Tati teliBhayibheli tiyavuma kutsi libito laNkulunkulu lelimelelwa yi-Tetragrammaton (יהוה), livela tikhatsi letingaba ngu-7 000 kuloko lobekubhalwe kucala emiBhalweni yesiHebheru. Nanobe kunjalo, bantfu labanyenti batsi lelibito belingekho kuloko lobekubhalwe kucala emiBhalweni YemaKhristu YesiGriki. Ngaleso sizatfu, emaBhayibheli lamanyenti esiNgisi alamuhla akalisebentisi lelibito lelitsi Jehova nakahumusha liThestamente Lelisha. Ngisho nalapho kuhunyushwa emavi lacashunwe emiBhalweni YesiHebheru lakuvela khona i-Tetragrammaton, bahumushi labanyenti basebentisa sicu lelitsi “Nkhosi” esikhundleni selibito laNkulunkulu.

LiBhayibheli—Lihumusho Lemhlaba Lomusha LemiBhalo Lengcwele alenti ngalendlela levamile. Lisebentisa libito lelitsi Jehova tikhatsi letingaba ngu-237 emiBhalweni YemaKhristu YesiGriki. Kuze bavumelane kutsi batawukwenta njalo, bahumushi bacabange ngetintfo letimbili letibalulekile: (1) Imibhalo yesandla yesiGriki lesinayo lamuhla akusiyo lena lebeyikhona ekucaleni. Emakhophi lamanyenti lakhona lamuhla entiwa eminyakeni lengaba ngu-200 ngemuva kwalawa ekucala. (2) Ngaleso sikhatsi, labo lebebabhala basusela emibhalweni yesandla kungenteka kutsi bayikhipha i-Tetragrammaton base bafaka ligama lelitsi Kyʹri·os, lokulibito lesiGriki lelisho kutsi “Nkhosi,” nobe babhala basusela emakhophini emibhalo yesandla lebesekavele ete lelibito.

IKomidi Yekuhunyushwa KweliBhayibheli Lemhlaba Lomusha yabubona bufakazi lobucacile bekutsi i-Tetragrammaton beyikhona emibhalweni yesandla yesiGriki yekucala. Lesincumo sentiwa ngenca yanabu bufakazi lobulandzelako:

• Emakhophi emiBhalo yesiHebheru lebekasetjentiswa ngesikhatsi saJesu nesebaphostoli bakhe bekanayo i-Tetragrammaton. Esikhatsini lesendlulile, bekunebantfu lebebaphikisana naloko. Kodvwa njengobe nyalo lamakhophi emiBhalo yesiHebheru angesikhatsi saJesu atfolakele edvute naseQumran, sekute sizatfu sekungabata.

• Ngesikhatsi saJesu nebaphostoli bakhe, i-Tetragrammaton beyiphindze ivele emahumushweni esiGriki emiBhalo yesiHebheru. Kwaphela iminyaka leminyenti tati ticabanga kutsi i-Tetragrammaton beyingaveli emibhalweni yesandla yelihumusho lemiBhalo yesiHebheru lokutsiwa yi-Septuagint YesiGriki. Ngako-ke, emkhatsini weminyaka yabo-1900, letati tatfola ticephu letindzala  kakhulu te-Septuagint YesiGriki lebetisetjentiswa ngesikhatsi saJesu. Leticephu betinelibito laNkulunkulu lelibhalwe ngesiHebheru. Ngako ngesikhatsi saJesu, emakhophi emiBhalo yesiGriki bekanalo libito laNkulunkulu. Nanobe kunjalo, eminyakeni yabo-300 C.E., imibhalo yesandla leyatiwa kakhulu ye-Septuagint YesiGriki, lefaka ekhatsi i-Codex Vaticanus ne-Codex Sinaiticus, beyite libito laNkulunkulu kusukela kuGenesisi kuya kuMalakhi (lapho belitfolakala khona emibhalweni yesandla yekucala). Kungaleso sizatfu kungasimangalisi kutsi imibhalo legciniwe leyaba khona kusukela ngaleso sikhatsi ite libito laNkulunkulu eThestamenteni Lelisha, nobe encenyeni yeliBhayibheli lokutsiwa yimiBhalo YesiGriki.

