LORD

A word needs to be said about the use of the word "LORD". I'll admit it. I frequently forget why this name for God is printed in all capital letters. I usually think in my mind "God" when I read "LORD", but then I miss the special nuance of this name of God.

According to the Preface to the New International Version, page xi, of the Concordia Self-Study Bible, ©1986:

"In regard to the divine name YHWH, commonly referred to as the Tetragrammaton, the translators adopted the device used in most English versions of rendering that name as "LORD" in capital letters to distinguish it from Adonai, another Hebrew word rendered "Lord," for which small letters are used."

The name LORD (Hebrew "Yahweh") is first used in Genesis 2:4, where it reminds the reader that God is a personal God and the God of the covenant. In Exodus 3:15 it is the name that God told Moses to say to the Israelites when he revealed himself at the burning bush. The notes in my Bible for Ex. 3:15 say:

"The Hebrew for this name is Yahweh (often incorrectly spelled "Jehovah"; see note on Dt 28:58). It means "He is" or "He will be" and is the third-person form of the verb translated "I will be" in v. 12 and "I AM" in v. 14. When God speaks of himself he says, "I AM," and when we speak of him we say, "He is."

Just think this when you read "LORD": this is the name for God who promised to send a savior for all the world. For a listing of every reference to the name "YHWH" in the Bible, click here.