Why do Jews (with all due respect) not want to say the divine name Yahweh or Jehovah?

Answer 1

The name "Jehovah" is an English translation of the Hebrew name pronounced as or similar to "Yahweh" or "Yehowah"; the exact original pronunciation is unknown. The four Hebrew characters corresponding to the letters "YHWH" are well-recognized as the biblical personal name of Almighty God, and are universally designated as "the Tetragrammaton" or "the Tetragram".

For centuries, most Jews have superstitiously refrained from pronouncing aloud any form of the divine Name. They base that superstition on the third of the Ten Commandments given to Moses:
(Exodus 20:7) You must not take up the name of Jehovah your God in a worthless way
http://watchtower.org/e/bible/ex/chapter_020.htm?bk=Ex;chp=20;vs=7;citation#bk7

Over the centuries, that Jewish superstition has expanded to also forbid writing or engraving any form of "YHWH", even when simply copying from one of the nearly 7000 occurences in the Hebrew Scriptures. In recent centuries, some superstitious Jews have even forbade unabbreviated EUPHEMISMS for "YHWH"; capitalized terms such as "Tetragrammaton" and (amazingly) even "the Name" are forbidden by such superstitions.

More recently, the Jewish superstition has ballooned out of all reasonableness by also forbidding respectful impersonal TERMS referring to the Almighty; thus many Jews insist upon writing "G-d" or "G~d" rather than "God". They may even refrain from capitalizing impersonal terms such as "Creator" and "Almighty".

Naturally, the religious and superstitious practices of a person are between him and his Creator. However, in recent decades these superstitious Jews have worked to impose their superstitious sensibilities beyond their religious communities, and onto the entire populace. Thus, although "YHWH' is unanimously recognized as the personal name of God, few today use any form of it in their writings and conversation.

Interestingly, Christendom has largely joined with superstitious Jews in suppressing the use of "Yahweh" and "Jehovah". However, it seems that Christiandom's anti-YHWH bias largely devolves from their hatred of Jehovah's Witnesses, the religion almost single-handedly responsible for the growing public recognition that the Almighty God of Judaism and Christianity actually does a personal name.

It seems that too many are more interested in coddling superstition than in allowing intellectual honesty and respect for the Almighty.

(Psalms 83:18) That people may know that you, whose name is Jehovah, You alone are the Most High over all the earth

(John 17:26) [Jesus said] I have made your name known to them and will make it known, in order that the love with which you loved me may be in them

Learn more:
http://watchtower.org/e/na/
http://watchtower.org/e/20040122/

Answer 2

the true name of G-d was only allowed to be said in the temple, the holiest place on earth. the temple was destroyed, there was nowhere else to say it, and so the true pronunciation of the name has been forgotten.

there is no prohibition at all for writing a name of G-d. the reason jews deliberately miswrite it is because of the prohibition against desecrating a name of G-d. if we don't properly spell it, then we don't have to worry about some person in the future unknowingly throwing the paper with the name in the garbage and therefore breaking an important commandment. on most jewish web sites where they spell the name of G-d properly, you will normally see a disclaimer at the top or bottom of the page saying something like "warning - this page contains a name of G-d"

Answer 3

no human today knows how the early Hebrews pronounced the Almighty's name. the Jews came to have the superstitious idea that it was wrong to say gods name out loud. Jehovah alone is the almighty.the Jews refused Jesus and accused him of blaspheming by using Jehovah's name in his ministry. (john 8:54-59)
so the Jews out of reverence for gods name never pronounce it but instead replace it with adonai which means LORD. do you know your fathers name? then use it like Jesus did.

Answer 4

Because they are superstitious and so are against God by not calling on His Name---HE WANTS HIS HOLY NAME TO BE MADE KNOWN--YHWH, YAHWEH. He Causes To Become..
How about The Lord's Prayer? Hallowed be Thy NAME or, Let Thy NAME be Sanctified? Meaning, Let everyone know that His Name is to be made known all over the earth as The Most Holy and The One True Sovereign King.

Answer 5

They believe that the name of God is too divine and incomprehensible.
By the way Yahweh and Jehovah are not the name of God - they are only the Jewish interpretation of what the "human mind can handle."

Answer 6

It is considered blasphemy and irreverent to speak the name of God. Yahweh, or Jehovah, isn't the name of God, it's from YHVH, which is what the Hebrews use as a symbol for the name of God, but isn't the actual name. In Hebrew, it's actually unable to be spoken as written.

The Hebrews were *very* concerned with not ticking YHVH off, and were very careful in the area's of blasphemy and irreverence.

Answer 7

Jews, who were first given the name of God, would not pronounce it out of their awe and respect for God.

Tetragrammaton (YHWH)
This is a term applied to the four Hebrew letters that make up the name of God as revealed to Moses in Exodus 3:14. God said to Moses, "And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” YHWH makes up the base of the verb "to be" from which God designated His own name as "I AM." In English the letters are basically equivalent to YHWH. It is from these four letters that the name of God is derived and has been rendered as Yahweh and Jehovah. The true pronunciation of God's name has been lost through lack of use, because the Jews, who were first given the name of God, would not pronounce it out of their awe and respect for God.

Answer 8

I don't have a problem with saying either of those names...but neither is His name.

And we consider speaking the holy name of God to be making it profane (common, of little reguard). In my congregation we prefer HaShem which simply means The Name. Though we will use other Hebrew words as well depending on what context.

Answer 9

Or spell it out either?

Simple. If they don't "SAY" it, or "SPELL" it, then they can't take the name in vain. That would be breaking one of the 10 Commandments. Using His name in a disrespectful manner is "taking God's name in vain". So is misrepresenting Him. Etc.

If the name is not used, the human cannot be guilty of this sin.

Answer 10

Same reason Christendom refuses to acknowledge the name.