Igama likaThixo elimelwa ngaba nobumba bane besiHebhere יהוה, livela phantse kayi-7 000 kwiZibhalo zesiHebhere. Xa iguqulela aba nobumba bane kuthiwa yiTetragrammaton, le Bhayibhile isebenzisa igama elithi “Yehova.” Eli gama lelona livela kaninzi eBhayibhileni kunamanye amagama abantu. Nangona ababhali abaphefumlelweyo beBhayibhile besebenzisa izibizo ezininzi ukubhekisela kuThixo, njengesithi “uSomandla,” “Oyena Uphakamileyo” nesithi “Nkosi,” yiTetragrammaton kuphela abayisebenzisa njengegama likaThixo.

NguYehova uThixo owathi ababhali beBhayibhile mabasebenzise igama lakhe. Ngokomzekelo, waphefumlela umprofeti uYoweli ukuba abhale athi: “Wonke umntu obiza egameni likaYehova uza kusindiswa.” (Yoweli 2:​32) Waphinda wabangela omnye umdumisi ukuba abhale athi: “Kwanga abantu bangazi ukuba wena, ogama linguYehova, nguwe wedwa Oyena Uphakamileyo phezu komhlaba wonke.” (INdumiso 83:​18) Igama likaThixo livela izihlandlo ezimalunga ne-700 kwincwadi yeeNdumiso nje kuphela, incwadi enemibongo eyayifanele iculwe ize icengcelezwe ngabantu bakaThixo. Kutheni ke iinguqulelo ezininzi zeBhayibhile zingenalo igama likaThixo? Kutheni le Bhayibhile isebenzisa igama elithi “Yehova”? Lithetha ukuthini igama likaThixo elithi Yehova?

Kutheni iinguqulelo ezininzi zeBhayibhile zingenalo igama likaThixo? Ziliqela izizathu. Abanye bathi akuyomfuneko ukuba uThixo uSomandla abe negama lakhe. Abanye kubonakala ukuba balandela isiko lamaYuda lokukuphepha ukusebenzisa eli gama, mhlawumbi esoyika ukulingcolisa. Abanye bakhetha ukusebenzisa izibizo ezifana nezithi “Nkosi” okanye “Thixo,” kuba besithi akukho mntu oyazi ngqo indlela elalibizwa ngayo igama likaThixo. Kodwa loo ndlela yokucinga ayinasihlahla ngenxa yezi zizathu:

•   Abo bathi akuyomfuneko ukuba uThixo abe negama bayabulibala ubungqina bokuba belikho kwakwimibhalo yangaphambili yeLizwi likaThixo, kuquka leyo yayikho ngaphambi kokuba uKristu eze emhlabeni. Njengokuba besekuchaziwe ngasentla, uThixo wathi igama lakhe malibhalwe izihlandlo ezimalunga ne-7 000 kwiLizwi lakhe. Kucacile ukuba ufuna silazi size silisebenzise.

• Abaguquleli abalikhuphayo igama likaThixo eBhayibhileni kuba belandela isiko lamaYuda, balibala into ebalulekileyo. Ngoxa abanye ababhali abangamaYuda bakhetha ukungalibizi igama likaThixo, zange balikhuphe kwiikopi zabo zeBhayibhile. Kwimisongo yakudala eyafunyanwa eQumran, kufutshane noLwandle Olufileyo, livela kaninzi igama likaThixo. Abanye abaguquleli beBhayibhile baye babonisa ukuba lalikhona igama likaThixo kwimibhalo yeBhayibhile yokuqala ngokufaka oonobumba abakhulu abathi “NKOSI” endaweni yalo. Kodwa umbuzo ngulo: kwakutheni ukuze aba baguquleli balikhuphe ngomzimba ongenaxhala igama likaThixo eBhayibhileni xa bevuma ukuba lalivela amawaka-waka ezihlandlo kwimibhalo yeBhayibhile yokuqala? Bathi ngubani owabanika igunya lokwenza loo nto? Ngabo abanokusixelela.

