- Also written
- Jah Rastafari, Jah Jah
What “Jah” means
Jah is the Rastafari name for God. It is a shortened form of Jehovah and appears in the King James Bible (Psalm 68:4). Rastafari regard Haile Selassie I, Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930, as divine, and "Jah Rastafari" is a common invocation.
Examples
Jah bless!
God bless!
Give thanks to Jah.
Give thanks to God.
How to use it
Used reverently by Rastafari, and widely heard in reggae. Many Jamaicans outside the faith use phrases like "Jah know" (God knows) in everyday speech; it is respectful, not slang to be used mockingly.
Cultural context
Phrases such as "Jah guide", "Jah bless" and "Jah know" carried into everyday Jamaican speech and worldwide through reggae.
Where it comes from
From "Jah", a short form of the Hebrew name of God, as found in the King James Bible.