Pronouncing and Translating the Divine Name part 6 - The Sacred Name Movement mess

What is a sacred name Bible, and is it something you should use? In this sixth installment on the divine name, we’re going to discuss the sacred name movement and its problems, and see how it has muddied the waters for people like me seeking clarity on the issue. It’s time to take another deep dive into the world of Bible translation, and this time into one that isn’t as well-known.

This is something I forgot to include in the episode audio:

The preface to The Word of Yahweh explains:

"The prime objective in producing this new edition of the scriptures was a desire to accurately represent the most sacred names of our Father and His Son. It has been the tradition of most translators to substitute more common, familiar terms such as lord and god, in place of the very names inspired from Yahweh Himself. We believe this is a grave injustice. Not only does this substitution steal from the richness and fullness of the original languages, but probably directly breaks the third commandment we read in Exodus 20:7.

The personal name of the Heavenly Father, Yahweh, was inspired into the Hebrew and Aramaic texts of the Old Testament nearly 7000 times. This includes 134 instances where the Masoretic scribes admittedly changed Yahweh to the more common Hebrew adonai. In all instances where Lord, or God was substituted for the Sacred Name in the English text we have properly inserted Yahweh…. Because there is no accurate translation of elohim we have transliterated that title into the English. As for adonai, sovereign or master serves as an adequate translation in most cases.[1]"

It should be noted their accusation of breaking the third commandment applies to the NT writers, and nowhere in the preface do they address that issue. They do, however, claim that “In recent years many scholars have proposed that there are Semitic originals underlying the Greek text of much of the New Testament.” They do not substantiate that claim or admit that it is purely speculation and therefore does not ameliorate their grave accusation.

They also do not substantiate their use of “Yahweh” as the correct pronunciation of the divine name, nor do they explain why there is no accurate translation of elohim—a claim which is nonsense if no good reason is given. Finally, when reading the entire preface, it seems to be the case that, because they do not believe in the Trinity, they speak of Jesus as distinct from Yahweh. Thus, in their mind, Yahweh is Jesus’ father, and Jesus is not God, although he is the savior of the world.

[1]http://assemblyofyahweh.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Bible-Read-More.pdf. Accessed October 5, 2020.

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