Ukuxazulula Imfihlakalo Yegama Elifihliwe

LAPHO uMose umholi wamaIsrayeli eqala ukubhala umlando wesintu eminyakeni eyizi-3 500 edlule, ngokusobala wasebenzisa ulimi lwakhe aluncela lwesiHeberu. Lowomlando uqukethe izincwadi zokuqala ezi-5 kwezingama-39 zemiBhalo yesiHeberu, futhi ezaziwa kakhulu ngokuthi iTestamente Elidala. LeyomiBhalo ihlanganisa igama likaNkulunkulu elimehlukanisayo cishe izikhathi ezingama-7 000. Futhi iliphi lelogama?

LeliGama lingcwele kangangokuba uMdali wanikeza umyalo kuIsrayeli maqondana nokusetshenziswa kwalo, othi: “Ungaliphimiseli igama lika Yahweh [ngesiHeberu: יהוה] uNkulunkulu wakho ngokulisebenzisa kabi.” (Eksodusi 20:7, The Jerusalem Bible) “Ungalisebenzisi igama likaJehova uNkulunkulu wakho ngokungahloniphi.” (The Living Bible) Ingabe uyalikhumbula lelogama elithi “Yahweh” noma “Jehova”? Noma lizwakala lingajwayelekile kuwe?

Siza uphawule lowomyalo. Ingabe uNkulunkulu wakwenqabela ukusetshenziswa noma ukuphinyiselwa kwegama lakhe? Qha. Ngokusobala wenqabela ukusetshenziswa kabi kwalo.

Yini ungahloli lowombhalo—Eksodusi 20:7—eBhayibhelini lakho siqu. Kungase kukumangalise. Ezinguqulweni eziningi cishe lifundeka kanje: “Ungaliphathi ngeze igama leNnosi uNkulunkulu wakho.” (Authorized Version, 1611; Jewish Publication Society, 1917) “Ungaliphathi ngeze igama leNKOSi uNkulunkulu wakho.”—Revised Standard Version, 1952; Catholic Edition, 1957.

Ingabe kukhona okuthile okungajwayelekile okuphawulayo? Yebo, ezinguqulweni eziningi zeBhayibheli iGama likaNkulunkulu liye lagwenywa! Igama elibaluleke kakhulu ezulwini nasemhlabeni liye lasuswa ezigidini zamaBhayibheli adume kakhulu zezinguqulo zeLobukholwa nezobuJuda. Yeka ukuthi kumangalisa kanjani!

Ingabe lokhu kungaba ngenxa yokungaqondisisi? Noma kungomzamo wamabomu wokululaza iNkosi uJehova? Uma isizathu kuyilesi samuva, kuwukukhohlisa kohlobo olubi kakhulu, lolo oluthinta ubuhlobo bomuntu noMdali wakhe.

Ingabe LeliGama Lalisetshenziswa Endulo?

Igama likaNkulunkulu liye lasetshenziswa kusukela ekuqaleni komlando womuntu. Singaqiniseka kanjani ngalokho? Ngoba umbhalo womlando weBhayibheli uyasitshela: “UAdamu wamazi umkakhe uEva; wakhulelwa, wazala uKayini; wathi: Ngitholile indodana kuJehova.” KuyiThe NIV Interlinear Hebrew-English Old Testament lokhu kuvela kanje:

אֶת־ קַיִן וַתֹּאמֶר קָנִיתִי

I-brought-forth and-she-said Cain ***

אִישׁ אֶת־ יְהוָה ‏׃ וַתֹּסֶף

and-she-continued (2) Yahweh with man

Lapha igama likaNkulunkulu elimehlukanisayo livela ngokukhanyayo njengelithi “Yahweh.”—Genesise 4:1.

Kubonisani lokhu? Ukuthi abantu bokuqala emhlabeni babelazi igama loMdali wabo siqu. Leligama laqhubeka libonisa uNkulunkulu oyedwa weqiniso phakathi nokubhalwa kwayo yonke imiBhalo yesiHeberu—izikhathi ezingaphezu kwenkulungwane yeminyaka. Ngoba lokho kunjalo, umbuzo uthi: Lomkhuba wokufihla igama elithi “Jehova” noma “Yahweh,” waqala kanjani futhi nini?

Ingabe Isiko LamaJuda Liye Lathonya IBhayibheli Lakho?

Kunzima ukubeka usuku lokuyekethisa ukusebenzisa igama likaNkulunkulu. Nokho, kunobufakazi obuthile bokuthi ngaphambi konyaka ka-70 C.E. ukukholelwa ezeni kwase kwandile phakathi kwamaJuda ayebambelele esikweni okwabangela ukuba agweme ukuphimisela igama loqobo likaNkulunkulu. Ngemva kokuba iGama likaNkulunkulu liye lasetshenziswa amakhulu eminyaka, ngokusobala izikhulu zamaJuda zenkolo zanquma ukuthi lalingcwele kakhulu ukuba lalingaphinyiselwa nokuthi okuyiyona ndlela kuphela yokugwema ukusetshenziswa kwalo kabi kwakuwukwenqabela ngokuphelele ukuphinyiselwa kwalo. Phela, umqondo walokhu uyafana nokwenqabela umshado ukuze kuvinjelwe ukuphinga!

