In Genesis 1 we
read about God creating the universe, the earth, and all the inhabitants of
earth. In chapter 2, where we begin reading of God’s close relationship and
communication with man, He is revealed not just as “God” but as “LORD God” or
“Jehovah God.” Who is Jehovah? What is the meaning of His Name?
The Word
“Jehovah”
In the Hebrew
Old Testament, the word “Jehovah” is given by four letters, sometimes
represented by JHVH, but more accurately YHWH. There are a great many
four-letter words in the Hebrew language. But these four letters are so
special, referring as they do to such a special Person, that they are referred
to in theological circles as “the Tetragrammaton” (meaning “the four letters”).
This word can be found in many English dictionaries. The original Hebrew text
had only consonants; the vowel points were added later by Biblical Hebrew
scholars. Some believe that, with the vowels added, the word should be
“Yahweh,” and others “Yehowah” or “Jehovah.” It does not matter so much how the
word is pronounced; it is the consonants that determine its meaning.
The Meaning
of “Jehovah”
According to
Morrish’s New and Concise Bible Dictionary, “Jehovah” is a contraction
of “was, is, and is to come.” It is closely related to God’s revelation of
Himself to Moses:“I AM THAT I AM” (Exod. 3:14). He is the eternal,
self-existent One. The French Bible captures this thought nicely by rendering
the Hebrew name Jehovah as l’Eternel, the eternal One.
Why Both
“God” and “Jehovah”?
God (or Elohim
in Hebrew) is a more general word for the Supreme Being. The pagan nations
generally considered themselves to have many elohim or gods. “Jehovah”
was the special name by which God revealed Himself to His covenant people, the
nation of Israel. It was the name by which the one true God distinguished
Himself from the imagined gods (such as Baal, Milcom, and Dagon) of the
heathen.
Here is the
interaction between God and Moses that shows the meaning and significance of
the name “Jehovah”:“And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the
children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers has sent
me unto you, and they shall say to me, What is His name? What shall I say unto
them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM:and He said, Thus shall you say
unto the children of Israel, I AM has sent me unto you. And God said moreover
unto Moses, Thus shall you say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God [or
Jehovah God] of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God
of Jacob, has sent me unto you:this is My name for ever, and this is my
memorial unto all generations” (Exod. 3:13-15).
Jehovah
and the Trinity
Several
pamphlets have been published with the purpose of identifying Jehovah of the
Old Testament with Jesus of the New Testament. These have had the intended
purpose of answering the Jehovah’s Witnesses who claim that Jesus was only the
highest created being, not the co-equal, co-eternal Son of God. These pamphlets
have served their purpose well; however, they are so persuasive that they have
misled many evangelical Christians into believing that every time the Old
Testament refers to Jehovah (or “the LORD” as it usually reads in the King
James and other versions), it is referring specifically to God the Son. This is
not the case. We shall now present some passages in which Jehovah refers to God
the Father or to God the Holy Spirit, as well as some that can be identified
with the coming Messiah. No doubt many of the Old Testament references to
Jehovah apply to the entire Trinity. These would include particularly the ones
where Jehovah addresses one of His prophets or the nation of Israel (for
example, Isa. 1:2; Jer. 1:2; Ezek. 1:3; Hos. 1:1; Joel 1:1; Amos 1:3; Obad 1;
Jon. 1:1; Mic. 1:1; Nah. 3:5; Hab. 2:2; Zeph. 1:1; Hag. 1:1; Zech. 1:1; Mal.
1:1; and hundreds more).
In the verses
to follow, “Jehovah” is substituted for “the LORD” as found in the King James
Version.
Jehovah Is God the Father
Jehovah
raises up a Prophet and a Branch. “Jehovah said unto me … I will raise
them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto you, and will put My
words in His mouth; and He shall speak unto them all that I shall command Him”
(Deut. 18:18). “Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did,
said, This is of a truth that Prophet who should come into the world” (John
6:14; 7:40; Acts 3:22).
“Behold, the
days come, says Jehovah, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a
King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the
earth. In His days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely:and
this is His Name whereby He shall be called, Jehovah our Righteousness [or
Jehovah Tsidkenu]” (Jer. 23:5,6). Note that this passage begins with Jehovah
as God the Father and ends with Jehovah as the future Messiah.
