犹太人如何处理经文中的YHWH？
当用希伯来语写YHWH 时，一贯地，把Adonai 的元音写在单词中，以提醒读者大声读 YHWH 时说 "Adonai 主"而不是发声为 "Yahweh"。
当西方学者在中世纪研究希伯来语文本时，他们基本上没有意识到这些细微差别。所以他们错误地认为这个名字的音译是"Jehovah耶和华"。
在 19 世纪，一些德国学者认定“Jehovah”是名称的错误发音，并“Jahveh”是较正确的发音（在德语中，字母“J”的发音类似于英语中的“Y”）。希伯来语字母中没有 W，而是V。
德国学术界开始用 Jahveh 而不再是“der Herr主”。
到 1870 年，英国学者开始模仿这一做法，他们首先在为学者设计的作品中使用“Jahveh”（引德国为例），后来又使用“Yahweh”（1880 年后更频繁地使用）。但这些学者认为没有必要纠正常用的英文圣经中的LORD。
尽管这些学者知道“Jehovah”的发音不正确，但ASV编辑他们认为使用“Yahweh”是不明智的，因为对公众来说是陌生的，且个是全新的名字。
从修订版RV 1885 到美国标准版ASV1901 到新美国标准圣经NASB 1971
有关修订版RV和美国标准版ASV，以及新美国标准圣经NASB的这86年以来，我发现了更多有趣的信息，各据一词。我引申如下（粗体强调是我添加的）。
Revised Version 1885 年版 序言
对于“耶和华”一词，建议遵循钦定本的用法，而不是统一用这名字来代替“主”或“神／上帝”。当以大写字母LORD印刷时，代表由是遵犹太人对不可言喻的名字的习惯。因此，我们会发现钦定本仅在少数段落中引入用“耶和华”，其中似乎都是需要专有名称。
但是当美国人出版 ASV 时，他们实际上用“耶和华”全面代替了。 卻他们的前言如下。
美国版1901 前言
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在英美审校共同工作的过程中，一致认为，在尊重所有最终分歧点的情况下，在审校工作中具有主动权的英国应拥有决定权。但作为对这一点的补偿，英国方面建议在 14 年的期限内，将美国人的偏好提议作为附录出版在每本修订版圣经中。美国委员会承诺，在相同的有限期限内，除英格兰大学出版社发行的版本外，不批准任何其他版本的修订版的出版。
...
本序言的其余部分特别提到了旧约。关于英文修订版附录中的各种特定建议无需多说。但是，对于其中规定的修改的一般类别，以及本版本中对附录中规定的那些修改的补充，可以做一些说明。
附录中首次建议的更改——用“耶和华”代替“LORD”和“GOD”——是许多人不欢迎的，因为这名字长期被替换的频率和熟悉程度。但是，美国的修订者经过仔细考虑后一致认为，犹太人的迷信认为神的名字YHWH太神圣而无法说出，但此想法不应该再在英文或旧约的任何其他外语版本中占主导地位，因为幸运的是，现代传教士制作的众多(外语)版本中没有用LORD。 “耶和华”这个值得纪念的名称，在 出3:14-15 节，并在旧约原文中一再强调，指明神是位格的神、立约的神、启示的神、拯救者、他子民的朋友； ——不仅是许多法语翻译中抽象的“永恒者The Eternal”，而且是那些处于困境中的人永远活着的帮助者。这是专有名字(personal name)，连同其丰富的神圣联想，现在恢复到它在神圣文本中拥有无可置疑的地位。
但在下一次修订中，NASB 1971再次将神的名字恢复为“LORD”。
YHWH（在 ASV中译为“耶和华”）在 NASB 中恢复用大写字母译为“LORD”或“GOD”。 NASB组委会说明原因：
猶太人因為敬畏神名的偉大神聖性，所以這個名字沒有被猶太人念出。因此，它一直被一致地譯為 "LORD"。唯一的例外是，當它與Lord這個詞相鄰時，也就是亞多奈（Adonai）。 在這種情況下，為了避免混淆，通常將其譯為 "GOD"。 眾所周知，多年來，YHWH一直被譯為Yahweh，然而，這種讀音並沒有完全確定的說法。
所以，这对普通的平信徒来说，这确实是非常令人困惑的事。
容我用以下 4 点评论作总结。
- 神有一个名字，他向犹太人透露他的名字是YHWH。在希伯来旧约中重复了 6828 次。
- 犹太人和后来的基督徒用LORD/GOD代替了 YHWH。 YHWH 的名字已被抹去。
- "耶和华"是用词不当。这是YHWH + Adonai的捏造发音。
- 虽然没有人能 100% 确定发音（因为 2000 多年来没有人发声读YHWH了，失传了），但 Yahweh 是个最好的选择，并且被现代学术界广泛接受，尽管大多数平信徒并不熟悉 Yahweh 这个名字。
參考:
https://www.ccel.org/ccel/bible/asv.ii.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_American_Standard_Bible Section 1.1 YHWH
How did the Jews handle YHWH in the text?
