In the Old Testament, the names “Yahweh” (a personal name
for God) and “Yah” (a contracted form of Yahweh) are used
instead of what is rendered in many versions as “LORD.”
In addition to the name “Yahweh,” the name “Sovereign
Yahweh” is used when the two Hebrew words “Lord” and
“Yahweh” are together. This is intended to portray an emphatic
title of God incorporating majesty and authority.
In the New Testament, and in the Greek sections of Sirach, the
existing Greek manuscripts do not contain the name “Yahweh”
as do the Old Testament Hebrew manuscripts. Almost all
references to God or “Yahweh” in the New Testament and the
Greek sections of Sirach are in the form of Lord, God, or Master.
However, it is possible to determine where “Yahweh,” or
another title for God, was likely to be the meaning.
The UPDV Bible attempts to maintain the distinction between
“Yahweh” and “the Lord” in the New Testament and the Greek
sections of Sirach when possible. However, the reader should
understand that this is done to facilitate understanding and that
the existing underlying Greek manuscripts generally only say
“the Lord.”
