20160129 Friday, January 29 2016
Micah 06: The Sacred Name Controversies

by Wayne Blank
See also 1 Year Holy Bible Reading Plan

"Questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings"

The Holy Scriptures were originally written, primarily, in ancient Hebrew. From that, humans have translated the Holy Scriptures into hundreds of languages, including the English language which didn't even exist at the time of the writing of the Holy Scriptures. English began as a separate dialect of the Germanic languages about 1,400 years ago (when Anglo-Saxon tribes from Germany began invading and occupying parts of Britain), while modern English has only existed for about 600 years.

Translators often differ in their renderings of ancient Hebrew words. A prime English-language example of that is the rendering of the "Sacred Name," that is recorded in the Holy Scriptures with only four Hebrew letters, into "LORD" or "Jehovah."

"2:4 These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that Jehovah God made earth and heaven." (Genesis 2:4 American Standard Version)

"2:4 These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens" (Genesis 2:4 King James Version)

How did that happen?

"Jehovah" is one of the man-made English-language renderings of the Hebrew letters for YHVH (that some render as YHWH), a Name of God revealed to humanity in the most ancient times - long before the Israelites came into existence. The original word was recorded in the Holy Scriptures without vowels, so no one can be completely certain as to its correct pronunciation - the e, o and a of JeHoVaH were added much later in an effort by some translators to propose their idea of the pronunciation, with the y also changed to a j sound (there is no "J" in Hebrew). Other attempts to fill-in-the-vowels have produced more "sacred names," along with Jehovah, such as "Yahweh" or "Yahveh" - and many others (this writer has a list of nearly 30 of them).

To further complicate the present day, after about 300 BC, the Name YHVH was held in such a beyond the Commandment regard by the scribes and religious leaders of Judaism (Israel had by then split into Israel and Judah; see Israel In History and Prophecy: Judaism and Israel Never Knew Purim, Hanukkah Or Judaism), in accordance with their then "take no chances" interpretation of The Third Commandment to not use The Name of God in vain, that it was not spoken at all.

It was however an attitude that God never intended in His Command - many righteous people of throughout history did speak the Sacred Name, to other people, as well as to "the LORD God" Himself, without offense. Nevertheless, whenever YHVH occurred in the Hebrew Scriptures, the people of Judaism pronounced it, as is still done today, "Adonai" (i.e. "Lord"), thus replacing the YHVH with Adonai.

The practice was carried over into the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures of the Old Testament which was done by Greek-speaking Hebrew scholars, where the YHVH was translated as the Greek word Kurios i.e. Lord. This was further carried into modern times where English-language Bibles now commonly translate the YHVH as all-capitals LORD. One of the major exceptions was the American Standard Version (ASV) of 1901 that uses "Jehovah" when translating the YHVH, although the King James Version also sometimes uses "JEHOVAH," as well as "LORD," in translating the YHVH.

The important point is the Sacred Name is what was actually written, however it was pronounced, not any of the man-made guesses (although one of them could be right - but no one can be absolutely sure which one) that have been presented over the centuries. Keep in mind as well that the controversy is found in most languages of humanity - of which English is just one, and minority in total numbers at that.

"6:1 Hear ye now what the LORD saith;

Arise, contend thou before the mountains, and let the hills hear thy voice. 6:2 Hear ye, O mountains, the LORD'S controversy, and ye strong foundations of the earth: for the LORD hath a controversy with his people, and he will plead with Israel.

6:3 O my people, what have I done unto thee? and wherein have I wearied thee? testify against me. 6:4 For I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed thee out of the house of servants; and I sent before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. 6:5 O my people, remember now what Balak king of Moab consulted, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him from Shittim unto Gilgal; that ye may know the righteousness of the LORD.

6:6 Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? 6:7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 6:8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

6:9 The LORD'S voice crieth unto the city, and the man of wisdom shall see thy name: hear ye the rod, and who hath appointed it. 6:10 Are there yet the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and the scant measure that is abominable? 6:11 Shall I count them pure with the wicked balances, and with the bag of deceitful weights? 6:12 For the rich men thereof are full of violence, and the inhabitants thereof have spoken lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth. 6:13 Therefore also will I make thee sick in smiting thee, in making thee desolate because of thy sins. 6:14 Thou shalt eat, but not be satisfied; and thy casting down shall be in the midst of thee; and thou shalt take hold, but shalt not deliver; and that which thou deliverest will I give up to the sword. 6:15 Thou shalt sow, but thou shalt not reap; thou shalt tread the olives, but thou shalt not anoint thee with oil; and sweet wine, but shalt not drink wine. 6:16 For the statutes of Omri are kept, and all the works of the house of Ahab, and ye walk in their counsels; that I should make thee a desolation, and the inhabitants thereof an hissing: therefore ye shall bear the reproach of my people." (Micah 6:1-16 KJV)

Fact Finder: Who is the LORD?
See The Identity Of The LORD God and The LORD God Our Saviour; see also Why Did Isaiah Say The Messiah's Name Is Immanuel?