Igama LaPhezulu Kusukela Endulo

UJEHOVA uNkulunkulu ufuna ukuba abantu balazi futhi balisebenzise igama lakhe. Lokhu kubonakala eqinisweni lokuthi walembula igama laKhe kubantu bokuqala emhlabeni. Siyazi ukuthi uAdamu noEva babejwayelene negama likaNkulunkulu ngoba ngemva kokuba uEva ezale uKayini, ngokombhalo wakuqala wesiHeberu, wathi: “Ngitholile indodana kuJehova.”—Genesise 4:1.

Kamuva sifunda ukuthi amadoda athembekile njengoEnoke noNowa “ayehamba noNkulunkulu.” (Genesise 5:24; 6:9) Nabo, ngaleso sikhathi, kumelwe ukuba babelazi igama likaNkulunkulu. Leligama lasinda kuZamcolo omkhulu kanye nendoda ethembekile uNowa nomkhaya wayo. Naphezu kokuhlubuka okukhulu esikhathini esithile kamuva eBabele, izinceku zeqiniso zikaNkulunkulu zaqhubeka zisebenzisa igama lakhe. Livela amakhulu ezikhathi emithethweni uNkulunkulu ayinikeza uIsrayeli. Encwadini kaDuteronomi iyodwa, livela izikhathi ezingama-551.

Ngezinsuku zabahluleli, amaIsrayeli ngokusobala ayengenamahloni okusebenzisa igama likaNkulunkulu. Ayelisebenzisa ngisho nalapho ebingelelana. Siyafunda (esiHeberwini sokuqala) ngoBowazi ebingelela abavuni bakhe: “UJehova makabe-nani.” Nabo bavuma ngokuthi: “UJehova makakubusise.”—Ruthe 2:4.

Kuwo wonke umlando wamaIsrayeli kuze kube sesikhathini sokubuyela kwaJuda ngemva kokuthunjelwa kwawo eBabiloni, igama likaJehova laqhubeka lisetshenziswa ngokuvamile. INkosi uDavide, umuntu owayethandeka enhliziyweni kaNkulunkulu, walisebenzisa kakhulu igama laphezulu—livela amakhulu ezikhathi kumahubo awaloba. (IzEnzo 13:22) Igama likaNkulunkulu futhi lalihlanganiswe kwamaningi amagama abantu abangamaIsrayeli. Kungakho sifunda ngoAdoniya (“INkosi Yami UJah”—“UJah” isifushaniso sikaJehova), uIsaya (“Insindiso KaJehova”), uJonathani (“UJehova Uphile”), uMika (“Ubani OnjengoJah?”) noJoshuwa (“UJehova UyiNsindiso”).

Ngaphandle KweBhayibheli

Kukhona futhi ubufakazi bokusetshenziswa kabanzi kwegama laphezulu ezikhathini zasendulo obuvela emithonjeni engaphandle kweBhayibheli. Ngo-1961 kwatholakala umhume oyithuna wasendulo ngaseningizimu ntshonalanga yeJerusalema lembulwa, ngokombiko okuyiIsrael Exploration Journal (Umqulu 13, No. 2). Ezindongeni zawo kwakunemibhalo yesiHeberu eyabonakala ihlehlela emuva engxenyeni yesibili yekhulu lesishiyagalombili B.C.E. Lemibhalo inezinkulumo ezinjengokuthi “uJehova unguNkulunkulu womhlaba wonke.”

Ngo-1966 kwakhishwa umbiko kuyi-Israel Exploration Journal (Umqulu 16, No. 1) ngezingcezu zezitsha zobumba ezinombhalo wesiHeberu kuzo ezatholakala eArad, eningizimu Israyeli. Lezi zazibhalwe ngasengxenyeni yokugcina yekhulu lesikhombisa B.C.E. Olunye lwazo kwakuyincwadi eyayiya endodeni okwakuthiwa uEliyashibi. Lencwadi iqala kanje: “Enkosini yami uEliyashibi: Sengathi uJehova angathatha ukuthula kwakho.” Futhi iphetha ngokuthi: “Uhlala endlini kaJehova.”

Ngo-1975 no-1976, abavubukuli ababesebenza eNegeb bavubukula imibhalo yesiHeberu nesiPhoenicia eyayisezindongeni, nasezindebeni ezinkulu zokugcina izinto nezitsha zetshe. Lemibhalo yayihlanganisa izwi lesiHeberu elimelele uNkulunkulu, kanye negama likaNkulunkulu, uYHWH, ngezinhlamvu zesiHeberu. EJerusalema ngokwalo, muva nje kwatholakala umucu omncane wesiliva ogoqiwe, ngokusobala ohlehlela emuva ngaphambi kokuthunjelwa eBabiloni. Abacwaningi bathi lapho uvulwa, kwatholakala igama likaJehova ngesiHeberu lilotshwe kuwo.—Biblical Archaeology Review, March/April 1983, ikhasi 18.

