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Tuesday, August 3, 2010

What is God's name? Is it "God", "Lord", or something else?

'Jehovah' is a rendering of God's name that has been recognized for centuries. In the original Hebrew text,
the name appears nearly 7,000 times. Its use throughout the Scriptures far outnumbers that of any of the titles, such as "Sovereign Lord" or "God," applied to Him.

Here are the four instances the name "Jehovah" is used in the King James Bible:
http://www.biblestudytools.com/search/?q=jehovah&t=kjv

In Hebrew, God's name appears as four consonants. These consonants are transliterated YHWH and are known as the Tetragrammaton.

At some point a superstitious idea arose among the Jews that it was wrong even to pronounce the divine name. Evidently, later copyists kept to following the tradition of eliminating the distinctive name of God by replacing it with Ky´ri·os and The·os´ ("LORD" and "GOD"). Unfortunately, because of the superstitions and traditions (things which Jesus condemned -Mt. 15:1-9) concerning the Divine Name, God's name was generally removed from the texts altogether.

However, Jesus even noted that God's name is to be regarded as Holy (or "Hallowed") and this surely wouldn't mean for it to be withheld from usage or omitted from His Word the Bible. (Mt. 6:9)

In fact, Jesus said that it means eternal life by knowing who God is. (John 17:3)

The first thing that people do who want to know another person is to find out the other person' name. It is the same way with our efforts in getting to know who God is...What would the natural first question be?

"What is His name?"

The Bible shows that we are to know and use Jehovah God's name:

"O give thanks unto Jehovah, call upon his name; Make known his doings among the peoples." (1 Chron. 16:8) - ASV

"And, that day, you will say, Praise Yahweh, invoke his name. Proclaim his deeds to the people [nations, RSV, NRSV, MLB, NAB (1991), GNB; worldLB], declare his name sublime." (Is. 12:4) - NJB.

God Himself makes it clear in the Bible how important His name is:

"Jehovah ... This is my name for ever; this is my title in every generation." (Ex. 3:15) - NEB

We show proper respect to God by using the pronunciation and spelling that is common in our language, while speaking well of its Owner and conducting ourselves as His worshipers in a manner that honors Him.

Conversely, it would not show proper respect to God if we never spoke or wrote His name because we do not know exactly how it was originally pronounced.

For instance, `Cristobal Colon' may be the original pronunciation, but many do not object to calling the famous explorer `Christopher Columbus' in modern English.

For much more, see:

TETRAGRAMMATON - Links to Information (INDEX; Watchtower Online Library)

Divine Name (Search Results From the Watchtower Online Library)

The Divine Name—Its Use and Its Meaning (What Does the Bible Really Teach? APPENDIX; JW.ORG)

Should the Name Jehovah Appear in the New Testament? (THE WATCHTOWER 2008-08-01; JW.ORG)

"Jehovah" in The New Testament (Search For Bible Truths)

How Was God's Name (YHWH) Pronounced? (Search For Bible Truths)

Should the name Jehovah not be used because it is said that the letter "J" isn't in Hebrew? (Search For Bible Truths)

Is God's Name in the Book of Esther? Should the Book of Esther be a Part of the Hebrew Bible? (Search For Bible Truths)

What is God's Name? Is it 'God', 'Lord', or something else? (Search For Bible Truths)

“Hallowed be thy name” - What name? (Search For Bible Truths)

Why was Jehovah God's name removed from the Bible? (Search For Bible Truths)

Where is God’s name found in Bible translations that are commonly used today? / Which form of the divine name is correct—Jehovah or Yahweh? (Jehovah's Witnesses Questions and Answers)

How important is God's Name? (Search For Bible Truths)

Quotes from sources not affiliated with Jehovah's Witnesses that show that the name "Jehovah" was in fact originally in the New Testament (Jehovah's Witnesses Questions and Answers)

YHWH in the New Testament (Jehovah's Witnesses United)


Is it inappropriate to pronounce God's name in another language? (Jehovah's Witnesses Questions and Answers); Part 2; Jesus / Joshua name example. (Jehovah's Witnesses Questions and Answers)



What does it mean to "take the lord's name in vain"? (Jehovah's Witnesses Questions and Answers)
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