Two renderings of the same Hebrew name for God, written in the Bible as four consonants — YHWH, the Tetragrammaton. Yahweh is the reconstruction most scholars favour. Jehovah is an older form produced by combining those consonants with the vowels of a different word, and is generally regarded as a misreading, though it remains in traditional use.
The Tetragrammaton
The Hebrew Bible writes God's personal name with four consonants — YHWH. Ancient Hebrew was written without vowels, and by the time vowel marks were added the name was no longer spoken aloud: readers substituted Adonai, "my Lord", out of reverence.
How Jehovah was formed
The scribes who added vowel points wrote the vowels of Adonai onto the consonants of YHWH, as a reminder to say the substitute. Later European readers who did not know this convention read the marks literally, combining the consonants of one word with the vowels of another. The result was Iehouah, which became Jehovah in English.
How Yahweh was reconstructed
Scholars arrived at Yahweh by working from Greek transcriptions in early sources, from shortened forms preserved in names — Elijah, Isaiah, hallelujah all contain an element of the name — and from Hebrew grammar. It is a reconstruction rather than a certainty, since the pronunciation was genuinely lost.
What translations do
Most English Bibles render the Tetragrammaton as LORD in small capitals, distinguishing it from Lord translating Adonai. Some use Yahweh; the King James Version uses Jehovah in a handful of places. Jewish practice generally avoids vocalising the name at all, using HaShem ("the Name") in ordinary speech.
Frequently asked questions
Are Jehovah and Yahweh the same name?
Yes — two renderings of the same four Hebrew consonants, YHWH. Yahweh is the scholarly reconstruction; Jehovah came from combining those consonants with another word's vowels.
Why is Jehovah considered a misreading?
Scribes wrote the vowels of Adonai onto YHWH as a reminder to say the substitute aloud. Later readers unaware of the convention read the hybrid literally.
Why do Bibles print "LORD" in capitals?
Small capitals mark where the original has the Tetragrammaton, distinguishing it from Lord translating the ordinary word Adonai.