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I have no special credentials to pursue this, except that I'm not on any religion's payroll. I have no formal religious training. I have no visions or dreams to speak of. I have a kind of compulsion to study the Bible. I blame it on my father. Over and over he quoted Proverbs 4:7 to me as I grew up: Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom; Yea, with all thy getting get understanding. I didn't always listen to my father when I was young. But now that I am old I am apparently incapable of not running his programing.

Paul’s Religious Mind

Posted on June 12, 2012 by admin

Jesus said, Do not judge (κρίνετε, a form of κρίνω) so that you will not be judged (κριθῆτε, another form of κρίνω). For by the standard (κρίματι, a form of κρίμα) you judge (κρίνετε,a form of κρίνω) you will be judged (κριθήσεσθε, another form of κρίνω), and the measure (μέτρῳ, a form of μέτρον) you use (μετρεῖτε, a form of μετρέω) will be the measure (μετρηθήσεται, another form of μετρέω) you receive.¹

In my opinion Paul’s religious mind wrote, For even though I am absent² physically, I am present in spirit. And I have already judged (κέκρικα, another form of κρίνω) the one who did this, just as though I were present.³ Paul was speaking about a man rumored to have (ἔχειν, a form of ἔχω) his father’s wife. (The NET translated the word ἔχειν cohabiting with,⁴ rendering πορνεία in this passage as adultery, incest or a violation of Leviticus 20:11⁵ rather than idolatrous worship [including its drunken sexual practices].)

My reasons for calling this Paul’s religious mind are as follows: 1) the fact that Paul gave evidence of knowing Jesus’ command (1 Corinthians 4:5 NET):

So then, do not judge (κρίνετε, a form of κρίνω) anything before the time. Wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the motives of hearts. Then each will receive recognition from God.

2) his own rhetorical justification sounds spurious (1 Corinthians 5:12, 13 NET) when contrasted to Jesus’ teaching.

For what do I⁶ have to do with judging (κρίνειν, another form of κρίνω) those outside? Are you not to judge (κρίνετε, a form of κρίνω) those inside? But God will judge (κρινεῖ, another form of κρίνω) those outside. Remove⁷ the evil person from among you.

Here is Jesus’ teaching on the subject (Luke 6:37, 38 NET [Table]):

Do not judge (κρίνετε, a form of κρίνω), and you will not be judged (κριθῆτε, another form of κρίνω); do⁸ not condemn (καταδικάζετε, a form of καταδικάζω), and you will not be condemned (καταδικασθῆτε, another form of καταδικάζω); forgive (ἀπολύετε, a form of ἀπολύω), and you will be forgiven (ἀπολυθήσεσθε, another form of ἀπολύω). Give, and it will be given to you: A good measure (μέτρον), pressed down, shaken⁹ together, running over,¹⁰ will be poured into your lap. For the¹¹ measure (μέτρῳ, a form of μέτρον) you use (μετρεῖτε, a form of μετρέω) will be the¹² measure you receive (ἀντιμετρηθήσεται, a form of ἀντιμετρέω).

I find it hard to believe that Jesus intended this graciousness for outsiders only and not for those who believed. The presumed answer to Paul’s rhetorical question—Are you not to judge those inside?—is not sufficient to alter my belief.

3) Paul later forgave the sinner and urged the Corinthians to do likewise after they had shunned him (2 Corinthians 2:5-8 NET):

But if anyone has caused sadness, he has not saddened me alone, but¹³ to some extent (not to exaggerate) he has saddened all of you as well. This punishment on such an individual by the majority is enough for him, so that now instead you should rather forgive (χαρίσασθαι, a form of χαρίζομαι) and comfort (παρακαλέσαι, a form of παρακαλέω) him. This will keep him from being overwhelmed by excessive grief to the point of despair. Therefore I urge (παρακαλῶ, another form of παρακαλέω) you to reaffirm your love (ἀγάπην, a form of ἀγάπη) for him.

4) Paul altered his original justification for judging the man and commanding that he be shunned (2 Corinthians 2:9-11 and 7:11, 12 NET):

For this reason also I wrote you: to test (δοκιμὴν, a form of δοκιμή; literally, γνῶ τὴν δοκιμὴν, “know” or “learn by testing”) you to see if you are obedient (ὑπήκοοι, a form of ὑπήκοος) in everything. If you forgive (χαρίζεσθε, another form of χαρίζομαι) anyone for anything, I also forgive him – for indeed what¹⁴ I have forgiven (κεχάρισμαι, another form of χαρίζομαι) (if I have forgiven [κεχάρισμαι, another form of χαρίζομαι] anything) I did so for you in the presence of Christ, so that we may not be exploited by Satan (for we are not ignorant of his schemes)…
For see what this very thing, this sadness¹⁵ [caused by Paul’s original letter, cf. 2 Corinthians 7:8] as God intended, has produced (κατειργάσατο, a form of κατεργάζομαι) in you: what eagerness, what defense of yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what deep concern, what¹⁶ punishment! In¹⁷ everything you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter. So then, even though I wrote to you, it was not on account of¹⁸ the one who did wrong (ἀδικήσαντος, a form of ἀδικέω), or on account of¹⁹ the one who was wronged (ἀδικηθέντος, another form of ἀδικέω), but²⁰ to reveal to you your eagerness on our behalf before God.

5) Paul later developed a more appropriate way for dealing with similar situations, something more in line with Jesus’ teaching (Galatians 6:1-5 NET Table):

Brothers and sisters, if a person is discovered in some sin (παραπτώματι, a form of παράπτωμα), you who are spiritual restore such a person in a spirit of gentleness.²¹ Pay close attention to yourselves, so that you are not tempted too. Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill (ἀναπληρώσετε, a form of ἀναπληρόω) the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Let each one examine (δοκιμαζέτω, a form of δοκιμάζω) his own work (ἔργον). Then he can take pride in himself and not compare himself with someone else. For each one will carry his own load.

Below is a comparison/contrast of 1 Corinthians 5:1-13 (NET) and Galatians 6:1-5 (NET):

1 Corinthians 5:1-13 (NET) Table

Galatians 6:1-5 (NET) Table

It is actually reported that sexual immorality (πορνεία) exists among you, the kind of immorality (πορνεία) that is not permitted even among the Gentiles, so that someone is cohabiting with his father’s wife. And you are proud! Shouldn’t you have been deeply sorrowful instead and removed²² the one who did²³ this from among you? For even though I am absent physically, I am present in spirit. And I have already judged the one who did this, just as though I were present. When you gather together in the name of our Lord Jesus,²⁴ and I am with you in spirit, along with the power of our Lord Jesus, turn this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.²⁵

1 Corinthians 5:1-5 (NET)

Brothers and sisters, if a person is discovered in some sin, you who are spiritual restore such a person in a spirit of gentleness.

Galatians 6:1a (NET)

Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast affects the whole batch of dough? Clean out²⁶ the old yeast so that you may be a new batch of dough – you are, in fact, without yeast. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.²⁷ So then, let us celebrate the festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of vice and evil, but with the bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth.

1 Corinthians 5:6-8 (NET)

Pay close attention to yourselves, so that you are not tempted too. Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

Galatians 6:1b-3 (NET)

I wrote you in my letter²⁸ not to associate with sexually immoral people (πόρνοις, a form of πόρνος). In²⁹ no way did I mean the immoral people (πόρνοις, a form of πόρνος) of this world, or the greedy and³⁰ swindlers and idolaters, since you would³¹ then have to go out of the world. But now³² I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who calls himself a Christian (ἀδελφός) who is sexually immoral (πόρνος), or greedy, or an idolater, or verbally abusive, or a drunkard, or a swindler. Do not even eat with such a person. For what do I have to do with judging those outside? Are you not to judge those inside? But God will judge those outside. Remove the evil person from among you.

1 Corinthians 5:9-13 (NET)

Let each one examine his own work. Then he can take pride in himself and not compare himself with someone else. For each one will carry his own load.

Galatians 6:4, 5 (NET)

What happened to Paul between the writing of 1 Corinthians 5 and Galatians 6? The obvious answer is an affliction that happened to us³³ in the province of Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of living.³⁴ But something else probably occurred as well, the crystallization of the understanding that became, and the actual writing of, Paul’s letter to the Romans.

Addendum: January 25, 2024
When you gather together in the name of our Lord Jesus, and I am with you in spirit, along with the power of our Lord Jesus, turn this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord (1 Corinthians 5:4, 5 NET). I was bothered most by hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh (παραδοῦναι τὸν τοιοῦτον τῷ σατανᾷ εἰς ὄλεθρον τῆς σαρκός). Now, I wonder if Paul had in mind something like: God sends on them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false (2 Thessalonians 2:11 NET).

When this happened to me, I thought of it as my own idea, even an inescapable conclusion, that God was not. If I had been cast out in some formal ceremony, handed over to Satan, I’m afraid I would have responded like Canaan to Noah’s curse rather than finding the end of myself and seeking some remedy for my sinfulness.

Addendum: February 21, 2019
Tables of 1 Corinthians 5:3; 5:12, 13; 2 Corinthians 2:5; 2:10; 7:11, 12; 1 Corinthians 5:2; 5:4, 5; 5:7 and 5:10, 11 comparing the NET and KJV follow.

1 Corinthians 5:3 (NET)	1 Corinthians 5:3 (KJV)
For even though I am absent physically, I am present in spirit. And I have already judged the one who did this, just as though I were present.	For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed,

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
ἐγὼ μὲν γάρ, ἀπὼν τῷ σώματι παρὼν δὲ τῷ πνεύματι, ἤδη κέκρικα ὡς παρὼν τὸν οὕτως τοῦτο κατεργασάμενον	εγω μεν γαρ ως απων τω σωματι παρων δε τω πνευματι ηδη κεκρικα ως παρων τον ουτως τουτο κατεργασαμενον	εγω μεν γαρ ως απων τω σωματι παρων δε τω πνευματι ηδη κεκρικα ως παρων τον ουτως τουτο κατεργασαμενον

1 Corinthians 5:12, 13 (NET)	1 Corinthians 5:12, 13 (KJV)
For what do I have to do with judging those outside? Are you not to judge those inside?	For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within?

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
τί γάρ μοι τοὺς ἔξω κρίνειν; οὐχὶ τοὺς ἔσω ὑμεῖς κρίνετε	τι γαρ μοι και τους εξω κρινειν ουχι τους εσω υμεις κρινετε	τι γαρ μοι και τους εξω κρινειν ουχι τους εσω υμεις κρινετε

But God will judge those outside. Remove the evil person from among you.

But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
τοὺς δὲ ἔξω ὁ θεὸς κρινεῖ. ἐξάρατε τὸν πονηρὸν ἐξ ὑμῶν αὐτῶν	τους δε εξω ο θεος κρινει και εξαρειτε τον πονηρον εξ υμων αυτων	τους δε εξω ο θεος κρινει και εξαρειτε τον πονηρον εξ υμων αυτων

2 Corinthians 2:5 (NET)	2 Corinthians 2:5 (KJV)
But if anyone has caused sadness, he has not saddened me alone, but to some extent (not to exaggerate) he has saddened all of you as well.	But if any have caused grief, he hath not grieved me, but in part: that I may not overcharge you all.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
Εἰ δέ τις λελύπηκεν, οὐκ ἐμὲ λελύπηκεν, ἀλλὰ ἀπὸ μέρους (ἵνα μὴ ἐπιβαρῶ), πάντας ὑμᾶς	ει δε τις λελυπηκεν ουκ εμε λελυπηκεν αλλ απο μερους ινα μη επιβαρω παντας υμας	ει δε τις λελυπηκεν ουκ εμε λελυπηκεν αλλα απο μερους ινα μη επιβαρω παντας υμας

2 Corinthians 2:10 (NET)	2 Corinthians 2:10 (KJV)
If you forgive anyone for anything, I also forgive him – for indeed what I have forgiven (if I have forgiven anything) I did so for you in the presence of Christ,	To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ;

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
ᾧ δέ τι χαρίζεσθε, καγώ· καὶ γὰρ ἐγὼ ὃ κεχάρισμαι (εἴ τι κεχάρισμαι), δι᾿ ὑμᾶς ἐν προσώπῳ Χριστοῦ,	ω δε τι χαριζεσθε και εγω και γαρ εγω ει τι κεχαρισμαι ω κεχαρισμαι δι υμας εν προσωπω χριστου	ω δε τι χαριζεσθε και εγω και γαρ εγω ει τι κεχαρισμαι ω κεχαρισμαι δι υμας εν προσωπω χριστου

2 Corinthians 7:11, 12 (NET)	2 Corinthians 7:11, 12 (KJV)
For see what this very thing, this sadness as God intended, has produced in you: what eagerness, what defense of yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what deep concern, what punishment! In everything you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.	For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
ἰδοὺ γὰρ αὐτὸ τοῦτο τὸ κατὰ θεὸν λυπηθῆναι πόσην κατειργάσατο ὑμῖν σπουδήν, ἀλλὰ ἀπολογίαν, ἀλλὰ ἀγανάκτησιν, ἀλλὰ φόβον, ἀλλὰ ἐπιπόθησιν, ἀλλὰ ζῆλον, ἀλλὰ ἐκδίκησιν. ἐν παντὶ συνεστήσατε ἑαυτοὺς ἁγνοὺς εἶναι τῷ πράγματι	ιδου γαρ αυτο τουτο το κατα θεον λυπηθηναι υμας ποσην κατειργασατο υμιν σπουδην αλλα απολογιαν αλλα αγανακτησιν αλλα φοβον αλλα επιποθησιν αλλα ζηλον αλλ εκδικησιν εν παντι συνεστησατε εαυτους αγνους ειναι εν τω πραγματι	ιδου γαρ αυτο τουτο το κατα θεον λυπηθηναι υμας ποσην κατειργασατο υμιν σπουδην αλλα απολογιαν αλλα αγανακτησιν αλλα φοβον αλλα επιποθησιν αλλα ζηλον αλλα εκδικησιν παντι συνεστησατε εαυτους αγνους ειναι εν τω πραγματι

So then, even though I wrote to you, it was not on account of the one who did wrong, or on account of the one who was wronged, but to reveal to you your eagerness on our behalf before God.

Wherefore, though I wrote unto you, I did it not for his cause that had done the wrong, nor for his cause that suffered wrong, but that our care for you in the sight of God might appear unto you.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
ἄρα εἰ καὶ ἔγραψα ὑμῖν, οὐχ ἕνεκεν τοῦ ἀδικήσαντος οὐδὲ ἕνεκεν τοῦ ἀδικηθέντος ἀλλ᾿ ἕνεκεν τοῦ φανερωθῆναι τὴν σπουδὴν ὑμῶν τὴν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ	αρα ει και εγραψα υμιν ουχ εινεκεν του αδικησαντος ουδε εινεκεν του αδικηθεντος αλλ εινεκεν του φανερωθηναι την σπουδην υμων την υπερ ημων προς υμας ενωπιον του θεου	αρα ει και εγραψα υμιν ουχ εινεκεν του αδικησαντος ουδε εινεκεν του αδικηθεντος αλλ εινεκεν του φανερωθηναι την σπουδην υμων την υπερ ημων προς υμας ενωπιον του θεου

1 Corinthians 5:2 (NET)	1 Corinthians 5:2 (KJV)
And you are proud! Shouldn’t you have been deeply sorrowful instead and removed the one who did this from among you?	And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
καὶ ὑμεῖς πεφυσιωμένοι ἐστὲ καὶ οὐχὶ μᾶλλον ἐπενθήσατε, ἵνα ἀρθῇ ἐκ μέσου ὑμῶν ὁ τὸ ἔργον τοῦτο πράξας	και υμεις πεφυσιωμενοι εστε και ουχι μαλλον επενθησατε ινα εξαρθη εκ μεσου υμων ο το εργον τουτο ποιησας	και υμεις πεφυσιωμενοι εστε και ουχι μαλλον επενθησατε ινα εξαρθη εκ μεσου υμων ο το εργον τουτο ποιησας

1 Corinthians 5:4, 5 (NET)	1 Corinthians 5:4, 5 (KJV)
When you gather together in the name of our Lord Jesus, and I am with you in spirit, along with the power of our Lord Jesus,	In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ κυρίου [ἡμῶν] Ἰησοῦ συναχθέντων ὑμῶν καὶ τοῦ ἐμοῦ πνεύματος σὺν τῇ δυνάμει τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ,	εν τω ονοματι του κυριου ημων ιησου χριστου συναχθεντων υμων και του εμου πνευματος συν τη δυναμει του κυριου ημων ιησου χριστου	εν τω ονοματι του κυριου ημων ιησου χριστου συναχθεντων υμων και του εμου πνευματος συν τη δυναμει του κυριου ημων ιησου χριστου

hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.

To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
παραδοῦναι τὸν τοιοῦτον τῷ σατανᾷ εἰς ὄλεθρον τῆς σαρκός, ἵνα τὸ πνεῦμα σωθῇ ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τοῦ κυρίου	παραδουναι τον τοιουτον τω σατανα εις ολεθρον της σαρκος ινα το πνευμα σωθη εν τη ημερα του κυριου ιησου	παραδουναι τον τοιουτον τω σατανα εις ολεθρον της σαρκος ινα το πνευμα σωθη εν τη ημερα του κυριου ιησου

1 Corinthians 5:7 (NET)	1 Corinthians 5:7 (KJV)
Clean out the old yeast so that you may be a new batch of dough – you are, in fact, without yeast. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.	Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
ἐκκαθάρατε τὴν παλαιὰν ζύμην, ἵνα ἦτε νέον φύραμα, καθώς ἐστε ἄζυμοι· καὶ γὰρ τὸ πάσχα ἡμῶν ἐτύθη Χριστός	εκκαθαρατε ουν την παλαιαν ζυμην ινα ητε νεον φυραμα καθως εστε αζυμοι και γαρ το πασχα ημων υπερ ημων ετυθη χριστος	εκκαθαρατε την παλαιαν ζυμην ινα ητε νεον φυραμα καθως εστε αζυμοι και γαρ το πασχα ημων υπερ ημων ετυθη χριστος

1 Corinthians 5:10, 11 (NET)	1 Corinthians 5:10, 11 (KJV)
In no way did I mean the immoral people of this world, or the greedy and swindlers and idolaters, since you would then have to go out of the world.	Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
οὐ πάντως τοῖς πόρνοις τοῦ κόσμου τούτου ἢ τοῖς πλεονέκταις καὶ ἅρπαξιν ἢ εἰδωλολάτραις, ἐπεὶ ὠφείλετε ἄρα ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου ἐξελθεῖν	και ου παντως τοις πορνοις του κοσμου τουτου η τοις πλεονεκταις η αρπαξιν η ειδωλολατραις επει οφειλετε αρα εκ του κοσμου εξελθειν	και ου παντως τοις πορνοις του κοσμου τουτου η τοις πλεονεκταις η αρπαξιν η ειδωλολατραις επει οφειλετε αρα εκ του κοσμου εξελθειν

But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who calls himself a Christian who is sexually immoral, or greedy, or an idolater, or verbally abusive, or a drunkard, or a swindler. Do not even eat with such a person.

But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
νῦν δὲ ἔγραψα ὑμῖν μὴ συναναμίγνυσθαι ἐάν τις ἀδελφὸς ὀνομαζόμενος ᾖ πόρνος ἢ πλεονέκτης ἢ εἰδωλολάτρης ἢ λοίδορος ἢ μέθυσος ἢ ἅρπαξ, τῷ τοιούτῳ μηδὲ συνεσθίειν	νυνι δε εγραψα υμιν μη συναναμιγνυσθαι εαν τις αδελφος ονομαζομενος η πορνος η πλεονεκτης η ειδωλολατρης η λοιδορος η μεθυσος η αρπαξ τω τοιουτω μηδε συνεσθιειν	νυν δε εγραψα υμιν μη συναναμιγνυσθαι εαν τις αδελφος ονομαζομενος η πορνος η πλεονεκτης η ειδωλολατρης η λοιδορος η μεθυσος η αρπαξ τω τοιουτω μηδε συνεσθιειν

Peter and Cornelius

Paul’s Religious Mind Revisited – Part 1

Back to Romans, Part 3

Back to Romans, Part 7

Back to You Must Be Gentle, Part 1

Back to Son of God – John, Part 2

Back to Romans, Part 42

Back to Fear – Exodus, Part 5

Back to Romans, Part 48

Back to Paul’s Religious Mind Revisited – Part 2

Back to Sexual Immorality Revisited, Part 2

Back to Paul’s Religious Mind Revisited, Part 6

Back to Paul’s Religious Mind Revisited, Part 7

Back to Sirach: Pro and Con

Back to Atonement, Part 11

Back to Adultery in the Law, Part 3

Back to Atonement. Part 5

Back to Paul’s Religious Mind Revisited, Part 4

Back to Fear – Exodus, Part 4

Back to Paul’s Religious Mind Revisited, Part 3

Back to Forgiven or Passed Over? Part 3

Back to Is Sin Less Than Sin? Part 3

Back to Is Sin Less Than Sin? Part 1

Back to Is Sin Less Than Sin? Part 2

Back to Is Sin Less Than Sin? Part 4

Back to Nothing True, Part 2

Back to The Day of the Lord, Part 2

Back to Exploration, Part 11

Back to Exploration, Part 12

Back to Exploration, Part 13

Back to Balaam, Balak and the 24,000, Part 1

¹ Matthew 7:1, 2 (NET) Table

² The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ως preceding absent (KJV: as). The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

³ 1 Corinthians 5:3 (NET)

⁴ 1 Corinthians 5:1 (NET)

⁵ If a man has sexual intercourse with his father’s wife, he has exposed his father’s nakedness. Both of them must be put to death; their blood guilt is on themselves. (Leviticus 20:11 NET) Also: Deuteronomy 22:30 (NET)

⁶ The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had και following I (KJV: also). The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

⁷ The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had και beginning this clause (KJV: Therefore). The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

⁸ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had καὶ preceding do. The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

⁹ The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had καὶ preceding shaken together and running over (KJV: and). The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

¹⁰ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had ὑπερεκχυννόμενον here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had υπερεκχυνομενον.

¹¹ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had ᾧ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had τω and αυτω (KJV: the same).

¹² The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ω (KJV: that) here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

¹³ The NET parallel Greek text and Byzantine Majority Text had ἀλλὰ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and NA²⁸ had ἀλλ’.

¹⁴ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had ὃ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ω (KJV: to whom).

¹⁵ The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had υμας following the passive verb translated sadness in the NET (KJV: ye sorrowed). The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

¹⁶ The NET parallel Greek text and Byzantine Majority Text had ἀλλὰ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and NA²⁸ had ἀλλ’ (KJV: yea, what).

¹⁷ The NET parallel Greek text, NA²⁸ and Stephanus Textus Receptus had ἐν here. The Byzantine Majority Text did not.

¹⁸ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had ἕνεκεν here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had εινεκεν (KJV: for his cause).

¹⁹ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had ἕνεκεν here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had εινεκεν (KJV: for his cause).

²⁰ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had ἕνεκεν following but (NET: possibly, on our behalf), where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had εινεκεν (KJV: apparently not translated).

²¹ In the NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ gentleness was spelled πραΰτητος, and πραοτητος in the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text.

²² The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had the passive verb ἀρθῇ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had the passive verb εξαρθη (KJV: might be taken away).

²³ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had πράξας here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ποιησας (KJV: hath done).

²⁴ The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had χριστου (KJV: Christ) following Jesus. The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

²⁵ The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ιησου (KJV: Jesus) following Lord. The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

²⁶ The Stephanus Textus Receptus had ουν (KJV: therefore) following Clean out. The NET parallel Greek text, NA²⁸ and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

²⁷ The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had υπερ ημων (KJV: for us) following sacrificed. The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

²⁸ 1 Corinthians is at least Paul’s second letter to the church at Corinth. The previous letter was apparently not preserved.

²⁹ The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had και (KJV: Yet) at the beginning of this clause. The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

³⁰ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had και here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had η.

³¹ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had ὠφείλετε here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had οφειλετε (KJV: must).

³² The Stephanus Textus Receptus had νυνι here, where the NET parallel Greek text, NA²⁸ and Byzantine Majority Text had νῦν.

³³ The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ημιν here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

³⁴ 2 Corinthians 1:8 (NET) Table

Who am I? Part 1

Posted on June 11, 2012 by admin

I have made a reasonably strong case that I should just shut up about the Bible. But I’m not going to do that. Measurements made from or to relative coordinates aren’t completely useless if one knows the position and velocity of those coordinates relative to one’s own. So if I were to continue to pontificate without reference to my own position and velocity I would be guilty of the same kind of troublemaking I accused us philosophical types of perpetrating. I’ll try to be careful from here on, however, to point out where I’m coming from and how that might impact the truth that I have found in the Bible.

My journey back from atheism as a philosophical and legalistic young man began for all practical purposes with a stoned insight: “I always lie.” I played with that statement in a hallucinogenic fog in my mind for a long time. If only that statement were true, I thought, the ancient religious concept of repentance might have some real, tangible validity. A narrow shaft of light began to pierce the darkness. If I, in fact, had always lied and then stated that fact honestly, confessed my sin, it would be the first truthful thing I had ever said and a doorway to a whole new way of life. But the darkness returned again, because there was no way I had lived consistently enough to have always lied. Surely sometime by sheer accident or mere coincidence I had told the truth. So in my case even my confession was a lie and just further proof of how hopeless my situation had become.

“Hey, man, gimme another hit o’ that, will ya’?”

