NGABA kubalulekile ukuba liyavela igama likaThixo eBhayibhileni okanye aliveli? Ngokuqinisekileyo uThixo ufuna livele. Igama lakhe, njengokuba limelwa ngonoobumba abane besiHebhere iTetragrammaton, livela izihlandlo eziphantse zibe ngama-7 000 kwizibhalo zantlandlolo zesiHebhere ezidla ngokubizwa ngokuba yiTestamente Endala. *

Abaphengululi beBhayibhile bayavuma ukuba igama likaThixo liyavela kwiTestamente Endala, okanye iZibhalo zesiHebhere. Noko ke, abantu abaninzi bathi igama likaThixo aliveli kwimibhalo-ngqangi yantlandlolo yesiGrike edla ngokubizwa ngokuba yiTestamente Entsha.

Babesenza njani ababhali beTestamente Entsha xa becaphula indinyana ekwiTestamente Endala enegama likaThixo? Ngezo zihlandlo, abaguquleli abaninzi basebenzisa igama elithi “Nkosi” kunokuba basebenzise igama likaThixo. INguqulelo Yehlabathi Elitsha YeZibhalo Ezingcwele ayiguqulelwanga ngale ndlela. Isebenzisa igama likaYehova izihlandlo ezingaphezu kwama-237 kwiZibhalo ZamaKristu ZesiGrike, okanye iTestamente Entsha.

Ziziphi iingxaki abadibana nazo abaguquleli xa kufuneka benze isigqibo sokusebenzisa igama likaThixo kwiTestamente Entsha? Ziziphi izizathu zokusebenzisa igama likaThixo kule nxalenye yeZibhalo Ezingcwele? Kukuchaphazela   njani ukusebenzisa igama likaThixo eBhayibhileni?

Imibhalo-ngqangi yeTestamente Entsha esiyisebenzisayo namhlanje asiyiyo eyantlandlolo. Ekubeni imibhalo-ngqangi eyabhalwa nguMateyu, uYohane, uPawulos nabanye yayisetyenziswa kakhulu yakhawuleza yaguga. Ngenxa yoko, yakhutshelwa. Amawaka emibhalo yeTestamente Entsha esetyenziswayo namhlanje, inkoliso yayo yabhalwa emva kweenkulungwane ezimbini emva kokuba ibhaliwe imibhalo yokuqala. Kuyabonakala ukuba ngexesha abo babekhuphela le mibhalo-ngqangi iTetragrammaton emela igama likaThixo yathatyathelw’ indawo ligama lesiGrike Ku′ri·os okanye Ky′ri·os eli ligama lesiGrike elithetha “Nkosi,” okanye bakhuphela kwimibhalo-ngqangi eyayisele isebenzisa eli gama. *

Ekubeni umguquleli esazi esi sibakala umele aqonde ukuba ingaba bukho na ubungqina obubonisa ukuba iTetragrammaton yayikho kwimibhalo-ngqangi yantlandlolo yesiGrike. Ingaba kunjalo ngokwenene? Khawuqwalasele le ngxubusho ilandelayo.

• Xa uYesu wayecaphula kwiTestamente Endala okanye efunda kuyo, wasebenzisa igama likaThixo. (Duteronomi 6:13, 16; 8:3; INdumiso 110:1; Isaya 61:1, 2; Mateyu 4:4, 7, 10; 22:44; Luka 4:16-21) Ngexesha likaYesu nabafundi bakhe, iTetragrammaton yayivela kwimibhalo yesiHebhere edla ngokubizwa ngokuba yiTestamente Endala, njengokuba isavela nanamhla oku. Noko ke, ukutyhubela iinkulungwane abaphengululi babecinga ukuba iTetragrammaton ayikho kwinguqulelo yesiGrike yeSeptuagint yeTestamente Endala, nakwimibhalo-ngqangi yeTestamente Entsha. Kwandula ke ngenkulungwane yama-20, abaphengululi babhaqa iziqwengana zenguqulelo yesiGrike yeSeptuagint eyayisetyenziswa ngexesha likaYesu. Ezi ziqwengana zazinegama likaThixo, zibhalwe ngoonobumba besiHebhere.

•   UYesu wasebenzisa igama likaThixo waza walazisa abantu. (Yohane 17:6, 11, 12, 26) UYesu wathi: “Ndize egameni likaBawo.” Waphinda wathi imisebenzi yakhe wayeyenza “egameni [likaYise].” Igama likaYesu lithetha ukuba “uYehova Lusindiso.”—Yohane 5:43; 10:25.

