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Sacred Name Bible Translations in English: A Fast-Growing Phenomenon

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 BT Vol. 62, No. 3: 185-194

Sacred Name Bible Translations in English:

A Fast-Growing Phenomenon
Peter Unseth
pete_unseth@gial.edu
The author is a member of SIL and is currently on the faculty of the Graduate Institute of
Applied Linguistics, Dallas, Texas, U.S.A.

Distinctive theological convictions regarding the divine names

Since 1960, over a dozen translations of the Bible have been produced in English
with the explicit goal of restoring the original Hebrew forms of the divine names,
consistently using forms such as “Yahweh” and “Yeshua” in both the Old and New
Testaments (in contrast to ASV’s use of “Jehovah” in the Old Testament alone).1
However, Bible translation scholars have paid no attention to these translations
in any of the books on English Bible translations (e.g., Daniell and Dewey2).
I have found only one published discussion3 of these translations in literature
that was not produced by writers in the Sacred Name Movement, though there
are many websites that discuss them, positively and negatively. This article will
briefly introduce readers to this group of Bible translations, explain some of the
motivations for such translations, give a list of these Sacred Name Bibles (SNBs),
and compare the variety of results from such similar guiding principles. This article
does not review the extensive literature on translating the names of God, but is
focused on this one specific approach for handling God’s names.
These SNBs are of interest to the broader Bible translation community for
at least two reasons. First, they represent the full implementation of a distinct
approach to Bible translation, worth studying closely to sharpen our thinking.
Secondly, Bible translators around the world are more and more likely to come
across somebody who has a copy of an SNB and is promoting this approach, so
prior knowledge of the approach is helpful.
SNB translations have been done by people with a very strong commitment
to conveying the sacred names in forms that are as phonetically similar as possible

1 This paper focuses on Sacred Name Bibles in English, translations that consistently use Hebraic
forms of God’s name in both Old and New Testaments, but I am aware of two such translations in other
languages: Chouraqui’s French La Bible (1985) and the Indonesian Kitab Suci (Daud Soesilo, “Translating
the Names of God: Recent Experience from Indonesia and Malaysia,” The Bible Translator 52.4 [2001]:
414-23 [416]).
2 David Daniell, The Bible in English (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2003); and David Dewey, A
User’s Guide to Bible Translations: Making the Most of Different Versions (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity
Press, 2004).
3 David Bivin, “The Fallacy of Sacred Name Bibles,” Jerusalem Perspective 4.6 (1991): 7, 12.

185

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to their forms in the Hebrew language. Not surprisingly, most of these translations
contain long introductions that argue the need for this approach to translation and
explain some of the reasons for their decisions. The translators are eager to correct
what they perceive to be “an immense failure on the part of present-day religious
leaders and their institutions, regardless of their claim to scriptural authority, to
adequately address the important doctrine of the sacred name.”4
The translators behind all these SNBs are motivated by the conviction that the
Tetragrammaton ‫( יהוה‬YHWH), and other divine names in the Bible, are commanded
to be known and used by all who worship, in all ages. One author from this school
of thought wrote, “The sacred name [Yahweh] is not a Hebrew or Jewish invention.
It is an eternal name, a name that existed before any human walked upon the face
of the earth—a name that shall continue for eternity.”5 They point to such verses
as “This is My name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all
generations” (Exod 3.15). They do not think that we are merely allowed to say
God’s name, but we are commanded to use it. Rather than using any substitutes,
such as “LORD,” they believe “not only does this substitution steal from the
richness and fullness of the original languages, but probably directly breaks the
third commandment.”6
The various SNBs differ in a variety of ways, but this article tries to describe the
exegetical convictions and translation techniques that they have in common. When
describing a movement, the best that we can hope for are broad characterizations,
not minute details shared by all.
Some of these translations limit their scope to giving Hebrew forms for a very
few words; others apply their principles to a wider variety of terms. The one word
that all focus on is the name spelled with four Hebrew letters ‫( יהוה‬YHWH), often
called the “Tetragrammaton.” These translations do not agree with each other on
how to write it, their renditions of it including “YHVH,” “YHWH,” “Yahweh,”
“YAHVAH,” and even ‫ יהוה‬in Hebrew script and hwhY in Paleo-Hebrew script.
In these SNBs, other words that are frequently converted into spellings that
try to mimic Hebrew pronunciations include God (θεος), Jesus (Ιησους), Christ
(Χριστος). Again, there is not unanimity in spelling. For example, various SNBs
spell Jesus as “Yeshua,” “Yahshua” (also upper case “YAHSHUA”), “Yahushua,”
‫ יהושע‬in Hebrew script, and o[vwHY in Paleo-Hebrew script. Some of the
translations also spell Hebrew-derived names in ways that reflect this, e.g.,
“MattithYahu” for Matthew (Besorah) and “Yehudah” for Judas (The Scriptures).
The cover of one translation even mixes scripts in the name “Matthew,” MATITwHY
(Book of Matityahu: Palaeo Name Version). Also, some use Hebrew-based