Still that little crack in my armor, that almost insignificant stream of light, was apparently enough to do the trick. Atheism is hard work and you shouldn’t try to do it stoned if you really intend to maintain your faith. Of course, as I hinted earlier, I cared less for my atheism than I did for the naive Christian faith which had preceded it.

Eventually I want to get back to the expansion of context I started in Solomon’s Wealth and continued in A Monotonous Cycle: “So Solomon, the third king of Israel, the richest and wisest king not only of Israel but of his generation, according to the Bible, became the fulfillment of God’s unheeded warning to Israel about kings, this same Solomon who was named Jedidiah¹—loved by the Lord—by God himself.” I mentioned then that Solomon being both the fulfillment of God’s warning about kings and loved by the Lord was not unlike Solomon’s wealth being both a fulfillment of a promise of God and Solomon’s direct disobedience to God’s requirements for the kings of Israel. But before I look into the circumstances when God named Solomon Jedidiah, I want to step back even farther to the first time God appeared to the Israelites in the Tabernacle in the wilderness.

In Exodus 25-31 God gave Moses explicit instructions how to make the Tabernacle—essentially a portable place of worship—and all its furnishings. In Exodus 36-39 the Tabernacle and its furnishings were made according to the divine plan. Chapter 40 detailed how and when to set everything up. Leviticus 1-7 described the offerings and sacrifices to be carried out in association with the worship of Yahweh in the Tabernacle. Chapter 8 told of the ordination of the priests, Aaron and his sons, over a seven day period according to the plan specified by God. Chapter 9 explained how the newly ordained priests began to minister the offerings and sacrifices God required on the eighth day.

The end result of all this step-by-step devotion to God’s instructions was a worship service with a phenomenal payoff: …the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people. Then fire went out from the presence of the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat parts on the altar, and all the people saw it, so they shouted loudly and fell down with their faces to the ground.²

In the midst of this excitement, Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, each took his fire pan and put fire in it, set incense on it, and presented strange fire before the Lord, which he had not commanded them to do. So fire went out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them so that they died before the Lord.³ There is no indication that Nadab or Abihu intended to offend God. On the contrary, it seems that their crime was nothing more and nothing less than exuberant religious innovation. The penalty was immediate death.

Even after everything I’ve written I’m tempted to get in line behind Friedrich Nietzsche and say, “God had nothing to do with this. From Moses on down this is nothing but a bunch of ignorant Israelites who couldn’t tell the difference between the presence of the Lord and a lightning storm!” And I’m tempted to say this, not because I want to be an atheist, but because I’ve seen the look in my children’s eyes when they asked me, “Why!?”

Addendum: January 27, 2021
Tables comparing Leviticus 9:23; 9:24; 10:1 and 10:2 in the Tanakh, KJV and NET, and the tables comparing Leviticus 9:23; 9:24; 10:1 and 10:2 in the Septuagint (BLB and Elpenor) follow.

Leviticus 9:23 (Tanakh)	Leviticus 9:23 (KJV)	Leviticus 9:23 (NET)
And Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting, and came out, and blessed the people; and the glory of HaShem appeared unto all the people.	And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of the congregation, and came out, and blessed the people: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto all the people.	Moses and Aaron then entered into the Meeting Tent. When they came out, they blessed the people, and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people.

Leviticus 9:23 (Septuagint BLB)	Leviticus 9:23 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ εἰσῆλθεν Μωυσῆς καὶ Ααρων εἰς τὴν σκηνὴν τοῦ μαρτυρίου καὶ ἐξελθόντες εὐλόγησαν πάντα τὸν λαόν καὶ ὤφθη ἡ δόξα κυρίου παντὶ τῷ λαῷ	καὶ εἰσῆλθε Μωυσῆς καὶ ᾿Ααρὼν εἰς τὴν σκηνὴν τοῦ μαρτυρίου καὶ ἐξελθόντες εὐλόγησαν πάντα τὸν λαόν, καὶ ὤφθη ἡ δόξα Κυρίου παντὶ τῷ λαῷ
Leviticus 9:23 (NETS)	Leviticus 9:23 (English Elpenor)
Moyses and Aaron entered the tent of witness, and when they came out, they blessed all the people, and the glory of the Lord became visible to all the people.	And Moses and Aaron entered into the tabernacle of witness. And they came out and blessed all the people, and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people.

Leviticus 9:24 (Tanakh)	Leviticus 9:24 (KJV)	Leviticus 9:24 (NET)
And there came forth fire from before HaShem, and consumed upon the altar the burnt-offering and the fat; and when all the people saw it, they shouted, and fell on their faces.	And there came a fire out from before the LORD, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces.	Then fire went out from the presence of the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat parts on the altar, and all the people saw it, so they shouted loudly and fell down with their faces to the ground.

Leviticus 9:24 (Septuagint BLB)	Leviticus 9:24 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐξῆλθεν πῦρ παρὰ κυρίου καὶ κατέφαγεν τὰ ἐπὶ τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου τά τε ὁλοκαυτώματα καὶ τὰ στέατα καὶ εἶδεν πᾶς ὁ λαὸς καὶ ἐξέστη καὶ ἔπεσαν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον	καὶ ἐξῆλθε πῦρ παρὰ Κυρίου καὶ κατέφαγε τὰ ἐπὶ τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου, τά τε ὁλοκαυτώματα καὶ τὰ στέατα, καὶ εἶδε πᾶς ὁ λαὸς καὶ ἐξέστη καὶ ἔπεσαν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον
Leviticus 9:24 (NETS)	Leviticus 9:24 (English Elpenor)
And fire came out from the Lord and consumed what was on the altar, both the whole burnt offerings and the fat pieces, and all the people saw it and were amazed and fell face down.	And fire came forth from the Lord, and devoured the offerings on the altar, both the whole-burnt-offerings and the fat; and all the people saw, and were amazed, and fell upon their faces.

Leviticus 10:1 (Tanakh)	Leviticus 10:1 (KJV)	Leviticus 10:1 (NET)
And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took each of them his censer, and put fire therein, and laid incense thereon, and offered strange fire before HaShem, which He had not commanded them.	And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not.	Then Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, each took his fire pan and put fire in it, set incense on it, and presented strange fire before the Lord, which he had not commanded them to do.

Leviticus 10:1 (Septuagint BLB)	Leviticus 10:1 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ λαβόντες οἱ δύο υἱοὶ Ααρων Ναδαβ καὶ Αβιουδ ἕκαστος τὸ πυρεῗον αὐτοῦ ἐπέθηκαν ἐπ᾽ αὐτὸ πῦρ καὶ ἐπέβαλον ἐπ᾽ αὐτὸ θυμίαμα καὶ προσήνεγκαν ἔναντι κυρίου πῦρ ἀλλότριον ὃ οὐ προσέταξεν κύριος αὐτοῗς	Καὶ λαβόντες οἱ δύο υἱοὶ ᾿Ααρὼν Ναδὰβ καὶ ᾿Αβιοὺδ ἕκαστος τὸ πυρεῖον αὐτοῦ ἐπέθηκαν ἐπ᾿ αὐτὸ πῦρ καὶ ἐπέβαλον ἐπ᾿ αὐτὸ θυμίαμα καὶ προσήνεγκαν ἔναντι Κυρίου πῦρ ἀλλότριον, ὃ οὐ προσέταξε Κύριος αὐτοῖς
Leviticus 10:1 (NETS)	Leviticus 10:1 (English Elpenor)
And when the two sons of Aaron, Nadab and Abioud, each took his fire-pan, they placed fire on it and threw incense on it and offered before the Lord strange fire such as the Lord had not ordered them.	And the two sons of Aaron, Nadab and Abiud, took each his censer, and put fire therein, and threw incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which the Lord did not command them,

Leviticus 10:2 (Tanakh)	Leviticus 10:2 (KJV)	Leviticus 10:2 (NET)
And there came forth fire from before HaShem, and devoured them, and they died before HaShem.	And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD.	So fire went out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them so that they died before the Lord.

Leviticus 10:2 (Septuagint BLB)	Leviticus 10:2 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐξῆλθεν πῦρ παρὰ κυρίου καὶ κατέφαγεν αὐτούς καὶ ἀπέθανον ἔναντι κυρίου	καὶ ἐξῆλθε πῦρ παρὰ Κυρίου καὶ κατέφαγεν αὐτούς, καὶ ἀπέθανον ἔναντι Κυρίου
Leviticus 10:2 (NETS)	Leviticus 10:2 (English Elpenor)
And fire came out from the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord.	and fire came forth from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord.

Who Am I? Part 2

Back to Who am I? Part 3

Back to Jedidiah, Part 2

Romans, Part 2

Back to Condemnation or Judgment? – Part 8

Back to Sexual Immorality Revisited, Part 3

Back to Atonement, Part 2

Back to Peter’s First Gospel Proclamation Revisited, Part 3

Back to Isaiah 53:10-12, Part 1

Back to Who Am I? Part 12

Back to Atonement, Part 8

Back to The Day of the Lord, Part 6

Back to Justice and Mercy Revisited, Part 2

Back to Exploration, Part 15

¹ 2 Samuel 12:24, 25

² Leviticus 9:23b, 24 (NET)

³ Leviticus 10:1, 2 (NET)

Introduction

Posted on June 10, 2012 by admin

Do not judge (κρίνετε, a form of κρίνω) so that you will not be judged (κριθῆτε, another form of κρίνω),¹ Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount. Coupled with the next statement—For by the standard (κρίματι, a form of κρίμα) you judge (κρίνετε, a form of κρίνω) you will be judged (κριθήσεσθε, another form of κρίνω), and the measure (μέτρῳ, a form of μέτρον) you use (μετρεῖτε, a form of μετρέω) will be the measure (μετρηθήσεται, another form of μετρέω) you receive²—I thought of this as an example of Jesus’ pragmatism when dealing with others. The footnote in the NET indicates that it is God (rather than others) who will do the judging and measuring according to my judgments and measurements of others.

Here in this context of the Gospel and the mind of Christ, it seems more like an ultimate challenge to my religious mind, any religious mind. For what is religion without judgment? How can I tell who is on the bus if I don’t judge them? In the book of Acts a young man named Saul is introduced as one who though he did not participate directly agreed completely with the stoning of Stephen, a follower of Jesus.

Saul was trying to destroy the church; entering one house after another, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.³ Saul had not set out to be evil and a persecutor of the innocent. He thought he was serving God, arresting the guilty, judging and condemning them, according to his conscience and his understanding of his religion. Saul, still breathing out threats to murder the Lord’s disciples, went to the high priest and requested letters from him to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, either men or women, he could bring them as prisoners to Jerusalem.⁴ But as it happened, Saul was arrested instead (Acts 9:3-17 NET).

As he was going along, approaching Damascus, suddenly⁵ a light from⁶ heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” So he said, “Who are you, Lord?” He replied,⁷ “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting!⁸ But⁹ stand up and enter the city and you will be told what you must do.” (Now the men who were traveling with him stood there speechless,¹⁰ because they heard the voice but saw no one.) So Saul¹¹ got up from the ground, but although his eyes were open, he could see nothing.¹² Leading him by the hand, his companions brought him into Damascus. For three days he could not see, and he neither ate nor drank anything.

Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias,” and he replied, “Here I am, Lord.” Then the Lord told him, “Get up and go to the street called ‘Straight,’ and at Judas’ house look for a man from Tarsus named Saul. For he is praying, and he has seen in a vision¹³ a man named Ananias come in and place his hands¹⁴ on him so that he may see again.” But Ananias¹⁵ replied, “Lord, I have heard¹⁶ from many people about this man, how much harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem, and here he has authority from the chief priests to imprison all who call on your name!” But the Lord said to him, “Go, because this man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before Gentiles and¹⁷ kings and the people of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” So Ananias departed and entered the house, placed his hands on Saul and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came here, has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”

Eventually Saul became known as Paul the Apostle. His journey from the violent judgment of his religious mind to perhaps the chief explicator of the Gospel and the mind of Christ in the New Testament is where I will turn my attention next.

Addendum: February 8, 2019
Tables comparing Matthew 7:2; Acts 9:3; 9:5-8; 9:12, 13 and 9:15 in the NET and KJV follow.

Matthew 7:2 (NET)	Matthew 7:2 (KJV)
For by the standard you judge you will be judged, and the measure you use will be the measure you receive.	For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
ἐν ᾧ γὰρ κρίματι κρίνετε κριθήσεσθε, καὶ ἐν ᾧ μέτρῳ μετρεῖτε μετρηθήσεται ὑμῖν	εν ω γαρ κριματι κρινετε κριθησεσθε και εν ω μετρω μετρειτε αντιμετρηθησεται υμιν	εν ω γαρ κριματι κρινετε κριθησεσθε και εν ω μετρω μετρειτε μετρηθησεται υμιν

Acts 9:3 (NET)	Acts 9:3 (KJV)
As he was going along, approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.	And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
Ἐν δὲ τῷ πορεύεσθαι ἐγένετο αὐτὸν ἐγγίζειν τῇ Δαμασκῷ, ἐξαίφνης τε αὐτὸν περιήστραψεν φῶς ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ	εν δε τω πορευεσθαι εγενετο αυτον εγγιζειν τη δαμασκω και εξαιφνης περιηστραψεν αυτον φως απο του ουρανου	εν δε τω πορευεσθαι εγενετο αυτον εγγιζειν τη δαμασκω και εξαιφνης περιηστραψεν αυτον φως απο του ουρανου

Acts 9:5-8 (NET)	Acts 9:5-8 (KJV)
So he said, “Who are you, Lord?” He replied, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting!	And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
εἶπεν δέ· τίς εἶ, κύριε; ὁ δέ· ἐγώ εἰμι Ἰησοῦς ὃν σὺ διώκεις	ειπεν δε τις ει κυριε ο δε κυριος ειπεν εγω ειμι ιησους ον συ διωκεις σκληρον σοι προς κεντρα λακτιζειν	ειπεν δε τις ει κυριε ο δε κυριος ειπεν εγω ειμι ιησους ον συ διωκεις

But stand up and enter the city and you will be told what you must do.”

And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
ἀλλὰ ἀνάστηθι καὶ εἴσελθε εἰς τὴν πόλιν καὶ λαληθήσεται σοι ὅ τί σε δεῖ ποιεῖν	τρεμων τε και θαμβων ειπεν κυριε τι με θελεις ποιησαι και ο κυριος προς αυτον αναστηθι και εισελθε εις την πολιν και λαληθησεται σοι τι σε δει ποιειν	αλλα αναστηθι και εισελθε εις την πολιν και λαληθησεται σοι τι σε δει ποιειν

(Now the men who were traveling with him stood there speechless, because they heard the voice but saw no one.)

And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
οἱ δὲ ἄνδρες οἱ συνοδεύοντες αὐτῷ εἱστήκεισαν ἐνεοί, ἀκούοντες μὲν τῆς φωνῆς μηδένα δὲ θεωροῦντες	οι δε ανδρες οι συνοδευοντες αυτω ειστηκεισαν εννεοι ακουοντες μεν της φωνης μηδενα δε θεωρουντες	οι δε ανδρες οι συνοδευοντες αυτω ειστηκεισαν ενεοι ακουοντες μεν της φωνης μηδενα δε θεωρουντες

So Saul got up from the ground, but although his eyes were open, he could see nothing. Leading him by the hand, his companions brought him into Damascus.

And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
ἠγέρθη δὲ Σαῦλος ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς, ἀνεῳγμένων δὲ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτοῦ οὐδὲν ἔβλεπεν· χειραγωγοῦντες δὲ αὐτὸν εἰσήγαγον εἰς Δαμασκόν	ηγερθη δε ο σαυλος απο της γης ανεωγμενων δε των οφθαλμων αυτου ουδενα εβλεπεν χειραγωγουντες δε αυτον εισηγαγον εις δαμασκον	ηγερθη δε ο σαυλος απο της γης ανεωγμενων τε των οφθαλμων αυτου ουδενα εβλεπεν χειραγωγουντες δε αυτον εισηγαγον εις δαμασκον

Acts 9:12, 13 (NET)	Acts 9:12, 13 (KJV)
and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and place his hands on him so that he may see again.”	And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
καὶ εἶδεν ἄνδρα Ἁνανίαν ὀνόματι εἰσελθόντα καὶ ἐπιθέντα αὐτῷ [τὰς] χεῖρας ὅπως ἀναβλέψῃ	και ειδεν εν οραματι ανδρα ονοματι ανανιαν εισελθοντα και επιθεντα αυτω χειρα οπως αναβλεψη	και ειδεν εν οραματι ανδρα ονοματι ανανιαν εισελθοντα και επιθεντα αυτω χειρα οπως αναβλεψη

But Ananias replied, “Lord, I have heard from many people about this man, how much harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem,

Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem:

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
ἀπεκρίθη δὲ Ἁνανίας· κύριε, ἤκουσα ἀπὸ πολλῶν περὶ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς τούτου ὅσα κακὰ τοῖς ἁγίοις σου ἐποίησεν ἐν Ἰερουσαλήμ	απεκριθη δε ο ανανιας κυριε ακηκοα απο πολλων περι του ανδρος τουτου οσα κακα εποιησεν τοις αγιοις σου εν ιερουσαλημ	απεκριθη δε ανανιας κυριε ακηκοα απο πολλων περι του ανδρος τουτου οσα κακα εποιησεν τοις αγιοις σου εν ιερουσαλημ

Acts 9:15 (NET)	Acts 9:15 (KJV)
But the Lord said to him, “Go, because this man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before Gentiles and kings and the people of Israel.	But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
εἶπεν δὲ πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ κύριος· πορεύου, ὅτι σκεῦος ἐκλογῆς ἐστίν μοι οὗτος τοῦ βαστάσαι τὸ ὄνομα μου ἐνώπιον ἐθνῶν τε καὶ βασιλέων υἱῶν τε Ἰσραήλ	ειπεν δε προς αυτον ο κυριος πορευου οτι σκευος εκλογης μοι εστιν ουτος του βαστασαι το ονομα μου ενωπιον εθνων και βασιλεων υιων τε ισραηλ	ειπεν δε προς αυτον ο κυριος πορευου οτι σκευος εκλογης μοι εστιν ουτος του βαστασαι το ονομα μου ενωπιον εθνων και βασιλεων υιων τε ισραηλ

Paul’s Religious Mind

Back to Saul and Barnabas, Part 1

Back to Antichrist, Part 2

Back to Apostles and Prophets, Part 1

Back to Son of God – John, Part 2

Back to Romans, Part 66

Back to Atonement, Part 1

Back to Hypocrisy

Back to Romans, Part 39

Back to The Will of God – Jesus, Part 1

Back to Keep Yourselves From Idols, Part 3

Back to Christ-Centered Preaching, Chapter 4, Part 3

Back to Exploration, Part 18

¹ Matthew 7:1 (NET)

² Matthew 7:2 (NET) The NET parallel Greek text, NA²⁸ and Byzantine Majority Text had μετρηθήσεται here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus had αντιμετρηθησεται (KJV: it shall be measured…again).

³ Acts 8:3 (NET)

⁴ Acts 9:1, 2 (NET)

⁵ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had τε following suddenly. The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had και (KJV: and) preceding suddenly.

⁶ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had ἐκ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had απο.

⁷ The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had κυριος ειπεν (KJV: the Lord said) here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

⁸ The Stephanus Textus Receptus had σκληρον σοι προς κεντρα λακτιζειν (KJV: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks) here. The NET parallel Greek text, NA²⁸ and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

⁹ The NET parallel Greek text and Byzantine Majority Text had ἀλλὰ here, where NA²⁸ had ἀλλ’ and the Stephanus Textus Receptus had τρεμων τε και θαμβων ειπεν κυριε τι με θελεις ποιησαι και ο κυριος προς αυτον (KJV: And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him).

¹⁰ The NET parallel Greek text, NA²⁸ and Byzantine Majority Text had ἐνεοί here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus had εννεοι.

¹¹ The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had the article ο preceding Saul. The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

¹² The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had οὐδὲν here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ουδενα (KJV: no man).

¹³ The Stephanus Textus Receptus, Byzantine Majority Text and NA²⁸ had ἐν ὁράματι (KJV: in a vision) here. The NET parallel Greek text did not.

¹⁴ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had χεῖρας here preceded by the article τὰς, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had simply χειρα (KJV: hand).

¹⁵ The Stephanus Textus Receptus had the article ο preceding Ananias. The NET parallel Greek text, NA²⁸ and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

¹⁶ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had ἤκουσα here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ακηκοα.

¹⁷ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had the particle τε preceding and. The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

Jesus’ Artifacts, Part 7

Posted on June 9, 2012 by admin

I’m not saying one word against the truth of the Bible, even its universal absolute truth. Believers, however, rarely argue among themselves that the Bible in all its context is the universal absolute truth. The arguments are over someone’s understanding of some part of the Bible, in other words we argue over sermons. I don’t even intend to argue against the absolute truth of a sermon prepared and delivered as the Lord intended for a particular congregation that has produced actual obedient results. I am simply saying that it is not necessarily universally applicable to every other congregation on the planet any more than the absolutely correct protein for, say, a liver cell is necessarily (for that reason alone) the absolutely correct protein for eyes, skin, teeth or lungs. So I am using my current knowledge of the DNA-RNA-protein complex as an analogy to demonstrate how even absolute truth might not be universally applicable and might appear to be completely contradictory when that universality is tacitly assumed.

So how true is this analogy? Or, another way of saying essentially the same thing is, How binding should this analogy be in your thoughts and actions? Guess what? For you, it is only as true and binding as you believe it to be. In this sense faith (and its consequent commitments) is a protection against wild swings of trajectory or action. So we are no longer to be children, tossed back and forth by waves and carried about by every wind of teaching by the trickery of people who craftily carry out their deceitful schemes,¹ is how Paul put it.

I am working not only with my acknowledged understanding of the Bible but with my understanding of others’ understanding of microscopic physical phenomena. That is at least two, probably three, times removed from the simple goodness of “God said it; I believe it; that settles it.” No matter what your current belief about the validity of my analogy is, it is likely to change. Human knowledge of the DNA-RNA-protein complex will undoubtedly change. Our current knowledge is the first knowledge of a rather small piece of the whole genome. As we learn more about the rest it may reinforce and exalt our current understanding, or it may demonstrate that what we now know is relatively insignificant or even fundamentally flawed.

But for me, having gone through the process, I’m going to stand for the time being by what I have learned. Perhaps the most obvious stance I am taking is that this is not called PREACHERS DON’T KNOW MUCH ABOUT THE BIBLE, it is called WHAT KIND OF CARPENTER IS JESUS.

Well, have I learned anything about that?

I’ve already mentioned that I recognized Jesus as a cleverer programmer than I am. (And perhaps now is as good a time as any to acknowledge that any of my inferences will be about Jesus as a craftsman in general rather than a carpenter specifically.) I am so taken with the DNA-RNA-protein complex I would love to wax poetic in my praise of his excellent craftsmanship. The only thing that stops me from doing that here is the recognition that it is faith that allows me to see things that way. James Watson, for instance, looked at the same DNA-RNA-protein complex and did not conclude that it is “absolutely the best and most efficient way”² to do things. “‘Why does the information in DNA need to go through an RNA intermediate before it can be translated into a protein?”³ he asked.

Frankly, I’m not wise enough to criticize the Lord’s creation like this. All I know of DNA, RNA and proteins comes from James Watson and a few others like him. So I am compelled to fall back on my one little skill, that philosophical bent of my mind.

Watson pointed out that DNA can store information but can’t catalyze chemical reactions. Proteins catalyze chemical reactions but can’t store information. DNA and proteins are each dependent on the existence of the other. RNA on the other hand “can store and replicate genetic information” and “can catalyze critical chemical reactions.” So Francis Crick imagined an RNA world that pre-existed the DNA-RNA-protein complex understood presently. RNA persists today as a kind of piecemeal vestige of that evolutionary history, according to Watson. For Watson, apparently, a DNA-protein complex would be more efficient than the DNA-RNA-protein complex. An RNA-protein complex would be out of the question because RNA is not a very stable molecule. DNA is a definite improvement for long-term information storage. Why proteins came into the picture is not entirely clear, except that the only chemical reaction Watson mentioned that RNA catalyzes is the bonding of the amino acids that make the chains that fold into proteins. But remember, DNA is not able to catalyze these chemical bonds.

Even after Watson’s explanation I was left scratching my head and still thinking that the DNA-RNA-protein complex sounded like the best thing for the job at hand. You see, James Watson and I have different agendas. If the DNA-RNA-protein complex proves to be the irreducible level of complexity necessary for the existence of life, I’m unconcerned. God is smart enough to handle that level of complexity from the very beginning. Watson’s faith in the theory of evolution, on the other hand, would be called into question. This is an awful lot to ask of chance-directed processes. So in my opinion it is Watson’s faith that prompts him to question the efficiency of the DNA-RNA-protein complex while my faith prompts me to praise Jesus.

So while engaging in poetic praise of Jesus’ craftsmanship is a good and necessary thing for me to do as a matter of worship, here I’ll limit myself to a simple observation. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit,⁴ Jesus told Nicodemus. We have known for nearly two thousand years that this life “born of the Spirit” had some relationship to the Bible. We’ve argued over the details of that relationship for most of that time, but generally agree to some manner of relationship. It is interesting to me at this late date to find an information storage and retrieval system like the DNA-RNA-protein complex in some relationship to life “born of the flesh.”

