Chapter 1
1 These are the things that the Prophet Habakkuk saw:
2 How long, O Lord, must I cry out, and You won’t listen [to me]? How long should I yell out to You over wrong, and You won’t bring us salvation? 3 Why have You shown toil and trouble to me, as you look upon misery and irreverence? Right opposite me there is judging going on, but it’s the judge who carries away! 4 Because of this the Law has been shaken, there is no justice in the end, for the godless tyrannize the righteous… the justice that comes is perverted.
5 ‘Look, O you who despise; gaze and wonder at wonders then vanish! For, I’ll do a work in your days, that you won’t believe and none can describe. 6 For {Look!} I’ll awaken the Chaldeans; a nations that’s bitter and quick; he who goes ‘cross the width of the earth, to inherit tents that aren’t his.
7 ‘He is known to be fearsome, and he [creates] his own justice, for his concern is just for himself. 8 His horses leap higher than leopards, and [their teeth] are sharper than Arabian wolves. His horsemen will ride and make great advances; they’ll spread out [their wings] like an eagle, which is eager for something to eat.
9 ‘Upon the godless consumption will come (upon all who stand and oppose him), and [he’ll carry them off] like the sand. 10 Then among all the kings he will revel; the sovereigns will all be his playthings. He will mock every fortress… he’ll just throw up a siege mound and take it.
11 ‘Thereafter he’ll have a change in his spirit; he’ll make atonement and say, This strength has come from my God.’
12 Aren’t You from days long ago, O Jehovah? Aren’t You my Holy One and God? So, there’s no way that we should die, O Lord. Yet, You have ordered up justice, and for discipline and correction You have shaped me.
13 Your eyes are too pure to see bad things, and You’re unable to look upon evil. So, why should You look upon those who disdain You? Should You remain silent as You see the righteous, swallowed by the irreverent?
14 Will You make men like the fish in the sea, or like things that crawl [on the ground], where no one is taking the lead?
15 [The king of Babylon] caught destruction, and pulled it up with a hook; he drew it in with his casting net, and gathered it [to himself] with his dragnets. And for this he is glad and rejoices; 16 so to his dragnet he’ll now sacrifice, and to it he will burn incense. For, by it he fattened his portion, and it provided choice food. 17 But will he keep casting his net, to always kill nations… not spare them?
Chapter 2
1 Upon my watch I will stand; I’ll climb on the rocks to [stand guard], to see what He’ll say to me, so I will know what to answer, when I am being corrected.
2 Then to me Jehovah replied. He said; ‘Clearly write this vision on a tablet, so those who read may be able to soar. 3 For, the vision is of [a future] time, and it will surely happen in the end. If it [seems to be] late, [you should] wait upon it, for it will surely arrive, and in no way will its coming be late.
4 ‘If there is one who holds back, My life finds no favor in him… for by their faith the righteous will live! 5 But those who are arrogant and hateful, and any man who’s a braggart, will not achieve a single thing… he widens his life like the grave, and as death he never is filled.
6 ‘Even if he’d assemble all the nations to himself, and he gathered all the peoples, would they not speak a parable against him, and take up this riddle as his story? They’ll say:
‘Woe to him who takes things not
his own.
How long [can he withstand] all the pressure?
7 For, suddenly
there’ll arise those who bite him… yes those who plot against him will
awaken,
And they will saw him in half.
8 ‘For you have
ravaged many nations,
So those who remain will now ravage you,
Because of the
[shed] blood of men,
And what you did to their city and land,
And to all those who lived there.
9 ‘O you who desire such great wealth,
Evil will
come to your house.
Yes, you who arranged your nests in the heights,
And rooted up evil with your hands.
10 ‘You’ve brought shame to your house.
For, your
life has been led into sin,
And you brought an end to many peoples.
11 ‘So, from the stone wall I will yell this,
And the
beetles in the wood will utter its sounds.
12 Woe to those building a city on
blood…
Those arranging their city with unrighteousness.
13 ‘Is it not from Jehovah the Almighty,
That people
have failed by the fire,
And nations have become so faint-hearted?
14 Yet, with the knowledge and glory of
Jehovah,
All the
earth will be filled,
As the waters
are covering the seas.
