Handbook for Bible Students

2. Jehovah

The Hebrew name Jehovah [Hebrew word] occurs about 5,500 times in the Old Testament. It is found in thirty-six out of thirty-nine books, the exceptions being Esther, Ecclesiastes, and Canticles. Scholars are uncertain as to its origin, its pronunciation, and its meaning. It is incapable of suffixes such as are found in the case of Elohim; in fact, it is of the nature of a personal name, while Elohim indicates an office or position. The Hebrew language barely permits of composition except in the case of proper names, but the name Jehovah in a shortened form, answering to the Aramaic and Assyrian Jahu, is frequently found in such names as Hezekiah, Elijah, Jehoiakim, and (Moses’ mother) Jochebed. The name Jah [Hebrew word] is possibly the oldest form, or it may be contracted from the larger word. HBS 212.3

It has been a source of perplexity that in spite of the fact that the name Jehovah occurs many times in Genesis, especially in the patriarchal history, we read in Exodus 6:3 that the Lord says, “I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob by (the name of) El Shaddai, but (by) my name Jehovah was I not known to them.” This perplexity is not altogether done away with by the discovery that the name in a slightly different form is found in ancient Chaldean documents. The name must have been known in the days of Abraham, and probably long before, but it was not fully understood. Do we understand it now? The passage just referred to brings out the fact that the Lord had made certain promises to the patriarchs which he was now-400 years after-about to fulfil. Thus his eternity, his faithfulness, and his special interest in the seed of Abraham were to be kept in memory by this name. It was his memorial. On turning back to Exodus 3:13 we find that Moses had said, “When I come to the children of Israel and say to them, The God of your fathers hath sent me to you, and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say to them? And God said to Moses, I AM THAT I AM. And he said, Thus shalt thou say to the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me to you.... Jehovah, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me to you. This is my name forever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.” Thus the Being who spoke to the patriarchs, who is named Jehovah, and who is described as I AM THAT I AM, is the one living and true God; and his name Jehovah is to be interpreted by the Hebrew root of it which lies in the word I AM. Compare Psalm 135:13, “Thy name, O Jehovah, endureth forever; thy memorial, O Jehovah, throughout all generations;” also Hosea 12:5, “Jehovah is his memorial.” The name is full of memories, and it seems a misfortune that the Jew does not permit himself to pronounce it, and even the Englishman has not fully used it in his Authorized and Revised Versions, It would be better to retain the much-criticized pronunciation “Jehovah” than to lose it altogether. Mispronunciation is not confined to this word. We have grecized, latinized, and anglicized most of the proper names in the Bible. HBS 212.4