Jah

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jah (IPA: [dʒã]) is the name commonly used for God in the Rastafari ("Rasta") religious movement. It comes from the Hebrew יָהּ = Yah [ja:].

Rastafarians consider Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia to have been the religious symbol for Jah incarnate. Referring to him by the title of Jah Rastafari, some consider him to have been the personification of Jah, but this is only one interpretation or metaphor for Rasta belief. Each and every Rasta is encouraged to seek truth for themselves, and no central dogma is imposed. [1]

Another way some Rastafarians use to express the idea of Jah is the phrase "I and I" (such as "I and I survive" used in a song by Bad Brains, usually written "I&I") to represent each and every person who recognizes themselves to be part of a trinitarian unity "Haile Selassie I / Jah / I."

Jah (Yah) is often used as a shortened form of the name Jehovah¹ or Yahweh. Thus, the term Hallelujah would mean "Praise Jah." In the West Indies, the recent popularity of Christian reggae has led to the use of the names "Jah" and "I and I" in Christian circles, especially among younger believers. This term is also used in Christian hip hop, typically for no reason but to rhyme, by such artists as white KJ-52 and African American Pigeon John of LA Symphony. P.O.D. has also controversially popularized Rastafarian terms such as "Jah" among young Christians. According to the band, they use such terms to refer to elements of the Bible. Songs such as "The Messenjah" from Satellite and "Strength of My Life" from Testify (featuring Matisyahu) explicitly use common Rastafarian terms to describe elements of Christianity and Judaism. Matisyahu has also used Rastafarian terminology (particularly on his debut album Shake Off the Dust...Arise), but never to the same extent.

In the original text of the Hebrew Bible, "Jah" occurs 26 times alone and 24 times in the term "Hallelujah."

It is transliterated "Jah" in a single instance (Psalm 68:4) in the King James Version of the Bible, and An American Translation has "Yah" at the same place. The Jehovah's Witnesses' New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures contains "Jah" 50 times in the OT and 4 times in the book of Revelation. The complete Tetragrammaton is always rendered as Jehovah. Rotherham's Emphasised Bible includes 49 uses of Jah. Masoretic Tanach: Psalms 68:19, יָהּ אֱלֹהִים - Yah Elohim.

Jah is also an alternative spelling of the name of the Egyptian deity Iah. Some believe there could be a connection between this name and the Semitic name Jah.

William David Spencer, in his book Dread Jesus (ISBN 0-281-05101-1), proposes that Archibald Dunkley and Joseph Nathaniel Hibbert were among the preachers that inspired the Rastafari movement, and that both were members of the Ancient Mystic Order of Ethiopia, a Prince Hall Masonic organization. Spencer believes that several features of the Rastafari movement derive from this lodge, including the name "Jah", from the Masonic form "Jah-Bul-On" as revealed in Royal Arch Masonry.