4 The Sacred Name YHWH: A Scriptural Study, (3rd ed.; Garden Grove, CA: Qadesh La Yahweh Press,
2002), 257. Available on the Web: http://www.yahweh.org/PDF_index1.html /.
5 The Sacred Name YHWH, 256.
6 Preface to Word of Yahweh, vii.

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 Sacred Name Bible Translations in English 187

“Sha’ul” (or “Saul”) throughout Acts and in the Epistles instead of Greek-based
“Paul” (e.g., The Scriptures).7
In some SNBs, names of some books of the Bible are also spelled in Hebrew-
based ways, e.g., “Bereshith” for Genesis (The Scriptures, The Book of Yahweh,
The Besorah). Also, some arrange the OT books in the traditional Jewish order
(The Scriptures, The Besorah). Place names in Palestine are frequently spelled in
ways that more closely reflect a Hebrew pronunciation, e.g., “Yerushalayim” for
“Jerusalem.”
The translators of these versions generally believe that “The original language
of the ‘New Testament’ . . . was Hebrew and Aramaic,”8 rather than Greek. The
present Greek text of the New Testament is seen, then, as a translation and as
flawed in not having preserved the Hebraic forms of names, particularly sacred
names. Therefore, they believe it appropriate to insert/restore Semitic-based names
in their translations of the New Testament. They believe that use of Hebrew-based
sacred names are for all people, not just Jews, and for all time.9 This belief leads
them to require Hebrew-based forms for divine names in the New Testament, as
well as the Old Testament.
Many scholars debate the exact original pronunciation of the Tetragrammaton.
Josephus (Jewish War 5.235) wrote “the sacred name: it consists of four vowels.”
The Samaritans of the fourth century A.D. (sharing the same Torah, but following
a different tradition regarding speaking the Tetragrammaton) were reported by
Theodoret of Cyrus as pronouncing it in a Semitic way, which he symbolized as
Іαβε.10 However, we cannot know the exact phonetic values he tried to symbolize
with these letters. A few Septuagint (LXX) manuscripts contain a spelling of
the Tetragrammaton in Greek letters, but these spell it differently: ΙAΩ (e.g.,
4QpapLXXLevb 20 4). Many scholars generally believe it was pronounced in
a way approximated by the spelling “Yahweh” (using English values for these
letters). The one thing that all scholars agree on is that the Tetragrammaton was
not pronounced as an English reader would pronounce “Jehovah.”
Translators of SNBs have taken two basic approaches to this issue. Some
have simply written the Tetragrammaton in Semitic letters (Paleo-Hebrew or later
shapes), thereby being graphically “accurate,” but leaving pronunciation to the
reader.11 Others have chosen to spell it with Roman letters in a variety of ways,
including “Yahweh,” “Yah Veh,” “YAHVAH,” and the phonetically unspecific
“YHWH.”

7 This practice hides a distinction that was made in the Greek text. Since these translators view the
Greek text as a flawed translation, they do not see their work as obscuring a point that was originally intended
and inspired.
8 Hebraic Roots Version, xvii; similarly The Scriptures, xvi, and Word of Yahweh, viii.
9 The Sacred Name YHWH, 89ff.
10 Robert C. Hill, ed., Theodoret of Cyrus: The Questions on the Octateuch, Volume 1 On Genesis
and Exodus (Library of Early Christianity; Washington, D. C.: Catholic University of America Press, 2007),
251.
11 For example, “We decided to avoid controversy over the precise pronunciation and to render it in
Hebrew characters” (The Scriptures, xii).

