{"id":19624,"date":"2009-07-25T21:02:00","date_gmt":"2009-07-26T02:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=19624"},"modified":"2020-02-07T21:16:49","modified_gmt":"2020-02-08T03:16:49","slug":"couldnt-jesus-use-of-lord-for-yhwh-be-due-to-later-tampering-of-the-text","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/couldnt-jesus-use-of-lord-for-yhwh-be-due-to-later-tampering-of-the-text\/","title":{"rendered":"Couldn’t Jesus’ use of Lord for YHWH be due to later tampering of the text?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t

Question:<\/h2>\n

In “Why is YHWH translated LORD?<\/a>” you said:<\/p>\n

Some, such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses, object to using LORD in place of YHWH. However, they are ignoring God’s own translation of His name. For example, Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6:5 in Matthew 22:37, “Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’<\/em>” Jesus used the Greek word\u00a0kurios<\/em>\u00a0(“lord”) to translate YHWH. This is done consistently in the New Testament, which is inspired by God. Hence, God has shown us that it is proper to translate YHWH as “Lord.” The use of all capitals is a convention used by translators to indicate that YHWH is behind the word “Lord” and not the normal Hebrew word\u00a0adhon<\/em>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Are you sure about this?\u00a0 Or could it be that Jesus actually used God\u2019s name when quoting from the original Hebrew texts, however, it was later changed to read LORD due to some translators following the same spurious reasoning of some this Rabbis you mentioned earlier?\u00a0 Remember, what you quoted from above is a version or translation of the original text, not the original Hebrew text.\u00a0 Would it be reasonable to believe that Jesus, who condemned the Rabbis for invalidating the word of God would himself follow their tradition in replacing God\u2019s name with Lord or God when the original inspired text used Jehovah\u2019s name?\u00a0 Matthew 15:6-9 \u2013 Jesus said of these religious leaders, \u201cAnd so you have made the word of God invalid because of your tradition. You hypocrites, Isaiah aptly prophesied about you, when he said, \u2018This people honors me with their lips, yet their heart is far removed from me. It is in vain that they keep worshiping me, because they teach commands of men as doctrines.\u2019\u201d It would be a grave mistake to think Jesus would follow such a course, especially when he says that he made God\u2019s name known and would make it known.\u00a0 John 17:6,26.<\/p>\n

There is readily available evidence that Jesus and his disciples would have come across Jehovah\u2019s name in the texts that they used.\u00a0 It is widely known that Matthew\u2019s gospel was originally written in Hebrew.\u00a0 An inspired writer of scripture would not have followed the Rabbis’ tradition of hiding Jehovah\u2019s name where he originally placed it, (i.e. in the scripture you cited in Deuteronomy).\u00a0 In addition, some very old fragments of the Septuagint that existed in Jesus’ day have survived to our day, and guess what, they contain Jehovah\u2019s name.\u00a0 Don\u2019t take my word for it.\u00a0 Please reference The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, (Volume 2 Page 512).<\/p>\n\t

Answer:<\/h2>\n

While there is a persistent myth that Matthew was originally written in Hebrew, the myth is easily shown to be false. See “Was Matthew originally written in Hebrew or Aramaic?<\/a>“<\/p>\n

But this is actually a distraction. Are you prepared to argue that the rest of the New Testament was altered? I know of no one arguing that Mark was originally written in Hebrew, but Mark says, “Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one<\/em>” (Mark 12:29). This a quote of Deuteronomy 6:4. Or how about “So he answered and said, ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself”<\/em>” (Luke 10:27), which is a quote of Deuteronomy 6:5). Or, “Because finding fault with them, He says: ‘Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah’<\/em>” (Hebrews 8:8), a quote of Jeremiah 31:31). The Holy Spirit consistently used “Lord” for\u00a0yhwh<\/em>\u00a0when the New Testament books were written.<\/p>\n

The New Testament, like the Old Testament, was written by men inspired by the Holy Spirit, “for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit<\/em>” (II Peter 1:21). The word selection was God’s, not mans. “These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual<\/em>” (I Corinthians 2:13). It was God who decided that the best translation of the Hebrew word\u00a0yhwh<\/em>\u00a0was\u00a0kurios<\/em>\u00a0in Greek, which we translate as “Lord.”<\/p>\n

You wish to claim that someone altered the text at a later point. So where is your proof? Where are the manuscripts showing an alteration so we can trace its history? A wistful desire of the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ part does not constitute proof.<\/p>\n

Your quote of Matthew 15:6-9 does not prove that the Jews people had altered God’s Word. Jesus was discussing their traditions which conflicted with God’s laws, not alterations in the actual text.<\/p>\n

