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Jehovah. "The Lord came down to see the city" (Gen. 11: 5).
(And many other references).
There are twelve occasions in the N.T. where kurios is translated `sir', six of them
occurring in contexts referring to Christ. The same word is used by the Philippian gaoler:
"Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" (Acts 16: 30).
Kurios is translated `master' twice and `owner' once. It is translated `Lord' 719 times
in the N.T. of which 56 occurrences refer to men or beings lower than God, and 663 refer
either to God or to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Let us now inquire into the way in which the writers of the N.T. use the title Kurios,
the Greek equivalent of Jehovah, and how it is applied. Matthew uses the word six times
in his two opening chapters, in accordance with O.T. usage `The angel of the Lord',
`spoken of the Lord', but with the seventh reference, he makes a most vital change in his
application of this exclusive and most revered title.
"Prepare ye the way of the LORD" (Matt. 3: 3).
This is a quotation from Isa. 40: 3 where the word `LORD' is Jehovah, and where, in
chapter 45: of the same prophet, it is explicitly declared `I am the LORD, and there is
none else, there is no God beside Me'. Quite apart from the question of inspiration, both
Matthew and his readers were fully acquainted with the prophecy of Isaiah; consequently
when Matthew prefaced his quotation with the words "For this is He that was spoken by
the prophet Isaiah, saying . . . . . Prepare ye the way of the LORD" (Matt. 3: 3) he knew,
and his readers knew, the tremendous claim that this quotation makes, that the One who
was known as Jesus Christ in the N.T. was indeed He, Who before His Incarnation and
birth was Jehovah, the God of Israel. If we supplement this testimony with that of the
angel who appeared unto Zacharias the father of John the Baptist, the evidence is
overwhelming.
"Many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the LORD THEIR GOD. And he shall
go before HIM (i.e. `The Lord their God' Who is none other than Jesus Christ) in the
spirit and power of Elijah" (Luke 1: 16, 17).
John the Baptist, at his birth, was called "The prophet of the HIGHEST" who should
go before the face of the LORD to prepare His ways (Luke 1: 76). In the eyes of Stephen
"The Most High" (same word in original as `The Highest') is the Creator and God of
Israel (Acts 7: 48) and Heb. 7: 1 says it was this God that Melchisedec served in the
capacity of Priest. Leaving the Gospels for a time, we come to the Acts of the Apostles,
and once again we are left in no doubt but that the title "Lord" is used in its O.T.
meaning, the sacred name of the God of Israel. "That great and notable day of the Lord"
(Acts 2: 20) is a direct quotation from the prophecy of Joel. "A prophet shall the Lord
your God raise up" (Acts 7: 37) being a quotation from Deut. 18: 15. When Peter
answered the voice from heaven which said "Rise, Peter; kill and eat" by replying
"Not so, Lord" (Acts 10: 13, 14) he refers this command to `God' saying "God hath
shewed me".