Jehovah

Jehovah is a name used by some religious groups for the God of Israel, especially within certain Christian denominations and among Jehovah's Witnesses. It is a Latinized rendering based on the Hebrew Tetragrammaton YHWH.

The form arises from combining the consonants YHWH with the vowels of Adonai, a practice by Jewish scribes to indicate that the divine name should not be spoken aloud. In English and many languages, this led to spellings such as Jehovah or Iehova; the exact vocalization in ancient Hebrew is uncertain. Modern biblical scholarship commonly renders the personal name as Yahweh.

In Judaism, the divine name is treated as sacred and is not spoken aloud; readers substitute Adonai or Hashem. In Christianity, usage has varied: some Bible translations include Jehovah, while others replace the name with Lord or render it as Yahweh in scholarly renderings. The majority of mainstream English Bibles do not print the personal name in the text, using a substituted form instead.

Jehovah's Witnesses place special emphasis on the name, using Jehovah in their translations (notably in the New World Translation) and teaching that the divine name identifies God’s personal identity. Other religious groups differ on how to render or pronounce the name.

In sum, Jehovah denotes the traditional personal name of the God of Israel in certain religious contexts. Its transcription, pronunciation, and doctrinal significance have varied across history and communities.