Mbese, Ni “Yehova” Cyangwa Ni “Yahweh”?

“IJAMBO ryatiwe mu ndimi zinyuranye,” “ijambo ryaturutse mu ruvange rw’indimi,” “ijambo ritandukiriye cyane.” Ni iki cyatera Abaheburayo b’intiti mu bya Bibiliya gukoresha bene ayo magambo akaze? Ikibazo kigibwaho impaka, ni ukumenya niba “Yehova” ari uburyo buboneye bwo kuvuga izina ry’Imana mu Kinyarwanda. Mu myaka isaga ijana, icyo kibazo cyarogeye cyane. Muri iki gihe, intiti nyinshi mu bya Bibiliya, zisa n’aho zihitamo gushyigikira ijambo “Yahweh” rigizwe n’imigemo ibiri. Ariko se, imvugo ngo “Yehova” ni “ijambo ritandukiriye cyane” koko nk’uko babivuga?

Tujye mu Mizi y’Ikibazo

Dukurikije Bibiliya, Imana ubwayo ni yo yahishuriye abantu izina ryayo (Kuva 3:15, NW). Hari ibihamya bishingiye ku Byanditswe, bigaragaza ko abagaragu b’Imana ba kera bakoreshaga iryo zina nta cyo bishisha (Itangiriro 12:8, NW; Rusi 2:4, NW). Andi mahanga na yo yari azi izina ry’Imana (Yosuwa 2:9, NW). Cyane cyane, ibyo byagenze bityo nyuma y’aho Abayahudi bari baragarutse bavuye mu bunyage i Babuloni babonaniye n’abantu bo mu mahanga menshi (Zaburi 96:2-10, NW; Yesaya 12:4, NW; Malaki 1:11, NW). Inkoranyamagambo yitwa The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible yagize iti “hari ibihamya bikomeye bigaragaza ko nyuma y’aho Abayahudi baviriye mu bunyage, abanyamahanga benshi bagiye bareshywa n’idini ry’Abayahudi.” Ariko kandi, ahagana mu kinyejana cya mbere I.C., hari hamaze gukwirakwira imiziririzo yari ihereranye n’izina ry’Imana. Amaherezo, ishyanga ry’Abayahudi ntiryaje kureka gukoresha izina ry’Imana ku mugaragaro gusa, ahubwo hari n’abaje gutegeka ko iryo zina ritagomba kuvugwa na gato. Nguko uko imvugo yaryo iboneye yazimiye​—cyangwa se ubundi, yarazimiye koko?

Ni Iki Dusanga mu Izina?

Mu rurimi rw’Igiheburayo, izina ry’Imana ryandikwa ngo יהוה. Izo nyuguti enye zisomwa baturuka iburyo bagana ibumoso, zikunze kwitwa Tetragramme. Amazina menshi y’abantu n’ay’ahantu avugwa muri Bibiliya, arimo izina ry’Imana rihinnye. Mbese, byashoboka ko ayo mazina bwite yadufasha kumenya ukuntu izina ry’Imana ryavugwaga?

Dukurikije ibyavuzwe n’uwitwa George Buchanan, akaba ari umwarimu wo muri kaminuza wahoze yigisha mu Iseminari ya Tewolojiya ya Wesley, i Washington D.C. ho muri Leta Zunze Ubumwe z’Amerika, igisubizo ni yego. Uwo mwarimu Buchanan yagize ati “mu bihe bya kera, akenshi ababyeyi bitiriraga abana babo imana zabo. Ibyo bishaka kuvuga ko bagomba kuba baravugaga amazina y’abana babo nk’uko izina ry’imana runaka ryavugwaga. Ya Tetragramme yashyirwaga mu mazina y’abantu, kandi buri gihe bakoreshaga inyajwi yo hagati.”

