Jehovah question for JW's?

Question

Thanks for those of you who responded before. Why then do you feel justified in replacing so many other names for God with Jehovah, if it is just one of the many translations of Yahweh?

Answer 1

I would just like to comment here...
I think it's interesting that there is zero evidence in the NT alone that Jesus or his apostles ever used the name Yahweh or Jehovah.
This is shown by the fact that there are no texts to document that the early Christians used the term Yahweh, rather they did refer to God as Lord.
And it is in these scriptures that "translators" of the New World Translation have interjected their own words to convey the meaning they believe is proper.
There are copies of Copies of the book of Matthew that possibly suggest Yahweh may have been used by the copiest...
However, in light of the fact that JW's wish to contend that the bible is the inerrant word of God, suggesting that the earliest copiests left out every instance of the word Yahweh, completely destroys the idea that the bible is inerrant.
This is serious business.



If indeed the bible is the word of God, who gave the JW's the authority to completely change the Greek Scriptures?

Funny, no one is going to answer this.
The New Testament never had God's "name". So who gave the JW "translators" the authority to change the 'Word of God' that they so sincerely believe in?

TEEM:

Do Your Research.
The name Jehovah was in NO texts.
It has been found in a copy of a copy of a copy of Matthew.
There is no evidence it was ever in the Greek writings.
Look it up.


TeeM:
There are STILL NO TEXTS.
NONE!!

Answer 2

Edit: Phoenix, I have done the research, Even the NKJV, uses "LORD" in the NT.

Because of the updated information concerning Jehovah's name in Jesus' day. the NWT is not the first nor is it the only bible to contain His name in the NT.

=============

Titles can have the definite article placed before it.

The Lord, The God, The Ancient of Days, The Almighty.

These are all titles and not names.

It is wrong to say The Jesus, The Jeremiah, or The Jehovah.

Because these are names and not titles.

Jehovah is the translation of YHWH, found in hundreds of different translations of the bible throughout the world.

Just as Jesus is translation of Yeshua.

The New World Translation does NOT have Jehovah's Name in the text unless there was 'proof' that it was in the original, Nor is this the first Modern Bible to contain Jehovah's name, in all it's occurrences, including the NT.

How would you feel if a bible removed Jesus' name from the text and substituted the title "Anointed One"?

.

Answer 3

"...replacing..."?

Despite what the questioner implies, scholars recognize that the the bible itself mentions exactly one personal name of Almighty God, with two forms:
1. יהוה (typically transliterated from Hebrew as "YHWH")
...and...
2. יה (a shortened form of the same, typically transliterated from Hebrew as "YH").


The organization perhaps most closely identified with the Divine Name is the Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses, and they have literature published in hundreds of languages (their website alone has articles in over 300). This extensive translating work has moved Jehovah's Witnesses to detail several dozen different respectful spellings and pronunciations of the Divine Name, all of which are honestly derived into various lingual tendencies from the original Hebrew יהוה ("YHWH") and יה ("YH").
http://watchtower.org/languages.htm

Ten interesting variations of the Divine Name are shown on this webpage, in large print along the right side of the page:
http://watchtower.org/e/20040122/article_01.htm


In English, both "Yahweh" and "Jehovah" have a long tradition of representing the Divine Name ("YHWH", also known as "the Tetragrammaton"). At first glance, it might seem that Yahweh (which undeniably includes Y, H, W, and H) would more accurately pronounce the Tetragrammaton as it was pronounced by the ancient Hebrews. However, there is an enormous "but"...

Other common Hebrew names actually include the divine name WITHIN them, giving hints as to its original pronunciation. Increasingly, scholars are leaning toward a pronunciation similar to the three-syllable "Yehowah" rather than two-syllable "Yahweh". If "Yehowah" is close to the correct pronunciation, then it becomes a much more subjective answer about whether "Yehowah" is more similar to "Jehovah" or "Yahweh". Many or most English speakers are likely to embrace the pronunciation which their predecessors embraced at least four hundred years ago.

"Jehovah".

Thus, in English, the three most common Biblical names for God (in order of usage) are Jehovah, Yahweh, and Yehowah. To complete the discussion, Exodus 34:14 metaphorically says that YHWH's name is "Jealous" and Exodus 3:14 says that God's name literally means "I SHALL PROVE TO BE WHAT I SHALL PROVE TO BE" and "I SHALL PROVE TO BE"
...(Exodus 3:13-14, NWT) Moses said to the true God: “[What if the Israelites] say to me, ‘What is his name?’ What shall I say to them?” At this God said to Moses: “I SHALL PROVE TO BE WHAT I SHALL PROVE TO BE.” And he added: “This is what you are to say to the sons of Israel, ‘I SHALL PROVE TO BE has sent me to you.’”
...Leeser, “I WILL BE THAT I WILL BE”
...Rotherham, “I WILL BECOME WHATSOEVER I PLEASE”


And to repeat, "God", "Lord", "Creator", and similar terms are NOT personal names but impersonal titles.

