Commentary on
Bible Prefaces
Most all of the modern translations have chosen to
replace the name "Yahweh" with another title or name of their choice.
The following is a commentary on the various prefaces and introductions which
explain their reasoning for changing His name to something else.
Before we begin it must be understood that our English bibles are not
the original language in which scriptures were written. I often run into people
who don't understand this very basic principle. But it is totally true. The King
James Version was the first major translation into English and was created
approximately 1600 years after Yahshua the Messiah came to earth.
New
International Version - Preface
"In
regard to the divine name YHWH, commonly referred to as the Tetragrammaton, the
translators adopted the device used in most English versions...
This statement runs true in the majority of
modern English translations. The primary reasoning for replacing the name of
Yahweh with something else is 'tradition'. In other words, "As long as
everyone else does it, it must be okay".
..of
rendering that name as "LORD" in capital letters to distinguish it
from adonai, another Hebrew word
rendered "Lord" for which small letters are used.
We can see already that replacing the name
"Yahweh" with "The Lord" presents a major problem and this
would be that the Hebrew word "Adonai" means "Lord". So what
to do? Their solution is to make the "Adonai" source in small letters
and where the name of Yahweh exists, they'll put capital letters! I doubt that
half the people who read the scriptures even knows it.
Wherever
the two names stand together in the Old Testament as a compound name for God,
they are rendered "Sovereign LORD.""
Now we see that a second problem pops up.
Sometimes the Hebrew reads "Adonai Yahweh". So they come up with
another phrase to overcome this problem. Amazing what people will do to serve
tradition and reject what Yahweh has placed in scripture!
Today's
English Version - Preface
Following
an ancient tradition,
Again, tradition is the reason.
begun
by the first translation of the Hebrew Scriptures (the Septuagint) and followed
by the vast majority of English translations, the distinctive Hebrew name for
God (usually transliterated Jehovah or
Yahweh), is in this translation
represented by "LORD." When Adonai,
normally translated "Lord," occurs preposed to Yahweh, the combination is rendered by the phrase "Sovereign
LORD."
So the "Today's English Version"
uses the same renderings as the NIV. All on the basis of following the others.
Revised
English Bible - Introduction to the Old Testament
The
divine name (YHWH in Hebrew
characters) was probably pronounced 'Yahweh',
One excuse some use for not keeping Yahweh's
name in the text is that they aren't sure His name is really pronounced
"Yahweh". But if a translator ever admitted that His name was
definitely pronounced 'Yahweh' I'm sure they would have to answer for why they
don't translate it as such. Not much motivation for seeking the truth? Maybe
they really don't want to know that His name really pronounced
"Yahweh"?
but
the name was regarded as ineffable, too sacred to be pronounced.
Yes, this was the doctrine that got this whole
idea started. But Yahweh says:
Jere 10:25a Pour out thy fury upon the heathen
that know thee not, and upon the families that call not on thy name..
and...
Joel 2:32a And it shall come to pass, [that]
whosoever shall call on the name of the YAHWEH shall be delivered..
How can anyone call on His name if it is
hidden away by superstitious doctrines?
The
Massoretes, therefore, wrote in the vowel signs of the alternative words adonai
('Lord') or elohim ('God') to warn readers to use one of these in its place.
The Massoretes were who copied and preserved
the Hebrew scriptures from scroll to scroll down through the ages. They added
'vowel signs/pointings' to the Hebrew text (which was primarily all consonants)
so the language would be preserved. But when they came to the name of Yahweh,
they inserted alternative vowel pointings so that the reader would not speak the
name of Yahweh but say "adonai" (lord) instead. So we can see that
through the ages, there has been a conspiracy to hide the name of Yahweh
Almighty despite what Yahweh says in His word about how we should praise, exalt,
bless, love, teach, preach, anoint, assemble, believe, give thanks, honor and
call on His name.
Where
the divine name occurs in the Hebrew text, this has been signaled in The Revised
English Bible by using capital letters for 'LORD' or 'GOD', a widely accepted
practice.
Since it is 'widely accepted', it must be
truth and acceptable to do? Not according to Yahshua! He said the way to life is
a narrow way.
Matt 7:14 (NKJV) "Because narrow [is] the
gate and difficult [is] the way which leads to life, and there are few who find
it.
American
Standard Version - Preface
"I.
The change first proposed in the Appendix --- that which substitutes
"Jehovah" for "LORD" and "GOD" (printed in small
capitals) --- is one which will be unwelcome by many, because of the frequency
and familiarity of the terms displaced. But the American Revisers, after a
careful consideration, were brought to the unanimous conviction that a Jewish
superstition, which regarded the Divine Name as too sacred to be uttered, ought
no longer to dominate in the English or any other version of the Old Testament,
as it fortunately does not in the numerous versions made by modern missionaries.