• Igama likaThixo livela kwiZibhalo ZesiGrike likwimo efinyeziweyo. KwiSityhilelo 19:1, 3, 4, 6 igama likaThixo liyinxalenye yebinzana elithi “Haleluya.” Eli binzana lithetha ukuba “Dumisani uYa.” UYa sisishunqulelo segama elithi Yehova.

• Imibhalo yantlandlolo yesiHebhere ibonisa ukuba amaKristu amaYuda ayesebenzisa igama likaThixo lobuqu xa ebhala. ITosefta eyayiyingqokelela yemithetho edluliselwa ngomlomo eyagqitywa ngowama-300 C.E., ithi ngemibhalo yamaKristu eyatshiswa ngomhla weSabatha: “Iincwadi zabavangeli neencwadi zeminim [kucingelwa ukuba ngamaKristu angamaYuda] azizange zisinde emlilweni. Kunoko zatshiswa kwindawo ezazikuzo, . . . zazinegama likaThixo.” Kwalo mthombo ucaphula uYosé owayenguRabhi owayehlala eGalili, owayephila ngasekuqaleni kwenkulungwane yesibini yexesha eliqhelekileyo, esithi ngezinye iintsuku zeveki “abanye basika indinyana enegama likaThixo [imibhalo yamaKristu] aze aligcine kude, aze awutshise wonke umbhalo.” Ngaloo ndlela, kukho ubungqina obubambekayo obubonisa ukuba amaYuda awayephila ngenkulungwane yesibini yexesha eliqhelekileyo akholelwa ukuba amaKristu ayesebenzisa igama likaYehova xa ebhala.

Ngaba iNguqulelo Yehlabathi Elitsha ikuphela kweBhayibhile ebuyisele igama likaThixo xa iguqulela iZibhalo zesiGrike. Akunjalo. Ngenxa yobu bungqina sibukhankanye ngasentla, abaguquleli abaninzi beBhayibhile baye bavakalelwa kukuba igama likaThixo limele libuyiselwe kwiTestamente Entsha.

Ngokomzekelo, iinguqulelo ezininzi zeelwimi zaseAfrika, eMerika, eAsiya nakwiPacific zisebenzisa igama likaThixo. (Funda isicangca kwiphepha 21.) Ezinye zezi nguqulelo zisandula ukwenziwa kutshanje, njengeRotuman Bible (1999), esebenzisa igama elithi Jihova izihlandlo ezili-51 kwindinyana ezingama-48 zeTestamente Entsha, yona inguqulelo ekuthiwa yiBatak-Toba (1989) yaseIndonesia esebenzisa  igama elithi Jahowa izihlandlo ezili-110 kwiTestamente Entsha. Igama likaThixo liyavela, kwakhona ngesiFrentshi, ngesiJamani nakwinguqulelo yeSpanish. Ngokomzekelo, uPablo Besson waguqulela iTestamente Entsha kwiSipanish ekuqaleni kwenkulungwane yama-20, inguqulelo yakhe isebenzisa igama likaYehova kuYude 14 ize imibhalo esemazantsi emalunga ne-100 ibhekisele kwigama likaThixo.

Apha ngezantsi sinemizekelo yenguqulelo zesiNgesi eziye zasebenzisa igama likaThixo kwiTestamente Entsha.

• INguqulelo YeTestamente Entsha . . . Kwimibhalo Yemibhalo-ngqangi, nguHerman Heinfetter

• The Emphatic Diaglott, nguBenjamin Wilson (1864)

• The Epistles of Paul in Modern English, nguGeorge Barker (1898)

• St. Paul’s Epistle to the Romans, nguW. G. Rutherford (1900)

• The Christian’s Bible—New Testament, nguGeorge N. LeFevre (1928)

• The New Testament Letters, nguJ.W.C. Wand, Bishop of London (1946)

Kutshanje, ngowama-2004 uhlelo oluthandwayo olubizwa ngokuba yiNew Living Translation yathi kwintshayelelo yayo ngaphantsi komxholo othi “Ukuguqulelwa KwamaGama KaThixo”: “Igama lesiHebhere elithi tetragrammaton (YHWH) ngokuthi ‘Nkosi,’ sisebenzisa igama elinoonobumba abancinane lixhaphakile kwiinguqulelo zesiNgesi. Le ndlela libhalwe ngayo iza kulahlula kwigama elithi  ‘adonai, esidla ngokuliguqulela ngokuthi ‘Nkosi.’” Igqabaza ithi ngeTestamente entsha, “Igama lesiGrike elithi kurios liguqulelwa ngokuthi ‘Nkosi,’ ngaphandle kwakwezo ndinyana liguqulelwe ngokuthi ‘Nkosi’ nanini iTestamente Entsha icaphula kwiTestamente Endala, libe elo gama libhalwe ngoonobumba abancinane.” (akekeliswe sithi.) Abaguquleli bale Bhayibhile bayavuma ukuba igama iTetragrammaton ethi (YHWH) lifanele livele xa liye lacatshulwa kwiTestamente Endala.

