JWs pronounce the “popular” version of God’s name…

by Alfred 30 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  Alfred

  Growing up JW, the elders in my congo never wasted an opportunity to remind the youth in my congo that we should always endeavor to do what is “correct” in God’s eyes, NOT what the world considers to be “popular”. This would cover just about every subject (clothing, music, sports, entertainment, etc.).

  However, when it comes to the one thing that should probably matter the most to all Jay Dubs (correctly pronouncing God’s name), “popularity” takes precedence over “correctness”. This never made any sense to me.

  Notice what Freddy Franz wrote about this in the Watchtower December 1, 1950 page 474:

  “[…] the translating Committee says: “While inclining to view the pronunciation “Yah-weh” as the more correct way, we have retained the form ‘Jehovah’ because of people’s familiarity with it since the 14 th century.”

  Just 7 years later, he wrote the following in the Watchtower April 15, 1957 page 230:

  “Some scholars prefer to pronounce the name Jah’veh or Jah’weh, but today Jehovah is the most popular way of pronouncing the name.”

  So much for doing things correctly…
• 

  PSacramento

  Right from the horse's mouth, LOL !
• 

  dontplaceliterature

  People don't seem to have a problem pronouncing Jesus' name "JESUS". Yeshua would be more correct.

  It annoys me that people take up such an issue with use of the name "Jehovah," as a mispronunciation. It is the accepted pronunciation of the name in Western Culture. If you go to Canada, you'll hear people pronounce it "JEEhovah," and in Boston, "Jehover." The point is, that people know who you are referring to, and the pronunciation "Jehovah" isn't being used in a spirit of disrespect.

  Griping about the pronunciation of "Jehovah" rather than using the "more correct, YAHWEH" is just making a mountain out of a mole hill. It makes apostates seem like hair-splitters instead of a group of people who actually have some ligitimate arguments to make against Jehovah's Witnesses doctrinal beliefs.

  ....lest we forget to have some balance in our viewpoints....
• 

  LostGeneration

  I followed their lead. I found that it was more popular for people to spend their Saturday mornings sleeping, exercising, eating out for breakfast, and in general, doing whatever they felt like doing. I found it is very unpopular to sell religious magazines door to door to people who are participating in the previously mentioned activities.
• 

  Mad Sweeney

  The "Foreward" to the Kingdom Interlinear Bible the WT put out in 1969 goes into great and convoluted detail to justify inserting the word "Jehovah" into the Greek scriptures where it never appeared. It is a fascinating read. I can't figure out how to get the text out of the pdf version I have, though.

  If anyone has it, please post. Thanks.
• 

  PSacramento

  People don't seem to have a problem pronouncing Jesus' name "JESUS". Yeshua would be more correct.

  That's because Jesus is a translation and tranliteration of Jaheshua/yeshua/Joshua that was translated to Greek as Iesous, that became Jesus.

  Quite a difference between that and the temr Jehovah that comes from COMBINING YHWH with Adonai - YaHoWaH - JaHoWaH- JeHoVaH.

  Jehovah is NOT a translation of Yah/Jahweh, it is a different name altogether.
• 

  LostGeneration

  Thanks Psac...that is an excellent readers digest version of it.

  The WTBTS pounds on the table about the absoluteness power and importance of "the divine name." Yet, they accept a "popular" version rather than what is the "correct" version as the OP pointed out
• 

  dontplaceliterature

  PSacramento,

  Do you have a scholarly reference to prove that Jehovah is a combination of YHWH and Adonai?

  I was always of the understanding that vowels were not used by the Hebrews in written form and that Jehovah's Witnesses accepted this pronunciation because of its dominant use by other Judeo/Christian groups throughout history.

  It is in the dicitonary after all, as the Hebrew name for God. I highly doubt that Jehovah's Witnesses had anything to do with that. Meriam Webster usually has their shit together.
• 

  Mad Sweeney

  The point is, that people know who you are referring to

  No they don't. Why would JWs have to spend so much of their time teaching people God's name is Jehovah if people already know?

  Take a clipboard out to the sidewalk and ask people this one simple question:

  "Can you tell me who Jehovah is?"

  If more than 1 in 4 say that it is God's name I would be SHOCKED. It's probably less than 1 in 10.
• 

  PSacramento

  Do you have a scholarly reference to prove that Jehovah is a combination of YHWH and Adonai?

  There are so many threads and links here, but I have to go, time to pick up my kids :)