Translating the Hebrew Name יהוה into the Yoruba language of Nigeria in the Yoruba Bible

David T Adamo

doi:10.4102/ids.v53i1.2410

Abstract

Scholars are not unanimous about the correct pronunciation of the tetragrammaton, YHWH. The exact origin and meaning of the name have also been a subject of debate among scholars. Since translation is also interpretation, no one can give a correct translation of any word without knowing the actual meaning. While the Septuagint (LXX) translates the Hebrew word יהוה into Kurios, an English translation (New Revised Standard Version – NRSV) translates it as LORD. The translation of יהוה into the Yoruba language in the Yoruba Bible is Oluwa which I consider unacceptable. The purpose of this article is to propose the translation of the Hebrew יהוה to the most appropriate Yoruba name for the supreme God ( Olodumare instead of Oluwa ) which cannot be misunderstood by any Yoruba reader.

Highlights

The name ‫ יהוה‬refers to the God of Israel
Given that the word ‫ יהוה‬is translated to ‘LORD’ in the English versions of the Bible (e.g. King James Version [KJV] and Revised Standard Version [RSV]), it is assumed that it means Oluwa in the Yoruba Bible
I have discussed the various scholarly opinions about the origin and meaning of YHWH and have accepted the majority opinion that the word YHWH originated from the verb to be, ‫ היה‬in Exodus 3:13–15

Summary

Introduction

The name ‫ יהוה‬refers to the God of Israel These four Hebrew letters are referred to as tetragram or tetragrammaton by scholars (Hamilton 2011:64; Shaw 2016:759–762). What appears to compound the situation is that the European supervisors of the Yoruba Bible translators were not native speakers of the Yoruba language (BibeliMimo 1900). What appears to be a more serious problem is the fact that, to my knowledge, there have been no attempts to correct these inappropriate Yoruba translations. This article emphasises the urgent need for a retranslation of the Yoruba Bible by competent native scholars who are experts in Hebrew, Greek and the Yoruba languages.. To achieve the above objectives, this article discusses the origin and meaning of the name ‫ יהוה‬as well as the translation of it into the Greek, English and Yoruba versions of the Bible.

Objectives

Conclusion