Does the King James Bible say Jehovah?

Often people ask does the King James Bible say Jehovah.  More and more lately, thanks to the rise and popularity of internet “ministries,” people ask questions about the name of God due to doubts and errant teachings being spread online.  So, it is valid to ask is Jehovah mentioned in King James Bible?  The answer is Yes! The King James Bible says “Jehovah” in four separate verses:

Exodus 6:3 And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.

Psalms 83:18 That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.

Isaiah 12:2 Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.

Isaiah 26:4 Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:

There are also four places where “Jehovah” is part of a name and therefore is transliterated:

Genesis 22:14 And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.

Exodus 17:15 And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovah-nissi:

Judges 6:24 Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovah-shalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abi-ezrites.

Interestingly, there is another verse where the name of God is presented differently:

Psalms 68:4 Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him.

In the King James Bible, most of the appearances of the Tetragrammaton (the four letter abbreviated name of God) are translated instead as “the LORD” instead of transliterated as “Jehovah.”  It is likely that this was done out of respect for the Personal Name of God, since it only appears a total of seven times (including the three place names).  This article from Chick Publications gives a short explanation and also responds to the “Jehovah vs. Yahweh” issue. 

Many times, those who ask about the the name Jehovah are asking for other reasons: they are challenging the deity of Jesus Christ who IS Jehovah.  This is a fundamental doctrine, the deity of Christ.  The most obvious example of those who deny this truth are the “Jehovah’s Witnesses,” who take their name from Isaiah, assuming that they are witnesses for Jehovah God and not Jesus Christ (Acts 1:8).  

Yet the Bible truth is that the King James Bible tells us Who Jehovah is!  While the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ translation (the New World Translation) obfuscates the identity of Jehovah, the King James Bible makes it clear who He is:

Zechariah 12:10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.

Revelation 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

The NWT intentionally hides this clear cross reference to Jehovah who is speaking in Zechariah 12 (a monologue starting with verse 1) and Jesus who is speaking in Revelation 12.  The NWT says “and they will look to the one whom they pierced.”  Jehovah Himself was pierced with a spear (John 19:34, 37) on the cross.  It was on the cross that God’s own blood was shed to purchase His church (Acts 20:28).  So, is Jehovah mentioned in King James Bible?  Yes!  Not only that, but the King James Bible clearly indicates who He is: Jesus Christ is Jehovah, revealed to us. 

There are many other ways to identify Who Jehovah is.  When He first revealed Himself to Moses in the desert, He told Moses that His name was “I AM THAT I AM” and to tell Israel that “I AM” had sent Moses (Exodus 3:14).  The idea here is that God is defining reality and temporal existence by His own being.  This goes along with “For in him we live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17:28) and “he is before all things, and by him all things consist” (Colossians 1:17; see also Hebrews 1:1-4).  So, when Jesus was speaking to the Jews, who knew the Old Testament very well, He enraged them by saying “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58).  He was identifying Himself as the “I AM” of Exodus 3:14, and they knew it, which is why they tried to stone him (John 8:59; 10:31-33).

So, yes, the King James Bible says “Jehovah,” and it also tells us Who He is.  Do you know Jehovah?  Have you believed on Him to receive eternal life?