God's name

God’s name, often referred to as the Divine Name, was originally written in Hebrew letters in God's Word—The Bible. Psalms 83:18 refers to God's name. In the original Hebrew, in which much of the Hebrew Bible was written, the unique personal name of God appears as יהוה (YHWH). In English, the common rendering of that name is “Jehovah”, and less commonly "Yahweh". יהוה occurs in the Hebrew Scriptures nearly 7,000 times. While the inspired writers refer to God by many titles and descriptive terms, such as “Almighty,” “Most High,” and “Lord,” the Tetragrammaton is the only personal name they use to identify God.

Inspired


God himself directed Bible writers to use his name. For example, he inspired the prophet Joel to write: “Everyone who calls on the name of Jehovah will be saved.” (Joel 2:32) And God caused one psalmist to write: “May people know that you, whose name is Jehovah, you alone are the Most High over all the earth.” (Psalm 83:18) In fact, the divine name appears some 700 times in the book of Psalms alone—a book of poetic writings that were to be sung and recited by God’s people.

Importance
Jesus beings the model prayer this way: “Our Father in the heavens, let your name be sanctified.” (Matthew 6:9) Later, Jesus prayed to God: “Father, glorify your name.” In response, God spoke from heaven, saying: “I have glorified it and will glorify it again.” (John 12:28)

Replaced
The Divine name is often replaced with "LORD" or "God" in many Bible translations and versions. Only a few Bible translations acknowledge the importance of using a translation proper for God's name. The Holman Christian Standard Bible restored God's name with Yahweh and the New World Translation uses the more common translation, Jehovah.

The reasons why most other translations and versions replace God's name varies. Some feel that Almighty God does not need a unique name to identify him. Others appear to have been influenced by the Jewish tradition of avoiding the use of the name, perhaps out of fear of desecrating it. Still others believe that since no one can be sure of the exact pronunciation of God’s name, it is better just to use a title, such as “Lord” or “God.” On another level, it cannot be dismissed that the Adversary has sought to hide the name of God.

Support for its use
Evidence shows that early copies of his Word, including those preserved from before the time of Christ, contain God’s personal name. God inspired that his name be included in his Word some 7,000 times. While some Jewish scribes refused to pronounce the name, they did not remove it from their copies of the Bible. Ancient scrolls found in Qumran, near the Dead Sea, contain the name in many places. Some Bible translators hint to the divine name by substituting the title “LORD” in capital letters.

Comparisons
When referring to Jesus, the first-century disciples said his name quite differently from the way most Christians do today. To Jewish Christians, the name Jesus was probably pronounced Ye·shuʹa‛. And the title “Christ” was Ma·shiʹach, or “Messiah.” Greek-speaking Christians called him I·e·sousʹ Khri·stosʹ, and Latin-speaking Christians Ieʹsus Chriʹstus. Under inspiration, the Greek translation of his name was recorded in the Bible, showing that first-century Christians followed the sensible course of using the form of the name common in their language. Similarly, the New World Bible Translation reasonably uses God's name as “Jehovah,” even though such rendering was not exactly pronounced that way in ancient Hebrew.

Meaning
The replacing of God’s name with titles makes God seem remote and impersonal, whereas the Bible urges humans to cultivate a “close friendship with Jehovah” (Psalm 25:14). God explained the meaning of his name to his faithful servant Moses. When Moses asked about God’s name, Jehovah replied: "I am that I am", or a more modern rending, “I Will Become What I Choose to Become” (Exodus 3:14). Rotherham’s translation renders those words: “I Will Become whatsoever I please.” So Jehovah can become whatever is needed in order to fulfill his purposes, and he can cause to happen whatever is required with regard to his creation and the accomplishment of his purpose. As it was important to Jesus, his father's name Jehovah belongs in the Bible. Knowing its meaning and using it freely in our worship are powerful aids in drawing closer to our heavenly Father, Jehovah.