Ngubani UYehova?
Impendulo esuka eBhayibhileni
UYehova nguThixo oyinyaniso oseBhayibhileni, uMdali wayo yonke into. (ISityhilelo 4:11) Umprofeti uAbraham noMoses babemkhonza, kanye njengoYesu. (Genesis 24:27; Eksodus 15:1, 2; Yohane 20:17) NguThixo, kungekuphela nje womntu omnye kodwa, ‘owomhlaba wonke.’—INdumiso 47:2.
UYehova ligama likaThixo elikhethekileyo elichazwe eBhayibhileni. (Eksodus 3:15; INdumiso 83:18) Lithatyathwe kwisibizo sesiHebhere esithetha “ukwenzeka” ibe abaphandi abaninzi bathi eli gama lithetha ukuthi “Ubangela Kubekho.” Le ngcaciso iyichaza kakuhle indima kaYehova njengoMdali noMphumezi wenjongo yakhe. (Isaya 55:10, 11) IBhayibhile ikwasinceda simazi kakuhle uYehova, ingakumbi uphawu lwakhe olubalaseleyo uthando.—Eksodus 34:5-7; Luka 6:35; 1 Yohane 4:8.
Igama elithi Jehovah ligama likaThixo lesiNgesi eliguqulelwe ngokusuka kwisiHebhere—oonobumba abane יהוה (YHWH), ababizwa ngokuba yiTetragrammaton. Indlela echanileyo elibizwa ngayo eli gama likaThixo kwisiHebhere samandulo ayaziwa. Noko ke eli gama lisuka kude ngokwembali yoLwimi lwesiNgesi, liqala ukuvela kwinguqulelo yeBhayibhile kaWilliam Tyndale ka-1530.a
Kutheni indlela elibizwa ngayo igama likaThixo kwisiHebhere samandulo ingaziwa?
IsiHebhere samandulo sasibhalwa ngaphandle kwezikhamiso, kwakusetyenziswa oonobumba kuphela. Kwakulula ngomfundi wesiHebhere ukubiza izikhamiso ezifanelekileyo. Noko ke, emva kokuba iZibhalo zesiHebhere (“iTestamente Endala”) zigqityiwe, amanye amaYuda amkela inkolelo ephosakeleyo yokuba kwakungalunganga ukubiza igama likaThixo. Xa befunda isibhalo esinegama likaThixo, babefaka isibizo esithi “Nkosi” okanye esithi “Thixo.” Njengoko kudlula amakhulukhulu eminyaka, le nkolelo iphosakeleyo yanwenwa ibe indlela elalibizwa ngayo eli gama yalahleka ekugqibeleni.b
Abanye bathi igama likaThixo lalibizwa ngokuthi “Yahweh,” ngoxa abanye benembono eyahlukileyo. UMsongo woLwandle Olufileyo onenxalenye yeLevitikus ngesiGrike ulibhala ngokuthe ngqo igama elithi Iao. Ababhali bamandulo besiGrike bathi eli gama linokuphinda libizwe ngokuthi Iae, I·a·beʹ, okanye I·a·ou·eʹ, kodwa akho nelinye kula elinokuba yindlela yokubiza igama elithi Yehova ngesiHebhere samandulo.c
Ubuxoki obuthethwayo ngegama likaThixo eliseBhayibhileni
Ubuxoki: Iinguqulelo ezisebenzisa igama elithi “Yehova” zilifakelele eli gama.
Inyani: Igama likaThixo ngesiHebhere eliyiTetragrammaton livela izihlandlo eziyi-7 000 eBhayibhileni.d Iinguqulelo ezininzi zilisusa ngaphandle kwesizathu esivakalayo igama likaThixo zize zifake isibizo esithi “Nkosi.”
Ubuxoki: UThixo uSomandla akafuni gama likhethekileyo.
