Pastor Robert Hammond

Recently, a church member asked, “What's the difference between (1) Jehovah and Yahweh and (2) "LORD" and "Lord." Below is my response.

Here's the short answer:

• We respectfully reject "Yahweh" as an incorrect expression of God's personal name, which is correctly expressed as "Jehovah" (see more below)

• Generally, when you see LORD or GOD (in all CAPS), it's translating God's personal name, Jehovah (A few rare exceptions are noted, e.g. Ps. 30:8, Ps. 90:17)

Here's a bit more detail:

Yahweh vs. Jehovah. We understand that Yahweh is an erroneous expression of Jehovah. It is our position that Yahweh is an expression of the Lord's personal name that is based on the arguably false assertion that the Hebrew vowels are not part of the inspired text of the Old Testament. If that theory were correct, Yahweh would be an acceptable expression of God's personal name. However, we hold that the vowels are indeed part of the inspired text ... and that they demand that the Hebrew name be expressed as Jehovah. [For more information on this topic and the Hebrew vowel pointing, see this article by Dr. Tom Strouse.]

LORD vs. Lord, and GOD, too.

In our King James Bible, God's personal name, Jehovah, is usually translated "LORD" (ALL CAPS). This is due to a long-standing tradition that was retained by our translators (and is possibly attributable to the Jewish tradition of expressing reverence for God by not pronouncing his personal name).

We note some exceptions to the above rule, e.g. Ex 6:3 "... but by my name JEHOVAH". There, the actual name is used because the verse is referring to God's actual name!

Also note that, sometimes, Jehovah is translated as "GOD" (ALL CAPS). This is usually used in order to avoid an English translation that would be expressed as "Lord LORD." See more below.

In the Bible, we also see "Lord" (Title case, not ALL CAPS). "Lord" translates an underlying word meaning master (a title that conveys respect to one who has authority).

In Judges 16:28, we see "LORD", "Lord" and "GOD" -- and now you understand all of them!

Jg 16:28 And Samson called unto the LORD, and said, O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.

Now that you understand the use of these words, take some encouragement from this short article.