Okubangel’ umdla kukuba ngaphantsi komxholo othi “iTetragrammaton kwiTestamente Entsha,” iThe Anchor Bible Dictionary ithi: “Kukho ubungqina obubonisa ukuba iTetragrammaton, iGama likaThixo, uYahweh, liyavela kwinxalenye zeT[estamente] E[ndala] kwiT[estamente] E[ntsha] iingcaphulo kwiT[estamente] E[ntsha] xa yayibhalwa iTestamente Entsha.” UGeorge Howard umphengululi uthi: “Ekubeni lalisavela igama likaThixo kwimibhalo yeBhayibhile yesiGrike [yeSeptuagint] ezaziyinxalenye yeZibhalo zokuqala zeCawa, kusengqiqweni ukukholelwa ukuba ababhali beT[estamente] eN[dala], xa becaphula iZibhalo, babeliquka igama likaThixo.”

Kucacile ukuba, iNguqulelo Yehlabathi Elitsha asiyoBhayibhile yokuqala ukuba negama likaThixo kwiTestamente Entsha. NjengeJaji echophele ityala ekungekho mangqina aphilayo kulo, iKomiti YeBhayibhile YeNguqulelo Yehlabathi Elitsha yabuphengulula bonke ubungqina obukhoyo. Ngenxa yezibakala ezazikho yagqiba ekubeni iliquke igama likaYehova xa iguqulela iZibhalo ZamaKristu ZesiGrike. Qwalasela izizathu ezibini zokuba iye yaliquka.

(1) Abaguquleli bakholelwa ekubeni iZibhalo ZamaKristu ZesiGrike zaziphefumlelwe njengeZibhalo ZesiHebhere, ukungaveli kwegama likaYehova kwakungenangqiqo.

Kutheni sifanelekile nje eso sigqibo? Embindini wenkulungwane yokuqala yexesha eliqhelekileyo, umfundi uYakobi wathi kubadala baseYerusalem: “USimiyon ubalise ngokucokisekileyo indlela uThixo okwesihlandlo sokuqala awayiphethulela ngayo ingqalelo yakhe ezintlangeni ukuba kuzo athabathe isizwana segama lakhe.” (IZenzo 15:14) Ngaba ucinga ukuba kusengqiqweni ukuba uYakobi athethe ngolo hlobo ukuba kwakungekho mntu kwinkulungwane yokuqala owayelazi okanye elisebenzisa igama likaThixo?

(2) Xa kwafumaneka imibhalo yeSeptuagint eyayisebenzisa igama likaThixo kunelithi Ky′ri·os (Nkosi), baqonda abaguquleli ukuba ngexesha likaYesu iZibhalo zantlandlolo zesiGrike nezesiHebhere zazinalo igama likaThixo.

Kuyacaca ukuba lento yokususwa kwegama likaThixo kwimibhalo yesiGrike yaqala kamva. Ucinga ntoni wena? Ucinga ukuba uYesu nabapostile bakhe babeya kuyikhuthaza loo nto?—Mateyu 15:6-9.

Ngokwenene, iZibhalo “ziyangqina” ukuba amaKristu okuqala ayelisebenzisa igama likaYehova ekuqaleni xa ebhala, ngokukodwa xa ecaphula iindinyana ezikwiTestamente endala ezinegama likaThixo. Ngaphandle kwamathandabuzo, iNguqulelo Yehlabathi Elitsha inezizathu ezivakalayo zokubuyisela igama likaThixo, uYehova, kwiZibhalo ZamaKristu ZesiGrike.

Ithetha ntoni le nto kuwe? Ecaphula iZibhalo zesiHebhere, umpostile uPawulos wakhumbuza amaKristu aseRoma esithi: “Wonk’ ubani obiza egameni likaYehova uya kusindiswa.” Wandula wabuza wathi: “Baya kubiza njani na kulowo bangakholwanga kuye? Baya kukholwa njani na kulowo bangevanga ngaye? (Roma 10:13, 14; Yoweli 2:32) Iinguqulelo zeBhayibhile ezisebenzisa igama likaThixo xa kufanelekile ziyakunceda usondele kuThixo. (Yakobi 4:8) Lilungelo elingenakuthelekiswa nanto ukuvunyelwa ukuba sazi igama likaThixo, uYehova.