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Yehovah or Yahweh?

Ben1445

Well-Known Member
While I see the irony in the video, I can’t help but cringe at the levity of the discussion in the video.
I thought the original video was pretty informative and gracious. This one was neither. I’m not generally what you might call gracious and inviting to JW’s but I am not one to push people away. JW’s need Jesus also.
I am also aware of when vowel markings showed up and everything that he said bears out in discussion as far as I can tell.
I do speak English and I prefer the English names that are available to us. This was also mentioned in the first video.
I just found it interesting that he linked the weird pronunciation with Mt. Gerizim and the people who don’t know what they worship.


John 4:21-22 KJV - .
22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
 

Van

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
The Legacy Standard Bible (LSB) was created as as an alternate revision of the 1995 New American Standard Bible by the Lockman Foundation. One distinctive is that it translates the four Hebrew letter "tetragrammaton" (YHWH) as Yahweh. Since earlier translations thought the tetragrammaton should be pronounced Jehovah, some believers feel the LSB made an error.

However, since modern scholarship is firmly on the side of Yahweh as being the way "YHWH" was pronounced, the opening post most probably reflects the personal preference of those who first learned the pronunciation was Jehovah.

Here is a little more from a LSB website:


"Exodus 3:14–15 shows that God Himself considered it important for His people to know His name. The effect of revealing God’s name is His distinction from other gods and His expression of intimacy with the nation of Israel. Such a dynamic is a prevalent characteristic of the Scriptures as Yahweh appears in the OT over 6,800 times.
In addition to Yahweh, the full name of God, the OT also includes references to God by a shorter version of His name, Yah. By itself, God’s name “Yah” may not be as familiar, but the appearance of it is recognizable in Hebrew names and words (e.g. Zechar-iah, meaning Yah remembers, and Hallelu-jah, meaning praise Yah!). God’s shortened name “Yah” is predominantly found in poetry and praise."
 

Van

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
Exodus 3:15 LSB
And God furthermore said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘Yahweh, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name from generation to generation.

Most other translations render the tetragrammation as "LORD" but some footnote the actual Hebrew:

ESV footnote:
The word LORD, when spelled with capital letters, stands for the divine name, YHWH, which is here connected with the verb hayah, “to be” in verse 14
 

Ben1445

Well-Known Member
most probably reflects the personal preference of those who first learned the pronunciation was Jehovah.
The point made in the video is that if you look at the vowel markings in the manuscripts that had all the markings written in, they match a “Jehovah” pronunciation.
Incidentally, the e doesn’t change the way it sounds. It is rightly pronounced with these sounds:

“J” jump
“e” above
“h” happy
“o” open
“v” very
“ah” above

Also, I know people whose names begin with J and in their original language would be pronounced with a “y” sound. When they introduce themselves in English, they use the English pronunciation and use the “j” sound.
 

Van

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
The point made in the video is that if you look at the vowel markings in the manuscripts that had all the markings written in, they match a “Jehovah” pronunciation.
Incidentally, the e doesn’t change the way it sounds. It is rightly pronounced with these sounds:

“J” jump
“e” above
“h” happy
“o” open
“v” very
“ah” above

Also, I know people whose names begin with J and in their original language would be pronounced with a “y” sound. When they introduce themselves in English, they use the English pronunciation and use the “j” sound.
Right, Halleluh-jah.
 

Van

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
YHWH

I do not think it matters really how you pronounce it
I think improving our understanding of the "name" of God is important.

Consider this: Our traditional doctrine of the Trinity is this: One God in three Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

What if an oddball translation put this in their "Doctrine" appendix: Trinity Definition, One God, Yahweh, in three Persons, Initiator, Communicater, and Actuator. Certainly most would prefer Father, Son and Holy Spirit, but the effort to convey the underlying meanings provides food for thought.
 
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