Using the Word “Lord” Leads to Confusion
One of the names for God in Hebrew is Yahweh (YHWH). Yet most translations of the Bible don’t use Yahweh. Instead, most use Lord. This may be because some Jewish people dare not say this name for God aloud.
Yet substituting the word Lord for Yahweh often makes the text less than clear, resulting in confusion. A passage that particularly frustrates me in this regard is Psalm 110:1.
In most versions it reads something like: “The Lord says to my Lord.” The first lord is a reference to God. The second is not. This is confusing.
Various Formatting Conventions
In the Old Testament, Bibles render God as lord using various forms of upper and lowercase. The most common is an uppercase L followed by ORD in small caps.
A few versions put the entire word in uppercase (such as the JUB). Some others print it as Lord (uppercase L and lowercase ord; such as the GNV, IBC, and NLV).
The formatting of the first two instances is to clue the reader that Lord references God, though I suspect many people miss the subtle difference.
The third formatting option, however, gives no clue whatsoever; it provides no distinction between Lord meaning God and Lord meaning someone other than God.
Whether or not Scripture makes a clear distinction in the written text, this is all lost when reading it aloud. Just saying Yahweh would completely solve this.
Alternate Labels
Some versions avoid the confusion with Lord and use alternate labels for God. In addition to Yahweh, others use Adonai, Adoni, and Jehovah.
Yet Yahweh seems to be the best choice (LSB, LEB, NOG, and WEB). This is my preference as the clearest way to avoid confusion.
New Testament References to Psalm 110:1
Interestingly, Jesus talks about this verse. His teaching is recorded in Matthew 22:41-45, Mark 12:35-37, and Luke 20:41-44. Peter also mentions this verse in his sermon at Pentecost (Acts 2:30-36).
Since the New Testament was not written in Hebrew but (mostly) Greek, the special formatting for LORD does not occur in most Bible translations, with all mentions simply written as Lord.
This New Testament practice reintroduces the confusion of this verse as to who the two different mentions of Lord refer to. This includes the popular NIV and ESV, with the KJV being an exception.
Just Say Yahweh
Regardless, it would all be so much cleared if the text just said Yahweh instead of Lord.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront a status quo faith and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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