From the fact that its followers call themselves, “Jehovah’s Witnesses,” it is evident that the name “Jehovah” is an important part of the Watchtower religion.

The Watchtower claims that no one can have a close personal relationship with God unless they know and use this name.

In fact, one of the Witnesses’ primary missions in life is to make Jehovah’s name known.

They believe that instead of exalting the divine name, superstitious Jews before the Christian era stopped using the name altogether in a misguided attempt to be certain that they would not be guilty of taking the name in vain in violation of Exodus 20:7.

In contrast, they say, Jesus himself called God “Jehovah” on a regular basis and taught his followers to do so as well.

One of its chief proof texts is John 17:25-26 in which Jesus prays these words: “ O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.” (emphasis added)

 Using this quotation, the Watchtower gives the impression that Jesus went from location to location in Israel telling everyone, “God’s name is Jehovah. Use it!”

In response, you might reply, “Does making God’s name known mean using the word ‘Jehovah’ or does it mean proclaiming and reverently showing what God is like—the greatness of his person and character?”

I like to use a personal illustration by saying, “If you ask me what my father’s name was, and I tell you, ‘His name was Lloyd,’ have I told you much of consequence about him? Would I be `honoring his name’ by using his name frequently and encouraging other people to do so? Wouldn’t it be far more important for me to tell you what he was like and to exhibit all his good qualities and teachings in my own life? Likewise, it seems to me that this is what Jesus was talking about—extolling and demonstrating the great qualities of his Father. If so, it is God’s character—not the verbalizing of the word ‘Jehovah’—that is important.”

The Watchtower defends its assertion that Jesus called God “Jehovah” many times, claiming that Christian scribes wrongfully followed Jehovah superstitions by systematically and wrongfully removing the name from Greek New Testament manuscripts in over 200 places.

They assert that this is why most English Bibles today use the term “the LORD” as a replacement.

They will tell you proudly that the Watchtower has “restored” the name “Jehovah” in the various editions of its own Bible version.

In fact, the Watchtower’s New World Translation quotes Jesus as using the name “Jehovah” 25 times.

Twenty-two of these occur when he was directly quoting Old Testament passages where YHWH appears in the Hebrew. The Watchtower assumes that Jesus must have spoken the divine name when doing so. The other three instances occur in verses where the Watchtower thinks Jesus was referring to his Father and not to himself.

But is this rendering justified?

No.

The New Testament was originally written in Greek.

Ask the Witnesses if they have a Greek interlinear Bible with them.

Ask them to show you one instance where the name “Jehovah” or the Hebrew Tetragrammaton (YHWH) from which it is derived appears in the Greek New Testament.

It isn’t there.

Indeed, page 11 of the Watchtower’s own Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures verifies the total absence of the Tetragrammaton in the New Testament. In the introduction to this interlinear translation, it states: “One of the remarkable facts, not only about the extant manuscripts of the original Greek text, but of many versions, ancient and modern, is the absence of the divine name.”

I recommend that you establish these facts and then ask Jehovah’s Witnesses, “Given that neither the Tetragrammaton nor the name ‘Jehovah’ appears in any Greek New Testament manuscript, isn’t it unreasonable to claim that Jesus used it frequently and taught others to do so?”

You can also point out to them that if the Watchtower’s understanding regarding Jesus were correct, we would expect to see heated confrontations with the religious leaders accusing Jesus of blasphemy for uttering the divine name and with Jesus rebuking them for their superstitious failure to use it. 

Ask them to point out to you such an occurrence anywhere in the Bible.

It isn’t there.