Why is LORD in all caps?

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There are three forms of the word 'lord', as found in the Bible.
  • lord → all small letters
  • Lord → Standard Caps
  • LORD → ALL CAPS

1. lord

This form is used for men, and men alone. For instance,
Genesis 31:35 And she said to her father, “Let it not displease my lord that I cannot rise before you, for the manner of women is with me.” And he searched but did not find the household idols.

2. Lord

This form is typically used in place of the Hebrew text containing the name of God as 'Adonai', which means the sovereign one. For example,
Psalms 57:9 I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing to You among the nations.

3. LORD

When you see LORD in the Bible, it means that it was translated from the Hebrew text containing the name of God as יהוה‎, transliterated as 'YHWH'. This is a special word termed as Tetragram or Tetragrammaton, which contains just the 4 consonants and no vowels. The Jews considered it too holy to utter this name of God. When the scribes copied the text into other languages, they introduced the vowels to make it more readable. Hence, YHWH becomes Yahweh. Now this word, when translated to English, in an effort to differentiate between different representations in the original Hebrew text, was written as LORD in all caps.
Psalms 23:1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

Irrespective of what name of God you use, make sure it is with reverence and not in vain!



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