Ngaba “NguYehova” Okanye “NguYahweh”?
“IBHASTILE,” “ingxilimbela,” “irhorho.” Yintoni eyenza abaphengululi beBhayibhile abangamaHebhere basebenzise amagama aqatha ngolu hlobo? Kaloku sifuna ukuqonda enoba igama elithi “Yehova” liyindlela yesiXhosa efanelekileyo yokubiza igama likaThixo kusini na. Lo mba ubuyintsinda-badala kangangeminyaka engaphezu kwekhulu. Namhlanje, inkoliso yabaphengululi ibonakala ikhetha igama elinamalungu amabini elithi “Yahweh.” Kodwa ke ngaba ngokwenene igama elithi “Yehova” livakala libhekisela “kwirhorho”?
Unobangela Wale Mpikiswano
Ngokutsho kweBhayibhile, uThixo walichaza ngokwakhe igama lakhe eluntwini. (Eksodus 3:15) Ubungqina beZibhalo bubonisa ukuba abakhonzi bamandulo bakaThixo babelisebenzisa ngomzimb’ ongenaxhala elo gama. (Genesis 12:8; Rute 2:4) Nezinye iintlanga ke phofu zazilazi igama likaThixo. (Yoshuwa 2:9) Oko kwenzeka ngokukodwa xa amaYuda awayebuye ekuthinjweni eBhabhiloni axubana nabantu beentlanga ezininzi. (INdumiso 96:2-10; Isaya 12:4; Malaki 1:11) IThe Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible ithi: “Bukho ubungqina obubambekayo bokuba emva kokuba amaYuda ebuyile ekuthinjweni abantu abaninzi beentlanga batsaleleka kunqulo lwawo.” Noko ke, ngenkulungwane yokuqala yeXesha lethu Eliqhelekileyo, kwasuka kwee vumbululu nkolelo ithile ngegama likaThixo. Ekugqibeleni, uhlanga lwamaYuda aluzange lwanele nje ukuyeka ukulisebenzisa igama likaThixo ngokukhululekileyo kodwa lwakwalela kwaukubizwa oku kwalo. Yaba ke iyalityalwa indlela elibizwa ngayo—okanye ke ngaba yayikho enye indlela bethu?
Yintoni Equlethwe Ligama?
NgesiHebhere, igama likaThixo libhalwa ngolu hlobo יהוה. Ngokuqhelekileyo aba nobumba bane, abafundwa ngokusuka ekunene kuyiwe ekhohlo, baziwa ngokuba yiTetragrammaton. Uninzi lwamagama abantu naweendawo ezikhankanywe eBhayibhileni luqulethe uhlobo olushunqulelweyo lwegama likaThixo. Ngaba kunokwenzeka ukuba la magama asinike intlantsana yolwazi ngendlela igama likaThixo elalibizwa ngayo?
Ngokutsho kukaGeorge Buchanan, unjingalwazi odla umhlala-phantsi kodwa osagcine isibizo sakhe sangaphambili kwiWesley Theological Seminary, eWashington, D.C., eUnited States, impendulo ithi ewe kunokwenzeka. UNjingalwazi uBuchanan uyacacisa: “Mandulo, abazali babedla ngokuthiya abantwana babo ngamagama ezithixo zabo. Oko kuthetha ukuba babeya kubiza amagama abantwana abo ngendlela elibizwa ngayo igama laloo thixo. ITetragrammaton yayisetyenziswa kumagama abantu, ibe babesoloko besebenzisa isikhamiso esiphakathi.”
