Good question.
This is a loooong read, grab a drink.
**** Why It Is Jehovah and Not Yahweh
The "Key" to Pronouncing God's Name
is "Theophoric" Names
Conclusive Evidence -
using Theophoric Names
So much debate has raged through the years
about the pronunciation of God's Name.
But with the use of "Theophoric" names,
there is no longer any debate. The guess
work is over.
Since God's name is written in Hebrew without
any vowels - many contend that we no longer
know how to say God's name.
This of course is only an excuse to continue
avoiding His Name - or to pronouncing it the
way that God's enemies would like us to.
Theophoric names are names that start with
the same letters that God's name starts with.
They are names that have been uttered verbally
for centuries - without any hesitance or ridiculous
superstition.
Without exception, these "theophoric" names have
all started with "Yeho" in Hebrew and when trans-
lated into English - they all start with "Jeho".
Therefore - we automatically know that God's
name - which starts with the same Hebrew letters
as the "Theophoric" Names - must also be spelled
and pronounced in its beginning as "Yeho" in
Hebrew and as "Jeho" in English.
"The name Jhvh (Jehovah) enters into
the composition of many names of persons
in the Old Testament, as the initial element,
in the form Jeho- (as in Jehoram),"
-The Encyclopedia Britannica,
11th edition; 1910-11, vol. 15, pp. 312,
in the Article “JEHOVAH”
"Think about the Theophoric names--
the names which incorporate the name of God.
These include names like Jehosophat."
-Eric Rasmusen;
Indiana University Foundation Professor
God's name is "Yeho-wah" in Hebrew and "Jeho-vah"
in English. Likewise, His son's name is
"Yeho-shua" in Hebrew and "Jeho-shua" in English.
As we shall see - Theophoric names not only
show us how God's name should be spelled and
pronounced, but they also give conclusive evidence
as to how the Messiah's Name should be spelled
and pronounced.
"Christ's name is of Hebrew origin
and is taken from the name Yehoshua,
which in English is translated as Jehoshua.
Yehoshua, in Hebrew means "Yehovah Saves". "
-Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Theophoric Names.
Numerous proper Names in the Bible
start with the First letters of God's Name
as written in the "Tetragrammaton".
Since we have these Names in Hebrew
and translated into English,- it is Simple
to see how God's Name should be
pronounced today - both in Hebrew and
English.
The names that start with the first letters
of God's Name are known as "Theophoric
Names". Christ's Name - is one of them.
JEHO-VAH
YEHO-VAH
JEHO-SHUA
YEHO-SHUA
Christ's name ends with "Shua" - which means "to save".
And how appropriate that God chose that name for him,
because he is the Salvation that Jehovah God sent to
mankind.
The Name of God -- "Yehovah" - "Jehovah" (abv. "Jah")
The Name of Christ -- "Yehoshua" - Jehoshua" (abv. "Jahshua)
Conclusive Evidence -
using Theophoric Names
Lovers of Jehovah would sometimes incorporate
the first part of his Name - into the names that they
gave their children -particularly the boys. Here is a list below - with just a sample of these
"Theophoric" names and their literal translation into
English. You will notice that although their names
started with "Y" in Hebrew - it is Always Translated
into "J" in English. All theophroic names are
translated with "JEHO" in the beginning - Just as
Christ's real names was - JEHOshuah.
"ALL the theophoric names suggest that
YHWH had three syllables (as found in Jehovah)."
- Rolf Furuli
Lecturer in Semitic languages
University of Oslo
"Especially in the theophoric names,
we see the tetragrammaton being translated
into English with a "J" as in "Jeho"
-Eric Rasmusen;
Indiana University Foundation Professor
JEHOachaz
JEHOash
JEHOzabad
JEHOhanan
JEHOiada
JEHOiachin
JEHOiakim
JEHOiarib
JEHOnadab
JEHOnathan
JEHOseph
JEHOzadak
JEHOram
JEHOshaphat
"Yehova, which was in agreement with
the beginning of ALL the Theophoric names,
was the authentic pronunciation..."
(Yehovah in Hebrew = Jehovah in English)
- Paul Drach;
De l'harmonie entre l'église et la synagogue
(Of the Harmony between the Church
and the Synagogue) 1842
"That name which is called the Tetragrammaton..