Inyani: UThixo waphefumlela ababhali beBhayibhile ukuba basebenzise igama lakhe izihlandlo ezingamawaka, ibe uyalela abo bamnqulayo ukuba balisebenzise igama lakhe. (Isaya 42:8; Yoweli 2:32; Malaki 3:16; Roma 10:13 ) Phofu, uThixo uyabagxeka abaprofeti bobuxoki abazama ukwenza igama lakhe lilityalwe.—Yeremiya 23:27.
Ubuxoki: Isithethe samaYuda sithi igama likaThixo limele lisuswe eBhayibhileni.
Inyani: Yinyaniso ukuba abanye ababhali bamaYuda abafuni ukulibiza igama likaThixo. Sekunjalo, abalisusanga kwiiBhayibhile zabo. Enoba kuyintoni na ke, uThixo akafuni ukuba silandele izithethe eziphambukayo kwimiyalelo yakhe.—Mateyu 15:1-3.
Ubuxoki: Igama likaThixo alifanele lisetyenziswe eBhayibhileni ngenxa yokuba ayaziwa kakuhle indlela yokulibiza ngesiHebhere.
Inyani: Le ndlela yokucinga ibonisa ukuba uThixo ulindele ukuba abantu abathetha ezinye iilwimi balibize ngendlela efanayo igama lakhe. Sekunjalo, iBhayibhile ibonisa ukuba abakhonzi bakaThixo bamandulo ababethetha iilwimi ezingafaniyo babelibiza ngeendlela ezahlukeneyo eli gama kodwa kakuhle.
Ngokomzekelo, cinga ngomgwebi wakwaSirayeli uYoshuwa. AmaKristu okuqala awayethetha isiHebhere ayelibiza ngale ndlela igama lakhe Yehoh·shuʹaʽ, ngoxa lawo athetha isiGrike ayesithi I·e·sousʹ. IBhayibhile ithetha ngenguqulelo yesiHebhere enegama likaYoshuwa, nto leyo ebonisa ukuba amaKristu ayelandela indlela ecacileyo yokubiza amagama ngolwimi lawo.—IZenzo 7:45; Hebhere 4:8.
Kwalo mgaqo ufanayo ungasetyenziswa xa kuguqulelwa igama likaThixo. Eyona nto ibaluleke ngaphezu kwendlela yokubiza amagama ekhethiweyo kukuba igama likaThixo libekwe kwindawo yalo eBhayibhileni.
a UTyndale wasebenzisa igama elithi “Iehouah” kwinguqulelo yakhe yeencwadi ezintlanu zeBhayibhile. Ekuhambeni kwexesha, isiNgesi satshintsha, ibe indlela elibhalwa ngayo igama likaThixo yahlaziywa. Ngokomzekelo, ngo-1612, uHenry Ainsworth wasebenzisa igama elithi “Iehovah” kuyo yonke inguqulelo yakhe yencwadi yeeNdumiso. Xa wayehlaziya inguqulelo yakhe ngo-1639, wasebenzisa igama elithi “Jehovah.” Ngendlel’ efanayo, abaguquleli beAmerican Standard Version, eyapapashwa ngo-1901, babesebenzisa igama elithi “Jehovah” xa kuvela igama likaThixo ngesiHebhere.
b INew Catholic Encyclopedia, Uhlelo Lwesibini, Umqulu 14, iphepha 883-884, ithi: “Emva kokuphela kokuThinjwa, igama elithi Yahweh laqalisa ukuhlonitshwa, ibe kwaqaliswa ukufakwa igama elithi ADONAI okanye ELOHIM” endaweni yalo.
c Ukuze ufumane okungakumbi, jonga ku-appendix A4, kwindawo ethi “The Divine Name in the Hebrew Scriptures,” kwiNguqulelo Yehlabathi Elitsha YeZibhalo Ezingcwele ehlaziyiweyo.
d Bona iTheological Lexicon of the Old Testament, Umqulu 2, iphepha 523-524.