Jehovah is said to be the name of God in the Old Testament.
In the Hebrew (Old Testament) Bible, the name of God is spelled יהוה. Using the English alphabet, it is transliterated to YHWH.
This word with four Hebrew letters—yodh, he, waw, and he—is known as tetragrammaton. It is close to the verb הוה, “to be.” God revealed Himself to Moses as “I AM WHO I AM.” It signifies God’s self-existence.
While there is no universal agreement as to how to pronounce YHWH, Yahweh is a likely pronunciation.
“Jehovah is essentially a Germanic pronunciation of the Latinized transliteration of the Hebrew YHWH.” (Is Jehovah the true name of God?, gotquestions.org)
In today’s English Bibles, YHWH is written as LORD with all capital letters.
Remember that Jehovah (Yahweh) signifies God’s self-existence and self-sufficiency. He is the One who is, who was, and who is to be.
As you read the following verses, the names of God reveal His nature and character. Make sure to read the entire story that the quoted passage is part of. What does the story tell you about who God is?
JEHOVAH —LORD, I am who I am.
God said to Moses, “I AM that I AM.” And he said, “You must say this to the Israelites, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” God also said to Moses, “You must say this to the Israelites, ‘The LORD —the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you. This is my name forever, and this is my memorial from generation to generation.’” (Exodus 3:14–15)
JEHOVAH-JIREH —The LORD provides.
Abraham looked up and saw behind him a ram caught in the bushes by its horns. So he went over and got the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. And Abraham called the name of that place “The LORD provides.” It is said to this day, “In the mountain of the LORD provision will be made.” (Genesis 22:13–14)
JEHOVAH-M’KADDESH —The LORD who makes you holy.
“You must sanctify yourselves and be holy, because I am the LORD your God. You must be sure to obey my statutes. I am the LORD who sanctifies you.” (Leviticus 20:7)
JEHOVAH-NISSI —The LORD is my banner.
Moses built an altar, and he called it “The LORD is my Banner,” for he said, “For a hand was lifted up to the throne of the LORD—that the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.” (Exodus 17:15–16)
JEHOVAH-ROHI —The LORD is my Shepherd.
The LORD is my shepherd,
I lack nothing. (Psalm 23:1)
JEHOVAH-ROPHE —The LORD who heals.
So the people murmured against Moses, saying, “What can we drink?” He cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a tree. When Moses threw it into the water, the water became safe to drink. There the LORD made for them a binding ordinance, and there he tested them. He said, “If you will diligently obey the LORD your God, and do what is right in his sight, and pay attention to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, then all the diseases that I brought on the Egyptians I will not bring on you, for I, the LORD, am your healer.” (Exodus 15:24-26)
JEHOVAH-SABAOTH —The LORD of heavenly hosts.
This man would go up from his city year after year to worship and to sacrifice to the LORD of Heaven’s Armies at Shiloh. (1 Samuel 1:3a)
JEHOVAH-SHALOM —The LORD is peace.
Gideon built an altar for the LORD there, and named it “The LORD is on friendly terms with me.” To this day it is still there in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. (Judges 6:24)
JEHOVAH-SHAMMAH —The LORD is there.
“The circumference of the city will be 6 miles. The name of the city from that day forward will be: ‘The LORD Is There.’” (Ezekiel 48:35)
JEHOVAH-TSIDKENU —The LORD is our righteousness.
“I, the LORD, promise that a new time will certainly come
when I will raise up for them a righteous branch, a descendant of David.
He will rule over them with wisdom and understanding
and will do what is just and right in the land.
Under his rule Judah will enjoy safety
and Israel will live in security.
This is the name he will go by:
‘The LORD has provided us with justice.’” (Jeremiah 23:6)