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Other theological distinctives of the Sacred Name Movement

Those who produce and use Sacred Name Bibles are not theologically uniform,
but there are several theological distinctives that frequently reoccur. They are
united in their belief in the vital importance of using Hebraic forms of sacred
names. Additionally, most of them observe a seventh-day Sabbath and the Feast
of Tabernacles, celebrate the new moon, and do not eat pork. Some stress the
exact form of sacred names so much as to say that those “who worship JEHOVAH
and JESUS or whatever you choose to call him, they will have the Mark of the
Beast.”12 Also, “We find salvation in only one name: the sacred name Yahweh. It
is not found by uttering the name ‘Jesus Christ’ or even its original Hebrew form
‘Yahushua ha-messiah.’ ”13 Many of their websites claim that the name “Jesus” is
derived from the name for the god “Zeus” and “Christ” is from “Krishna,” but
without credible evidence or scholarly support.
Previous translation practice
Since the Babylonian exile, fearing that they might take God’s name in vain, Jews
were taught to refrain from pronouncing the name represented by the
Tetragrammaton. Instead, they customarily substituted the words Adonai (Lord)
or HaShem (The Name) when reading ‫( יהוה‬YHWH). Some scholars believe Jesus
observed this custom only when reading Scripture.11 However, those who have
produced SNBs disagree, some even claiming that Jesus was crucified because he
pronounced the name.11
The LXX, following the Jewish practice of not pronouncing the Tetragrammaton,
translated it with the Greek κυριος (Lord). This practice of translating (rather than
transliterating) the Tetragrammaton was continued by later translations, such as
the Ethiopic (Ge’ez), Latin Vulgate, and Luther’s German Bible.
The practice of avoiding pronouncing the Tetragrammaton was continued by
English Bible translators, following the same basic method as used in the LXX.
They generally wrote “Lord” (often “LORD” with all capital letters), to indicate that
it represented the Tetragrammaton (e.g., KJV, RSV, NLT, Lamsa, Confraternity,
NEB, TNIV). This pattern has been continued by most Jewish translators (e.g., the
Jewish Publication Society’s translations of 1917 and 1985). Fox uses “YHWH” in
his multi-volume project in progress, The Schocken Bible. Interestingly, Kaplan’s
Living Torah reversed the traditional use of “God” and “Lord,” using “God” for
the Tetragrammaton and “Lord” for Elohim.
A few older English Bible translations are noted for their early diversion from
this traditional practice of translating the Tetragrammaton with “LORD.”16 Darby’s
translation (1890), ASV (1901), the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ New World Translation

12 Letter in The Midnight Call, Feb. 2008: 48.

13 The Sacred Name YHWH, 257.
14 Ray Pritz, “The Divine Name in the Hebrew New Testament,” Jerusalem Perspective 4.2 (1991):
10-12.
15 The Sacred Name YHWH, 256.
16 A few obscure early translations also used a Semitic-based form of the Tetragrammaton, but they
have made no impact.

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 Sacred Name Bible Translations in English 189

