I’ve got a very interesting bit of information that we learned in Hebrew class that I would like to pass along to all of you. You might find it quite interesting. Though I don’t have any translations with this particular name for God in them, the rest of you might like to answer the question…

Who is Jehovah?

Before I answer this, it is important to give a little lesson in Hebrew so that one will be more able to follow what I write and be able to reference the information whenever a refresher is needed. The following, read from right to left, in contradistinction to English, is the Hebrew alphabet:

l k y f j z w h d g b a

t v c r q x p e s n m

(I have enlarged the letters so that small differences may be easily distinguished. In English, looking at the Hebrew from R to L: Alef, Bet, Gimel, Dalet, He, Vav, Zayin, Het, Tet, Yod, Kaf, Lamed, Mem, Nun, Samek, Ayin, Pe, Tsade, Qof, Resh, Sin, Shin, Tav. Notice that the letters ‘sin’ and ‘shin’ are very similar, with only an accent mark’s difference between them. Tthe letters ‘he,’ pronounced ‘hey,’ and ‘ḥet,’ which has a guttural sound, are also very similar. For those interested, it should also be noted that kaf, mem, nun, pe, and tsade have a different spelling when at the end of a word. In this order, they are ] . , [ and ;. Sources consulted.[i])

Also, you must understand that the first transcripts of the Hebrew Bible would have been difficult for a Westerner to read as the books were composed completely without vowels or spaces. But when the Masoretes, a section of Jewish scholars, realized that speaking Hebrew was becoming less and less common, even among Jews, something had to be done to preserve the original text of the Hebrew Scriptures. They devised a system of vowel points and accents to be placed directly above and below the Hebrew text, or in the margin, to protect the authoritative word of God from corruption and yet allow those without knowledge of Hebrew pronunciation to read the text.[ii] Since there are many of these vowel points I will only reference the ones used.

Now, on to the question above: Who is this Jehovah to, and of, whom we sing each week?

First, in the Hebrew language, Moses is told that God’s name is hw@hy% (sometimes called the tetragrammaton and meaning ‘Yahweh’ or ‘the Lord’) in Exodus 3:14 and 6:2-8, and this is what God should be known as. As you can see, there are small markings below the yod (or y, 1^st letter, remembering that in Hebrew they read from the right to the left) and the waw (w), which I will hereafter refer to as ‘vav’.[iii] The mark underneath the yod, one dot directly atop another dot, is called a Vocal Shewa (pronounced ‘shwah’) and represents the sound the English language makes in the word ‘bus,’ as in ‘uh’. The mark underneath the vav, a horizontal line with a dot beneath it, is called a Qamets and is the marker for a long ‘a’ sound as in the word ‘cause.’ Putting these vowels together with their consonants we actually get ‘Yuhvah,’ or ‘Yuhwah’ if you prefer. It is also quite possible that the tetragrammaton was pointed like this, hw^h5y! (with the vowels being a long ‘a’ Qamets, a ‘Silent Shewa,’ and a short ‘e’ Seghol vowel, respectively), and thus pronounced with the more familiar ‘Yahveh’ or ‘Yahweh.’

We should not forget here that the Jewish people are well practiced in giving reverence to God and to the name God has chosen to be known by. Therefore, you will rarely (if ever) here a Jewish person, in Hebrew or otherwise, use the divine name of God that Moses was given in Exodus 3:14 et al. Instead, they will substitute the word ‘Adonai,’ which means ‘my Lord,’ in its place. This version of the term ‘Lord’ is more acceptable to the Jewish people because it is not the divine name as given by the very mouth of God. This brings us to the second point.

