Question
Gramps,
What do we, as members of the Church, think of the term Yahweh?
Alvis
Answer
Alvis,
Have you ever heard someone refer to God as Yahweh and wondered what members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints think about that name? Is Yahweh another name for Heavenly Father? Is it a name for Jesus Christ? And why do Latter-day Saints generally use the name Jehovah instead?
These are good questions, and the answers help us better understand one of the important teachings of our faith: Jesus Christ was Jehovah, the God of the Old Testament, long before He was born in Bethlehem.
The term Yahweh is closely related to the name Jehovah. Both refer to the divine name represented by the Hebrew letters YHWH in the Old Testament. The Church’s Guide to the Scriptures explains that Jehovah is the covenant or proper name of the God of Israel and that it refers to Jesus Christ in His premortal existence.
So, when someone uses the name Yahweh, Latter-day Saints generally understand that person to be referring to the same God whom we commonly call Jehovah.
One important point, though, is that Yahweh is not a name we typically use in everyday Church worship. Latter-day Saints more commonly use Jesus Christ, the Lord, and Jehovah, depending on the context. That does not mean we believe Yahweh refers to a different God or that the term itself is inappropriate. The difference is largely a matter of language and tradition.
The original Hebrew Scriptures used four Hebrew consonants, YHWH, to represent the divine name. Scholars commonly refer to these four letters as the Tetragrammaton. Because the original pronunciation is uncertain, Yahweh and Jehovah are different English spellings of that name. The Church’s scripture helps explain that the original pronunciation may have been lost because Jewish readers traditionally avoided speaking the name aloud and substituted other titles for God.
For Latter-day Saints, the most important point isn’t which English form of the name someone uses. It is understanding who Jehovah is. In our doctrine, Jehovah is Jesus Christ in His premortal existence. He is the God who spoke to the ancient prophets, led the children of Israel, established covenants with His people, and promised that He would come to earth as the Messiah. This understanding is sometimes surprising to people who assume that the God of the Old Testament was Heavenly Father and that Jesus Christ only became known in the New Testament. Latter-day Saints understand the relationship differently.
We believe Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are two distinct beings who are perfectly united in purpose. Heavenly Father is the Father of Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ is His Only Begotten Son in the flesh. Before His mortal birth, Jesus Christ acted under the authority and direction of the Father as Jehovah, the God of Israel.
The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles states:
“He was the Great Jehovah of the Old Testament.”
This statement is central to understanding how Latter-day Saints view the name Jehovah and, by extension, the term Yahweh.
Consider what happened when Jesus Christ spoke to the people in Jerusalem. In John 8:58, He declared, “Before Abraham was, I am.” The people understood His words as a claim to divine identity, and the following verse describes their reaction.
The connection becomes clearer when we read Exodus 3:13-15, where God revealed His name to Moses. In Latter-day Saint teaching, the name associated with the expression “I Am” points us to Jesus Christ’s eternal nature and His identity as Jehovah.
The Book of Mormon also teaches this truth. In 3 Nephi 15:5, the resurrected Savior explained His relationship to the law given through Moses. And in Doctrine and Covenants 110:3-4, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery described a vision of the Lord in which He identified Himself as Jesus Christ.
These passages help establish that Jesus Christ was not simply a teacher who appeared in the New Testament. He was actively involved in God’s dealings with His children long before His mortal ministry. So, what should we think when we hear someone use the term Yahweh?
I believe the best answer is to recognize that it refers to the same divine identity that Latter-day Saints usually call Jehovah. We do not need to be uncomfortable simply because someone uses a different form of the name. We can appreciate the Hebrew background of the Bible while remaining grounded in the restored gospel’s teachings about Jesus Christ.
At the same time, we should be careful not to assume that everyone who uses the term Yahweh understands God’s identity in exactly the same way we do. Other religious traditions have their own teachings about God, and the term may be used within those different understandings.
For Latter-day Saints, however, the doctrine is clear: Jehovah is Jesus Christ, the premortal Son of God, who came to earth as our Savior and Redeemer.
Whether someone says Yahweh, Jehovah, the Lord, or Jesus Christ, the name should lead us toward a deeper understanding of the Savior and greater appreciation for His eternal role in Heavenly Father’s plan.
Ultimately, this is not merely a question about pronunciation. It is a reminder that Jesus Christ has always been central to God’s plan for His children. He was the God of Israel; He is our living Savior today, and He will remain our Redeemer throughout eternity.
That is the truth Latter-day Saints should keep at the heart of our understanding of Yahweh and Jehovah.
Gramps