I didn’t create the DNA-RNA-protein complex out of my imagination. In fact, I learned about it from people who might reasonably be called hostile witnesses. Yet even in the descriptions of hostile witnesses I can recognize enough of the hallmarks of a particular individual’s craftsmanship—in both the Bible-Preacher-obedient-congregation complex’s relationship to life born of the Spirit and the DNA-RNA-protein complex’s relationship to life born of the flesh—to be willing to modify my views about the former by reference to the latter.

What kind of carpenter is Jesus? He is the kind of craftsman whose handiwork displays the individually recognizable traits of his craftsmanship. In other words, whatever those distinguishing features are that make it possible to recognize a favorite composer’s music, or a favorite artist’s paintings, or a favorite architect’s buildings, those features are also evident in the artifacts of Jesus’ creation—the DNA-RNA-protein complex and the Bible-Preacher-obedient-congregation complex, life born of the flesh and life born of the Spirit respectively.

Who am I? Part 1

Back to Fear – Genesis, Part 8

Back to Torture, Part 4

Back to Who Am I? Part 8

¹ Ephesians 4:14 (NET)

³ Ibid, pg. 83

⁴ John 3:6 (NET)

Conclusion

Posted on June 8, 2012 by admin

Athens and Corinth¹ are the only locales around the Mediterranean where contemporary historians recognize idolatrous worship (including its drunken sexual practices) being carried out more or less openly in the first century. Trusting the Bible and experimenting with the idea that this is what New Testament authors meant by the word πορνεία persuades me that such worship was practiced more secretly elsewhere. But I would be very surprised indeed to learn that as Jesus spoke the words in Matthew 5:32 or 19:9 it was practiced in Judea. Samaria? Maybe. But not Judea. That would be much more surprising than the insight that the people who first heard the law at Sinai were accustomed to these religious practices.

My surprise isn’t an argument for or against the truth of anything. I was just as surprised the first time I heard about Republican presidents, candidates and cabinet members engaging in this kind of πορνεία. I was watching television in a hotel room. By watching television I mean I was flipping through channels searching for a movie with my customary attitude toward television shows and commercials; namely, “Get my attention. I dare you!” A piece on Russian Television (RT) about Bohemian Grove broke through the clutter. But after it was over and I resumed flipping channels I didn’t store that information as an example of πορνεία in the contemporary world, but as an example of the most bizarre Republican bashing I had ever heard.

Subsequently though, a little more research revealed that a journalist in 1989 and a radio talk show host in 2000 successfully infiltrated this secretive and exclusive gathering of media, business and power elites (mostly Republicans) at Bohemian Grove about 70 miles northwest of San Francisco. Men—exclusively men—have met there in July since the 1880’s. Though the two infiltrators returned with different perceptions of the meaning of the events in question, some basic facts emerged, especially the opening festivities called the Cremation of Care.

The Cremation of Care is a mock human sacrifice before a forty-five foot stone idol of an owl. (Years ago it was a plaster-of-Paris Buddha.) The πόρνη, female prostitutes, at Bohemian Grove are secular pros rather than religious devotees who meet with their clients outside the camp, as it were, since women are forbidden at these gatherings. The πόρνος, male prostitutes, are other members of this exclusive club. And I got the impression that their service was more “spiritual,” in the sense that it was offered in the spirit of the festivities rather than as a work for hire. Apparently however the πόρνος were more active in times past before the AIDS epidemic. Drinking (and peeing) is legendary at Bohemian Grove.

The talk show host photographed the Cremation of Care ceremony on video. His hidden camera work was not great filmmaking; it didn’t put me in the scene. With that caveat I’ll say that my impression was of a ceremony more like an Addams Family version of Disney World spectacle than actual worship of an owl deity. But that was good for me in the sense that it revealed something I might otherwise have missed.

My bias skews toward faith. But there were probably as many people participating in ancient fertility rites with as little faith in the deity represented or the rites practiced as the men at Bohemian Grove. They may have been there for the wine, women and song, or for business opportunities, or political advantage. Ezekiel alluded to a military alliance as the driving force behind Judah’s πορνεία.² Isn’t national security worth a trifling dalliance with the meaningless religious beliefs and practices of one’s powerful allies as a gesture of good faith and good manners? God, of course, perceived things differently.

Religious minds, and the religions they create, don’t value faith as much as conformity to—or at least acquiescence in the face of—traditional ritual. No matter how rich or successful or powerful the men who attend the July gathering at Bohemian Grove are, they are nothing compared to the longstanding tradition of the Cremation of Care ceremony. They can do nothing about it, nor protest it in any meaningful way—(some apparently avoid it by arriving late to the gathering)—without jeopardizing their positions as rich, successful, powerful men privileged to attend an expensive invitation-only event. You’re either on the bus or off the bus, Ken Kesey used to say to the Merry Pranksters in the halcyon days of LSD-induced enlightenment.

I’m not getting this idea about religious minds and conformity to ritual from Bohemian Grove, necessarily. It was more accessible to me there and then (here and now), than in the ancient past. It helped me to understand something about the false view of the world shared by the majority of the inhabitants of the southern kingdom Judah (Jeremiah 7:8b-10a NET):

You are putting your confidence in a false belief that will not deliver you [Table]. You steal. You murder. You commit adultery. You lie when you swear on oath. You sacrifice to the god Baal. You pay allegiance to other gods whom you have not previously known [Table]. Then you come and stand in my presence in this temple I have claimed as my own and say, “We are safe!” [Table]

In other words, they paid the tithes, brought the offerings and sacrifices, and otherwise performed the rituals of the worship of God, but as the Lord said through the prophet Isaiah, These people say they are loyal to me; they say wonderful things about me, but they are not really loyal to me. Their worship consists of nothing but man-made ritual.³ So if the story of Jephthah is a boundary stone marking one edge as it were of the religious mind—the extreme to which a man would go to avoid acknowledging sin—the above passage in Jeremiah is like a boundary stone marking the opposite edge—people who will admit to any and all sins in word and ritual but continue to indulge the very same sins,⁴ believing their words and rituals will save them somehow (or at least will do them no harm).

As far as the meaning of πορνεία is concerned I can come to know definitive conclusion. And this is why: Is a man witnessing the Cremation of Care ceremony at Bohemian Grove, a mock human sacrifice to an owl statue, guilty of πορνεία? Or must he put on a robe and participate? Or must he believe in the owl? Or must he have sex with a prostitute?

Well, what if he has sex with a prostitute without any connection to owl statues and Cremation of Care ceremonies? What about drunken sexual practices in general? It sounds like a bar on a Friday or Saturday night for those handsome enough, rich enough or charming enough to get lucky, minus the bloody sacrifice, of course, mock or earnest.

In the allegory in Ezekiel Oholah and Oholibah engaged in prostitution in Egypt; in their youth they engaged in prostitution. Their breasts were squeezed there; lovers fondled their virgin nipples there.⁵ Does that mean two teenagers in the backseat of a car are guilty of πορνεία? If so, immorality is a fine translation of the word. But what does immorality mean? Isn’t that what is contrary to God’s law? So then unlawful marriage may be a good translation, too.

This kind of indecision frustrates me to no end when I’m searching the Bible for rules to obey. And I’ve done that and continue to do it at times. I have studied the Bible like a rule book with all the urgency and life-and-death anxiety that procedure engenders. Then I’ve searched for rules to justify or declare me righteous. Finally I’ve searched for rules that might bind God to me anyway. At that point I usually come to my senses if not before. Lex Deus (Law is God) as I call it is the most seductive form of idolatry to my upbringing and temperament.

When I actually believe that I am justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus⁶ and that the meaning of eternal life is that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you sent⁷ my anxiety level goes down as my time horizon expands. I’m comforted then by Paul’s insight, For now we see in a mirror indirectly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, just as I have been fully known.⁸ It is not so burdensome then to plug these various ideas into each particular occurrence of πορνεία to see which fits with the only true God, and Jesus Christ I am beginning to know in part, in a mirror indirectly.

Section 2 – Introduction

Back to Religious and Righteous Prayer

Back to My Reasons and My Reason, Part 2

Back to Hannah’s Prayer, Part 3

¹ S.M. Baugh in an essay titled, “Cult Prostitution In New Testament Ephesus: A Reappraisal,” published in the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society in 1999, denies that: “Despite the received opinion to the contrary, I do not believe that cult prostitution was practiced in Greek (and Roman) regions of the NT era. The evidence thought to support this institution in the cities of Corinth and Ephesus was found wanting in our brief survey of Strabo and a few other authors. Finally, we looked at some of the positive evidence from Ephesus to show that the priestesses of Artemis – wrongly thought by many today to be a fertility or mother goddess – were no more than daughters of noble families, whose terms of office involved them in the honorary public roles and the financial obligations which typified priestly offices in Greek state cults. A priestess of Artemis compares better with a Rose Bowl queen or with Miss Teen America than with a cult prostitute. Indeed, there are some hints in the literature (e.g. Xenophon of Ephesus) that the girl-priestesses may have been chosen because they best resembled the chaste maiden-goddess.”

² Ezekiel 23:5, 6, 12-15 (NET) πορνείαν (a form of πορνεία) is the translation of תזנותיה (taznûṯ) in the Septuagint [See: Greek World, 18:53] in Ezekiel 23:14.

³ Isaiah 29:13 (NET) Table

⁴ Jeremiah 7:10b (NET) Table

⁵ Ezekiel 23:3 (NET) Table

⁶ Romans 3:24 (NET)

⁷ John 17:3 (NET)

⁸ 1 Corinthians 13:12 (NET)

Jephthah’s Religious Mind

Posted on June 7, 2012 by admin

When Jephthah sacrificed his daughter to justify himself he became the least like Moses as a leader. After God spoke the law ¹ to all the Israelites assembled at Mount Sinai, Moses went up the mountain to learn from God about the construction of, and worship in, the Tabernacle.²

When the people saw that Moses delayed in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said to him, “Get up, make us gods that will go before us. As for this fellow Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him!” So Aaron said to them, “Break off the gold earrings that are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” So all the people broke off the gold earrings that were on their ears and brought them to Aaron. He accepted the gold from them, fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molten calf. Then they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.” When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it, and Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow will be a feast to the Lord.” So they got up early on the next day and offered up burnt offerings and brought peace offerings, and the people sat down to eat and drink, and they rose up to play.³

The Lord spoke to Moses (Exodus 32:7, 8 NET): Go quickly, descend, because your people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have acted corruptly. They have quickly turned aside from the way that I commanded them – they have made for themselves a molten calf and have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and said, “These are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up from the land of Egypt.” Then God offered Moses the kind of deal that tries the souls of men (Exodus 32:9, 10 NET).

I have seen this people. Look what a stiff-necked people they are [See Table below]! So now, leave me alone so that my anger can burn against them and I can destroy them, and I will make from you a great nation.

But Moses sought the favor of the Lord his God⁴ is the next statement in the text. If I stopped there I might ask how much more favor the man could possibly want. God just offered to destroy all of the people of Israel and make Moses not merely a leader but the literal patriarch of a whole new race of the chosen people of God! But then Moses wasn’t seeking favor for himself, was he? Moses said (Exodus 32:11b, 12 NET):

O Lord, why does your anger burn against your people, whom you have brought out from the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, “For evil he led them out to kill them in the mountains and to destroy them from the face of the earth”? Turn from your burning anger, and relent of this evil against your people.

Moses’ first concern was God’s glory rather than his own, how the proposed turn of events would play out among the Lord’s enemies. Jephthah cared very little for these things and was apparently quite content to portray God as one who would require the life of a young girl for the foolish oath spoken by an insecure man. Moses continued (Exodus 32:13 NET):

Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel your servants, to whom you swore by yourself and told them, “I will multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken about I will give to your descendants, and they will inherit it forever.”

Moses’ concern here was for the long term integrity and reliability of God’s promise. Jephthah showed more concern for the words that came out of his own mouth. Moses spoke again to God (Exodus 32:31, 32 NET):

Alas, this people has committed a very serious sin, and they have made for themselves gods of gold. But now, if you will forgive their sin…, but if not, wipe me out from your book that you have written.

Moses identified himself with the people he led before God. There is no record that Jephthah ever petitioned God for his daughter’s life, instead he sacrificed hers to save himself. The sacrifice God required of Jephthah was not grievous—in one sense (Leviticus 5:6-13 NET):

…he must bring his penalty for guilt to the Lord for his sin that he has committed, a female from the flock, whether a female sheep or a female goat, for a sin offering. So the priest will make atonement on his behalf for his sin [Table].

If he cannot afford an animal from the flock, he must bring his penalty for guilt for his sin that he has committed, two turtledoves or two young pigeons, to the Lord, one for a sin offering and one for a burnt offering. He must bring them to the priest and present first the one that is for a sin offering. The priest must pinch its head at the nape of its neck, but must not sever the head from the body. Then he must sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering on the wall of the altar, and the remainder of the blood must be squeezed out at the base of the altar – it is a sin offering. The second bird he must make a burnt offering according to the standard regulation. So the priest will make atonement on behalf of this person for his sin which he has committed, and he will be forgiven.

If he cannot afford two turtledoves or two young pigeons, he must bring as his offering for his sin which he has committed a tenth of an ephah of choice wheat flour for a sin offering. He must not place olive oil on it and he must not put frankincense on it, because it is a sin offering. He must bring it to the priest and the priest must scoop out from it a handful as its memorial portion and offer it up in smoke on the altar on top of the other gifts of the Lord – it is a sin offering. So the priest will make atonement on his behalf for his sin which he has committed by doing one of these things, and he will be forgiven. The remainder of the offering will belong to the priest like the grain offering.

Prior to any of this it was necessary that Jephthah judge for himself that his oath was a thoughtless one,⁵ he must confess how he has sinned,⁶ and come to the priest as to the Lord with the attitude of the righteous prayer of the tax collector, God, be merciful to me, sinner that I am!⁷ But this has proven over and over again to be an insurmountable obstacle to the religious mind of human beings apart from the grace of God. So Jephthah’s story gives me a relative measure of how far the religious mind will go to justify itself rather than God.

Addendum: August 17, 2021
Tables comparing Exodus 32:1; 32:2; 32:3; 32:4; 32:5; 32:6; 32:7; 32:8; 32:9; 32:10; 32:11; 32:12; 32:13; 32:31; 32:32; Leviticus 5:7; 5:8; 5:9; 5:10; 5:11; 5:12 and 5:13 in the Tanakh, KJV and NET, and the Greek of Exodus 32:1; 32:2; 32:3; 32:4; 32:5; 32:6; 32:7; 32:8 (32:8, 9); 32:9; 32:10 (32:9. 10); 32:11; 32:12; 32:13; 32:31; 32:32; Leviticus 5:7; 5:8; 5:9; 5:10; 5:11; 5:12 and 5:13 in the Septuagint (BLB and Elpenor) follow.

Exodus 32:1 (Tanakh)	Exodus 32:1 (KJV)	Exodus 32:1 (NET)
And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him: ‘Up, make us a god who shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we know not what is become of him.’	And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.	When the people saw that Moses delayed in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said to him, “Get up, make us gods that will go before us. As for this fellow Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him!”

Exodus 32:1 (Septuagint BLB)	Exodus 32:1 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἰδὼν ὁ λαὸς ὅτι κεχρόνικεν Μωυσῆς καταβῆναι ἐκ τοῦ ὄρους συνέστη ὁ λαὸς ἐπὶ Ααρων καὶ λέγουσιν αὐτῷ ἀνάστηθι καὶ ποίησον ἡμῗν θεούς οἳ προπορεύσονται ἡμῶν ὁ γὰρ Μωυσῆς οὗτος ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὃς ἐξήγαγεν ἡμᾶς ἐξ Αἰγύπτου οὐκ οἴδαμεν τί γέγονεν αὐτῷ	ΚΑΙ ἰδὼν ὁ λαὸς ὅτι κεχρόνικε Μωυσῆς καταβῆναι ἐκ τοῦ ὄρους, συνέστη ὁ λαὸς ἐπὶ ᾿Ααρὼν καὶ λέγουσιν αὐτῷ· ἀνάστηθι καὶ ποίησον ἡμῖν θεούς, οἳ προπορεύσονται ἡμῶν· ὁ γὰρ Μωυσῆς οὗτος ὁ ἄνθρωπος, ὃς ἐξήγαγεν ἡμᾶς ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου, οὐκ οἴδαμεν τί γέγονεν αὐτῷ
Exodus 32:1 (NETS)	Exodus 32:1 (English Elpenor)
And when the people saw that Moyses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered together before Aaron and say to him, “Get up, and makes us gods who will go before us. For this Moyses, the man who brought us out from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.”	And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people combined against Aaron, and said to him, Arise and make us gods who shall go before us; for this Moses, the man who brought us forth out of the land of Egypt– we do not know what is become of him.

Exodus 32:2 (Tanakh)	Exodus 32:2 (KJV)	Exodus 32:2 (NET)
And Aaron said unto them: ‘Break off the golden rings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me.’	And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me.	So Aaron said to them, “Break off the gold earrings that are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.”

Exodus 32:2 (Septuagint BLB)	Exodus 32:2 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ λέγει αὐτοῗς Ααρων περιέλεσθε τὰ ἐνώτια τὰ χρυσᾶ τὰ ἐν τοῗς ὠσὶν τῶν γυναικῶν ὑμῶν καὶ θυγατέρων καὶ ἐνέγκατε πρός με	καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς ᾿Ααρών· περιέλεσθε τὰ ἐνώτια τὰ χρυσὰ τὰ ἐκ τοῖς ὠσὶ τῶν γυναικῶν ὑμῶν καὶ θυγατέρων καὶ ἐνέγκατε πρός με
Exodus 32:2 (NETS)	Exodus 32:2 (English Elpenor)
And Aaron says to them, “Remove the gold earrings in the ears of your wives and daughters, and bring them to me.”	And Aaron says to them, Take off the golden ear-rings which are in the ears of your wives and daughters, and bring them to me.

Exodus 32:3 (Tanakh)	Exodus 32:3 (KJV)	Exodus 32:3 (NET)
And all the people broke off the golden rings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron.	And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron.	So all the people broke off the gold earrings that were on their ears and brought them to Aaron.

Exodus 32:3 (Septuagint BLB)	Exodus 32:3 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ περιείλαντο πᾶς ὁ λαὸς τὰ ἐνώτια τὰ χρυσᾶ τὰ ἐν τοῗς ὠσὶν αὐτῶν καὶ ἤνεγκαν πρὸς Ααρων	καὶ περιείλαντο πᾶς ὁ λαὸς τὰ ἐνώτια τὰ χρυσᾶ τὰ ἐν τοῖς ὠσὶν αὐτῶν καὶ ἤνεγκαν πρὸς ᾿Ααρών
Exodus 32:3 (NETS)	Exodus 32:3 (English Elpenor)
And all the people removed the gold earrings in their ears and brought them to Aaron.	And all the people took off the golden ear-rings that were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron.

Exodus 32:4 (Tanakh)	Exodus 32:4 (KJV)	Exodus 32:4 (NET)
And he received it at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, and made it a molten calf; and they said: ‘This is thy god, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.’	And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.	He accepted the gold from them, fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molten calf. Then they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”

Exodus 32:4 (Septuagint BLB)	Exodus 32:4 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐδέξατο ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν αὐτῶν καὶ ἔπλασεν αὐτὰ ἐν τῇ γραφίδι καὶ ἐποίησεν αὐτὰ μόσχον χωνευτὸν καὶ εἶπεν οὗτοι οἱ θεοί σου Ισραηλ οἵτινες ἀνεβίβασάν σε ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου	καὶ ἐδέξατο ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν αὐτῶν καὶ ἔπλασεν αὐτὰ ἐν τῇ γραφίδι καὶ ἐποίησεν αὐτὰ μόσχον χωνευτὸν καὶ εἶπεν· οὗτοι οἱ θεοί σου, ᾿Ισραήλ, οἵτινες ἀνεβίβασάν σε ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου
Exodus 32:4 (NETS)	Exodus 32:4 (English Elpenor)
And he received from their hands and formed them with an engraving tool and made them a molten calf and said, “These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.”	And he received them at their hands, and formed them with a graving tool; and he made them a molten calf, and said, These [are] thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

Exodus 32:5 (Tanakh)	Exodus 32:5 (KJV)	Exodus 32:5 (NET)
And when Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said: ‘To-morrow shall be a feast to HaShem.’	And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the LORD.	When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it, and Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow will be a feast to the Lord.”

Exodus 32:5 (Septuagint BLB)	Exodus 32:5 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἰδὼν Ααρων ᾠκοδόμησεν θυσιαστήριον κατέναντι αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐκήρυξεν Ααρων λέγων ἑορτὴ τοῦ κυρίου αὔριον	καὶ ἰδὼν ᾿Ααρὼν ᾠκοδόμησε θυσιαστήριον κατέναντι αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐκήρυξεν ᾿Ααρὼν λέγων· ἑορτὴν τοῦ Κυρίου αὔριον
Exodus 32:5 (NETS)	Exodus 32:5 (English Elpenor)
And when Aaron saw, he built an altar before it, and Aaron proclaimed, saying, “The Lord’s feast tomorrow!”	And Aaron having seen it built an altar before it, and Aaron made proclamation saying, To-morrow [is] a feast of the Lord.

Exodus 32:6 (Tanakh)	Exodus 32:6 (KJV)	Exodus 32:6 (NET)
And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt-offerings, and brought peace-offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to make merry.	And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.	So they got up early on the next day and offered up burnt offerings and brought peace offerings, and the people sat down to eat and drink, and they rose up to play.

Exodus 32:6 (Septuagint BLB)	Exodus 32:6 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ὀρθρίσας τῇ ἐπαύριον ἀνεβίβασεν ὁλοκαυτώματα καὶ προσήνεγκεν θυσίαν σωτηρίου καὶ ἐκάθισεν ὁ λαὸς φαγεῗν καὶ πιεῗν καὶ ἀνέστησαν παίζειν	καὶ ὀρθρίσας τῇ ἐπαύριον ἀνεβίβασεν ὁλοκαυτώματα καὶ προσήνεγκε θυσίαν σωτηρίου, καὶ ἐκάθισεν ὁ λαὸς φαγεῖν καὶ πιεῖν καὶ ἀνέστησαν παίζειν.
Exodus 32:6 (NETS)	Exodus 32:6 (English Elpenor)
And early the next day, he brought up whole burnt offerings and offered a sacrifice of deliverance, and the people sat down to eat and drink, and they arose to play.	And having risen early on the morrow, he offered whole burnt-offerings, and offered a peace-offering; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.

Exodus 32:7 (Tanakh)	Exodus 32:7 (KJV)	Exodus 32:7 (NET)
And HaShem spoke unto Moses: ‘Go, get thee down; for thy people, that thou broughtest up out of the land of Egypt, have dealt corruptly;	And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves:	The Lord spoke to Moses, “Go quickly, descend, because your people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have acted corruptly.

Exodus 32:7 (Septuagint BLB)	Exodus 32:7 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐλάλησεν κύριος πρὸς Μωυσῆν λέγων βάδιζε τὸ τάχος ἐντεῦθεν κατάβηθι ἠνόμησεν γὰρ ὁ λαός σου οὓς ἐξήγαγες ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου	Καὶ ἐλάλησε Κύριος πρὸς Μωυσῆν λέγων· βάδιζε τὸ τάχος, κατάβηθι ἐντεῦθεν· ἠνόμησε γὰρ ὁ λαός σου, ὃν ἐξήγαγες ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου
Exodus 32:7 (NETS)	Exodus 32:7 (English Elpenor)
And the Lord spoke to Moyses, saying, “Go! Descend quickly from here, for your people have acted lawlessly, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt.	And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Go quickly, descend hence, for thy people whom thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt have transgressed;

Exodus 32:8 (Tanakh)	Exodus 32:8 (KJV)	Exodus 32:8 (NET)
they have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them; they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed unto it, and said: This is thy god, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.’	They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.	They have quickly turned aside from the way that I commanded them—they have made for themselves a molten calf and have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up from the land of Egypt.’”

Exodus 32:8 (Septuagint BLB)	Exodus 32:8 (Septuagint Elpenor)
παρέβησαν ταχὺ ἐκ τῆς ὁδοῦ ἧς ἐνετείλω αὐτοῗς ἐποίησαν ἑαυτοῗς μόσχον καὶ προσκεκυνήκασιν αὐτῷ καὶ τεθύκασιν αὐτῷ καὶ εἶπαν οὗτοι οἱ θεοί σου Ισραηλ οἵτινες ἀνεβίβασάν σε ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου	παρέβησαν ταχὺ ἐκ τῆς ὁδοῦ, ἧς ἐνετείλω αὐτοῖς· ἐποίησαν ἑαυτοῖς μόσχον καὶ προσκεκυνήκασιν αὐτῷ καὶ τεθύκασιν αὐτῷ καὶ εἶπαν· οὗτοι οἱ θεοί σου, ᾿Ισραήλ, οἵτινες ἀνεβίβασάν σε ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου
Exodus 32:8, 9 (NETS)	Exodus 32:8 (English Elpenor)
They have deviated quickly from the way that you commanded them. They made for themselves a calf and did obeisance to it and offered sacrifices to it, and said, (9) ‘These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.’	they have quickly gone out of the way which thou commandedst; they have made for themselves a calf, and worshiped it, and sacrificed to it, and said, These are thy gods, O Israel, who brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

Exodus 32:9 (Tanakh)	Exodus 32:9 (KJV)	Exodus 32:9 (NET)
And HaShem said unto Moses: ‘I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people.	And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people:	Then the Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people. Look what a stiff-necked people they are!

