own self.” (Isa. 63:11-14) When Israel showed a rebellious attitude in the wilderness, Jehovah dealt mercifully with them and did not abandon them. However, he revealed his primary reason in saying: “I went acting for the sake of my own name that it might not be profaned before the eyes of the nations.”—Ezek. 20:8-10.

Throughout the history of that nation, Jehovah kept the importance of his sacred Name before them. The capital city, Jerusalem, with its Mount Zion was the place Jehovah chose “to place his name there, to have it reside.” (Deut. 12:5, 11; 14:24, 25; Isa. 18:7; Jer. 3:17) The temple built in that city was the ‘house for Jehovah’s name.’ (1 Chron. 29:13-16; 1 Ki. 8:15-21, 41-43) What was done at that temple or in that city, for good or for bad, inevitably affected Jehovah’s Name and would be given attention by him. (1 Ki. 8:29; 9:3; 2 Ki. 21:4-7) The profaning of Jehovah’s Name there would bring certain destruction upon the city and lead to the casting away of the temple itself. (1 Ki. 9:6-8; Jer. 25:29; 7:8-15; compare Jesus’ actions and words at Matthew 21:12, 13; 23:38.) Due to these facts, the plaintive petitions of Jeremiah and Daniel on behalf of their people and city urged that Jehovah grant mercy and help ‘for his own name’s sake.’—Jer. 14:9; Dan. 9:15-19.

In foretelling his restoration of his name people to Judah and their cleansing, Jehovah again made clear to them his main concern, saying: “And I shall have compassion on my holy name . . . ‘Not for your sakes am I doing it, O house of Israel, but for my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have come in.’ ‘And I shall certainly sanctify my great name, which was being profaned . . . ; and the nations will have to know that I am Jehovah,’ is the utterance of the Lord Jehovah, ‘when I am sanctified among you before their eyes.’”—Ezek. 36:20-27, 32.

These and other scriptures show that Jehovah does not exaggerate mankind’s importance. All men being sinners, they are justly worthy of death and it is only by God’s undeserved kindness and mercy that any will gain life. (Rom. 5:12, 21; 1 John 4:9, 10) Jehovah owes nothing to mankind, and life everlasting for those who attain it will be a gift, not wages earned. (Rom. 5:15; 6:23; Titus 3:4, 5) True, he has demonstrated unparalleled love toward mankind. (John 3:16; Rom. 5:7, 8) But it is contrary to Scriptural fact and a putting of matters in wrong perspective to view human salvation as if it were the all-important issue or the criterion by which God’s justice, righteousness and holiness can be measured. The psalmist expressed the true perspective of matters when he humbly and wonderingly exclaimed: “O Jehovah our Lord, how majestic your name is in all the earth, you whose dignity is recounted above the heavens! When I see your heavens, the works of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have prepared, what is mortal man that you keep him in mind, and the son of earthling man that you take care of him?” (Ps. 8:1, 3, 4; 144:3; compare Isaiah 45:9; 64:8.) The sanctification of Jehovah God’s name rightly means more than the life of all mankind. Thus, as God’s Son showed, man should love his human neighbor as he loves himself, but he must love God with his whole heart, mind, soul and strength. (Mark 12:29-31) This means loving Jehovah God more than relatives, friends or life itself.—Deut. 13:6-10; Rev. 12:11; compare the attitude of the three Hebrews at Daniel 3:16-18.—See JEALOUS, JEALOUSY.

This Scriptural view of matters should not repel persons but, rather, cause them to appreciate the true God all the more. Since Jehovah could, in full justice, put an end to all sinful mankind, this exalts all the more the greatness of his mercy and undeserved kindness in saving some of mankind for life. (John 3:36) He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezek. 18:23, 32; 33:11); yet neither will he allow the wicked to escape the execution of his judgment. (Amos 9:2-4; Rom. 2:2-9) He is patient and long-suffering, with salvation in view for obedient ones (2 Pet. 3:8-10); yet he will not tolerate forever a situation that brings reproach upon his lofty Name. (Ps. 74:10, 22, 23; Isa. 65:6, 7; 2 Pet. 2:3) He shows compassion and is understanding regarding human frailties, forgiving repentant ones “in a large way” (Ps. 103:10-14; 130:3, 4; Isa. 55:6, 7); yet he does not excuse persons from the responsibilities they rightly bear for their own actions and the effects these have on themselves and their families. They reap what they have sown. (Deut. 30:19, 20; Gal. 6:5, 7, 8) Thus, Jehovah shows a beautiful and perfect balance of justice and mercy. Those having the proper perspective of matters as revealed in his Word (Isa. 55:8, 9; Ezek. 18:25, 29-31) will not commit the grave error of trifling with his undeserved kindness or ‘missing its purpose.’—2 Cor. 6:1; Heb. 10:26-31; 12:29.

