Why Jehovahs Witness religion change the name of God to Jehovah which is not biblical?

This is, indeed, a very controversial issue. If we are going to turn the pages of the Bible to find out what the vital issues had arose in the past, we will find out that during the time of Moses, the name of God never became a subject of contention. And even during the time of the Apostles and the first century Christians, there had been no debate regarding the name of God. Why? It was because all of them knew the truth. They had our Lord Jesus Christ with them. It was very easy on their part to know what the name of God was because Jesus revealed it to His disciples. Moses, on the other hand, heard the name of God right from the angel’s mouth.

But now, the pronunciation of God’s name had been lost. The Jews, who knew it, were aware of the sacredness of that name that was why, they were too afraid to at least utter God’s name. In the Old Testament, it was a grave sin to use the name of God in vain. That is the reason why, in the course of time, the pronunciation of God’s name was lost.

The question about God’s name was neither an issue 2000 years ago. St. Paul never argued with anybody about the name of God because all of them knew His name. Even the Israelites did not doubt Moses when he mentioned the name of God. Nobody questioned him because he personally heard the angel who uttered the name of God.

But today, it is totally different. Now, God’s name and its pronunciation have become a debatable issue. It is an issue that would be resolved through the available evidences that we have inasmuch as we could no longer, directly, ask the disciples and the Apostles nor the early Christians. But one thing is sure. The name of God is not Jehovah! Why are we saying that Jehovah is not the name of God? What is my reason? I’m saying that Jehovah is not the name of God because the Jehovah’s Witnesses themselves are admitting that the name “Jehovah” is not God’s real name. And if we are going to refer to the foreword of the Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures, which was translated by the Jehovah’s Witnesses in 1950, it says—

“While inclining to view the pronunciation “Yahweh” as the more correct way, we have retained the form “Jehovah” because of people’s familiarity with it since the 14th century.”

The Jehovah’s Witnesses are admitting that the pronunciation “Yahweh” is the more correct pronunciation of God’s name. But simply because the people were already familiar with the name “Jehovah,” they had decided to continue using that name in all of the Kingdoms everywhere. They continue to preach this erroneous belief. It is erroneous because, in one of their publications, “Reasoning from the Scriptures,” they confessed the truth about the name “Jehovah”. Page 192 says—

“Hence, some moderns have framed the name Jehovah, unknown to all the ancients, whether Jews or Christians.”

According to the Jehovah’s Witnesses, the name “Jehovah” was just framed and formulated by some modern translators. That means only the modern translators have framed it from the Tetragrammaton, YHWH. And they, likewise, admitted that “Jehovah” was not known to the ancients, whether Jews or Christians. Therefore, the first century Christians did not have any idea of the name “Jehovah”. Not even our Lord Jesus Christ, not even the Apostles, not even Paul, who wrote so many epistles, none of them knew of any “Jehovah” because it came out only in the 14th century.There are people who call themselves “witnesses” but, in truth, they are “false witnesses”. They are playing witnesses to something not true. They are inculcating in the minds of their 2 million members (as they claim) that the name of God is “Jehovah”. Members who refuse to accept it are threatened of not being saved. That belief is a blatant lie because they, themselves, had confesses that such was not really the correct pronunciation to God’s name. They believe that the word “Yahweh” is the more correct way of pronouncing God’s name. In spite of the fact that they are more inclined to believe that “Yahweh” is the more correct pronunciation to God’s name, they still instill in the minds of the people that God’s name is “Jehovah”. This is one reason why we are saying that the name of God is, indeed, a very broad topic. Not only that, it is also a very sensitive subject matter

Because He is not. The Hebrew Scriptures are consistently clear in showing that there is but one Almighty God, the Creator of all things and the Most High, whose name is Jehovah. (Ge 17:1; Isa 45:18; Ps 83:18) For that reason Moses could say to the nation of Israel: “Jehovah our God is one Jehovah. And you must love Jehovah your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your vital force.” (De 6:4, 5) The Christian Greek Scriptures do not contradict this teaching that had been accepted and believed by God’s servants for thousands of years, but instead they support it. (Mr 12:29; Ro 3:29, 30; 1Co 8:6; Eph 4:4-6; 1Ti 2:5) Jesus Christ himself said, “The Father is greater than I am” and referred to the Father as his God, “the only true God.” (Joh 14:28; 17:3; 20:17; Mr 15:34; Re 1:1; 3:12) On numerous occasions Jesus expressed his inferiority and subordination to his Father. (Mt 4:9, 10; 20:23; Lu 22:41, 42; Joh 5:19; 8:42; 13:16) Even after Jesus’ ascension into heaven his apostles continued to present the same picture.—1Co 11:3; 15:20, 24-28; 1Pe 1:3; 1Jo 2:1; 4:9, 10.

You can say the same thing for the name Jesus. And JWs were neither the first or the last to use it.

http://www.rightwingwatch.org/2006/11/robertson_sa...

As for changing their Bible, changed it from what?

