XA USIVA igama elithi “umphefumlo” nelithi “umoya,” yintoni ethi qatha engqondweni yakho? Abaninzi bakholelwa ukuba la magama abhekisela kwinto engabonakaliyo nengafiyo ephilayo kuthi ngaphakathi. Bacinga ukuba xa umntu esifa, le nto ingabonakaliyo iyaphuma emzimbeni ize iqhubeke iphila. Ekubeni le nkolelo idumile, abaninzi bayamangaliswa kukufunda ukuba ayikho kwaphela eBhayibhileni. Ngoko, uyintoni umphefumlo nomoya ngokutsho kweLizwi likaThixo?

Okokuqala, makhe sihlolisise umphefumlo. Mhlawumbi usakhumbula ukuba ekuqaleni iBhayibhile yayibhalwe ngesiHebhere nesiGrike. Xa bethetha ngomphefumlo, ababhali beBhayibhile basebenzisa igama lesiHebhere elithi ne′phesh okanye elesiGrike elithi psy·khe′. La magama avela ngaphezu kwezihlandlo ezingama-800 eZibhalweni, yaye INguqulelo Yehlabathi Elitsha isoloko iwaguqulela ngokuthi “umphefumlo.” Xa uhlolisisa indlela elisetyenziswe ngayo igama elithi “umphefumlo” okanye “imiphefumlo” eBhayibhileni, kuyacaca ukuba ngokuyintloko eli gama libhekisela (1) ebantwini, (2) kwizilwanyana, okanye (3) kubomi bomntu okanye besilwanyana. Makhe sihlolisise ezinye zezibhalo ezichaza ezi ndlela zintathu lisetyenziswa ngazo eli gama.

 Abantu. “Ngemihla kaNowa . . . abantu abambalwa, oko kukuthi, imiphefumlo esibhozo, bathwalwa ngokukhuselekileyo emanzini.” (1 Petros 3:20) Kucacile ukuba apha igama elithi “umphefumlo” libhekisela ebantwini—uNowa, umfazi wakhe, oonyana bakhe abathathu, nabafazi babo. IEksodus 16:16 ikhankanya imiyalelo eyanikwa amaSirayeli ngokuphathelele ukubuthwa kwemana. Anikwa lo myalelo: ‘Buthani inxalenye yayo ngokwenani lemiphefumlo ngamnye wenu anayo ententeni yakhe.’ Ngoko ayemele abuthe imana elingene inani labantu kwintsapho nganye. Eminye imizekelo eseBhayibhileni yokusetyenziswa kwegama “umphefumlo” okanye “imiphefumlo” ukubhekisela emntwini okanye ebantwini, ifumaneka kwiGenesis 46:18; kuYoshuwa 11:11; kwiZenzo 27:37; nakwabaseRoma 13:1.

Izilwanyana. Kwingxelo yeBhayibhile ethetha ngendalo, sifunda oku: “Wahlabela mgama ke uThixo wathi: ‘Amanzi makanyakazele inyakanyaka yemiphefumlo ephilayo yaye makuphaphazele izidalwa eziphaphazelayo phezu komhlaba ebusweni besibhakabhaka samazulu.’ Wahlabela mgama ke uThixo wathi: ‘Umhlaba mawuvelise imiphefumlo ephilayo ngohlobo lwayo, izilwanyana zasekhaya nezinambuzane namarhamncwa omhlaba ngohlobo lwawo.’ Kwaza kwaba njalo.” (Genesis 1:20, 24) Kule ngxelo, kuthethwa ngeentlanzi, izilwanyana zasekhaya, namarhamncwa asendle, kodwa kusetyenziswe igama elinye kuzo zonke—“imiphefumlo.” Iintaka nezinye izilwanyana zikwabizwa ngokuba ziyimiphefumlo nakwiGenesis 9:10; iLevitikus 11:46; neNumeri 31:28.

Ubomi bomntu. Maxa wambi igama elithi “umphefumlo” libhekisela kubomi bomntu. UYehova wathi kuMoses: “Afile onke amadoda awayezingela umphefumlo wakho.” (Eksodus 4:19) Yintoni le yayizingelwa ziintshaba zikaMoses? Zazifuna ukuthabatha ubomi bukaMoses. Enye ingxelo ithi, ngoxa uRakeli wayezala unyana wakhe uBhenjamin, ‘waphuma umphefumlo wakhe (kuba wafa).’ (Genesis 35:16-19) Ngelo xesha, uRakeli waphulukana nobomi bakhe. Kwakhona hlolisisa amazwi kaYesu athi: “Ndingumalusi omhle; umalusi omhle unikezela umphefumlo wakhe ngenxa yezimvu.” (Yohane 10:11) UYesu wanikela ngomphefumlo, okanye ubomi bakhe, ngenxa yoluntu. Kwezi ndinyana zeBhayibhile, kucacile ukuba igama elithi “umphefumlo” libhekisela kubomi bomntu. Uya kufumana imizekelo engakumbi  yokusetyenziswa kwegama elithi “umphefumlo” ngale ndlela kweyoku-1 yooKumkani 17:17-23; kuMateyu 10:39; kuYohane 15:13; nakwiZenzo 20:10.

