Jah

Jah ( d??) is the name commonly used for God in the religious Rastafari movement.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Rastafari 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.http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/02/0204_050204_bob_marley.html

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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 the 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 is often thought to be a shortened form of the name Yahweh or Jehovah. 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 name Jah in Christian circles, especially among younger believers.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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 preserves for the reader all occurrences, while Rotherham's Emphasised Bible includes 49 of them.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

God: :This article discusses the term God in the context of monotheism. See deity, gods or goddesses for details on polytheistic usages. See Names of God for terms used in other languages or specific faiths. See God (disambiguation) for non-religious abbreviations....

Rastafari movement: Rasta, or the Rastafari movement of Jah people, is a religious movement that reveres Haile Selassie I, the former emperor of Ethiopia, as King of Kings, Lord of Lords and the Lion of Judah. The name Rastafari comes from Ras T?f?ri, the pre-coronation name of Haile Selassie I, who Rastas of many mans...

Haile Selassie I: REDIRECT Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia...