JAH

'Jah' (IPA: ) is a name for God, most commonly used in the Rastafari movement. It comes from the Hebrew 'יָהּ' = Yah .

Contents

In the Rastafari movement

Other uses

References to Jah in Music and Literature

See also

Reading

In the Rastafari movement

Some Rastafarians consider Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia to be God incarnate, whom they call Jah. 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. (There is no central Rastafarian dogma.) [1]
In addition, Haile Selassie himself denied that he was the returning Messiah to save the people from their wicked ways. Before Bob Marley's death he accepted that Yeshua (Christ Jesus) is the Messiah that has been waited for.
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."

Other uses

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 KJ-52 and 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.Also, the game Soldat uses a default hot key making the user say 'Life is the most precious gift Jah has given me'
==With Egyptian, not Hebrew, origin==
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.

References to Jah in Music and Literature

Jah is referenced in many reggae songs, including many Bob Marley songs, such as "Jah Is Mighty" and "Forever Loving Jah". The hardcore punk band Bad Brains often use the title 'Jah' in songs.
Indie rap artist, Sage Francis released a song entitled "Jah Didn't Kill Johnny" on his 2005 album A Healthy Distrust.
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.
A. J. Hill, in his book The Way home or face The Fire (ISBN 0-9583011-0-7), states to be the reincarnation of the prophet EliJAH and Christ, using the name JAH.
In the opening dream sequence of the movie Ali G in da House, Ali becomes involved in a gang war with a legion of cholos. After the opening firefight, Ali discovers a young Latino child caught in the crossfire. Ali uses himself as a human sheild, (this scene serves platform for a rather crud joke) after Ali returns the boy to safety and exclaims that "Life is the most precious gift, Jah has given to us.
In the song at the end of the Futurama episode ''How Hermes Requisitioned his Groove Back'' Hermes sings "We didn't choose to be bureaucrats, no that's what our mighty Jah made us..."
The Massive Attack song "A Prayer for England" from their album 100th Window is a prayer to Jah.

See also

★ Leonard Howell
Nu metal band P.O.D. made a song called "Withough Jah (Nothin')" on their album Satellite. Many referances are made to Jah on the album.

★ Bradley Nowell
Long Beach, Californian band "Sublime" have made many referances to Jah, and reggae music in their career and time, as well.

Reading

★ ''Dread Jesus'' ISBN 0-281-05101-1

★ ''The Way home or face The Fire'' ISBN 0-9583011-0-7