Did NWT mistranslates 1 Peter 3:14,15?

1 Peter 3:14, 15 and the JW version of the Bible



JWs deny that Jesus is Jehovah. In the main text of their own version of the Bible, the NWT, the name “Jehovah” appears 237 times. According to them, how do we to determine where to put the name “Jehovah” in the NT verses?

“How may modern translators determine when to render the Greek words Ky’ri•os and The•os’ as the divine name? By determining where the inspired Christians writers have quoted from the Hebrew Scriptures. Then they must refer back to the Hebrew text to locate whether the divine name appears there. In this way they can determine the identity to be given to Ky’ri•os and The•os’, and make appropriate use of the personal name... We have looked for some agreement with us by the Hebrew versions we consulted to confirm our rendering.”
Foreword to The Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures (KIT), p. 11-12, published by JWs, 1985

Take note of the steps:
1. Check where the NT writer is quoting from the OT
2. Check if the Hebrew text uses the Tetragram (YHWH).
3. Confirm if the Hebrew versions uses the Tetragram.

Let’s check a NT verse where they did NOT follow these guidelines (for obvious reasons):

“ But even if YOU should suffer for the sake of righteousness, YOU are happy. However, the object of their fear do not YOU fear, neither become agitated. But sanctify the Christ as Lord [Ky’ri•os] in YOUR hearts, always ready to make a defense before everyone that demands of YOU a reason for the hope in YOU, but doing so together with a mild temper and deep respect. (1 Peter 3:14, 15, NWT)

Let’s do step #1: Check if the NT writer is quoting the OT. I will highlight the similar wording.

“YOU men must not say, ‘A conspiracy!’ respecting all that of which this people keep saying, ‘A conspiracy!’ and the object of their fear YOU men must not fear, nor must YOU tremble at it. Jehovah of armies—he is the One whom YOU should treat as holy, and he should be the object of YOUR fear, and he should be the One causing YOU to tremble.” (Isaiah 8:12, 13)

“However, the object of their fear do not YOU fear, neither become agitated. But sanctify the Christ as Lord [Ky’ri•os] in YOUR hearts, always ready to make a defense before everyone that demands of YOU a reason for the hope in YOU, but doing so together with a mild temper and deep respect.”

It goes without saying that the writer of 1 Peter is quoting from Isaiah 8:12, 13.

Now, let’s do the step #2: Check if the Hebrew text has the Tetragram:

לֹא־תֹאמְרוּן קֶשֶׁר לְכֹל אֲשֶׁר־יֹאמַר הָעָם הַזֶּה קָשֶׁר וְאֶת־מֹורָאֹו לֹא־תִירְאוּ וְלֹא תַעֲרִיצוּ׃
אֶת־יְהוָה צְבָאֹות אֹתֹו תַקְדִּישׁוּ וְהוּא מֹורַאֲכֶם וְהוּא מַעֲרִצְכֶם׃ (Isaiah 8:12, 13)

Here everybody can see that the Tetragram is in the Hebrew text.

Then let’s do the last step: Confirm if the Hebrew versions uses the Tetragram.

The footnote to 1 Peter 3:15 reads in KIT:

“The Christ as Lord, אABC; the Lord God, Textus Receptus; Jehovah God, J7,8,11-14,16,17,24”

The J7,8,11-14,16,17,24 refers to the Hebrew versions.

If the translator were consistent with the guidelines that they laid out, then how should they have translated 1 Peter 3:14, 15?

“But even if YOU should suffer for the sake of righteousness, YOU are happy. However, the object of their fear do not YOU fear, neither become agitated. But sanctify the Christ as Jehovah in YOUR hearts, always ready to make a defense before everyone that demands of YOU a reason for the hope in YOU, but doing so together with a mild temper and deep respect.” (1 Peter 3:14, 15, NWT)

Of course, we know why they didn’t do that.