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Writer's pictureEdward D. Andrews
Nov 128 min read

The False Belief That Jehovah Was Pointed with the Vowel Markings of Adonai?



The Background of Vowel Pointing and the Hebrew Text


The divine name JHVH (יהוה) appears 6,823 times in the Masoretic Text, the authoritative Hebrew text of the Old Testament. This includes 6,518 occurrences where the name is marked to be pronounced as יְהֹוָה (J’hõh-vãh) and 305 occurrences where it is marked to be pronounced as יֱהֹוִה (Jehõh-vih). The Masoretes, Levites tasked with preserving the Hebrew Scriptures, undertook the important task of pointing the text with vowel markers to ensure proper pronunciation. Yet, some scholars argue that these vowel markings were not original to the divine name but borrowed from the title Adonai (אֲדֹנָי), meaning “Lord,” to prevent the misuse of the name of God.


Scholars who prefer the pronunciation “Yahweh” generally argue that the Masoretic vowel points do not reflect the true original pronunciation of JHVH. Instead, they claim the points were added deliberately to indicate that Adonai should be read in place of JHVH when the text was publicly read. As a result, the form “Jehovah,” which follows the vowel markings of the Masoretic Text, is sometimes dismissed as a hybrid or inaccurate form, allegedly a creation from a combination of JHVH’s consonants and Adonai’s vowels.


The claim that the name “Jehovah” is the result of mixing the vowels of Adonai with JHVH's consonants is widespread in academic literature. For instance, John R. Kohlenberger III states in The NIV Interlinear Hebrew-English Old Testament that the name Jehovah was invented by a 16th-century scholar named Galatinus, who supposedly created this form by combining the consonants of JHVH with the vowels of Adonai. But is this assertion correct? Can we find historical evidence supporting the view that the name Jehovah is a fabrication?



The Use of Jehovah Before Galatinus


The claim that Galatinus invented the name Jehovah is not supported by historical evidence. Jehovah (or similar forms) appears in records dating back centuries before Galatinus. The name was used by Christian scholars and theologians well before the 16th century. As far back as the medieval period, forms resembling Jehovah were commonly employed in writings about the divine name. In fact, early Christian scholars used the form Jehovah based on the vowel markings they observed in the Hebrew manuscripts available to them.


It is important to recognize that the Masoretes were devout preservers of the Hebrew text, not innovators or manipulators of it. Their task was not to create new readings but to record the oral tradition faithfully, ensuring that future generations would pronounce the text correctly. As Wurthwein notes, the work of the Masoretes began in the fifth century C.E. and involved standardizing the Hebrew text with vowel points to safeguard against mispronunciation or misinterpretation. The Masoretes operated under a strict sense of responsibility to the text. They had inherited the ancient tradition of Hebrew pronunciation from the priests and Levites who transmitted it orally over many centuries.


Wurthwein explains that the Masoretes developed vowel points to clarify pronunciation for readers who did not have access to oral instruction. Before this, the Hebrew text consisted only of consonants, which made accurate reading difficult. The introduction of vowel points provided a reliable guide for reading and interpreting the text. However, contrary to claims by some modern scholars, there is no evidence that the Masoretes engaged in deliberate tampering with the divine name.



The Accuracy of the Masoretic Text


The Masoretes’ work reflects a deep reverence for the sacredness of the text. These Levites, unlike the rabbis who focused on the Talmud, aimed to preserve the Hebrew Scriptures without alteration. They rejected rabbinical traditions that sought to obscure the divine name. The Masoretes were not advocates of hiding JHVH’s name or replacing it with Adonai. Had they attempted to alter the text in such a manner, historical records would have documented the outcry from the scholarly community at that time. However, there is no such protest found in any historical sources. On the contrary, the Masoretes’ vowel system is lauded for its accuracy.


Among the Masoretic schools, the Ben Asher and Ben Naphtali schools are the most prominent. Although they differed slightly in pronunciation and accents, their vowel pointing system is almost identical. This consistency across different schools further attests to the authenticity and reliability of the vowel system developed by the Masoretes.

By the time the Ben Asher family completed its work in the tenth century C.E., the Masoretic Text had become the authoritative standard for the Hebrew Scriptures. It was from this text that later scholars learned the pronunciation Jehovah. The earliest printed Hebrew Bibles, including the Soncino and Brescia Bibles, relied on the Ben Asher Masoretic Text. When early Protestant translators like William Tyndale rendered JHVH as Jehovah, they were following the vowel markings found in this standard text.



Did the Masoretes Borrow from Adonai?


The theory that the vowel points under JHVH were borrowed from Adonai to signal readers to substitute the word “Lord” when pronouncing the name is a popular one, but it is not based on any clear historical evidence. The Masoretes’ goal was to preserve, not obscure, the pronunciation of the text. While some rabbis did promote the reading of Adonai in place of JHVH, the Masoretes themselves were Levites, not rabbis, and had no interest in promoting Talmudic traditions.