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

Answer 4

“Jehovah” is translated from the Hebrew Tetragrammaton, הוהי, which means “He Causes to Become.” These four Hebrew letters are represented in many languages by the letters JHVH or YHWH.

No human today can be certain how it was originally pronounced in Hebrew. Biblical Hebrew was originally written with only consonants, no vowels. When the language was in everyday use, readers easily provided the proper vowels. In time, however, the Jews came to have the superstitious idea that it was wrong to say God’s personal name out loud, so they used substitute expressions. Centuries later, Jewish scholars developed a system of points by which to indicate which vowels to use when reading ancient Hebrew, but they put the vowels for the substitute expressions around the four consonants representing the divine name. Thus the original pronunciation of the divine name was lost.

Many scholars favor the spelling “Yahweh,” but it is uncertain and there is not agreement among them. On the other hand, “Jehovah” is the form of the name that is most readily recognized, because it has been used in English for centuries and preserves, equally with other forms, the four consonants of the Hebrew Tetragrammaton.

J. B. Rotherham, in 'The Emphasised Bible', used the form Yahweh throughout the Hebrew Scriptures. However, later in his 'Studies in the Psalms' he used the form “Jehovah.” He explained: “JEHOVAH—The employment of this English form of the Memorial name . . . in the present version of the Psalter does not arise from any misgiving as to the more correct pronunciation, as being Yahwéh; but solely from practical evidence personally selected of the desirability of keeping in touch with the public ear and eye in a matter of this kind, in which the principal thing is the easy recognition of the Divine name intended.”—(London, 1911), p. 29.

After discussing various pronunciations, German professor Gustav Friedrich Oehler concluded: “From this point onward I use the word Jehovah, because, as a matter of fact, this name has now become more naturalized in our vocabulary, and cannot be supplanted.”—Theologie des Alten Testaments, second edition (Stuttgart, 1882), p. 143.

Jesuit scholar Paul Joüon states: “In our translations, instead of the (hypothetical) form Yahweh, we have used the form Jéhovah . . . which is the conventional literary form used in French.”—Grammaire de l’hébreu biblique (Rome, 1923), footnote on p. 49.

Most names change to some extent when transferred from one language to another. Jesus was born a Jew, and his name in Hebrew was perhaps pronounced Ye·shu′a‛, but the inspired writers of the Christian Scriptures did not hesitate to use the Greek form of the name, I·e·sous′. In most other languages the pronunciation is slightly different, but we freely use the form that is common in our tongue. The same is true of other Bible names. How, then, can we show proper respect for the One to whom the most important name of all belongs? Would it be by never speaking or writing his name because we do not know exactly how it was originally pronounced? Or, rather, would it be by using the pronunciation and spelling that are common in our language, while speaking well of its Owner and conducting ourselves as his worshipers in a manner that honors him?

Similar comments could be made regarding all the names we read in the Bible. We pronounce them in our own language and do not try to imitate the original pronunciation. Thus we say “Jeremiah,” not Yir·meya′hu. Similarly we say Isaiah, although in his own day this prophet likely was known as Yesha‛·ya′hu. Even scholars who are aware of the original pronunciation of these names use the modern pronunciation, not the ancient, when speaking about them.

And the same is true with the name Jehovah. Even though the modern pronunciation Jehovah might not be exactly the way it was pronounced originally, this in no way detracts from the importance of the name. It identifies the Creator, the living God, the Most High to whom Jesus said: “Our Father in the heavens, let your name be sanctified.”—Matthew 6:9, 10.

The important thing is that we use the name and declare it to others.

If you would like further information, please contact Jehovah's Witnesses at the local Kingdom Hall. They offer free a brochure entitled "The Divine Name That Will Endure Forever" which explains further. Or visit

Answer 5

Because "God" and "Lord" are not names, but titles. And titles make God appear (to some) as unapproachable, distant, aloof.

We do use other names however... such as Yahweh, Elohim, Adonai (even though I can't spell them to save my life *rolls eyes at self*) "Jehovah" is just better known and more widely recognized.

**Edit**
EXCELLENT point, Teem about replacing Jesus' name with "anointed one"!! Many people would be APPALLED if that was ever done... yet it's happened to God's name and he's higher than Jesus and the author of the Bible.
Thank you for pointing that out.

Answer 6

Those other supposed names are only titles such as god and lord which are not capitalized in the original languages except at the beginning of their sentences. Only proper names are capitals like Jehovah.

There is NO capital god in John 1:1, the biggest trinity proof text.

Debbie

Answer 7

God is a title. Jehovah is God's name. read ps 83 verse 18 in the king james bible

Answer 8

God has but one name and that name is JEHOVAH. (Psalm 83:18) Their is not nay where else in the bible that say god has any other name. It may say "he is called" but those are just titles not his name. the name JEHOVAH, IS THE ONLY NAME "JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES" CALL THEIR GOD,JEHOVAH

Answer 9

God in reality has no name ,God is a vibration, we feel this vibration as om.om is the background sound of the universe of perception