Exodus 32:9 (Septuagint BLB)	Exodus 32:9 (Septuagint Elpenor)
n/a	n/a
Exodus 32:9 (NETS)	Exodus 32:9 (English Elpenor)
n/a	n/a

Exodus 32:10 (Tanakh)	Exodus 32:10 (KJV)	Exodus 32:10 (NET)
Now therefore let Me alone, that My wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them; and I will make of thee a great nation.’	Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation.	So now, leave me alone so that my anger can burn against them and I can destroy them, and I will make from you a great nation.”

Exodus 32:10 (Septuagint BLB)	Exodus 32:9, 10 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ νῦν ἔασόν με καὶ θυμωθεὶς ὀργῇ εἰς αὐτοὺς ἐκτρίψω αὐτοὺς καὶ ποιήσω σὲ εἰς ἔθνος μέγα	καὶ νῦν ἔασόν με καὶ θυμωθεὶς ὀργῇ εἰς αὐτούς ἐκτρίψω αὐτοὺς (10) καὶ ποιήσω σε εἰς ἔθνος μέγα
Exodus 32:10 (NETS)	Exodus 32:10 (English Elpenor)
And now allow me, and, enraged with anger against them, I will destroy them and make you into a great nation.”	And now let me alone, and I will be very angry with them and consume them, and I will make thee a great nation.

Exodus 32:11 (Tanakh)	Exodus 32:11 (KJV)	Exodus 32:11 (NET)
And Moses besought HaShem his G-d, and said: ‘HaShem, why doth Thy wrath wax hot against Thy people, that Thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?	And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand?	But Moses sought the favor of the Lord his God and said, “O Lord, why does your anger burn against your people, whom you have brought out from the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?

Exodus 32:11 (Septuagint BLB)	Exodus 32:11 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐδεήθη Μωυσῆς ἔναντι κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ εἶπεν ἵνα τί κύριε θυμοῗ ὀργῇ εἰς τὸν λαόν σου οὓς ἐξήγαγες ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου ἐν ἰσχύι μεγάλῃ καὶ ἐν τῷ βραχίονί σου τῷ ὑψηλῷ	καὶ ἐδεήθη Μωυσῆς ἔναντι Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ εἶπεν· ἱνατί, Κύριε, θυμοῖ ὀργῇ εἰς τὸν λαόν σου, οὓς ἐξήγαγες ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου ἐν ἰσχύϊ μεγάλῃ καὶ ἐν τῷ βραχίονί σου τῷ ὑψηλῷ
Exodus 32:11 (NETS)	Exodus 32:11 (English Elpenor)
And Moyses prayed before the Lord his God and said, “Why, Lord, are you enraged with anger against your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and an uplifted arm?	And Moses prayed before the Lord God, and said, Wherefore, O Lord, art thou very angry with thy people, whom thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt with great strength, and with thy high arm?

Exodus 32:12 (Tanakh)	Exodus 32:12 (KJV)	Exodus 32:12 (NET)
Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, saying: For evil did He bring them forth, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from Thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against Thy people.	Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people.	Why should the Egyptians say, ‘For evil he led them out to kill them in the mountains and to destroy them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your burning anger, and relent of this evil against your people.

Exodus 32:12 (Septuagint BLB)	Exodus 32:12 (Septuagint Elpenor)
μήποτε εἴπωσιν οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι λέγοντες μετὰ πονηρίας ἐξήγαγεν αὐτοὺς ἀποκτεῗναι ἐν τοῗς ὄρεσιν καὶ ἐξαναλῶσαι αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς παῦσαι τῆς ὀργῆς τοῦ θυμοῦ σου καὶ ἵλεως γενοῦ ἐπὶ τῇ κακίᾳ τοῦ λαοῦ σου	μή ποτε εἴπωσιν οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι λέγοντες· μετὰ πονηρίας ἐξήγαγεν αὐτοὺς ἀποκτεῖναι ἐν τοῖς ὄρεσι καὶ ἐξαναλῶσαι αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς. παῦσαι τῆς ὀργῆς τοῦ θυμοῦ σου καὶ ἵλεως γενοῦ ἐπὶ τῇ κακίᾳ τοῦ λαοῦ σου
Exodus 32:12 (NETS)	Exodus 32:12 (English Elpenor)
Lest the Egyptians should speak, saying, ‘With evil intent he led them out to kill them in the mountains and to destroy them utterly from the earth,’ stop the anger of your rage, and be propitious at the wickedness of your people,	[Take heed] lest at any time the Egyptians speak, saying, With evil intent he brought them out to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from off the earth; cease from thy wrathful anger, and be merciful to the sin of thy people,

Exodus 32:13 (Tanakh)	Exodus 32:13 (KJV)	Exodus 32:13 (NET)
Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Thy servants, to whom Thou didst swear by Thine own self, and saidst unto them: I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.’	Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.	Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel your servants, to whom you swore by yourself and told them, ‘I will multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken about I will give to your descendants, and they will inherit it forever.’”

Exodus 32:13 (Septuagint BLB)	Exodus 32:13 (Septuagint Elpenor)
μνησθεὶς Αβρααμ καὶ Ισαακ καὶ Ιακωβ τῶν σῶν οἰκετῶν οἷς ὤμοσας κατὰ σεαυτοῦ καὶ ἐλάλησας πρὸς αὐτοὺς λέγων πολυπληθυνῶ τὸ σπέρμα ὑμῶν ὡσεὶ τὰ ἄστρα τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τῷ πλήθει καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ταύτην ἣν εἶπας δοῦναι τῷ σπέρματι αὐτῶν καὶ καθέξουσιν αὐτὴν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα	μνησθεὶς ῾Αβραὰμ καὶ ᾿Ισαὰκ καὶ ᾿Ιακὼβ τῶν σῶν οἰκετῶν, οἷς ὤμοσας κατὰ σεαυτοῦ καὶ ἐλάλησας πρὸς αὐτοὺς λέγων· πολυπληθυνῶ τὸ σπέρμα ὑμῶν ὡσεὶ τὰ ἄστρα τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τῷ πλήθει, καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ταύτην, ἣν εἶπας δοῦναι τῷ σπέρματι αὐτῶν, καὶ καθέξουσιν αὐτὴν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα
Exodus 32:13 (NETS)	Exodus 32:13 (English Elpenor)
remembering Abraam and Isaak and Iakob, your domestics, to whom you swore by yourself and spoke to them, saying, ‘I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the sky in number,’ and all this land that you said you would give to their seed, and they will possess it forever.”	remembering Abraam and Isaac and Jacob thy servants, to whom thou hast sworn by thyself, and hast spoken to them, saying, I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of heaven for multitude, and all this land which thou spokest of to give to them, so that they shall possess it for ever.

Exodus 32:31 (Tanakh)	Exodus 32:31 (KJV)	Exodus 32:31 (NET)
And Moses returned unto HaShem, and said: ‘Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them a god of gold.	And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold.	So Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Alas, this people has committed a very serious sin, and they have made for themselves gods of gold.

Exodus 32:31 (Septuagint BLB)	Exodus 32:31 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ὑπέστρεψεν δὲ Μωυσῆς πρὸς κύριον καὶ εἶπεν δέομαι κύριε ἡμάρτηκεν ὁ λαὸς οὗτος ἁμαρτίαν μεγάλην καὶ ἐποίησαν ἑαυτοῗς θεοὺς χρυσοῦς	ὑπέστρεψε δὲ Μωυσῆς πρὸς Κύριον καὶ εἶπε· δέομαι, Κύριε· ἡμάρτηκεν ὁ λαὸς οὗτος ἁμαρτίαν μεγάλην καὶ ἐποίησαν ἑαυτοῖς θεοὺς χρυσοῦς
Exodus 32:31 (NETS)	Exodus 32:31 (English Elpenor)
Then Moyses turned to the Lord and said, “I beg, O Lord. This people has sinned a great sin and made for themselves gold gods.	And Moses returned to the Lord and said, I pray, O Lord, this people has sinned a great sin, and they have made for themselves golden gods.

Exodus 32:32 (Tanakh)	Exodus 32:32 (KJV)	Exodus 32:32 (NET)
Yet now, if Thou wilt forgive their sin–; and if not, blot me, I pray Thee, out of Thy book which Thou hast written.’	Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin–; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.	But now, if you will forgive their sin…, but if not, wipe me out from your book that you have written.”

Exodus 32:32 (Septuagint BLB)	Exodus 32:32 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ νῦν εἰ μὲν ἀφεῗς αὐτοῗς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἄφες εἰ δὲ μή ἐξάλειψόν με ἐκ τῆς βίβλου σου ἧς ἔγραψας	καὶ νῦν εἰ μὲν ἀφεῖς αὐτοῖς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν αὐτῶν, ἄφες· εἰ δὲ μή, ἐξάλειψόν με ἐκ τῆς βίβλου σου, ἧς ἔγραψας
Exodus 32:32 (NETS)	Exodus 32:32 (English Elpenor)
And now, if you shall forgive them the sin, forgive. But if not, erase me from your book that you have written.”	And now if thou wilt forgive their sin, forgive [it]; and if not, blot me out of thy book, which thou hast written.

Leviticus 5:7 (Tanakh)	Leviticus 5:7 (KJV)	Leviticus 5:7 (NET)
And if his means suffice not for a lamb, then he shall bring his forfeit for that wherein he hath sinned, two turtle-doves, or two young pigeons, unto HaShem: one for a sin-offering, and the other for a burnt-offering.	And if he be not able to bring a lamb, then he shall bring for his trespass, which he hath committed, two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, unto the LORD; one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering.	“‘If he cannot afford an animal from the flock, he must bring his penalty for guilt for his sin that he has committed, two turtledoves or two young pigeons, to the Lord, one for a sin offering and one for a burnt offering.

Leviticus 5:7 (Septuagint BLB)	Leviticus 5:7 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἐὰν δὲ μὴ ἰσχύσῃ ἡ χεὶρ αὐτοῦ τὸ ἱκανὸν εἰς τὸ πρόβατον οἴσει περὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας αὐτοῦ ἧς ἥμαρτεν δύο τρυγόνας ἢ δύο νεοσσοὺς περιστερῶν κυρίῳ ἕνα περὶ ἁμαρτίας καὶ ἕνα εἰς ὁλοκαύτωμα	Εὰν δὲ μὴ ἰσχύῃ ἡ χεὶρ αὐτοῦ τὸ ἱκανὸν εἰς τὸ πρόβατον, οἴσει περὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας αὐτοῦ, ἧς ἥμαρτε, δύο τρυγόνας, ἢ δύο νεοσσοὺς περιστερῶν Κυρίῳ, ἕνα περὶ ἁμαρτίας καὶ ἕνα εἰς ὁλοκαύτωμα
Leviticus 5:7 (NETS)	Leviticus 5:7 (English Elpenor)
But if his hand does not have the capability for what is sufficient for a sheep, he shall bring for his sin which he has committed two turtledoves or two young doves to the Lord, one for sin and one for a whole burnt offering.	And if he cannot afford a sheep, he shall bring for his sin which he has sinned, two turtle-doves or two young pigeons to the Lord; one for a sin-offering, and the other for a burnt-offering.

Leviticus 5:8 (Tanakh)	Leviticus 5:8 (KJV)	Leviticus 5:8 (NET)
And he shall bring them unto the priest, who shall offer that which is for the sin-offering first, and pinch off its head close by its neck, but shall not divide it asunder.	And he shall bring them unto the priest, who shall offer that which is for the sin offering first, and wring off his head from his neck, but shall not divide it asunder:	He must bring them to the priest and present first the one that is for a sin offering. The priest must pinch its head at the nape of its neck, but must not sever the head from the body.

Leviticus 5:8 (Septuagint BLB)	Leviticus 5:8 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ οἴσει αὐτὰ πρὸς τὸν ἱερέα καὶ προσάξει ὁ ἱερεὺς τὸ περὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας πρότερον καὶ ἀποκνίσει ὁ ἱερεὺς τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ τοῦ σφονδύλου καὶ οὐ διελεῗ	καὶ οἴσει αὐτὰ πρὸς τὸν ἱερέα, καὶ προσάξει ὁ ἱερεὺς τὸ περὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας πρότερον· καὶ ἀποκνίσει ὁ ἱερεὺς τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ τοῦ σφονδύλου, καὶ οὐ διελεῖ
Leviticus 5:8 (NETS)	Leviticus 5:8 (English Elpenor)
And he shall bring them to the priest, and the priest shall bring the one for sin first. And the priest shall snip off its head at the neck, and he shall not divide it.	And he shall bring them to the priest, and the priest shall bring the sin-offering first; and the priest shall pinch off the head from the neck, and shall not divide the body.

Leviticus 5:9 (Tanakh)	Leviticus 5:9 (KJV)	Leviticus 5:9 (NET)
And he shall sprinkle of the blood of the sin-offering upon the side of the altar; and the rest of the blood shall be drained out at the base of the altar; it is a sin-offering.	And he shall sprinkle of the blood of the sin offering upon the side of the altar; and the rest of the blood shall be wrung out at the bottom of the altar: it is a sin offering.	Then he must sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering on the wall of the altar, and the remainder of the blood must be squeezed out at the base of the altar—it is a sin offering.

Leviticus 5:9 (Septuagint BLB)	Leviticus 5:9 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ῥανεῗ ἀπὸ τοῦ αἵματος τοῦ περὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἐπὶ τὸν τοῗχον τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου τὸ δὲ κατάλοιπον τοῦ αἵματος καταστραγγιεῗ ἐπὶ τὴν βάσιν τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου ἁμαρτίας γάρ ἐστιν	καὶ ῥανεῖ ἀπὸ τοῦ αἵματος τοῦ περὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἐπὶ τὸν τοῖχον τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου, τὸ δὲ κατάλοιπον τοῦ αἵματος καταστραγγιεῖ ἐπὶ τὴν βάσιν τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου· ἁμαρτία γάρ ἐστι
Leviticus 5:9 (NETS)	Leviticus 5:9 (English Elpenor)
And he shall sprinkle some blood of the one for sin against the wall of the altar, but what remains of the blood he shall squeeze out against the base of the altar, for it is for sin.	And he shall sprinkle of the blood of the sin-offering on the side of the altar, but the rest of the blood he shall drop at the foot of the altar, for it is a sin-offering.

Leviticus 5:10 (Tanakh)	Leviticus 5:10 (KJV)	Leviticus 5:10 (NET)
And he shall prepare the second for a burnt-offering, according to the ordinance; and the priest shall make atonement for him as concerning his sin which he hath sinned, and he shall be forgiven.	And he shall offer the second for a burnt offering, according to the manner: and the priest shall make an atonement for him for his sin which he hath sinned, and it shall be forgiven him.	The second bird he must make a burnt offering according to the standard regulation. So the priest will make atonement on behalf of this person for his sin which he has committed, and he will be forgiven.

Leviticus 5:10 (Septuagint BLB)	Leviticus 5:10 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ τὸ δεύτερον ποιήσει ὁλοκαύτωμα ὡς καθήκει καὶ ἐξιλάσεται ὁ ἱερεὺς περὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας αὐτοῦ ἧς ἥμαρτεν καὶ ἀφεθήσεται αὐτῷ	καὶ τὸ δεύτερον ποιήσει ὁλοκάρπωμα, ὡς καθήκει. καὶ ἐξιλάσεται ὁ ἱερεὺς περὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας αὐτοῦ, ἧς ἥμαρτε, καὶ ἀφεθήσεται αὐτῷ
Leviticus 5:10 (NETS)	Leviticus 5:10 (English Elpenor)
And the second he shall prepare as a whole burnt offering, as is customary. And the priest shall make atonement for him for his sin that he has committed, and it shall be forgiven him.	And he shall make the second a whole-burnt-offering, as it is fit; and the priest shall make atonement for his sin which he has sinned, and it shall be forgiven him.

Leviticus 5:11 (Tanakh)	Leviticus 5:11 (KJV)	Leviticus 5:11 (NET)
But if his means suffice not for two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, then he shall bring his offering for that wherein he hath sinned, the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a sin-offering; he shall put no oil upon it, neither shall he put any frankincense thereon; for it is a sin-offering.	But if he be not able to bring two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, then he that sinned shall bring for his offering the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a sin offering; he shall put no oil upon it, neither shall he put any frankincense thereon: for it is a sin offering.	“‘If he cannot afford two turtledoves or two young pigeons, he must bring as his offering for his sin which he has committed a tenth of an ephah of choice wheat flour for a sin offering. He must not place olive oil on it, and he must not put frankincense on it, because it is a sin offering.

Leviticus 5:11 (Septuagint BLB)	Leviticus 5:11 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἐὰν δὲ μὴ εὑρίσκῃ αὐτοῦ ἡ χεὶρ ζεῦγος τρυγόνων ἢ δύο νεοσσοὺς περιστερῶν καὶ οἴσει τὸ δῶρον αὐτοῦ περὶ οὗ ἥμαρτεν τὸ δέκατον τοῦ οιφι σεμίδαλιν περὶ ἁμαρτίας οὐκ ἐπιχεεῗ ἐπ᾽ αὐτὸ ἔλαιον οὐδὲ ἐπιθήσει ἐπ᾽ αὐτὸ λίβανον ὅτι περὶ ἁμαρτίας ἐστίν	ἐὰν δὲ μὴ εὑρίσκῃ ἡ χεὶρ αὐτοῦ ζεῦγος τρυγόνων, ἢ δύο νεοσσοὺς περιστερῶν, καὶ οἴσει τὸ δῶρον αὐτοῦ, περὶ οὗ ἥμαρτε, τὸ δέκατον τοῦ οἰφὶ σεμιδάλεως περὶ ἁμαρτίας· οὐκ ἐπιχεεῖ ἐπ᾿ αὐτὸ ἔλαιον, οὐδὲ ἐπιθήσει ἐπ᾿ αὐτῷ λίβανον, ὅτι περὶ ἁμαρτίας ἐστί
Leviticus 5:11 (NETS)	Leviticus 5:11 (English Elpenor)
But if his hand does not find a brace of turtledoves or two young doves, then he shall bring his gift for that in which he sinned: one-tenth of an oiphi of fine flour for sin. He shall not pour oil on it; neither shall he place frankincense on it, because it is for sin.	And if he cannot afford a pair of turtle-doves, or two young pigeons, then shall he bring as his gift for his sin, the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a sin-offering; he shall not pour oil upon it, nor shall he put frankincense upon it, because it is a sin-offering.

Leviticus 5:12 (Tanakh)	Leviticus 5:12 (KJV)	Leviticus 5:12 (NET)
And he shall bring it to the priest, and the priest shall take his handful of it as the memorial-part thereof, and make it smoke on the altar, upon the offerings of HaShem made by fire; it is a sin-offering.	Then shall he bring it to the priest, and the priest shall take his handful of it, even a memorial thereof, and burn it on the altar, according to the offerings made by fire unto the LORD: it is a sin offering.	He must bring it to the priest, and the priest must scoop out from it a handful as its memorial portion and offer it up in smoke on the altar on top of the other gifts of the Lord—it is a sin offering.

Leviticus 5:12 (Septuagint BLB)	Leviticus 5:12 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ οἴσει αὐτὸ πρὸς τὸν ἱερέα καὶ δραξάμενος ὁ ἱερεὺς ἀπ᾽ αὐτῆς πλήρη τὴν δράκα τὸ μνημόσυνον αὐτῆς ἐπιθήσει ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον τῶν ὁλοκαυτωμάτων κυρίῳ ἁμαρτία ἐστίν	καὶ οἴσει αὐτὸ πρὸς τὸν ἱερέα. καὶ δραξάμενος ὁ ἱερεὺς ἀπ᾿ αὐτῆς πλήρη τὴν δράκα, τὸ μνημόσυνον αὐτῆς ἐπιθήσει ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον τῶν ὁλοκαυτωμάτων Κυρίῳ· ἁμαρτία ἐστί
Leviticus 5:12 (NETS)	Leviticus 5:12 (English Elpenor)
And he shall bring it to the priest, and after gripping from it a handful, the priest shall lay its memorial portion on the altar on the whole burnt offerings to the Lord. It is for sin.	And he shall bring it to the priest; and the priest having taken a handful of it, shall lay the memorial of it on the altar of whole-burnt-offerings to the Lord; it is a sin-offering.

Leviticus 5:13 (Tanakh)	Leviticus 5:13 (KJV)	Leviticus 5:13 (NET)
And the priest shall make atonement for him as touching his sin that he hath sinned in any of these things, and he shall be forgiven; and the remnant shall be the priest’s, as the meal-offering.	And the priest shall make an atonement for him as touching his sin that he hath sinned in one of these, and it shall be forgiven him: and the remnant shall be the priest’s, as a meat offering.	So the priest will make atonement on his behalf for his sin which he has committed by doing one of these things, and he will be forgiven. The remainder of the offering will belong to the priest like the grain offering.’”

Leviticus 5:13 (Septuagint BLB)	Leviticus 5:13 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐξιλάσεται περὶ αὐτοῦ ὁ ἱερεὺς περὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας αὐτοῦ ἧς ἥμαρτεν ἐφ᾽ ἑνὸς τούτων καὶ ἀφεθήσεται αὐτῷ τὸ δὲ καταλειφθὲν ἔσται τῷ ἱερεῗ ὡς ἡ θυσία τῆς σεμιδάλεως	καὶ ἐξιλάσεται περὶ αὐτοῦ ὁ ἱερεὺς περὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας αὐτοῦ, ἧς ἥμαρτεν, ἀφ᾿ ἑνὸς τούτων, καὶ ἀφεθήσεται αὐτῷ. τὸ δὲ καταλειφθὲν ἔσται τῷ ἱερεῖ, ὡς ἡ θυσία τῆς σεμιδάλεως
Leviticus 5:13 (NETS)	Leviticus 5:13 (English Elpenor)
And the priest shall make atonement for him, for his sin that he has committed in respect of one of these things, and it will be forgiven him. But what is left shall be for the priest like the offering of fine flour.	And the priest shall make atonement for him for his sin, which he has sinned in one of these things, and it shall be forgiven him; and that which is left shall be the priest’s, as an offering of fine flour.

Adultery in the Prophets, Part 1

Back to Jedidiah, Part 3

Back to David’s Forgiveness, Part 9

Back to The Will of God – Jesus, Part 3

Back to Apostles and Prophets, Part 3

Back to Romans, Part 68

Back to Fear – Deuteronomy, Part 7

Back to Fear – Exodus, Part 6

Back to The Angels Will Gather

Back to Fear – Exodus, Part 7

Back to Romans, Part 65

Back to Fear – Deteronomy, Part 9

Back to Forgiven or Passed Over? Part 5

Back to A Shadow of the Good Things, Part 7

Back to Christ-Centered Preaching, Chapter 2

Back to Exploration, Part 7

¹ Exodus 20 (NET)

² Exodus 24:12-31:18 (NET)

³ Exodus 32:1-6 (NET)

⁴ Exodus 32:11a (NET)

⁵ Leviticus 5:4 (NET) Table

⁶ Leviticus 5:5 (NET) Table

⁷ Luke 18:13 (NET) Table

Jesus’ Artifacts, Part 6

Posted on June 6, 2012 by admin

Yes, systems of theology fail in their primary attempt and alleged purpose to sum up the Bible in a complete, universal and absolute way. Every theological system I’ve encountered (or might invent) was based on favored passages of scripture. Then a logical system was constructed around this subset of Bible passages to mute the effect of other Bible passages that did not fit well into that particular system of theology. But, lo and behold, these muted passages from the Bible are the favored passages of another theological system and the basis of another logical structure that was used to mute the effect of the passages of scripture favored by the former theological system.

I’ll show some examples later. For now, it should be apparent that if—and I do say “if” because I’m placing an enormous, perhaps an inordinate, amount of emphasis on a biological analogy…if this analogy has any descriptive power to illuminate the actual usefulness of the Bible to the body of Christ, the theological systems constructed thus far are wrongheaded in the extreme. But, on the other hand, if one is looking for a functional body—a body with cellular differentiation caused by switching-off gene suites (e.g., different passages of scripture)—rather than a mass of identical cells, these same theological systems I’m calling wrong and irrelevant might be preeminently useful.

A preacher is not a blank slate. More often than not he has been schooled in one or more of the extant theological systems. He is less likely to emerge from his study with a sermon contrary to his favorite system than complementary to it. If his goal is to preach universally applicable absolute truths, he was wearing blinders before he began it. But if his goal is to preach absolute timely and necessary truths to a specific cell of the body of Christ, to fill specific needs and catalyze specific functions at specific times, well, those blinders might just be models of efficient design. Did Jesus, efficient programmer that He is, commission these theological systems as the spiritual equivalent of repressor molecules?

And so the third and final application of my would-be sermon is that I should pray for preachers. They are up against it. I’m not talking difficult here, like walking a tightrope. I’m talking impossible, like walking on water. And I should pray for us philosophical types. We’re going to have to find other preoccupations than biting and devouring other believers. Of course, just telling us we’re irrelevant failures won’t change the fact that we have a philosophical bent to our minds.

As for me, I think I’m becoming convinced that the kind of universal absolute truth I’ve searched for by parsing text will remain as elusive as the DNA-RNA-protein complex was to the deductions and inferences of Plato and Aristotle. Perhaps my point is clearer in the analogy. Here I am, a disgruntled amino acid, reluctant to join any amino acid chains and form any useful proteins until I possess an understanding of the whole DNA molecule in all its relations with every cell in the body. That’s what I’m saying, right? I want a universal absolute understanding of the Bible.