UNCHANGING IN QUALITIES AND STANDARDS

As Jehovah told the people of Israel: “I am Jehovah; I have not changed.” (Mal. 3:6) This was some 3,500 years after God’s creation of mankind and some 1,500 years from the time of God’s making the Abrahamic covenant. While some claim that the God revealed in the Hebrew Scriptures differs from the God revealed by Jesus Christ and by the writers of the Christian Greek Scriptures, examination shows this claim to be without any foundation. Of God, the disciple James rightly said: “With him there is not a variation of the turning of the shadow.” (Jas. 1:17) There was no ‘mellowing’ of Jehovah God’s personality during the centuries, for no mellowing was needed. His severity as revealed in the Christian Greek Scriptures is no less nor his love any greater than it was at the beginning of his dealings with mankind in Eden.

The seeming differences in personality are in reality merely different aspects of the same unchanging personality. These result from the differing circumstances and persons dealt with, calling for different attitudes or relationships. (Compare Isaiah 59:1-4.) It was not Jehovah, but Adam and Eve, who changed, putting themselves in a position where Jehovah’s unchangeable righteous standards allowed no further dealings with them as members of his beloved universal family. Being perfect, they were fully responsible for their deliberate wrongdoing (Rom. 5:14) and hence beyond the limits of divine mercy, although Jehovah showed them undeserved kindness in starting them out with clothing and allowing them to live for centuries outside the sanctuary of Eden and bring forth offspring before finally dying from the effects of their own sinful course. (Gen. 3:8-24) After their eviction from Eden all divine communication with Adam and his wife apparently ceased.

Why he can consistently deal with imperfect humans

Jehovah’s just standards allowed for his dealing differently with Adam and Eve’s offspring than with their parents. Why? For the reason that Adam’s offspring inherited sin, hence involuntarily started life as imperfect creatures with a built-in inclination toward wrongdoing. (Ps. 51:5; Rom. 5:12) Thus, there was basis for mercy toward them. Jehovah’s first prophecy (Gen. 3:15), spoken at the time of pronouncing judgment in Eden, showed that the rebellion of his first human children (as well as that of one of his spirit sons) had not embittered Jehovah nor dried up the flow of his love. That prophecy pointed in symbolic terms toward a righting of the situation produced by the rebellion and a restoration of conditions to their original perfection, the full significance being revealed millenniums later.—Compare the symbolisms of the “serpent,” the “woman,” and the “seed” at Revelation 12:9, 17; Galatians 3:16, 29; 4:26, 27.

Adam’s descendants have been permitted to continue on earth for thousands of years, though imperfect and in a dying condition, never able to free themselves from sin’s deadly grip. The Christian apostle Paul explained Jehovah’s reason for allowing this, saying: “For the creation was subjected to futility, not by its own will but through him that subjected it [that is, Jehovah God], on the basis of hope that the creation itself also will be set free from enslavement to corruption and have the glorious freedom of the children of God. For we know that all creation keeps on groaning together and being in pain together until now.” (Rom. 8:20-22) As shown in the article FOREKNOWLEDGE, FOREORDINATION, there is nothing to indicate that Jehovah chose to use his powers of discernment to foresee the original pair’s deflection. However, once it took place Jehovah foreordained the means for correcting the wrong situation. (Eph. 1:9-11) This sacred secret, originally locked up in the symbolic prophecy in Eden, was finally fully revealed in Jehovah’s first-begotten Son, sent to earth that he might “bear witness to the truth” and “by God’s undeserved kindness might taste death for every man.”—John 18:37; Heb. 2:9; see RANSOM.

