Jehovah is the English rendering of Yahweh, a proper name for God derived from the Hebrew language. While Jehovah is used in many translations of the Bible, it is not an accurate pronunciation of Yahweh and should not be considered as a reliable name when referring to God. The modern pronunciation of Yahweh has not been established with certainty due to long periods of time passing since its original utterance. Scholars have proposed several different pronunciations, including “Yah-way,” “Yaw-way” and “Ya-hoo- wah.” This name for God is found throughout the Old Testament but was avoided by Jews in ancient times out of a sense of reverence. It appears over 6,800 times in many different forms and its precise meaning is debated by scholars. In modern times, “Yahweh” or “YHWH” is the most common name used to refer to God in Judaism.
The name Jehovah first appears in the King James Version of the Bible and was likely derived from combining two Hebrew terms: Yah and weh. Many people who are looking to pronounce God’s name correctly opt for Yahweh as a more accurate representation. How would you feel if people made no attempt to pronounce your name accurately when they could at least get the sound close to accurate? Now consider that we are speaking of the almighty God of the Bible. The argument has substance. It is a personal choice. Having said this as Bible students we have enjoyed considerable blessings from above and we use the name Jehovah. We also use the name Yahweh. Having received considerable blessings from God it is evident that both are acceptable. Were the Almighty to disapprove of a give pronunciation it would be easy to indicate the view. And we in turn would promote a given pronunciation.
The name Yahweh is also referred to as coming from the Tetragrammaton, a Greek word meaning “four letters,” because it consists of four Hebrew characters: yod-he-waw-he. This series of letters is said to signify God’s eternal presence and is seen by many religions as the most sacred name for God. As such, it is used in various prayers and hymns throughout the world. It should be noted that there are some religious movements who believe that speaking or writing the name Yahweh should be avoided entirely due to its sacredness, while others disagree with this view. Ultimately, though Jehovah is widely used to refer to God, it should not be claimed to be accurate due to its obvious error. Then again saying the word in an English dialect could not sound like Hebrew. It is important to know who is being spoken about. While the more accurate pronunciation is Yahweh, Jehovah is recognizable as the almighty God of the scriptures. It is not disrespectful to use the name Jehovah when referring to God or when engaging in religious practices.
Despite the inaccuracy of its pronunciation, many people continue to use Jehovah when referring to God out of habit or tradition. While this is not wrong, it is important to remember that using Yahweh as the name for God is a more accurate representation. As Bible students we use both names in these pages.
At Christs return in Kingdom power we will doubtless learn how to correctly pronounce the divine name. What a joy that will be.
NOTE In the Hebrew Scriptures, specifically in the Old Testament, the name “Jehovah” is not used. The name commonly associated with God in the Hebrew Scriptures is “Yahweh.” “Jehovah” is a modern English rendering of the Hebrew name that arose from a combination of the consonants of the divine name YHWH (known as the Tetragrammaton) with the vowels of the Hebrew word for “Lord” (Adonai). The name “Yahweh” appears frequently throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, particularly in the book of Exodus, where God reveals His name to Moses. However, the exact frequency of the name’s occurrence is difficult to determine due to variations in translations and textual variations in different manuscripts. It is certain that it appears more than 6000 times.