“Yehowa” Anaa “Yahwe”?

“AFRAFRADI,” “afrafra mma,” “ahude.” Dɛn na ɛbɛma Bible mu Hebrifo nhomanimfo de saa nsɛm a esi biribi so dua yi adi dwuma? Ɔsɛmpɔw a wɔregye ho akyinnye ne sɛ́ ebia “Yehowa” yɛ ɔkwan a wɔfa so bɔ Onyankopɔn din no wɔ Twi mu anaa ɛnte saa. Wɔagye asɛm yi ho akyinnye bɛboro mfe ɔha ni. Ɛnnɛ, ɛte sɛ nea nhomanimfo pii foa edin a wɔkyem abien bɔ, “Yahwe,” no so. Nanso so edin no a wɔbɔ no “Yehowa” no yɛ “ahude” ankasa?

Nea Ɛde Akyinnyegye no Bae

Sɛnea Bible kyerɛ no, Onyankopɔn ankasa daa ne din adi kyerɛɛ nnipa. (Exodus 3:15) Kyerɛwnsɛm mu adanse kyerɛ sɛ Onyankopɔn tete asomfo de saa din no dii dwuma wɔ baabiara. (Genesis 12:8; Rut 2:4) Ná aman foforo nso nim Onyankopɔn din. (Yosua 2:9) Ná eyi te saa titiriw bere a Yudafo a na wofi Babilon nnommumfa mu aba no bɛtoo aman pii mu nnipa no. (Dwom 96:2-10; Yesaia 12:4; Malaki 1:11) The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible ka sɛ: “Adanse bebree wɔ hɔ a ɛkyerɛ sɛ wɔ nnommumfa no akyi no, ananafo pii ani begyee Yudafo som ho.” Nanso, ebeduu afeha a edi kan Y.B. mu no, na gyidihunu bi asɔre wɔ Onyankopɔn din no ho. Awiei koraa no, ɛnyɛ sɛ Yuda man no gyaee Onyankopɔn din no bɔ wɔ baguam nko, na mmom ebinom baraa ne bɔ koraa. Enti sɛnea na wɔbɔ no ankasa yerae—anaa ɛnte saa?

Dɛn na Ɛwɔ Din no Mu?

Wɔ Hebri kasa mu no, wɔde nkyerɛwde יהוה na ɛkyerɛw Onyankopɔn din no. Wɔtaa frɛ saa nkyerɛwde anan a wɔkenkan fi nifa kɔ benkum no Tetragrammaton. Nnipa ne mmeae pii din wɔ Bible mu a ekura Onyankopɔn din no a wɔatwa no tiaa. So ebetumi aba sɛ saa din yi betumi ama yɛanya biribi a yebegyina so ahu sɛnea na wɔbɔ Onyankopɔn din no?

Sɛnea George Buchanan, ɔbenfo a wagyae adwuma a ɔwɔ Wesley Nyamekyerɛ Adesuabea wɔ Washington, D.C., U.S.A., kyerɛ no, mmuae no yɛ yiw. Ɔbenfo Buchanan kyerɛkyerɛ mu sɛ: “Wɔ tete mmere mu no, na awofo taa de wɔn mma to wɔn anyame. Ɛno kyerɛ sɛ na wɔbɔ wɔn mma no din sɛnea wɔbɔ onyame no din. Ná wɔde Tetragrammaton no di dwuma wɔ nkurɔfo din mu, na na bere nyinaa wɔde ɛnne nkyerɛwde a ɛhyɛ mfinimfini no na edi dwuma.”

Susuw nkurɔfo din a ɛwɔ Bible mu a wɔde Onyankopɔn din a wɔatwa no tiaa ka ho no ho nhwɛso kakraa bi ho hwɛ. Ɔbenfo Buchanan ka sɛ, Yonatan, a wɔbɔ no Yoh·na·thanʹ anaa Yehoh·na·thanʹ wɔ Hebri Bible mu no kyerɛ “Yaho anaa Yahowah na ɔde ama.” Odiyifo Elia din no yɛ ʼE·li·yahʹ anaa ʼE·li·yaʹhu wɔ Hebri mu. Sɛnea Ɔbenfo Buchanan kyerɛ no, edin no kyerɛ: “Me Nyankopɔn ne Yahoo anaa Yahoo-wah.” Saa ara na Hebri din a egyina hɔ ma Yehosafat ne Yehoh-sha·phatʹ, a ɛkyerɛ “Yaho abu atɛn.”

