Izikhwicamfundo zeBhayibhili ziyavuma ukuthi ibizo likaNkulunkulu elimelwa yi-Tetragrammaton (יהוה) litholakala izikhathi ezingaba ngu-7 000 eMibhalweni yakuqala yesiHebheru. Kodwa abanye abavumi ukuthi lalikhona eMibhalweni yamaKhristu yesiGrikhi yakuqala. Lokhu yikho okwenza abanye abahumutshi bangalifaki ibizo elithi Jehova nxa behumutsha imibhalo ebizwa langokuthi liThestamente Elitsha. Lanxa behumutsha amavesi athethwe eMibhalweni yesiHebheru, abahumutshi abanengi basebenzisa ibizo lokuhlonipha elithi “Nkosi” lapho okule-Tetragrammaton khona kulokuthi basebenzise ibizo likaNkulunkulu.

INguqulo Yomhlaba Omutsha YeMibhalo Engcwele yesiNgisi eyasetshenziswa ngesikhathi kuhunyutshwa iBhayibhili leli yona kayihunyutshwanga njalo. Ibizo elithi Jehova litholakala kuyo izikhathi ezingaba ngu-237 eMibhalweni yamaKhristu yesiGrikhi. Okwanceda abahumutshi bayo ukuthi bakhethe ukwenza njalo yizizatho lezi ezimbili ezilandelayo: (1) Imibhalo yesiGrikhi ekhona lamuhla ngamakhophi emibhalo yakuqala. Imibhalo eminengi ekhona lamuhla yabhalwa sekudlule iminyaka engaba ngu-200 kubhalwe eyakuqala. (2) Kungenzakala ukuthi labo ababhala amakhophi amatsha bafaka ibizo lokuhlonipha lesiGrikhi elithi Kyʹri·os elitsho ukuthi “Nkosi” esikhundleni se-Tetragrammaton, kumbe babhala bekopa emibhalweni eyayivele ingaselayo i-Tetragrammaton.

IKhomithi Yokuhumutsha INguqulo Yomhlaba Omutsha yayiqiniseka ukuthi i-Tetragrammaton yayikhona emibhalweni yokuqala yesiGrikhi. Nanku okwenza yaqiniseka:

•   IMibhalo yesiHebheru eyayisetshenziswa ngensuku zikaJesu labaphostoli bakhe yayilayo i-Tetragrammaton kuzo zonke indawo okumele ibe kuzo. Balutshwana ababekuphika lokhu kudala. Khathesi sekucaca kakhulu ukuthi imibhalo le yayilayo i-Tetragrammaton ngoba iMibhalo yesiHebheru eyabhalwa ngezikhathi zabaphostoli eyatholakala duze leQumran ilayo i-Tetragrammaton.

•   Ngensuku zikaJesu labaphostoli bakhe i-Tetragrammaton yayikhona eMibhalweni yesiHebheru eyayihunyutshelwe elimini lwesiGrikhi. Okwamakhulu eminyaka izikhwicamfundo zazicabanga ukuthi i-Tetragrammaton yayingekho eMibhalweni yesiHebheru eyayihunyutshelwe elimini lwesiGrikhi, ebizwa ngokuthi yi-Septuagint. Kodwa ngabo-1950 izikhwicamfundo zananzelela ukuthi  kulezingxenye ezindala ze-Septuagint yesiGrikhi eyayisetshenziswa ngensuku zikaJesu. Izingxenye lezo zazilebizo likaNkulunkulu elalibhalwe ngongwaqa besiHebheru. Lokhu kutshengisa ukuthi ngensuku zikaJesu amakhophi eMibhalo ayehunyutshwe ngesiGrikhi ayelalo ibizo likaNkulunkulu. Kodwa ngemva kweminyaka engaba ngu-300 sekudlule izikhathi zabaphostoli imibhalo ye-Septuagint yesiGrikhi eyayisetshenziswa ngabantu abanengi, njenge-Codex Vaticanus le-Codex Sinaiticus, yayingelalo ibizo likaNkulunkulu kusukela kuGenesisi kusiya kuMalakhi lapho elalitholakala khona emibhalweni yakuqala. Ngakho akumangalisi ukuthi imibhalo eyagcinwa kusukela ngalesosikhathi ayilalo ibizo likaNkulunkulu engxenyeni yeBhayibhili eleMibhalo yesiGrikhi ebizwa langokuthi liThestamente Elitsha.

