If we are to accept that Bro Russell is the seventh messenger why then did he have no problem with using the name?
I am unaware of Bro Russell deliberating over its use or it's correct pronunciation,I would be interested if he did so.
Christian love Jeff.
It is sad that so many fence themselves in by misuse of scripture. It is like they set up a brick wall, and refuse to see anything beyond that wall, and misuse a scripture to justify that refusal.
Brother Russell did, however, write about this in the fifth volume:
The Almighty God has appropriated to himself and declared
his name to be Jehovah, which signifies the "Self-Existing
One" or "The Immortal One." Thus we read his
declaration to Moses, saying: "I appeared unto Abraham,
unto Isaac and unto Jacob by the name of God Almighty
[the superior or most mighty God], but by my name Jehovah
was I not known to them." (Exod. 6:3) By this name,
Jehovah, God was thereafter recognized amongst his
people. The name is used hundreds of times throughout the
Old Testament, but is covered, in a large degree, from the
English reader, through an error of the translators, who
have rendered it "LORD." It can, however, be recognized
readily, being always printed in small capitals when used to
translate their sacred name, Jehovah.
Thus in the first Commandment given to Israel the Lord
said, "I am Jehovah, thy God...thou shalt have no other
gods [mighty ones] before me [my equals]...for I Jehovah
thy God am a jealous God." Exod. 20:2-5
Again Moses declares, "Hear, O Israel, Jehovah our God
is one--Jehovah; and thou shalt love Jehovah thy God with
all thine heart and with all thy soul and with all thy
might." (Deut. 6:4,5) And this is the very passage of scripture
which our Lord Jesus himself commended as the very
essence of truth. When inquired of respecting the greatest
commandment, he said, quoting this scripture, "Thou shalt
love the Lord [Jehovah] thy God with all thy heart, and
with all thy soul, and with all thy mind; this is the primary
and great commandment." (Matt. 22:37,38) Again we
read, "I am Jehovah; that is my name: and my glory
[honor] will I not give to another." (Isa. 42:8) And let not
the context escape our notice, for this positive declaration
that the name Jehovah is exclusively that of "the Father of
Lights with whom is no variableness" immediately follows
his prophetic proclamation of Messiah as Jehovah's honored
and elect Son-servant, saying:
"Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect in whom
my soul delighteth: I have put my spirit upon him. He shall
bring forth judgment to the Gentiles....He shall not fail
nor be discouraged until he have set judgment in the earth:
and the isles shall wait for his law. Thus saith God, Jehovah,
I Jehovah have called thee in righteousness and will
hold thine hand and will keep thee, and will give thee for a
covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; to open
the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison
[death], and them that sit in darkness out of the prison-house.
I am Jehovah: THAT IS MY NAME." Isa. 42:1-8
The Atonement Between God and Man, pages 40,41
Brother Russell did, therefore, consider the rendering "the LORD" to be an error, but in his general practice, he never sought to actively rectify that error, since he did most often continue to use "the Lord" as is done in the KJV.
Brother Russell gave the interpretative meaning that some scholars have given to the name, that is, "Self-Existing One" or "The Immortal One." In reality, the name, in its two forms given in the scriptures, represented roughly by the English letters "'HYH" and "YHWH," are both imperfect verb forms in the Hebrew, its form is not as an adjective or a noun. HYH, often translated as EHYEH, means a imperfect form of "I am." (Exodus 3:14) Its meaning can go beyond that of existence to include action. This can carry various shades of meaning: "I will be," "I will be there," "I am being," "I become," "I will become," etc.
YHWH is often translated as "Jehovah" or "Yahweh", meaning a imperfect form of "He is." It also can denote action, not just being, "He will be," "He is being," "He will be there," "he becomes," "He will become," etc.
In view of the context of Exodus 3:14, the name apparently means that he will be with his people to fulfill his promises.
There are some who claim that both forms were originally in the scriptures in the causative form; in two of the studies I present, I stated this as the probably the most likely meaning. The causative would give the forms the meanings of "I cause to be," and "He causes to be." However, due to lack of evidence, other than context, more than likely the basic forms as we have them in the Masoretic text do represent the original. Nevertheless, this is not to say the translation "I am" or "He is" in English fully gives the meaning of the Hebrew.
Regarding the proper rendering, Brother Russell wrote:
(1) The name Jehovah is properly rendered only four
times, where it seemed impossible to do otherwise (Exod. 6:3;
Psa. 83:18; Isa. 12:2; 26:4); it is rendered God 298
times, and Lord over 5,000 times.
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*The appearance is that the Trinitarians who translated our Common
Version Bible feared to render the name Jehovah as a proper name in
every instance, lest the people should realize the fact which theology
denies--that the title Jehovah belongs only to the great "I AM," the Father.
Similarly Leeser's English translation made for the Jews covers the
word; possibly because of fear that some of the Jews might stumble over
some of the few uses of the word reviewed preceding.
The Jew prefers and uses the word Lord, possibly in the hope that fellow
Jews will recognize the word Lord as applicable only to Jehovah and
therefore feel a resentment toward those who speak of Jesus as "our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ"--thinking this blasphemy.
The Trinitarian translators probably preferred to use the word Lord
instead of Jehovah, in order that Christians accustomed to use the word
Lord as a title for our Savior, Jesus, might in reading the Old Testament
think that he, and not the Father, Jehovah, is usually referred to.
The Atonement Between God and Man, pages 66,67
Again, Brother Russell laments that the holy name is rendered by "the Lord." And yet, in general practice, he never sought to rectify this error.
Christian love,
Ronald
