One makes the claim: “The term ‘Jehovah’ was the invention of a Catholic monk (Raymundus Martini) in AD 1202.”
Another states: “We can trace the name Jehovah to the first person to use it, a Roman Catholic monk from the 1200’s.”
Another site states: "The first recorded use of this spelling [Jehovah] was made by a Spanish Dominican monk, Raymundus Martini, in 1270."
Surrounding this claim are theories of how "Jehovah" was formed. These conflicting theories are often presented as being historical fact.
One claims: "About the 13th century the term 'Jehovah' appeared when Christian scholars took the consonants of 'Yahweh' and pronounced it with the vowels of 'Adonai.'" This appears to assume that the form "Yahweh" is the correct name while Jehovah is incorrect. The reality is that the the vowel points were added by the Masoretes long before the 13th century.
An author on another site (actually this statement appears on several sites) states: "The word 'Jehovah' comes from the fact that ancient Jewish texts used to put the vowels of the Name 'Adonai' (the usual substitute for YHVH) under the consonants of YHVH to remind people not to pronounce YHVH as written." Actually, what is being called here "fact" is simply somebody's theory; what ancient Hebrew texts are being referred to is not given. The first Hebrew text to supply vowel points was the Masoretic text which was completed sometime before the tenth century. One could call that ancient, although usually "ancient" is used of earlier manuscripts than the Masoretic text. The author continues: "A sixteenth century German Christian scribe, while transliterating the Bible into Latin for the Pope, wrote the Name out as it appeared in his texts, with the consonants of YHVH and the vowels of Adonai, and came up with the word JeHoVaH, and the name stuck." We could not confirm anything stated in this sentence. .We know, however, that the vowel points that provide the rendering of "Jehovah" were already in the Masoretic text long before the sixteenth century.
One asks: "The version Jehovah was invented by a Catholic monk in the middle ages–so, the question is, how can a word made up by a Catholic monk centuries later possibly be God’s name?" The term "middle ages" is vague, but evidently this is referring to the inaccurate claim being circulated that Raymundus Martini created the form "Jehovah." It is even often claimed that he supplied the vowels from Adonai and/or from Elohim, etc., to create the form "Jehovah."
It is claimed that “Jehovah is a false name” “made up by a Catholic monk”. It is claimed that Jews do not believe in saying the “name of the Lord” Another asks: "How can 'Jehovah' have the same meaning as 'Yahweh' when it is a different name." Evidently, the assumption is that Jehovah and Yahweh are not variations of the same name, but that the two forms are two totally different names. Oddly, the author makes no assumption regarding the use of "Jesus", although the English form "Jesus" is definitely NOT the way the name was originally pronounced in ancient Hebrew. The author goes on to say: "'Jehovah' was made up by putting the vowels of 'Adonai' into the Tetragrammaton, which Hebrew experts (I have quoted 3 in my study) say is an impossible form." Hebrew so-called "experts" have to work from various theories and assumptions; these "experts" were not alive several thousand years ago so as to be able to be able to verify their theories. We need to be careful in putting trust in theories of men, no matter how "expert" they may appear to be.
Nevertheless, arguments that place a lot of emphasis on the original pronunciation as being the only actually name of the Creator are actually all irrelevant to usage of the form "Jehovah" to represent the Holy Name in English, or similar forms in other languages. All of these arguments would have meaning ONLY IF such are supported by a scripture saying that the Holy Name has to be pronounced as it was originally pronounced in ancient Hebrew or else it is a false name. God has not given any command that his name or any other Hebrew name has to be pronounced in other langauges as it was originally pronounced in ancient Hebrew or else it is not His name, or that it is another name. Furthermore, the assumption would demand that every language have the sounds of every Hebrew name in each language; more than likely many languages would not have the same sounds as anceint Hebrew. Most scholars agree that the many Hebrew names found in the Koine Greek of the New Testament are not pronounced as they were in ancient Hebrew. On top of that is the fact that no one one earth today knows for a certainty how God's name, or even His Son's name, was originally pronounced in ancient Hebrew. Further, no one on earth today knows for a certainty what the Koine Greek sounded like. All we have are the various theories that many promote about this and that upon which this or that pronunciation is thought to be correct, etc.