Now, let’s say for the sake of argument that the Lord indulged me and downloaded into my brain all the truth I crave for a specific moment in time. Let’s assume that my brain did not explode or melt, and that the emotional content of that knowledge did not reduce me to a puddle of tears. Long before I could digest that information, write it down, publish it and be hailed as the greatest living philosopher among amino acids, the information would have ceased to be absolute or universal or both. Why? Because the body to which the truth referred would have changed.

Now wait a minute, one might say, not all of it!

True enough. There are probably some basic life-maintenance functions common to every cell in the body. Which ones were those, amidst this massive download of information I am assuming to be something akin to a database that lists the geographic location of particular cells, hopefully arranged by some kind of functional hierarchy akin to organ systems, the specific passage or passages from the Bible with sermon and application highlights, and maybe the need or function addressed? Now what’s not in the download is whether the preachers actually preached the intended sermons from the correct passages from the Bible with the correct applications. It doesn’t say whether the appropriate members of the congregation responded appropriately and filled the need or accomplished the function. And I’m certainly assuming that a download accomplished in a finite amount of time does not include the historical, cultural and biographical dossier of every member of every cell in the body. None of this, of course, affects one word in the Bible. All of it affects how those words are organized, analyzed or applied in the next sermon—next Sunday!

Jesus’ Artifacts, Part 7

Back to Who Am I? Part 8

Back to Exploration, Part 15

Adultery in the Prophets, Part 3

Posted on June 4, 2012 by admin

Ezekiel, a priest, prophesied from Babylonia after the southern kingdom of Judah was taken captive.¹ Ezekiel 23 is a history lesson from the Lord’s point of view told as an allegory (23:1-4 NET).

The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, there were two women who were daughters of the same mother. They engaged in prostitution (zānâ, ותזנינה) in Egypt; in their youth they engaged in prostitution (zānâ, זנו). Their breasts were squeezed there; lovers fondled their virgin nipples there [see Addendum below]. Oholah was the name of the older and Oholibah the name of her younger sister. They became mine, and gave birth to sons and daughters. Oholah is Samaria and Oholibah is Jerusalem.”

The key to the allegory is at the end of this passage above: Oholah stands for Samaria the former capital of the long-exiled northern kingdom of Israel. Oholibah stands for Jerusalem the capital of the more recently exiled southern kingdom of Judah (though Jerusalem was still inhabited at this particular time).² Oholah and Oholibah became the Lord’s at Sinai after the exodus from Egypt. Though I had missed it many times before, studying in this context helped me recognize that the people standing there that day were quite different than I had imagined previously.

According to Ezekiel’s prophetic allegory, in Egypt they had become accustomed to worship and sacrifice that included the drunken sexual practices of the nations around them. And it was to this that they returned when Moses tarried on the mountain. So they got up early on the next day and offered up burnt offerings and brought peace offerings, and the people sat down to eat and drink, and they rose up to play.³

The Hebrew word translated to play (ṣāḥaq, לצחק) does not necessarily mean what I have suggested. But in light of the Lord’s testimony through Ezekiel I’m quite comfortable assuming that it is within the bounds of a euphemistic usage of the word. It was used to describe Isaac caressing (ṣāḥaq, מצחק) his wife Rebekah⁴ or sporting (ṣāḥaq) with Rebekah his wife⁵ in a manner that alerted Abimelech that she was in fact his wife and not his sister, as Isaac had said. And I sincerely doubt that Moses and the Levites strapped on swords, marched through the camp and killed three thousand men to break up the ancient equivalent of sack races, horseshoe matches and softball games.⁶

The Lord continued his allegorical history lesson through Ezekiel with a brief reprise of Oholah’s exploits (Ezekiel 23:5-10 NET):

Oholah engaged in prostitution (zānâ, ותזן) while she was mine. She lusted after her lovers, the Assyrians – warriors clothed in blue, governors and officials, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding on horses. She bestowed her sexual favors (taznûṯ, תזנותיה) on them; all of them were the choicest young men of Assyria. She defiled herself with all whom she desired – with all their idols [see Addendum below]. She did not abandon the prostitution (taznûṯ, תזנותיה) she had practiced in Egypt; for in her youth men had sex with her, fondled her virgin breasts, and ravished (taznûṯ, תזנותם) her [see Addendum below]. Therefore I handed her over to her lovers, the Assyrians for whom she lusted. They exposed her nakedness, seized her sons and daughters, and killed her with the sword. She became notorious among women, and they executed judgments against her.

This is a familiar tale from Hosea’s prophecies about the northern kingdom of Israel⁷ with an additional insight that the desire for a military alliance with the Assyrians may have been the justification for joining in cultic worship practices. And once again, just in case I missed it the first time (which I did many times), what Israel (Oholah) practiced and was judged for by war and captivity is the same practice that she did not abandon from her youth in Egypt.

Then Oholibah took center stage in the allegory (Ezekiel 23:11-21 NET):

Her sister Oholibah watched this, but she became more corrupt in her lust than her sister had been, and her acts of prostitution (taznûṯ, תזנותיה) were more numerous than those of her sister [see Addendum below]. She lusted after the Assyrians – governors and officials, warriors in full armor, horsemen riding on horses, all of them desirable young men. I saw that she was defiled; both of them followed the same path. But she increased her prostitution (taznûṯ, תזנותיה). She saw men carved on the wall, images of the Chaldeans carved in bright red [see Addendum below], wearing belts on their waists and flowing turbans on their heads, all of them looking like officers, the image of Babylonians whose native land is Chaldea. When she saw them, she lusted after them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea. The Babylonians crawled into bed with her. They defiled her with their lust (taznûṯ, בתזנותם); after she was defiled by them, she became disgusted with them [see Addendum below]. When she lustfully (taznûṯ, תזנותיה) exposed her nakedness, I was disgusted with her, just as I had been disgusted with her sister [see Addendum below]. Yet she increased her prostitution (taznûṯ, תזנותיה), remembering the days of her youth when she engaged in prostitution (zānâ, זנתה) in the land of Egypt [see Addendum below]. She lusted after their genitals – as large as those of donkeys, and their seminal emission was as strong as that of stallions. This is how you assessed the obscene (zimmâ, זמת) conduct of your youth, when the Egyptians fondled your nipples and squeezed your young breasts.

Once again the idolatrous worship practices for which Judah was judged were equated to the obscene conduct of her youth in Egypt, just in case I missed it the first two times. If I plug this understanding into Matthew 5:32 (NET) and 19:9 (NET) as the meaning of πορνεία, I get the following:

Matthew 5:32 (NET)	Matthew 19:9 (NET)
I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for “idolatrous worship (including its drunken sexual practices),” makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.	Now I say to you that whoever divorces his wife, except for “idolatrous worship (including its drunken sexual practices),” and marries another commits adultery.

1) The meaning is limited and specific.

2) One party may be guilty while the other is innocent (unlike unlawful marriage which makes both parties guilty by definition).

3) It is in keeping with a major prophetic theme of God’s complaint against his chosen people.

4) It accounts for even the apparent permissiveness of Matthew 19:9 in that God himself divorced Israel over this kind of πορνεία,⁸ not immediately, but after centuries of practice with little, or no, or feigned confession and repentance.

On a personal note this study and its consequent understanding of porneia (πορνεία) lifts my thoughts out of the gutter of self-obsession, that God hates divorce to make my life perpetually miserable with a despised wife, or perpetually guilt-ridden because I have failed to keep a wife, twice (once when I was young and again many years later when I could not blame it on my youth). Rather, his hatred of divorce is yet another way to know⁹ Him. Paul took up this prophetic theme of marriage and divorce/adultery in Romans 7:1-6 (NET).

Or do you not know, brothers and sisters (for I am speaking to those who know the law), that the law is lord over a person as long as he lives? For a married woman is bound by law to her husband as long as he lives, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law of the marriage. So then, if she is joined to another man while her husband is alive, she will be called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she is joined to another man, she is not an adulteress. So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you could be joined to another, to the one who was raised from the dead, to bear fruit to God. For when we were in the flesh, the sinful desires, aroused by the law, were active in the members of our body to bear fruit for death. But now we have been released from the law, because we have died to what controlled us, so that we may serve in the new life of the Spirit and not under the old written code.

How secure am I joined to the Lord Jesus in this way? “I hate divorce,” says the Lord God of Israel…¹⁰ And Jesus said, Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.¹¹ Only continual flagrant idolatrous worship (including its drunken sexual practices) compelled God to divorce his beloved. If this is what Jesus, Paul and the New Testament writers meant by πορνεία, it fits amazingly well into the fabric of the Bible’s prophetic writings. But could Jesus have still been concerned about this particular kind of πορνεία? in the first century? in Judea?

Addendum: January 25, 2022
While the English translations of the Masoretic text of Ezekiel 23:3 made the sisters’ prostitution sound like heavy petting, the English translations of the Septuagint were more direct.

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Ezekiel 23:3 (Tanakh/KJV)	Ezekiel 23:3 (NET)	Ezekiel 23:3 (NETS)	Ezekiel 23:3 (Elpenor English)
And they committed whoredoms in Egypt; they committed whoredoms in their youth: there were their breasts pressed (מֹֽעֲכ֣וּ), and there they bruised (עִשּׂ֔וּ) the teats (דַּדֵּ֖י) of their virginity.	They engaged in prostitution in Egypt; in their youth they engaged in prostitution. Their breasts were squeezed (māʿaḵ, מעכו) there; lovers fondled (ʿāśâ, עשׁו) their virgin nipples (daḏ, דדי) there.	And they played the whore in Egypt in their youth; there their breasts fell (ἔπεσον); there they lost their virginity (διεπαρθενεύθησαν).	and they went a-whoring in Egypt in their youth: there their breasts fell (ἔπεσον), there they lost their virginity (διεπαρθενεύθησαν).

I won’t spend the time here to explore whether the rabbis understood they bruised (עִשּׂ֔וּ) the teats (דַּדֵּ֖י) of their virginity (Tanakh) as an idiom or euphemism for they lost their virginity (διεπαρθενεύθησαν, a form of διαπαρθενεύω) or if the Masoretes altered the Hebrew text.

In Ezekiel 23:7 below the Hebrew word תַּזְנוּתֶ֙יהָ֙ (taznûṯ), whoredoms (Tanakh, KJV), sexual favors (NET), was translated πορνείαν (a form of πορνεία), whoring (NETS), fornication (English Elpenor), in the Septuagint.

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Ezekiel 23:7 (Tanakh/KJV)	Ezekiel 23:7 (NET)	Ezekiel 23:7 (NETS)	Ezekiel 23:7 (Elpenor English)
Thus she committed her whoredoms (תַּזְנוּתֶ֙יהָ֙) with them, with all them that were the chosen men of Assyria, and with all on whom she doted: with all their idols she defiled herself.	She bestowed her sexual favors (taznûṯ, תזנותיה) on them; all of them were the choicest young men of Assyria. She defiled herself with all whom she desired—with all their idols.	And she granted her whoring (τὴν πορνείαν αὐτῆς) to them; they were all the chosen sons of Assyrians, and she was defiling herself upon all, upon whom she laid herslef, with all her notions.	And she bestowed her fornication (τὴν πορνείαν αὐτῆς) upon them; all were choice sons of the Assyrians: and on whomsoever she doted herself, with them she defiled herself in all [their] devices.

In Ezekiel 23:8 below it seems more likely that they bruised (עִשּׂ֖וּ) the breasts (דַּדֵּ֣י) of her virginity (Tanakh, KJV) was understood as an idiom or euphemism for they took her virginity (διεπαρθένευσαν, a form of διαπαρθενεύω) by the rabbis who translated the Septuagint. And both תַּזְנוּתֶ֚יהָ, whoredoms (Tanakh, KJV), and תַזְנוּתָ֖ם, whoredom (Tanakh, KJV), were translated πορνείαν (a form of πορνεία).

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Ezekiel 23:8 (Tanakh/KJV)	Ezekiel 23:8 (NET)	Ezekiel 23:8 (NETS)	Ezekiel 23:8 (Elpenor English)
Neither left she her whoredoms (תַּזְנוּתֶ֚יהָ) brought from Egypt: for in her youth they lay with her, and they bruised (עִשּׂ֖וּ) the breasts (דַּדֵּ֣י) of her virginity, and poured their whoredom (תַזְנוּתָ֖ם) upon her.	She did not abandon the prostitution (taznûṯ, תזנותיה) she had practiced in Egypt, for in her youth men went to bed with her, fondled (ʿāśâ, עשׁו) her virgin breasts (daḏ, דדי), and ravished (taznûṯ, תזנותם) her.	And she did not give up her whoring (τὴν πορνείαν αὐτῆς) from Egypt, for they were lying with her in her youth, and they took her virginity (διεπαρθένευσαν) and poured out their whoring (τὴν πορνείαν αὐτῶν) upon her.	And she forsook not her fornication (τὴν πορνείαν αὐτῆς) with the Egyptians: for in her youth they committed fornication with her, and they deflowered (διεπαρθένευσαν) her, and poured out their fornication (τὴν πορνείαν αὐτῶν) upon her.

In Ezekiel 23:11 both תַּזְנוּתֶ֔יהָ (taznûṯ) and מִזְּנוּנֵ֖ (zᵊnûnîm) were translated πορνείαν (a form of πορνεία) in the Septuagint.

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Ezekiel 23:11 (Tanakh/KJV)	Ezekiel 23:11 (NET)	Ezekiel 23:11 (NETS)	Ezekiel 23:11 (Elpenor English)
And when her sister Aholibah saw this, she was more corrupt in her inordinate love than she, and in her whoredoms (תַּזְנוּתֶ֔יהָ) more than her sister in her whoredoms (מִזְּנוּנֵ֖י).	“Her sister Oholibah watched this, but she became more corrupt in her lust than her sister had been, and her acts of prostitution (taznûṯ, תזנותיה) were more numerous than those (zᵊnûnîm, מזנוני) of her sister.	And her sister, Ooliba, saw and was corrupting her aggression beyond her and her whoring (τὴν πορνείαν αὐτῆς) beyond the whoring (τὴν πορνείαν) of her sister.	And her sister Ooliba saw [it], and she indulged in her fondness more corruptly than she, and in her fornication (τὴν πορνείαν αὐτῆς) more than the fornication (τὴν πορνείαν) of her sister.

In Ezekiel 23:14 תַּזְנוּתֶ֑יהָ (taznûṯ) was translated πορνείαν (a form of πορνεία) in the Septuagint.

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Ezekiel 23:14 (Tanakh/KJV)	Ezekiel 23:14 (NET)	Ezekiel 23:14 (NETS)	Ezekiel 23:14 (Elpenor English)
And that she increased her whoredoms (תַּזְנוּתֶ֑יהָ): for when she saw men pourtrayed upon the wall, the images of the Chaldeans pourtrayed with vermilion,	But she increased her prostitution (taznûṯ, תזנותיה). She saw men carved on the wall, images of the Chaldeans carved in bright red,	And she added to her whoring (τὴν πορνείαν αὐτῆς), and she saw men painted upon the wall, images of the Chaldeans, painted by brush,	And she increased her fornication (τὴν πορνείαν αὐτῆς), and she saw men painted on the wall, likenesses of the Chaldeans painted with a pencil,

In Ezekiel 23:17 בְּתַזְנוּתָ֑ם (taznûṯ) was translated πορνείᾳ in the Septuagint.

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Ezekiel 23:17 (Tanakh/KJV)	Ezekiel 23:17 (NET)	Ezekiel 23:17 (NETS)	Ezekiel 23:17 (Elpenor English)
And the Babylonians came to her into the bed of love, and they defiled her with their whoredom (בְּתַזְנוּתָ֑ם), and she was polluted with them, and her mind was alienated from them.	The Babylonians crawled into bed with her. They defiled her with their lust (taznûṯ, בתזנותם); after she was defiled by them, she became disgusted with them.	And the sons of Babylon came to her for a bed of lodgers, and they were defiling her in her whoring (τῇ πορνείᾳ αὐτῆς), and she was defiled with them, and her soul recoiled from them.	And the sons of Babylon came to her, into the bed of rest, and they defiled her in her fornication (τῇ πορνείᾳ αὐτῆς), and she was defiled by them, and her soul was alienated from them.

In Ezekiel 23:18 תַּזְנוּתֶ֔יהָ (taznûṯ) was translated πορνείαν (a form of πορνεία) in the Septuagint.

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Ezekiel 23:18 (Tanakh/KJV)	Ezekiel 23:18 (NET)	Ezekiel 23:18 (NETS)	Ezekiel 23:18 (Elpenor English)
So she discovered her whoredoms (תַּזְנוּתֶ֔יהָ), and discovered her nakedness: then my mind was alienated from her, like as my mind was alienated from her sister.	When she lustfully (taznûṯ, תזנותיה) exposed her nakedness, I was disgusted with her, just as I had been disgusted with her sister.	And she uncovered her whoring (τὴν πορνείαν αὐτῆς) and uncovered her shame, and my soul recoiled from her, as my soul recoiled from her sister.	And she exposed her fornication (τὴν πορνείαν αὐτῆς), and exposed her shame: and my soul was alienated from her, even as my soul was alienated from her sister.

In Ezekiel 23:19 תַּזְנוּתֶ֑יהָ (taznûṯ) was translated πορνείαν (a form of πορνεία) and זָֽנְתָ֖ה (zānâ) with the verb ἐπόρνευσας a form of πορνεύω) in the Septuagint.

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Ezekiel 23:19 (Tanakh/KJV)	Ezekiel 23:19 (NET)	Ezekiel 23:19 (NETS)	Ezekiel 23:19 (Elpenor English)
Yet she multiplied her whoredoms (תַּזְנוּתֶ֑יהָ), in calling to remembrance the days of her youth, wherein she had played the harlot (זָֽנְתָ֖ה) in the land of Egypt.	Yet she increased her prostitution (taznûṯ, תזנותיה), remembering the days of her youth when she engaged in prostitution (zānâ, זנתה) in the land of Egypt.	And you multiplied your whoring (τὴν πορνείαν σου) to remind them of the days of your youth when you whored (ἐπόρνευσας) in Egypt,	And thou didst multiply thy fornication (τὴν πορνείαν σου), so as to call to remembrance the days of thy youth, wherein thou didst commit whoredom (ἐπόρνευσας) in Egypt,

Tables comparing Ezekiel 23:1; 23:2; 23:3; 23:4; Genesis 26:8; Ezekiel 23:5; 23:6; 23:7; 23:8; 23:9; 23:10; 23:11; 23:12; 23:13; 23:14; 23:15; 23:16; 23:17; 23:18; 23:19; 23:20 and 23:21 in the Tanakh, KJV and NET, and tables comparing the Greek of Ezekiel 23:1; 23:2; 23:3; 23:4; Genesis 26:8; Ezekiel 23:5; 23:6; 23:7; 23:8; 23:9; 23:10; 23:11; 23:12; 23:13; 23:14; 23:15; 23:16; 23:17; 23:18; 23:19; 23:20 and 23:21 in the Septuagint (BLB and Elpenor) follow.

Ezekiel 23:1 (Tanakh)	Ezekiel 23:1 (KJV)	Ezekiel 23:1 (NET)
The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,	The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,	The Lord’s message came to me:

Ezekiel 23:1 (Septuagint BLB)	Ezekiel 23:1 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐγένετο λόγος κυρίου πρός με λέγων	ΚΑΙ ἐγένετο λόγος Κυρίου πρός με λέγων
Ezekiel 23:1 (NETS)	Ezekiel 23:1 (English Elpenor)
And a word of the Lord came to me, saying:	And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

Ezekiel 23:2 (Tanakh)	Ezekiel 23:2 (KJV)	Ezekiel 23:2 (NET)
Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother:	Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother:	“Son of man, there were two women who were daughters of the same mother.

Ezekiel 23:2 (Septuagint BLB)	Ezekiel 23:2 (Septuagint Elpenor)
υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου δύο γυναῗκες ἦσαν θυγατέρες μητρὸς μιᾶς	υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου, δύο γυναῖκες ἦσαν θυγατέρες μητρὸς μιᾶς
Ezekiel 23:2 (NETS)	Ezekiel 23:2 (English Elpenor)
Son of man, two women were daughters of one mother,	Son of man, there were two women, daughters of one mother:

Ezekiel 23:3 (Tanakh)	Ezekiel 23:3 (KJV)	Ezekiel 23:3 (NET)
And they committed whoredoms in Egypt; they committed whoredoms in their youth: there were their breasts pressed, and there they bruised the teats of their virginity.	And they committed whoredoms in Egypt; they committed whoredoms in their youth: there were their breasts pressed, and there they bruised the teats of their virginity.	They engaged in prostitution in Egypt; in their youth they engaged in prostitution. Their breasts were squeezed there; lovers fondled their virgin nipples there.

Ezekiel 23:3 (Septuagint BLB)	Ezekiel 23:3 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐξεπόρνευσαν ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ ἐν τῇ νεότητι αὐτῶν ἐκεῗ ἔπεσον οἱ μαστοὶ αὐτῶν ἐκεῗ διεπαρθενεύθησαν	καὶ ἐξεπόρνευσαν ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ ἐν τῇ νεότητι αὐτῶν· ἐκεῖ ἔπεσον οἱ μαστοὶ αὐτῶν, ἐκεῖ διεπαρθενεύθησαν
Ezekiel 23:3 (NETS)	Ezekiel 23:3 (English Elpenor)
And they played the whore in Egypt in their youth; there their breasts fell; there they lost their virginity.	and they went a-whoring in Egypt in their youth: there their breasts fell, there they lost their virginity.

Ezekiel 23:4 (Tanakh)	Ezekiel 23:4 (KJV)	Ezekiel 23:4 (NET)
And the names of them were Aholah the elder, and Aholibah her sister: and they were mine, and they bare sons and daughters. Thus were their names; Samaria is Aholah, and Jerusalem Aholibah.	And the names of them were Aholah the elder, and Aholibah her sister: and they were mine, and they bare sons and daughters. Thus were their names; Samaria is Aholah, and Jerusalem Aholibah.	Oholah was the name of the older and Oholibah the name of her younger sister. They became mine and gave birth to sons and daughters. Oholah is Samaria, and Oholibah is Jerusalem.

Ezekiel 23:4 (Septuagint BLB)	Ezekiel 23:4 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ τὰ ὀνόματα αὐτῶν ἦν Οολα ἡ πρεσβυτέρα καὶ Οολιβα ἡ ἀδελφὴ αὐτῆς καὶ ἐγένοντό μοι καὶ ἔτεκον υἱοὺς καὶ θυγατέρας καὶ τὰ ὀνόματα αὐτῶν Σαμάρεια ἡ Οολα καὶ Ιερουσαλημ ἡ Οολιβα	καὶ τὰ ὀνόματα αὐτῶν ἦν ᾿Οολὰ ἡ πρεσβυτέρα καὶ ᾿Οολιβὰ ἡ ἀδελφὴ αὐτῆς. καὶ ἐγένοντό μοι καὶ ἔτεκον υἱοὺς καὶ θυγατέρας, καὶ τὰ ὀνόματα αὐτῶν· Σαμάρεια ἦν ᾿Οολὰ καὶ ῾Ιερουσαλὴμ ἦν ᾿Οολιβά
Ezekiel 23:4 (NETS)	Ezekiel 23:4 (English Elpenor)
And their names were Oola the elder and Ooliba her sister. And they became mine and bore sons and daughters. As for their names: Oola was Samaria, and Ooliba was Ierousalem.	And their names were Oola the elder, and Ooliba her sister: and they were mine, and bore sons and daughters: and [as for] their names, Samaria was Oola, and Jerusalem was Ooliba.

Genesis 26:8 (Tanakh)	Genesis 26:8 (KJV)	Genesis 26:8 (NET)
And it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw, and, behold, Isaac was sporting with Rebekah his wife.	And it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw, and, behold, Isaac was sporting with Rebekah his wife.	After Isaac had been there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines happened to look out a window and observed Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah.

Genesis 26:8 (Septuagint BLB)	Genesis 26:8 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἐγένετο δὲ πολυχρόνιος ἐκεῗ παρακύψας δὲ Αβιμελεχ ὁ βασιλεὺς Γεραρων διὰ τῆς θυρίδος εἶδεν τὸν Ισαακ παίζοντα μετὰ Ρεβεκκας τῆς γυναικὸς αὐτοῦ	ἐγένετο δὲ πολυχρόνιος ἐκεῖ· καὶ παρακύψας ᾿Αβιμέλεχ ὁ βασιλεὺς Γεράρων διὰ τῆς θυρίδος, εἶδε τὸν ᾿Ισαὰκ παίζοντα μετὰ Ρεβέκκας τῆς γυναικὸς αὐτοῦ
Genesis 26:8 (NETS)	Genesis 26:8 (English Elpenor)
And he stayed on there quite some time. Now Abimelech the king of Gerara, when he peered through the window, saw Isaak playing around with his wife Rebekka.	And he remained there a long time, and Abimelech the king of Gerara leaned to look through the window, and saw Isaac sporting with Rebecca his wife.

