The Old Testament

A well known Bible translation is the King James Version. Do we find God’s name in this translation? Yes, in Exodus 6:3, Psalm 83:18, Isaiah 12:2 and Isaiah 26:4.

The name occurs almost 7000 times in the Hebrew writings. It is written with four Hebrew consonants (from right to left)  (transliterated into YHWH), and is therefore also called “the tetragrammaton”. In Biblia Hebraica and Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia the tetragrammaton is written 6828 times.

Many translators choose to use titles as “Lord” instead of God’s name. But there are also several translations which has preserved God’s name, for example American Standard Version which uses the name Jehovah all places where it occur in the Hebrew writings.

A comparison of Psalm 83:18

American Standard Version
That they may know that thou alone, whose name is Jehovah, Art the Most High over all the earth.

The New Jerusalem Bible
Let them know that you alone bear the name of Yahweh, Most High over all the earth.

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

New International Version
Let them know that you, whose name is the LORD– that you alone are the Most High over all the earth.

The New Testament

In the Greek writings we find the Divine name in the Hebrew expression Hallelujah (Hallelu-Yah), found in Revelation 19:1, 3, 4, 6.

Hallelu-Yah means “praise Yah“, and Yah is a contraction of the Divine Name – like the Biblical name Jonathan is a short for Jehonathan.

Some Bible translations argue that God’s name originally was used throughout The New Testament, and so they have chosen to reinstate God’s name.