Jehovah
speaks to the Messiah. “Jehovah has said unto Me, Thou art My Son; this day
have I begotten Thee” (Psa. 2:7).
“Unto which of
the angels said He at any time, Thou art My Son, this day have I begotten Thee?
And again, I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to Me a Son?” (Heb. 1:5).
“Jehovah said
unto my Lord [Adonai in Hebrew], Sit Thou at My right hand, until I make
Thine enemies Thy footstool” (Psa. 110:1).
“While the
Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, What do you think
of Christ? Whose Son is He? They say unto Him, The Son of David. He said unto
them, How then does David in spirit call Him Lord, saying, The Lord said unto
my Lord, Sit Thou on My right hand, till I make Thine enemies Thy footstool? If
David then call Him Lord, how is He his son?” (Matt. 22:41-45; also Mark
12:35-37; Luke 20:41,42).
“For David is
not ascended into the heavens; but he said himself, The Lord said unto My Lord,
Sit Thou on My right hand, until I make Thy foes Thy footstool. Therefore let
all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made that same Jesus whom
you have crucified both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:34-36).
The
suffering Christ trusts on Jehovah. “All those who see Me laugh Me to
scorn; they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, He trusted on
Jehovah that He would deliver Him; let Him deliver Him, seeing He delighted in
Him” (Psa. 22:7,8).
“Likewise also
the chief priests mocking Him, with the scribes and elders, said, He saved
others; Himself He cannot save…. He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now,
if He will have Him:for He said, I am the Son of God” (Matt. 27:41-43).
The
suffering Christ prays to Jehovah. “Withhold not Thou Thy tender mercies
from Me, O Jehovah; let Thy loving-kindness and Thy truth continually preserve
me…. Be pleased, O Jehovah, to deliver Me; O Jehovah, make haste to help Me”
(Psa. 40:11,13).
“I waited
patiently for Jehovah; and He inclined unto Me, and heard My cry” (Psa. 40:1).
“But as for Me,
My prayer is unto Thee, O Jehovah, in an acceptable time; O God, in the
multitude of Thy mercy hear Me, in the truth of Thy salvation…. Hear Me, O
Jehovah; for Thy loving-kindness is good” (Psa. 69:13,16).
Jehovah judges
the Messiah for sin. “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned
every one to His own way; and Jehovah has laid on Him the iniquity of us
all…. It pleased Jehovah to bruise Him; He hath put Him to grief; when Thou
shalt make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall
prolong His days, and the pleasure of Jehovah shall prosper in His hand” (Isa.
53:6,10).
Jehovah is
God the Son
The following
comparison of Old and New Testament passages links Jehovah with God the Son or
links Old Testament prophecies concerning Jehovah with the Lord Jesus Christ of
the New Testament:
Jehovah is
Creator. “Jehovah God made the earth and the heavens” (Gen. 2:4). “Jehovah
made the heavens” (1 Chron. 16:26).
“In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…. All
things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made”
(John 1:1,3).
“The Father …
has translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son, in whom we have redemption
through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins; who is the image of the
invisible God, the firstborn of every creature; for by Him were all things
created that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible,
whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers:all things
were created by Him and for Him” (Col. 1:12-16).
Jehovah
Makes Appearances as an Angel Prior to the Incarnation. “And the Angel of
Jehovah appeared to the woman…. And the Angel of Jehovah said to him, How is
it that you ask after My name, seeing it is Wonderful…. And Manoah said to
his wife, We shall surely die because we have seen God” (Judg. 13:3,18,22 JND).
Note that His name, “Wonderful,” is the same as that attributed to the Messiah
in Isa. 9:6.
Another
preincarnation appearance of Jehovah, this time to Abraham, is described in
Genesis 18. It is well to distinguish these Old Testament appearances of
Jehovah to man from the Incarnation in which the eternal Son of God was
manifested in this world as God and Man in one Person (John 1:14). (Lord,
willing, this subject will be discussed in more detail in a future issue of Words
of Truth.)
