Igziabeher
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Igziabeher (Ge'ez: እግዚአብሔር; /əɡziˈɑːbəhɛr/) literally translates to "Lord of the nation" or "tribe," i.e. the Christian God, in the Ge'ez language, as well as modern Ethio-semitic languages including Amharic.[1] Igziabher in Ge'ez is composed of `əgzi (Lord, ruler) plus a euphonic -'a added to the vowel to signify the construct (i.e. "ruler of") followed by bihier, which translates to "tribe" or "ethnicity" in both Classic Ethiopic and Amharic. Another, more generic, Ethiopian word for God is amlak (አምላክ) which can be applied to deities of any religion and is a broken plural of Malik, Proto-Semitic for king.
In the fourth century, King Ezana ruled a large part of modern-day Eritrea and Northern Ethiopia. People in his realm worshipped several gods, called Beher, Astar, and Maher. Igziabeher is possibly a variant of the name Beher.[2][3][4] Igziabher is also used within the Rastafari movement as a name of Jah (God). It can be heard in the roots reggae and dub reggae music of artists such as Peter Broggs and Peter Tosh (who recorded a song named "Igziabeher (Let Jah Be Praised)" on his album Legalize It), The Abyssinians, Third World and Midnite.
References
[edit]- ^ AmharicDictionary. "God". SelamSoft. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
- ^ Mokhtar, G (1990). Ancient Civilizations of Africa, page 376. California: University of California Press.
- ^ Milkias, P (2011). Ethiopia, page 170. ABC-CLIO: Westport, CT.
- ^ Phillipson, DW (2014). Foundations of an African Civilisation, page 96.New York: Boydell and Brewer, Ltd.