Hello Brothers,

I would like to ask some of your pointers regarding one paragraph on our KIT 1969ed, and alot of our opposers here in the Philippines are quoting this:

While inclining to view the pronunciation "Yah.weh" as the more correct way, we have retained the form "Jehovah" because of people's famili@rity with it since the 14th century (The Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures (KIT), 1969 ed., p. 23).

They are asking, why do we have to use Jehovah if we (JWs) felt that Yahweh is more correct than Jehovah? And if Yahweh is more correct, why not change our organization's name to Yahweh's Witnesses?

Need some help.

Thanks in advance!

This message was last edited at

First, Jehovah is English and "Yahweh" is a popular Hebrew pronunciation.

See The Watchtower 1999 February 1 p. 30 “Jehovah” or “Yahweh”?

(quote)
Today, most scholars seem to favor the two-syllable “Yahweh.”
...
A two-syllable pronunciation of the Tetragrammaton as “Yahweh” would not allow for the o vowel sound to exist as part of God’s name. But in the dozens of Biblical names that incorporate the divine name, this middle vowel sound appears in both the original and the shortened forms, as in Jehonathan and Jonathan. Thus, Professor Buchanan says regarding the divine name: “In no case is the vowel oo or oh omitted. The word was sometimes abbreviated as ‘Ya,’ but never as ‘Ya-weh.’ . . . When the Tetragrammaton was pronounced in one syllable it was ‘Yah’ or ‘Yo.’ When it was pronounced in three syllables it would have been ‘Yahowah’ or ‘Yahoowah.’ If it was ever abbreviated to two syllables it would have been ‘Yaho.’”—Biblical Archaeology Review.
(end quote)

So, to repeat, Yahweh is a HEBREW name that fails to incorporate the middle vowel sound, but Jehovah is ENGLISH. This same reasoning works for all other non-Hebrew languages.

Although ‘Jehovah’ and ‘Yahweh’ cannot be proven conclusively, both forms do have the merit of preserving the four consonants of the Tetragrammaton (YHWH or the latinized JHVH), and most English Bible translations that include God’s personal name use either of the two forms. Additionally, both forms are familiar to most students of Scripture and generally make possible for easy and immediate identification.

Some Bible students have taken issue against the English form “Jehovah,” referring to it a “hybrid” and an “erroneous pronunciation.” It has been pointed out that God’s name could never have been pronounced that way, and that today we should pronounce and translate the name as “Yahweh.” However, the claim of Bible translators has never been that God’s name was originally pronounced as “Jehovah.” Jehovah is simply the form that conforms to normal English usage with respect to Hebrew names in the Bible. For example, in Hebrew, the name “Isaiah” was probably pronounced originally as “Yeshayahu.” Similarly the English “Jerusalem” was in Hebrew, likely pronounced “Yerushalaim.” “Jesus” was pronounced “Yeshua” or “Yehohshua” (Greek: I×e×sous´). Neither of these names represents the original Hebrew or Greek pronunciations. However, it is perfectly normal and proper for names to take on different pronunciations when they are transferred into a different language. In Hebrew, God’s name was likely pronounced “Yeh×o×wah,” in Spanish it is “Jehová (pronounced: ‘he-o-vá’)”, in standard, conventional English we say “Jehovah.”

- Patrick Navas

Also See: http://www.watchtower.org/e/20080901a/article_01.htm

Additional Reading: http://www.watchtower.org/e/na/index.htm



Sherlock(JW983)

http://pastorrussell.blogspot.com/

This message was last edited at

Thanks for the reply....

But again they are pointing with the phrase: "While inclining to view.....Yahweh as more correct pronunciation"....

The question here is:
1. Who is inclining to view that Yahweh as more correct pronunciation, is it the Watchtower or other people?

Another thing, If you will look at the latest KIT (1985ed) with the same paragraph, the Watchtower now changed it to "While many are inclining to view...." So in here,it is like the statement is making an exclusion to the Watchtower as the one view Yahweh as the more correct pronunciation unlike in the 1969ed.

So again, they will ask....Why use Jehovah if your literature says that Yahweh is more correct?