Now with some reservation I would almost have
to admire those who translated the American Standard 1901 version. They at least
tried to restore some truth (even though they knew it would be unwelcome) and
reject the ridiculous tradition of hiding and substituting the name of Yahweh
from the common reader. But then as we read on...
This
Memorial Name, explained in Ex. iii. 14,15 and emphasized as such over and
over in the original text of the Old Testament, designates God as the
Personal God, as the covenant God, the God of Revelation, the Deliverer, the
Friend of his people; --- not merely the abstractly "Eternal One" of
many French translations, but the ever living Helper of those who are in
trouble. This personal name, with its wealth of sacred associations, is now
restored to the place in the sacred text to which it has an unquestionable
claim."
Sounds great so far! They can see that the
scriptures do place importance on His name.over and over and over... But if you
read the translation you will see that they insert the false "Jehovah"
rendering that was used a total of 4 times in the King James Version! But most
every scholar knows that "Jehovah" is a falsification of Yahweh's
name!
Revised
Standard Version - Preface
Now here is the preface that really bothers me
the most.
"A
major departure from the practice of
the American Standard Version is the rendering of the Divine Name, the
"Tetragrammaton."
The Revised Standard Version translators have
chosen not only to depart from the practice of the ASV translators but to berate
them as well. It is in one way justified in that the ASV chose the name
"Jehovah" instead of "Yahweh".
The
American Standard Version used the term "Jehovah"; the King James
Version had employed this in four places, but everywhere else, except in three
cases where it was employed as part of a proper name, used the English word LORD
(or in certain cases GOD) printed in capitals. The present revision returns to
the procedure of the King James Version, which follows the precedent of the
ancient Greek and Latin translators and the long established practice in the
reading of the Hebrew scriptures in the synagogue.
So here we go with this 'long standing
tradition' routine again. I'm not sure why they cannot see where Yahshua told
the scribes and Pharisees on various occasions:
Mark 7:9 He said to them, "All too well you
reject the commandment of Yahweh, that you may keep your tradition.
While
it is almost if not quite certain that the Name was originally pronounced
"Yahweh",
Again, they wouldn't dare admit that they are
totally certain. However it is totally certain that His name is not pronounced
"The Lord".
(While
it is almost if not quite certain that the Name was originally pronounced
"Yahweh",)..this pronunciation was not indicated when the Masoretes
added vowel signs to the consonantal Hebrew text.
Of course not, they favored tradition over
commandments!
To
the four consonants YHWH of the Name, which had come to be regarded as too
sacred to be pronounced, they attached vowel signs indicating that in its place
should be read the Hebrew word Adonai
meaning "Lord" (or Elohim
meaning "God"). The ancient Greek translators substituted the word Kyrios
(Lord) for the Name. The Vulgate likewise used the Latin word Dominus.
The form "Jehovah" is of late medieval origin; it is a combination of
the consonants of the Divine Name and the vowels attached to it by the Masoretes
but belonging to an entirely different word. The sound of Y is represented by J
and the sound of W by V, as in Latin.
They even share how this idea of substituting
His name got started. It amazes me that some will follow the Jewish tradition
that breaks the commandment of Yahweh but they'll ignore the Jew's examples of
where they actually do keep the Torah/Law of Yahweh!
For
two reasons the Committee has returned to the more familiar usage of the King
James Version: (1) the word "Jehovah" does not accurately present any
form of the Name ever used in Hebrew; and
Ahh! Notice how they conveniently forget to
mention why they reject the name "Yahweh" in their 'reasons'!
(2) the
use of any proper name for the one and only God, as though there were other
gods from whom He had to be distinguished, was discontinued in Judaism before
the Christian era and is entirely
inappropriate for the universal faith of the Christian Church."
Who are they to decide what is appropriate for
one's faith?? Their job is to translate, not decide what we are to
believe! This statement is a sad commentary of how far some have gone from the
scriptures. Not only do they say why they have chosen to replace Yahweh's name
with a title of their choosing but they also state that 'use of any proper
name...is entirely inappropriate!' Amazing! Who invented the idea of
having a name of our Creator? Is it not Yahweh Himself?? Is Yahweh also
'entirely inappropriate' for placing His name there in scripture over 6000
times?? Are they saying indeed that the one whom they claim to worship is
'entirely inappropriate' for placing His name there? Oh my! They say it is
'entirely inappropriate for the universal faith of the Christian Church.' Why
have a different substitution for the name "Yahweh" in each language?