Khawuqwalasele imizekelo embalwa yamagama afumaneka eBhayibhileni anegama likaThixo elishunqulelweyo. UNjingalwazi uBuchanan uthi uYonatan, obhalwe ngokuthi Yoh·na·thanʹ okanye Yehoh·na·thanʹ kwiBhayibhile yesiHebhere, uthetha ukuthi “uYaho okanye uYahowah unikile.’ Igama lomprofeti uEliya ngesiHebhere lithi ʼE·li·yahʹ okanye ʼE·li·yaʹhu. Ngokutsho kukaNjingalwazi uBuchanan, eli gama lithetha ukuthi: “UThixo Wam NguYahoo okanye uYahoo-wah.” Ukanti ngokufanayo, igama lesiHebhere elithi Yehoshafati lithi Yehoh-sha·phatʹ, kwaye lithetha ukuthi “uYaho ugwebile.”
Ukubiza iTetragrammaton ngokuthi “Yahweh” onamalungu amabini bekungayi kuvumela isikhamiso esingu-o ukuba sibe yinxalenye yegama likaThixo. Kodwa kuninzi lwamagama eBhayibhile aquka igama likaThixo, esi sikhamiso sisembindini siyavela enoba abhalwe ngokupheleleyo okanye ashunqulelwe, njengakuYehonatan nakuYonatan. Ngaloo ndlela, uNjingalwazi uBuchanan uthetha enjenje ngegama likaThixo: “Isikhamiso esingu-oo okanye u-oh asikhe sishiywe. Maxa wambi eli gama laliye lishunqulelwe ngokuthi ‘Ya,’ kodwa akuzange kuthiwe ‘Ya-weh.’ . . . Xa iTetragrammaton yayibizwa njengegama elinelungu elinye kwakusithiwa ‘Yah’ okanye ‘Yo.’ Xa kusetyenziswa amalungu amathathu kwakunokuthiwa ‘Yahowah’ okanye ‘Yahoowah.’ Ukuba phofu yayikhe yabizwa njengegama elinamalungu amabini imele ukuba kwakusithiwa ‘Yaho.’ ”—Biblical Archaeology Review.
La magqabaza asinceda siqonde amazwi awathethwa ngumphengululi wesiHebhere wenkulungwane ye-19 uGesenius kwincwadi yakhe ethi Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament Scriptures: “Abo bakholelwa ukuba igama elithi יְהוָֹה [Ye-ho-wah] laliyeyona ndlela yokubiza [igama likaThixo] banazo izizathu ezibambekayo zokuthethelela imbono yabo. Kungokulibiza ngale ndlela elinokuthi licaciswe ngendlela eyanelisayo ilungu elishunqulelweyo elithi יְהוֹ [Ye-ho] nelithi יוֹ [Yo], eqalisa ngawo inkoliso yamagama ezinto.”
Noko ke, kwintshayelelo yenguqulelo yakhe yakutshanje yeThe Five Books of Moses, uEverett Fox uthi: “Imigudu yamandulo neyakutshanje yokufumana indlela ‘echanileyo’ yokubiza igama lesiHebhere [likaThixo] iwe phantsi; akuqinisekwanga ncam ngegama esilivayo maxa wambi elithi ‘Yehova’ nelithi ‘Yahweh’ elithandwa ngabaphengululi.”
Ngokuqinisekileyo abaphengululi baseza kuqhubeka bephikisana. AmaYuda ayeka ukulibiza igama loThixo oyinyaniso ngaphambi kokuba amaMasorete ayile inkqubo yokubonisa isandi soonobumba. Ngaloo ndlela, ayikho indlela ekuqinisekiweyo ngayo yokufumana izikhamiso ezazingena phakathi kwaba nobumba YHWH (יהוה). Kodwa ke, amagama abantu baseBhayibhileni—engazange ilityalwe indlela yokuwabiza—asinika umyinge obambekayo noko wendlela yamhlamnene yokubiza igama likaThixo. Ngenxa yeso sibakala, ubuncinane bakho abaphengululi abavumayo ukuba igama elithi “Yehova” alivakali ngathi “lelerhorho” konke konke.
[Imifanekiso ekwiphepha 31]
Igama elithi “Yehova” beliyeyona ndlela yaziwayo yokubiza igama likaThixo