Igziabeher (Amharic: እግዚአብሔር;) means literally "Lord of a nation" or "tribe", i.e. God, in the Ethiopian or Ge'ez language, as well as modern Ethiosematic languages including Amharic.[1]
Igziabher in Ge'ez is composed of Geez: `əgzi (Lord or ruler), plus a euphonic -'a added to the vowel to signify the possessive construct (i.e., "ruler of"), followed by Geez: bihier ("nation, tribe). Today, Geez: bihier, when directly translated into English, means ethnic group. Another, more generic Ethiopian word meaning "God" (including the deities of any other religion) is Amharic: አምላክ (Geez: `amlak) which is descended from the Proto-Semitic term for "king" or "ruler."
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.
In the fourth century, King Ezana ruled a large part of modern-day North 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]