Jehovah

Whenever the words Lord or God (caps) appear in the AV, they represent Jehovah in the Hebrew original. It is a major OT name for Christ, used nearly 7,000 times, Isa. 6:1-12; John 12:37-41, revealing His redemptive character, grace and faithfulness.

The key to the meaning of this remarkable name is found in Ex. 3:14, where the Lord revealed Himself to Moses as the I AM, by using the root of the Hebrew Jehovah. In this apparently incomplete expression, He may be said to have given His people a blank check on which to write in their own needs as they prayed.

The Jews revered the word Jehovah so much that when Christ stood before them and identified Himself as the I AM of the OT, they sought to stone Him for blasphemy, John 8:24, 58, 59. When He took that same name on His lips in Gethsemane, some display of His glory caused His enemies to fall to the ground, John 18:5, 6.

Christ also filled in the blank seven times. He said, “I am the good shepherd,” John 10:11, who meets the needs of all who want His care. The other examples are found in John 6:35; 8:12; 10:9; 11:25; 14:6; 15:1. These NT illustrations of the full meaning of Jehovah illuminate His promise, “Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, He will give it you,” John 16:23.

William Evans, The Great Doctrines of the Bible, (Chicago: Bible Institute Colportage Assoc., 1912), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, Under: “Jehovah”.

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