15 ‘O you who’d give a drink to his neighbor,
Of something
that’s intoxicating and cloudy,
So that you could gaze on their private parts;
16 Take a full drink to the glory of dishonor,
And then get extremely
excited!
‘But, the cup in the right hand of Jehovah,
Has you completely
surrounded,
And dishonor it brings to your glory.
17 ‘By the irreverence of
Lebanon you’ll be covered,
And misery from wild beasts will terrify you,
Because
of the shed blood of men,
And all the [bad] deeds of the city,
As well as the land and all those who dwell there.
18 ‘What good are the images that they’ve
carved?
For, from molten castings they shaped them,
As false things that they can see.
So a man now relies on things he has shaped,
And he makes idols that are unable to talk.
19 ‘So, woe to those who say to the wood,
[It’s time to]
awake and arise!
And to the stone, Become great!
For, they are just things
to look at – hammered things of silver and gold –
Within which there’s no
breath at all.
20 ‘But Jehovah is in His Holy Temple,
So worship before Him all
the earth!’
Chapter 3
1 The prayer of Habakkuk the Prophet in song.
2 O Lord; I heard Your report and I feared.
O Jehovah; I thought of your works and was startled.
Between the two animals You stand,
And in years that are coming they’ll all know You…
In the time now at hand You’ll be seen.
When my life is disturbed [in
times of] great
wrath,
You’ll remember [me] and show mercy.
3 For God will come out of Teman…
From Mount Paran’s shadow the Holy One comes.
PAUSE
His virtues cover the skies.
His praises fill the [whole]
earth.
4 His brightness will be like the light;
There’ll be a horn in His hands;
And in His strength He’ll bring love.
5 From His face will go forth a word,
Which will travel from there to the plains.
6 Where His feet stand the [whole] earth will shake;
And when He looks the nations will melt.
By [His] force the mountains will break,
And the hills of the ages will melt.
7 I saw Ethiopian tents in great trouble,
And the tents of the land of Midian were disturbed.
8 Were You provoked at the rivers, O Lord,
Did the rivers make You enraged…
Against the sea were You moved to take action?
You’re the One riding on horses,
And when You ride there’s salvation.
9 For Jehovah [gives orders to] ‘Stretch out…
Stretch out your bows
against all their tents!’
PAUSE
By rivers the whole earth will be torn!
10 They’ll see You and people will have birth pangs.
Then
You will disperse the flow of the waters.
The abyss will shout aloud to the heights,
At [the sign] of His coming.
11 The sun arose and the moon then stood still.
But they move with the light of Your arrows,
For, as the brightness of lightning are Your weapons.
12 When You threaten You’ll leave few on the earth,
For in Your rage You’ll break nations.
13 But, You’ll come for the salvation of Your people,
And to save Your anointed.
On the heads of the lawless You brought death;
Shackles You’ll put on their necks ‘til You’re done.
The mighty will be astonished and shake,
And then You’ll cut off their heads.
PAUSE
14 You’ll split the heads of the mighty,
And You’ll cause them to tremble.
Then they will loosen their bridles,
And hide to eat like the poor.
15 You led Your horses into the sea,
Causing great commotion in the waters,
And as I watched I was frightened.
16 The sound of a prayer was on my lips;
Trembling entered my bones and my backside,
For all my ways were disturbed.
But, I will find rest in the day of distress,
When I leave the people to whom I was sent.
17 Then fig-trees will no longer bear fruit;
There’ll be no grapes on the grapevines;
The the olive will be gone,
And the fields will not produce crops.
There’ll be no [grass] for the sheep,
And there’ll be no oxen in the stables.
18 Yet, joyfully I’ll shout to Jehovah;
I’ll rejoice over my Savior God!
19 For, Jehovah God is my
power,
And straight paths for my feet He has set.
Upon on high places He will set me,
As by His song I will conquer.
Notes
Soul or?
The Greek word psyche (as in psychology) has been translated many ways, including soul, life, etc. However, psyche actually means something that breathes. It is used in the Bible to describe both breathing animals and breathing humans. So, by definition, a soul cannot leave the body, because a soul is what the living body (whether human or animal) is (see Genesis 2:7).