Would it not be more 'universal' to use ONE NAME? Yahweh has said:
Mala 1:11a (NKJV) For from the rising of the
sun, even to its going down, My name shall be great among the Gentiles..
Why have they falsified our Creator's name and
condemned Yahweh for putting it there originally? It is just sad.
New
King James Version - Word study on Exodus 3:15 (New Open Bible)
Now I do like this word study. Even though the
NKJV translators followed the traditions of the elders and forsook the idea of
keeping Yahweh's name in the text, whoever wrote this word study is very frank
about what actually is taking place.
Exodus
3 records one of the greatest revelations in the Old Testament: the personal
name of God. (The words translated God
in our Bible [El, Elohim, Eloah] are
not names, but the standard vocabulary for the Deity and even for false gods.
God
told Moses His plan to use him in delivering the Israelites from Egyptian
bondage, and Moses had asked whom He should tell the people had sent him. God
answered Moses: "I AM WHO I AM." He told Moses to tell them the
"I AM" had sent him, "the LORD God." "I AM" and
"LORD" are both probably derived from the Hebrew verb to
be (hayah) because God is the ever present One, "the Eternal"
(Moffatt translation).
Many
people are puzzled that in this and many
other (over six thousand!) passages some Bibles read LORD in all capitals (e.g., KJV, NKJV, NIV), some read
"Jehovah" (ASV, DARBY), and some read "Yahweh" (Jerusalem
Bible). Why such a radical difference? Do the manuscripts vary that much? No,
not at all.
Because
the name of God is so important---Jews devoutly refer to Him as "the
Name" (ha Shem)---it is well
worth exploring this revelation in some detail. It is merely a question of a
Jewish tradition and how various Christian Scholars handle that tradition.
In
the Ten Commandments, God forbids taking His name "in vain". That is,
we should not bear false witness in oaths and probably should avoid using
profanity, as well. In their great fear of violating this command, devout
Hebrews went beyond the law, and
when they read the Hebrew Scriptures aloud they would read the word Lord
(Adonai) whenever they saw the four letters (YHWH, or traditionally
JHVH in Latin pronunciation) that spelled out God's revealed covenant name.
This was the sacred name by which He had committed Himself to Israel as a
nation.
The
most ancient copies of the Hebrew text were written in consonants only.
Actually there are some semi-vowels as any
good book on Hebrew grammar will tell you.
As
the language became less and less used, scholars (call Masoretes) added little
dots and dashes called "vowel points" to indicate how the text was to
be pronounced. Oddly enough, they put the vowels that go with the word Adonai
together with the sacred four letter name (called "Tetragrammaton") to
guide the readers to say Adonai aloud
in synagogue services.
Jehovah
This
is the origin of the name "Jehovah." It is actually a hybrid name,
combining the vowels of Adonai with
the consonants of YHWH into JeHoVaH or YeHoWaH (the "a" of Adonai
is changed for reasons of Hebrew pronunciation). The
people who produced this name were medieval Christian Hebrew Scholars;
the Jews never acknowledged such a name. The defense of this Christian
hybrid is the same as the defense of the Jewish avoidance of pronouncing the
name---tradition!
No surprise there. (I didn't add the
"!")
There
are many lovely hymns and paraphrases of the Psalms that use this name, so it
would be a loss to eliminate it from our Christian vocabulary.
Choose 'what seems right to a man' over the
truth?
The
poetical form of Jehovah is Jah
Yahweh
-
It is
very likely that the name was pronounced very much like "Yahweh."
Comparisons with transliterations of the name into other alphabets from very
ancient times confirm this. The best argument for the spelling is that it is
probably the historically accurate.
Thank you.
However,
the RSV's 1952 introduction explained its reason for rejecting
"Yahweh" in the translation. It said that it lacks devotional
qualities for English-speaking Christians. It is true that many names
beginning with "Y" seem odd to our culture (all
the names in English --- including Jesus---were
pronounced with a Y sound, in the
original, as in "hallelu-Yah").
Just totally amazing...
LORD
Most
recent major English Bibles, dissatisfied
with both Jehovah and Yahweh,
have retained the KJV's LORD (the 1901
text read Jehovah.)
Oh but Yahweh is certainly dissatisfied with
THEM. They have failed to take in account something very important to HIM.
The following is a summary of the excuses that
they have used for their refusing to insert the true name Yahweh.
�
It's used in most English versions
�
We're following an ancient tradition
�
The word "Jehovah" does not accurately present any form
of the Name ever used in Hebrew (What about "Yahweh"?)
�
Use of any proper name...is entirely
inappropriate
�
It lacks devotional qualities
Amongst all these reasons, is there not
something missing here?
