Page 27 - Cults and Marginal Groups - Textbook w videos short

Study Section 4: What is Jehovah’s name?

4.1 Connect.

God has many names in the Bible. He has some names that define his person or character.
For example, Adonai is his name that references his Lordship in our lives. Some of his names
describe what He does in our lives. He is our comforter in John 14:26 or is faithful and true in
Rev. 19:11. Many of his names reference the Father, many names reference the Son, and
many refer to the Holy Spirit. God is one, yet He is described in numerous ways. He does not
have just one name, as the Jehovah Witnesses claim. Let’s consider how amazing our God is in
this lesson.

4.2 Objectives:

1. The student should be able to explain that Jehovah’s Witnesses make that the divine name,
Jehovah, is actually not God’s name at all.

2. The student should be able to share what God’s name really is in the Old Testament and what
His name means.

3. The student should be able to explain that God is a God of multiple names, each name describing his
character or how he works in the lives of people. His names are who He is.

4.3 The Divine Name

Let’s systematically examine some major verses in both the NWT and the Greek to determine
the TRUTH about some major doctrinal differences.

The NWT has “faithfully” restored the divine name in the Old Testament where the Hebrew
consonants YHWH appear. Moreover, the name “Jehovah” has been inserted in the New
Testament where they believe the text is referring to the Father. They have taken liberty to do
this despite the fact that it goes against the thousands of Greek manuscripts of the New Testament that
we have – some of which date from the second century. The NT always uses the words, “Lord” (kurios)
and “God” (Theos), never “Jehovah” – even when quoting from the OT.

The OT contains the name YHWH (Yahweh) for God. The original Hebrew has only consonants, no
vowels. So, we really don’t know how to pronounce God’s name in the OT. To avoid using God’s name
in vain (3 commandment) the Jews substituted the name Adonai (Lord) or some other name in place of
rd
YHWH. Eventually the vowels from ADONAI (aoa) were inserted into the consonants, YHWH. The result
was Yahowah, or Jehovah. The term, Jehovah, strictly speaking, is not actually a biblical
term and is not found in the Bible. Most modern scholars believe that the correct rendering
of YHWH is Yahweh.

Two of the most common passages cited by Jehovah’s Witnesses to support their view of

26