  UJesu wathi: “Ngibuye nge- bizo likaBaba.” Waphinda wathi imisebenzi yakhe wayeyenza ‘ngebizo likaYise’

•   IMibhalo yamaKhristu yesiGrikhi itshengisa ukuthi uJesu wayejayele ukusebenzisa ibizo likaNkulunkulu futhi elitshela labanye. (UJohane 17:6, 11, 12, 26) UJesu wathi: “Ngibuye ngebizo likaBaba.” Waphinda wathi imisebenzi yakhe wayeyenza ‘ngebizo likaYise.’—UJohane 5:43; 10:25.

•   Njengoba iMibhalo yamaKhristu yesiGrikhi yayiphefumulelwe njengeMibhalo engcwele yesiHebheru, kulengqondo ukuthi ibizo likaJehova libe khona kuyo kulokuthi liphongunyamalala nje. Ngabo-49 C.E., umfundi uJakhobe watshela abadala beJerusalema wathi: “USimiyoni usesilandisele konke okumayelana lokuthi uNkulunkulu wabakhumbula njani abezinye izizwe ukuze aqalise ukuthatha abantu bebizo lakhe phakathi kwabo.” (ImiSebenzi 15:14) Kwakuyabe kungelangqondo ukuthi uJakhobe atsho njalo nxa kwakungelamuntu owayesebenzisa ibizo likaNkulunkulu kumbe owayelazi ngalesosikhathi.

•   Ibizo likaNkulunkulu elifitshanisiweyo likhona eMibhalweni yamaKhristu yesiGrikhi. KuSambulo 19:1, 3, 4, 6, ibizo likaNkulunkulu elifitshanisiweyo liyatholakala ebaleni elithi “Haleluya” elivela ebaleni lesiHebheru elitsho ukuthi “Dumisani uJah.” Ukuthi “Jah” yikufitshaniswa kwebizo elithi Jehova. Amabizo amanengi aseMibhalweni yamaKhristu yesiGrikhi athathelwe ebizweni likaNkulunkulu. Ngokwesibonelo amanye amabhuku athi ibizo elithi Jesu litsho ukuthi “uJehova uyasindisa.”

•   Imibhalo yakuqala yamaJuda itshengisa ukuthi amaKhristu angamaJuda ayelisebenzisa ibizo likaNkulunkulu. Imithetho okuthiwa yiTosefta eyaqedwa ukubhalwa ngabo-300 C.E.,  ithi imibhalo yamaKhristu yayitshiswa ngeSabatha, kuze kutshiswe lezingxenye ezazilebizo likaNkulunkulu. Ibhuku leli lilamazwi kaRabi waseGalile okwakuthiwa nguYoseʹ owaphila ekuqaliseni kweminyaka yabo-100 C.E. Lithi ngamanye amalanga eviki kwakusiba lomuntu ‘owayekhipha imibhalo eyayilebizo likaNkulunkulu [okucatshangelwa ukuthi yayingeyamaKhristu] ayigcine kwenye indawo, abesetshisa eseleyo engelabizo leli.’

•   Ezinye izikhwicamfundo ziyavuma ukuthi ibizo likaNkulunkulu lalingabe likhona eMibhalweni yamaKhristu yesiGrikhi emavesini alamazwi athethwe eMibhalweni yesiHebheru. Isichazamazwi esibizwa ngokuthi yi-Anchor Bible Dictionary silesihloko  esithi “I-Tetragrammaton EThestamenteni Elitsha.” Esihlokweni leso kulamazwi athi: “Kulobufakazi bokuthi i-Tetragrammaton, ibizo likaNkulunkulu elithi Yahweh, yayikhona kwamanye kumbe kuwo wonke amavesi aseThestamenteni Elitsha ayethethwe eThestamenteni Elidala ngesikhathi kubhalwa imibhalo yakuqala yeThestamente Elitsha.” Isikhwicamfundo okuthiwa nguGeorge Howard sathi: “Njengoba i-Tetragram yayilokhu ikhona eBhayibhilini lesiGrikhi [i-Septuagint] elalisetshenziswa ngamaKhristu okuqala, kulengqondo ukukholwa ukuthi abalobi beThestamente Elitsha abazange bayikhiphe i-Tetragram emavesini abawathatha eMibhalweni yesiHebheru.”