(1961), and The Bible in Living English17 (1972) all use “Jehovah” throughout the
Old Testament, while JB (1966) similarly uses “Yahweh” in the Old Testament.
The Berkeley translation (1959) used “Yahweh” four times in the Old Testament.
However, this trend to use “Yahweh” has met some resistance: In August 2008
the Vatican directed “bishops to remove ‘Yahweh’ from songs and prayers,” and
some Protestants agree.18
An important distinctive of the SNBs is that unlike the translations just
listed, the SNB translators consistently19 use a Hebrew-based spelling of the
Tetragrammaton in the New Testament also, not just in the Old Testament.
History and the sacred names
Discussions about whether Christians are bound to use Hebrew-based forms of
the sacred names are not new. Justin Martyr (second century) argued that YHWH
is not a personal name, writing of the “namelessness of God.”20 Origen (third
century) is reported to have retained a Hebrew form of the Tetragrammaton in his
Greek form of the Hebrew Scriptures (Hexapla), but only derived copies of his
work survive. Many others have wrestled with the question as to whether or not
the Tetragrammaton is a proper name, including such varied scholars as Eusebius,
Dionysius the Areopagite, St. Thomas Aquinas, and Moses Maimonides.
Sacred Name Bibles
SNBs generally trace their inspiration back to Joseph Rotherham, who asked in
the preface to his translation, The Emphasized Bible (1897), “Men’s names are
throughout the Scriptures fraught with significance, . . . why should the Name
of the Ever-Blessed be an exception to this rule?” Having said this, however, in
his translated text Rotherham did not significantly depart from earlier practice in
translating divine names.
The SNBs began to appear some decades later, beginning with Angelo Traina’s
Holy Name Bible in 1963. Some of these translations are largely derived from KJV
or ASV, substituting Hebraic forms of the divine names and little more. Others have
been original translations, done by consulting Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Syriac
manuscripts, giving more weight to the Aramaic and Syriac manuscripts of the New
Testament (as opposed to Greek manuscripts) than traditional translators.
In very direct contrast to the practice found in all previous English Bibles,
the translators of SNBs place a high value on consistently pronouncing the
Tetragrammaton in the Old Testament and the New Testament, seeing it as the
revealed, eternal, and proper name of God.
In the last 150 years, as Scripture has been translated into hundreds of
languages, most have used some local name for God, not trying to preserve a

17 Note that this is not Taylor’s Living Bible, but a translation by Stephen T. Byington.
18 “Barring ‘Yahweh,’ ” Christianity Today 52.10 (October 2008): 15.
19 The New World Translation uses “Jehovah” over 200 times in the New Testament, mostly in
quotations from the Old Testament, and does not otherwise use it consistently in the New Testament, where
it generally translated θεος as “God” and κυριος as “Lord.”
20 Justin Martyr, Hortatory Address, ch. 21.

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Hebrew name. Moomo21 and many others have argued that local names for God
should be used. In contrast to this practice, Daams22 has made a clear call for Bible
translators to transliterate YHWH, at least in some OT contexts. Wardlaw23 leans
toward Daams’s solution, arguing against using the names of local deities, but
allowing for the use of vernacular titles, e.g., “lord.”
Some examples of translations that have used transliterated forms of YHWH,
often something like “Jehovah” and generally in the Old Testament only, include
Kapingamarangi in the Solomon Islands,24 Ga, Ewe, Dagbani in Ghana,25 Assamese,
Hindi, Nepali,26 and Natqgu and Pijin in the Solomon Islands.27 Other examples
include translations into Korean, Portuguese, and Choctaw.28
The Indonesian translation Kitab Suci is noteworthy in that like the English
SNBs, it too was deliberately created to use Hebraic forms of sacred names by
taking an existing translation (Shellabear’s) and replacing the sacred names in both
the Old and New Testaments.29
Chouraqui’s French La Bible 30 uses a transliteration of YHWH in both the Old
Testament and the New Testament, using the French spelling “IHVH.” However, it
does compromise a bit, not using “IHVH” alone, but using it together with another
name for God: “IHVH-Adonaï” (see, e.g., Exod 3.14 and Matt 7.21).
There are some Jewish-friendly English translations that use “Yeshua” instead
of “Jesus” in the New Testament, such as The Jewish New Testament, The Living
Scriptures, and the Web-based World English Bible: Messianic Edition. However,
unlike the SNBs, these translations follow traditional English practice in translating
the Tetragrammaton and κυριος with “Lord.”
None of the SNBs are published by well-established publishers. Instead, most
are published by the same group that produced the translation. Some are available
for download on the Web. Several of the translations do not identify any translator
by name. A list of SNBs is given below, according to name and source:
— Holy Name Bible, Angelo Traina, Scripture Research Association, 1963.
— Restoration of Original Sacred Name Bible (ROSNB), Missionary Dispensary Bible
Research, 1st ed. 1976, 5th ed. 1977.
— The Sacred Scriptures, Bethel Edition, Assemblies of Yahweh, Bethel, PA, 1981.

