Translation of God's name in OT

[Dimitris]

Hallo!

Could anyone tell me, why God's name (the Tetragrammaton, YHWH) is throughout the whole Old Testament translated with Κύριος (Kyrios) from the Hebrew Bible, but exclusively in Ex 3, 14 it is translated with ο ών (o on). It is interesting that this is also true for translations into other languages. How did this come?

Dimitris

[Fr Raphael Vereshack]

Hallo!

Could anyone tell me, why God's name (the Tetragrammaton, YHWH) is throughout the whole Old Testament translated with Κύριος (Kyrios) from the Hebrew Bible, but exclusively in Ex 3, 14 it is translated with ο ών (o on). It is interesting that this is also true for translations into other languages. How did this come?

Dimitris

I'm no expert but I had always assumed these were simply the Greek translations of what was found in the Hebrew.

In the modern Russian Bible which is based on the Septuagint for Ex 3, 14 it says, "And God said to Moses, I am the Existing One (я есмъ Сущий). And He said, 'Thus say to the Sons of Israel, 'the Existing One (Сущий) has sent me to you'."

Interestingly though, after the second reference to Existing One in brackets it says :(Jehovah).

In Christ- Fr Raphael

[Kris]

Hallo!

Could anyone tell me, why God's name (the Tetragrammaton, YHWH) is throughout the whole Old Testament translated with Κύριος (Kyrios) from the Hebrew Bible, but exclusively in Ex 3, 14 it is translated with ο ών (o on). It is interesting that this is also true for translations into other languages. How did this come?

Dimitris

Perhaps it is due to the nature of that particular passage, wherein God reveals Himself as He who is. As such, it would not be sufficient to use a mere title such as "Lord" but to express the literal meaning of the Name.

Then again, I have heard (though I might be wrong) that the earliest manuscripts of the LXX uses "Ho Wn" throughout.

In XC,
Kris

[Nicolaj]

Dear Father Raphael,

I have always learnt that the name of God is Jahwe! This name makes sense in Hebrew. Jehova is the name founded by a heretic group, we know them here in Europe as The witnesses Jehovas and I think in America they are called the Watchtower Assembly.
This word Jahwe means ' I am the one, who is'. This sense tried the Translaters of the Septuaginta to hit with 'ego eimi ho on'. Moses was the first living man to get to know the name of the Father and to give this name to us so we can be sure that the Father is the one who is here!

In Christ-Nicolaj

[Peter Farrington]

Dear Nicolaj

The use of Jehovah in English does not derive from the Jehovah's Witnesses, they were merely using a form of the name of God which had been used in English since 1530.

It is used throughout the King James version of the Bible in English which predates the Jehovah's Witnesses by some centuries.

Jehovah is an English mis-transliteration of the Hebrew for which may be pronounced Yahweh.

Since Jehovah and Yahweh both point to the same Hebrew word which means something like, as you say, 'I am the one who is' I do not quite see what you are arguing. The early Greek speaking Fathers pronounced the word in a different way again, and differed among themselves. Since it is clear what is meant I am not sure why it is necessary to condemn those who use the form 'Jehovah'.

Peter

[Nicolaj]

Dear Peter,

I do know that the jewish word has only the letters jhwh and that it is an mis-transliteration to use jehova. I don't know what the situation is in the countries that the rest of you live in but here in continental Europe we meet the Jehovah's Witnesses on almost every corner. And in the times I learned the basics, at that time RC, I was told that it makes a difference! Like being heretic or not being one. So from this background I came up making this point because I think it interesting for ME!
I am not condemning anyone, I just like to know what Father Raphael thinks about which word is better to use. On the other hand, it is more or less not that important, for in the Liturgy it isn't used. The few Jewish I know, one is my cousin in New York, they read, never say, the word as Jahwe.

In Christ-Nicolaj

[Peter Farrington]

Dear Nicolaj

There are many Jehovah's Witnesses here in the UK. But the point you made was that they had invented the word Jehovah and that it did not have the same meaning as Yahweh.

As I stated, they did not invent the word, and it does have the same meaning as Yahweh.

My understanding is that the Jews came to never use the name of God but spoke of Adonai or Lord instead, and then even hesitated to use that word.

Peter

[M.C. Steenberg]

Dear Nicolaj

There are many Jehovah's Witnesses here in the UK. But the point you made was that they had invented the word Jehovah and that it did not have the same meaning as Yahweh.

As I stated, they did not invent the word, and it does have the same meaning as Yahweh.

My understanding is that the Jews came to never use the name of God but spoke of Adonai or Lord instead, and then even hesitated to use that word.

Peter

Dear all,

Just for interest's sake, following on Peter's comments: The transliteration 'Jehovah' is, so far as I can tell, an historical curiosity caused by a lack of familiarity with Jewish tradition. Since it was not permissable to speak aloud the tetragrammaton (i.e. to say the divine name, YHWH), the four Hebrew consonants that make up the word (bearing in mind that classical Hebrew has no vowels) were pointed in later manuscripts with the vowels for the word 'Adonai' (Lord), to remind chanters to use that title as a replacement in chanting, rather than saying aloud the tetragrammaton itself.

The transliteration 'Yehovah/Jehovah' is simply how the letters YHWH sound when pointed with the vowels for 'Adonai'.

But the initial reason for adding this pointing to the tetragrammaton was not, however, to cause one to pronounce the word as 'Jehovah', but to remind one that the Name shouldn't be said at all, but replaced altogether with 'Adonai' (Lord). So claims that 'Jehovah' is the proper name of God are somewhat comically out of place.

INXC, Matthew

[John Charmley]

Dear Matthew,


But the initial reason for adding this pointing to the tetragrammaton was not, however, to cause one to pronounce the word as 'Jehovah', but to remind one that the Name shouldn't be said at all, but replaced altogether with 'Adonai' (Lord). So claims that 'Jehovah' is the proper name of God are somewhat comically out of place.


Thank you for a really big laugh on a very grey day. Those of us who have anything to do with the JW's (I had a relative by marriage who was one) will treasure this - and wheel it out when necessary.

In Christ,

John

[Jeff Johnson]

I frankly cringe whenever I see "Jehovah" in the Bible, and dislike translations that do use the name.