1. Yahweh and Yehovah are NOT the same thing

They come from two completely different historical processes.

• Yahweh = a scholarly reconstruction of how the divine name may have originally been pronounced in ancient Hebrew.

• Yehovah = a medieval hybrid created by combining the consonants of YHWH with the vowels of Adonai.

Only one of them is ancient. Only one of them is connected to the original Hebrew. Only one of them is linguistically plausible.

And it’s not Yehovah or Jehovah.

2. The Tetragrammaton = YHWH (no vowels)

The divine name in Scripture is written as:

YHWH

This is the tetragrammaton — which basically means, "four‑letter name.”

Ancient Hebrew did not write vowels, so the original pronunciation was not preserved.

This is why we have reconstructions like Yahweh and later inventions like Yehovah.

3. Why “Yehovah” is not original:

“Yehovah” (or “Jehovah”) comes from the Masoretic scribes in the Middle Ages.

They added vowel marks to the Hebrew Bible to preserve pronunciation. But for the divine name, they did something intentional:

• They kept the consonants YHWH

• They inserted the vowels of Adonai (“Lord”)

• This signaled to the reader: “Do NOT say God's name — say Adonai instead.”

This produced a hybrid reading cue:

Ye‑Ho‑VaH

It was never meant to be spoken aloud. It was never meant to be the name of God. It was never used in ancient Israel.

It is a medieval misunderstanding of a scribal tradition.

*Side note: In Hebrew, there is no "J" sound (like judge or jam). Every name in the Bible that we pronounce with a "J" in English is originally pronounced with a "Y" sound (the letter Yod / י).If you are looking at names like Jesus, Jordan, or Jacob, the original Hebrew sounds significantly different.

The Letter Yod (י) is the smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet. The Yod functions like the English letter Y. Jesus is actually Yeshua ($ישוע$). Jacob is actually Ya'akov ($יעקב$). Jordan is actually Yarden ($ירדן$). Jerusalem is actually Yerushalayim ($ירושלים$).

4. Why “Yahweh” is considered the most likely ancient pronunciation:

Most scholars agree that the original pronunciation was close to Yahweh because:

1. Early Greek transcriptions

Greek writers from the early centuries rendered the name as something like Iao, Iaoue, or Iabe — all pointing toward “Yahweh.”

2. Hebrew grammar

The structure of YHWH fits the pattern of a verb meaning “to be” — something like “He is / He causes to be.”

3. Shortened forms in Scripture

We have preserved forms like:

• Yah (Psalm 68:4)

• ‑yah endings in names (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Obadiah)

• ‑yahu endings in other names

These forms match Yahweh, not Yehovah.

4. No ancient evidence for “Yehovah”

There is zero evidence from these sources that anyone ever said “Yehovah.”

• ancient Hebrew

• the Dead Sea Scrolls

• early Jewish writings

• early Christian writings

• Greek translations

• Aramaic paraphrases

So which one is “correct”?

YHWH

The inspired, biblical form — the tetragrammaton.

(See Exodus 3:15 where we first see this used as God's name)

Yahweh

The most historically and linguistically likely pronunciation.

Yehovah

A medieval hybrid created accidentally by mixing:

• YHWH (the name)

• Adonai (the substitute title)

It is not the ancient name of God.

The Theological Takeaway:

This actually reinforces something profound:

God’s name is not a magic word.

Israel didn’t lose the pronunciation by accident. They stopped speaking it out of reverence.

God’s identity is not dependent on our ability to pronounce His name.

He revealed Himself through His actions, His covenant, His character.

The New Testament shifts the focus to Jesus.

Philippians 2 says the name above every name is now given to Christ.

The power is not in the syllables — the power is in the Person.