21 David Moomo, “Translating YHWH into African languages,” Scriptura 88 (2005): 151-60.
22 Nico Daams, “Translating YHWH,” Journal of Translation 1.1 (2005): 47-55.
23 Terrance Wardlaw, Conceptualizing Words for God within the Pentateuch (Library of Hebrew Bible/
Old Testament Studies 495; New York: T&T Clark, 2008), 163.
24 Daams, “Translating YHWH,” 51.
25 John David Ekem, “The Rendering of the Divine Name YHWH in Some Ghanaian Bible Translation
Projects,” The Bible Translator 56.2 (2005): 71-76 (74).
26 Benjamin Rai, “What Is His Name? Translation of Divine Names in Some Major North Indian
Languages,” The Bible Translator 43.4 (1992): 443-46.
27 Brenda Boerger, personal communication, 2009.
28 Helmut Rosin, The Lord Is God: The Translation of the Divine Names and the Missionary Calling
of the Church (Amsterdam: Netherlands Bible Society, 1956), 97ff.
29 Soesilo, “Translating the Names of God,” 416. I want to thank Michael Martens for telling me
about Kitab Suci.
30 André Chouraqui, La Bible (Paris: Descleé de Brouwer, 1985), http://nachouraqui.tripod.com/id83.
htm. Thanks to Roger Omanson for telling me about Chouraqui’s translation.

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 Sacred Name Bible Translations in English 191

— Ebionite (portions), 1985, 1986. http://ebionite.org.

— The Scriptures, Institute for Scripture Research, South Africa, 2d ed. 1998.
— Restored Name King James Version, 1998. http://www.eliyah.com/Scripture/.
— Zikarown Say’fer (a.k.a. Sacred Scriptures, Family of Yah Edition), James Meyer,
2000. http://www.wordofyah.org/scriptures/.
— The Word of Yahweh, Assembly of Yahweh, 2d ed. 2003.
— Restoration Scriptures True Name Edition, Moshe Yoseph Koniuchowsky, 2003;
3d ed., 2006.
— Hebraic-Roots Version, James Trimm, Institute for Scripture Research, 2004.
— Sacred Name King James Bible, by John Hurt, 2005.
— THE HEBREW BIBLE: The Old Testament, KJV, Holy Name & Divine Titles
Edition, 2006. http://www.israelect.com.
— Natural Israelite Bible, English Version (NIBEV), 2006. http://www.yahsheua.com/
natural_israelite_bible.htm.
— The Besorah,31 Pamela Stanford, Urchinsea Designs, 2008.
— Human Instruction Manual (HIM), Nazarite.net.
— Halleluyah Scriptures, Halleluyah Scriptures.com.
— exeGeses companion BIBLE, Herbert Jahn.
— Transparent English Bible: Underway, only small portion available.
— Paleo Name Version (portions only), Todd Effren. http://www.torahzone.net/.
— Aramaic English New Testament, Andrew Roth, Netzari Press.
The following chart shows what forms some SNBs have used to translate some
sacred names, based on Deut 6.4 and Mark 12.29.

Original ‫א להים‬ ‫יהוה‬ Ιησους θεος κυριος

(traditional) (God) (LORD) (Jesus) (God) (Lord)
Besorah Elohim hwhY o[vwHY Elohim hwhY
(Yahua and (Yahusha in
Yah in front front matter)
matter)
The Scriptures Elohim ‫יהוה‬ ‫יהושע‬ Elohim ‫יהוה‬
ROSNB Elohim YAHVAH YAHSHUA Elohim YAHVAH
Word of Elohim Yahweh Yahshua Elohim Yahweh
­Yahweh
Sacred Name ELOHIYM YHVH YAHSHUA ELOHIYM YHVH
KJV
NIBEV God Yahweh Yah’shua God Yahweh
exeGeses Elohim Yah Veh Yah Shua Elohim Yah Veh
companion
BIBLE

33 Intriguingly, The Besorah (2008, from Florida, U.S.A.) appears to be identical to The Scriptures
(2d ed. 1998, from Northriding, South Africa) except that it uses Paleo-Hebrew script instead of the later
Hebrew script for divine names, i.e., hwhY for ‫יהוה‬, and also some bolded print. Publicity literature for The
Besorah speaks of “the Natsarim Translation Project” and the “Natsarim translators,” but it is not clear what
is meant.