Ezekiel 23:5 (Tanakh)	Ezekiel 23:5 (KJV)	Ezekiel 23:5 (NET)
And Aholah played the harlot when she was mine; and she doted on her lovers, on the Assyrians her neighbours,	And Aholah played the harlot when she was mine; and she doted on her lovers, on the Assyrians her neighbours,	“Oholah engaged in prostitution while she was mine. She lusted after her lovers, the Assyrians—warriors

Ezekiel 23:5 (Septuagint BLB)	Ezekiel 23:5 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐξεπόρνευσεν ἡ Οολα ἀπ᾽ ἐμοῦ καὶ ἐπέθετο ἐπὶ τοὺς ἐραστὰς αὐτῆς ἐπὶ τοὺς Ἀσσυρίους τοὺς ἐγγίζοντας αὐτῇ	καὶ ἐξεπόρνευσεν ἡ ᾿Οολὰ ἀπ’ ἐμοῦ καὶ ἐπέθετο ἐπὶ τοὺς ἐραστὰς αὐτῆς, ἐπὶ τοὺς ᾿Ασσυρίους τοὺς ἐγγίζοντας αὐτῇ
Ezekiel 23:5 (NETS)	Ezekiel 23:5 (English Elpenor)
And Oola played the whore away from me and laid herself upon her lovers, upon the Assyrians who were coming near to her	And Oola went a-whoring from me, and doted on her lovers, on the Assyrians that were her neighbors

Ezekiel 23:6 (Tanakh)	Ezekiel 23:6 (KJV)	Ezekiel 23:6 (NET)
Which were clothed with blue, captains and rulers, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding upon horses.	Which were clothed with blue, captains and rulers, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding upon horses.	clothed in blue, governors and officials, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding on horses.

Ezekiel 23:6 (Septuagint BLB)	Ezekiel 23:6 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἐνδεδυκότας ὑακίνθινα ἡγουμένους καὶ στρατηγούς νεανίσκοι ἐπίλεκτοι πάντες ἱππεῗς ἱππαζόμενοι ἐφ᾽ ἵππων	ἐνδεδυκότας ὑακίνθινα, ἡγουμένους καὶ στρατηγούς· νεανίσκοι καὶ ἐπίλεκτοι πάντες, ἱππεῖς ἱππαζόμενοι ἐφ’ ἵππων
Ezekiel 23:6 (NETS)	Ezekiel 23:6 (English Elpenor)
clothed in blue, governors and commanders. They were all elite young men, horsemen riding upon horses.	clothed with purple, princes and captains; [they were] young men and choice, all horseman riding on horses.

Ezekiel 23:7 (Tanakh)	Ezekiel 23:7 (KJV)	Ezekiel 23:7 (NET)
Thus she committed her whoredoms with them, with all them that were the chosen men of Assyria, and with all on whom she doted: with all their idols she defiled herself.	Thus she committed her whoredoms with them, with all them that were the chosen men of Assyria, and with all on whom she doted: with all their idols she defiled herself.	She bestowed her sexual favors on them; all of them were the choicest young men of Assyria. She defiled herself with all whom she desired—with all their idols.

Ezekiel 23:7 (Septuagint BLB)	Ezekiel 23:7 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἔδωκεν τὴν πορνείαν αὐτῆς ἐπ᾽ αὐτούς ἐπίλεκτοι υἱοὶ Ἀσσυρίων πάντες καὶ ἐπὶ πάντας οὓς ἐπέθετο ἐν πᾶσι τοῗς ἐνθυμήμασιν αὐτῆς ἐμιαίνετο	καὶ ἔδωκε τὴν πορνείαν αὐτῆς ἐπ’ αὐτούς· ἐπίλεκτοι υἱοὶ ᾿Ασσυρίων πάντες, καὶ ἐπὶ πάντας, οὓς ἐπέθετο, ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς ἐνθυμήμασιν αὐτοῖς ἐμιαίνετο
Ezekiel 23:7 (NETS)	Ezekiel 23:7 (English Elpenor)
And she granted her whoring to them; they were all the chosen sons of Assyrians, and she was defiling herself upon all, upon whom she laid herslef, with all her notions.	And she bestowed her fornication upon them; all were choice sons of the Assyrians: and on whomsoever she doted herself, with them she defiled herself in all [their] devices.

Ezekiel 23:8 (Tanakh)	Ezekiel 23:8 (KJV)	Ezekiel 23:8 (NET)
Neither left she her whoredoms brought from Egypt: for in her youth they lay with her, and they bruised the breasts of her virginity, and poured their whoredom upon her.	Neither left she her whoredoms brought from Egypt: for in her youth they lay with her, and they bruised the breasts of her virginity, and poured their whoredom upon her.	She did not abandon the prostitution she had practiced in Egypt, for in her youth men went to bed with her, fondled her virgin breasts, and ravished her.

Ezekiel 23:8 (Septuagint BLB)	Ezekiel 23:8 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ τὴν πορνείαν αὐτῆς ἐξ Αἰγύπτου οὐκ ἐγκατέλιπεν ὅτι μετ᾽ αὐτῆς ἐκοιμῶντο ἐν νεότητι αὐτῆς καὶ αὐτοὶ διεπαρθένευσαν αὐτὴν καὶ ἐξέχεαν τὴν πορνείαν αὐτῶν ἐπ᾽ αὐτήν	καὶ τὴν πορνείαν αὐτῆς ἐξ Αἰγύπτου οὐκ ἐγκατέλιπεν, ὅτι μετ’ αὐτῆς ἐκοιμῶντο ἐν νεότητι αὐτῆς, καὶ αὐτοὶ διεπαρθένευσαν αὐτὴν καὶ ἐξέχεαν τὴν πορνείαν αὐτῶν ἐπ’ αὐτήν
Ezekiel 23:8 (NETS)	Ezekiel 23:8 (English Elpenor)
And she did not give up her whoring from Egypt, for they were lying with her in her youth, and they took her virginity and poured out their whoring upon her.	And she forsook not her fornication with the Egyptians: for in her youth they committed fornication with her, and they deflowered her, and poured out their fornication upon her.

Ezekiel 23:9 (Tanakh)	Ezekiel 23:9 (KJV)	Ezekiel 23:9 (NET)
Wherefore I have delivered her into the hand of her lovers, into the hand of the Assyrians, upon whom she doted.	Wherefore I have delivered her into the hand of her lovers, into the hand of the Assyrians, upon whom she doted.	Therefore I handed her over to her lovers, the Assyrians for whom she lusted.

Ezekiel 23:9 (Septuagint BLB)	Ezekiel 23:9 (Septuagint Elpenor)
διὰ τοῦτο παρέδωκα αὐτὴν εἰς χεῗρας τῶν ἐραστῶν αὐτῆς εἰς χεῗρας υἱῶν Ἀσσυρίων ἐφ᾽ οὓς ἐπετίθετο	διὰ τοῦτο παρέδωκα αὐτὴν εἰς χεῖρας τῶν ἐραστῶν αὐτῆς, εἰς χεῖρας υἱῶν ᾿Ασσυρίων, ἐφ’ οὓς ἐπετίθετο
Ezekiel 23:9 (NETS)	Ezekiel 23:9 (English Elpenor)
Therefore, I gave her over into the hands of her lovers, into hands of the sons of Assyrians upon whom she was laying herself.	Therefore I delivered her into the hands of her lovers, into the hands of the children of the Assyrians, on whom she doted.

Ezekiel 23:10 (Tanakh)	Ezekiel 23:10 (KJV)	Ezekiel 23:10 (NET)
These discovered her nakedness: they took her sons and her daughters, and slew her with the sword: and she became famous among women; for they had executed judgment upon her.	These discovered her nakedness: they took her sons and her daughters, and slew her with the sword: and she became famous among women; for they had executed judgment upon her.	They exposed her nakedness, seized her sons and daughters, and killed her with the sword. She became notorious among women, and they executed judgments against her.

Ezekiel 23:10 (Septuagint BLB)	Ezekiel 23:10 (Septuagint Elpenor)
αὐτοὶ ἀπεκάλυψαν τὴν αἰσχύνην αὐτῆς υἱοὺς καὶ θυγατέρας αὐτῆς ἔλαβον καὶ αὐτὴν ἐν ῥομφαίᾳ ἀπέκτειναν καὶ ἐγένετο λάλημα εἰς γυναῗκας καὶ ἐποίησαν ἐκδικήσεις ἐν αὐτῇ εἰς τὰς θυγατέρας	αὐτοὶ ἀπεκάλυψαν τὴν αἰσχύνην αὐτῆς, υἱοὺς καὶ θυγατέρας αὐτῆς ἔλαβον καὶ αὐτὴν ἐν ῥομφαίᾳ ἀπέκτειναν. καὶ ἐγένετο λάλημα εἰς γυναῖκας, καὶ ἐποίησαν ἐκδικήσεις ἐν αὐτῇ εἰς τὰς θυγατέρας
Ezekiel 23:10 (NETS)	Ezekiel 23:10 (English Elpenor)
They uncovered her shame; they took her sons and daughters and killed her by sword, and she became prattle for women, and they executed judgment against her upon her daughters.	They uncovered her shame: they took her sons and daughters, and slew her with the sword: and she became a byword among women: and they wrought vengeance in her for the sake of the daughters.

Ezekiel 23:11 (Tanakh)	Ezekiel 23:11 (KJV)	Ezekiel 23:11 (NET)
And when her sister Aholibah saw this, she was more corrupt in her inordinate love than she, and in her whoredoms more than her sister in her whoredoms.	And when her sister Aholibah saw this, she was more corrupt in her inordinate love than she, and in her whoredoms more than her sister in her whoredoms.	“Her sister Oholibah watched this, but she became more corrupt in her lust than her sister had been, and her acts of prostitution were more numerous than those of her sister.

Ezekiel 23:11 (Septuagint BLB)	Ezekiel 23:11 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ εἶδεν ἡ ἀδελφὴ αὐτῆς Οολιβα καὶ διέφθειρε τὴν ἐπίθεσιν αὐτῆς ὑπὲρ αὐτὴν καὶ τὴν πορνείαν αὐτῆς ὑπὲρ τὴν πορνείαν τῆς ἀδελφῆς αὐτῆς	Καὶ εἶδεν ἡ ἀδελφὴ αὐτῆς ᾿Οολιβὰ καὶ διέφθειρε τὴν ἐπίθεσιν αὐτῆς ὑπὲρ αὐτὴν καὶ τὴν πορνείαν αὐτῆς ὑπὲρ τὴν πορνείαν τῆς ἀδελφῆς αὐτῆς
Ezekiel 23:11 (NETS)	Ezekiel 23:11 (English Elpenor)
And her sister, Ooliba, saw and was corrupting her aggression beyond her and her whoring beyond the whoring of her sister.	And her sister Ooliba saw [it], and she indulged in her fondness more corruptly than she, and in her fornication more than the fornication of her sister.

Ezekiel 23:12 (Tanakh)	Ezekiel 23:12 (KJV)	Ezekiel 23:12 (NET)
She doted upon the Assyrians her neighbours, captains and rulers clothed most gorgeously, horsemen riding upon horses, all of them desirable young men.	She doted upon the Assyrians her neighbours, captains and rulers clothed most gorgeously, horsemen riding upon horses, all of them desirable young men.	She lusted after the Assyrians—governors and officials, warriors in full armor, horsemen riding on horses, all of them desirable young men.

Ezekiel 23:12 (Septuagint BLB)	Ezekiel 23:12 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἐπὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν Ἀσσυρίων ἐπέθετο ἡγουμένους καὶ στρατηγοὺς τοὺς ἐγγὺς αὐτῆς ἐνδεδυκότας εὐπάρυφα ἱππεῗς ἱππαζομένους ἐφ᾽ ἵππων νεανίσκοι ἐπίλεκτοι πάντες	ἐπὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν ᾿Ασσυρίων ἐπέθετο, ἡγουμένους καὶ στρατηγοὺς τοὺς ἐγγὺς αὐτῆς ἐνδεδυκότας εὐπάρυφα, ἱππεῖς ἱππαζομένους ἐφ’ ἵππων· νεανίσκοι ἐπίλεκτοι πάντες
Ezekiel 23:12 (NETS)	Ezekiel 23:12 (English Elpenor)
She applied herself to the sons of Assyrians, governors and commanders near her, wearing fine purple, horsemen riding upon horses. They were all elite young men.	She doted upon the sons of the Assyrian, princes and captains, her neighbours, clothed with fine linen, horsemen riding on horses; [they were] all choice young men.

Ezekiel 23:13 (Tanakh)	Ezekiel 23:13 (KJV)	Ezekiel 23:13 (NET)
Then I saw that she was defiled, that they took both one way,	Then I saw that she was defiled, that they took both one way,	I saw that she was defiled; both of them followed the same path.

Ezekiel 23:13 (Septuagint BLB)	Ezekiel 23:13 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ εἶδον ὅτι μεμίανται ὁδὸς μία τῶν δύο	καὶ εἶδον ὅτι μεμίανται· ὁδὸς μία τῶν δύο
Ezekiel 23:13 (NETS)	Ezekiel 23:13 (English Elpenor)
And I saw that she had been defiled, one way for the two.	And I saw that they were defiled, [that] the two [had] one way.

Ezekiel 23:14 (Tanakh)	Ezekiel 23:14 (KJV)	Ezekiel 23:14 (NET)
And that she increased her whoredoms: for when she saw men pourtrayed upon the wall, the images of the Chaldeans pourtrayed with vermilion,	And that she increased her whoredoms: for when she saw men pourtrayed upon the wall, the images of the Chaldeans pourtrayed with vermilion,	But she increased her prostitution. She saw men carved on the wall, images of the Chaldeans carved in bright red,

Ezekiel 23:14 (Septuagint BLB)	Ezekiel 23:14 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ προσέθετο πρὸς τὴν πορνείαν αὐτῆς καὶ εἶδεν ἄνδρας ἐζωγραφημένους ἐπὶ τοῦ τοίχου εἰκόνας Χαλδαίων ἐζωγραφημένους ἐν γραφίδι	καὶ προσέθετο πρὸς τὴν πορνείαν αὐτῆς καὶ εἶδεν ἄνδρας ἐζωγραφημένους ἐπὶ τοῦ τοίχου, εἰκόνας Χαλδαίων, ἐζωγραφημένους ἐν γραφίδι
Ezekiel 23:14 (NETS)	Ezekiel 23:14 (English Elpenor)
And she added to her whoring, and she saw men painted upon the wall, images of the Chaldeans, painted by brush,	And she increased her fornication, and she saw men painted on the wall, likenesses of the Chaldeans painted with a pencil,

Ezekiel 23:15 (Tanakh)	Ezekiel 23:15 (KJV)	Ezekiel 23:15 (NET)
Girded with girdles upon their loins, exceeding in dyed attire upon their heads, all of them princes to look to, after the manner of the Babylonians of Chaldea, the land of their nativity:	Girded with girdles upon their loins, exceeding in dyed attire upon their heads, all of them princes to look to, after the manner of the Babylonians of Chaldea, the land of their nativity:	wearing belts on their waists and flowing turbans on their heads, all of them looking like officers, the image of Babylonians whose native land is Chaldea.

Ezekiel 23:15 (Septuagint BLB)	Ezekiel 23:15 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἐζωσμένους ποικίλματα ἐπὶ τὰς ὀσφύας αὐτῶν καὶ τιάραι βαπταὶ ἐπὶ τῶν κεφαλῶν αὐτῶν ὄψις τρισσὴ πάντων ὁμοίωμα υἱῶν Χαλδαίων γῆς πατρίδος αὐτῶν	ἐζωσμένους ποικίλματα ἐπὶ τὰς ὀσφύας αὐτῶν, καὶ τιάραι βαπταὶ ἐπὶ τῶν κεφαλῶν αὐτῶν, ὄψις τρισσὴ πάντων, ὁμοίωμα υἱῶν Χαλδαίων, γῆς πατρίδος αὐτῶν
Ezekiel 23:15 (NETS)	Ezekiel 23:15 (English Elpenor)
girded with brocades upon their loins and dyed tiaras on their heads; all had a triple aspect, a likeness of sons of Chaldeans of their native land.	having variegated girdles on their loins, having also richly dyed [attire] upon their heads; all had a princely appearance, the likeness of the children of the Chaldeans, of their native land.

Ezekiel 23:16 (Tanakh)	Ezekiel 23:16 (KJV)	Ezekiel 23:16 (NET)
And as soon as she saw them with her eyes, she doted upon them, and sent messengers unto them into Chaldea.	And as soon as she saw them with her eyes, she doted upon them, and sent messengers unto them into Chaldea.	When she saw them, she lusted after them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea.

Ezekiel 23:16 (Septuagint BLB)	Ezekiel 23:16 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐπέθετο ἐπ᾽ αὐτοὺς τῇ ὁράσει ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτῆς καὶ ἐξαπέστειλεν ἀγγέλους πρὸς αὐτοὺς εἰς γῆν Χαλδαίων	καὶ ἐπέθετο ἐπ’ αὐτοὺς τῇ ὁράσει ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτῆς καὶ ἐξαπέστειλεν ἀγγέλους πρὸς αὐτοὺς εἰς γῆν Χαλδαίων
Ezekiel 23:16 (NETS)	Ezekiel 23:16 (English Elpenor)
And she applied herself to them in the vision of her eyes and sent out messengers to them into the land of the Chaldeans.	And she doted upon them as soon as she saw them, and sent forth messengers to them into the land of the Chaldeans.

Ezekiel 23:17 (Tanakh)	Ezekiel 23:17 (KJV)	Ezekiel 23:17 (NET)
And the Babylonians came to her into the bed of love, and they defiled her with their whoredom, and she was polluted with them, and her mind was alienated from them.	And the Babylonians came to her into the bed of love, and they defiled her with their whoredom, and she was polluted with them, and her mind was alienated from them.	The Babylonians crawled into bed with her. They defiled her with their lust; after she was defiled by them, she became disgusted with them.

Ezekiel 23:17 (Septuagint BLB)	Ezekiel 23:17 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἤλθοσαν πρὸς αὐτὴν υἱοὶ Βαβυλῶνος εἰς κοίτην καταλυόντων καὶ ἐμίαινον αὐτὴν ἐν τῇ πορνείᾳ αὐτῆς καὶ ἐμιάνθη ἐν αὐτοῗς καὶ ἀπέστη ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτῆς ἀπ᾽ αὐτῶν	καὶ ἤλθοσαν πρὸς αὐτὴν υἱοὶ Βαβυλῶνος εἰς κοίτην καταλυόντων καὶ ἐμίαινον αὐτὴν ἐν τῇ πορνείᾳ αὐτῆς, καὶ ἐμιάνθη ἐν αὐτοῖς· καὶ ἀπέστη ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτῆς ἀπ’ αὐτῶν
Ezekiel 23:17 (NETS)	Ezekiel 23:17 (English Elpenor)
And the sons of Babylon came to her for a bed of lodgers, and they were defiling her in her whoring, and she was defiled with them, and her soul recoiled from them.	And the sons of Babylon came to her, into the bed of rest, and they defiled her in her fornication, and she was defiled by them, and her soul was alienated from them.

Ezekiel 23:18 (Tanakh)	Ezekiel 23:18 (KJV)	Ezekiel 23:18 (NET)
So she discovered her whoredoms, and discovered her nakedness: then my mind was alienated from her, like as my mind was alienated from her sister.	So she discovered her whoredoms, and discovered her nakedness: then my mind was alienated from her, like as my mind was alienated from her sister.	When she lustfully exposed her nakedness, I was disgusted with her, just as I had been disgusted with her sister.

Ezekiel 23:18 (Septuagint BLB)	Ezekiel 23:18 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἀπεκάλυψεν τὴν πορνείαν αὐτῆς καὶ ἀπεκάλυψεν τὴν αἰσχύνην αὐτῆς καὶ ἀπέστη ἡ ψυχή μου ἀπ᾽ αὐτῆς ὃν τρόπον ἀπέστη ἡ ψυχή μου ἀπὸ τῆς ἀδελφῆς αὐτῆς	καί ἀπεκάλυψε τὴν πορνείαν αὐτῆς καὶ ἀπεκάλυψεν αἰσχύνην αὐτῆς, καὶ ἀπέστη ἡ ψυχή μου ἀπ’ αὐτῆς, ὃν τρόπον ἀπέστη ἡ ψυχή μου ἀπὸ τῆς ἀδελφῆς αὐτῆς
Ezekiel 23:18 (NETS)	Ezekiel 23:18 (English Elpenor)
And she uncovered her whoring and uncovered her shame, and my soul recoiled from her, as my soul recoiled from her sister.	And she exposed her fornication, and exposed her shame: and my soul was alienated from her, even as my soul was alienated from her sister.

Ezekiel 23:19 (Tanakh)	Ezekiel 23:19 (KJV)	Ezekiel 23:19 (NET)
Yet she multiplied her whoredoms, in calling to remembrance the days of her youth, wherein she had played the harlot in the land of Egypt.	Yet she multiplied her whoredoms, in calling to remembrance the days of her youth, wherein she had played the harlot in the land of Egypt.	Yet she increased her prostitution, remembering the days of her youth when she engaged in prostitution in the land of Egypt.

Ezekiel 23:19 (Septuagint BLB)	Ezekiel 23:19 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐπλήθυνας τὴν πορνείαν σου τοῦ ἀναμνῆσαι ἡμέρας νεότητός σου ἐν αἷς ἐπόρνευσας ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ	καὶ ἐπλήθυνας τὴν πορνείαν σου τοῦ ἀναμνῆσαι ἡμέραν νεότητός σου, ἐν αἷς ἐπόρνευσας ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ
Ezekiel 23:19 (NETS)	Ezekiel 23:19 (English Elpenor)
And you multiplied your whoring to remind them of the days of your youth when you whored in Egypt,	And thou didst multiply thy fornication, so as to call to remembrance the days of thy youth, wherein thou didst commit whoredom in Egypt,

Ezekiel 23:20 (Tanakh)	Ezekiel 23:20 (KJV)	Ezekiel 23:20 (NET)
For she doted upon their paramours, whose flesh is as the flesh of asses, and whose issue is like the issue of horses.	For she doted upon their paramours, whose flesh is as the flesh of asses, and whose issue is like the issue of horses.	She lusted after her lovers there, whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of stallions.

Ezekiel 23:20 (Septuagint BLB)	Ezekiel 23:20 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐπέθου ἐπὶ τοὺς Χαλδαίους ὧν ἦσαν ὡς ὄνων αἱ σάρκες αὐτῶν καὶ αἰδοῗα ἵππων τὰ αἰδοῗα αὐτῶν	καὶ ἐπέθου ἐπὶ τοὺς Χαλδαίους, ὧν ὡς ὄνων αἱ σάρκες αὐτῶν καὶ αἰδοῖα ἵππων τὰ αἰδοῖα αὐτῶν
Ezekiel 23:20 (NETS)	Ezekiel 23:20 (English Elpenor)
and you applied yourself to the Chaldeans, whose flesh was like that of donkeys and their privates were privates of horses.	and thou didst dote upon the Chaldeans, whose flesh is as the flesh of the asses, and their members [as] the members of horses.

Ezekiel 23:21 (Tanakh)	Ezekiel 23:21 (KJV)	Ezekiel 23:21 (NET)
Thus thou calledst to remembrance the lewdness of thy youth, in bruising thy teats by the Egyptians for the paps of thy youth.	Thus thou calledst to remembrance the lewdness of thy youth, in bruising thy teats by the Egyptians for the paps of thy youth.	This is how you assessed the obscene conduct of your youth, when the Egyptians fondled your nipples and squeezed your young breasts.

Ezekiel 23:21 (Septuagint BLB)	Ezekiel 23:21 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐπεσκέψω τὴν ἀνομίαν νεότητός σου ἃ ἐποίεις ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ ἐν τῷ καταλύματί σου οὗ οἱ μαστοὶ νεότητός σου	καὶ ἐπεσκέψω τὴν ἀνομίαν νεότητός σου, ἃ ἐποίεις ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ ἐν τῷ καταλύματί σου, οὗ οἱ μαστοὶ νεότητός σου
Ezekiel 23:21 (NETS)	Ezekiel 23:21 (English Elpenor)
And you reflected upon the lawlessness of your youth, what you used to do in Egypt in your lodging, where the breasts of your youth were.	And thou didst look upon the iniquity of thy youth, [the things] which thou wroughtest in Egypt in thy lodgings, where were the breasts of thy youth.

Section One – Conclusion

Back to Romans, Part 2

Back to Fear – Exodus, Part 5

Back to Fear – Exodus, Part 7

Back to Who Am I? Part 5

Back to Fear – Deuteronomy, Part 14

Back to My Reasons and My Reason, Part 4

¹ Ezekiel 1:1-3

² 2 Kings 24:10-17 (NET)

³ Exodus 32:6 (NET) Table

⁴ Genesis 26:8 (NET)

⁵ Genesis 26:8 (KJV)

⁶ Exodus 32:25-29 (NET)

⁷ Hosea 4:11-14 (NET)

⁸ Jeremiah 3:8 (NET)

⁹ John 17:3 (NET)

¹⁰ Malachi 2:16a (NET) Table

¹¹ Matthew 19:6b (NET)

Jephthah and Moses

Posted on June 4, 2012 by admin

Jephthah was somewhat unique among the Judges. His leadership style hearkened back to someone more like Moses than the other Judges up to his time (compare Ehud,¹ for instance). Though I wouldn’t expect a marauding leader of lawless men, the exiled son of a professional (or eager amateur) devotee of one of the Baals or Ashtars, to be an avid student of the five books of Moses (Genesis through Deuteronomy), Jephthah did not rush into battle with the king of the Ammonites (Judges 11:12, 13 NET).

Jephthah sent messengers to the Ammonite king, saying, “Why have you come against me to attack my land?” The Ammonite king said to Jephthah’s messengers, “Because Israel stole my land when they came up from Egypt – from the Arnon River in the south to the Jabbok River in the north, and as far west as the Jordan. Now return it peaceably!”

