Jehovah

[ji-hoh-vuh]

noun

1. a name of God in the Old Testament, a rendering of the ineffable name, JHVH, in the Hebrew Scriptures.

2. (in modern Christian use) God.

Jehovah

/ dʒɪˈhəʊvə /

noun

1. Old Testament the personal name of God, revealed to Moses on Mount Horeb (Exodus 3)

Jehovah

1. Another name for God; an approximation of the holiest name of God in Hebrew (the name was held so sacred that it was never written or spoken, and scholars are not sure exactly how it should be pronounced). It means “I am that I am,” or “I am the one who is.” In the incident of the burning bush in the Book of Exodus, God, speaking out of the bush, tells Moses that this is his name.

Other Word Forms

• Jehovic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Jehovah¹

C16: from Medieval Latin, from Hebrew YHVH: the original vocalization was considered too sacred to be pronounced and the vowels of Eloah (God) were therefore substituted in the Masoretic text, whence Yetto Vah

Example Sentences

As a 3-year-old, Smith recalls grilling her mother during evening prayers, posing metaphysical questions about Jesus and the soul, immersing herself in Bible study and later joining her mother as a Jehovah’s Witness.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“We had a Jehovah’s Witness knock on our door and ask, ‘How do you feel about the world?’

Read more on MarketWatch

Like Junaid, Martin Riley - who was brought up a Jehovah's Witness - was also ostracised by his family.

Read more on BBC

Lemon was a Jehovah’s Witness and declined to receive blood transfusions.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Born in 1952 in Cincinnati, Lemon grew up in Minneapolis in a family of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Read more on New York Times