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At least five have printed the sacred names in a Semitic script, inserting these
in the middle of English text (e.g., “Now after that John was put in prison, ‫יהושע‬
came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of ‫ ”יהוה‬Mark 1.14,
Restored Name King James Version).
Analysis of translation principles
SNB translators believe that divine names must always be in Hebrew form, so
they assume that the few LXX manuscripts that indicate Hebrew pronunciations
(whether they use Hebrew or Greek script) are older and more reliable than those
that do not. However, Pietersma32 and Rösel33 have presented cogent evidence that
manuscripts that used Hebrew letter forms were later copies. The SNB translators
also believe the New Testament was originally written in Aramaic and that the
Greek manuscripts are translations, corrupted in their translations of divine names.
In this they differ from almost all other Bible translators, who view the Greek New
Testament as the authoritative text of the New Testament. In contrast, the SNB
translators see it as an inadequate reflection of what the Semitic original must have
contained and strive to correct it in a number of ways.
SNBs have done a better job than most English translations when translating
the quotation of Ps 110.1 found in Mark 12.36. Most English translations word it in
such a way that it is not clear that two separate referents are indicated in the Hebrew
original, translating it as “The Lord said to my Lord” (KJV, ASV, RSV, NASB,
GNB, NIV, REB). However, since SNBs resort to the MT form of the quotation
rather than the LXX form, and automatically use a different form for representing
the Tetragrammaton, the first of the two nouns in the MT, they produce clearer
results, e.g., “Yahweh said to my sovereign” (Word of Yahweh) or “YAHVAH hath
said unto my Master” (Restoration of the Original Sacred Name Bible).34
Another context in which the translation principles of SNBs may lead to a
surprising solution is verses containing both the Greek form Χριστοs and the
Semitic-derived form Μεσσιας (John 1.41 and 4.25). The Samaritan woman
uses both: ὁτι Μεσσιας ἐρχεται ὁ λεγομενος Χριστος. Word of Yahweh uses
“Anointed” where the Greek has Μεσσιας, while using “Messiah” where the Greek
has Χριστος: “I know that the Anointed cometh, which is called the Messiah.”
(NIBEV is similar.)
Some of the SNBs have gone farther than others in substituting Hebrew forms
in the New Testament. Instead of limiting their substitution to a restricted set of
words (such as κυριος, θεος, Μεσσιας, Ιησους, and some proper names of people
and places), they have used Hebrew-based forms where the NT Greek text uses
forms that are reminiscent of the LXX. For example, in Rev 21.22 the Greek text
is ὁ γαρ κυριος ὁ θεος ὁ παντοκρατωρ “the Lord God Almighty.” Word of

32 Albert Pietersma, “Kyrios or Tetragram: A Renewed Quest for the Original LXX,” in De Septuaginta:
Studies in Honour of John William Wevers (ed. Albert Pietersma and Claude Cox; Mississauga, Ontario:
Benben Publications, 1984), 85-101.
33 Martin Rösel, “The Reading and Translation of the Divine Name in the Masoretic Tradition and
the Greek Pentateuch,” Journal for the Study of the Old Testament 31.4 (2007): 411-28.
34 Chouraqui translated this in French with “Harangue de IHVH-Adonaï à mon Adôn.”

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 Sacred Name Bible Translations in English 193