The way in
the wilderness is prepared for Jehovah. “The voice of Him who cries in the
wilderness, prepare the way of Jehovah, make straight in the desert a highway
for our God” (Isa. 40:3).
“The beginning
of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God:as it is written in the
prophets, Behold, I send My messenger before Thy face, who shall prepare Thy
way before Thee. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare the way of
the Lord, make His paths straight. John did baptize in the wilderness and
preached the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins” (Mark 1:1-4).
Jehovah is
Immanuel, God with us. “Jehovah of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is
our refuge” (Psa. 46:11).
“Therefore the
Lord Himself shall give you a sign:behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a
son, and shall call His name Immanuel” (Isa. 7:14).
“And you shall
call His name Jesus…. And they shall call His name Immanuel, which being
interpreted is, God with us” (Matt. 1:21-23).
Jehovah
accepts worship. “For you shall worship no other god:for Jehovah is … a
jealous God” (Exod. 34:14).
“They saw the
young child … and fell down and worshiped Him” (Matt. 2:11).
“Then those who
were in the ship came and worshiped Him, saying, Of a truth Thou art the Son of
God” (Matt. 14:33; also Matt. 8:2; 9:18; 15:25).
“And as they
went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they
came and held Him by the feet, and worshiped Him” (Matt. 28:9,,17).
“Let all the
angels of God worship Him” (Heb. 1:6).
“Blessing and
honor and glory and power be unto Him who sits upon the throne, and unto the
Lamb for ever and ever. And the four [living creatures] said, Amen. And the
four and twenty elders fell down and worshiped Him” (Rev. 5:13,14).
Peter refused
worship (Acts 10:25,26). Barnabas and Paul refused worship (Acts 14:8-17). The
revelatory angel refused worship (Rev. 19:10; 22:8,9). But our Lord Jesus
Christ never refused worship. On the contrary, He said, “All men should honor
the Son, even as they honor the Father” (John 5:23).
Jehovah is
Saviour. “I, even I, am Jehovah; and beside Me there is no Saviour” (Isa.
43:11).
“Yet I am
Jehovah your God from the land of Egypt, and you shall know no god but Me:for
there is no Saviour besides Me” (Hos. 13:4).
For unto you is
born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke
2:11).
“And we have
seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the
world” (1 John 4:14).
“Be it known
unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the Name of Jesus Christ
of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by Him
does this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at
nought of your builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is
there salvation in any other; for there is no other name under heaven given
among men whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:10-12).
Jehovah is
Redeemer. “Thus said Jehovah, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel….”
(Isa. 43:14).
“O Jehovah, my
Rock and my Redeemer” (Psa. 19:14).
“Christ has
redeemed us from the curse of the law” (Gal. 3:13).
“Having
predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself …
in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins,
according to the riches of His grace” (Eph. 1:5-7).
“But Christ
being come … by His own blood He entered in once into the holy place, having
obtained eternal redemption” (Heb. 9:11,12).
Jehovah is
Shepherd. “Jehovah is my Shepherd, I shall not want” (Psa. 23:1).
“Hear the Word
of Jehovah, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He who
scatters Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd does his flock”
(Jer. 31:10).
“I am the good
Shepherd:the good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep” (John 10:11).
“Now the God of
peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of
the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in
every good work to do His will” (Heb. 13:20,21).
“When the chief
Shepherd shall appear, you shall receive a crown of glory that fades not away”
(1 Pet. 5:4).
Jehovah is
the First and the Last. “Thus says Jehovah the King of Israel, and His
Redeemer Jehovah of hosts:I am the first, and I am the last; and beside Me
there is no God” (Isa. 44:6).
“And in the
midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man…. And when I saw
Him, I fell at His feet as dead. And He laid His right hand upon me, saying
unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last; I am He who lives, and was
dead, and behold I am alive forever more” (Rev. 1:13,17,18).
“Behold, I come
quickly…. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the
last” (Rev. 22:12,13).
Jehovah is a
Stone of Stumbling and a Rock of Offense. “Sanctify Jehovah of hosts
Himself; and let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread. And He shall be
for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offense to both
the houses of Israel” (Isa. 8:13,14).