In ancient Greece, philosophers eventually added another meaning to psyche: The inner person (as opposed to the person that others see and come to know). And with time, the pagan religion of Greece started to teach that this inner person is its own entity and can never die (is immortal). Over the centuries, this pagan Greek doctrine crept into the Christian religions.
However, such Greek philosophical thought never influenced Jesus and his Apostles. So, they consistently used psyche to indicate a living person or animal. The teaching that the soul is immortal stands in direct conflict with Jesus’ promise of a resurrection, because, if a person is immortal (can never die) he/she can never be resurrected (brought back to life).
In addition, the teaching of the immortality of the human soul is totally without support from the Bible. The word immortal(ity) (Gr: athanasia or undying) is only mentioned in the Bible in two places, and it isn’t used with or applied to the word soul in either case. Both of these scriptures show that immortality is only given by God as a reward for righteousness. And as Ezekiel 18:4 says, ‘The person (gr. psyche or ‘soul’) that is sinning will die (gr. apothaneitai).’
Of course, there are places in the Bible where the word soul means more than just a living, fleshly body. For example, God is recorded to have spoken of ‘My Soul’ in several places. Obviously, God is much more than just a ‘soul’ as most people think of that term, and He surely wasn’t talking about His having a human body. So, we must conclude that what He was referring to is His life.
Then there are Jesus’ words as found at Matthew 10:28, which read, ‘Don’t be afraid of those who kill the body but can’t kill the person (psyche). Rather, be afraid of Him who can destroy both the person and the body in the garbage dump.’ Here, Jesus is using the word psyche (soul) to refer to the value of life that remains with God until the resurrection. And he obviously isn’t referring the soul as immortal here, because he says God will destroy (gr. apolesai) the [unrighteous] soul or person.
Unfortunately, no single word that can be used to translate psyche in every possible Bible application, so various terms are used herein, depending on the circumstances, but always in an attempt to harmonize with the meaning.
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The Heavens or Sky, the Earth or the Land?
Throughout the Scriptures we find all the realm of creation divided into three entities, the heavens (or sky), the earth (the land or ground), and the seas (the waters). Now, in contemporary English we understand that there is a difference between the heavens and the sky, the earth and the land (or ground), and the seas and waters. However, in both Hebrew and Greek, these fine distinctions that we accept because of our modern technology, can’t be found. So, Genesis 1:1 could literally be translated as, ‘In an ancient time God made the sky and the ground.’
This description is accurate, because it was the view of man from the earth. There was the land that he stood on, the sky above, and the water. There was no technical understanding of earth as a planet back then, because men didn’t view the earth as we do today, as a ball in space. That wasn’t necessary at the time. However, because of these distinctions that we understand so well today, Bible translators must choose the proper word to provide the right nuance in English, so readers can grasp the proper meaning of the text.
For this reason, you will find the Greek word ourano translated as both heaven(s) and sky herein, depending on the context. You will also find the Greek word ges translated as earth, ground, or land, depending on the context. So, the symbolic words at Romans 3:5, for example, are translated as, ‘The ancient earth and sky weren’t covered by water. However, (obeying God’s instructions) they stood together between the water [that was above and below].’
Notice that the ‘earth and sky’ were located between the water. So, although other Bibles translate this verse as speaking of the ‘heavens and earth,’ the reference is really to that portion of the heavens that are close to the earth (or the sky). Likewise, at Matthew 5:5, where Jesus spoke of the ‘meek’ as inheriting the earth, since he was talking about people receiving an ‘allotment’ on the earth, we have chosen to translate ges as earth, not ground.
And finally, when it comes to the seas (gr. thalassa), there are already distinctions as to different types of waters in the Greek text. For instance, seas are called thalassa and rivers are called potamos (or ‘flowing’). However, notice (in Revelation 20: 13) how the resurrection of the dead is divided between those who died on land and those who were lost in the water: ‘The sea gave up its dead, death and the grave gave up those dead in them, and they were all judged by the things they did.’
We again find all three of these realms of creation brought together symbolically at Revelation 21:1, where it says, ‘Then I saw a new earth and a new sky, because the previous earth and sky had disappeared, as did the sea.’
