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 Words From

• Je·ho·vic [ji-, hoh, -vik], 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

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

From New York Times

He was 19 when he came out to his parents, who are practising Jehovah's Witnesses to this day.

From BBC

How does a skinny, gay Welsh kid raised in a strict Jehovah’s Witnesses community become a famous Hollywood action movie star with credits on “Clash of the Titans” and the “Fast & Furious” franchise?

From Los Angeles Times

One of the Supreme Court stories I love is about Jehovah's Witness kids who wouldn't salute the flag in the 1940s.

From Salon

Panjabi portrays Reena’s mother, Suman, a reserved but resolute woman and member of the Jehovah’s Witness faith who runs a home with rules that exasperate her eldest child.

From Los Angeles Times