Ancient Hebrew was written without the vowels. This special name for God was written in Hebrew with the consonants YHWH.  German translations used the vowels JHVH. After not speaking this name for over 900 years, God’s people weren’t sure what vowels to add in. Since they often used Adonai as a replacement name for this sacred, unspoken name, they simply put the vowels of Adonai into the German translation to make Jehovah. Most scholars believe it should actually be translated as Yahweh. Continue reading Yahweh or Jehovah?