It should be noted that none of the complete Biblical texts survived last long after the Apostles were killed. This is why the Nicean Council met. They were told to gather all the remaining fragments of the scriptures and get the religion back in order. They did the best they could, but the entirety of Jesus' gospel was lost. We were left with pieces. This is why we have so many denominations today.

As for the KJV, it was created for two reasons, because King James thought the Genesis Bible was too strict, and it immortalize his name. Even than, it took 150 year, and four complete rewrites, before it sufficiently matched the teachings of the Church of England and was "Authorized".

Now, the question to ask yourself, what in the King James Version led to the conclusion, last November, by the Bishop of the Church of England that children born with birth defects should not be allowed to live? Is that a Bible, and it's church, you want to follow?

That's not an entirely fair accusation, friend. A Roman Catholic priest first coined the name 'Jehovah' in the middle ages, and there were reasonable linguistic grounds for so doing. But the real problem with the Divine Name is that it is ineffable! It is unutterable as it is too great for description, and the Jewish nation (to whom God revealed something of his Name) realised they must not take it in vain by trying to pronounce it. So everyone who tries to work out how to verbalise it has completely missed the point!

However you put it - YHWH, YVWH, Jehovah, Jah, or whatever - it must also be said that there are other Names of God - too many to list here. The one Name JWs don't like facing up to is, "I AM" because Jesus took that Name upon himself and nearly got stoned to death for supposed blasphemy. (It would have been blasphemy, if He wasn't who He actually was!)

JWs were "given" this name of Jehovah's Witnesses by their former President, Judge Rutherford, at the Columbus, Ohio, convention in 1931. It was explained to them that from 1919 to 1931 the parable of "the vineyard of God" was being fulfilled (Mat 20:1-16) those 12 years being the 12 hours of the parable. Now, at the end of the 11th hour, the newest converts (who were not Spirit-begotten) would get their reward - a penny - which was the name "Jehovah's Witnesses" - just the same as the Spirit-begotten members who had been working longer. Just another false interpretation of Scripture, of course, for we are now 70+ years on from that "11th hour". Time drags when you're not having fun.

Instead of making so much fuss over the name Jehovah, JWs would do better to ponder the significance of Jesus' name, for there is no other name under heaven given us by which we must be saved.

Let us do a breakdown.

"God" is just a title, just like Doctor or Sargent is a title. Many people say that God has many names. However, the Bible says otherwise.

In the KJV of an Old English Bible, at Psalms 83:18, you will read, "That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth." (There are bibles who have removed God's name in it's entirety from the Bible. They may have replaced it with LORD, GOD, YAH or JAH. Note that when choosing a Bible, it will be more beneficial to you to choose a Translation, over a Version. Versions tend to be changed drastically, while translations are often a direct translation from the original texts. According to many Bible Scholars- The New World Translation is most accurate. The Byington, American Standard Version, or Kingdom Interlinear are also good for comparison when studying/reading the scriptures.) [The KJV contains God's name only 4 times while the NWT contains His name some 7,000 times as found in the original manuscripts]

Notice that the verse in Psalms calls God, Jehovah, saying that is his name alone. Jehovah is the "common English rendering of the Tetragrammaton (the four Hebrew letters for the personal name of God), which appears over 7,000 times" in the NWT. In English, the letters of the Tetragrammaton are YHWH, for in the Hebrew alphabet there are no vowels; but they appropriately added them as they read aloud or spoke. Over time, they developed a system of pronunciation points for when they were to use vowels when reading... But by that time, the Jew had developed the superstition that it was bad to say God's name. (To connect this fact with the earlier statement regarding the removal of God's name in Newer translations, many use that reason. However, although Jews felt it wrong to verbally say God's name, they never removed it from manuscripts dating even before Christ's presence.)

Now let us reason.

Take a look at 1 Kings 11:33. There it goes to mention other gods. Note that they all have names! So if these idols own names, couldn't we reason that God too has a name?

Take a look at James 4:8. There is says that if we draw close to God, he will draw close to us. Meaning, we can have a friendship with God. Can you have a friendship, a good one, with someone and you not know their name? For example, suppose you are meeting someone for the first time. One of the first things you tell them is your name, and vice versa. As years go by, the person is introducing you to one of their associates but is unable to tell them your name- not because they forgot, but because they never knew it. How would you feel? Could you really call them a friend?

1 Corinthians 8:5, 6 says there are many gods and many lords, but there is only one TRUE God (Jehovah), and one TRUE Lord, Jesus. Knowing that there are many gods, each of them have a name... If you keep saying "god", to which are you referring? For example, say you are walking down the street and someone from behind shouts out to get someone's attention and says, " hey you!" or " Guy!" or "Hey lady!"... Every 'you', 'guy', or 'lady' will turn around... But if he specifically says, "John!'', or ""Hey Lucy!", only John and Lucy merit the greeting and they will turn around.

Finally, Romans 10:13 says, "for "everyone who calls one the name of Jehovah will be saved."" Salvation lies within the knowing of God, and that includes his name.

-Many dispute the pronunciation of God's name. In English it's Jehovah. In Spanish it's Yehovah. In Hebrew it's Yahweh. In Creole it's Jewova etc.. They are all the same, but with a different pronunciation. Just like Juan and John are the same name, but in a different language.