Tetragrammaton no a wɔkyem abien bɔ no “Yahwe” no remma ɛnne nkyerɛwde o no nnyigye mma ɛnyɛ sɛ Onyankopɔn din no. Nanso wɔ Bible mu din a ekura Onyankopɔn din no pii mu no, saa ɛnne nkyerɛwde a ɛhyɛ mfinimfini no gyigye wɔ edin no ankasa mu ne edin no a wɔatwa no tiaa no mu, te sɛ Yehonatan ne Yonatan. Enti, Ɔbenfo Buchanan ka Onyankopɔn din no ho asɛm sɛ: “Baabiara nni hɔ a woyi ɛnne nkyerɛwde oo anaa oh no fi mu. Ɛtɔ mmere bi a na wotwa asɛmfua no tiaa yɛ no ‘Ya,’ nanso wɔanyɛ no ‘Ya-weh’ da. . . . Sɛ na wɔbɔ Tetragrammaton no wɔ ɔfã biako mu a, na ɛyɛ ‘Yah’ anaa ‘Yo.’ Sɛ na wɔkyem abiɛsa bɔ a, na ɛyɛ ‘Yahowah’ anaa ‘Yahoowah.’ Sɛ na wotwa no tiawa kyem abien bɔ mpo a, na ɛbɛyɛ ‘Yaho.’”—Biblical Archaeology Review.

Saa nkyerɛkyerɛmu yi boa ma yɛte asɛm a afeha a ɛto so 19 mu Hebri nhomanimfo Gesenius kae wɔ ne Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament Scriptures mu no ase: “Wɔn a wosusuw sɛ na יְהוָֹה [Ye-ho-wah] ne sɛnea wɔbɔ [Onyankopɔn din] no ankasa no wɔ biribi a wobegyina so ataa nea wɔka no akyi koraa. Saa kwan yi so na yebetumi akyerɛkyerɛ nsɛmfua a wɔatwa no tiaa יְהוֹ [Ye-ho] ne יוֹ [Yo], a ɛno na efi nkurɔfo pii din ase no mu wɔ ɔkwan a ɛma abotɔyam kɛse so.”

Nanso, wɔ The Five Books of Moses a Everett Fox kyerɛɛ ase nnansa yi nnianim asɛm mu no, ɔda no adi sɛ: “Wɔadi nkogu wɔ mmɔden a wɔbɔe wɔ tete mmere mu ne nnɛ nyinaa sɛ wobehu sɛnea wɔbɔ [Onyankopɔn] din no ‘pɛpɛɛpɛ’ wɔ Hebri mu no mu; saa ara na biribiara nni hɔ a wobetumi agyina so akyerɛ sɛ nea ɛtɔ mmere bi a wɔbɔ no ‘Yehowa’ anaa nea nhomanimfo bɔ no ‘Yahwe’ no yɛ nokware.”

Akyinnye biara nni ho sɛ nhomanimfo akyinnyegye no bɛkɔ so ara. Yudafo no gyaee nokware Nyankopɔn no din bɔ ansa na Masoretfo no refi ase de ɛnne nkyerɛwde no ahyehyem. Enti ɔkwan pɔtee bi nni hɔ a yebetumi afa so akyerɛ ɛnne nkyerɛwde ko a na ɛka anom nkyerɛwde YHWH (יהוה) no ho. Nanso, Bible mu nnipa din—a sɛnea wɔbɔ no ankasa anyera no—ma yenya biribi pɔtee a yebetumi agyina so abɔ Onyankopɔn din no sɛnea na wɔbɔ no tete mmere mu no. Ne saa nti, anyɛ yiye koraa no, nhomanimfo bi gye di sɛ sɛnea wɔbɔ no “Yehowa” no nyɛ “ahude” koraa.

[Kratafa 31 mfonini ahorow]

“Yehowa” ne sɛnea wɔbɔ Onyankopɔn din no a nnipa dodow no ara nim