lôrd, This English word in our Bible represents one Aramaic, 3 Greek and 9 Hebrew words, two of them in two forms. It thus expresses all grades of dignity, honor, and majesty. It is not always possible to be sure of the sense in which the term is to be taken. In Genesis 18:3; 19:18, the translators waver between interpreting of the Divine Person and a finite angel (compare marginal readings). It represents the most sacred Hebrew name for God, as their covenant God, Yāh, Yahweh, and the more usual designation of Deity, ‘Ădhōnāy, ‘Ādhōn, a term which they adopted to avoid pronouncing the most holy designation. They had placed on Leviticus 24:16 an interpretation that aroused such a dread that they seldom dared use the name at all. When two of the words usually translated “Lord,” both referring to God, occur together, the King James Version renders “Lord God,” and the American Standard Revised Version “Lord Yahweh.” The American Standard Revised Version has adopted the rule of using the covenant name transliterated, instead of the term “Lord,” in which the King James Version adopts the rule of the Hebrews to avoid the holy name.
The Aramaic designation, Mārē', occurs only in Dan (e.g. Daniel 2:47; 5:23), and the same word refers to a man (Daniel 4:24).
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Author: International Std. Bible Encyclopedia
Keywords: Lord The Lord, YHWH, Yahweh, Tetragrammatron, Tetragrammaton, 4 letters, Four letters, Adonai, Adon
Source: James Orr (editor), The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, 5 volume set.
Page indexed by: inWORD Bible Software.