God’s names

How can the Bible be called infallible and inspired when the personal name of the One who inspired it was removed some 7,000 to 8,000 times? I know the words Lord/LORD/God/Jehovah etc. are replacements along with other words, but these are admitted changes to Scripture, thus admissions of errancy (and without clear scriptural support while only supported by traditions of men rooted in rabbinic Judaism and Catholicism). The name YHWH was given as a remembrance, a blessing, a statement of jealousy for His will and people. The name YHWH should not be hidden/cloaked within His Word. To be clear, this question is not about speaking out loud the personal name, but restoring it to Scripture. Perhaps the most telling question to ask is this, “Would the Almighty be pleased or displeased by His name not being directly found (everywhere He put it) in His Scriptures?”

Elsewhere on this website you will find information related to your questions. The following two paragraphs are from a report of the Translation Liaison Committee of our synod. Their comments are in the context of an evaluation of the then-Holman Christian Standard Bible. Their observations are applicable to your questions.

“We will grant that there is a certain consensus among scholars that something like ‘Yahweh’ approximates the way this divine name would have been pronounced. To suggest that this view is unanimous, however, would overstate the case. At any rate, the point is really moot, since we believe it is neither possible nor necessary to recapture exactly the way an ancient Israelite would have pronounced the name of God. We disagree with any suggestion that, if only we could pronounce the Tetragrammaton [YHWH] more in keeping with the way an ancient Israelite did, the result would somehow be a more ‘accurate’ presentation of God’s Word, or a deeper relationship with God for a modern Bible reader.

“Furthermore, we question the assertion that ‘Yahweh’ is ‘the personal name of God (emphasis ours)’—as if God has only one personal name, which can be separated categorically from God’s titles or epithets. On one hand, there is the long-standing debate over the etymology of ‘Yahweh’ and what exactly the word connotes (cf. God’s own etymology in Exodus 3:14). On the other hand, we wonder whether it is really true that when used in Scripture, [“Adonai,” “El,” “Shaddai,” and “Elyon” – the Hebrew words occur here] cannot be considered ‘personal names’ for God in any sense at all.”

By substituting “LORD” for the Tetragrammaton, Bible translators are following the practice of Old Testament believers. The truth of Scripture is that God has revealed himself by many, many names and titles. All those names and titles give us information about the only true God. When we use God’s name to pray, praise and give thanks, we “hallow” his name. God is certainly pleased with that.