  Jesu washo ngalokucacile watsi: “Ngite ngelibito laBabe.” Waphindze wagcizelela kutsi imisebenti yakhe bekayenta ‘egameni laBabe’

• ImiBhalo YemaKhristu YesiGriki itsi Jesu bekavame kukhuluma ngelibito laNkulunkulu futsi atjele labanye ngalo. (Johane 17:6, 11, 12, 26) Jesu washo ngalokucacile watsi: “Ngite ngelibito laBabe.” Waphindze wagcizelela kutsi imisebenti yakhe bekayenta ‘egameni laBabe.’—Johane 5:43; 10:25.

• Njengobe imiBhalo YemaKristu YesiGriki nayo beyiphefumulelwe njengemiBhalo lengcwele yesiHebheru, kungatfolakali kwelibito lelitsi Jehova kulemibhalo bekungabonakala kunekungavumelani. Ngasemkhatsini wesikhatsi sebaphostoli, umfundzi Jakobe watsi kulabadzala baseJerusalema: “Simeyoni sewusichazele kahle kutsi nyalo Nkulunkulu sewuyabemukela bantfu betive kuze emkhatsini wabo akhetse bantfu labatawubitwa ngelibito lakhe.” (Imisebenti 15:14) Bekungeke kube nengcondvo kutsi Jakobe asho lamavi kube libito laNkulunkulu belingatiwa nobe lingasetjentiswa ngesikhatsi sebaphostoli.

• Libito laNkulunkulu livela ngendlela lefinyetiwe emiBhalweni YemaKhristu YesiGriki. KuSembulo 19:1, 3, 4, 6, lelibito laNkulunkulu litfolakala emavini latsi “Haleluya.” Loku kususelwa emavini esiHebheru lasho kutsi “Dvumisani Jah.” Leligama lelitsi “Jah” lisifinyeto selibito lelitsi Jehova. Emabito lamanyenti lasetjentiswe emiBhalweni YemaKhristu YesiGriki asuselwe ebitweni laNkulunkulu. Ecinisweni, letinye tincwadzi tichaza kutsi libito laJesu lisho kutsi “Jehova UnguMsindzisi.”

• Imibhalo yemaJuda yekucala iveta kutsi emaKhristu langemaJuda bekalisebentisa libito laNkulunkulu nakabhala. I-Tosefta, lokuyincwadzi yemitsetfo leyashiwo ngemlomo futsi leyacedvwa kubhalwa ngabo-300 C.E., yasho naku mayelana nemibhalo  yemaKhristu leyashiswa ngeliSabatha: “Tincwadzi tebaVangeli kanye netincwadzi tema-minim [lokucatjangwa kutsi ngemaKhristu langemaJuda] tashiswa. Tashiswa tonkhe, kuhlanganise naleto lebetineLibito LaNkulunkulu.” Lencwadzi iphindze icaphune Rabi Yoseʹ waseGalile, lowaphila ekucaleni kweminyaka yabo-100 C.E., imcaphuna atsi kulamanye emalanga evikini “bekuba nalotsite losika tincenye letineLibito LaNkulunkulu [lokucatjangwa kutsi tibhekisela emibhalweni yemaKhristu], atibeke kulenye indzawo, bese ushisa leti letinye.”

• Letinye tati teliBhayibheli tiyavuma kutsi kungenteka libito laNkulunkulu belivela emiBhalweni YemaKristu YesiGriki lecaphuna  imiBhalo YesiHebheru. Esihlokweni lesitsi “Tetragrammaton in the New Testament,” i-“The Anchor Bible Dictionary” itsi: “Kunebufakazi bekutsi i-Tetragrammaton, lokuLibito LaNkulunkulu lelitsi Yahweh, beyivela kuletinye tindzawo nobe kulo lonkhe liThestamente Lelisha lelicaphuna liThestamente Lelidzala, ngesikhatsi liThestamente Lelisha libhalwa kwekucala.” Sati lesinguGeorge Howard, satsi: “Njengobe i-Tetragram beyisabhalwa emakhophini eliBhayibheli lesiGriki [i-Septuagint] lebekakha imiBhalo yelisontfo lekucala, kunengcondvo kukholelwa kutsi babhali beliThestamente Lelisha bebangayikhiphi i-Tetragram eBhayibhelini nabacaphuna emiBhalweni.” 