Ingabe lelosiko lamaJuda lathonya abahumushi beBhayibheli beLobukholwa? Ingabe baye balikhazimulisa igama likaNkulunkulu, noma ingabe baye bagcina iphutha lamaJuda futhi balifihla? Ingabe iBhayibheli lakho alinalo leligama? Ukubheka kafushane izinguqulo ezindala zanamuhla kuyayiphendula leyomibuzo.

Umhleli weAn American Translation (1923, kaSmith-Goodspeed) wabhala: “Kulenguqulo siye salandela isiko lamaJuda elamukelekayo futhi safaka ‘iNkosi’ esikhundleni segama elithi ‘Yahweh.’ (Omalukeke abethu) Isandulelo seThe New International Version (1978) sithi: “Maqondana negama likaNkulunkulu YHWH . . . abahumushi baye bathatha indlela esetshenziswa ezinguqulweni eziningi zesiNgisi yokuhumusha lelogama ngokuthi ‘NKOSI.’”

IRevised Standard Version (1952), yenqaba isibonelo esihle somanduleli wayo, iAmerican Standard Version (1901), eyasebenzisa uJehova yonke indawo, iyachaza: “Ukubukezwa kwamanje kubuyela enqubweni yeKing James Version (1611), elandela isandulela sabahumushi besiGreki sasendulo nesiLatin nesiko elidala ekufundeni imiBhalo yesiHeberu esinagogeni.”—Omalukeke abethu.

Ngokungangabazeki isiko lamaJuda liye lanezela ekungazini kwezwe lonke igama elibaluleke kakhulu emhlabeni nasezulwini. Futhi abahumushi abaningi beLobukholwa baye bavumelana nalo ngenjabulo. Kodwa kungani? Kungani bengafuni ukuba uthole igama elithi Jehova, noma Yahweh, eBhayibhelini lakho?

Siye Saba Yini Isisusa?

UDavid Clines, ofundisa emnyangweni weziFundo zeBhayibheli eSheffield University yaseNgilandi usinikeza umqondo osikhanyisela ngezisusa zabahumushi. Kumagazini iTheology uyabhala: “Omunye umphumela wokungabibikho kukaYahweh emqondweni womKristu uye waba injwayelo yokugxila kuKristu njengokubonakaliswa okuvelele kukaNkulunkulu . . . emaculweni anjengaleli . . . ‘Yeka umngane esinaye kuJesu’ . . . sithola ukwenziwa kwalokho okungaphikiswa ngokuphelele ngokomqondo owamukelwayo, ukwehlukaniswa komuntu wesibili kaZiqu-zintathu.” UProfesa Clines uphetha ngokuthi: “Osekuvamise ukwenzeka ukuthi imfundiso ngomthath’ emunye iye yanikezwa indawo ebalulekile kuKristu nomsebenzi wakhe. Imisebenzi eyenziwa uYise [uJehova] noMoya, noma kusezifundweni ngoNkulunkulu noma ezinkonzweni, ngokuvamile iye yabekwa ngaphansi kwaleyo yeNdodana.

Uye waba yini umphumela wakho konke lokhu? KumaJuda iNkosi uJehova iye yaba isimo esingaziwa ngokungafanele—“uNkulunkulu.” KumaProthestani amaningi uye wahlanganiswa noKristu futhi uye wabelwa indawo yesibili kunkulunkulu wabo onamakhanda amathathu. Ekukhonzeni kwamaKatolika uJehova akathathelwanga indawo uJesu Kristu kuphela kodwa futhi nonina kaJesu, uMariya. Kungani kunjalo? Kungoba uMariya, ngokomqondo kaZiquzintathu, ubhekwa futhi njengo“Mama kaNkulunkulu.” Lokho kuye kwenza uJehova wangathandwa amaKatolika avamile.

Ngakho ungubani uJehova kuwe? Ingabe ungamazi ngokujulile? Isinqumo sakho siqu siyosithinta ngokuyinhloko isikhathi sakho esizayo ngoba uJehova uye wathi: “Ngiyakulingcwelisa igama lami elikhulu elihlanjalaziwe phakathi kwezizwe, . . . izizwe zazi ukuthi nginguJehova, isho iNkosi uJehova, lapho ngiyakungcwelisa ngani emehlweni abo.”—Hezekeli 36:23.

Ngokujabulisayo esintwini, uJehova uye wamisa ofakazi bakhe, labo, kulelikhulu lamashumi amabili, abamemezela ngokungesabi igama lakhe nenjongo. Uma ufisa ukwazi uNkulunkulu weqiniso nophilayo, uJehova, thintana noFakazi BakaJehova endaweni yakini noma abanyathelisi balomagazini. Ngaphandle kwezindleko noma isibopho bayajabulela ukukusiza ukuba wazi uBaba wasezulwini, uJehova.—Isaya 43:10; Mathewu 6:9.

[Amazwi acashunwe esihlokweni ekhasini 5]

Igama likaNkulunkulu elikhethekile livela cishe izikhathi eziyizi-7 000 embhalweni weBhayibheli wesiHeberu. Ingabe likhona naseBhayibhelini lakho?