[The English and common European representation, since the 16th c., of the Hebrew divine name [Hebrew]. This word (the ‘sacred tetragrammaton’) having come to be considered by the Jews too sacred for utterance, was pointed in the O.T. by the Masoretes, [Hebrew], with the vowels ’ (=ă), ō, ā, of [Hebrew] (ădōnāi), as a direction to the reader to substitute ADONAI for the ‘ineffable name’; which is actually done by Jerome in the Vulgate translation of Exodus vi. 3, and hence by Wyclif. Students of Hebrew at the Revival of Letters took these vowels as those of the word [Hebrew] (IHUH, JHVH) itself, which was accordingly transliterated in Latin spelling as IeHoVa(H), i.e., Iehoua(h. It is now held that the original name was IaHUe(H), i.e., Jahve(h, or with the English values of the letters, Yahwe(h, and one or other of these forms is now generally used by writers upon the religion of the Hebrews. The word has generally been understood to be a derivative of the verb [Hebrew] hāwāh to be, to exist, as if ‘he that is,’ ‘the self-existent,’ or ‘the one ever coming into manifestation’; this origin is now disputed, but no conjectured derivation which has been substituted has found general acceptance.
The following is cited as the first use of the form Iehoua (Jehova):—
1516. P. Galatinus, De Arcanis Cath. Veritatis, II. lf. xlviij, Non enim hę quatuor literę [Hebrew] si, ut punctatę sunt, legantur, Ioua reddunt: sed (ut ipse optime nosti) Iehoua efficiunt.]
The principal and personal name of God in the Old Testament; in English versions usually represented by ‘the LORD.’ Hence in modern Christian use, = God, the Almighty.
1530. Tindale, Exod. vi. 3. I appeared vnto Abraham Isaac and Iacob an allmightie God: but in my name Iehouah [Wyclif Adonay] was I not knowne vnto them.
1539. Bible (Great), Ps. lxxxiii. 18. They shall know that thou (whose name is Iehoua) art only the most hyest ouer all the earth.
1600. Heywood, Edw. IV., Author to Bk. 24. If then the world a theater present … In which Iehove does as spectator sit.
1667. Milton, P. L., VII. 602. Great are thy works, Jehovah, infinite Thy power.
1738. Pope, Universal Prayer, 4. Father of All! in ev’ry Age, In ev’ry Clime ador’d, By Saint, by Savage, and by Sage, Jehovah, Jove, or Lord!
1821. Byron, Cain, I. i. All hail! Jehovah, with returning light, all hail!
1860. Pusey, Min. Proph., 77. It is better to own ignorance, how this Name of God is pronounced, than to use the name Jehovah, which is certainly wrong, or any other, which can only be conjectural.
β. Examples of recent forms of the word.
1869. J. E. Carpenter, trans. Ewald’s Hist. Israel, II. 130. Jahveh alone was the true defence.
1892. Montefiore, Hibbert Lect., 45. Yahveh, to the Israelite, was emphatically the God of Right.
1899. R. H. Charles, Eschatol., Heb., Jew & Chr., 8. As the natural God, Yahwè was the invisible Head of the nation.
Hence † Jehovian, Jehovic adjs., of or pertaining to Jehovah. † Jehovism, the relation of Jehovah to his people and church.
1822. C. Wells, Stories after Nature (1891), 218. His inveteracy of purpose was in its depth Satanic, as a saint’s is Jehovian.
1872. D. Brown, Life John Duncan, xi. 228. On this Jehovism Mr. Duncan would at times wax grand.
1884. G. F. Pentecost, Out of Egypt, iii. 46. As He announced the unspeakable Jehovic name, he at the same time interpreted it.
