gave Timothy a warning in both 1st and 2nd Timothy that were very similar to each other.
1 Timothy 1:3-4 As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrine, nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering the administration of God which is by faith.
2 Timothy 2:14 Remind them of these things, and solemnly charge them in the presence of God not to wrangle about words, which is useless and leads to the ruin of the hearers.
Because of Paul’s clear message to Timothy, I do not believe it is worth fighting over (or preaching or writing about) to try to get people to cease from using the Name Jehovah. I believe it is one and the same with the Name Yahweh. The only real difference is whether it is pronounced with two or three syllables, and that happens all the time with countless names that are translated from one language to the other. (If your name is Isaiah in English it came from Yasha’yahu in Hebrew… quite a difference, huh?)
Some more food for thought: Jesus’ Name in Hebrew is Joshua or Yeshua (J to Y thing again). But notice something else, by translating Hebrew into Greek we have gone from three to two syllables. In fact, some might argue that Jesus was never called Jesus but Yeshua (where we get our name Joshua from). Regardless, both names mean salvation. And, consequently, I have never heard any argument about the use of the name Jesus…
What is important, then? What really matters? What matters is Who He is—and His Names reveal that to us.
This is where I am so frustrated with people that will take time to make you feel guilty about using the Name Jehovah. They never tell you what that Name means.
In Hebrew (and most languages actually) every name has a meaning. My name is Caleb and it means “faithful” as a verb/adjective or “dog” as a noun (because dogs were, and are, considered loyal and faithful animals). The name Isaiah means “the Lord saves” or “Jah saves” to be more specific.
God’s Names have meaning too. In Exodus 34:12-17 God calls Himself Qana which means Jealous. In Genesis 21:33 He calls Himself El Olam, that is “the Everlasting God”. In Genesis 17:1-8 He call Himself El Shaddai, which is “the All-Sufficient One, the Almighty”.
But what does Jehovah (Yahweh) mean? God calls it His Memorial Name. He says “I Am Who I Am”. When He says “I Am” it means “I Exist”. Saying it twice in a row not only adds emphasis but also gives the reason why “He Exists”. He Exists because… He Exists… He is Self Existent. No one created Him, no one supports Him, no one helps Him. He needs nothing because “HE EXISTS” all on His own. That, my friends, is what this Name is all about: the Glory of His Self Existence.
One more thought. If I had a spouse who spoke a different language than me and therefore had an accent, and she mispronounced my name, perhaps even threw in an extra syllable (like Cay-la-eb or something), I would not care, in fact, I might even enjoy it, for it would be special and intimate. In the same way, we are the bride of Christ, and we should call on His Name. If we mispronounce His Names (for He has many) but use them because we are acknowledging Who He is, I think that He will not be annoyed, angry, disappointed, or dishonored but rather love our efforts to know Him more in the calling (and understanding) of His Names.
So should we wrangle about words? Should we pay attention to myths and endless genealogies (which give rise to mere speculation)? Should we shun people on how they pronounce that Great and Marvelous Name?
Or should we further the administration of God? Should we proclaim Who He is and bring Him Glory, declaring the amazing attributes of our God? Some things just turn out to be a no-brainer…
Written by Caleb Jensen, Director of WORD Center Ministries
