jehovah.help
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Know Jehovah.
Live by faith.

A place to bring questions about prayer, doubt, forgiveness and daily life, and consider them in the light of Scripture.

Independent. This site is not affiliated with Jehovah’s Witnesses or the Watch Tower Society. Read why

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01 · Questions for the life you are living

Bring your question into the light of Scripture

Faith is lived through ordinary days and difficult ones. Start with what is happening in your life; Scripture Companion will listen, look at a relevant passage with you, and help you consider a faithful next step.

02 · The name library

A name built on the verb “to be”

The four Hebrew letters YHWH are tied, in Exodus 3, to God’s own “I AM”. Jehovah is the traditional English form of that name; LORD in small capitals is the substitute most Bibles print in its place.

Jehovah
The name is built on the Hebrew verb ‘to be’, given to Moses at the burning bush and printed as Jehovah throughout the ASV. What the name says about who God is.
Four forms of the Name (YHWH, Yahweh, Jehovah, LORD)
Four spellings, one name. What the consonants YHWH are, where Yahweh and Jehovah come from, and why most English Bibles print LORD in small capitals instead.
Exodus 3:14 and 6:3
At the bush God said I AM and gave his name; in Exodus 6 he said the patriarchs had not known it. How the two passages fit, and what the exodus added to the name.
Pronunciation of the Name
Jehovah is said jih-HOH-vuh and Yahweh YAH-weh, but the ancient sound of the four letters was never recorded. How the vowels were lost, and what we know.
LORD (small capitals)
LORD in small capitals stands for the name YHWH; Lord in ordinary type is the title Adonai. Where the convention came from, and why the ASV broke with it.
Saying the Name
No. The third commandment forbids misusing the name, not using it, and the Psalms call us to praise it. Why Jewish custom kept silence, and how to say it well.
Ashira Adonai
Ashira Adonai means "I will sing to the Lord": Hebrew ashira, "I will sing", plus Adonai, "my Lord". Where the words come from and how to pray them.
Adonai Echad
Adonai Echad means "the Lord is one", the heart of the Shema in Deuteronomy 6:4. What each Hebrew word means, and whether echad leaves room for the Trinity.
B'tzelem Elohim Meaning
B'tzelem Elohim means 'in the image of God' — the Hebrew phrase in Genesis 1:26–27 that defines every human being's dignity, calling and worth.
Adonai
What baruch atah Adonai means, how the Hebrew blessing works, why it says Adonai rather than the divine name, and how Christians may use it.
Adonai
Adonai means 'my Lord' — a Hebrew title of ownership and authority, used by Jews to avoid speaking the divine name YHWH.
Adonai Elohim
Adonai Elohim means "Lord God" — Adonai is a title of mastery, Elohim the plural form of the word for God. Here is what the Hebrew carries.
Baruch Hashem Adonai
Baruch Hashem Adonai means "Blessed be the Name of the Lord." The Hebrew word by word, why Jewish people say HaShem, and how Christians can use the phrase.
Ben Elohim
Ben Elohim means 'sons of God' in Hebrew. Learn how the Bible uses this phrase of angels, Israel, rulers and believers in Christ.
Erkamka na Adonai
Erkamka na Adonai is not a Bible verse. Learn what Adonai and Elyon mean and where similar phrases appear in Scripture.
Elohim
Elohim is a Hebrew word for God — plural in form, singular in meaning. Here is what it means, how the Bible uses it, and why it matters.
Jehovah-Jireh
Jehovah Jireh is usually said juh-HOH-vuh JY-ruh (some say ji-RAH). How to say each part, what it means, and where the name comes from in Genesis 22.
Jehovah-Nissi
Learn how to pronounce Jehovah Nissi, the altar name Moses gave in Exodus 17:15, with a simple syllable-by-syllable guide and its meaning.
Tetragrammaton
A calm, factual guide to pronouncing the Tetragrammaton: what YHWH is, why the original vowels are uncertain, and how to say it today.
Jehovah-Rapha
Jehovah Rapha is usually said juh-HOH-vuh RAH-fah. How to say it, what "the LORD who heals" means, and why the Hebrew behind it points to the God who heals.
Kurios
The Septuagint renders the name Jehovah (YHWH) in Greek as kurios, "Lord". What the word means, why translators chose it, and why the New Testament follows it.
Jehovah
The Hebrew name Jehovah comes from YHWH, tied to "I AM WHO I AM" in Exodus 3:14 — the self-existent, covenant-keeping God.
Kadosh Adonai Elohim
Kadosh Adonai Elohim means "Holy is the Lord God." What kadosh, Adonai and Elohim each mean in Hebrew, where the phrase comes from, and how it shapes prayer.
Names of God
A calm guide to the main Hebrew names of God — YHWH, Elohim, Adonai, El Shaddai, Jehovah-Jireh and more — with their meanings and Bible references.
Ruach Elohim
Ruach Elohim means the Spirit of God — the Holy Spirit, active in creation and in believers. A clear, biblical look at the Hebrew phrase.
Tetragrammaton
The four Hebrew consonants of the divine name, how they are written and read, and why the exact pronunciation is uncertain.
I AM THAT I AM
God's name in Exodus 3:14 — its Hebrew wording, its meaning, and why it matters for how we speak of Him.
Yahweh
Yahweh is the personal name of God revealed to Moses in Exodus 3:14, meaning 'I AM WHO I AM' — the self-existent, eternal, covenant-keeping God.
YHWH
YHWH is the personal name of God in the Hebrew Bible, meaning 'I AM' or 'He is.' Learn its meaning, origin, and significance.
Tetragrammaton
The Tetragrammaton is the four Hebrew letters YHWH, the personal name of God revealed to Moses. Learn its meaning, origin, and why translations render it LORD.
Tetragrammaton
The Tetragrammaton is the four-letter Hebrew name of God, YHWH. Learn what it is, why it matters, and how Christians use it in reading, prayer and worship.
The Tetragrammaton Symbol
The Tetragrammaton symbol is יהוה (yod, he, waw, he), God's name YHWH. What the four letters stand for, how they became Jehovah, and if it belongs on a pendant.
Yahweh
Does Yahweh mean breath? A calm look at the Hebrew name YHWH, the 'breath' theory, and what Scripture actually says about the name.
Yahweh
The meaning of Yahweh from Exodus 3:14 — "I AM WHO I AM" — and what God's self-existent, unchanging name means for readers today.
Yeshua
Yeshua means 'Yahweh is salvation'. The name of Jesus carries the divine name and the saving act together, which is why the angel gave it.

