420 
name Jehovah as my diftin<tive title from 
falfe gods and as the God of my people, 
but I appropriated the appellation God 
Almighty to thef purpofes, under the 
Abrahamic difpen ation. 
_The word name, both in Hebrew, 
znd in Englifh, fignifies a mark of 
title of diftinétion or eminence, Gen. xi. 
4.2 Sam. vil. 23. It is ufed as fynony- 
mous with memorial or remembrance. Yob 
xviil. 17. Prov. x. 7.. It is alfo applied 
to the names, attributes, or titles, by 
which the Mof High is diftinguithed : 
to the goodnefs of God, Pfalms xxxi. 3. 
to the power and juftice of God, Tfaiah 
XXX. 27.to the nature and perfections of 
God, Proy. iii. 4. to the prefence and 
glory of Jehovah, z Kings, viii. 16. 
29, &c. 
The Hebrew verb tranflated kzo0vn, 
fignifies, to manifofl, in Numbers xii. 
6. Gen. xlv. a. Haiah, Ixvi. 1/4. Dan, 
vill. 19. Prov. x. 9. The Septuagint, 
alfo renders it manifefied, in Exod. vi, 
3- Ittignifies to difingui/h, in 2 Sam, 
Hx 395. Jonah siv.. a3) Joh: tne ys 
Ezek. xliv. 23. 1 Kings xiv. 2. Deut. 
xii. 3. Ecclef. viii. 5. Pfalms Ixxvii, 
a9. It fignifies, to manife/? fo as to di- 
fiinguifb, and is conneéted with, and has 
a reference to the title Jehovah as diftinc- 
tive from falfe gods, and as the God of 
the Ifraelites, in Ezek. xx. 5. 9. 12. xxxv. 
IE. 12. XXxVlil. 23. Now this' is the 
precife meaning which it evidently ap- 
pears to have in Exod. vi. 3. ~The in- 
terpretation then, which has been given 
above of this text, is agreeable to the pro- 
per fente of the original words. 
It is allo juftified by the gonneStion in 
which they are introduced. In the fen- 
tence of which the words name and knowz 
form a part, the term Fehovah as a di- 
 ftinctive, title is compared with the di- 
ftinctive title ufed to Abraham. The 
Hnglifh tranflators evidently underftood 
it to be a diffinéiive title. ‘This appears 
from their retaining the original word 
in this paffage, inftead of tranflating it 
the Lord, which they commonly: do 
throughout the Old Teltameat; except- 
ing when it is ufed in a more pointedly 
diftinctive mantier than common. In the 
text and context alfo, from ver{e 1 to 8, 
Febovah is ufed as a diftinGive title, with 
a manijfeft reference to the occafion of the 
original appropriation of it to this pur- 
pole, as recorded chap. ili. v.13 to 18. 
An attention to this will greatly iliuftrate 
the text we are confidering. 
Here Mofes inquires of God what he 
fhall fay to the children of Ifrael when 
{ 
Objection to Exodus vi. 3. anfwered. 
r hoe 
Dec. 
they afk him “* what is the same of the 
God of their fathers whofent him ?”’ ‘Lhat 
is, what is the file or diftinfive appella- 
tion under which he manifefts himielf > 
For they knew that he had appeared to 
Abraham under the title of Gad Almighty. 
In reply to this, God commands Moies 
to fay, ** Fehowvah, the Ged of your fa- 
thers, hath fent me unto you:”’ he adds, 
*¢ this is my name for ever, and this is 
my memorial unto all generations ;”’ that 
is, by this name of Fehovah, the Mfrae- 
lites fhall ever difinguith me from all 
Beathen gods, and as their God. For 
thefe diftinGive purpofes God himielf 
promited to make a folemn proclamation 
of this very name to Moles, Exod. XX Xiil. 
16—r9. He did thus proclaim the zame 
of Fehovah, when Mofes brought the 
tables on which the law was to be writ- 
ten, XXXiv.. 4—7. And inthis chara&e- 
vifiic and di/iinive manner the name {fe- 
hoveb is ufed throughout the whole of 
the Old Teftament. Sehowah was the 
king, as well as the God of the Ifraelites, 
they were the peculiar people of Fehowah ; 
their whole worfhip and civil government 
centred in Fehowah. It was the glory of 
Febovah that filled the tabernacle and the 
firlt temple. Fehovab gave their laws. 
Aaron and his fucceffors vere prielts of 
Febovah. All the prophets appeared as 
the meflengers of Fesovah. This name 
has been held as the peculiar title of the 
one only God, and of their God, by alk 
the Ifraelites throughout their hiftory, 
from the time of Mofes to the prefent 
day. Deut. xxviii. 58. 2 Sam. vi. 2. 
Pfalms Ixxxiii. 18. Haish xii. 2. li. 5. 
Pfalms cxxxv. 13. Ezek. 1. 3: Ifaiah 
xlvii. 4. - If the original word Jehovah 
had been always retained in our veriion, 
it would have appeared more evidently in 
reading the Englifh bible, that Fehovas 
was uled as a diftinétive title. 
When fuch undoubted faéts from the 
name Yehovah mo amply fubferved the 
purpoles for which it was appropriated, 
the objection that may be urged againft 
its betng a diftinétive title, from its hav- 
ing been known before, whereas the ‘di- 
ftinkiive titie ufed-to Abraltam was a new 
one, is of noforce. The rainbow was 
made the token of a covenant between the 
Deity and Nezh, though that muft have 
been well known long before the appro- 
priation of it to this ufe. The fabbath 
alfo was made a fign of 2 covenant le- 
tween Jehovah and the Tfraelites, though, 
it was inftituted at the creation of the 
world, Exod. xxxXi, 13—17, 
Ais the name Febovab was the charat- 
- teriltic 

re 
a 
