Iindawo Ezithile Zelizwe Ledinga

IBher-shebha—Apho Iqula Lalithetha Ubomi

“ETHABATHELA kwaDan esa eBher-sheba.” Elo libinzana eliqhelekileyo kubafundi beBhayibhile. Lichaza ngalo lonke ilizwe lakwaSirayeli ukuthabathela kwaDan, kufuphi nomda osemantla, ukusa eBher-shebha, esemazantsi. Uxolo ebudeni bolawulo lukaSolomon lwachazwa ngale ndlela: “Ahlala amaYuda namaSirayeli ekholosile, elowo ehleli phantsi komdiliya wakhe naphantsi komkhiwane wakhe, ethabathela kwaDan esa eBher-shebha, yonke imihla kaSolomon.”—1 Kumkani 4:25; ABagwebi 20:1.

Noko ke, umahluko phakathi kwelakwaDan neBher-shebha, wawuquka okungakumbi kunomgama ophakathi kwawo. Ngokomzekelo, kwaDan kwakukho imvula eninzi; amanzi ayephuma ngaphantsi komhlaba aze enze isebe elingena kuMlambo iYordan, njengoko ebonakala emfanekisweni ongasekunene. Hayi indlela eyayahluke ngayo iBher-shebha, yona yayimi kummandla owomileyo, phakathi konxweme nencam engezantsi yoLwandle Olufileyo.

Kummandla weBher-shebha, imvula yonyaka yayisusela kwiimilimitha ezili-150 ukuya kuma-200 kuphela. Ukuze ukuqonde oko, phawula umfanekiso ongasentla wendulana, yaseBher-shebha.a Uhlaza olubonayo lubonisa ukuba umfanekiso wathatyathwa emva kweemvula zobusika, kungekudala nje xa amathafa angqonge iBher-sheba eluhlaza. Amathafa akufuphi ayekulungele—yaye asakulungele—ukutya okuziinkozo.

Ngenxa yokuba lo mmandla wawomile, iingxelo zeBhayibhile ngeBher-shebha zigxininisa kakhulu kumaqula nasekubeni ngubani owayenelungelo lokusebenzisa amanzi. Esi sixeko simi ngasezindleleni okanye kwiindlela ezazihamba iinkamela ezinqumla inkqantosi yentlango kwicala elisemzantsi. Njengoko usenokuthelekelela, abahambi abadlula okanye abemisa apha babeya kufuna amanzi bona kunye nezilwanyana zabo. Amanzi anjalo ayengaphumi ngaphantsi komhlaba, njengoko kwakunjalo kwaDan, kodwa ayenokufunyanwa emaquleni. Enyanisweni, igama lesiHebhere elithi beʼerʹ lalibhekisela kumngxuma owombelwe ukufumana amanzi aphuma ngaphantsi komhlaba. Igama elithi Bher-shebha lithetha “iQula leSifungo” okanye, “iQula lezinto eziSixhenxe.”

UAbraham nentsapho yakhe bahlala ixesha elide eBher-shebha nakummandla oyingqongileyo, yaye babekwazi ukubaluleka kwamaqula. Xa isicakakazi sikaSara uHagare sabalekela entlango, sisenokuba sasijonge ukufumana amanzi emaquleni okanye kumaBedouin awayewasebenzisa—njengalo mfazi ukwiphepha elilandelayo ngasentla ongumBedouin okha amanzi equleni elikuSingasiqithi weSinayi. Xa kamva uAbraham kwafuneka egxothe uHagare nonyana wakhe ogculelayo, ngobubele wabalungiselela amanzi aneleyo. Kwenzeka ntoni xa la manzi aphelayo? “UThixo wawavula amehlo akhe, wabona iqula lamanzi; waya wayizalisa intsuba ngamanzi, wayiseza inkwenkwe.”—Genesis 21:19.

UAbraham wawafumana phi amanzi okuzalisa intsuba yamanzi kaHagare? Mhlawumbi wawafumana kwiqula awayelombile, awayetyale umthi womtamariske kufuphi nalo. (Genesis 21:25-33) Kunokuthiwa izazinzulu ngoku ziya kubona ukufaneleka kokukhetha kuka-Abraham umtamariske, kuba lo mthi unamagqabi amancinane aphulukana kancinane nokufuma, ngoko unokuphila phezu kwako nje ukoma kwalo mmandla.—Bona umfanekiso ongasezantsi.

Ukumba kuka-Abraham iqula kwakhankanywa ngokunxulumene nempikiswano eyayiphakathi kwakhe nokumkani wamaFilisti. Iqula laliyinto exabisekileyo ngenxa yokunqaba kwamanzi ngokubanzi nangenxa yomsebenzi obakho xa kusembiwa iqula elinzulu. Enyanisweni, ngoko, ukusebenzisa iqula ngaphandle kwemvume kwakugqalwa njengokungahloneli impahla yomntu.—Thelekisa iNumeri 20:17, 19.

Ukuba utyelela iNdulana iBher-shebha, unokujonga ezantsi kwiqula elinzulu kwithambeka elikumzantsi-mpuma. Akukho bani waziyo ukuba lagqojozwa nini eli liwa liqinileyo necala lalo elingasentla (njengoko silibona ngezantsi) laza laxhaswa ngamatye. Abembi bezinto zakudala banamhlanje baye baya kutsho kumgama oziimitha ezingama-30 bengade bafikelele ezantsi. Omnye wabo wathi: “Kulula ukugqiba kwelokuba eli . . . ‘liQula leSifungo’ apho uAbraham noAbhimeleki benza umnqophiso wabo.”—Biblical Archaeology Review.

Kuyacaca ukuba iBher-shebha yanda ngobukhulu kamva ngexesha lokubhalwa kweBhayibhile, yaba sisixeko esinqatyisiweyo nesinesango elikhulu. Kodwa eyona nto eyayingundoqo kubukho nempumelelo yayo yayingamanzi avela kwiqula layo elinzulu.

[Umbhalo osemazantsi]

[Inkcazelo Ngomfanekiso okwiphepha 24]

Pictorial Archive (Near Eastern History) Est.

[Inkcazelo Ngomfanekiso okwiphepha 25]

Pictorial Archive (Near Eastern History) Est.