God’s dealing with and blessing certain descendants of the sinner Adam, therefore, marked no change in Jehovah’s standards of perfect righteousness. He was not thereby approving their sinful state. Because his purposes are absolutely certain of fulfillment, Jehovah “calls the things that are not as though they were” (as in naming Abram “Abraham,” meaning “father of a multitude,” while he was yet childless). (Rom. 4:17) Knowing that in his due time (Gal. 4:4) he would provide a ransom, the legal means for forgiving sin and removing imperfection (Isa. 53:11, 12; Matt. 20:28; 1 Pet. 2:24), Jehovah consistently could deal with and have in his service imperfect men, inheritors of sin. This was because he had the just basis for ‘counting [or, reckoning]’ them as righteous persons due to their faith in Jehovah’s promises and, eventually, in the fulfillment of those promises in Christ Jesus as the perfect sacrifice for sins. (Jas. 2:23; Rom. 4:20-25) Thus, Jehovah’s provision of the ransom arrangement and its benefits gives striking testimony, not only of Jehovah’s love and mercy, but also of his fidelity to his exalted standards of justice, for by the ransom arrangement he exhibits “his own righteousness in this present season, that he might be righteous even when declaring righteous the man [though imperfect] that has faith in Jesus.”—Rom. 3:21-26; compare Isaiah 42:21; see DECLARE RIGHTEOUS.

Why the ‘God of peace’ fights

Jehovah’s statement in Eden that he would put enmity between the seed of his adversary and the seed of the “woman” did not change Him from being the ‘God of peace.’ (Gen. 3:15; Rom. 16:20; 1 Cor. 14:33) The situation then was the same as in the days of the earthly life of his Son, Jesus Christ, who, after referring to his union with his heavenly Father, said: “Do not think I came to put peace upon the earth; I came to put, not peace, but a sword.” (Matt. 10:32-40) Jesus’ ministry brought divisions, even within families (Luke 12:51-53), but it was because of his adherence to, and proclamation of, God’s righteous standards and truth. Because many individuals hardened their hearts against these truths while others accepted them, division resulted. (John 8:40, 44-47; 15:22-25; 17:14) This was unavoidable if the divine principles were to be upheld; but the blame lay with the rejecters of what was right.

So, too, enmity was foretold to come because Jehovah’s perfect standards would allow for no condoning of the rebellious course of Satan’s “seed.” God’s disapproval of such ones and his blessing of those holding to a righteous course would have a divisive effect (John 15:18-21; Jas. 4:4), even as in the case of Cain and Abel.—Gen. 4:2-8; Heb. 11:4; 1 John 3:12; Jude 10, 11; see CAIN.

The rebellious course chosen by men and wicked angels constituted a challenge to Jehovah’s rightful sovereignty and to the good order of all the universe. Standing up to this challenge has required Jehovah to become “a manly person of war” (Ex. 15:3-7), defending his own good Name and righteous standards, fighting on behalf of those who love and serve him, and executing judgment upon those meriting destruction. (1 Sam. 17:45; 2 Chron. 14:11; Isa. 30:27-31; 42:13) He does not hesitate to use his almighty power, devastatingly at times, as at the Flood, in the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and in the delivery of Israel from Egypt. (Deut. 7:9, 10) And he has no fear of making known any of the details of his righteous warfare; he makes no apologies, having nothing for which to be ashamed. (Job 34:10-15; 36:22-24; 37:23, 24; 40:1-8; Rom. 3:4) His respect for his own Name and the righteousness it represents, as well as his love for those who love him, compels him to act.—Isa. 48:11; 57:21; 59:15-19; Rev. 16:5-7.

The Christian Greek Scriptures portray the same picture. The apostle Paul encouraged fellow Christians, saying: “The God who gives peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly.” (Rom. 16:20; compare Genesis 3:15.) He also showed the rightness of God’s repaying tribulation to those causing tribulation for his servants, bringing everlasting destruction upon such opposers. (2 Thess. 1:6-9) This was in harmony with the teachings of God’s Son, who left no room for doubt as to his Father’s uncompromising determination forcibly to end all wickedness and those practicing it. (Matt. 13:30, 38-42; 21:42-44; 23:33; Luke 17:26-30; 19:27) As already noted, the book of Revelation is replete with descriptions of divinely authorized warring action. All of this, however, in Jehovah’s wisdom ultimately leads to the establishment of an enduring, universal peace, solidly founded on justice and righteousness.—Isa. 9:6, 7; 2 Pet. 3:13.

His dealings with fleshly Israel and spiritual Israel

Similarly, much of the difference in content between the Hebrew Scriptures and the Christian Greek Scriptures is due to the fact that the former treat mainly of Jehovah’s dealings with fleshly Israel, whereas the latter, to a large extent, lead up to and portray his dealings with spiritual Israel, the Christian congregation. Thus, on the one hand, we have a nation whose millions of members are such solely by virtue of fleshly descent, a conglomerate of the good and the bad. On the other hand, we have a spiritual nation formed of persons drawn to God through Jesus Christ, persons showing love for truth and right and who personally and voluntarily dedicate themselves to the doing of Jehovah’s will. Logically, God’s dealings and relations with the two groups would differ and the first group would reasonably call forth more expressions of Jehovah’s anger and severity than would the second group.