Perhaps Jephthah’s ancestry and personal history made him more careful than others to imitate Moses of old. Whether he knew the history himself or enlisted priests or prophets to help him, Jephthah’s response to the Ammonite king was a relatively detailed Bible² study.

Jephthah sent messengers back to the Ammonite king and said to him, “This is what Jephthah says, ‘Israel did not steal the land of Moab and the land of the Ammonites.

Judges 11:14, 15 (NET)

When they left Egypt, Israel traveled through the desert as far as the Red Sea and then came to Kadesh. Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, “Please allow us to pass through your land.” But the king of Edom rejected the request.

Judges 11:16, 17a (NET)

Deuteronomy 2:1-8 (NET)

Numbers 20:14-21 (NET)

Israel sent the same request to the king of Moab, but he was unwilling to cooperate. So Israel stayed at Kadesh. Then Israel went through the desert and bypassed the land of Edom and the land of Moab. They traveled east of the land of Moab and camped on the other side of the Arnon River; they did not go through Moabite territory (the Arnon was Moab’s border).

Judges 11:17b, 18 (NET)

Deuteronomy 2:9 (NET)

Numbers 21:11-13 (NET)

Israel sent messengers to King Sihon, the Amorite king who ruled in Heshbon, and said to him, “Please allow us to pass through your land to our land.” But Sihon did not trust Israel to pass through his territory. He assembled his whole army, camped in Jahaz, and fought with Israel. The Lord God of Israel handed Sihon and his whole army over to Israel and they defeated them. Israel took all the land of the Amorites who lived in that land. They took all the Amorite territory from the Arnon River on the south to the Jabbok River on the north, from the desert in the east to the Jordan in the west. Since the Lord God of Israel has driven out the Amorites before his people Israel, do you think you can just take it from them? You have the right to take what Chemosh your god gives you, but we will take the land of all whom the Lord our God has driven out before us.

Judges 11:19-24 (NET)

Deuteronomy 2:24-37 (NET)

Numbers 21:21-25 (NET)

Are you really better than Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he dare to quarrel with Israel? Did he dare to fight with them? Israel has been living in Heshbon and its nearby towns, in Aroer and its nearby towns, and in all the cities along the Arnon for three hundred years! Why did you not reclaim them during that time?

Judges 11:25, 26 (NET)

Numbers 22-25 (NET)

I have not done you wrong, but you are doing wrong by attacking me. May the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ, יהוה), the Judge (šāp̄aṭ, השפט), judge (šāp̄aṭ, ישפט) this day between the Israelites and the Ammonites!’” But the Ammonite king disregarded the message sent by Jephthah.

Judges 11:27, 28 (NET)

Deuteronomy 2:17-19 (NET)

The next part of Jephthah’s story was introduced by the statement, The Lord’s spirit empowered Jephthah.³ And by the Lord’s spirit, Jephthah approached the Ammonites to fight with them, and the Lord handed them over to him. He defeated them from Aroer all the way to Minnith – twenty cities in all, even as far as Abel Keramim! He wiped them out! The Israelites humiliated the Ammonites.⁴ But after the Lord’s spirit empowered him, and before he defeated the Ammonites, on the way to battle, probably in the hearing of his officers and men (Judges 11:30, 31 NET):

Jephthah made (nāḏar, וידר) a vow (neḏer, נדר) to the Lord, saying, “If you really do hand the Ammonites over to me [Table], then whoever is the first to come through the doors of my house to meet me when I return safely from fighting the Ammonites – he will belong to the Lord and I will offer him up as a burnt sacrifice [Table].”

Whether he studied the scroll himself or with the aid of priests or Levites the information Jephthah shared with the Ammonite king came largely from Numbers. In Numbers 30:1, 2 (NET), Moses told the leaders of the tribes concerning the Israelites, “This is what the Lord has commanded: If a man makes (nāḏar, ידר) a vow (neḏer, נדר) to the Lord or takes (šāḇaʿ, השבע) an oath (šᵊḇûʿâ, שבעה) of binding obligation on himself, he must not break (ḥālal, יחל) his word, but must do whatever (kōl, ככל) he has promised (yāṣā’ היצא, pê מפיו) [Table].

The plot thickens (Judges 11:34, 35 NET):

When Jephthah came home to Mizpah, there was his daughter hurrying out to meet him, dancing to the rhythm of tambourines. She was his only child; except for her he had no son or daughter. When he saw her, he ripped his clothes and said, “Oh no! My daughter! You have completely ruined me! You have brought me disaster! I made (pāṣâ, פציתי) an oath (pê, פי) to the Lord, and I cannot break (šûḇ, לשוב) it.”

Though it is a tricky thing to do it might be possible to infer a few things about this marauding leader of lawless men, the exiled son of a professional (or eager amateur) devotee of one of the Baals or Ashtars, as a father by his daughter’s response. “My father, since you made (pāṣâ, פציתה) an oath (pê, פיך) to the Lord, do to me as you promised (‘ăšer, כאשר; yāṣā’, יצא; pê, מפיך; literally: “whatever went out from your mouth”). After all, the Lord vindicated you before your enemies, the Ammonites.”⁵ And it was not only before the Ammonites that Jephthah was vindicated.

The story concluded (Judges 11:37-40 NET):

She then said to her father, “Please grant me this one wish. For two months allow me to walk through the hills with my friends and mourn my virginity.” He said, “You may go.” He permitted her to leave for two months. She went with her friends and mourned her virginity as she walked through the hills. After two months she returned (šûḇ, ותשב) to her father, and he did to her as he had (neḏer, נדרו) vowed (nāḏar, נדר). She died a virgin. Her tragic death gave rise to a custom in Israel. Every year Israelite women commemorate the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite for four days [Table].

For a long time I accepted this story as a tragic example of the high price of righteousness, or justification, by the works of the law. The repetition of the words וידר (nāḏar) and נדר (nāḏar) in Judges 11:30 , and נדר (neḏer) and נדרו (neḏer) in Judges 11:39, as they appear in Numbers 30:2 (nāḏar, ידר and neḏer, נדר), leads me to believe that the author of Judges probably thought that, too. The Bible I used at the time did not have a topical heading that read: A Foolish Vow Spells Death for a Daughter. I’m not sure I would have believed it if it had. It was only after encountering the divorce dilemma in Ezra and Malachi that I began to rethink Jephthah’s dilemma. I wasn’t prepared yet to find salvation for Jephthah’s daughter in the law (Leviticus 5:4-6a NET).

…when a person swears an oath (šāḇaʿ, תשבע), speaking thoughtlessly (bāṭā’, לבטא) with his lips, whether to do evil or to do good, with regard to anything which the individual might speak thoughtlessly (bāṭā’, יבטא) in an oath (šᵊḇûʿâ, בשבעה), even if he did not realize it, but he himself has later come to know it and is guilty with regard to one of these oaths – when an individual becomes guilty with regard to one of these things he must confess how he has sinned, and he must bring his penalty for guilt to the Lord for his sin that he has committed…

Addendum: August 5, 2021
Tables comparing Judges 11:12; 11:13; 11:14; 11:15; 11:16; 11:17; 11:18; 11:19; 11:20; 11:21; 11:22; 11:23; 11:24; 11:25; 11:26; 11:27; 11:28; 11:32; 11:33; Numbers 30:1 (30:2); Judges 11:34; 11:35; 11:37; 11:38; 11:39; Leviticus 5:4; 5:5 and 5:6 in the Tanakh, KJV and NET, and tables comparing the Greek of Judges 11:12; 11:13; 11:14; 11:15; 11:16; 11:17; 11:18; 11:19; 11:20; 11:21; 11:22; 11:23; 11:24; 11:25; 11:26; 11:27; 11:28; 11:32; 11:33; Numbers 30:1 (30:2); Judges 11:34; 11:35; 11:37; 11:38; 11:39 (11:39, 40a); Leviticus 5:4; 5:5 and 5:6 in the Septuagint (BLB and Elpenor) follow.

Judges 11:12 (Tanakh)	Judges 11:12 (KJV)	Judges 11:12 (NET)
And Jephthah sent messengers unto the king of the children of Ammon, saying, What hast thou to do with me, that thou art come against me to fight in my land?	And Jephthah sent messengers unto the king of the children of Ammon, saying, What hast thou to do with me, that thou art come against me to fight in my land?	Jephthah sent messengers to the Ammonite king, saying, “Why have you come against me to attack my land?”

Judges 11:12 (Septuagint BLB)	Judges 11:12 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἀπέστειλεν Ιεφθαε ἀγγέλους πρὸς βασιλέα υἱῶν Αμμων λέγων τί ἐμοὶ καὶ σοί ὅτι ἥκεις πρός με σὺ πολεμῆσαί με ἐν τῇ γῇ μου	Καὶ ἀπέστειλεν ᾿Ιεφθάε ἀγγέλους πρὸς βασιλέα υἱῶν ᾿Αμμὼν λέγων· τί ἐμοὶ καὶ σοί, ὅτι ἦλθες πρός με τοῦ παρατάξασθαι ἐν τῇ γῇ μου
Judges 11:12 (NETS)	Judges 11:12 (English Elpenor)
And Iephthae sent messengers to the king of the sons of Ammon, saying, “What is there between you and me that you have come against me to fight me in my land?”	And Jephthae sent messengers to the king of the children of Ammon, saying, What have I to do with thee, that thou hast come against me to fight in my land?

Judges 11:13 (Tanakh)	Judges 11:13 (KJV)	Judges 11:13 (NET)
And the king of the children of Ammon answered unto the messengers of Jephthah, Because Israel took away my land, when they came up out of Egypt, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and unto Jordan: now therefore restore those lands again peaceably.	And the king of the children of Ammon answered unto the messengers of Jephthah, Because Israel took away my land, when they came up out of Egypt, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and unto Jordan: now therefore restore those lands again peaceably.	The Ammonite king said to Jephthah’s messengers, “Because Israel stole my land when they came up from Egypt—from the Arnon River in the south to the Jabbok River in the north, and as far west as the Jordan. Now return it peaceably!”

Judges 11:13 (Septuagint BLB)	Judges 11:13 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ εἶπεν βασιλεὺς υἱῶν Αμμων πρὸς τοὺς ἀγγέλους Ιεφθαε διότι ἔλαβεν Ισραηλ τὴν γῆν μου ἐν τῇ ἀναβάσει αὐτοῦ ἐξ Αἰγύπτου ἀπὸ Αρνων ἕως Ιαβοκ καὶ ἕως τοῦ Ιορδάνου καὶ νῦν ἐπίστρεψον αὐτὰς μετ᾽ εἰρήνης	καὶ εἶπε βασιλεὺς υἱῶν ᾿Αμμὼν πρὸς τοὺς ἀγγέλους ᾿Ιεφθάε· ὅτι ἔλαβεν ᾿Ισραὴλ τὴν γῆν μου ἐν τῷ ἀναβαίνειν αὐτὸν ἐξ Αἰγύπτου ἀπὸ ᾿Αρνὼν ἕως ᾿Ιαβὸκ καὶ ἕως τοῦ ᾿Ιορδάνου· καὶ νῦν ἐπίστρεψον αὐτὰς ἐν εἰρήνῃ, καὶ πορεύσομαι
Judges 11:13 (NETS)	Judges 11:13 (English Elpenor)
And the king of the sons of Ammon said to the messengers of Iephthae, “Because Israel took away my land in their journey up out of Egypt, from Arnon up to Iabok and up to the Jordan, and now restore them in peace.”	And the king of the children of Ammon said to the messengers of Jephthae, Because Israel took my land when he went up out of Egypt, from Arnon to Jaboc, and to Jordan: now then return them peaceably and I will depart.

Judges 11:14 (Tanakh)	Judges 11:14 (KJV)	Judges 11:14 (NET)
And Jephthah sent messengers again unto the king of the children of Ammon:	And Jephthah sent messengers again unto the king of the children of Ammon:	Jephthah sent messengers back to the Ammonite king

Judges 11:14 (Septuagint BLB)	Judges 11:14 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἀπέστρεψαν οἱ ἄγγελοι πρὸς Ιεφθαε καὶ ἀπέστειλεν Ιεφθαε ἀγγέλους πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα υἱῶν Αμμων	καὶ προσέθηκεν ἔτι ᾿Ιεφθάε καὶ ἀπέστειλεν ἀγγέλους πρὸς βασιλέα υἱῶν ᾿Αμμών
Judges 11:14 (NETS)	Judges 11:14 (English Elpenor)
And the messengers returned to Iephthae, and Iephthae sent messengers to the king of the sons of Ammon,	And Jephthae again sent messengers to the king of the children of Ammon,

Judges 11:15 (Tanakh)	Judges 11:15 (KJV)	Judges 11:15 (NET)
And said unto him, Thus saith Jephthah, Israel took not away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon:	And said unto him, Thus saith Jephthah, Israel took not away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon:	and said to him, “This is what Jephthah says, ‘Israel did not steal the land of Moab and the land of the Ammonites.

Judges 11:15 (Septuagint BLB)	Judges 11:15 (Septuagint Elpenor)
λέγων τάδε λέγει Ιεφθαε οὐκ ἔλαβεν Ισραηλ τὴν γῆν Μωαβ καὶ τὴν γῆν υἱῶν Αμμων	καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ οὕτω λέγει ᾿Ιεφθάε· οὐκ ἔλαβεν ᾿Ισραὴλ τὴν γῆν Μωὰβ καὶ τὴν γῆν υἱῶν ᾿Αμμών
Judges 11:15 (NETS)	Judges 11:15 (English Elpenor)
saying: “This is what Iephthae says: Israel did not take away the land of Moab or the land of the sons of Ammon	and said to him, Thus says Jephthae, Israel took not the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon;

Judges 11:16 (Tanakh)	Judges 11:16 (KJV)	Judges 11:16 (NET)
But when Israel came up from Egypt, and walked through the wilderness unto the Red sea, and came to Kadesh;	But when Israel came up from Egypt, and walked through the wilderness unto the Red sea, and came to Kadesh;	When they left Egypt, Israel traveled through the desert as far as the Red Sea and then came to Kadesh.

Judges 11:16 (Septuagint BLB)	Judges 11:16 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἐν τῇ ἀναβάσει αὐτῶν ἐξ Αἰγύπτου ἀλλ᾽ ἐπορεύθη Ισραηλ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ ἕως θαλάσσης ἐρυθρᾶς καὶ ἦλθεν ἕως Καδης	ὅτι ἐν τῷ ἀναβαίνειν αὐτοὺς ἐξ Αἰγύπτου ἐπορεύθη ᾿Ισραὴλ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ ἕως θαλάσσης Σὶφ καὶ ἦλθεν εἰς Κάδης
Judges 11:16 (NETS)	Judges 11:16 (English Elpenor)
in their journey up out of Egypt; rather, Israel went in the wilderness to the Red Sea and came to Kades.	for in their going up out of Egypt Israel went in the wilderness as far as the sea of Siph, and came to Cades.

Judges 11:17 (Tanakh)	Judges 11:17 (KJV)	Judges 11:17 (NET)
Then Israel sent messengers unto the king of Edom, saying, Let me, I pray thee, pass through thy land: but the king of Edom would not hearken thereto. And in like manner they sent unto the king of Moab: but he would not consent: and Israel abode in Kadesh.	Then Israel sent messengers unto the king of Edom, saying, Let me, I pray thee, pass through thy land: but the king of Edom would not hearken thereto. And in like manner they sent unto the king of Moab: but he would not consent: and Israel abode in Kadesh.	Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, “Please allow us to pass through your land.” But the king of Edom rejected the request. Israel sent the same request to the king of Moab, but he was unwilling to cooperate. So Israel stayed at Kadesh.

Judges 11:17 (Septuagint BLB)	Judges 11:17 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐξαπέστειλεν Ισραηλ ἀγγέλους πρὸς βασιλέα Εδωμ λέγων παρελεύσομαι διὰ τῆς γῆς σου καὶ οὐκ ἤκουσεν βασιλεὺς Εδωμ καί γε πρὸς βασιλέα Μωαβ ἀπέστειλεν καὶ οὐκ ἠθέλησεν καὶ ἐκάθισεν Ισραηλ ἐν Καδης	καὶ ἀπέστειλεν ᾿Ισραὴλ ἀγγέλους πρὸς βασιλέα ᾿Εδὼμ λέγων· παρελεύσομαι δὴ ἐν τῇ γῇ σου· καὶ οὐκ ἤκουσε βασιλεὺς ᾿Εδώμ. καί γε πρὸς βασιλέα Μωὰβ ἀπέστειλε, καὶ οὐκ εὐδόκησε. καὶ ἐκάθισεν ᾿Ισραὴλ ἐν Κάδης
Judges 11:17 (NETS)	Judges 11:17 (English Elpenor)
And Israel sent out messengers to the king of Edom, saying, ‘I will pass through your land,’ and the king of Edom did not listen. And indeed he sent to the king of Moab, but he did not consent. And Israel resided at Kades.	And Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, I will pass, if it please thee, by thy land: and the king of Edom complied not: and [Israel] also sent to the king of Moab, and he did not consent; and Israel sojourned in Cades.

Judges 11:18 (Tanakh)	Judges 11:18 (KJV)	Judges 11:18 (NET)
Then they went along through the wilderness, and compassed the land of Edom, and the land of Moab, and came by the east side of the land of Moab, and pitched on the other side of Arnon, but came not within the border of Moab: for Arnon was the border of Moab.	Then they went along through the wilderness, and compassed the land of Edom, and the land of Moab, and came by the east side of the land of Moab, and pitched on the other side of Arnon, but came not within the border of Moab: for Arnon was the border of Moab.	Then Israel went through the wilderness and bypassed the land of Edom and the land of Moab. They traveled east of the land of Moab and camped on the other side of the Arnon River; they did not go through Moabite territory (the Arnon was Moab’s border).

Judges 11:18 (Septuagint BLB)	Judges 11:18 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ διῆλθεν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ καὶ ἐκύκλωσεν τὴν γῆν Εδωμ καὶ τὴν γῆν Μωαβ καὶ παρεγένετο κατ᾽ ἀνατολὰς ἡλίου τῆς γῆς Μωαβ καὶ παρενέβαλον ἐν τῷ πέραν Αρνων καὶ οὐκ εἰσῆλθον εἰς τὸ ὅριον Μωαβ ὅτι Αρνων ἦν ὅριον Μωαβ	καὶ ἐπορεύθη ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ καὶ ἐκύκλωσε τὴν γῆν ᾿Εδὼμ καὶ τὴν γῆν Μωὰβ καὶ ἦλθεν ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν ἡλίου τῇ γῇ Μωὰβ καὶ παρενέβαλεν ἐν πέραν ᾿Αρνὼν καὶ οὐκ εἰσῆλθεν ἐν ὁρίοις Μωάβ, ὅτι ᾿Αρνὼν ὅριον Μωάβ
Judges 11:18 (NETS)	Judges 11:18 (English Elpenor)
And he journeyed through in the wilderness and went around the land of Edom and the land of Moab and arrived at sunrise of the land of Moab, and they camped on the other side of the Arnon. And they did not enter the territory of Moab, for Arnon was the boundary of Moab.	And Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, I will pass, if it please thee, by thy land: and the king of Edom complied not: and [Israel] also sent to the king of Moab, and he did not consent; and Israel sojourned in Cades.

Judges 11:19 (Tanakh)	Judges 11:19 (KJV)	Judges 11:19 (NET)
And Israel sent messengers unto Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon; and Israel said unto him, Let us pass, we pray thee, through thy land into my place.	And Israel sent messengers unto Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon; and Israel said unto him, Let us pass, we pray thee, through thy land into my place.	Israel sent messengers to King Sihon, the Amorite king who ruled in Heshbon, and said to him, “Please allow us to pass through your land to our land.”

Judges 11:19 (Septuagint BLB)	Judges 11:19 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἀπέστειλεν Ισραηλ ἀγγέλους πρὸς Σηων βασιλέα Εσεβων τὸν Αμορραῗον καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ Ισραηλ παρελεύσομαι διὰ τῆς γῆς σου ἕως τοῦ τόπου μου	καὶ ἀπέστειλεν ᾿Ισραὴλ ἀγγέλους πρὸς Σηὼν βασιλέα τοῦ ᾿Αμορραίου βασιλέα ᾿Εσεβών, καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ ᾿Ισραήλ· παρέλθωμεν δὴ ἐν τῇ γῇ σου ἕως τοῦ τόπου ἡμῶν
Judges 11:19 (NETS)	Judges 11:19 (English Elpenor)
And Israel sent messengers to Seon, king of Heshbon, the Amorite, and Israel said to him, ‘I will pass through your land to my place.’	And Israel sent messengers to Seon king of the Amorite, king of Esbon, and Israel said to him, Let us pass, we pray thee, by thy land to our place.

Judges 11:20 (Tanakh)	Judges 11:20 (KJV)	Judges 11:20 (NET)
But Sihon trusted not Israel to pass through his coast: but Sihon gathered all his people together, and pitched in Jahaz, and fought against Israel.	But Sihon trusted not Israel to pass through his coast: but Sihon gathered all his people together, and pitched in Jahaz, and fought against Israel.	But Sihon did not trust Israel to pass through his territory. He assembled his whole army, camped in Jahaz, and fought with Israel.

Judges 11:20 (Septuagint BLB)	Judges 11:20 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ οὐκ ἠθέλησεν Σηων διελθεῗν τὸν Ισραηλ διὰ τῶν ὁρίων αὐτοῦ καὶ συνήγαγεν Σηων πάντα τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ παρενέβαλεν εἰς Ιασσα καὶ ἐπολέμησεν μετὰ Ισραηλ	καὶ οὐκ ἐνεπίστευσε Σηὼν τῷ ᾿Ισραὴλ παρελθεῖν ἐν τῷ ὁρίῳ αὐτοῦ· καὶ συνῆξε Σηὼν πάντα τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ παρενέβαλον εἰς ᾿Ιασά, καὶ παρετάξατο πρὸς ᾿Ισραήλ
Judges 11:20 (NETS)	Judges 11:20 (English Elpenor)
And Seon did not want Israel to cross his boundaries, and Seon gathered all his people together and encamped at Iassa and fought with Israel.	And Seon did not trust Israel to pass by his coast; and Seon gathered all his people, and they encamped at Jasa; and he set the battle in array against Israel.

Judges 11:21 (Tanakh)	Judges 11:21 (KJV)	Judges 11:21 (NET)
And the LORD God of Israel delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they smote them: so Israel possessed all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of that country.	And the LORD God of Israel delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they smote them: so Israel possessed all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of that country.	The Lord God of Israel handed Sihon and his whole army over to Israel, and they defeated them. Israel took all the land of the Amorites who lived in that land.

Judges 11:21 (Septuagint BLB)	Judges 11:21 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ παρέδωκεν κύριος ὁ θεὸς Ισραηλ τὸν Σηων καὶ πάντα τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ ἐν χειρὶ Ισραηλ καὶ ἐπάταξεν αὐτούς καὶ ἐκληρονόμησεν Ισραηλ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν τοῦ Αμορραίου τοῦ κατοικοῦντος ἐν τῇ γῇ	καὶ παρέδωκε Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ᾿Ισραὴλ τὸν Σηὼν καὶ πάντα τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ ἐν χειρὶ ᾿Ισραήλ, καὶ ἐπάταξεν αὐτόν· καὶ ἐκληρονόμησεν ᾿Ισραὴλ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν τοῦ ᾿Αμμοραίου τοῦ κατοικοῦντος τὴν γῆν ἐκείνην
Judges 11:21 (NETS)	Judges 11:21 (English Elpenor)
And the Lord, the God of Israel, gave Seon and all his people in the hand of Israel, and he struck them down, and Israel inherited all the land of the Amorrite who inhabited the land.	And the Lord God of Israel delivered Seon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they smote him; and Israel inherited all the land of the Amorite who dwelt in that land,

Judges 11:22 (Tanakh)	Judges 11:22 (KJV)	Judges 11:22 (NET)
And they possessed all the coasts of the Amorites, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and from the wilderness even unto Jordan.	And they possessed all the coasts of the Amorites, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and from the wilderness even unto Jordan.	They took all the Amorite territory from the Arnon River on the south to the Jabbok River on the north, from the desert in the east to the Jordan in the west.

Judges 11:22 (Septuagint BLB)	Judges 11:22 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐκληρονόμησεν πᾶν τὸ ὅριον τοῦ Αμορραίου ἀπὸ Αρνων καὶ ἕως τοῦ Ιαβοκ καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς ἐρήμου καὶ ἕως τοῦ Ιορδάνου	ἀπὸ ᾿Αρνὼν καὶ ἕως τοῦ ᾿Ιαβὸκ καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐρήμου ἕως τοῦ ᾿Ιορδάνου
Judges 11:22 (NETS)	Judges 11:22 (English Elpenor)
And he inherited all the territory of the Amorrite from Arnon and up to Iabbok and from the wilderness and up to the Jordan.	from Arnon and to Jaboc, and from the wilderness to Jordan.

Judges 11:23 (Tanakh)	Judges 11:23 (KJV)	Judges 11:23 (NET)
So now the LORD God of Israel hath dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel, and shouldest thou possess it?	So now the LORD God of Israel hath dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel, and shouldest thou possess it?	Since the Lord God of Israel has driven out the Amorites before his people Israel, do you think you can just take it from them?

