The Jewish Scriptures (The Old Testament) substitute 'Adonai', meaning 'Lord' for God's real Name because of a long-held belief that God's Name is too holy to be spoken. That idea, coupled with the fact that ancient Hebrew writings contained no vowels, resulted in confusion over the pronunciation of God's high and holy Name (Jehovah or Yahweh). Since there is no "j" sound in Hebrew, Yahweh is more accurate. Most English Bibles, following the example of Jewish scribes, translate God's Name as "LORD" but hallelujah means "praise Yahweh."
Let's take a look at what God says about His Name.
The Names of God Bible relates that when God spoke to Moses from the burning bush, He introduced Himself saying,
I am the Elohim of your ancestors,the Elohim of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at Elohim. (Exodus 3:6 NOG)
[Note: "Elohim" = Hebrew. Translated "God" in most English Bibles.]
God then assigned Moses the task of leading His people out of Egypt. Moses was understandably taken aback and somewhat frightened. He then has a question for God:
Suppose I go to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The Elohim of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ What should I tell them? (Exodus 3:13 NOG)
When someone asks my name, I simply say, "I'm Ann-Louise." God's response to Moses' question was much more complex and revealed not only His Name, but also something of His character. First, God said,
Ehyeh Who Ehyeh. This is what you must say to the people of Israel: ‘Ehyeh has sent me to you.(Exodus 3:14 NOG)
[Note: "Ehyeh" = Hebrew. Translated "I AM" in English.]
God wasn't finished yet. He went on to say,
Yahweh Elohim of your ancestors, the Elohim of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, has sent me to you. This is my name forever. This is my title throughout every generation. (Exodus 3:15 NOG)
The Name of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is Yahweh.
AND, Yahweh says this is His Name forever, for all generations.
God didn't make the use of His Name Yahweh optional. He said, This is my name forever.
Most Christians (including me) have been so trained in the use of the title "LORD" as a substitute for the Name Yahweh that God told us to use, that we never even think about it. In our minds, He is simply "LORD" which is a title, not a name at all.
Since God says His Name is Yahweh and this Name is to be used by all generations, what are we doing? Disobedience is one word that comes to mind.
I'm including myself in that statement, because I have done this most of my life. In fact, it was just this afternoon that I began thinking about the Name of the great I AM, Yahweh. I've known for years about the mistranslation of His Name, but never really thought much about His command regarding that Name.
In the KJV, Psalm 34:3 says, O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together. Compare that with The Names of God Bible which says, Praise Yahweh’s greatness with me. Let us highly honor his name together.
[Note: This isn't about elevating one translation over another, but about elevating God's Name. I personally enjoy the KJV.]
Let's look at Isaiah 25:1 for a moment.
O Yahweh, you are my Elohim.
I will highly honor you; I will praise your name.
What Name is Isaiah praising? God's Name, Yahweh.
Praise Yahweh’s greatness with me. Let us highly honor his name together.
With every hallelujah!
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