The name of YHWH was replaced in the Bible. I don't want to dispute what the expert translators have said, but when I see something wrong, I believe it is okay (if not my duty) to speak out about it. First, let me show you how it was replaced per the "Principles of Translation" in the front of my NASB Bible: (It is this way in most common English translations.)

"THE PROPER NAME OF GOD IN THE OLD TESTAMENT: In the Scriptures, the name of God is most significant and understandably so. It is inconceivable to think of spiritual matters without a proper designation for the Supreme Deity. Thus the most common name for the Deity is God, a translation of the original Elohim. One of the titles for God is Lord, a translation of Adonai. There is yet another name which is particularly assigned to God as His special or proper name, that is, the four letters YHWH (Exodus 3:14 and Isaiah 42:8). This name has not been pronounced by the Jews because of reverence for the great sacredness of the divine name. Therefore, it has been consistently translated LORD. The only exception to this translation of YHWH is when it occurs in immediate proximity to the word Lord, that is Adonai. In that case it is regularly translated GOD in order to avoid confusion."

First, let me address their claim that His most common name is God. God is a title NOT a name. After all, "God" can include all deities. So when someone says "God" how do we know who they are referring to. The assumption is that they are referring to the same deity of that which you are familiar.

According to the Bible translators, "God" is taken from the Hebrew word אֱלֹהִים (pronounced Elohim, Strong's number H430) which means rulers, judges, gods, and goddesses. (It is in the plural because of what is called the "royal we" and is used for emphasis not "number".)

Exodus 22:9 - “…’This is it,' the case of both parties shall come before the judges[H430]; he whom the judges[H430] condemn shall pay double to his neighbor.

1 Kings 11:33 - because they have abandoned Me, and have worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess[H430] of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god[H430]of Moab, and Milcom the god[H430]…

In "The Ancient Hebrew Lexicon of the Bible" by Jeff A. Benner, he says... H430 is "Power: The power or might of one who rules or teaches. One who yokes with another. Often applied to rulers or a god."

If "God" is His name, then why would they ever translate it as anything else? “Lord” is also not a name but a title. “Lord” can mean “land owner”, ”ruler”, or even “husband”. 

Now to address what His memorial name is...  יהוה (YHWH or Yahweh). 

Exodus 3:15 - God (Elohim, H430) furthermore said to Moses, “This is what you shall say to the sons of Israel: ‘The LORD (יהוה H3068), the God of your fathers, the God (Elohim, H430) of Abraham, the God (Elohim, H430) of Isaac, and the God (Elohim, H430) of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and this is the name for all generations to use to call upon Me.

Putting His name back in would read...

God furthermore said to Moses, “This is what you shall say to the sons of Israel: YHWH (Yahweh), the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and this is the name for all generations to use to call upon Me.

It is my opinion that replacing His memorial-name (name for all generations) would be to take away His name from His word. He declared His name (Yahweh or יהוה) to be for all generations. Removing it from His word is doing the opposite. 

Years ago I had told a friend that God’s name was Yahweh. She said, "No it's not!" I had to prove it to her by showing her the front of the Bible that explains where they replaced His name. Today I looked through the lockman.org website, which publishes a few translations including NASB (New American Standard Bible), and I did not find this explanation anywhere on the site.

When we have a personal relationship with someone we will use their name at least part of the time. But when someone is in a relationship with Yahweh, but doesn't know what His name is, how are they ever able to use it? Since He expressed in Exodus 3:15, that He wants the name YHWH as a memorial name, then I think we should use it respectfully.

I will be doing a series on the topic of The Sacred Name to address many of the subjects surrounding this matter. 

Thank you for reading, and may Yahweh bless you abundantly.

(The images are public domain from pixabay.com.)

All scripture quotations taken from the NASB©.
Copyright by The Lockman Foundation.