Erin Ropelato

Jehovah and LORD: 3 Essential things to understand these Names of Christ

I have heard family, friends, and church members comment that it is so hard to find Jehovah (the pre-mortal name of Jesus Christ–the name of Jesus before He was born as a tiny baby) in the Old Testament.

The name Jehovah is only found seven times in the KJV, and that is being generous because three times Jehovah was used with other words to name a place (ex. Jehovah-jireh in Genesis 22:14).

“The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles’ says,

“He was the Great Jehovah of the Old Testament”.

How can Jesus be the Great Jehovah of the Old Testament" if Jehovah is only mentioned seven times in 23,145 verses?

That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.

Psalm 83:18

So how do we find Jehovah, the premortal Christ, in the Old Testament?

The name LORD is really the name Jehovah: In ancient times, the Jews decided not to use the real name of Jehovah, out of respect and reverence for Him. Instead, they used the word “Lord’ (in Hebrew Lord is Adonai). To keep the name Jehovah holy, they used Lord whenever they said His name as they talked about Him or read out loud His name in scripture. In the King James Version of the Old Testament, the name of Jehovah is written LORD. So, whenever you see LORD, you can really replace it with the name Jehovah. To learn more, you can find a great definition and explanation of the name Jehovah in the Bible Dictionary.
Jehovah operated under the direction of Heavenly Father: Jehovah worked directly with the children of Israel under the guidance of God. Jehovah was able to act in the name of Heavenly Father and perform the work He was asked to do.
Jehovah also translates to “I Am”: Jehovah comes from the word hayah in Hebrew. Hayah is defined as “to be” or “to exist”. Jehovah also means “I Am” which means that He is past, present, and future and that He never changes. James E. Talmage in “Jesus The Christ” referencing the name Jehovah wrote, “The central fact connoted by this name, I Am, or Jehovah, the two having essentially the same meaning, is that of existence or duration that shall have no end, and which, judged by all human standards of reckoning, could have had no beginning; the name is related to such other titles as Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

“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

The Guide to the Scriptures, in the Gospel Library App defines Jehovah as “the covenant or proper name of the God of Israel. It denotes ‘the eternal I AM’”.

Did you know that LORD, a name of Christ, appears in the King James Version (KJV) of the Old Testament over 5000 times? That is a lot! So Jehovah is really spoken of, by name, all over the Old Testament.

There is a great article in the June 2002 Ensign magazine, “LORD=Jehovah” by Keith H. Meservy that is very informative. You can check it out here.

Jehovah is LORD in the Old Testament

Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.

Isaiah 12:2

Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord JEHOVAH is everlasting strength.

Isaiah 26:4

{DISCLAIMER:} Affiliate Links may be used in this post of which I may receive a small commission. The price does not change for you. I only recommend products and tools I use or would use myself.

Resources

“Keeping Christ in Easter: Jehovah” blog post
“Names of Christ Christmas Advent: Jehovah” blog post
“8 Names of Christ LDS Devotionals“
“8 Names of Christ Bible Devotionals“

“Redeemer” by David Butler with one whole chapter devoted to the name Jehovah (Affiliate Link)
“Witness for His Names” by Jeffrey R. Holland (Affiliate Link)

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Erin Ropelato

Jehovah and LORD: 3 Essential things to understand these Names of Christ