Ulwandle Olukhethekileyo—Kodwa Olufileyo

NGUMBHALI KAVUKANI! KWASIRAYELI

Ngawona manzi amtyuba, akummandla osezantsi, afileyo, yaye abanye bathi ngawona manzi asempilweni emhlabeni. Kangangeenkulungwane aye abizwa ngokuba luLwandle Olunukayo, uLwandle lukaMtyholi, neChibi leTela. IBhayibhile ithi luLwandle lweTyuwa nolwandle lwaseArabha. (Genesis 14:3; Yoshuwa 3:16) Abaphengululi abaninzi bakholelwa ukuba amabhodlo eSodom neGomora angaphantsi kwala manzi. Ngenxa yoko akwabizwa ngokuba luLwandle lwaseSodom okanye uLwandle lukaLote, umntu ekuthethwa ngaye eBhayibhileni nowayehlala kwezo zixeko.—2 Petros 2:6, 7.

Amanye ala magama abangela ukuba umntu angabi nomdla wokutyelela kuloo ndawo. Sekunjalo, nyaka ngamnye amawakawaka abantu ayathontelana ukuya kubona loo manzi angaqhelekanga, namhlanje aziwa njengoLwandle Olufileyo okanye uLwandle lweTyuwa. Kutheni lumtyuba kangaka nje? Ngaba ngokwenene lufile, yaye kwangaxeshanye lusempilweni?

Olona Lwandle Lukummandla Osezantsi Nolumtyuba

ULwandle Olufileyo lukumntla weGreat Rift Valley eyehlela kumazantsi eMpuma Afrika. UMlambo iYordan uqukuqela ukusuka emantla de ufike kowona mmandla usezantsi emhlabeni—malunga neemitha ezingama-418 ngaphantsi komgangatho wolwandle. La manzi akwadlula naphakathi kweenduli zakwaYuda ezisentshona neentaba zakwaMowabhi eYordan esempuma.

Yintoni eyenza uLwandle Olufileyo lube mtyuba kangaka? Iintlobo ezahlukahlukeneyo zetyuwa—ingakumbi imagnesiyam, isodiyam nekhalsiyam kloride—zingeniswa kuLwandle Olufileyo ngamanzi avela kuMlambo iYordan neminye imilambo, imisinga nemithombo emincinane. Kuqikelelwa ukuba uMlambo iYordan uwodwa ungenisa iitoni ezingama-850 000 zetyuwa nyaka ngamnye. Ekubeni olu lwandle lukummandla osemazantsi, amanzi akakwazi kuhamba; ngoko ayajika abe ngumphunga. Ehlotyeni, iitoni ezizizigidi ezisixhenxe zamanzi ziba ngumphunga, yiloo nto ebangela ukuba olu lwandle lungazali. Nangona la manzi eba ngumphunga, ityuwa yona iyasala. Oku kwenza ukuba olu lwandle lube lolona lumtyuba, malunga nama-30 ekhulwini ngaphezu kweelwandlekazi.

Kangangeenkulungwane, abantu bebenomdla kuLwandle Olufileyo olungaqhelekanga. Isithandi sobulumko esingumGrike uAristotle seva ukuba olu Lwandle “lukrakra kakhulu kangangokuba akukho zintlanzi ziphilayo apho.” Le tyuwa ininzi kangaka ibangela ukuba abantu abadada apho bangatshoni. Umbhali-mbali ongumYuda uFlavius Josephus uthi iNjengele engumRoma uVespasian yaphosa amabanjwa emfazwe kolo lwandle ukuze ibone enoba oku kuyinyaniso kusini na.

Umele ukuba uyazibuza ukuba yenzeka njani into yokuba olu lube lulwandle olufileyo kodwa olusempilweni.

Lusempilweni Njani Olu Lwandle?

Abakhenkethi bamandulo babebalisa ngolwandle olungenazintaka, nazintlanzi nazityalo. Abantu babede bacinge ukuba umphunga onevumba elibi ophuma kolu lwandle uyabulala. Yavela njalo ke ingcamango yokuba olu lwandle luyanuka yaye lufile. Liyinyaniso elokuba ekubeni lumtyuba, kuphila iintsholongwane ezimbalwa kuphela kulo yaye naziphi na iintlanzi ezidudulelwa kulo zifa ngoko nangoko.

Akukho nto iphilayo kolo lwandle, kodwa akunjalo kummandla olungqongileyo. Nangona ummandla omkhulu uyinkqantosi, zikho iindawo ezichumileyo, ezineengxangxasi nezityalo eziluhlaza. Kuloo mmandla kukwakho izinto eziphilayo zasendle. Kukho iintlobo ezingama-24 zezilwanyana eziphila kufuphi nolo lwandle, kuquka isand cat, iArabian wolf nenyamakazi i-ibex. Kula manzi kukwahlala izilwanyana ezikwaphila emhlabeni, ezirhubuluzayo neentlanzi. Ekubeni uLwandle Olufileyo lukwindawo ekudlula kuyo iintaka ezininzi, kuye kwabonwa iintaka eziziintlobo ezingaphezu kwama-90 apho, njengonocofu nengwamza. Ixhalanga igriffon nexhalanga laseYiputa nawo akwahlala apha.