“But we preach
Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks
foolishness” (1 Cor. 1:23).
“If so be you
have tasted that the Lord is gracious. To whom coming, as unto a living stone,
disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God and precious…. Unto you therefore
who believe He is precious; but unto those who be disobedient, the stone which
the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, and a stone
of stumbling, and a rock of offense” (1 Pet. 2:3-8).
Jehovah is
Judge. “Behold, the day of Jehovah comes, cruel both with wrath and fierce
anger, to lay the land desolate; and He shall destroy the sinners thereof out
of it” (Isa. 13:9; also Psa. 50:1-6).
“The Father
judges no man, but has committed all judgment unto the Son … and has given
Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man” (John
5:22,27; also 2 Thess. 1:7,8; Rev. 19:11,13,16).
The day and
Name of Jehovah. “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into
blood, before the great and the terrible day of Jehovah come. And it shall come
to pass that whosoever shall call on the Name of Jehovah shall be delivered”
(Joel 2:31,32).
“But this is
that which was spoken by the prophet Joel…. The sun shall be turned into
darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the
Lord come; and it shall come to pass that whosoever shall call on the Name of
the Lord shall be saved. You men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth
… delivered … crucified and slain … raised up…. God has made that same
Jesus, whom you have crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:16,20-24,36).
Jehovah is
King for ever. “Jehovah is King for ever and ever” (Psa. 10:16).
“Thou … shalt
call His Name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the
Highest; and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David;
and He shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of His kingdom there
shall be no end” (Luke 1:31-33).
Jehovah
Encompasses All Three
Persons of
the Trinity
Some have
suggested that the Old Testament expression, “the Spirit of Jehovah” identifies
Jehovah with the Holy Spirit. Alternatively, Jehovah in these passages may
refer to God the Father or the entire Trinity. Here are some examples:
“And Jehovah
said, My Spirit shall not always plead with men” (Gen. 6:3).
“And the Spirit
of Jehovah came upon David from that day forward” (1 Sam. 16:13; also Judg.
3:10; 6:34; 11:29; 13:25; 2 Sam. 23:2; 2 Chron. 20:14; etc.). “How is it that
you have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord?” (Acts 5:9).
“And the Spirit
of Jehovah shall rest upon Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the
spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of
Jehovah” (Isa. 11:2). “And Jesus, when He was baptized, went up straightway out
of the water:and lo, the heavens were opened unto Him, and He saw the Spirit
of God descending like a dove and lighting upon Him” (Matt. 3:16).
“Who has
directed the Spirit of Jehovah, or being His counselor has taught Him? (Isa. 40:13).
Exod. 34:34
along with 2 Cor. 3:16-18 might also link Jehovah with the Holy Spirit.
The passages
quoted in this article should suffice to show that Jehovah of the Old Testament
is sometimes identified with God the Father, sometimes with God the Son as He
occasionally appeared to men and women on earth, sometimes with God the Son in
prophecies of the Lord Jesus Christ of the New Testament, sometimes with the
Holy Spirit, and most often with the entire Godhead.
It should pose
no theological problem to us to discover that Jehovah is identified with God
the Father in some Old Testament passages, with God the Son in others, and with
God the Holy Spirit in still others. Jehovah, as mentioned above, is the
special name God took in His covenant relationship with the nation of Israel.
God did not clearly reveal Himself to the nation of Israel as a Trinity, though
there certainly are hints of the Trinity in the Old Testament (Gen. 1:1,2,26;
3:22; 11:7; 2 Sam. 23:2,3; Prov. 30:4; Isa. 6:3,8; 48:16; 63:7-10). Thus, there
is no necessity to identify Jehovah always with God the Father, or always with
God the Son. The context of each passage will help us to decide which Person
Jehovah is referring to, if indeed it is necessary for us to know.
(This article
includes Scripture references suggested by (1) Stan Thompson in “Who Is
Jehovah” in September-October 1989 Words of Truth, (2) C.H. Brown in Jesus
Is Jehovah, published by Bible Truth Publishers, Addison, Illinois, (3)
Edwin Read, and (4) Drew Johnson.)