A Name That Has Been Pushed Aside
There was a time when the name of God was well known and freely used. A common greeting in ancient Israel was: “Jehovah be with you.”—Ruth 2:4.
In more recent centuries, the Divine Name frequently appeared on public buildings, churches, medals and coins. It was either represented by the four Hebrew letters יהוה or spelled in the local language.
Even today, in parts of Africa, the Caribbean, in Latin America and the islands of the sea, the name Jehovah (sometimes spelled Yahweh) is known well enough that some owners of private buses paint it on their vehicles.
But the name of God, the heavenly Father of Jesus Christ, is not commonly used nowadays by church members in Europe and much of the English-speaking world. Why? Because some Bible translators claim that to use it would be “inappropriate,” and so they substitute “Lord” and “God.” But why, since the Divine Name actually appears in the Bible in the original languages more than 7,000 times? In one attempt to explain, a spokesman for the “New International Version” wrote: “You are right that Jehovah is a distinctive name for God and ideally we should have used it. But we put 21/4 million dollars into this translation and a sure way of throwing that down the drain is to translate, for example, Psalm 23 as, ‘Yaweh is my shepherd.’ Immediately, we would have translated for nothing.”
Jehovah’s Witnesses do not share that view. They take pleasure in acquainting others with the personal name of God and the qualities and works of the One to whom the name belongs.
How do you feel about God’s name? Well, how do you feel about your own name? Would you prefer to be addressed as “Man” or “Woman”? When one person truly loves another, it warms the heart to hear that one’s name and it is a pleasure for him to use it.
[Pictures on page 22]
ENGLAND
NETHERLANDS
DENMARK
SWEDEN
SWEDEN
NORWAY
[Picture on page 22]
PRIVATE BUS IN HAITI