The Talmudists, whose writings were influenced by mystical and esoteric traditions, did attempt to hide the name of God. Some Talmudic rabbis taught that JHVH was too sacred to be pronounced and should be replaced with Adonai when read aloud. This practice eventually influenced later Jewish communities, leading to the widespread substitution of Adonai for JHVH in synagogue readings. However, this was not a practice supported by the Masoretes. In fact, the Masoretes inserted vowel points into JHVH, not to hide the name, but to preserve its pronunciation. Their work was intended to ensure that future generations could continue to pronounce the name of God as it was revealed in the Scriptures.



The Role of the Levites and the Oral Tradition


One key fact often overlooked in debates about the pronunciation of JHVH is the role of the Levites in transmitting the Hebrew text. The Levites were entrusted with teaching and preserving the Law (Deuteronomy 31:9-13). This responsibility included accurately passing down the pronunciation of the divine name. From the time of Moses, the Levites were the guardians of the Law, which they transmitted both in writing and through oral tradition. As time went on, the need for a written system of vowels arose, especially as the Hebrew language changed, and the Levites fulfilled this need by developing vowel points that reflected the pronunciation they had received from their ancestors.


Scripture provides evidence of the Levites’ dedication to preserving the Law. In Nehemiah 8:8, it is recorded that the Levites “read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.” This verse demonstrates that the Levites were responsible for ensuring that the people correctly understood and pronounced the Scriptures. This task was not taken lightly, and the Masoretes, as descendants of the Levitical tradition, continued this sacred responsibility by accurately recording the pronunciation of JHVH.


The suggestion that the Masoretes would have borrowed vowel points from Adonai to obscure the divine name is inconsistent with their role as preservers of the text. The Masoretes were deeply committed to safeguarding the integrity of the Scriptures, and their vowel points reflect the traditional pronunciation of JHVH, as passed down from the Levites to future generations.



The Name Jehovah in Christian History


The use of Jehovah in Christian history dates back many centuries. Early Christian writers, influenced by the Hebrew text, used the form Jehovah to refer to the God of Israel. These writers, relying on the Masoretic Text, viewed Jehovah as the correct pronunciation of the divine name.


Even after the Protestant Reformation, when scholars began to engage more deeply with the Hebrew text, the name Jehovah remained in widespread use. Protestant reformers such as William Tyndale and John Calvin adopted the pronunciation Jehovah based on their study of the Hebrew Scriptures. Calvin, in his commentary on the Psalms, used the form Jehovah, as did many other Christian scholars of his time. This was not a result of borrowing from Adonai but a reflection of the Hebrew vowel points found in the Masoretic Text.



Is “Yahweh” More Accurate?


The preference for “Yahweh” over “Jehovah” is a relatively modern trend that emerged in academic circles during the 19th and 20th centuries. Scholars who support “Yahweh” often argue that this form is closer to the original pronunciation of JHVH. However, there is little historical evidence to support the idea that Yahweh is the original pronunciation. The pronunciation Jehovah is rooted in centuries of usage and is supported by the structure of the Hebrew language as reflected in the Masoretic Text.


Semitic philology provides evidence that the vowel points used by the Masoretes accurately reflect the traditional pronunciation of Hebrew words, including the divine name. As Waltke explains in his Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Syntax, the Tiberian vowel system (developed by the Masoretes) corresponds to ancient Hebrew grammar and phonology. The vowel points used with JHVH fit the traditional structure of Hebrew words and are consistent with the pronunciation patterns of the language.


Waltke argues that it would be impossible for the Masoretes to have faked the vowel points for JHVH without violating the basic rules of Semitic philology. A deliberate mispointing of the divine name would stand out as an anomaly in the text, but no such anomalies are present. Instead, the vowel points inserted by the Masoretes represent a reliable tradition of pronunciation passed down through the generations.


The claim that the name Jehovah is a hybrid form created by borrowing the vowels of Adonai is not supported by historical or linguistic evidence. The Masoretes, in their role as preservers of the Hebrew Scriptures, pointed JHVH to be pronounced Jehovah, following the oral tradition they had inherited from their Levitical ancestors. This pronunciation was widely used by Christian scholars long before Galatinus, and it continues to be supported by the structure of the Hebrew language.


Rather than obscuring the name of God, the Masoretes sought to preserve it for future generations. The vowel points they added to the Hebrew text reflect the traditional pronunciation of JHVH, which was known and used by both priests and common people alike. The name Jehovah is not a fabrication but the true pronunciation of the divine name as recorded in the Masoretic Text.



About the Author

EDWARD D. ANDREWS (AS in Criminal Justice, BS in Religion, MA in Biblical Studies, and MDiv in Theology) is CEO and President of Christian Publishing House. He has authored over 220 books. In addition, Andrews is the Chief Translator of the Updated American Standard Version (UASV).


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