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Hades: Hell or the Grave?
The Greek word hades (they pronounced it hah-dess) has been translated both as Hell (which is thought of as a place of torture) and as the Grave in other Bible versions (such as the King James). Since one word can’t mean two very different things, which translation is correct?
Hades (like the English word Hell) actually means the place of the dead. However, as pagan Greek philosophy started to develop, then creep into Christianity, the latter-day Greek view of hades (a place of torture) was applied to it. Was this a correct application?
An insight into how the ancient Hebrews and the early Christians understood the word can be gained by looking at how it was applied in the Greek Septuagint translation of the Ancient Scriptures of Israel (the ‘Old Testament’), which was the Bible of Jesus’ day. There, the Hebrew word sheol is translated into Greek as hades in every instance, yet in each case, these are obvious references to the grave (the place of the dead), not to a place of conscious torture (see Ecclesiastes 9:5, 10).
Another revealing application of the word hades is found at Revelation the 20:13. It says there, ‘The sea (gr. he thalassa) gave up its dead, death and the grave (gr. thanatos kai ho hades) gave up those dead in them, and they were all judged by the things they did.’
Notice here that those who die at sea are differentiated from those who are buried in graves (hades) and in other places (thanatos). So, Hades is better translated as grave.
In the book of Job, another word that is used once in the Christian Era Scriptures and often translated as Hell, is found in two scriptures. That Greek word is word is Tartarus, which refers to the place where evil gods or angels are sent. For more information, see the linked document ‘Is There a Burning Hell?’
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Age
The Greek word aionos is what the English word eon
is derived from. It means an indefinite period. However, there is no
exact English word to translate it. The best equivalents are age(s) or era(s).
Please note that where the plural form of the word (ages) is used, it refers to
a long time, at least multiple generations. However, where the singular form is
used (age or era), this appears to mean a much shorter period, such as a
lifetime, generation, or era. And where the term ages of ages is used
(such as at Ephesians
It is noteworthy that aionos is the word that is used in the Greek Septuagint in place of the Hebrew word ohlam, which is also translated as forever and time indefinite in popular versions of the Hebrew Scriptures. So, this one word (aionos) is translated as forever, everlasting, eternal, system of things, time indefinite, [end of] the world, long ago, from of old, etc. Obviously, something is very wrong here, because the word can’t mean a period having a definite end in one place and infinity in another.
Take for example, the unique way that aionos is used in the question that Jesus’ Apostles asked him, which is found at Matthew 24:3, ‘What will be the signs when you are near and this age will come to its conclusion?’
You can see that the word aionos obviously doesn’t
mean forever, everlasting, or eternal in this case, nor did it mean world or
system of things. It simply meant the age or the time before the end
would come. And for them, that meant the age when the
The word aionos (which we have translated as age here) is also translated as world (KJ) and as system of things (NW) in other Bibles. However, if the Apostles had meant any of those words, they would have used the Greek word cosmos, not aionos for world or system of things.
The ancient Hebrews viewed everything (and rightly so) as having a beginning and an end. For that reason, you will only find three places in the Bible where words are used that imply no end and none that imply no beginning. An interesting possible insight on the reason for this can be found at Hebrews 1:10-12, which says: ‘Long ago, O Lord, you laid the foundation of the earth, and made the heavens with your hands. But they’ll pass away while you still remain. For like clothes they will grow old. Then, as [you would do to] a robe, you will wrap them up and repair them. Yes, you’re the one and your years will never expire.’
The problem with most Bible translations is that when they encounter the word aionos in all its different tenses, they interpret it according to accepted doctrine, not according to the way that Jesus and his disciples used it. So, the common renderings forever, eternal, and everlasting are used even when the word is in its singular form (aioni, aiona, aionos, aionion, aionian, aionios, aioniou), and this totally distorts the meaning of the text.
Take for example, the scripture at John 5:24, where Jesus said, ‘I tell you the truth; the one who hears what I say and believes in the One that sent me will have life in this age. He won’t have to be judged, but has crossed over from death to life.’
Most Bibles translate Jesus as saying that those who believe in the One who sent him will have everlasting life (or the equivalent). However, the words that Jesus used there were, zoe aionion (life age – singular), not zoe aionion (life ages – plural).