YES, it is something that they have gone over
painstakingly word for word! Something called THE WORD OF YAHWEH. Not once did
they quote a scripture to back up their excuses!
We have heard the excuses, now let's see what
Yahweh's word has to say about His name:
1Kings 18:24-AV And call ye on the name of your
elohim, and I will call on the name of Yahweh: and the Elohim that answereth by
fire, let him be Elohim. And all the people answered and said, It is well
spoken.
Now I would like to touch on something ironic
here. If you haven't read this story of Mt. Carmel, go to your scriptures and
read it now. This is the prophet EliYah (Elijah) speaking these words. He said
"call ye on the name of your elohim, and I will call on the name of
Yahweh". What was the name of their elohim? It is BAAL. What is amazing
here is that Baal means "Lord" in Hebrew! Here is is Brown's
Driver/Briggs Lexicon on this Hebrew name of "Baal".
01168 Ba`al
{bah'-al}
The same as 01167; TWOT - 262a
AV - Baal 62, Baalim 18; 80
Baal = "lord"
n
pr m
1) supreme
male divinity of the Phoenicians or Canaanites2) a Reubenite
3) the son of
Jehiel and grandfather of Saul
n pr loc
4) a town of
Simeon, probably identical to Baalath-beer
There is your proof. What is sad is that the
translators RETAINED the name of the idol Baal but REJECTED the name of the true
Mighty One of the Scriptures!
Continuing with our scriptures Yahweh said:
Isai 42:8 I am YAHWEH, that is My name; And
My glory I will not give to another, Nor My praise to carved images.
Mala 2:2 If you will not hear, And if you will
not take it to heart, To give glory to My name," Says YAHWEH of
hosts, "I will send a curse upon you, And I will curse your blessings. Yes,
I have cursed them already, Because you do not take it to heart.
Psal 105:1 Oh, give thanks to YAHWEH! Call
upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples!
Psalms 116:17- I will offer to thee the
sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of YAHWEH.
Isai 12:4 And in that day you will say:
"Praise YAHWEH, call upon His name; Declare His deeds among the
peoples, Make mention that His name is exalted.
Zechariah 13:9- And I will bring the third part
through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them
as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will
say, It [is] my people: and they shall say, Yahweh is my Elohim.
This is only a small sampling of the hundreds
of scriptures that tell us of the importance of His name.
In conclusion it is very evident that Yahweh's
name is important to Him but it apparently was not important to those who have
translated His word into the English language. Therefore we must make every
effort when we see His name substituted in our scriptures to restore them back
as we read them. We cannot change what has already been done but we can
zealously return to the faith, which was once delivered to the saint.
Why men of all
languages must call upon the name of Yahweh
This is a question that is often
asked. Why should an English speaking person call on the Hebrew names of Yahweh
and Yahshua?
The answer is actually quite
simple. Names do not translate across languages. For instance, Boris Yeltsin is
still Boris Yeltsin in any country or language. Personal names transliterate.
In other words, they retain the pronunciation as much as possible.
I wouldn't want someone to
change my name unless it was Yahweh. And it is clear that according to the third
commandment that Yahweh doesn't want anyone to change or falsify His name
either. Think about that for a moment. What right do we have to change the name
of the one who created us, our world and our universe for that matter!? We don't
have that right! For instance, in the scriptures one who changes the name of
another is always in authority over them. Yahshua
renames Simon. Yahweh renames Abram. Adam named the animals. We have no
authority to rename our Heavenly Father or Messiah Yahshua.
Also consider this: If you don't
speak Hebrew then you can't say Abraham, Isaac, Isaiah, Ezekiel Obadiah,
Zechariah, Michael or a long list of other Hebrew names! Why was Yahweh's name
the only one changed?? Or Yahshua's Name corrupted?? The answer is simple. Satan
will do anything to turn men from the truth. Yahweh's Name IS truth.
Yahshua's Name IS truth. Anything
else is simply a lie... You see,
Father Yahweh is seeking those who worship Him in spirit and in truth.
And when we call Him by a false name, then we are worshipping Him in lies
and not truth. If we know
that "the Lord" and "Jesus" are false, why continue in
error??
But maybe you are thinking,
"Okay so do you have any scriptures that show that Gentiles should be
calling on His name?" I am glad you asked....
Malachi
1:11 For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same
my name [shall be] great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense
[shall be] offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name [shall be]
great among the heathen (Gentiles), saith Yahweh of hosts.
Acts
9:15 But the Master said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto
me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and
kings, and the children of Israel:
Acts
15:14 Simeon hath declared how Elohim at the first did visit the Gentiles,
to take out of them a people for his
name.
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