The Lord
Archimandrite Nikifor’s Biblical Encyclopedia
(Gen. 2:4; Exod. 3:4–16, and elsewhere) — one of the names of God, expressed in Hebrew by the word Jehovah, and among the LXX for the most part by the word Kyrios, and everywhere denoting the true God. It is known that the Hebrews from ancient times considered the name Jehovah so sacred and mysterious that they feared to pronounce it, and used in its place, in their books, the word Adonai, that is, Master, Lord, instead of Jehovah. According to Jewish tradition, this name was used only by the priests and high priests in the Temple, but after the death of Simon the Just (d.
292 B.C.) it was replaced in the Temple as well by the word Adonai. Be that as it may, in the LXX (around 271 B.C.) the word Kyrios — Lord — already stands constantly in place of Jehovah. Introduced in this way almost 300 years before Christ, it was thereafter sanctified by constant use in the New Testament and by the Lord Himself and the apostles, as the proper name of God, belonging to Him as the true God. (See God.)