IGama LikaThixo Ukutyhubela Izizukulwana

UYEHOVA uThixo ufuna ukuba abantu balazi baze balisebenzise igama lakhe. Oku kucaca ngesibakala sokuba Yena walityhila igama Lakhe kubantu ababini bokuqala ngqa emhlabeni. Siyazi ukuba uAdam noEva babeqhelene negama likaThixo kuba emva kokuba uEva ezale uKayin, ngokwendlela ekwakubhalwe ngayo kwisiHebhere santlandlolo, wathi: “Ndizuze indoda ngoYehova.”—Genesis 4:1.

Kamva sifunda ukuba amadoda athembekileyo anjengoEnoki noNowa “ahamba noThixo.” (Genesis 5:24; 6:9) Ngoko, akwamele ukuba ayelazi igama likaThixo. Eli gama ladlulela ngaphaya koMkhukula omkhulu nendoda elilungisa uNowa nentsapho yayo. Phezu kwayo nje imvukelo enkulu ngaxa lithile kamva eBhabheli, abakhonzi bokwenyaniso bakaThixo baqhubeka belisebenzisa igama lakhe. Libonakala amakhulukhulu ezihlandlo kwimithetho uThixo awayinika uSirayeli. Kwincwadi yeDuteronomi kuphela, libonakala izihlandlo ezingama-551.

Ngemihla yabagwebi, amaSirayeli ngokucacileyo akazange akutyeshele ukusebenzisa igama likaThixo. Ade alisebenzisa naxa ayebulisana. Sifunda ngoBhohazi (kwisiHebhere santlandlolo) ebulisa abasebenzi bakhe abangabavuni: “UYehova makabe nani.” Bona baphendula bathi: “UYehova makakusikelele.”—Rute 2:4.

Ukutyhubela imbali yamaSirayeli ukuza kutsho nangexesha lokubuyela kwawo kwaYuda emva kokuthinjwa kwawo eBhabhiloni, igama likaYehova lahlala lisetyenziswa ngokuqhelekileyo. UKumkani uDavide, indoda eyamkelekileyo entliziyweni kaThixo, walisebenzisa kakhulu igama likaThixo—libonakala amakhulukhulu ezihlandlo kwiindumiso awazibhalayo. (IZenzo 13:22) Igama likaThixo lalikwakho kumagama obuqu amaSirayeli amaninzi. Ngaloo ndlela sifunda ngoAdoniya (“Inkosi yam nguYa”—“uYa” sisishunqulelo sikaYehova), uIsaya (“Usindiso lukaYehova”), uYonatan (“UYehova Unikile”), uMika (“Ngubani onjengoYa?”) noYoshuwa (“UYehova Ulusindiso”).

Ngaphandle KweBhayibhile

Kukwakho nobungqina obuvela kwimithombo engaphandle kweBhayibhile yokusetyenziswa kakhulu kwegama likaThixo kumaxesha amandulo. Ngowe-1961 umqolomba wamangcwaba wamandulo wabhaqwa kumganyana omfutshane emzantsi-ntshona weYerusalem, ngokwengxelo ekwi-Israel Exploration Journal (Umqulu 13, No. 2). Kwiindonga zawo kwakukho amagama esiHebhere abonakala ukuba abhalwa ngesiqingatha sesibini senkulungwane yesibhozo Ngaphambi kweXesha Eliqhelekileyo. La magama ayequka amazwi anjengala athi “UYehova unguThixo womhlaba wonke.”

Ngowe-1966 kwapapashwa ingxelo kwi-Israel Exploration Journal (Umqulu 16, No. 1) ngamaqhekeza ezitya zodongwe abhalwe ngesiHebhere nawafunyanwa eArad, emazantsi akwaSirayeli. Ezi zinto zabhalwa kwisiqingatha sesibini senkulungwane yesixhenxe Ngaphambi kweXesha Eliqhelekileyo. Enye yazo yayiyileta yobuqu eya kwindoda egama linguEliyashibhi. Le leta iqalisa ngokuthi: “Kwinkosi yam uEliyashibhi: Wanga uYehova angakunika uxolo.” Yaye iphela ngokuthi: “Ohleli endlwini kaYehova.”

Ngowe-1975 nangowe-1976, abembi bezinto zakudala ababesebenza kwiNegeb babhaqa imibhalo yesiHebhere neyesiFeniki kwiindonga ezityatyekiweyo, kwimiphanda nakwiingqayi zamatye. Le mibhalo yayiquka igama elithi Thixo ngesiHebhere, kwanegama likaThixo, elithi YHWH, ngoonobumba besiHebhere. EYerusalem, kutshanje kwafunyanwa inkcenkcana esongekileyo yesilivere, ekucaca ukuba yabakho ngaphambi kokuthinjelwa kwamaYuda eBhabhiloni. Abaphandi bathi xa yolulwayo, kwafunyanwa igama likaYehova ngesiHebhere libhaliwe kuyo.—Biblical Archaeology Review, kaMatshi/Aprili 1983, iphepha 18.

