The source manuscripts say Lord here. However, this could be a euphemism for YHWH (Yahweh, or Jehovah), which was a common practice at the time. Therefore, we translate it as Jehovah. We suspect it is a euphemism here because:
- A. In the Greek source, this verse has the grammar ‘error’ that says ‘Lord’ instead of ‘the Lord,’ treating the title Lord as if it were a proper noun. This was the normal way in which the Greek Septuagint would indicate that Lord was a euphemism for YHWH, which had been replaced in the text. Learn more.
- B. In the Aramaic source, this verse uses the full spelling for Lord, maryah, instead of the more normal mara. In other Aramaic texts, this was an accepted euphemism for YHWH. Learn more.
- E. This appears to be an expression, perhaps a common one, which also appears in the Old Testament. If you look such expressions in the Hebrew source text, it includes YHWH. So when they rephrased it to say Lord instead, listeners likely understood that YHWH was meant. Learn more.
- F. The context makes it clear that Lord can only be referring to Almighty God. Learn more.
We are not dogmatic about any instance of the Divine Name in our New Testament. Instances may be added or removed in later corrections. Learn more about the Divine Name, why we use it, and why we use it our New Testament.