Episode Description
A 1992 United Bible Societies study group identified sixbroad options for translating the divine name which continue to frame thediscussion:
1. transliterate the name (adapting “Yahweh” or an established form like “Jehovah”)
2. substitute a title such as the equivalent of “Lord” (followingSeptuagint and NT practice of using kurios)
3. translate the meaning of YHWH (e.g. “Eternal One”)
4. use a culture-specific name for the Supreme Being
5. render YHWH the same way as the generic word for “God”
6. employ a combination of these strategies[1]
In practice, modern Bible translators have employed all ofthe above methods in various languages, balancing linguistic constraints andcultural context. This chapter examines the way many other languages besidesEnglish have rendered YHWH.
[1]“YHWH,” Translation Insights and Perspectives (TIPS), accessed May 23,2025, https://tips.translation.bible/story/yhwh.
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