2He said: “The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;”
One thing that English speakers and readers often overlook is the distinction between “Lord” and “the LORD.” I won’t go into the history of English translations, but I will say this. Every time you see the word “the LORD,” you are seeing God’s proper name. The Hebrew for LORD is the four letters YHWH in Hebrew, the Name God revealed to Moses. Hebrew is a language that does not require vowels in order to understand it and read it. So, when people began translating God’s proper Name, they had to figure out how to write it. Late in the history of writing Hebrew, they added the vowels in order to keep from losing the proper pronunciation. When they did that, to keep from misusing God’s sacred Name, the writers put in the vowels for the word Lord, creating a word that could not be pronounced. When a Jewish reader would see this strange word, they saw it as a signal to say Lord instead. When later translators, especially those for the King James Version of the Bible, saw the vowels, they incorporated them into the translation and made up the Name Jehovah. But a better pronunciation of the Name LORD is probably Yahweh (Ya Way). So why am I talking about this today? When I read the words “the LORD” I say “Yahweh” as a way to remind myself that this is God’s personal Name being used in the text, not the word meaning master. Yahweh is the Name God uses when He enters into a personal, covenant relationship with His people. His personal Name is written, and I want to be personal with Him. I want Him to call me “Stan.”
The Arnold Journey 