What Does Jehovah Mean — In Biblical Context
Jehovah is an English rendering of the Hebrew personal name of God (YHWH) — the self-existent 'I AM' revealed to Moses.
Jehovah is an English rendering of the Hebrew personal name of God (YHWH) — the self-existent 'I AM' revealed to Moses.
"And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them." — Exodus 6:3 (KJV)
The Biblical Context
Jehovah comes from the four Hebrew consonants YHWH (יהוה) — called the Tetragrammaton — combined with the vowel sounds of Adonai. When God spoke from the burning bush, Moses asked His name, and God answered, 'I AM THAT I AM.' This name proclaims God as eternally self-existent, unchanging, and dependent on no one. The Jews considered the name so holy they would not pronounce it aloud, substituting Adonai when reading Scripture. Most English translations follow this tradition by rendering YHWH as 'LORD' in small capitals. To know God as Jehovah is to know Him as the personal, covenant-keeping God who keeps every promise and is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Where It Sits in Scripture
The core passage for this question, Exodus 6:3, sits inside Exodus 6. To grasp the full meaning, read the surrounding paragraph — the verses before set up the thought, the verses after carry it forward.
"And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them."
Supporting Passages
"And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you."
"That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth."
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