Reka turebe ingero nkeya z’amazina bwite aboneka muri Bibiliya, arimo izina ry’Imana rihinnye. Wa Mwarimu Buchanan yavuze ko izina Yonatani, muri Bibiliya y’Igiheburayo rikaba ari Yoh·na·thanʹ cyangwa Yehoh·na·thanʹ, risobanurwa ngo “Yaho cyangwa Yahowah yaratanze.” Mu Giheburayo, izina ry’umuhanuzi Eliya ni ʼE·li·yahʹ cyangwa ʼE·li·yaʹhu. Dukurikije ibyavuzwe n’uwo Mwarimu Buchanan, iryo zina risobanurwa ngo “Imana yanjye ni Yahoo cyangwa Yahoo-wah.” Mu buryo nk’ubwo, izina ry’Igiheburayo ryahinduwemo Yehoshafati ni Yehoh-sha·phatʹ, risobanurwa ngo “Yaho yaciye urubanza.”

Imvugo igizwe n’imigemo ibiri ya Tetragramme isomwamo ngo “Yahweh,” ntiyatuma izina ry’Imana rijyamo inyajwi o. Ariko kandi, mu mazina menshi yo muri Bibiliya arimo izina ry’Imana, usanga iyo nyajwi yo hagati igaragara hose, haba mu mazina arambuye uko yakabaye, haba no mu mazina ahinnye, nk’uko bimeze mu izina Yehonatani na Yonatani. Ku bw’ibyo rero, wa Mwarimu Buchanan yerekeje ku izina ry’Imana agira ati “nta na rimwe bavanamo inyajwi oo cyangwa oh. Rimwe na rimwe, iryo jambo ryajyaga rihinwa rigahinduka ‘Ya,’ ariko nta na rimwe ryahindukaga ‘Ya-weh.’ . . . Iyo ya Tetragramme yasomwaga mu mugemo umwe, yavugwaga ngo ‘Yah’ cyangwa ‘Yo.’ Iyo yasomwaga mu migemo itatu, yashoboraga kuvugwa ngo ‘Yahowah’ cyangwa ‘Yahoowah.’ Niba yarigeraga ihinwa igashyirwa mu migemo ibiri, igomba kuba yarahindukaga ‘Yaho.’ ”​—Byavuzwe muri Biblical Archaeology Review.

Ibyo bisobanuro biradufasha gusobanukirwa ibyavuzwe n’Umuheburayo w’intiti mu bya Bibiliya wo mu kinyejana cya 19 witwaga Gesenius, wanditse mu gitabo cye cyitwa Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament Scriptures agira ati “ababona ko יְהוָֹה [Ye-ho-wah] ari yo mvugo nyakuri yakoreshwaga mu kuvuga [izina ry’Imana], usanga rwose bafite aho bahera bagaragaza amanyakuri y’igitekerezo cyabo. Muri ubwo buryo, ni bwo imigemo ihinnye יְהוֹ [Ye-ho] na יוֹ [Yo], ari na yo ibanziriza amazina bwite menshi, ishobora gusobanurwa neza mu buryo bushimishije kurushaho.”

Ariko rero, uwitwa Everett Fox aherutse kwandika mu iriburiro ry’igitabo cye yahinduye cyitwa The Five Books of Moses, agira ati “ari imihati yakoreshejwe kera, ari n’iyo muri iki gihe, yo kugerageza gusubizaho imvugo ‘iboneye’ y’izina ry’Igiheburayo [ry’Imana], nta cyo yagezeho; ari izina ‘Yehova’ rijya rivugwa, ari n’izina ‘Yahweh’ intiti zihurizaho, nta na rimwe rishobora gutangirwa ibihamya bidakuka.”

Nta gushidikanya, impaka z’abahanga zizakomeza. Abayahudi baretse kuvuga izina ry’Imana y’Ukuri mbere y’uko Abamasoreti bashyiraho uburyo bwo kwerekana uko inyajwi zasomwaga. Ku bw’iyo mpamvu, nta buryo budakuka buriho, bwo kugaragaza neza inyajwi zajyanaga n’ingombajwi YHWH (יהוה). Icyakora, ya mazina y’abantu bavugwa muri Bibiliya​—atarigeze atakaza uburyo bwayo buboneye yavugwagamo​—ni intambwe igaragara mu kumenya ukuntu izina ry’Imana ryavugwaga kera. Ibyo bituma nibura intiti zimwe na zimwe zemera ko n’ubundi rwose imvugo ngo “Yehova” atari imvugo ‘itandukira cyane.’

[Amafoto yo ku ipaji ya 31]

“Yehova” ni bwo buryo bwo kuvuga izina ry’Imana buzwi n’abantu benshi kurusha ubundi