The word ‘Adonai’ is also commonly sung in our Church services. The Hebrew form, yn@@doa*, is constructed by combining the lexical form for “lord, master, Lord” (,Wda2 or ‘adon’ in English) with the 1^st person common singular pronominal suffix “my” (y 2, which is composed of the Qamets under the nun [n] followed by a yod, pronounced ‘ai’ as in ‘aisle’.). Under the ‘alef’ consonant is a vowel called the Hateph Pathach, a reduced ‘a’ vowel like the ‘a’ sound in the word ‘amuse.’ The Alef takes this reduced vowel sound because it is a guttural consonant You may notice that the vav in ‘adon’ – the 3^rd letter from the R – has a dot atop it. This is called a Holem dot but, when directly over the vav like this, creates a vowel logically called the Holem Vav. The vav ‘v’ sound is no longer pronounced but replaced by a long ‘o’ sound as in ‘role’. However, in the form yn@@doa*,  there is no Holem Vav but instead a lone Holem directly above the dalet (2^nd letter from the R). This acts with the same vowel sound as the Holem Vav. This is where we get the word ‘Adonai.’

Third, we come to the crux of the matter. As I mentioned earlier, the Masoretes were careful with God’s name, not wanting it to be taken or spoken in vain. Therefore, wherever the tetragrammaton (hw@hy%) appeared in the Hebrew Bible, the Masoretes placed the vowel points for ‘Adonai’ on the divine name of ‘Yahweh’ to remind all people to refrain from speaking the divine name and instead say/read ‘Adonai,’ i.e. ‘the Lord’ or ‘my Lord.’ Therefore, what you would have is the following Hebrew word: hw@hoy% . Seeing the two words right next to each other makes the similarities much easier to see:

hw@hoy%     yn@@doa*

You may notice that the vowel point under the Yod in this rendering of Yahweh (called a Vocal Shewa) is not the same as the Hateph Pathach listed above under the Alef of Adonai. This is merely because the Yod is not a guttural like the Alef and can therefore ‘take’ the Vocal Shewa. Taking this word (hw@hoy%) step by step we get an idea of how this name comes to us today (transliterated) – yehōwāh, or yehōvāh, as I have already mentioned in the notes below. This name, “Yehovah” or “Jehovah,” has therefore been translated literally without attention to the pious system of the Masoretes, whose translation of the Hebrew Bible has influenced all modern, respected translations of the Hebrew and Christian Bibles.

So the question remains: who is this Jehovah? The same God of the Hebrew Bible, the same God in whose Son, Jesus Christ, we may find life to the full, and the same God who imparts His spirit to those who have faith in Him. But we have to remember that Jehovah is a name that we humans have given to Him by not knowing the history of our Bible’s transmission. Jehovah, then, is not the name for the one true God given to us by that God but a name that is rich in history and double in its meaning because of the two words combined to form it.

I do not share this to end the use of such a name, nor to encourage others to speak the divine name as imparted to Moses, but to pass on the wealth of this information that can only add to the rich tapestry of Christian formation. When we know aspects of our history, especially details such as those pertaining to God, we begin to see the deeply personal relationship between God and His people. This God that exists beyond our comprehension and works wonders beyond our imaginings is the same God who desperately wants to be in relationship with each of us. The God who simply IS and will continue to BE wants us to place our allegiance with Him, and call Him ‘my Lord.’

There is something deeply convicting about a people that honored God so highly that they refused to say His name, lest they be guilty of saying it lightly or without proper reverence. In an age where American Church worship encourages us to view God as our buddy or boyfriend, as a personal friend who would never disagree with something we really, really feel is right, such dedicated reverence is both exciting and humbling. The same God who welcomes us to refer to Him as ‘Abba,’ as endearing a term as possible for a loving parent, is still the holy God who presides over all that is seen and unseen, whether we attest to Him or not. This holy God loves all and judges all (Matt. 16:27), causes His sun and rain to rise over and refresh the righteous and the unrighteous (Matt. 5:45), and – yes – blesses those who bless Him and curses those who curse Him (Matt. 24:42-51).

I hope this encourages you to reverently bow before the God that does not wink at sin and flippantly excuse our shortcomings but lovingly calls us to Himself.