Jehovah's Witnesses did not invent the name "Jehovah" or pretend that Jesus or the apostles pronounce the Divine Name exactly this way. Contrary to anti-Witnesses, JWs absolutely do not insist on this (or any particular) pronunciation !

Of course, the name "Jehovah" was used in the King James Version in 1611, more than 300 years before the name "Jehovah's Witnesses" was adopted, and 350 years before the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures was completed.

Other English translations of the bible used the spelling "Jehovah" in the 1500's, and "Iehovah" even before that.

It is true that the Almighty did not say, "Listen, thousands of years from now when a new language called English comes along, they can pronounce my name as 'Jehovah' and that's fine."

Instead, like with any and every personal name, different languages TRANSLATE personal names to fit their lingual tendencies. George becomes "Hor-hey" in Spanish or "Gay-org" in German and no one gets upset.

It's not exactly wrong to call the Almighty by the impersonal "God", just as it's not wrong to call one's offspring "Child". If we want a familiar and close relationship, however, it makes sense to use the personal name of someone we love. The Scriptures encourage us to use God's personal name.

The Hebrew name “Yahweh” (or “Yehowah”) does seem to accurately pronounce the divine name. Just as the Hebrew name “Yeshua” (or “Yehoshua”) is translated into “Jesus” in English, the Hebrew name “Yahweh” is translated into “Jehovah” in English.

The important thing is to use God’s personal name in whatever language you speak, rather than insisting upon the impersonal! The name “Yahweh” is certainly preferable to the non-name “God” or “Lord”, especially if you speak Hebrew. If you speak English, feel free to use the name "Jehovah".

(Psalms 83:18) That people may know that you, whose name is Jehovah, You alone are the Most High over all the earth

(John 17:26) [Jesus said] I have made your name known to them and will make it known, in order that the love with which you loved me may be in them

Learn more:

http://watchtower.org/e/na/

http://watchtower.org/e/20040122/

http://watchtower.org/e/19990208/article_03.htm

n_007pen has the correct answer...clearly a well thought out answer. Yana also has a correct answer, you should choose one of their answers....YHWH was never meant to sound like the word the JW's use to represent God. Their Bible uses the word in places in the OT that are actually references to the Word and not the Father. In the New Testament, John 1 was changed in the JW Bible...it states that the Word was with God and was a god. The rest of the Bibles say that the Word was with God and was God. To deny the deity of the Messiah is a tragic thing. They also fail to see the Holy Spirit as a distinct Comforter that was sent to the World after Christ went to the temple in heaven to mediate for us before the Father. They literally deny our Lord and Savior, and the Holy Spirit.

If it is not biblical, why is it in the bible. One of my KJV bibles has a footnote that says that when it says LORD in all caps , it was originally "JEHOVAH", and they changed it to LORD. Here are some verses that show it is biblical.The NEW KJV, went on and took it out completely, to me that's takeing away from the Bible.

Psalm 83:18 (King James Version)

King James Version (KJV)

18That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.

Why don't you look in the KJV, and read these scriptures, if your really interested.

Exodus 6:3

Isaiah 12:2

Isaiah 26:4

Psalm 83:18

That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.

Psalm 83:17-18 (in Context) Psalm 83 (Whole Chapter)

Isaiah 12:2

Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.

Isaiah 12:1-3 (in Context) Isaiah 12 (Whole Chapter)

Isaiah 26:4

Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength.

Exodus 6:3

And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them

Jehovah is a mistranslation of the name Yahweh.

First: Yahweh in its basic form is YHWH which means "He will Be" coming from the Moses and the Burning Bush story.

Second: It is Jewish custom to not say His name so Jews say, in "The Name" (Ha Shem) or "the Lord" (Adonai)

Third: The Original Hebrew does not have Vowel Points (little dots saying where the vowels belong)

Fourth: When one comes to the word YHWH in the Tanakh they will run into the vowel points of "the Lord" or Adonai, so as not to say His name, as a sign of respect.

Fifth: The mistranslation naturally occurs when one takes the name YHWH and adds the vowel points of Adonai to the word. The Result is Ya-HW-eH (lower case represent vowel points). or as mistranslated by the Germans with a Je-Ho-VaH. There is no J sound in the Hebrew only more like an H sound. Which is the first mistranslation, so they say His name wrong, but let us go further.

Sixth: G-D is not a name it is a type of being, "He will be" it is like a human is what you are but not your name.

Seventh: G-d does not give His name to Moses, rather he gives Moses a description. It was a commonly held belief that to know one's name gives power over that one. No one has power over G-d.

Eight: To translate His name is wrong, in any way, because He never gives a name, rather a state of being in which He rests. Basically all people who think they know His name are wrong, because no one can know his name, but only hold His name in reverance. 3rd Commandment.

The Jehovah's Witness religion did not change the name of God. They use a name which is a mistaken English transcription of the Tetragrammaton, the name of the God of the Jews or the people of Israel, as preserved in the original consonantal Hebrew Bible text. JHWH is the German transcription, while YHVH is the English transcription.