Notice how Jesus explained the meaning of these words with his next statement, ‘He won’t have to be judged, but has crossed over from death to life.’
So, what Jesus was saying here, wasn’t that they would have everlasting
life, but that they would (in their current life) be considered among the
living, not among the dead (see Revelation
From consideration of the evidence found in the bulk of Jesus’ words about life, the conclusion might be logically reached that he never taught the hope of ‘life eternal,’ ‘everlasting life,’ or ‘immortality,’ in those specific words. However, the concept is still there. What he taught was that (unlike those whom God considers to be ‘dead’) living people will receive ‘life in the age,’ meaning, they will be considered worthy of life by God during their lifetimes.
Two words imply infinity in the Bible. One is the Greek word athanasia, which means undying or immortal and is only found in two places, 1 Corinthians15:53, where it mentions resurrected ones as clothing themselves with immortality, and at 1 Timothy 6:16, where Paul speaks of Jesus as having received it. The other Greek word, aidios, which is found at Romans 1:20 and at Jude 6, is used to describe God’s Power and Might as eternal.
For more information, select the linked documents, The Hereafter and Does the Bible Promise Everlasting Life?
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Breath
The Greek word pneuma (as in pneumonia, a breathing illness) means breath or wind – the movement of air. In other Bibles, this word is often translated as spirit or ghost – as in Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost. However, spirit is just a shortened form of the Latin word spiritu, which (again) means breath. And ghost conveys another meaning altogether.
The most common use of the word pneuma in the Bible is to imply an unseen force (such as breath or wind). And the problem with translating it as spirit or ghost is that many people have started believing that the unseen force that is called [God’s] Holy Breath herein, is another God-like person and part of a Divine Trinity. This can’t be true, because the only scripture that can be used to support this theory (that is, where the Father, the Son, and the Holy Breath are supposed to be ‘one’) is found at Matthew 28:19, which simply says that baptism should be done ‘in the name of’ (or, in recognition of) these three, and there is good reason to believe that even these are spurious and added in the Third Century C.E. And all other scriptures that are used to prove the Trinity theory fail to mention the Holy Breath as part of that group. Notice that the King James wording of 1 John 5:7 (which was used for years to attempt to prove the Trinity) is definitely spurious (something that was added to the Bible).
So to prevent confusion, the Greek word pneuma is usually translated as breath here. The only exceptions would be in instances where the Bible refers to demons as ‘spirits,’ for translating pneuma as breath in these cases, although correct, might just be confusing. And there are also instances where we have used the word spirit to indicate a person’s inward inclinations or feelings.
Another important use of the word pneuma is in the phrase ‘Breath of Life.’ This means more than just breathing, it refers to the entire mechanics of life itself. It’s the unseen force of life that is shared by all living things… it’s the thing that makes each cell alive. However, nowhere does the Bible describe the ‘pneuma’ as immortal, nor is it the same as the soul (a breathing thing), so it can (figuratively) ‘return to God’ at death,’ because all hope of future life depends on God and His promise of a resurrection.
It is interesting that at Genesis 6:4 God says, ‘I won’t allow them to keep My Breath (which allows them to flesh) throughout the [rest of] the age.’ In Greek that reads, ‘Ou me katameine to pneuma mou en tois anthropois toutoiseis ton aiona, dia ai einai autous sarka.’
While the words Breath Mine (pneuma mou) here can refer to God’s Holy Breath, it seems more likely that He is referring to the breath of life that he gave Adam. So, it appears that what He was saying here is that the breath of life (of the people of that age) would be removed prematurely. However, since God referred to it as ‘My Breath,’ there may be a link implied between God’s Holy Breath and the breath of life.
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Jehovah
Although there are no existing ancient Christian Era Scripture (New Testament) manuscripts that contain the full name Jehovah, there are four reasons why we (and other Bible scholars and translators) believe that it existed in the original text. They are:
1. The Name is found in many of the Hebrew Scripture texts that are quoted by Jesus and his disciples
2. Jesus
mentioned God’s having a Name in ‘The Lord’s Prayer,’ and at John
3. The Name still appears in a combined form in Revelation where the word hallelujah is used (Hallel means praise, u implies second person, and Jah is a shortened form of Jehovah.)
