Tetragrammaton

2018-01-14

The Old Testament covenantal name of God, יהוה, is often called the Tetragrammaton. It is made up of these four consonants, that correspond to Y-H-V-H.

This name of God is pronounced Yahveh, or Jehovah. The latter rendering is from the four consonants above, using the vowels for the word adonai, or Lord. The meaning of the name is “He is” (Exodus 3:14). God always was, and always will be. Eternal being is at the heart of who God is.

Throughout the Old Testament, our English Bible does not normally use the name Jehovah, though it is used in a handful of situations. The Tetragrammaton is normally written in our Bible as “LORD” or “GOD,” in all capital letters.

The name of Jehovah is used seven times in the English Old Testament: Genesis 22:14; Exodus 6:3; 17:15; Judges 6:24; Psalm 83:18; Isaiah 12:2; 26:4; and a shortened form JAH is found in Psalm 68:4.

It is interesting to note that this name is not found in the Greek New Testament. Old Testament quotes in the New Testament do not transcribe Yahveh or Jehovah; rather, the New Testament renders the Tetragrammaton with the Greek word for Lord.

The name Jesus is the focus today, for this is the “name which is above every name” (Philippians 2:9; cf. Ephesians 1:21). The name Jesus means “Jehovah saves.” We see this in Matthew 1:21, which announces the birth of Jesus Christ: “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.” Let us look at the power of the name of Jesus:

And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, By what power, or by what name, have ye done this? Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel, If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole; Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. (Acts 4:7-12)

Notice that it is by the name of Jesus Christ that the lame man was healed (Acts 4:10; see Acts 3:6), and it is only by the name of Jesus Christ that one can be saved (Acts 4:12).

Consider the following Old Testament scripture:

And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered. (Joel 2:32)

Here is a New Testament reference for the same scripture:

“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13)

In Joel 2:32, notice the name LORD (Jehovah) is used. In Romans 10:13, we see the regular word Lord is used, as we normally see in the New Testament. Jesus is the Jehovah of the Old Testament, and it is by the name and authority of Jesus Christ that one can be saved.