The Yoruba people call their kings OBA, which is equivalent to Abba as mentioned in Mark 14:36. In Nigeria where there is one of the largest concentrations of Yoruba people, kings are generally referred to in the English language as royal fathers. This is an apt translation of Oba as the royal father is regarded as a father on a grander scale than the father of a family. Since a nation can be regarded as a family or a unit and the family head or husband who is a male accordingly regarded as the father, the Oba or royal father is the father of all the people (his subjects). It is not then surprising that the Yoruba people observe a taboo that regards an attempt to number the children of the family head and Oba especially as an abomination as his children are a blessing from YAHWEH that are supposed to be too numerous to count. Hence the Yoruba saying,

A kii ka ọmọ fun ọlọmọ.
We do not count the children for the owner of the children.

Likewise, since Yahushua (known by many as Jesus), the Son of GOD, calls YAHWEH “Our Father”, “Father” and “Abba”, and since Abba is the same as Oba, Abba must mean “Our Father”, “Father of Man” and “Father of All”. The earthly Oba is seen as YAHWEH’s representative.

The background of this taboo seems to have been forgotten among the Yoruba people just as those for many taboos have been noted in Africa with no tangible background. Nevertheless, to get more evidence of this particular Yoruba census taboo’s roots we would have to look at the Israel and the Bible as some Yoruba peoples are thought in some quarters to be descendants of Israel.

The taboo was as a result of the punishment Israel received for the national census that Dawodu (David in the Yoruba language) carried out as recorded in 2 Samuel 24 and 1 Chronicles 21 from which 70,000 men died. From this account it almost seems that Joab was more righteous and fearful of YAHWEH than Dawodu in this matter. However, Joab’s stance seemed to have been borne out of gut instinct or listening to his Ori Inu (Inner Head or Guardian Angel or Ego or the principal architect of our fortune both in heaven and on earth) as he was not able to provide reasons to convince Dawodu that the planned national census was abominable as he rightly expressed – my speculation. The punishment meted out to Dawodu was the beginning of the observance of the taboo.

But what is wrong in carrying out a census? Other censuses of Israel had been carried out before the one just mentioned. For example, censuses were mentioned in Numbers 1: 1-3 and 1 Samuel 15:4. Perhaps the taboo-resulting one opposed by Joab was at a time when the nation of Israel was mature, well-defined and settled. In Genesis 46: 26-27 we see the number of persons of Israel that migrated to Egypt where and when Joseph (also known as Joseph) was Vice-Gerent. This migration can be thought of as the infant stage of the nation of Israel, much like a sower knowing the number of seeds sown in a particular location but not knowing the number of seeds and/or fruits that are reaped upon maturity and harvest.

Sowing that is countable or in singles followed by reaping in multitudes is derived from YAHWEH’s promise to Abraham (Genesis 12:3; 13:16; 15:5; 17:5-6; and 24:60), Isaac (Genesis 26:4) and Jacob (Genesis 28:3,14 and 34:9-11) of descendants that are too numerous for man to count.

Understanding the heart of YAHWEH on this census taboo would necessitate the question,

Why does YAHWEH want HIS people to be as numerous as the stars in the sky?

The answer is quite simple and is seen in the command HE gave to man when HE created them (Genesis 1:28) and to Noah and his sons (Genesis 9:1, 7), that is, to be fruitful, multiply, and bring forth abundantly on earth. HE is using HIS people to accomplish HIS will on earth.

The essay was originally posted here but was modified for the Nairaland audience.

Nevertheless, to get more evidence of this particular Yoruba census taboo’s roots we would have to look at the Israel and the Bible as the Yoruba people are thought in some quarters to be descendants of Israel.

Yoruba, generally, did not descend from Israel. Some members of the commonwealth descended from Israel. However, Yoruba itself was a fraternal member of semitic family, which Israel is also a member of.

There's a hebrew word for 'king', which is 'melech', arabic 'maleeq'.

Abba(father) != Melech(king).

It doesn't add up.

Aargh! the anti-spam bot,

Negro_Ntns, Ive edited it accordingly. I know that the Ijebu were absorbed and I suspect that the people of Sabe who have the Onisabe as Oba are in fact the remnant of the Sabeans. The excerpts from the book in this link seem to give accounts of the spread of various cults from one Yoruba kingdom to another.
http://books.google.com.ng/books?id=-U70Ts7CgEYC&pg=PA54&dq=nago+uprising&hl=en&ei=uPTTTtHYDabN4QTv66FL&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CDIQ6AEwAQ

mbatuku2, there might have been another word for king which could have fallen into disuse. Yet I'm sure you'll agree with me that a traditional ruler in various or all parts of Nigeria is seen more as the father of all his subjects than the state itself ("L'Etat, c'est moi" ("The state, it is I")