Njengoko uqhubeka ufundisisa iLizwi likaThixo uya kufumanisa ukuba ayikho naphi na eBhayibhileni indawo ethi “umphefumlo” “awufi” okanye “uphila ngonaphakade.” Kunoko, iZibhalo zithi umphefumlo uyafa. (Hezekile 18:4, 20) Ngoko, iBhayibhile ibhekisela kumntu ofileyo ngokuthi “umphefumlo ofileyo.”—Levitikus 21:11.

Ngoku makhe sihlolisise indlela iBhayibhile elisebenzisa ngayo igama elithi “umoya.” Abanye abantu bacinga ukuba “umoya” yenye nje indlela obizwa ngayo “umphefumlo.” Kodwa akunjalo. IBhayibhile ichaza ngokucacileyo ukuba “umoya” ‘nomphefumlo’ zizinto ezimbini ezahlukeneyo. Zahlukene njani?

Ababhali beBhayibhile basebenzisa igama lesiHebhere elithi ru′ach nelesiGrike elithi pneu′ma xa babebhekisela ‘kumoya.’ IZibhalo ziyayichaza intsingiselo yala magama. Ngokomzekelo, iNdumiso 104:29 ithi: “Ukuba uyawususa umoya [ru′ach] wazo [Yehova], ziyabhubha, zibuyele eluthulini lwazo.” Yaye uYakobi 2:26 uthi “umzimba ngaphandle komoya [pneu′ma] ufile.” Ngoko, kwezi ndinyana, “umoya” ubhekisela kwinto ewenza uphile umzimba. Ngaphandle komoya, umzimba uyafa. Ngoko ke, eBhayibhileni igama elithi ru′ach aliguqulelwa nje kuphela ngokuthi “umoya,” kodwa likwaguqulelwa nangokuthi “amandla,” okanye amandla obomi. Ngokomzekelo, uThixo wathi ngokuphathelele uMkhukula womhla kaNowa: “Ndizisa unogumbe wamanzi emhlabeni ukuze onakalise yonke inyama asebenzayo kuyo amandla obomi [ru′ach] phantsi kwamazulu.” (Genesis 6:17; 7:15, 22) Ngoko “umoya” ubhekisela kumandla angabonakaliyo azinik’ ubomi zonke izidalwa eziphilayo.

Umphefumlo nomoya aziyonto inye. Umzimba usebenzisa umoya njengokuba nonomathotholo esebenzisa amandla ebhetri—ukuze usebenze. Singakuzekelisa oku ngonomathotholo omncinane. Xa ufaka iibhetri kunomathotholo omncinane uze uwukhalise, amandla akwezo bhetri enza ukuba usebenze unomathotholo. Kodwa ngaphandle kweebhetri, unomathotholo  ufile. Nonomathotholo osebenza ngombane ufile xa kungekho mandla ombane. Ngokufanayo, umoya ungamandla enza ukuba umzimba wethu uphile. Yaye njengamandla ebhetri, umoya awunazimvakalelo yaye awukwazi kucinga. Ungamandla nje kuphela, awungomntu. Kodwa ngaphandle kwaloo moya, okanye amandla obomi, imizimba yethu ‘iyabhubha ize ibuyele eluthulini,’ njengoko umdumisi watshoyo.

Xa ithetha ngokufa komntu, iNtshumayeli 12:7 ithi: “Uthuli [lomzimba wakhe] lubuyela emhlabeni njengoko lwalunjalo nomoya ubuyele kuThixo oyinyaniso owawunikayo.” Xa umoya, okanye amandla obomi, ephuma emzimbeni, umzimba uyafa uze ubuyele apho wawuvela khona—eluthulini. Ngokufanayo, nawo amandla obomi abuyela apho ayevela khona—kuThixo. (Yobhi 34:14, 15; INdumiso 36:9) Oku akuthethi ukuba amandla obomi akhenketha ngokoqobo aye ezulwini. Kunoko, kuthetha ukuba xa umntu esifa, ithemba lokuphinda aphile lixhomekeke kuYehova uThixo. Lilonke singathi, ubomi bakhe busezandleni zikaThixo. NguThixo kuphela onokwenza ukuba umoya, okanye amandla obomi, abuyiselwe kuloo mntu ukuze aphile kwakhona.

Kukhuthaza ngokwenene ukwazi ukuba yiloo nto kanye aza kuyenza uThixo kubo bonke abo balele “kumangcwaba enkumbulo”! (Yohane 5:28, 29) Ngexesha lovuko, uYehova uza kumnika umzimba omtsha umntu olele ekufeni, aze awenze uphile ngokuthi afake umoya, okanye amandla obomi. Liya kuchulumancisa gqitha elo xesha!

Ukuba ufuna ukufunda ngakumbi ngendlela elisetyenziswe ngayo eBhayibhileni igama elithi “umphefumlo” nelithi “umoya,” uya kufumana inkcazelo ebalulekileyo kwincwadana enemifanekiso ethi Kwenzeka Ntoni Kuthi Xa Sisifa? Nakwiphepha 196-200, nelama-283-87 lencwadi ethi Ukuqiqa NgeZibhalo, ezipapashwe ngamaNgqina kaYehova.