Exodus 6:2-8

2-8. I am the Lord: (JEHOVAH:) and I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, in (the character of) El Shaddai, ( God Almighty,) but by my name (that is, in my character) JEHOVAH was I not known (made known) to them. (Nordh . , Hebrews Gram . , § 1040, 2, c . ; Ewald, Gram . , § 299, 6 . ) Concerning the import, of the word “Jehovah,” and the meaning of this declaration, see notes on Exodus 3:13-15. From the call of Abraham God had been unfolding his character, as the patriarchs could by experience become acquainted with him . Man is not instructed by teaching him names, but by unfolding to him the import of names, and this had been the divine education of the fathers of Israel through such appellations as El, Elyon, and El Shaddai; but a deeper and grander lesson was now to be taught their children by experience such as the fathers knew not, so that the depth and richness of the great Covenant Name would become a national possession. It was not the sound, (as some critics imagine,) but the import of the Name that was unknown to their fathers, that is, unknown comparatively, considering the meaning which was now to be known. In interpreting such passages we are to remember that the Hebrew style does not admit of the periodic sentence, with the balanced qualifications and limitations of the Western tongues, and it is thus forced to make statements in an absolute form, which have obviously a comparative sense. Thus Joseph says to his brethren, “It was not you that sent me hither, but God,” (Genesis 45:8;) that is, “Your share in the matter is nothing when compared with his; the evil from your act is trifling compared with the good which God will bring out of it . ” So Joseph called his son Manasseh, for, said he, “God hath made me to forget my father’s house” not absolutely to forget, but that his new home made the old to be comparatively unthought of .

[The name Jehovah was the proper name of the God of Israel, as George or Paul is the proper name of a man, or Molech that of the god of the Ammonites. So profound was the reverence of the Hebrews for this name that they refused to pronounce it, and the vowelled pronunciation was lost, and is restored at this day only by conjecture. In reading the Scriptures vocally the Jews substituted the Hebrew word for Lord Adonai. The Septuagint translators translated the name by the Greek word for Lord. Our English translators unfortunately followed suit, and translated the word by LORD in capitals. In the word Jehovah the vowels are borrowed, absurdly, from the word Adonai. The more probable, but not certain, form of the word is Jahveh. But the English reader should always mentally read LORD as the true proper name of Israel’s God.] 9 . They hearkened not For their cruel oppression now crushed them in an anguish that made them dead to hope . It was the very extremity which is the opportunity of Providence.