Yet it would be a grave error to miss the upbuilding and comforting insight into Jehovah God’s personality that his dealings with fleshly Israel provide. These give sterling examples proving that Jehovah was the kind of Person he described himself to Moses as being: “Jehovah, Jehovah, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in loving-kindness and truth, preserving loving-kindness for thousands, pardoning error and transgression and sin, but by no means will he give exemption from punishment, bringing punishment for the error of fathers upon sons and upon grandsons, upon the third generation and upon the fourth generation.”—Ex. 34:4-7; compare 20:5.

Though balanced by justice, it is in reality Jehovah’s love, patience, and long-suffering that are the outstanding facets of his personality revealed in the history of Israel, a highly favored people who, in their majority, proved remarkably “stiff-necked” and “hardhearted” toward their Creator. (Ex. 34:8, 9; Neh. 9:16, 17; Jer. 7:21-26; Ezek. 3:7) The strong denunciations and condemnation repeatedly leveled against Israel by Jehovah through his prophets only serve to emphasize the greatness of his mercy and the amazing extent of his long-suffering. At the end of over 1,500 years of bearing with them, and even after his own Son was slain at the instance of religious leaders of the nation, Jehovah continued to favor them for a period of three and a half years longer, mercifully causing the preaching of the good news to be restricted to them, granting them yet further opportunity to gain the privilege of reigning with his Son—an opportunity that repentant thousands accepted.—Acts 2:1-5, 14-41; 10:24-28, 34-48; see SEVENTY WEEKS.

Jesus Christ evidently referred to Jehovah’s previously quoted statement as to ‘bringing punishment to later descendants of offenders’ when he said to the hypocritical scribes and Pharisees: “You say, ‘If we had been in the days of our forefathers, we would not have been sharers with them in the blood of the prophets.’ Therefore you are bearing witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Well, then, fill up the measure of your forefathers.” (Matt. 23:29-32) Despite their pretensions, by their course of action such ones demonstrated their approval of the wrong deeds of their forefathers and proved that they themselves continued to be among ‘those hating Jehovah.’ (Ex. 20:5; Matt. 23:33-36; John 15:23, 24) Thus, they, unlike the Jews who repented and heeded the words of God’s Son, suffered the cumulative effect of God’s judgment when, years later, Jerusalem was besieged and destroyed and most of its population died. They could have escaped but chose not to avail themselves of Jehovah’s mercy.—Luke 21:20-24; compare Daniel 9:10, 13-15.

His personality reflected in his Son

In every respect, then, Jesus Christ was a faithful reflection of the beautiful personality of his Father, Jehovah God, in whose name he came. (John 1:18; Matt. 21:9; John 12:12, 13; compare Psalm 118:26.) Jesus said: “The Son cannot do a single thing of his own initiative, but only what he beholds the Father doing. For whatever things that One does, these things the Son also does in like manner.” (John 5:19) It follows, therefore, that the kindness and compassion, the mildness and warmth, as well as the strong love for righteousness and hatred of wickedness that Jesus displayed (Heb. 1:8, 9), are all qualities that the Son had observed in his Father, Jehovah God.—Compare Matthew 9:35, 36 with Psalm 23:1-6 and Isaiah 40:10, 11; Matthew 11:27-30 with Isaiah 40:28-31 and 57:15, 16; Luke 15:11-24 with Psalm 103:8-14; Luke 19:41-44 with Ezekiel 18:31, 32; 33:11.

Every lover of righteousness who reads the inspired Scriptures and who truly comes to “know” with understanding the full meaning of Jehovah’s name (Ps. 9:9, 10; 91:14; Jer. 16:21) has every reason, therefore, to love and bless that name (Ps. 72:18-20; 119:132; Heb. 6:10), praise and exalt it (Ps. 7:17; Isa. 25:1; Heb. 13:15), fear and sanctify it (Neh. 1:11; Mal. 2:4-6; 3:16-18; Matt. 6:9), trust in it (Ps. 33:21; Prov. 18:10), saying with the psalmist: “I will sing to Jehovah throughout my life; I will make melody to my God as long as I am. Let my musing about him be pleasurable. I, for my part, shall rejoice in Jehovah. The sinners will be finished off from the earth; and as for the wicked, they will be no longer. Bless Jehovah, O my soul. Praise Jah, you people!”—Ps. 104:33-35.

