The KJV is Right to Translate YHWH as LORD Instead of Jehovah

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The KJV is Right to Translate YHWH as LORD Instead of Jehovah

I. The Jehovah's Witnesses make much of the fact that the KJV does not translate the Hebrew word YHWH (the Tetragrammaton), one of the names of God, as Jehovah every time it appears in the OT.

II. The KJV does translate YHWH as Jehovah seven times in the OT:

1. Gen 22:14 - And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.

2. Exo 6:3 - And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.

3. Exo 17:15 - And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi:

4. Jdg 6:24 - Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovahshalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

5. Psa 83:18 - That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.

6. Isa 12:2 - Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.

7. Isa 26:4 - Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:

III. But why didn't the KJV translators always translate YHWH as Jehovah instead of using LORD over 6000 times?

1. The reason is because God translated YHWH as Lord in the NT.

2. Jesus Christ Himself when quoting from the Law translated YHWH as Lord.

A. Mat 22:37 - Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord (Kurios - G2962) thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

B. Deu 6:5 - And thou shalt love the LORD (YHWH - Jehovah - H3068) thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

3. The Greek word Kurios which Jesus used to translate the Hebrew name of God, YHWH is elsewhere translated as lord in many places in the NT; for example: (Mat 10:24; Luk 16:3; Act 25:26; 1Pe 3:6).

4. The apostles, under the inspiration of God, likewise translated the Hebrew YHWH as Lord in the NT.

A. Act 4:26 - The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord (Kurios - G2962), and against his Christ.

B. Psa 2:2 - The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD (YHWH - Jehovah - H3068), and against his anointed, saying,

IV. Since the Holy Spirit inspired the apostles (2Pe 1:21) to translate the Hebrew name of God YHWH (Jehovah) as the Greek word Kurios (Lord) every time it was quoted from the OT, then the KJV translators were not wrong to translate YHWH as LORD nearly every time it appears in the OT.

V. In fact, the KJV translators were right to translate YHWH as LORD in the OT the majority of the time because they were following the example of the apostles and Jesus Christ Himself.

VI. The KJV translators did translate YHWH as Jehovah on special occasions such as: when God is specifying what His name is (Exo 6:3; Psa 83:18), repeating His name twice for emphasis (Isa 12:2; Isa 26:4), or when His name is associated with the name of a place or thing (Gen 22:14; Exo 17:15; Jdg 6:24).