* Pronunciation of YHWH

* Martini and Yohoua

Martini and the Vowel Points

(Please note that many links are provided to other sites; we do not necessarily agree with all conclusions presented on those sites.)

Raymundus Martini was the author of the work called Pugio Fidei, which was not written in English, but rather in Latin. He also authored some other works. He lived about 300 years after the Masoretes had completed their work on the Hebrew text. The Masoretic text has the vowel points long before Martini was alive. The English forms Jehovah, Yehowah, Iehouah, etc. (depending on whose transliteration method is being used), are definitely transliterations from the Masoretic text corresponding to the vowel points that the Masoretes used in the Holy Name long before Martini was born.

As far as we know, Martini's original works in Latin are not online, and as yet I have not been able to examine them. From what we can determine, he challenged the form presented by the Masoretes, and presented the Holy Name as "Yohoua." We still have not been able to determine how he came up with this pronunciation, nor have we found anything about why he rejected the Masoretic forms of the Holy Name. Oddly, when his work was published after his death, the Holy Name was presented as "Jehova", which does appear to conform closely to the Masoretic text, although it drops the last consonant. Martini definitely did not take vowel points from the Masoretic words ELOHIM and/or ADONAI to form "Jehovah," despite the false claims that he did. Such simply does not conform with the historical facts. The Masoretic text had the vowel points in the Holy Name long before Martini was born.

However, the most common claim is that the Masoretes took vowel points from other words to create the form from which Jehovah is rendered. As best as we can determine, the first to suggest that the Masoretes substituted vowel points they supplied for ADONAI and/or ELOHIM was Wilhelm Gesenius. Gensenius lived from 1786-1842, about 700 years after the Masoretes completed their work. As best as we can determine, he was also the first to suggest that "Yahweh" was the original pronunciation, based on sounds attributed to a Greek form of the Holy Name. The form referred to is often transliterated as IAUE, and given Latin sounds, and placing those sounds with a transliteration of the tetragrammaton as YHWH, results in Yahweh. The reconstruction, however, depends on a lot of theory and assumptions, and although the theories and assumptions may be presented as being fact, they are still theories and assumptions. The reality is that the form Yahweh depends more on theories and assumptions than do the forms found in the Masoretic Hebrew. Nevertheless, as Wikipedia states, "The consensus among scholars is that the historical vocalization of the Tetragrammaton at the time of the redaction of the Torah (6th century BCE) is most likely Yahweh." Again, this is based on the assumption that the Masoretes substituted vowel points they supplied to form the Masoretic word often transliterated as ADONAI and/or ELOHIM.

As to theory, the whole study of linguistic history, as far as sounds, is based on theories. No one on earth today knows for a certainty even what English sounded like four hundred years ago, not to mention the many variations of English. We have theories, but written works suggest that there were many different dialects of English, lacking the uniformity we are used to today. Scholars, however, most often present their theories as being fact, although scholars often disagree with each other. No one on earth knows what ancient Hebrew actually sounded like, nor even the Koine Greek of the New Testament, despite the often detailed explanations of sounds that some scholars often present.

And then there is the study of the Masoretic text itself and the sounds often attributed to both the consonants and the vowels. It is obvious that the Masoretes sought some standardization of sounds, and thus it is possible that in doing so, they neglected sound variations of various consonants as well as the sounds attributed to their vowel points. In other words, where the Masoretes usually promoted one sound for each consonant, this may not actually reflect all the original Hebrew sounds.

There is some evidence that some copies of the Hebrew Old Testament may have had some kind of written vowel system before the Masoretes. There is no evidence, however, that the Masoretes used any earlier manuscripts with written vowels, however, in the creation of the Masoretic text.

In the Wikipedia article on "Names of God", we find the assumption presented as being fact:

The Masoretic Text uses vowel points of Adonai or Elohim (depending on the context) marking the pronunciation as Yəhōwāh (יְ הֹ וָ ה, [jăhowɔh] (About this sound listen)); however, scholarly consensus is that this is not the original pronunciation.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Names_of_God_in_Judaism#YHWH
(Much of the wording in this article presents a lot of opinions and assumptions -- both historical and otherwise -- as through fact.)

However, the fact that most scholars agree on an opinion (consensus) does not necessarily make the opinion correct.

References:
(We do not necessarily agree with all conclusions given by these authors)

The Myth That Jehovah Was Pointed with the Vowel Markings of Adonai

Debunking the Myths of Sacred Namers

More may be added to this later... R. R. Day.

Did A Catholic Monk Invent “Jehovah”?

Many assertions are often made concerning the English form “Jehovah”; such assertions are often presented as being fact, although in reality much of what is presented is inaccurate historically. Most of the statements we are referring seem also be based on the assumption that “Jehovah” is a separate “name” from the Holy Name as it appears in Hebrew. Most of these also seem to assume that if God’s Holy Name is not pronounced exactly as it is in Hebrew, that it is a false “name”.