Omnye umzekelo wokusetyenziswa kwegama likaThixo ufunyanwa koko kufane kubizwe ngokuthi ngooNobumba baseLakishe. Aba nobumba, ababhalwe kumaqhekeza ezitya zodongwe, bafunyanwa phakathi konyaka we-1935 nowe-1938 kumabhodlo aseLakishe, isixeko esinqatyisiweyo esasibalasele kwimbali yakwaSirayeli. Kubonakala ukuba babhalwa ligosa elalenziwe umlindi kwaYuda liwabhalela owayengentla kulo, ogama linguYaosh, eLakishe, mhlawumbi ebudeni bemfazwe eyayiphakathi koSirayeli neBhabhiloni ngasekupheleni kwenkulungwane yesixhenxe Ngaphambi kweXesha Eliqhelekileyo.

Kumaqhekeza anokufundwa asibhozo, asixhenxe aqalisa isigidimi sawo ngesibuliso esinjengesithi: “Wanga uYehova angayenza inkosi yam ifumane eli xesha lonyaka isempilweni entle!” Xa edityaniswe onke, igama likaThixo libonakala izihlandlo ezili-11 kwizigidimi ezisixhenxe, ngokucacileyo okubonisa ukuba igama likaYehova lalisetyenziswa imihla ngemihla ukusa ngasekupheleni kwenkulungwane yesixhenxe Ngaphambi kweXesha Eliqhelekileyo.

Kwanabalawuli abangabahedeni babelazi yaye belisebenzisa igama likaThixo xa babebhekisela kuThixo wamaSirayeli. Ngaloo ndlela, kwiLitye lakwaMowabhi, uKumkani uMesha wakwaMowabhi uqhayisa ngemisebenzi emikhulu yomkhosi wakhe nxamnye noSirayeli aze, phakathi kwezinye izinto, athi: “UKemoshe wathi kum, ‘Yiya, thabatha iNebho kuSirayeli!’ Ngoko ndaya ebusuku ndaza ndalwa nayo ukususela xa kuthi qheke ukusa kwada kwasemini enkulu, ndiyithabatha yonke yaye ndibaxabela bonke . . . Ndaza ndathabatha apho [izitya] zikaYehova, ndazizisa phambi koKemoshe.”

Ibhekisela koku kusetyenziswa kwegama likaThixo kwizinto ezingezozaBhayibhile, iTheologisches Wörterbuch zum Alten Testament (Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament), kuMqulu 3, umhlathi 538, ithi: “Ngaloo ndlela ubungqina bokubhalwa kweTetragrammaton kwiindawo ezimalunga ne-19 ngokuthi jhwh kule nkalo kungqinela ukuthembeka kweZibhalo zeMasore; okungakumbi kunokulindelwa, ingakumbi kwiNdawo Yokugcina iingxelo yaseArad.”—Iguqulelwe ngokuphuma kwisiJamani.

Igama LikaThixo Alilityalwanga

Oku kuqhelana negama likaThixo nokusetyenziswa kwalo kwaqhubeka kwada kwayimihla kaMalaki, owaphila malunga nama-400 eminyaka ngaphambi kwexesha likaYesu. Kwincwadi yeBhayibhile enegama lakhe, uMalaki ubalaselisa kakhulu igama likaThixo, elisebenzisa izihlandlo ezingama-48.

Njengoko ixesha laqhubeka lihamba, amaYuda amaninzi athi ahlala kude nelizwe lakwaSirayeli, yaye wambi ayengasenakuyifunda iBhayibhile ngolwimi lwesiHebhere. Ngenxa yoko, kwinkulungwane yesithathu Ngaphambi kweXesha Eliqhelekileyo, kwaqaliswa ukuguqulelwa inxalenye yeBhayibhile eyayikho ngoko (“iTestamente Endala”) isisiwa kwisiGrike, ulwimi olutsha olwaluthethwa zizizwe ngezizwe. Kodwa igama likaThixo alizange lityeshelwe. Abaguquleli balilondoloza, belibhala ngesiHebhere. Imibhalo yamandulo yeSeptuagint yesiGrike eye yalondolozwa ukuza kutsho kumhla wethu iyasingqinela eso sibakala.

Noko ke, yayiyintoni imeko xa uYesu wayesemhlabeni? Sinokwazi njani enoba yena nabapostile bakhe balisebenzisa igama likaThixo?

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 12]

Kule leta eyabhalwa kwiqhekeza lesitya sodongwe kwisiqingatha sesibini senkulungwane yesixhenxe Ngaphambi kweXesha Eliqhelekileyo, igama likaThixo libonakala kabini.

[Inkcazelo]

(Lo mfanekiso unikelwe Licandelo LakwaSirayeli Lezinto Zamandulo neleMyuziyam)

[Imifanekiso ekwiphepha 13]

Igama likaThixo likwafumaneka nakooNobumba baseLakishe nakwiLitye lakwaMowabhi