• Abantu abathi alimele lisetyenziswe igama likaThixo kuba ingaziwa indlela elalibizwa ngayo ngaphambili, bekumele ukuba abalisebenzisi nelithi Yesu. Kaloku, abalandeli bakaYesu bokuqala babelibiza ngendlela eyahlukileyo igama likaYesu kunaleyo isetyenziswa ngamaKristu amaninzi namhlanje. Kusenokwenzeka ukuba amaYuda ayesithi Ye·shuʹa‛ xa ebiza igama likaYesu, aze athi Ma·shiʹach, okanye “Mesiya” xa ebiza isibizo esithi “Kristu.” AmaKristu athetha isiGrike ayesithi I·e·sousʹ Khri·stosʹ, aze lawo athetha isiLatin athi Ieʹsus Chriʹstus. UThixo waphefumlela ukuba lifakwe igama likaYesu eliguqulelwe ngesiGrike, nto leyo ebonisa ukuba amaKristu okuqala enza ngokusengqiqweni ngokulisebenzisa eli gama ngokwendlela eliqheleke ngayo kulwimi lwabo. Ngokufanayo, iKomiti YeBhayibhile YeNguqulelo Yehlabathi Elitsha ivakalelwa kukuba kusengqiqweni ukulisebenzisa igama elithi “Yehova,” nangona indlela elibizwa ngayo isenokuba yahlukile kuleyo lalibizwa ngayo kwisiHebhere sakudala.

Kutheni le Bhayibhile isebenzisa igama elithi “Yehova”? KwisiNgesi, oonobumba abane beTetragrammaton (יהוה) bamelwa ngoonobumba abane abathi, YHWH. Njengokuba kwakunjalo ngawo onke amagama esiHebhere, iTetragrammaton yayingenazo izikhamiso. Xa umntu efunda isiHebhere kwakulula, wayevele afakele nje oonobumba abafanelekayo.

 Malunga neminyaka eliwaka kugqitywe iZibhalo ZesiHebhere, abaphandi abangamaYuda beza nendlela yokukhangela izikhamiso abanokuzisebenzisa xa befunda isiHebhere. Kodwa ngelo xesha, amaYuda amaninzi ayekholelwa ukuba kuphosakele ukulibiza ngokuvakalayo igama likaThixo, baza bakhetha ukusebenzisa izibizo endaweni yalo. Kuyabonakala ukuba xa babekhuphela iTetragrammaton, badibanisa izikhamiso zezibizo ezazisetyenziswa ukubhekisela kuThixo kunye noonobumba abamela igama likaThixo. Ngenxa yoko, le mibhalo yakudala inezo zikhamiso ayincedi ekuqondeni indlela elalibizwa ngayo igama likaThixo kwisiHebhere sakudala. Abanye bathi kwakusithiwa “Yahweh,” ngoxa abanye bechaza ezinye iindlela elalibizwa ngazo. Omnye umSongo WoLwandle Olufileyo onenxalenye yeLevitikus, uliguqulela ngokuthi Iao igama likaThixo. Ukongezelela kwelo gama, abanye ababhali besiGrike bokuqala babesebenzisa amagama athi Iae, I·a·beʹ, nelithi I·a·ou·eʹ. Noko ke, asinakubetha ngenqindi phantsi sichaze ukuba yeyiphi echanileyo. Asiyazi indlela abakhonzi bakaThixo bakudala ababelibiza ngayo igama lakhe ngesiHebhere. (Genesis 13:⁠4; Eksodus 3:​15) Into esiyaziyo kukuba, uThixo walisebenzisa ngokuphindaphindiweyo igama lakhe xa wayethetha nabantu bakhe, nabo babembiza ngalo yaye babelisebenzisa ngokukhululekileyo xa bethetha nabanye.​—⁠Eksodus 6:⁠2; 1 Kumkani 8:​23; INdumiso 99:⁠9.

Ukuba kunjalo, kutheni le Bhayibhile isebenzisa igama elithi “Yehova”? Kaloku le ndlela yokubhala igama likaThixo kudala isetyenziswa esiXhoseni.

