a-do'-ni, ad-o-na'-i ('adhonay):

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A Divine name, translated, "Lord" and signifying from its derivation, "Sovereignty" Its vowels are found in the Masoretic Text with the unpronounceable tetragrammaton, "YHWH". When the Hebrew reader came to these letters, he always substituted in pronunciation the word "adhonay". Its vowels combined with the tetragrammaton form the word "Yahweh".