You claim the Septuagint used “Jehovah” in its text. Here is Deuteronomy 6:4 from the Septuagint: \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u03c4\u03b1\u1fe6\u03c4\u03b1 \u03c4\u1f70 \u03b4\u03b9\u03ba\u03b1\u03b9\u1f7d\u03bc\u03b1\u03c4\u03b1 \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u03c4\u1f70 \u03ba\u03c1\u1f77\u03bc\u03b1\u03c4\u03b1 \u1f45\u03c3\u03b1 \u1f10\u03bd\u03b5\u03c4\u03b5\u1f77\u03bb\u03b1\u03c4\u03bf \u03ba\u1f7b\u03c1\u03b9\u03bf\u03c2<\/strong> \u03c4\u03bf\u1fd7\u03c2 \u03c5\u1f31\u03bf\u1fd7\u03c2 \u0399\u03c3\u03c1\u03b1\u03b7\u03bb \u1f10\u03bd \u03c4\u1fc7 \u1f10\u03c1\u1f75\u03bc\u1ff3 \u1f10\u03be\u03b5\u03bb\u03b8\u1f79\u03bd\u03c4\u03c9\u03bd \u03b1\u1f50\u03c4\u1ff6\u03bd \u1f10\u03ba \u03b3\u1fc6\u03c2 \u0391\u1f30\u03b3\u1f7b\u03c0\u03c4\u03bf\u03c5 \u1f04\u03ba\u03bf\u03c5\u03b5 \u0399\u03c3\u03c1\u03b1\u03b7\u03bb \u03ba\u1f7b\u03c1\u03b9\u03bf\u03c2<\/strong> \u1f41 \u03b8\u03b5\u1f78\u03c2 \u1f21\u03bc\u1ff6\u03bd \u03ba\u1f7b\u03c1\u03b9\u03bf\u03c2<\/strong> \u03b5\u1f37\u03c2 \u1f10\u03c3\u03c4\u03b9\u03bd. In case you don’t read Greek, I highlighted the word in question. It is the Greek word kurios<\/em>, which is translated “Lord.” Neither yhwh<\/em> or Jehovah appears in the text. But whether it did or not, it would not make a difference since the Septuagint is a translation.<\/p>\n

All you have is an unsupported claim.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Question: In “Why is YHWH translated LORD?” you said: Some, such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses, object to using LORD in place of YHWH. However, they are ignoring God’s own translation of His name. For example, Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6:5 in Matthew 22:37, “Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[20],"tags":[568,90,355,998,311],"class_list":["post-19624","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-accuracy-of-the-bible","tag-god","tag-jehovahs-witnesses","tag-names","tag-translations"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2625,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-is-ywhw-translated-lord\/","url_meta":{"origin":19624,"position":0},"title":"Why is YWHW translated LORD?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 9, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I know the New World Translation is not a reliable translation, but why have the other Bible translations changed the original YHWH to LORD? Answer: When a translator encounters a word, he is faced with two choices: he can translate the word or he can transliterate the word. To\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":13426,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-name-of-god\/","url_meta":{"origin":19624,"position":1},"title":"The Name of God","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 18, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Text: Exodus 3:10-17 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The Jehovah\u2019s Witnesses have gone out into the world declaring that God\u2019s name is \u201cJehovah.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A reader of our website wrote to ask why this claim is made since he was only able to find less than ten instances of the name \u201cJehovah\u201d in his Bible.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sermon"","block_context":{"text":"Sermon","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/sermon\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":83613,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/did-the-patriarchs-know-god-by-the-name-of-yhwh\/","url_meta":{"origin":19624,"position":2},"title":"Did the patriarchs know God by the name of YHWH?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 25, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Did the patriarchs know the proper name of God as \"YHWH\"? Or did He reveal Himself only to Moses and the Israelites? Answer: The name YHWH first appears in Genesis 2:4, so the name YHWH has been known since creation. Abram called on the name of the LORD (YHWH).\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":18277,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/do-you-have-other-material-on-yhwh\/","url_meta":{"origin":19624,"position":3},"title":"Do you have other material on YHWH?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 1, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I enjoyed and agree with your article on\u00a0\u00a0 \"Understanding\u00a0 the\u00a0 Tetragrammaton.\"\u00a0 Thank you very much for your research and study on this important issue of the Divine Name,\u00a0 Yahweh (Exodus 3:15;\u00a0Psalm 83:18). Can you send me any additional information on the YHWH? Do you have any more articles related\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1390,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-is-gods-name\/","url_meta":{"origin":19624,"position":4},"title":"What is God’s name?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 28, 2004","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: What is God's name? The Jehovah's Witnesses tell me it is \"Jehovah,\" but that appears less than ten times in my Bible. Answer: The name \"Jehovah\" appears eight times in the King James Version of the Bible. It is not used in the New American Standard Bible or the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1393,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/understanding-the-tetragrammaton\/","url_meta":{"origin":19624,"position":5},"title":"Understanding the Tetragrammaton: How Is It Pronounced?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 1, 2004","format":false,"excerpt":"by Ethan R. Longhenry In the religious world, there is much confusion about the Tetragrammaton (a Greek term meaning \"the four letters\"), referring to the name of God in the Old Testament, designated with the consonants YHWH. There are some religious organizations that place great emphasis on this name, and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19624","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19624"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19624\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19624"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19624"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19624"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}