A side note: One in Texas claims to be have received divine revelation as to the correct English pronunciation and spelling. He has so many odd English spellings of Hebrew names and other words in his writings it is sometimes difficult to read what he writes. This man makes claims for his group similar to claims that Joseph Rutherford made for the Jehovah's Witnesses organization that he, Rutherford created, and called "Jehovah's visible organization." The governing body of the Jehovah's Witnesses today continues to make the same claims, often even greater, claims for authority, denouncing an eternal doom on all who do not come to them for salvation. The focus on the Holy Name taken to extremes, and especially on some certain form of pronunciation of the Holy Name, often becomes a smokescreen Satan makes use of to turn one's attention from the glad tidings of great joy that will be for all the people.
As to the English form "Jehovah": it is actually based on the major form of the Holy Name as found in the Masoretic Hebrew text. The idea of insertion by Christians later of the vowels of Adonai and/or Elohim is simply someone's theories. The usual charge, however, is that the Masoretes themselves inserted vowels into the tetragrammaton to form Jehovah (or, Yehowah); this also, however, is an assumption that has been repeated so many times that it has become accepted as fact. Some scholars, however, have claimed that this assumption is not true; that the Masoretes did not take vowel points they supplied from other words to create the form from which "Jehovah", "Iehouah", "Yehowah", etc., are derived. So far we have found no evidence that the Masoretes did take the vowel points they supplied to form ADONAI or ELOHIM to use in the Holy Name.
Some authors like to to point out the Holy Name in the original Hebrew had no vowels, and they make many claims because of this. Many even seem to think that the lack of vowels is peculiar to the tetragrammaton of the Holy Name. The reality is that the original Hebrew has no written vowels at all for any name or any word whatsoever. The vowel sounds were spoken, however.
Nevertheless, the vowel points for the Holy Name were not originally provided by any Catholic monk, nor any Christian; they were provided by the Masoretes long before any Monk provided a transliteration of the Holy Name from the Masoretic Hebrew text. The Masoretes provided at least two different variations of the Holy Name, evidently depending on its contextual usage. This indicates that the Holy Name may not have had just one pronunciation, but at least two, depending on the context.
Nevertheless, if one should get all upset, or claim that one should not pronounce the Holy Name in English because we do not know for a certainty how it was originally pronounced, then, to be consistent, we should not pronounce the name of the Messiah, either. Definitely we should not pronounce the Holy Name as "the Lord" or "God". If the correct pronunciation of the Holy Name is the issue, then we know for a certainty that the Holy Name was not originally pronounced as "the LORD", "GOD", HaShem, ADONAI, ELOHIM, KURIOS, etc. "Jesus" is an English pronunciation which certainly is not the same pronunciation as the original Hebrew, and no one knows for a certainty how the name of the Messiah was originally pronounced in the original Hebrew. Most who get all upset about the pronunciation of God's name as "Jehovah" seem to have no qualms about pronouncing the name of God's Son as "Jesus."
On the other hand, the Jews who claim that oral pronunciation of the Holy Name is not appropriate, do not, in fact, refrain from pronouncing the name, but they often will indeed orally pronounce the name as being Adonai (Lord), Elohim (God), HaShem (the name), or as something else. If they would not actually say the Holy Name at all, they would have to read Deuteronomy 6:4 as “Hear, Israel: — is our God; — is one,” which, of course, ends up being nonsense. If a Jew reads aloud Deuteronomy 6:4 from the Jewish Publication Society translation, he will be saying, “Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God, the LORD is one.” In effect, he will still be attributing the Holy Name to being “the LORD”, and pronouncing, saying, the Holy Name, as being “the LORD”. The ancient Hebrew pronunciation of the Holy Name, however, is most definitely NOT “the LORD”. Deuteronomy 6:4, in the World English, reads, “Hear, Israel: Yahweh is our God; Yahweh is one.” In the American Standard, it reads, “Hear, O Israel: Jehovah our God is one Jehovah.” Either of these latter two translations are definitely much better than totally changing the Holy Name to “the LORD”, which does not mean the same thing.
Indeed, we do not know of any person, when reading the Bible aloud, who does not pronounce the Holy Name with some kind of oral expression. We do not know of anyone who simply skips the Holy Name so as not to pronounce the Holy Name, despite their claims of not pronouncing the Holy Name by pronouncing the Holy Name as "ADONAI," “the LORD” or “GOD”, or whatever else.
For more of our studies related to Holy Name, see the listing of this site:
https://nameofyah.blogspot.com/p/on-this-site.html
Links to various sites in this study does not mean that we agree with the views presented on those sites.
Ronald R. Day, Sr., Restoration Light (ResLight, RlBible) Bible Study Services.
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