• Bahumushi beliBhayibheli labatiwako balisebentisile libito laNkulunkulu emiBhalweni YemaKhristu YesiGriki. Labanye kulabahumushi bakwenta loku kusasele sikhatsi lesidze kutsi kuhunyushwe LiHumusho Lemhlaba Lomusha. Naba labahumushi kanye nemisebenti yabo: Herman Heinfetter lowabhala i-“Literal Translation of the New Testament . . . From the Text of the Vatican Manuscript,” (nga-1863); Benjamin Wilson lowabhala i-“The Emphatic Diaglott,” (nga-1864); George Barker Stevens lowabhala i-“The Epistles of Paul in Modern English,” (nga-1898); W. G. Rutherford lowabhala i-“St.Paul’s Epistle to the Romans,” (nga-1900); umBhishobhi waseLondon, J.W.C. Wand lowabhala i-“The New Testament Letters,” (nga-1946). Ngetulu kwaloku, ehumushweni leSipaniya lasekucaleni kweminyaka yabo-1900, umhumushi Pablo Besson wasebentisa libito lelitsi “Jehová” kuLukha 2:15 nakuJuda 14, futsi bekunemibhalo lengentansi lecishe ibe ngu-100 kulelihumusho lakhe lechaza kutsi lelibito laNkulunkulu belikhona. Esikhatsini lesidze ngaphambi kwaloko, emahumusho esiHebheru emiBhalo YemaKhristu YesiGriki, kusukela eminyakeni yabo-1500 kuchubeke, bekayisebentisa i-Tetragrammaton etindzaweni letinyenti. Ngelulwimi lwesiJalimane nje kuphela, emaBhayibheli lacishe abe ngu-11 asebentisa libito lelitsi “Jehova” (nobe lesiHebheru lelitsi “Yahweh”) emiBhalweni YemaKhristu  YesiGriki, kantsi bahumushi labane bafaka lelibito kubakaki eceleni kwesicu lesitsi “Nkhosi.” Emahumusho esiJalimane langetulu kwalangu-70 ayalisebentisa libito laNkulunkulu emibhalweni lengentansi nobe emavini lachazako.

• Emahumusho eliBhayibheli ngetilwimi letingetulu kwaletingu-100 analo libito laNkulunkulu emiBhalweni YemaKhristu YesiGriki. Tilwimi letinyenti tase-Afrika, tebantfu bemdzabu baseMelika, tase-Asia, taseYurophu kanye netasePacific-island tiyalisebentisa lelibito laNkulunkulu. (Buka luhla  lolusekhasini 1998 nasekhasini 1999.) Bahumushi balamaBhayibheli bakhetsa kusebentisa lelibito laNkulunkulu ngenca yetizatfu letifanana naleto letichazwe ngenhla. Lamanye alamahumusho emiBhalo YemaKhristu YesiGriki asandza kwentiwa, futsi afaka ekhatsi liBhayibheli lesiRotuman (langa-1999), lelisebentisa libito lelitsi “Jihova” tikhatsi letingu-51 emavesini langu-48, kanye neliBhayibheli lesiBatak (Toba) sase-Indonesia (langa-1989), lelisebentisa libito lelitsi “Jahowa” tikhatsi letingu-110.

Akungabateki kutsi kunetizatfu leticacile tekubuyisela libito laNkulunkulu lelitsi Jehova emiBhalweni YemaKhristu YesiGriki. Nguloko lokwentiwe bahumushi be-LiHumusho Lemhlaba Lomusha. Balihlonipha kakhulu lelibito laNkulunkulu, futsi bayamesaba Nkulunkulu ngako abafuni kukhipha ngisho nobe yini levela emibhalweni yekucala.—Sembulo 22:18, 19.