![the lord and then there was light the lord and then there was light](https://musicsheets.org/sheetmusic/thel/the-lord-is-my-light-psalm-27_page-2.jpg)
He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light.” In fact, fourteen times in this Gospel the word witness ( martureo, martus, martureia) is connected with John. Look at verses 6–7: “There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
![the lord and then there was light the lord and then there was light](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/-4mQwh5zmnA/maxresdefault.jpg)
If there were any label we would attach to John in this Gospel, it would be “John the Witness.” John Interrupts the Flow But in this Gospel, he is never called John the Baptist but only John. In between those two statements about Jesus, who is the light coming into the world, John inserts verses 6–8 about John the Baptist. Verse 5 says, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” And then verse 9 picks this up, “The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.” That seems like a natural flow. If you left them out, the text would flow nicely from verse 5 to verse 9. These verses are surprising because they seem to break into the flow of the text. An exact transliteration of all Hebrew words into English would be impossible and impractical.We return now to John 1:6–8 which we skipped last time. (See Destructive Criticism and the Old Testament.ĮDITOR’S NOTE: A word that is invented in English to convey the meaning or thought of a Hebrew word when there is no available equivalent is as legitimate as any other word that has developed in language to convey thought. Incidentally, the use of varying names for God in the Old Testament does not hint of different authors, as commonly claimed by radical, destructive critics. They therefore retain the American Standard Version’s “Jehovah.”
![the lord and then there was light the lord and then there was light](http://newlife.com/wp-content/uploads/lord-is-my-light.jpg)
But since that term is mostly alien to the vocabulary and understanding of the average person today, some prefer to maintain at least some distinction between yhwh and adonai. The best approximation of yhwh would be yahweh. Some object to the use of “Jehovah” because it is an artificially constructed word and thus does not reflect the original precisely.īut neither does “LORD” accurately represent the original term. It expresses the relationship of the Creator to his creatures and the responsibility they have to the one who made them and who owns them (cf. It is a word particularly emphasizing the authority of the Deity.
![the lord and then there was light the lord and then there was light](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/ff/13/57/ff135798c5fdfa798b55a4ab555ece0d.jpg)
This word literally means “my Lord,” and it derives from a root which suggests “sovereign, strength, power.” The other term, “Lord” (standard capitalization), as indicated earlier, is from adonai. In addition, it stresses his enduring presence with Israel in their redemptive history. “Jehovah” or yhwh dramatically depicts one of the prime attributes of the Creator-his eternal existence. also John 8:58).Īlso, this name became a special designation which emphasized God’s relationship to the nation of Israel. Exodus 3:14-especially see the footnote in the ASV cf. The Hebrew term yhwh is believed to derive from the root hwy, meaning “to be.” The name suggests that God simply is, i.e., he possesses an underived existence he is the eternal “I AM” (cf. This eventually evolved into the hybrid word “Jehovah” around the beginning of the twelfth century A.D. Vowels were thus inserted into the sacred four-letter name (called the tetragrammaton-“four letters”). Because the Jews considered this title to be very sacred, they did not pronounce it.Įventually, the scribes borrowed vowels from the name adonai based upon a point system, which reflected the way the language was spoken. LORD (all caps or small caps) reflects the original term yhwh (found 6,823 times), while Lord (standard capitalization) is the English rendition of the Hebrew adonai (used some 300 times).Īs suggested above, one of the names for God, as conveyed in Hebrew, was yhwh (four consonants). In these common versions, the translators are attempting to provide a clue to the English reader that different Hebrew words were found in the original text. The notable exception is the American Standard Version (1901), which uses the term “Jehovah” rather than “LORD.” This type-setting format is found in most of the English translations that have been produced over the past several centuries. In the Old Testament, sometimes one of the titles for God is set in type with all capitals, “LORD.” At other times, there are both the upper and lower case, “Lord.” Why does this difference exist?