Thanks again for your reply.
Agape,
Noel from Philippines

nm




This message was last edited at

Hi Noeldc,
Let's compare the two editions of the KIT:
1969 KIT page 23
While inclining to view the pronunciation "Yah-weh'" as the more correct way, we have retained the form "Jehovah" because of people's familiarity with it since the 14th century.

1985 KIT page 12
While many are inclined to view the pronunciation "Yahweh" as the more correct way, we have retained the form "Jehovah" because of people's familiarity with it for centuries.

It seems evident that the author of the 1969 statement was inclined to view Yahweh as the "correct" pronunciation of the Tetragrammaton, just like he viewed any other Hebrew pronunciation of Hebrew names, like "Yehoshua" for Jesus. In the case of the Tetragrammaton however, recall that its pronunciation has been obscured over time. Thus, the author merely was "inclined" towards Yahweh as the correct Hebrew pronunciation.

The 1985 KIT would merely reflect more modesty and wisdom on the matter, as further research and reflection on the value of theophoric names has indicated that Yahweh lacks the necessary middle vowel sound.

That being said, you asked again:

"Why use Jehovah if your literature says that Yahweh is more correct?"

The answer is rather simple. Yahweh is a Hebrew approximation of the Tetragrammaton, one that the 1969 author was merely "inclining" to view as more correct. However, we do not speak Hebrew. Thus, our detractors would do well to reflect on that fact. They would do well to notice that "Witness" is not Hebrew, and then reflect on the value of lingual consistency. We do not say Yehoshua, do we? We say Jesus, knowing full well that "Jesus" is not the pronunciation of his Hebrew name. The reasons for using Jehovah and Jesus are the same.

When they say that Yahweh is the more correct pronunciation they are talking about pronouncing it in ancient Hebrew.

Now we do not know for certain that Yahweh is indeed a more correct pronunciation.

But, more to the point, we do not speak ancient Hebrew. The correct way to pronounce God's name in modern English is "Jehovah".

There is therefore nothing incorrect about Jehovah.


The possibility that ancient Hebrews may have pronounced it closer to Yahwey makes no difference to how English people have been pronouncing it for centuries.

Thank you very much to all your answers....it will help alot especially to the brothers who encounter the same question.

Again, thanks

Besides, the Anchor Bible Dictionary, volume 6, page 1011 (Doubleday, 1992), correctly states that the form "Yahweh" is no more than "a scholarly guess." It also shows that the form "Yahweh" is based more on Greek patristic writing, wherein "church fathers" used the spellings "Iaoue" and "IaBe."

The Greeks did not always have the best ear for Hebrew names, as Greek transliterations of Hebrew names in the Septuagint (LXX) demonstrate.

At any rate, an "inclination" is only an inclination. The brothers did not state with any certainty that "Yahweh" was the more correct pronunciation, and even then, they would be referring to Hebrew usage, not English.

From my personal correspondence and interaction with students of Hebrew, it is even more likely that, at some point in ancient time, YHWH was pronounced in Hebrew as "Yahwah" (as in Arabic) or "Yahowah."

"Jehovah" is fine in English for identifying the one who is the True God.

Solomon ("Shlomo" in Hebrew. It was the Greeks who added the "n" at the end, to harmonize with their grammatical practices.)

This message was last edited at

Q:why do we have to use Jehovah if we (JWs) felt that Yahweh is more correct than Jehovah?
A:: For consistency. Yahweh is Hebrew, Jehovah is English. If those opposers want correct pronunciation they should also change Jesus to Yeshua, Jeremiah to Yeremiah, etc.

I encountered a similar question while still in the philippines. The pastor asked me how come you add vowels to YHWH or JWH when there are no vowels in the Hebrew language. I answered: "try removing all the vowels in the bible and see if you can understand it"
Tumahimik siya. ( Translation: He shut up).

"try removing all the vowels in the bible and see if you can understand it"

OUTSTANDING!!


Sherlock

Hello amboy, How are you?

By the way, yes, here in the Philippines many opposers try discredit, try to even malign JWs because of this topic. Anyway, all your suggestions and pointers will be compiled and I will try to arrange it and tell to other brothers and sisters this arguments.

To amboy,
what is your e-mail address?
mine is: noeldela_cruz@yahoo.com