JEHOVAH HIMSELF IS THERE

This translates the expression “Jehovah-shamʹmah,” applied to the city seen by the prophet Ezekiel in his vision recorded in chapters 40 through 48. (Ezek. 48:35) The visionary city is depicted as foursquare (four thousand five hundred cubits to a side [6,562.5 feet (c. 2,000 meters)]) and as having twelve gates, each bearing the name of one of the tribes of Israel. (48:15, 16, 31-34) To an extent it is similar to the holy city New Jerusalem as seen in vision by the apostle John. (Rev. 21:2, 10-16) The visionary city of Ezekiel’s prophecy is to belong to “all the house of Israel.” (Ezek. 45:6) The name “Jehovah-shamʹmah,” or “Jehovah Himself Is There,” would signify a representational presence of God like that expressed in other texts, such as Psalms 46:5; 132:13, 14; Isaiah 24:23; Joel 3:21 and Zechariah 2:10, 11, where Jehovah, whom the ‘heaven of the heavens cannot contain,’ is spoken of as though residing in an earthly city or place.—1 Ki. 8:27.

JEHOVAH IS OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS

This expression translates the two words Y^eho·wahʹ Tsidh·qeʹnu, found at Jeremiah 23:6 and 33:16. Other translations are: “The LORD is our vindicator” (AT); “Yahweh-our-integrity” (JB).

Jeremiah 23:5, 6 is a Messianic prophecy describing the future king sprouting from David’s line to “execute justice and righteousness in the land.” Since he rules as God’s representative (even as David, and others, sat “upon Jehovah’s throne” as God’s anointed king; 1 Chron. 29:23), the prophecy says, “This is his name with which he will be called, Jehovah Is Our Righteousness.” There is no basis for claiming, as some have, that this means that Jesus, the Messiah, and Jehovah are the same, forming one God. This can be seen from the fact that the similar Messianic prophecy at Jeremiah 33:14-16 applies the identical expression to Jerusalem, saying: “And this is what she will be called, Jehovah Is Our Righteousness.” In both cases the expression shows that God’s name, Jehovah, placed both upon his promised king and upon his chosen capital, is a guarantee of their righteousness. Moreover, the justice and righteousness emanating from, or expressed by, these sources are the product of full devotion to Jehovah and his divine will, bringing Jehovah’s blessing and direction.

JEHOVAH-JIREH

(Je·hoʹvah-jiʹreh) [Jehovah will see to (it), or, Jehovah will provide].

A place on one of the mountains in the land of Moriah where Abraham found a ram caught in a thicket and subsequently offered it instead of Isaac. Abraham viewed this ram as Jehovah’s provision and therefore named the place Jehovah-jireh.—Gen. 22:2, 13, 14.

JEHOVAH-NISSI

(Je·hoʹvah-nisʹsi) [Jehovah is my signal (pole); LXX, Jehovah is my refuge; Vg, Jehovah is my exaltation].

The name of the memorial altar erected by Moses after Israel’s successful battle against the Amalekites at Rephidim.—Ex. 17:8, 13-16.

JEHOVAH OF ARMIES

This expression, found over 280 times in the Scriptures, translates the Hebrew Y^eho·wahʹ ts^eva·ʼohthʹ. The prophetic books, particularly Isaiah, Jeremiah and Zechariah, contain by far the majority of its occurrences. Paul and James, quoting from or alluding to the prophecies, used the expression (transliterated into Greek) in their writings.—Rom. 9:29; Jas. 5:4; compare Isaiah 1:9.

The Hebrew word tsa·vaʼʹ (singular; plural, ts^eva·ʼohthʹ) basically means a literal army of soldiers or combat forces, as at Genesis 21:22; Deuteronomy 20:9, and many other texts. However, the term is also used in a figurative sense as in “the heavens and the earth and all their army,” or “the sun and the moon and the stars, all the army of the heavens.” (Gen. 2:1; Deut. 4:19) The plural form (ts^eva·ʼohthʹ) is employed a number of times as applying to the Israelite forces, as at Exodus 6:26; 7:4; Numbers 33:1; Psalms 44:9; 60:10. Some scholars believe that the “armies” in the expression “Jehovah of armies” include not only the angelic forces but also the Israelite army and the inanimate heavenly bodies. However, it appears that the “armies” signified are primarily, if not exclusively, the angelic forces.

When Joshua saw an angelic visitor near Jericho and asked him if he was for Israel or for the enemy