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.

Is Jehovah a Man-Made Name?

The claim is being made that it has been established that the "name Jehovah is not God's name."

Evidently, this is based on the man-made assumption that if it is not pronounced as it was originally pronounced in ancient Hebrew, then it is "not God's name."

The idea that the Holy Name has be pronounced and spelled as it was originally pronounced or spelled in order for it to be God's name is actually what is man-made. God never presented such an idea. You will not find such a thought ever presented in the Bible. Such a doctrine is itself man-made.

If that idea is true, then every English form of any name from the Bible is a "manmade guess" and are not really the names of the persons involved, including any form of the name of God's son, since no one on earth today knows for a certainty what the original Hebrew sounded like. The sounds often used are themselves based on theory, in effect, assumptions.

In Bible times, names did change in spelling from one language to another as can be seen from Koine Greek of the New Testament, as well as many other writings in various languages from that time.

As far as the Holy Name being presented in English as "Jehovah", this is a direct transliteration from the Hebrew Masoretic text. I cannot say that this means that this is the way it was originally pronounced; it doesn't really matter. There is no command in the Bible that God's name or any other name has to be pronounced exactly as it was in ancient Hebrew or else it is a false name. This idea is invented by man, is actually a false doctrine.

Nevertheless, some have produced a hypothesis, which has often been presented as fact, that the Masoretes took vowels from other words (from their words often transliterated as Adonai and/or Elohim) to form their word that transliterates as Jehovah / Yehowah / Iehouah, etc. Thus they claim that "Jehovah" is a hybrid name. However, no evidence that the Masoretes did such a thing can be found; there is no reason to think that the Masoretes did not endeavor to present vowels for the Holy Name as they thought it to have been originally pronounced. No, we do not know that "Jehovah" in English is the exact same way it was pronounced in ancient Hebrew; it is certain that "Jesus" is not the way the name of His son was pronounced in ancient Hebrew. We do not know that Elijah was the way this name was pronounced in ancient Hebrew, nor do we know for a certainty how it was originally pronounced. Indeed, in the New Testament, a transliteration of that name is Elias; the New Testament does not present Elias as being a different name, but as the same name, despite the way many today may speak of the two forms as though they are two different names.

The truth is we do not know for a certainty how any of the names in the Bible were originally pronounced. Any claim otherwise is false, since once one examines the basis of such claims, one finds many assumptions being presented, often as though fact.

It is claimed that the literature of the JWs claims that Raymundus Martini coined the form "Jehova", and God's true religion would not need to guess how the name came to be, His true religion would know it from Jesus.

I am not with the JWs, and we make no claims about any "true religion" except that given by Jesus and the apostles. It is simply a fact that Raymudus Martini never presented the Holy Name as "Jehovah". It is simply a fact that "Jehovah" is a direct transliteration from the Masoretic text which was in existence long before Martini.

Nevertheless, I do not believe that the JW writers claim to be infallible. Regardless, we should not accept what they say as being fact. There are many out there, including many so-called experts, scholars, etc., who present many of their assumptions as being fact, but one should always look for the basis, to see if what is being said is indeed fact, or based on some kind of assumption(s). In all claims being made to have found the original pronunciation, despite the claims made, if examined closely, one will see that there are assumptions (usually accepted and presented as being facts) of sounds attributed to the ancient Hebrew.

It is claimed that Jesus did not ever rebuke the Jews for not using it or use any translation of YHWH as Almighty God's name, at least not as recorded in the original Greek NT.

We do not have the originals of the New Testament writings, but we can see that the name has been changed in the extant Greek NT manuscripts. It is apparent that someone has changed the Holy Name to forms of the words often transliterated as KURIOS and THEOS, and possibly some other words, such as DUNAMIS. If Jesus declared his coming in the name of KURIOS rather than the name prophesied that he was to come in in Deuteronomy 18:15-19, then, according to that prophecy (Deuteronomy 18:20-22), he was actually a false prophet, speaking in the name of another rather than in the name of Jehovah. -- Deuteronomy 18:20.

It is true that we do not know for a certain why God's Holy Name was changed to other forms in the copies, but there is evidence that suggests that towards the end of the first century and the beginning of the second century, the Jews were confiscating and destroying all Christian writings that contained the Holy Name. Thus, we can see how Christian copyists might have changed the Holy Name to other words in order to keep the Jews from destroying all copies of what became the NT. Additionally, evidence suggests that they did the same with the LXX.

For related studies, see:
Fake Name?

Martini and the Name Jehovah

No J or V Sounds in Ancient Hebrew?

Is Jehovah a False God?