Imibuzo Evela Kubafundi
Lapho u-Eva, futhi kamuva u-Adamu, bedla isithelo somuthi wokwazi okuhle nokubi, ingabe badla i-apula?
Asazi. Abantu abaningi baye bacabanga ukuthi ‘umuthi owenqatshelwe’ kwakuyi-apula, futhi phakathi namakhulu amaningi eminyaka abadwebi baye ngokuvamile bawuveza ngaleyondlela. Kodwa iBhayibheli alilisho igama lomuthi noma isithelo sawo. U-Eva wamane wabhekisela kuso ‘njengesithelo somuthi ophakathi nensimu.’—Genesise 3:3.
Okuthakazelisayo kulendaba isihloko esithi “Apple” esivela kuyi-Insight on the Scriptures:
“Kuneziphetho eziningi ezicatshangelwayo ngokuphathelene nokuchazwa komuthi nesithelo okuchazwa igama lesiHeberu elithi tap·puʹach. Leligama ngokwalo libonisa lokho okuhlukaniswa ngephunga lakho. Livela emsukeni wegama elithi na·phachʹ, elisho ‘ukuphefumulela; ukukhefuzela; ukuphefumula kanzima.’ (Gen 2:7; Jobe 31:39, NW; Jer 15:9) Ngokuphathelene nalokhu, uM. C. Fisher wabhala: ‘Ukuhlobana kwawo [nelithi na·phachʹ] ekuqaleni kubonakala kweqisa kakhulu, kodwa imibono “yokuphefumula” “nokukhipha iphunga elibi” ihlobene. Igama elihlobene u-puah lisho kokubili “ukuvunguza” (komoya) “nokukhipha iphunga elimnandi, ukuba nephunga elimnandi.”’—Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, ehlelwe uR. L. Harris, 1980, Umqu. 2, k. 586.
“Kuye kwasikiselwa izithelo eziningana esikhundleni se-apula, kuhlanganise newolintshi, i-citron, ukwipili, nebhilikosi. . . . Nokho, igama elihlobene lesi-Arabhu elithi tuffah ngokuyinhloko lisho ‘i-apula,’ futhi kuyaphawuleka ukuthi amagama ezindawo esiHeberu iTaphuwa neBeti-Taphuwa (cishe zethiwa kanjalo ngenxa yokusakazeka kwalesisithelo endaweni yazo ezungezile) aye alondolozwa emagameni esi-Arabhu afanayo ngokusetshenziswa kwaleligama. (Jos 12:17; 15:34, 53; 16:8; 17:8) Lezizindawo zazingekho endaweni ephansi kodwa ezweni eliphakeme, lapho isimo sezulu ngokuvamile sisesilinganisweni khona. Ngaphezu kwalokho, ukuba khona kwesimo sezulu esishintshashintshayo esikhathini esidlule akunakulahlwa ngokuphelele. Imithi yama-apula iyakhula kwa-Israel namuhla futhi ngaleyondlela kubonakala kuyifanela ngokwanelisayo incazelo yeBhayibheli. UWilliam Thomson, owachitha iminyaka eminingi eSyria nasePalestine ekhulwini leminyaka elidlule, wabika ngisho nangokuthola amasimu ama-apula endaweni yase-Ashkelon emaThafeni aseFilistiya.—The Land and the Book, ebukezwe uJ. Grande, 1910, kk. 545, 546.
“Umuthi wama-apula (Pyrus malus) kukhulunywa ngawo ngokuyinhloko encwadini yesiHlabelelo seziHlabelelo, lapho izinkulumo zothando zomelusi ongumngane womShulamiti zifaniswa nomthunzi opholile womuthi wama-apula nobumnandi bezithelo zawo. (Hla 2:3, 5) Ngokulandelayo, uqhathanisa ukuphefumula kwakhe nephunga lama-apula. (Hla 7:8; bheka futhi isahluko 8:5.) KuzAga (25:11) inkulumo efanele, eshiwo ngesikhathi sayo ifaniswa ‘nama-apula egolide ezitsheni zesiliva.’ Esinye isikhombo okuwukuphela kwaso esibhekisela ema-apuleni sikuJoweli 1:12. Umkhuba ovamile wokuthi i-apula liyisithelo esenqatshelwe sase-Edene awusekelwe ndawo emiBhalweni. Ngokufanayo, inkulumo ethi ‘i-apula leso’ iyatholakala ku-King James Version (Hu 17:8; IzAga 7:2; nakweminye imibhalo) kodwa ayiyona inkulumo yesiHeberu, ukuhunyushwa kwezwi nezwi kuthi ‘inhlamvu yeso [lomuntu].’”—Insight on the Scriptures, Umqulu 1, amakhasi 131-2, eyakhishwa ngo-1988 yi-Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc.