Izazi zeBhayibheli ziyavuma ukuthi igama lakaZimu elijanyelwe yi-Tetragrammaton (יהוה), livela iinkhathi ezingaba zii-7 000 emiTlolweni yokuthoma yesiHebheru. Kodwana, abanengi bacabanga ukuthi igameli belingekho emiTlolweni yamaKrestu yesiGirigi yokuthoma. Ngebangelo-ke, amaBhayibheli amanengi wesiNdebele awanalo igama elithi Jehova kilokho okubizwa ngokuthi liTestamende eliTjha. Inengi labatjhugululi lijayele ukusebenzisa elithi “Kosi” la kuvela khona igama lakaZimu, nanyana abakutjhugululakokho kudzujulwe emiTlolweni yesiHebheru ene-Tetragrammaton.

ITjhugululo yePhasi eliTjha yemiTlolo eCwengileko yona-ke ayilandeli ikambiso leyo esetjenziswa yinengi. IBhayibheli le, iliveza iinkhathi ezima-237 igama elithi Jehova emiTlolweni yamaKrestu yesiGirigi. Nabazakuthatha igadangwelo, abatjhugululi bayo bacabangele naka amabanga amabili aqakathekileko: (1) Imitlolo yesandla yesiGirigi etholakala namhlanjesi akusingeyokuthoma. Inengi lamakhophi atholakala namhlanjesi atlolwa ngemva kwamakhulu amabili weminyaka kunamakhophi wamambala. (2) Kungenzeka ukuthi ngesikhatheso labo ebebakopulula imitlolo yesandla bajamiselela i-Tetragrammaton nge-Kyʹri·os, okuligama lesiGirigi elithi “Kosi” namkha kungenzeka ukuthi bakopulule emitlolweni yesandla ebeseyenziwe njalo.

IKomidi yeTjhugululo yePhasi eliTjha iphethe ngokuthi kunobufakazi obaneleko bokuthi i-Tetragrammaton beyikhona emitlolweni yesandla yesiGirigi yokuthoma. Isiqunto sabo sisekelwe ebufakazini obulandelako:

• Amakhophi wemiTlolo yesiHebheru ebewasetjenziswa emihleni kaJesu nabapostoli bakhe, bewanayo i-Tetragrammaton koke la ivela khona. Esikhathini esidlulileko abantu bebasiphikisa isiphethweso. Kodwana nje, njengombana kutholakele amakhophi wemiTlolo yesiHebheru wangekhulu lokuthoma hlanu kwe-Qumran, iphuzweli liqinisekiswe ngokupheleleko.

• Emihleni kaJesu nabapostoli bakhe, i-Tetragrammaton beyivela nemiTlolweni etjhugululwe ngesiGirigi isuselwa emiTlolweni yesiHebheru. Kwadlula amakhulu weminyaka izazi zicabanga ukuthi i-Tetragrammaton beyingekho emitlolweni yesandla ye-Septuagint yesiGirigi etjhugululwe isuselwa emiTlolweni yesiHebheru. Kwathi phakathi neminyaka yabo-1900, izazi zathoma ukulemuka iinqetjhana zeminye yemitlolo ye-Septuagint yesiGirigi  ebeyikhona emihleni kaJesu. Iinqetjhanezo zinegama lakaZimu elitlolwe ngamaledere wesiHebheru, okutjho bona ngesikhathi sakaJesu, imiTlolo yesiGirigi beyinalo igama lakaZimu. Kodwana ngekhulu lesine leminyaka C.E., imitlolo yesandla eminengi ye-Septuagint yesiGirigi, njenge-Codex Vaticanus ne-Codex Sinaiticus, beyinganalo igama lakaZimu kusukela encwadini kaGenesisi bekuyokufika kuMalaki (kukulapho belikhona emitlolweni yesandla yangaphambili). Yeke, ngikho kungasirari ukuthi kusukela emitlolweni yangesikhatheso, igama lakaZimu alikho eTestamendeni eliTjha namkha emiTlolweni yesiGirigi eBhayibhelini.

  UJesu wakubeka kwakhanya nakathi: “Ngize ngegama lakaBaba.” Wabuye watjho nokuthi akwenzako ukwenza “egameni lakaBaba”

• ImiTlolo yamaKrestu yesiGirigi iyatjho ukuthi uJesu bekajayele ukukhuluma ngegama lakaZimu nokulenza laziwe kwabanye. (Jwanisi 17:6, 11, 12, 26) UJesu wakubeka kwakhanya nakathi: “Ngize ngegama lakaBaba.” Wabuye watjho nokuthi akwenzako ukwenza “egameni lakaBaba.”—Jwanisi 5:43; 10:25.

• Njengombana imiTlolo yamaKrestu yesiGirigi nayo beyiphefumulelwe njengemiTlolo yesiHebheru ecwengileko, bekungekhe kube nengqondo ukuthi igama lakaJehova livele linyamalale. Phakathi nekhulu lokuthoma leminyaka C.E., umfundi uJakopo watjela abadala beJerusalema wathi: “USimiyoni usilandisele ngokunabileko ngendlela uZimu akhumbule ngayo abantu bezinye iintjhaba nokuthi uthome ukukhetha kibo abantu begama lakhe.” (IzEnzo 15:14) UJakopo bengekhe akhulume into enjengaleyo angathana bekungekho namunye owazi igama lakaZimu.

• Igama lakaZimu liyavela nangokurhunyeziweko emiTlolweni yamaKrestu yesiGirigi. KusAmbulo 19:1, 3, 4, 6, igama lakaZimu liyingcenye yegama elithi “Haleluya.” Igameli livela kwelesiHebheru elitjho ukuthi “Dumisani uJah.” “UJah” sirhunyezo segama elithi Jehova. Amagama amanengi asetjenziswe emiTlolweni yamaKrestu yesiGirigi asuselwe egameni lakaZimu. Neenkhombo ziyatjho ukuthi igama lakaJesu litjho ukuthi “uJehova uyiSindiso.”

• Imitlolo yakade yamaJuda iveza ukuthi amaKrestu wamaJuda bewalisebenzisa igama lakaZimu nawatlolako. I-Tosefta, elibuthelelo lemithetho ebeyitjhiwo ngomlomo eyatlolwa ngabo-300 C.E., nayikhuluma ngemitlolo yamaKrestu eyatjhiswa ngeSabatha ithi: “Iincwadi zabaVangeli neencwadi zama-minim [okucatjangwa ukuthi maKrestu amaJuda] akukafaneli zikhutjhwe emlilweni. Kufuze zitjhe kunye neGama lakaZimu elikizo.” Incwadi le ibuye idzubhule uRabi Yosé weGalile, owaphila ngekuthomeni kwekhulu lesibili leminyaka C.E., nakathi ngamanye amalanga weveke, “umuntu ukhupha lapho kukhulunywa khona ngeGama  lakaZimu eencwadinezo [okucatjangwa ukuthi ngezamaKrestu] azibeke, ezinye azitjhise.”

• Ezinye izazi zeBhayibheli ziyavuma ukuthi kubonakala ngasuthi igama lakaZimu belikhona emiTlolweni yesiHebheru edzujulwe emiTlolweni yamaKrestu yesiGirigi. Ngaphasi kwesihloko esithi, “i-Tetragrammaton eTestamendeni eliTjha,” i-Anchor Bible Dictionary ithi: “Kunobufakazi bokuthi i-Tetragrammaton, okuliGama lakaZimu, elithi Yahweh, lathoma ukuvela kwezinye iindawo namkha kiyo yoke imitlolo yeTestamende eliTjha edzujulwe eTestamendeni eliDala, ngesikhathi iTestamende eliTjha lithoma  ukwenziwa.” Isazi u-George Howard naso sithi: “Njengombana i-Tetragram beyisolo itlolwa emakhophini weBhayibheli yesiGirigi [iSeptuagint] okumiTlolo ebeyisetjenziswa esondweni lokuthoma, kunengqondo-ke ukukholelwa ukuthi abatloli beTestamende eliTjha bayifaka i-Tetragram nabadzubhula emiTlolweni yokuthoma yeBhayibheli.”

• Abatjhugululi beBhayibheli abaziwako balisebenzisile igama lakaZimu emiTlolweni yamaKrestu yesiGirigi. Abanye babatjhugululabo, benza lokho ngaphambi kokwenziwa kwe-Tjhugululo yePhasi eliTjha. Abanye babatjhugululabo nemisebenzabo ngilaba:  I-Literal Translation of the New Testament . . . From the Text of the Vatican Manuscript, ka-Herman Heinfetter (1863); i-Emphatic Diaglott, ka-Benjamin Wilson (1864); i-Epistles of Paul in Modern English, ka-George Barker Stevens (1898); i-St. Paul’s Epistle to the Romans, ka-W. G. Rutherford (1900); ne-New Testament Letters, ka-J.W.C. Wand, uMbhitjhobhi we-London (1946). Ukungezelela kilokho, eBhayibhelini ye-Spanish yangabo-1900, umtjhugululi u-Pablo Besson wasebenzisa igama elithi “Jehova” kuLukasi 2:15, kuJuda 14 nemitlolweni engenzasi iinkhathi ezingaphezu kweli-100 eBhayibhelinakhe ukuveza ukuthi kufuze kusetjenziswe igama lakaZimu emitlolweni engenzasi leyo. Ngaphambi kokuthi kube namaBhayibheli la, amaBhayibheli wesiHebheru wemiTlolo yamaKrestu yesiGirigi wangeminyaka yabo-1500 ukuya phambili, bewayisebenzisa i-Tetragrammaton emavesini amanengi. Ngelimi lesiJarimani kwaphela, kunamaBhayibheli angaba li-11 asebenzisa igama elithi “Jehova” (namkha elitjhugululwe njengombana linjalo esiHebherwini elithi “Yahweh”) emiTlolweni yamaKrestu yesiGirigi, kukulapho abatjhugululi abane bebafaka ibizo elithi “Kosi” ngaphakathi kweembayana. EmaBhayibhelini angaphezu kwama-70 wesiJarimani, igama lakaZimu lifakwe emitlolweni engenzasi namkha ehlathululweni.

•   AmaBhayibheli wamalimi angaphezu kwalikhulu ahlukahlukeneko analo igama lakaZimu emiTlolweni yamaKrestu yesiGirigi. Amalimi amanengi we-Afrika, weNdabuko we-Amerika, we-Asiya, weYurobhu, neweenhlengeleni ze-Pacific, alisebenzisa ngokutjhaphulukileko igama lakaZimu. (Qala irhelo  elisemakhasini 1998 no-1999.) Abatjhugululi bamaBhayibheli lawo bakhethe ukusebenzisa igama lakaZimu ngokwamabanga afana nalawo esikhulume ngawo ngehla. ImiTlolo yamaKrestu yesiGirigi yamanye wamaBhayibheli la, ithome ukutholakala mhlapha, njengeBhayibheli yesi-Rotuman (1999), esebenzisa igama elithi, “Jihova” iinkhathi ezima-51 emavesini ama-48, neyesi-Batak (Toba) ye-Indonesia yango-1989, esebenzisa igama elithi, “Jahowa” iinkhathi ezili-110.

Ngokwalokhu-ke kunobufakazi obunamandla bokubuyisela igama lakaZimu elithi Jehova endawenalo emiTlolweni yamaKrestu yesiGirigi. Ngilokho nabatjhugululi be-Tjhugululo yePhasi eliTjha abakwenzileko. Balihlonipha khulu igama lakaZimu kangangokuthi abafuni ukususa litho ebeyisemitlolweni yokuthoma.—IsAmbulo 22:18, 19.