Igama likaThixo lavela okokuqala kwiBhayibhile yesiNgesi kwinguqulelo kaWilliam Tyndale yonyaka ka-1530 yeencwadi ezintlanu zokuqala. Wasebenzisa igama elithi “Iehouah.” Ekuhambeni kwexesha, isiNgesi saya sitshintsha, nendlela elibhalwa ngayo igama likaThixo yahlaziywa. Ngokomzekelo, ngo-1612, uHenry Ainsworth wasebenzisa igama elithi “Iehovah” kwinguqulelo yakhe yencwadi yeeNdumiso. Kwaza ngo-1639, xa yahlaziywayo inguqulelo yakhe,  yaza yaprintwa kunye neencwadi ezintlanu zokuqala zeBhayibhile, kwasetyenziswa igama elithi “Jehovah.” Ngo-1901, abaguquleli beBhayibhile i-American Standard Version basebenzisa igama elithi “Jehovah” kwiindawo ezazinegama likaThixo kwiZibhalo zesiHebhere. Ngo-1864, iBhayibhile yesiXhosa yokuqala epheleleyo ka-Appleyard yasebenzisa igama elithi “Yehova” kwiZibhalo ZesiHebhere.

Xa wayechaza isizathu sokuba asebenzise igama elithi, “Jehovah” kunelithi, “Yahweh” kwincwadi yakhe ethi Studies in the Psalms yonyaka ka-1911, umphandi weBhayibhile ohlonitshwayo uJoseph Bryant Rotherham wathi ebefuna “ukusebenzisa igama eliqhelekileyo (nelamkelekileyo) kubafundi beBhayibhile.” Ngo-1930 umphengululi u-A. F. Kirkpatrick wathetha into efanayo ngegama elithi, “Jehovah.” Wathi: “Iingcali zegrama zithi eli gama belimele ukuba lifundwa ngolu hlobo, Yahveh okanye Yahaveh; kodwa uJEHOVAH sele esaziwa ngabantu abathetha isiNgesi, ibe eyona nto ibalulekileyo asiyondlela echanileyo yokulibiza kodwa kukuqonda ukuba ligama lakhe, kungekhona nje isibizo esifana nesithi ‘Nkosi.’ ” Kunjalo ke nasesiXhoseni ngegama elithi “Yehova.”

Lithetha ukuthini igama elithi Yehova? KwisiHebhere, igama elithi Yehova livela kwisenzi esithetha ukuthi “kubekho,” ibe abaphandi abaninzi bathi eli gama lesiHebhere lichaza into ebangela kwenzeke. Ngenxa yoko, iKomiti YeBhayibhile YeNguqulelo Yehlabathi Elitsha ithi igama likaThixo lithetha ukuthi, “Ubangela kubekho.” Abaphandi baneembono ezibethabethanayo, ngoko nathi asinakunyanzelisa. Kodwa ke, le ndlela yokuchaza into eliyithethayo iwuchaza kakuhle umsebenzi kaYehova wokuba nguMdali noMzalisekisi wenjongo yakhe. Zange aphelele nje ekudaleni indalo ebonakalayo enezidalwa ezikrelekrele, kodwa njengokuba izinto zisenzeka, uqhubeka ebangela ukuba injongo yakhe yenzeke.

Ngoko ke, into ethethwa ligama elithi Yehova ayiphelelanga nje kwisenzi esikwi-Eksodus 3:​14, ethi: “Ndiza Kuba Yiloo Nto Ndikhetha Ukuba Yiyo.” Loo mazwi awayichazi ngokupheleleyo into ethethwa ligama likaThixo. Kunoko, achaza nje elinye icala lobuntu bukaThixo, ebonisa ukuba uyakwazi ukuba yiyo nantoni na nakweyiphi na imeko ukuze yenzeke injongo yakhe. Nangona igama elithi uYehova linokuyithetha naleyo into, alipheleli nje ekuchazeni ukuba uyakwazi ukuba yiyo nantoni na akhetha ukuba yiyo. Likwathetha noko abangela ukuba kwenzeke kwindalo yakhe ukuze yenzeke injongo yakhe.