4. The
fact that Christians who lived in
That the Name Jehovah (which means, He who Causes to Be, or, The Creator) was originally in the Bible, is documented in all ancient Hebrew texts. And it is most likely that the Septuagint translation which Jesus and his Apostles used (most quotations they gave seem to have come from an ancient Septuagint) carried that Name, but probably in the four Hebrew characters that represent the English consonants YHWH.
Notice this comment by Robert Hanhart, who contributed the Introduction to ‘The Septuagint as Christian Scripture.’ He stated therein that, ‘All Greek biblical texts of Jewish origin found to date, whether from pre-Christian or Christian times, transmit the name יהוה Jehovah not in the form κύριος [Lord] encountered in all the LXX [Septuagint] manuscripts of Christian origin, but in some form of the Tetragrammaton.’ (See: ‘The Septuagint as Christian Scripture,’ 2002, book, p.7, by Martin Hengel. Introduction by Robert Hanhart, published by Baker Academic. ISBN 0-8010-2790-X).
You will see how in the book of Isaiah, for example, God is often referred to in Greek as Kyrios ho Kyrios, or, Lord the Lord (see Isaiah 48:16 LXX). And these are obvious examples of texts where God’s Name was omitted, for such sentences should clearly read Jehovah the Lord, or Lord Jehovah.
Since the words God and Lord both seem to have been substituted in the text wherever God’s Name originally appeared, it is difficult to know where to reinsert the Name in place of the titles. We could refer to the Hebrew texts and insert it wherever the Name appears there, but that would be out of harmony with the purpose of presenting this translation of the Septuagint on its own merit. So, wherever the term the Lord appears in obvious reference to God, we have decided to insert the Name Jehovah.
The rule that other translators have adopted for inserting God’s Name is to simply use it wherever the Tetragrammaton (יהוה) appears in the oldest existing Hebrew texts (which aren’t that old). However, it can be proven that these texts and such insertions are unreliable. For example, there is the instance when Abraham was talking to three ‘men,’ one of whom he referred to as the Lord (יהוה). In this case, Abraham was obviously speaking to a messenger from God (likely His representative, Michael), because, as God told Moses, ‘No man can see God and live.’ So, in such instances we have left the term ‘Lord’ unchanged, because that is likely the actual word Abraham used.
Also, in the writings of many of the Prophets, you will notice that they were often spoken to by God’s messengers, who they referred to as the Lord. And these messengers (angels) thereafter went on to give them messages from Jehovah. For example, notice the wording of Jeremiah 2:1 as an example: ‘Then the word of the Lord came to me saying, Go and yell in the ears of Jerusalem! Tell them that Jehovah says …’ So, in this Bible you’ll see an interspersing of the term the Lord, when referring to the angel messenger, and Jehovah, when referring to God.
Probably the most striking and confusing reference to the Lord is found at Hebrews 1:10-12, which says: ‘Long ago, O Lord, you laid the foundation of the earth, and you made the heavens with your hands. But they’ll pass away while you still remain. For like clothes they will grow old. Then, as [you would do to] a robe, you will wrap them up and repair them. Yes, you’re the one and your years will never expire.’
As you can see, the reference to the Lord here appears to be speaking of God (Jehovah). And if you go back to the scripture Paul was quoting (Psalm 102:25-27), you’ll see that it appears to be speaking of Jehovah there also from the context of the surrounding verses, and because the Tetragrammaton (יהוה) appears there in both the ancient Hebrew and Greek texts. Yet, the entire First Chapter of Hebrews is discussing Jesus and his special position before God. And Paul is clearly quoting Psalm 102:25-27 to make the point that Jesus made the heavens and the earth, that he will remain through the ages, and that he will eventually rebuild (repair) them after they grow old.
So, either Paul misapplied this scripture, which seems unlikely, or both Hebrew and Greek versions of Psalm 102 have been badly corrupted through the years, which our research proves is possible. As the result (because the answers are unclear), we have deviated from our rule of capitalizing the first letter of the words You and Your in many places in Psalm 102 and Hebrews 1, and from inserting the Name Jehovah where its use may be in doubt. However, this opens another can of worms, for it brings into question major portions of the Hebrew text and the use of the Tetragrammaton rule altogether.