.is pronounced JEHOVAH (Iehovah)."
-Nicetas, Bishop of Heraclea, 2nd century,
From The Catena On The Pentateuch,
Published In Latin By Francis Zephyrus, P 146
"The great name YHWH is vocalized as
"Yehowah" in Hebrew...(Jehovah in English)
In the same way, as there were Theophoric
names that were elaborated from the great
name (of God). The names beginning with
Yehô- have God's Great name embedded
in the beginning of their names. The Hebrews
took care of making either their names begin
with Yehô-, or to end their names with -yah.
Theophoric names like: Jehoshua, and
Jehonathan begin with the first hebrew letters
of the Tetragrammaton. For example, the
name YHWHNN is vocalized Yehôha-nan
in Hebrew."
- M. Gérard GERTOUX; a Hebrew scholar,
specialist of the Tetragram;
president of the Association Biblique
de Recherche d'Anciens Manuscrits
"JEHOVAH" is Correct
- NOT "Yahweh"
3 syllables and NOT 2
"all the theophoric names suggest
that YHWH had three syllables
(as is found in Jehovah)."
- Rolf Furuli
Lecturer in Semitic languages
University of Oslo
"The Tetragrammaton ought to be pronounced
'Jehovah' and NOT 'Yahweh'...The sound of
"Jehovah" is consistent with the way that
we translate other Hebrew names into English."
-Eric Rasmusen;
Indiana University Foundation Professor
"Yehovah - pronounced {yeh-ho-vaw'} -
is the correct Hebrew rendering. "
-Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
of the Bible
"As a follower of Christ,
Peter used Gods name, Jehovah.
When Peters speech was put on record
the Tetragrammaton (YHWH / Jehovah)
was here used according to the practice
during the first century B.C.E. and the first
century C.E."
- Paul Kahle; Studia Evangelica,
edited by Kurt Aland, F. L. Cross,
Jean Danielou, Harald Riesenfeld
and W. C. van Unnik, Berlin,
1959, p. 614 (See App 1C §1.)
"Jehovah is simply the form that
conforms to normal English usage
with respect to Hebrew names in the Bible.
Christ's Name was prnounced “Yehohshua”.
"Jesus" was NOT the original Hebrew or
Greek pronunciation. In Hebrew, God’s
name was likely pronounced “Yehowah,”
in Spanish it is Jehová and in English
we say “Jehovah.”
-The Divine Name of God;
Pursuit of Scriptural Truth
Home Christians.net
"Non-Superstitious Jewish translators
always favored the name "Jehovah"
in their translations of the Bible.
On the other hand one can note that
there is NO Jewish translation of
the Bible with Yahweh."
--M. Gérard GERTOUX;
a Hebrew scholar,
specialist of the Tetragram;
president of the Association Biblique
de Recherche d'Anciens Manuscrits
"The original form of the divine name
was almost certainly three syllables,
and NOT two. The accumulated data
points heavily in the direction of a
"three" syllable word.(Yehowah - Jehovah)."
- George W. Buchanan,
"Some Unfinished Business
With the Dead Sea Scrolls,"
RevQ 13.49-52 (1988), 416
"When the Tetragrammaton was
pronounced - it was pronounced
in "three" syllables and it would
have been 'Yahowah' "
- George W. Buchanan,
"How God's Name Was Pronounced,"
BAR 21.2 (March-April 1995), 31-32
"In fact, from the evidence now available,
it may be argued that Yahweh is incorrect
and Jahoweh is the true pronunciation."
-(The Law and the Prophets,pp. 215-224,
edited by John H. Skilton, Milton C. Fisher,
and Leslie W. Sloat).
"Samaritan poetry employs the
Tetragrammaton and then rhymes it
with words having the same sound
as Yah-oo-ay (three syllables)."
-(Journal of Biblical Literature, 25, p.50
and Jewish Encyclopedia, vol.9, p.161).
"in the syllable division of the divine
name it would have ended up as Jahoweh,
a form...remarkably like the...form Jehovah"
-Laird Harris; The Pronunciation of the Tetragram,
The Law and the Prophets: Old Testament Studies
Prepared in Honor of Oswald Thompson Allis,
ed. John H. Skilton
(Phillipsburg, New Jersey: Presbyterian
and Reformed Publishing, 1974), pgs 218-224