Esinye isibonelo sokusetshenziswa kwegama likaNkulunkulu sitholakala kokuthiwa iziNcwadi ZaseLakishi. Lezincwadi, ezilotshwe ezindengezini, zatholakala phakathi neminyaka yawo-1935 no-1938 emanxiweni aseLakishi, umuzi obiyelwe owawubalulekile emlandweni wakwaIsrayeli. Zibonakala njengezazibhalwe isikhulu samabutho okuqapha amaJuda ziya enkosini yaso, okwakuthiwa uYaosh, eLakishi, ngokusobala ngesikhathi sempi phakathi kukaIsrayeli neBabiloni ngasekupheleni kwekhulu leminyaka lesikhombisa B.C.E.

Ezindengezini eziyisishiyagalombili ezifundekayo, eziyisikhombisa ziqala indaba yazo ngesibingelelo esinjengokuthi: “Sengathi uJehova angabangela ukuba inkosi yami ibone lenkathi inempilo enhle!” Sekukonke, igama likaNkulunkulu livela izikhathi eziyi-11 kulezigijimi eziyisikhombisa, kubonisa ngokusobala ukuthi igama likaJehova lalisetshenziswa nsuku zonke ngasekupheleni kwekhulu leminyaka lesikhombisa B.C.E.

Ngisho nababusi bamaqaba babelazi futhi belisebenzisa igama laphezulu uma bebhekisela kuNkulunkulu wamaIsrayeli. Kungakho, eDwaleni LakwaMowabi, iNkosi uMesha yakwaMowabi iqhosha ngokuphanga kwayo ngempi uIsrayeli, futhi phakathi kwezinye izinto, ithi: “UKhemoshi wathi kimi, ‘Hamba, uthathe iNebo kwaIsrayeli!’ Ngakho ngahamba ebusuku ngalwa naye kusukela entathakusa kwaze kwaba semini, ngalithatha ngaliceka lonke . . . ngathatha khona [izitsha] zikaJehova, ngazihudula phambi kukaKhemoshi.”

Ibhekisela kulokhu kusetshenziswa okungaphandle kweBhayibheli kwegama likaNkulunkulu, ITheologisches Wörterbuch zum Alten Testament (Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament), eMqulwini 3, uhlu 538, ithi: “Ngakho ubufakazi obulotshiwe obuyi-19 beTetragrammaton ngesimo sika-jhwh kulokhu buqinisekisa ukwethenjelwa kweM[asoretic] T[ext]; kuningi okungalindelwa, ngaphezu kwakho konke okuvela eArad-Archives.”—Ihunyushwe esiJalimaneni.

Igama LikaNkulunkulu Alikhohlakele

Lokhu kujwayeleka nokusetshenziswa kwegama likaNkulunkulu kwaqhubeka kwaze kwaba sezinsukwini zikaMalaki, owaphila cishe eminyakeni engama-400 ngaphambi kwesikhathi sikaJesu. Encwadini yeBhayibheli enegama lakhe, uMalaki uliqokomisa kakhulu igama laphezulu, sekukonke elisebenzisa izikhathi ezingama-48.

Njengoba isikhathi sasiqhubeka, amaJuda amaningi ahlala kude nezwe lakwaIsrayeli, futhi amanye ayengasenakulifunda iBhayibheli ngolimi lwesiHeberu. Ngakho-ke, ngekhulu lesithathu B.C.E., kwaqala ukuba kuhunyushwe izingxenye zeBhayibheli ezazikhona ngalesosikhathi (“iTestamente Elidala”) ziyiswe esiGrekini, okwakuwulimi olusha lwezizwe zonke. Kodwa igama likaNkulunkulu baliqaphela. Abahumushi balilondoloza, belibhala ngesimo salo sesiHeberu. Iziboniselo zokuqala zeSeptuagint yesiGreki eziye zalondolozwa kuze kube namuhla ziyakufakazela lokhu.

Nokho, sasiyini isimo lapho uJesu elapha emhlabeni? Singazi kanjani noma yena nabafundi bakhe balisebenzisa igama likaNkulunkulu?

[Isithombe ekhasini 12]

Kulencwadi, eyabhalwa odengezini engxenyeni yesibili yekhulu lesikhombisa B.C.E., igama likaNkulunkulu livela kabili.

[Umthombo]

(Umfanekiso ngomusa weIsrael Department of Antiquities and Museums)

[Izithombe ekhasini 13]

Igama likaNkulunkulu liyatholakala futhi eziNcwadini zaseLakishi naseDwaleni LakwaMowabi