•    Abahumutshi beBhayibhili abahlonitshwayo bayalisebenzisa ibizo likaNkulunkulu eMibhalweni yamaKhristu yesiGrikhi. Kungakahunyutshwa iNguqulo Yomhlaba Omutsha yesiNgisi, abanye babo babevele sebelisebenzisa ibizo likaNkulunkulu. Nanka amabizo abahumutshi abakwenzayo lokhu kanye lamaBhayibhili abawahumutshayo: UHerman Heinfetter wahumutsha i-Literal Translation of the New Testament esusela ku-Vatican Manuscript ngo-1863; uBenjamin Wilson wahumutsha i-Emphatic Diaglott ngo-1864; uGeorge Barker Stevens wahumutsha i-Epistles of Paul in Modern English ngo-1898; uW. G. Rutherford wahumutsha i-St. Paul’s Epistle to the Romans ngo-1900; uBhishopi waseLondon uJ.W.C. Wand wahumutsha i-New Testament Letters ngo-1946. UPablo Besson owahumutsha iBhayibhili lesiSpanish ngo-1919 laye wasebenzisa ibizo elithi “Jehová” kuLukha 2:15 lakuJuda 14, njalo izikhathi ezedlula ezingu-100 wasebenzisa amabala angaphansi atshengisa lapho okwakungangena khona ibizo likaNkulunkulu. IMibhalo yamaKhristu yesiGrikhi yangeminyaka yabo-1500 kusiya phambili, eyayihunyutshelwe elimini lwesiHebheru, yasebenzisa i-Tetragrammaton ezindaweni ezinengi. KulamaBhayibhili angaba ngu-11 atshiyeneyo awolimi lwesiGerman asebenzisa ibizo elithi “Jehova” (kumbe elesiHebheru elithi “Yahweh”) eMibhalweni yamaKhristu yesiGrikhi. Abahumutshi abane  bolimi lolu basebenzisa ibizo lokuhlonipha elithi “Nkosi” basebefaka ibizo likaNkulunkulu ezibayeni. Kulamanye amaBhayibhili esiGerman adlula 70 asebenzisa ibizo likaNkulunkulu emabaleni angaphansi lakwamanye amazwi achasisa imibhalo.

•   AmaBhayibhili atholakala ngezindimi ezedlula 100 alalo ibizo likaNkulunkulu eMibhalweni yamaKhristu yesiGrikhi. Ibizo likaNkulunkulu lisetshenziswa kanengi emaBhayibhilini ezindimi ezinengi zase-Africa, leze-America, leze-Asia, leze-Europe kanye lezezihlengeni zePacific. (Khangela  uluhlu olusemakhasini 1998 lo-1999.) Abahumutshi bamaBhayibhili la bakhetha ukusebenzisa ibizo likaNkulunkulu ngenxa yezizatho ezinjengalezo esikhulume ngazo phezulu. Amanye amaBhayibhili la eMibhalo yamaKhristu yesiGrikhi awakabi lesikhathi eside ekhona. Ngokwesibonelo, iBhayibhili lesiRotuman elahunyutshwa ngo-1999 lisebenzisa ‘uJihova’ ka-51 emavesini angu-48 njalo iBhayibhili lesiBatak (Toba) elahunyutshwa ngo-1989 e-Indonesia lisebenzisa ‘uJahowa’ ka-110.

Akuthandabuzwa ukuthi kulesizatho esihle sokubuyisela ibizo likaNkulunkulu elithi Jehova eMibhalweni yamaKhristu yesiGrikhi. Lokhu yikho kanye abahumutshi be-Nguqulo Yomhlaba Omutsha abakwenzileyo. Bayalihlonipha kakhulu ibizo likaNkulunkulu njalo bayesaba ukukhipha loba yini eyayikhona emibhalweni yokuqala.—ISambulo 22:18, 19.