Kodwa kwenzeka njani ukuba uLwandle Olufileyo lube nawona manzi asempilweni? Mandulo kuthiwa abantu babesela la manzi, bekholelwa ukuba ayaphilisa—nto leyo enganconyelwayo namhlanje! Kucacile ukuba ukuhlamba emanzini anetyuwa kuyawucoca umzimba. Abantu bayincoma gqitha indlela aphilisa ngayo la manzi. Ekubeni ekummandla osezantsi ioksijini ininzi kuloo mmandla. Njengoko ininzi ibromide emoyeni oku kwenza ukuba umzimba ukhululeke, yaye udaka olumnyama olunetyuwa nemithombo eshushu enesalfure eselunxwemeni isetyenziselwa ukunyanga ulusu namathambo. Ngaphezu koko, umthi webhalsam owawukade ukho apho wawuxatyiswe gqitha yaye usetyenziselwa ukwenza amafutha okuthambisa nokunyanga.

Itela Evela Elwandle

Eyona nto imangalisayo ngoLwandle Olufileyo kukuba luvelisa ibhitumene (itela), edla ngokubonwa izizigaqa idada emanzini.a Ngowe-1905 iphephancwadi iThe Biblical World lathi, ngowe-1834 kwabonwa isigaqa sebhitumene esiziikhilogram ezingama-2 700 sidada kunxweme. Kuthiwa ibhitumene “ngamafutha okuqala akhe asetyenziswa ngabantu embalini.” (Saudi Aramco World, Novemba/Disemba 1984) Abanye abantu babecinga ukuba iinyikima zomhlaba zazibangela ukuba izigaqa zetela ziphume ngaphantsi koLwandle Olufileyo zize zidade ngaphezulu. Kusenokwenzeka ukuba le tela iphumela phakathi kwamatye ize ihlale emazantsi olwandle phakathi kwezigaqa zetyuwa. Emva koko, xa le tyuwa inyibilika, ezi zigaqa zetela zinyukela phezulu.

Kangangeenkulungwane ibhitumene ibisetyenziswa ngeendlela ezahlukahlukeneyo—ekukhuseleni izikhephe emanzini, ekwakheni nasekugxotheni izinambuzane. Kuthiwa phakathi kwenkulungwane yesine ngaphambi kweXesha Eliqhelekileyo, amaYiputa aqalisa ukuyisebenzisa kakhulu ibhitumene ukuqwayita izidumbu, nangona ezinye iingcali zikuphikisa oku. Ngelo xesha abantu bakudala baseNabataea ababethanda ukuzula, bafudukela kummandla woLwandle Olufileyo, baza baqalisa ukurhweba kuwo. Babethuthela ibhitumene elunxwemeni, bayisike baze bayise eYiputa.

ULwandle Olufileyo lukhethekile ngokwenene. Asizibaxi izinto xa sisithi olu lwandle lolona lumtyuba, lukummandla osezantsi, lufileyo, yaye mhlawumbi lolona lusempilweni. Ngokuqinisekileyo lolona lwandle lubangela umdla kwisijikelezi-langa sethu!

[Umbhalo osemazantsi]

[Ibhokisi/Umfanekiso okwiphepha 27]

ZALONDOLOZWA NGAMANZI ANETYUWA

Ababhali-mbali bathi uLwandle Olufileyo lwalukade luyindawo edumileyo yezorhwebo—yaye ubugqina boko ziiankile ezimbini ezenziwe ngomthi ezisandul’ ukufunyanwa apho.

Ezi ankile zafunyanwa kunxweme loLwandle Olufileyo, kufuphi nalapho kwakukho izibuko lwamandulo lase-En-gedi. Kuthiwa enye iankile yayineminyaka engama-2 500 ubudala, nto leyo ethetha ukuba yeyona indala yakha yafunyanwa kuLwandle Olufileyo. Eyesibini kuthiwa yayineminyaka engama-2 000 ubudala yaye kukholelwa ukuba yenziwa zezona ngcali zibalaseleyo zamaRoma.

Iiankile ezenziwe ngomthi zidla ngokubola kumanzi aqhelekileyo olwandle, yaye ezentsimbi zihlala ithuba elide. Kodwa, ekubeni kungekho oksijini kuLwandle Olufileyo yaye lumtyuba, oku kuye kwazilondoloza ezi ankile zomthi neentambo zazo, yaye zisekwimeko entle.

[Umfanekiso]

Iankile yomthi eyenziwa phakathi kwenkulungwane yesi-7 neyesi-5 B.C.E.

[Inkcazelo]

Photograph © Israel Museum, Courtesy of Israel Antiquities Authority

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 26]

Iingxangxasi ezinamanzi ashushu

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 26]

Inyamakazi i-“ibex”

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 26]

Bafunda iphephandaba ngoxa bedada