The Tetragrammaton is the four-letter Hebrew name of God: YHWH (יהוה). The word tetragrammaton comes from Greek and simply means four letters. These four consonants spell the personal name by which God revealed Himself to Israel — the name behind the English form Jehovah and the scholarly form Yahweh. It appears thousands of times in the Hebrew Scriptures, far more often than any other name for God. This article explains what the four letters are, what they mean, why Jews stopped pronouncing them, and why most English Bibles print the LORD instead.
What exactly are the four letters, and what do they mean?
The four letters are yod, he, waw, he — transliterated as YHWH (sometimes JHVH, since older English used J for the Hebrew y sound). Hebrew is written without vowels, so the original text gives only these four consonants.
The meaning is tied to God’s self-revelation at the burning bush. When Moses asked for God’s name, the answer was:
God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” — Exodus 3:14 (BSB)
The name YHWH is built on the same Hebrew verb to be, so it carries the sense of the self-existent, eternal, covenant-keeping God — the One who is, who was, and who is to come. Easton’s Bible Dictionary puts it as “the unchanging, eternal, self-existent God.” The related passage in Exodus 6:2-3 ties the name directly to God’s covenant with the patriarchs.
Why do most Bibles print the LORD instead of the name?
After the Babylonian exile, the Jewish people grew reluctant to pronounce the sacred name aloud. They read Adonai (Lord) in its place. The practice rested on a strict reading of Leviticus 24:16, though Easton’s notes that this interpretation was questionable. Either way, the custom stuck.
Centuries later, when Jewish scholars called the Masoretes added vowel points to the Hebrew text, they put the vowels of Adonai under the four consonants of YHWH. This was a signal to the reader to say Adonai, not a pronunciation guide for the name itself. When Christian translators in the Middle Ages read those combined letters, they produced the hybrid form Jehovah. That English form has been in use for centuries and appears in the King James Version in a handful of places, such as:
That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth. — Psalm 83:18 (KJV)
Most modern translations follow the ancient Jewish custom and render YHWH as LORD in small capitals, signalling that a divine name stands behind the English word. The American Standard Version of 1901 took a different approach and used Jehovah throughout the Old Testament:
I am Jehovah, that is my name; and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise unto graven images. — Isaiah 42:8 (ASV)
How was the name originally pronounced?
This is where honesty is required: no one knows for certain. Because the vowels were never written and the spoken tradition was lost, the original pronunciation is reconstructed, not preserved. Scholars broadly favour Yahweh as the most likely original, based on early Greek transcriptions and the short forms found in Hebrew names. Jehovah is a later English hybrid, but it has a long and honourable history in English Bible translation and hymnody.
What matters more than the exact vowels is the identity of the One named. The name is not a magic formula; it identifies the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob — the God who acts in history to save.
Is the name still important for Christians today?
Yes, though Christians approach it through the fuller revelation of the New Testament. Jesus taught His disciples to pray, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name” (Matthew 6:9, BSB), and He Himself bore the divine name in His person. The God of the Old Testament is the God of the New.
Some Christian traditions emphasise the use of the divine name in worship and prayer; others follow the long-standing practice of saying Lord. Both are attempts to honour the same God. The name YHWH reminds us that God is not a vague force but a personal, self-revealing, covenant-keeping God who has made Himself known.
How should I read the Tetragrammaton in my Bible?
When you see LORD in small capitals in your Old Testament, you are looking at a translation of YHWH. When you see Lord in normal type, the Hebrew behind it is usually Adonai. Knowing the difference can deepen your reading: passages about God’s covenant faithfulness, His deliverance of Israel, and His promise-keeping are often anchored in the personal name.
A good habit is to slow down when you encounter LORD and remember that the text is speaking of the God who revealed His name to Moses — the I AM who is faithful to His promises.
Where to go from here
If this has stirred your interest, read Exodus 3 and Exodus 6 slowly, then Psalm 83 and Isaiah 42. Pray the Psalms, noticing how often the covenant name stands behind the English word LORD. And bring your questions to a local church where the Scriptures are taught faithfully. The name of God is not a puzzle to solve but a Person to know.
Questions readers ask
Is Jehovah a wrong translation of the Tetragrammaton?
Jehovah is a hybrid form that arose when the vowels of Adonai were read with the consonants of YHWH. It is not the original pronunciation, but it has been used in English Bibles and hymns for centuries. Most scholars today prefer Yahweh as a reconstruction of the original sound.
Why do Jews not pronounce the Tetragrammaton?
By the time of the Second Temple, Jewish reverence for the divine name led to the practice of reading Adonai (Lord) instead of YHWH. This was based on a strict interpretation of Leviticus 24:16. The custom was later reflected in the Masoretic vowel points and in most Bible translations.
Does the Tetragrammaton appear in the New Testament?
The surviving Greek manuscripts of the New Testament do not contain the Hebrew Tetragrammaton. They use the Greek word Kyrios (Lord) when quoting Old Testament passages that contain YHWH. Some scholars have argued that the original New Testament writings may have used the Tetragrammaton, but the manuscript evidence does not support this.
What does the Tetragrammaton mean?
It is related to the Hebrew verb to be and expresses God’s self-existence and eternity. In Exodus 3:14 God explains His name as I AM WHO I AM. The name conveys that God is the eternal, unchanging, covenant-keeping God.
Lexicon answers from the Bible and public-domain reference works. It is a study aid and is not affiliated with any organisation.