It has also been suggested that since Jesus ‘shines with the same glory, is the exact image of His (God’s) being, and is responsible for everything that’s said through His power,’ as we were told at Hebrews 1:3, anything that is said about God also applies to Jesus.
Of course, the easy answer to why Paul used Psalm 102 in reference to Jesus, is because Jesus is actually Jehovah, as many theologians claim. But this is proven untrue by the other words in the same First Chapter of Hebrews. For notice the following verses:
-
Hebrews 1:3 ‘He sat down at the right hand of the Great One in the highest places.’
-
Hebrews 1:4 ‘He has become so much greater than the [other] messengers [of God] and so different, that he has inherited a [special] name among them.’
-
Hebrews 1:5 ‘For example, to which of His [other] messengers did He ever say, You’re my son. Today I’ve become your Father. Or, I will become his Father and he will become My son.’
-
Hebrews 1:9 ‘You loved righteousness and hated wickedness. That’s why God (your God) anointed you with the oil of great joy among those who are your partners.’
-
Hebrews 1:13 ‘And to which one of His messengers did He ever say, Sit here on My right until I set your enemies as a stool for your feet?’
(For more information on this subject, please see the linked document Who Was Jesus?)
The word that is translated lord (gr. kyrios) is found throughout the Bible in Greek texts and is usually used as a term of respect for men, such as a king, governor, or homeowner… and it is also frequently translated as master. So, whenever you see the term master used in the Bible, recognize that it is translated from the same Greek word as lord. And as translators, it’s easy to see how inappropriate it is to always refer to God as ‘the Lord.’ This was something that was started by later Jewish copyists, and the custom was adopted in English Bibles in the Fifteenth Century. Yet, even then the translators showed where God’s name once appeared in the Hebrew text by capitalizing all the letters, as in LORD (see Exodus 6:1). And in the King James Bible, the name Jehovah still does appear in four texts (see Exodus 6:3).
Some have objected to putting the name Jehovah in the Greek
text, for they say that that use of the Name would have been offensive – and
might have resulted in stoning – if Jesus and his disciples had actually
spoken it. Yet, the Name had to be used when preaching to the Gentiles, or they
simply wouldn’t have known which Lord the disciples were talking about
(remember, they were polytheistic). And to call God the Lord when most
gods (and many men) were also called lord, would have been very confusing to
everyone that Jesus’ disciples preached to, both Jews and Gentiles. So, we
question whether the use of God’s Name was considered as offensive prior to
The reason why the Name was removed from later copies of the Ancient Scriptures of Israel was because Jewish Scribes had become so awed with God’s Name that they refused to write it or say it, so, they started substituting the term ‘the Lord’ (the Master) wherever His Name was found. And since all existing versions of the Septuagint come from the Second Century or later, it isn’t surprising that God’s Name has been omitted from such modern texts. The fact that the name Jehovah was once there is well substantiated from ancient Bible manuscripts, both Hebrew and Greek. In fact, a verse in the Jewish Talmud claims that Jesus received his miraculous powers because he had sewn the Holy Name (Jehovah) into his skin, which indicates both their (his enemy’s) recognition of Jesus’ miraculous powers and the common view of God’s Name.
What about the Christian Era Scriptures? Recognize the fact
that most early Christian Congregations (especially the one in
Perhaps Christians would more deeply appreciate the need to use the name Jehovah, rather than the title ‘Lord,’ when referring to God, if they understood that the term ‘the Lord’ in the language of the Canaanites was ‘Baal’ or ‘Beel.’ And the same term in modern-day Arabic is ‘Allah.’
Then, what of those who prefer a more exact Hebrew pronunciation of the Name (which is Yahweh, Yahwah, or Yehwah)? That is commendable if their reasons are consistent. For, if their concern is to properly pronounce Bible names (not a hatred for God’s name as it is pronounced in English), then they will also be found promoting the proper Hebrew pronunciation of His son’s name, Ieshuah, or Iehoshuah… or at least the proper pronunciation of his name in Greek, Iesous.
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