God's Name: "Jeho-va"

I’m Christian and am confused on Jehovah Nissi or the use of Jehovah. I thought in original text that word doesn’t exist but instead YHWH, Elohim or Adonai.

Shalom!

Thank you for your question.

First of all, we do not use G-d’s name in the course of routine conversation. We only use it in prayer, and sometimes in study. When referring to God in routine conversation we generally use the word "Hashem" or “G-d.” The “names of G-d” that are considered holy and not for everyday conversation are: the "Yud-Hay-Vav-Hay" (often written in English as “Jeho-va”), Adon-ai, E-l, E-lohim, Eh-eyeh, Sha-ddai, and Tzv-aot. Most other references or titles for God may be recited as normal in all circumstances even in conversation.

The word “Jeho-va,” which is assumed to be the correct pronunciation of the most holy Name of Y-H-V-H, may have no holiness at all. The correct pronunciation of Y-H-V-H was lost during the Talmudic period. This name was used as part of the Temple Service during the First Temple period. During the Second Temple period the name was not used as it was feared that the name would be misused or articulated unlawfully. As a result of this disuse of the Y-H-V-H the correct pronunciation of “The” Name was lost.

In fact, the word “Jeho-va” cannot possibly be a transliteration of Y-H-V-H based on two errors: The first [error] is the attempt to read the Y-H-V-H with the vowels that are actually the vowels of the word Adon-ai (the “Chataf Patach” under the “Alef” of “Adon-ai” changes to a “Shevah” under the “Yud” of “Y-H-V-H”). The second mistake is that the English readers took the German transliteration of the mistaken reading –Jeho-va- and pronounced the letter “J” as a “J.” In German, however, the letter J is pronounced as a Y. Thus, the German really reads Yeho-va if anything. Nevertheless, whether you pronounce it as the Germans did or as the Americans do, the word Jeho-va/Yeho-va is total gibberish. Secular scholars introduced an equally erroneous pronunciation, again based on the German, of “Yah-weh.” This word is also gibberish. It is also worth citing William Robertson Smith in his “A Dictionary of the Bible” (1863) who concludes that “whatever, therefore, be the true pronunciation of the word, there can be little doubt that it is not Jeho-va“.

Nevertheless, since we are dealing with such a sacred matter, we should not use the word “Jeho-va” at all whether or not it is correct. And, as mentioned, even if the actual letters are correct, no one knows the accurate vowelization, and therefore, it is clear that the tradition on how to pronounce it is lost.

Due to the doubt on how to pronounce the holy Name of G-d, and due to its extreme holiness, we use the name “Adon-ai” when praying instead (which is also holy). In some cases “Elo-him” and “Shadd-ai” along with the other names are sometimes used – all of whom are holy and not used in regular conversation.