Yahweh, for example, translates this as “Yahweh El Shaddai”; and The Scriptures,
as “‫ יהוה‬Ĕl Shaddai.” Halleluyah Scriptures uses Hebrew forms for a number of
words which were deemed to have special theological significance. On p. 3 of
Mattithyahu (Matthew), one finds “nebi'im” (prophets), “shamayim” (heaven),
“Ruaḥ ha'Qodesh” (Holy Spirit), “Bĕn” (son), “qodesh city” (holy city), and
“miqdash” (temple).
Another group of Bible translators has used Semitic-based forms for divine
names in the Old Testament, but for totally different motives. Guided by a desire
to remove masculine labels for God, The Inclusive Bible uses “Adonai” where
most other translations use “Lord” (see, for example, Ps 23.1 “Adonai, you are my
shepherd”). Clearly, the use of Hebraic forms of sacred names in this translation
is prompted by different motivations.
Exegetical choices we all face
There are at least three crucial points in deciding whether to follow the practices
of the SNBs. The first is how one interprets the Hebrew word ‫( שם‬shem “name”).
Those who produce Sacred Name Bibles interpret this consistently as referring to
the name by which to address or refer to someone. Others understand the word
more broadly, including such concepts as reputation, character, authority, and
identity. This latter group would understand the use of “name” in Isa 9.6 as
referring to more than simply labels: “His name will be called Wonderful
Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.”
There are many other passages where the LORD’s “name” refers to more than
the consonants (and vowels?) in ‫יהוה‬:
2 Chr 2.1 “a temple for the name of the LORD”
Ps 20.7 “We trust in the name of the LORD our God”
Ps 23.3 “in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake”
Ps 89.24 “in my name shall his horn be exalted”
Ps 102.15 “the nations will fear the name of the LORD”
Ps 135.1,3 “Bless the name of the LORD . . . sing to his name”
Prov 18.10 “the name of the LORD is a strong tower”
Mic 4.5 “We will walk in the name of the LORD”
Mic 5.4 “in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God”
Zeph 3.12 “they will take refuge in the name of the LORD”
Similarly, in the New Testament, when Jesus spoke of God’s “name” in John
17.26, “I have made your name known to them,” most interpret this as referring
to something more important than merely informing them about what name to call
God. Later we find Paul “preaching boldly in the name of the Lord” (Acts 9.28).
Certainly “name” here means something more than a personal label. Similarly, in
Ephesus, when “the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled” (Acts 19.17), people
were certainly not just extolling a name, but the person who bore the name. When
Paul wrote “do everything in the name of the Lord” (Col 3.17), he certainly meant
more than simply pronouncing the name as they did it.

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 194 the bible translator vol. 62, no. 3 (july 2011)

A second crucial point is one’s interpretation of the Greek New Testament’s

practices in writing divine names. Most who produce SNBs claim that the New
Testament was originally written in Aramaic or Hebrew,35 and they see these Greek
texts as corrupted translations that did not correctly represent the divine names.
Translators who do not follow this unique set of assumptions interpret the Greek
manuscripts’ replacement of Hebrew-based forms as a sign that the Hebrew forms
of divine names are not required. This is a vital point: If the NT writers did not
use Hebraic forms for divine names, but used Greek words for divine names, then
as we translate into other languages, we too are free to use local names instead of
transliterating Hebrew forms. It should be remembered that Greek θεος and κυριος
had earlier been used to refer to pagan deities, but were adopted and frequently
used by the NT writers. This is a point of major difference between the position
of SNB translators and most Bible translators today.
Related to this, though less crucial, is how one understands the LXX spelling
of the divine name. Generally, the LXX simply uses κυριος to represent the
Tetragrammaton. There are a very few LXX manuscripts that contain a form of
the Tetragrammaton that reflects the Hebrew original: in Paleo-Hebrew script
(hwhY), in Hebrew (‫)יהוה‬, or in Greek (ΙΑΩ). Those who promote SNBs believe
that the copies that use only Greek letters are either in error or believe that the
Greek form was still pronounced in the Hebrew manner. However, Pietersma33 and
Rösel33 have given evidence that those manuscripts that used Hebrew letter forms
were later copies.
The third crucial point that we must face is the question of the universal,
absolute necessity of using Hebrew forms for sacred names. Some from the Sacred
Name Movement clearly believe this is a necessity. “We find salvation in only one
name: the sacred name Yahweh. It is not found by uttering the name ‘Jesus Christ’
or even its original Hebrew form ‘Yahushua ha-messiah.’ ”38 Rosin, by contrast, says
“There is but one answer to the question, which proper name has to be proclaimed
by the Church: ‘Jesus Christ,’ the name of the Son of God is this name in which
God Himself is found and praised and glorified, to which all those who believe,
Jews and Gentiles, are bound, and beside which no other name may be proclaimed.
Not even the name Jehovah, not even the name Yahweh!”39 Rosin argues clearly for
using localized versions of divine names, not for preserving theological correctness
by phonetic purity.
Application
The basic goal of this article has been to introduce these SNBs to a broader
audience. Having examined the assumptions, claims, methods, and results of those
producing such translations, readers can decide if they think that translating in such
a way is a requirement, an option, or folly.
35 Hebraic-Roots Version, xvii.
36 Pietersma, “Kyrios or Tetragram.”
37 Rösel, “Translation of the Divine Name.”
38 The Sacred Name YHWH: A Scriptural Study, 257.
39 Rosin, The Lord is God, 91.

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