And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, Jehovah, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.

— Exodus 3:15 (ASV)

03 · Where it appears

Seven places in the King James, and everywhere in the ASV

The King James translators kept the Hebrew name in seven verses and wrote “the LORD” elsewhere. The American Standard Version of 1901 restored “Jehovah” in every one of its roughly 6,800 occurrences.

Genesis 22:14KJV · 1 of 7
And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah–jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen.
Exodus 6:3KJV · 2 of 7
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.
Exodus 17:15KJV · 3 of 7
And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it JEHOVAH–nissi:
Judges 6:24KJV · 4 of 7
Then Gideon built an altar there unto the Lord, and called it Jehovah–shalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abi–ezrites.
Psalm 83:18KJV · 5 of 7
That men may know that thou, whose name alone is Jehovah, art the most high over all the earth.
Isaiah 12:2KJV · 6 of 7
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.
Isaiah 26:4KJV · 7 of 7
Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength:

ASV note — the same Psalm 83:18 in the American Standard Version reads: “That they may know that thou alone, whose name is Jehovah, Art the Most High over all the earth.” The ASV and the name

05 · Name questions

The questions people bring to this name

Answered plainly from Scripture and from a mainstream, Nicene Christian position — respectfully, including where Jehovah’s Witnesses read things differently.

Is God's name Jehovah or Yahweh?

Both are English attempts at the four Hebrew letters YHWH. Why Yahweh is the likelier ancient sound, why Jehovah endures, and why neither is wrong to use.

Why does God have a name at all?

A name makes it possible to know, trust and call upon someone. Why the God of the Bible gave his name, what it reveals, and how Jesus made it known.

Can I pray using the name Jehovah?

Yes. The Psalms pray by the name, and Jesus taught us to call God Father. How Jehovah, Yahweh, LORD and Father all fit, and why reverence matters most.

06 · How to say it

Three ways English speakers meet the same four letters

None of them is the ancient pronunciation with certainty. Each is an honest attempt, and each has a history.

Jehovah jih-HOH-vuh

The traditional English form since Tyndale (1530): the four consonants read with the vowels that Jewish scribes had written to signal “Adonai”.

Yahweh YAH-weh

The reconstruction most scholars regard as the more probable ancient sound, built from early Greek transcriptions and Hebrew grammar.

YHWH the Tetragrammaton

The four letters themselves, left unpronounced in Jewish reading and replaced aloud by “Adonai”, my Lord — the custom behind the English LORD.

The full entry on pronunciation

07 · Browse the library

Every entry, by letter or by section

The Name35 entries
What the four Hebrew letters mean, how they became Jehovah, Yahweh and LORD in English, and how the name is said.
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Compound names42 entries
The ten phrases in which the name is joined to a word for what God does: provides, heals, sanctifies, is present.
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In Scripture9 entries
The seven places the King James prints it, the Psalms in the American Standard Version, and what the New Testament does with the name.
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History8 entries
How the name was guarded in Jewish tradition, how the English word was formed, and how it entered hymns and the 1901 revision.
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Questions13 entries
The questions people bring when they search this name, answered from Scripture and from a mainstream Christian position.
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