The meaning the organisation assigns to the divine name changed between editions: the 1984 reference edition said it means that God ‘causes himself to become the Fulfiller of promises’, while Appendix A4 of the 2013 revision says the meaning ‘is not limited to what he himself chooses to become’ but ‘also includes what he causes to happen with regard to his creation’.
Claim ID claim-bible-name-meaning-changed-2013Concerns 2013Later reinterpretation
The organisation’s position or later explanation: The Watchtower of 15 December 2015 presents this as a refinement drawn from the causative form of the Hebrew verb ha·wahʹ, and adds the footnote: ‘Some reference works present this understanding, though not all scholars agree’.
15 December 2015 · pp.9-13 · pars. 2, 6, 7 (pp. 9-11) · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
“The 2013 revision of the New World Translation includes the name 7,216 times, which is 6 more than the 1984 edition. Five of the additional instances are found at 1 Samuel 2:25; 6:3; 10:26; 23:14, 16.”
The article states the three principles the committee set in the 1940s — sanctify God’s name, translate literally where possible but convey the correct sense where a word-for-word rendering would distort, and use easy-to-understand language. It also records a change in the meaning assigned to the divine name: the 1984 edition said the name means He “causes himself to become the Fulfiller of promises”, whereas Appendix A4 of the 2013 edition says “it is not limited to what he himself chooses to become. It also includes what he causes to happen with regard to his creation and the accomplishment of his purpose.” A footnote to the new meaning adds: “Some reference works present this understanding, though not all scholars agree.”
Provenance and verification note for The Watchtower (study edition), A Living Translation of God’s Word
Confidence note. Opened on the Watchtower Online Library on 19 September 2026 and read in full; the issue was confirmed from the Online Library listing for the study edition of 15 December 2015 and page numbers from the document’s embedded page markers.
2013 · Appendix A4 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
“Some feel that the name was pronounced “Yahweh,” whereas others suggest different possibilities. . . . However, there is no reason to be dogmatic. We simply do not know how God’s ancient servants pronounced this name in Hebrew.”
The appendix states that the Tetragrammaton “appears nearly 7,000 times in the Hebrew Scriptures” and gives the organisation’s reasons for using the form “Jehovah”: that it “has a long history in the English language”, first appearing in English in Tyndale’s 1530 Pentateuch as “Iehouah”, and that Rotherham (1911) and Kirkpatrick (1930) preferred it as the familiar English form. On the meaning it says: “Thus, the understanding of the New World Bible Translation Committee is that God’s name means ‘He Causes to Become.’ Scholars hold varying views, so we cannot be dogmatic about this meaning.”
Provenance and verification note for New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (Study Edition), Appendix A4: The Divine Name in the Hebrew Scriptures
Confidence note. Full appendix fetched from JW.org and read on 19 September 2026; all quoted wording confirmed from the page text.
Notes. Useful because the organisation itself concedes both that the pronunciation is unknown and that scholars differ on the meaning it assigns to the name.
Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID.src-nwto-nwtsty-a4-divine-name-hebrew
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