It became very standard when YHWH was written in Hebrew, that the vowels for Adonai were written in the word, to remind anyone reading YHWH out loud to say Adonai and not vocalized as Yahweh.
When Western scholars studied Hebrew texts in the Middle Ages, they were largely unaware of these nuances. So they mistakenly assumed that the transliteration of the name was "Jehovah".
In the 19th century, some German scholars identified "Jehovah" as a mispronunciation of the name and "JaHVeH" as the more correct pronunciation (in German, the letter "J" is pronounced like "Y" in English). There is no W in the Hebrew letter.
German academia began to use the word "Jahveh" instead of "der Herr ".
By 1870s British scholars began to imitate the practice, first using "Jahveh" (citing Germany as an example) in works designed for scholars, and later "Yahweh" (more frequently after 1880s). But these scholars see no need to correct the commonly used English Bible.
Although these scholars knew the pronunciation of "Yahweh" was incorrect, ASV editors felt that it was unwise to use "Yahweh" because it was unfamiliar to the public and was a brand new name.
From RV1885 to ASV 1901 to NASB 1971, Each has a Point
I found more interesting information on the Revised Version and the American Standard Version, as well as the New American Standard Bible.
Revised Version 1885 Preface
It has been thought advisable in regard to the word "JEHOVAH" to follow the usage of the Authorised Version, and not to insert it uniformly in place of "LORD" or "GOD," which when printed in small capitals represent the words substituted by Jewish custom for the ineffable Name according to the vowel points by which it is distinguished. It will be found, therefore, that in this respect the Authorised Version has been departed from only in a few passages, in which the introduction of a proper name seemed to be required.
But when the Americans published the ASV, they literally substituted every YHWH with "Jehovah". Their Preface is as followed.
PREFACE TO THE AMERICAN EDITION
...
In the course of the joint labors of the English and American Revisers it was agreed that, respecting all points of ultimate difference, the English Companies, who had had the initiative in the work of revision, should have the decisive vote. But as an offset to this, it was proposed on the British side that the American preferences should be published as an Appendix in every copy of the Revised Bible during a term of fourteen years. The American Committee on their part pledged themselves to give, for the same limited period, no sanction to the publication of any other editions of the Revised Version than those issued by the University Presses of England.
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The remainder of this Preface has especial reference to the Old Testament. Nothing needs to be said about the various particular proposals which are found in the Appendix of the English Revised Version. But some remarks may be made concerning the General Classes of changes therein specified, and also concerning those emendations in this edition which are additional to those prescribed in the Appendix.
The change first recommended in the Appendix - that which substitutes "Jehovah" for "LORD" and "GOD" - is one which will be unwelcome to many, because of the frequency and familiarity of the terms displaced. But the American Revisers, after a careful consideration were brought to the unanimous conviction that a Jewish superstition, which regarded the Divine Name as too sacred to be uttered, ought no longer to dominate in the English or any other version of the Old Testament, as it fortunately does not in the numerous versions made by modern missionaries. This Memorial Name, explained in Ex. iii. 14, 15, and emphasized as such over and over in the original text of the Old Testament, designates God as the personal God, as the covenant God, the God of revelation, the Deliverer, the Friend of his people; -- not merely the abstractly "Eternal One" of many French translations, but the ever living Helper of those who are in trouble. This personal name, with its wealth of sacred associations, is now restored to the place in the sacred text to which it has an unquestionable claim.
But in the next revision, the NASB reverted the issue again, YHWH is back to the "LORD" again.
The committee stated the reason as:
This name has not been pronounced by the Jews because of reverence for the great sacredness of the divine name. Therefore it has been consistently translated LORD. The only exception is when it occurs in immediate proximity to the word Lord, that is, Adonai. In that case it is regularly translated GOD in order to avoid confusion. It is known that for many years YHWH has been transliterated as Yahweh, however no complete certainty attaches to this pronunciation.
So, this indeed is very confusing for the average church-goers.
If I may conclude with the following 4 remarks.
- God has a name, and He revealed His name to the Jews as YHWH. It is repeated 6828 times in the Hebrew Old Testament.
- The Jews and the subsequent Christians substituted YHWH with LORD/GOD. The name YHWH has been obliterated.
- Jehovah is a misnomer. It is a fabricated pronunciation from YHWH + Adonai.
- While no one can be 100% certain of the pronunciation (because it has not been vocalized for more than 2,000 years), Yahweh is the best choice and is widely accepted by academics, though most lay Christians are not familiar with this name Yahweh.
Reference:
https://www.ccel.org/ccel/bible/asv.ii.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_American_Standard_Bible Section 1.1 YHWH
