Ukubaluleka Kwegama LikaNkulunkulu Elithi—Jehova
ABAHUMUSHI abaningi beBhayibheli basekela ukulandela umkhuba wokususa igama likaNkulunkulu elimhlukanisayo. Abasho nje kuphela ukuthi ukungaqiniseki ngokuphinyiselwa kwalo kusenza sifaneleke isenzo esinjalo kodwa futhi bathi ubukhulu nokwehluka kukaNkulunkulu weqiniso kukwenza kungadingeki ukuba abe negama elikhethekile. Umbono onjalo awusekelwa imiBhalo ephefumlelwe, yangezikhathi zangaphambi kobuKristu noma imiBhalo YamaKristu YesiGreki.
Igama likaNkulunkulu livela izikhathi eziyizi-6 828 embhalweni wesiHeberu onyatheliswe kuyiBiblia Hebraica neBiblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia. Khona kanye ukuvela njalo kwaleligama kufakazela ukubaluleka kwalo kuMlobi weBhayibheli, lowo ongumnikazi walelogama. Ukusetshenziswa kwalo kuyo yonke imiBhalo kusedlula kude lé isibalo sanoma yisiphi isiqu, esinjengokuthi “Somandla,” noma “Nkulunkulu,” esisetshenziswa kuye.
Elithi “Nkulunkulu” Nelithi “Yise” Awehlukanisi
Isiqu esithi “Nkulunkulu” asibhekiseli kumuntu siqu futhi asihlukanisi (umuntu angenza ngisho nesisu sakhe sibe unkulunkulu; Filiphu 3:19). EmiBhalweni YesiHeberu igama elifanayo (elithi ’Elo·himʹ) lisetshenziswa kuJehova, uNkulunkulu weqiniso, nakonkulunkulu bamanga, njengonkulunkulu wamaFilisti uDagoni (AbAhluleli 16:23, 24; 1 Samuweli 5:7) nakunkulunkulu waseAsiriya uNisiroki. (2 AmaKhosi 19:37) Ngokusobala kwakungenakuba okwanele ngomHeberu ukuba atshele umFilisti noma umAsiriya ukuthi ukhulekela “uNkulunkulu [’Elo·himʹ]” ukuze abonise ukuthi ungubani uMuntu amkhulekelayo.
Ezihlokweni zayo ezikhuluma ngoJehova, i-Imperial Bible-Dictionary iwubonisa kahle umahluko phakathi kwelithi ’Elo·himʹ (uNkulunkulu) nelithi Jehova. Ngegama elithi Jehova, ithi: “Yonke indawo liyigama loqobo, elibonisa uNkulunkulu onobuqu futhi yena yedwa; kuyilapho elithi Elohim lihlanganisa ikakhulukazi isiqu sebizo elivamile, ngokuvamile elibonisa yena ngempela oPhakeme, kodwa hhayi ngaso sonke isikhathi noma ngokungaguquki. . . . UmHeberu angase athi “the” Elohim, uNkulunkulu weqiniso, ukuze amhlukanise kubo bonke onkulunkulu bamanga; kodwa akalokothi athi “the” Jehovah, ngoba uJehova igama likaNkulunkulu weqiniso kuphela. Ngokuphindaphindiwe uthi Nkulunkulu wami . . . ; kodwa akalokothi athi Jehova wami, ngoba lapho ethi Nkulunkulu wami, usho uJehova. Ukhuluma ngoNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli, kodwa akakhulumi ngoJehova kaIsrayeli, ngoba akekho omunye uJehova. Ukhuluma ngoNkulunkulu ophilayo, kodwa akalokothi akhulume ngoJehova ophilayo, ngoba akanakucabanga ngoJehova njengongaphili.”—Eyahlelwa nguP. Fairbairn, waseLondon, 1874, uMqulu I, ikhasi 856.
Kungokufanayo nangegama lesiGreki elisho ukuthi Nkulunkulu, elithi The·osʹ. Lalisetshenziswa ngendlela efanayo kuNkulunkulu weqiniso nakonkulunkulu bobuqaba abanjengoZeus noHermes (uJupitheri noMerkuriyu wamaRoma). (Qhathanisa nezEnzo 14:11-15.) Amazwi kaPawulu aveza isimo okuyisona sona kweyoku-1 Korinte 8:4-6: “Ngokuba noma kukhona okuthiwa onkulunkulu, nokuba kusezulwini nokuba kusemhlabeni, njengokuba bakhona onkulunkulu abaningi namakhosi amaningi, nokho kithina kukhona uNkulunkulu munye, uYise, okuvela kuye konke, nathi sikhonela yena.” Inkolelo yokuthi kunonkulunkulu abaningi, eyenza ukuba kube ngokubalulekile ukuba uNkulunkulu weqiniso ahlukaniswe kwabanjalo, iye yaqhubeka yaze yafinyelela ngisho nakulelikhulu leminyaka lama-20.
Ukubhekisela kukaPawulu ‘kuNkulunkulu uYise’ akusho ukuthi igama likaNkulunkulu weqiniso ‘nguYise,’ ngoba isiqu esithi “baba” siyasebenza nakubo bonke abazali besilisa futhi sichaza amadoda nakobunye ubuhlobo. (Roma 4:11, 16; 1 Korinte 4:15) UMesiya unikezwa isiqu esithi “uYise ongunaphakade.” (Isaya 9:6) UJesu wabiza uSathane ngokuthi ‘uyise’ wabaphikisi abathile ababulalayo. (Johane 8:44) Leligama futhi lalisetshenziswa nakonkulunkulu bezizwe, unkulunkulu wamaGreki uZeus evezwa njengobaba omkhulu ongunkulunkulu enkondlweni kaHomer. Ukuthi ‘uNkulunkulu uYise’ unegama, elihlukile egameni leNdodana yakhe, kuboniswe emibhalweni eminingi. (Mathewu 28:19; IsAmbulo 3:12; 14:1) UPawulu wayelazi igama likaNkulunkulu siqu, elithi Jehova, njengoba litholakala endabeni kaGenesise yendalo, lapho uPawulu acaphuna khona uma ebhala imibhalo yakhe. Lelogama, elithi Jehova, lihlukanisa ‘uNkulunkulu uYise.’ (qhathanisa noIsaya 64:8), ngaleyondlela livimbela noma yimuphi umzamo wokuhlanganisa noma wokuxuba ubuyena bakhe nobuqu bakhe nobanoma ubani okungasetshenziswa kuye isiqu esithi “nkulunkulu” noma “baba.”