Judges 11:23 (Septuagint BLB)	Judges 11:23 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ νῦν κύριος ὁ θεὸς Ισραηλ ἐξῆρεν τὸν Αμορραῗον ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτοῦ Ισραηλ καὶ σὺ κληρονομήσεις αὐτὸν ἐπὶ σοῦ	καὶ νῦν Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ᾿Ισραὴλ ἐξῇρε τὸν ᾿Αμορραῖον ἀπὸ προσώπου λαοῦ αὐτοῦ ᾿Ισραήλ, καὶ σὺ κληρονομήσεις αὐτόν
Judges 11:23 (NETS)	Judges 11:23 (English Elpenor)
And now the Lord, the God of Israel, has removed the Amorrite from before his people Israel. And shall you inherit them for yourself?	And now the Lord God of Israel has removed the Amorite from before his people Israel, and shalt thou inherit his [land]?

Judges 11:24 (Tanakh)	Judges 11:24 (KJV)	Judges 11:24 (NET)
Wilt not thou possess that which Chemosh thy god giveth thee to possess? So whomsoever the LORD our God shall drive out from before us, them will we possess.	Wilt not thou possess that which Chemosh thy god giveth thee to possess? So whomsoever the LORD our God shall drive out from before us, them will we possess.	You have the right to take what Chemosh your god gives you, but we will take the land of all whom the Lord our God has driven out before us.

Judges 11:24 (Septuagint BLB)	Judges 11:24 (Septuagint Elpenor)
οὐχὶ ὅσα κατεκληρονόμησέν σοι Χαμως ὁ θεός σου αὐτὰ κληρονομήσεις καὶ πάντα ὅσα κατεκληρονόμησεν κύριος ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν ἀπὸ προσώπου ἡμῶν αὐτὰ κληρονομήσομεν	οὐχὶ ἃ ἐὰν κληρονομήσει σε Χαμὼς ὁ θεός σου, αὐτὰ κληρονομήσεις, καὶ τοὺς πάντας, οὓς ἐξῇρε Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν ἀπὸ προσώπου ὑμῶν, αὐτοὺς κληρονομήσομεν
Judges 11:24 (NETS)	Judges 11:24 (English Elpenor)
Should it not be that whatever your god Chamos has assigned you as an inheritance, that you will inherit? And everything that the Lord our God has assigned as an inheritance from before us, that we will inherit.	Wilt thou not inherit those possessions which Chamos thy god shall cause thee to inherit; and shall not we inherit the [land of] all those whom the Lord our God has removed from before you?

Judges 11:25 (Tanakh)	Judges 11:25 (KJV)	Judges 11:25 (NET)
And now art thou any thing better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? did he ever strive against Israel, or did he ever fight against them,	And now art thou any thing better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? did he ever strive against Israel, or did he ever fight against them,	Are you really better than Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he dare to quarrel with Israel? Did he dare to fight with them?

Judges 11:25 (Septuagint BLB)	Judges 11:25 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ νῦν μὴ κρείσσων εἶ σὺ τοῦ Βαλακ υἱοῦ Σεπφωρ βασιλέως Μωαβ μὴ μάχῃ ἐμαχέσατο μετὰ Ισραηλ ἢ πολεμῶν ἐπολέμησεν αὐτοῗς	καὶ νῦν μὴ ἐν ἀγαθῷ ἀγαθώτερος σὺ ὑπὲρ Βαλὰκ υἱὸν Σεπφὼρ βασιλέως Μωάβ; μὴ μαχόμενος ἐμαχέσατο μετὰ ᾿Ισραὴλ ἢ πολεμῶν ἐπολέμησεν αὐτόν
Judges 11:25 (NETS)	Judges 11:25 (English Elpenor)
And now, are you any better than Balak son of Sepphor, king of Moab? Did he fight in a battle with Israel, or going to war, did he go to war with them?	And now art thou any better than Balac son of Sepphor, king of Moab? did he indeed fight with Israel, or indeed make war with him,

Judges 11:26 (Tanakh)	Judges 11:26 (KJV)	Judges 11:26 (NET)
While Israel dwelt in Heshbon and her towns, and in Aroer and her towns, and in all the cities that be along by the coasts of Arnon, three hundred years? why therefore did ye not recover them within that time?	While Israel dwelt in Heshbon and her towns, and in Aroer and her towns, and in all the cities that be along by the coasts of Arnon, three hundred years? why therefore did ye not recover them within that time?	Israel has been living in Heshbon and its nearby towns, in Aroer and its nearby towns, and in all the cities along the Arnon for 300 years! Why did you not reclaim them during that time?

Judges 11:26 (Septuagint BLB)	Judges 11:26 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ Ισραηλ ἐν Εσεβων καὶ ἐν ταῗς θυγατράσιν αὐτῆς καὶ ἐν Ιαζηρ καὶ ἐν ταῗς θυγατράσιν αὐτῆς καὶ ἐν πάσαις ταῗς πόλεσιν ταῗς παρὰ τὸν Ιορδάνην τριακόσια ἔτη τί ὅτι οὐκ ἐρρύσαντο αὐτοὺς ἐν τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ	ἐν τῷ οἰκῆσαι ἐν ᾿Εσεβὼν καὶ ἐν τοῖς ὁρίοις αὐτῆς καὶ ἐν γῇ ᾿Αροὴρ καὶ ἐν τοῖς ὁρίοις αὐτῆς καὶ ἐν πάσαις ταῖς πόλεσι ταῖς παρὰ τὸν ᾿Ιορδάνην τριακόσια ἔτη, καὶ διατί οὐκ ἐρρύσω αὐτοὺς ἐν τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ
Judges 11:26 (NETS)	Judges 11:26 (English Elpenor)
In the house of Israel in Hesebon and in its daughters and in Iazer and in its daughters and in all the cities that are along the Jordan, for three hundred years, why is it they did not recover them within that time?	when [Israel] dwelt in Esebon and in its coasts, and in the land of Aroer and in its coasts, and in all the cities by Jordan, three hundred years? and wherefore didst thou not recover them in that time?

Judges 11:27 (Tanakh)	Judges 11:27 (KJV)	Judges 11:27 (NET)
Wherefore I have not sinned against thee, but thou doest me wrong to war against me: the LORD the Judge be judge this day between the children of Israel and the children of Ammon.	Wherefore I have not sinned against thee, but thou doest me wrong to war against me: the LORD the Judge be judge this day between the children of Israel and the children of Ammon.	I have not done you wrong, but you are doing wrong by attacking me. May the Lord, the Judge, judge this day between the Israelites and the Ammonites!’”

Judges 11:27 (Septuagint BLB)	Judges 11:27 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐγὼ οὐχ ἥμαρτόν σοι καὶ σὺ ποιεῗς μετ᾽ ἐμοῦ πονηρίαν τοῦ πολεμῆσαι ἐν ἐμοί κρίναι κύριος ὁ κρίνων σήμερον ἀνὰ μέσον υἱῶν Ισραηλ καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον υἱῶν Αμμων	καὶ νῦν ἐγώ εἰμι οὐχ ἥμαρτόν σοι, καὶ σὺ ποιεῖς μετ᾿ ἐμοῦ πονηρίαν τοῦ παρατάξασθαι ἐν ἐμοί· κρίναι Κύριος ὁ κρίνων σήμερον ἀνὰ μέσον υἱῶν ᾿Ισραὴλ καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον υἱῶν ᾿Αμμών
Judges 11:27 (NETS)	Judges 11:27 (English Elpenor)
And as for me, I have not sinned against you, and you are the one who does evil against me, to make war against me. May the Lord, who is judging, judge today between the sons of Israel and between the sons of Ammon.”	And now I have not sinned against thee, but thou wrongest me in preparing war against me: may the Lord the Judge judge this day between the children of Israel and the children of Ammon.

Judges 11:28 (Tanakh)	Judges 11:28 (KJV)	Judges 11:28 (NET)
Howbeit the king of the children of Ammon hearkened not unto the words of Jephthah which he sent him.	Howbeit the king of the children of Ammon hearkened not unto the words of Jephthah which he sent him.	But the Ammonite king disregarded the message sent by Jephthah.

Judges 11:28 (Septuagint BLB)	Judges 11:28 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ οὐκ εἰσήκουσεν βασιλεὺς υἱῶν Αμμων καὶ οὐκ εἰσήκουσεν τῶν λόγων Ιεφθαε ὧν ἀπέστειλεν πρὸς αὐτόν	καὶ οὐκ ἤκουσε βασιλεὺς ᾿Αμμὼν τῶν λόγων ᾿Ιεφθάε, ὧν ἀπέστειλε πρὸς αὐτόν
Judges 11:28 (NETS)	Judges 11:28 (English Elpenor)
And the king of the sons of Ammon did not pay heed, and he did not pay heed to the words of Iephthae that he sent him.	But the king of the children of Ammon hearkened not to the words of Jephthae, which he sent to him.

Judges 11:32 (Tanakh)	Judges 11:32 (KJV)	Judges 11:32 (NET)
So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the LORD delivered them into his hands.	So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the LORD delivered them into his hands.	Jephthah approached the Ammonites to fight with them, and the Lord handed them over to him.

Judges 11:32 (Septuagint BLB)	Judges 11:32 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ διέβη Ιεφθαε πρὸς τοὺς υἱοὺς Αμμων τοῦ πολεμῆσαι πρὸς αὐτούς καὶ παρέδωκεν αὐτοὺς κύριος ἐν χειρὶ αὐτοῦ	καὶ παρῆλθεν ᾿Ιεφθάε πρὸς υἱοὺς ᾿Αμμὼν παρατάξασθαι πρὸς αὐτούς, καὶ παρέδωκεν αὐτοὺς Κύριος ἐν χειρὶ αὐτοῦ
Judges 11:32 (NETS)	Judges 11:32 (English Elpenor)
And Iephthae crossed over to the sons of Ammon to fight against them, and the Lord gave them up in his hand.	And Jephthae advanced to meet the sons of Ammon to fight against them; and the Lord delivered them into his hand.

Judges 11:33 (Tanakh)	Judges 11:33 (KJV)	Judges 11:33 (NET)
And he smote them from Aroer, even till thou come to Minnith, even twenty cities, and unto the plain of the vineyards, with a very great slaughter. Thus the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel.	And he smote them from Aroer, even till thou come to Minnith, even twenty cities, and unto the plain of the vineyards, with a very great slaughter. Thus the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel.	He defeated them from Aroer all the way to Minnith—20 cities in all, even as far as Abel Keramim. He wiped them out! The Israelites humiliated the Ammonites.

Judges 11:33 (Septuagint BLB)	Judges 11:33 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐπάταξεν αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ Αροηρ καὶ ἕως τοῦ ἐλθεῗν εἰς Σεμωιθ εἴκοσι πόλεις ἕως Αβελ ἀμπελώνων πληγὴν μεγάλην σφόδρα καὶ ἐνετράπησαν οἱ υἱοὶ Αμμων ἀπὸ προσώπου υἱῶν Ισραηλ	καὶ ἐπάταξεν αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ ᾿Αροὴρ ἕως ἐλθεῖν ἄχρις ᾿Αρνὼν ἐν ἀριθμῷ εἴκοσι πόλεις καὶ ἕως ᾿Εβελχαρμὶμ πληγὴν μεγάλην σφόδρα, καὶ συνεστάλησαν οἱ υἱοὶ ᾿Αμμὼν ἀπὸ προσώπου υἱῶν ᾿Ισραήλ.
Judges 11:33 (NETS)	Judges 11:33 (English Elpenor)
And he struck them down from Aroer and until one comes to Semoith, twenty cities, as far as Abel-of-the-vineyards, a very great blow. And the sons of Ammon were humbled from before the sons of Israel.	And he smote them from Aroer till [one] comes to Arnon, in number twenty cities, and as far as Ebelcharmim, with a very great destruction: and the children of Ammon were straitened before the children of Israel.

Numbers 30:2 (Tanakh)	Numbers 30:1 (KJV)	Numbers 30:1 (NET)
And Moses spoke unto the heads of the tribes of the children of Israel, saying: This is the thing which HaShem hath commanded.	And Moses spake unto the heads of the tribes concerning the children of Israel, saying, This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded.	Moses told the leaders of the tribes concerning the Israelites, “This is what the Lord has commanded:

Numbers 30:1 (Septuagint BLB)	Numbers 30:2 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐλάλησεν Μωυσῆς πρὸς τοὺς ἄρχοντας τῶν φυλῶν Ισραηλ λέγων τοῦτο τὸ ῥῆμα ὃ συνέταξεν κύριος	καὶ ἐλάλησε Μωυσῆς πρὸς τοὺς ἄρχοντας τῶν φυλῶν υἱῶν ᾿Ισραὴλ λέγων· τοῦτο τὸ ῥῆμα, ὃ συνέταξε Κύριος
Numbers 30:2 (NETS)	Numbers 30:2 (English Elpenor)
And Moyses spoke to the rulers of the tribes of Israel, saying: This is the word that the Lord ordered:	And Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes of the children of Israel, saying, This [is] the thing which the Lord has commanded.

Judges 11:34 (Tanakh)	Judges 11:34 (KJV)	Judges 11:34 (NET)
And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and she was his only child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter.	And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and she was his only child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter.	When Jephthah came home to Mizpah, there was his daughter hurrying out to meet him, dancing to the rhythm of tambourines. She was his only child; except for her he had no son or daughter.

Judges 11:34 (Septuagint BLB)	Judges 11:34 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἦλθεν Ιεφθαε εἰς Μασσηφα εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ καὶ ἰδοὺ ἡ θυγάτηρ αὐτοῦ ἐξεπορεύετο εἰς ἀπάντησιν αὐτοῦ ἐν τυμπάνοις καὶ χοροῗς καὶ αὕτη μονογενὴς αὐτῷ ἀγαπητή καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν αὐτῷ πλὴν αὐτῆς υἱὸς ἢ θυγάτηρ	Καὶ ἦλθεν ᾿Ιεφθάε εἰς Μασσηφὰ εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἰδοὺ ἡ θυγάτηρ αὐτοῦ ἐξεπορεύετο εἰς ὑπάντησιν ἐν τυμπάνοις καὶ χοροῖς· καὶ αὕτη ἦν μονογενής, οὐκ ἦν αὐτῷ ἕτερος υἱὸς ἢ θυγάτηρ
Judges 11:34 (NETS)	Judges 11:34 (English Elpenor)
And Iephthae came to Massepha, to his home, and see, his daughter was coming out to meet him with timbrels and with dancing. And she was his beloved only child, and he had no son or daughter except her.	And Jephthae came to Massepha to his house; and behold, his daughter came forth to meet him with timbrels and dances; and she was his only child, he had not another son or daughter.

Judges 11:35 (Tanakh)	Judges 11:35 (KJV)	Judges 11:35 (NET)
And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me: for I have opened my mouth unto the LORD, and I cannot go back.	And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me: for I have opened my mouth unto the LORD, and I cannot go back.	When he saw her, he ripped his clothes and said, “Oh no! My daughter! You have completely ruined me! You have brought me disaster! I made an oath to the Lord, and I cannot break it.”

Judges 11:35 (Septuagint BLB)	Judges 11:35 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐγενήθη ἡνίκα εἶδεν αὐτήν καὶ διέρρηξεν τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ καὶ εἶπεν οἴμμοι θύγατέρ μου ἐμπεποδοστάτηκάς με εἰς σκῶλον ἐγένου ἐν ὀφθαλμοῗς μου ἐγὼ δὲ ἤνοιξα τὸ στόμα μου περὶ σοῦ πρὸς κύριον καὶ οὐ δυνήσομαι ἀποστρέψαι	καὶ ἐγένετο ὡς εἶδεν αὐτὴν αὐτός, διέρρηξε τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ καὶ εἶπεν· ἆ ἆ, θυγάτηρ μου, ταραχῇ ἐτάραξάς με καὶ σὺ ἦς ἐν τῷ ταράχῳ μου, καὶ ἐγώ εἰμι ἤνοιξα κατὰ σοῦ τὸ στόμα μου πρὸς Κύριον καὶ οὐ δυνήσομαι ἀποστρέψαι
Judges 11:35 (NETS)	Judges 11:35 (English Elpenor)
And it came about, when he saw her that he tore his clothes and said, “Alas, my daughter! You have got in my way; you have become for a thorn in my eyes. But I opened my mouth about you to the Lord, and I cannot turn away.”	And it came to pass when he saw her, that he rent his garments, and said, Ah, ah, my daughter, thou hast indeed troubled me, and thou wast the cause of my trouble; and I have opened my mouth against thee to the Lord, and I shall not be able to return from it.

Judges 11:37 (Tanakh)	Judges 11:37 (KJV)	Judges 11:37 (NET)
And she said unto her father, Let this thing be done for me: let me alone two months, that I may go up and down upon the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my fellows.	And she said unto her father, Let this thing be done for me: let me alone two months, that I may go up and down upon the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my fellows.	She then said to her father, “Please grant me this one wish. For two months allow me to walk through the hills with my friends and mourn my virginity.”

Judges 11:37 (Septuagint BLB)	Judges 11:37 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς τὸν πατέρα αὐτῆς καὶ ποίησόν μοι τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο ἔασόν με δύο μῆνας καὶ πορεύσομαι καὶ καταβήσομαι ἐπὶ τὰ ὄρη καὶ κλαύσομαι ἐπὶ τὰ παρθένιά μου καὶ ἐγὼ καὶ αἱ συνεταιρίδες μου	καὶ ἥδε εἶπε πρὸς τὸν πατέρα αὐτῆς· ποιησάτω δὴ ὁ πατήρ μου τὸν λόγον τοῦτον· ἔασόν με δύο μῆνας, καὶ πορεύσομαι καὶ καταβήσομαι ἐπὶ τὰ ὄρη καὶ κλαύσομαι ἐπὶ τὰ παρθένιά μου, ἐγώ εἰμι καὶ αἱ συνεταιρίδες μου
Judges 11:37 (NETS)	Judges 11:37 (English Elpenor)
And she said to her father, “Also, do this word for me: Grant me two months, and I will go and descend on the mountains and bewail my virginity, both I and my companions.”	And she said to her father, Let my father now do this thing: let me alone for two months, and I will go up and down on the mountains, and I will bewail my virginity, I and my companions.

Judges 11:38 (Tanakh)	Judges 11:38 (KJV)	Judges 11:38 (NET)
And he said, Go. And he sent her away for two months: and she went with her companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains.	And he said, Go. And he sent her away for two months: and she went with her companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains.	He said, “You may go.” He permitted her to leave for two months. She went with her friends and mourned her virginity as she walked through the hills.

Judges 11:38 (Septuagint BLB)	Judges 11:38 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ εἶπεν πορεύου καὶ ἐξαπέστειλεν αὐτὴν δύο μῆνας καὶ ἐπορεύθη αὐτὴ καὶ αἱ συνεταιρίδες αὐτῆς καὶ ἔκλαυσεν ἐπὶ τὰ παρθένια αὐτῆς ἐπὶ τὰ ὄρη	καὶ εἶπε· πορεύου· καὶ ἀπέστειλεν αὐτὴν δύο μῆνας. καὶ ἐπορεύθη, αὐτὴ καὶ αἱ συνεταιρίδες αὐτῆς, καὶ ἔκλαυσεν ἐπὶ τὰ παρθένια αὐτῆς ἐπὶ τὰ ὄρη
Judges 11:38 (NETS)	Judges 11:38 (English Elpenor)
And he said, “Go,” and sent her away for two months. And she went, she and her companions, and she bewailed her virginity on the mountains.	And he said, Go: and he sent her away for two months; and she went, and her companions, and she bewailed her virginity on the mountains.

Judges 11:39 (Tanakh)	Judges 11:39 (KJV)	Judges 11:39 (NET)
And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew no man. And it was a custom in Israel,	And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew no man. And it was a custom in Israel,	After two months she returned to her father, and he did to her as he had vowed. She died a virgin. Her tragic death gave rise to a custom in Israel.

Judges 11:39 (Septuagint BLB)	Judges 11:39 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐγένετο μετὰ τέλος δύο μηνῶν καὶ ἀνέκαμψεν πρὸς τὸν πατέρα αὐτῆς καὶ ἐπετέλεσεν Ιεφθαε τὴν εὐχὴν αὐτοῦ ἣν ηὔξατο καὶ αὐτὴ οὐκ ἔγνω ἄνδρα καὶ ἐγενήθη εἰς πρόσταγμα ἐν Ισραηλ	καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τέλει τῶν δύο μηνῶν καὶ ἐπέστρεψε πρὸς τὸν πατέρα αὐτῆς, καὶ ἐποίησεν ἐν αὐτῇ εὐχὴν αὐτοῦ, ἣν ηὔξατο· καὶ αὕτη οὐκ ἔγνω ἄνδρα. καὶ ἐγένετο εἰς πρόσταγμα ἐν ᾿Ισραήλ
Judges 11:39 (NETS)	Judges 11:39, 40a (English Elpenor)
And it came about after the end of two months that she returned to her father, and Iephthae fulfilled his vow that he had vowed. And she had never known a man. And it became for an ordinance in Israel:	And it came to pass at the end of the two months that she returned to her father; and he performed upon her his vow which he vowed; and she knew no man: (40) and it was an ordinance in Israel,

Leviticus 5:4 (Tanakh)	Leviticus 5:4 (KJV)	Leviticus 5:4 (NET)
or if any one swear clearly with his lips to do evil, or to do good, whatsoever it be that a man shall utter clearly with an oath, and it be hid from him; and, when he knoweth of it, be guilty in one of these things;	Or if a soul swear, pronouncing with his lips to do evil, or to do good, whatsoever it be that a man shall pronounce with an oath, and it be hid from him; when he knoweth of it, then he shall be guilty in one of these.	or when a person swears an oath, speaking thoughtlessly with his lips, whether to do evil or to do good, with regard to anything which the individual might speak thoughtlessly in an oath, even if he did not realize it, but he has later come to know it and is guilty with regard to one of these oaths—

Leviticus 5:4 (Septuagint BLB)	Leviticus 5:4 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἢ ψυχή ἡ ἂν ὀμόσῃ διαστέλλουσα τοῗς χείλεσιν κακοποιῆσαι ἢ καλῶς ποιῆσαι κατὰ πάντα ὅσα ἐὰν διαστείλῃ ὁ ἄνθρωπος μεθ᾽ ὅρκου καὶ λάθῃ αὐτὸν πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν καὶ οὗτος γνῷ καὶ ἁμάρτῃ ἕν τι τούτων	ἡ ψυχή, ἣ ἂν ὀμόσῃ διαστέλλουσα τοῖς χείλεσι κακοποιῆσαι ἢ καλῶς ποιῆσαι κατὰ πάντα, ὅσα ἐὰν διαστείλῃ ὁ ἄνθρωπος μεθ᾿ ὅρκου, καὶ λάθῃ αὐτὸν πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν, καὶ οὗτος γνῷ, καὶ ἁμάρτῃ ἕν τι τούτων,
Leviticus 5:4 (NETS)	Leviticus 5:4 (English Elpenor)
or a soul who swears, determining with his lips to do evil or to do good, in any way that the person may speak forcefully by an oath, and if it excapes the notice of his eyes and if he comes to know it and should sin in any one of these,	That unrighteous soul, which determines with his lips to do evil or to do good according to whatsoever a man may determine with an oath, and it shall have escaped his notice, and he shall [afterwards] know [it], and [so] he should sin in some one of these things:

Leviticus 5:5 (Tanakh)	Leviticus 5:5 (KJV)	Leviticus 5:5 (NET)
and it shall be, when he shall be guilty in one of these things, that he shall confess that wherein he hath sinned;	And it shall be, when he shall be guilty in one of these things, that he shall confess that he hath sinned in that thing:	when an individual becomes guilty with regard to one of these things he must confess how he has sinned,

Leviticus 5:5 (Septuagint BLB)	Leviticus 5:5 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐξαγορεύσει τὴν ἁμαρτίαν περὶ ὧν ἡμάρτηκεν κατ᾽ αὐτῆς	καὶ ἐξαγορεύσει τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, περὶ ὧν ἡμάρτηκε κατ᾿ αὐτῆς,
Leviticus 5:5 (NETS)	Leviticus 5:5 (English Elpenor)
then he shall declare his sin concerning the things in which he has sinned.	— then shall he declare his sin in the things wherein he has sinned by that sin.

Leviticus 5:6 (Tanakh)	Leviticus 5:6 (KJV)	Leviticus 5:6 (NET)
and he shall bring his forfeit unto HaShem for his sin which he hath sinned, a female from the flock, a lamb or a goat, for a sin-offering; and the priest shall make atonement for him as concerning his sin.	And he shall bring his trespass offering unto the LORD for his sin which he hath sinned, a female from the flock, a lamb or a kid of the goats, for a sin offering; and the priest shall make an atonement for him concerning his sin.	and he must bring his penalty for guilt to the Lord for his sin that he has committed—a female from the flock, whether a female sheep or a female goat, for a sin offering. So the priest will make atonement on his behalf for his sin.

Leviticus 5:6 (Septuagint BLB)	Leviticus 5:6 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ οἴσει περὶ ὧν ἐπλημμέλησεν κυρίῳ περὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἧς ἥμαρτεν θῆλυ ἀπὸ τῶν προβάτων ἀμνάδα ἢ χίμαιραν ἐξ αἰγῶν περὶ ἁμαρτίας καὶ ἐξιλάσεται περὶ αὐτοῦ ὁ ἱερεὺς περὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας αὐτοῦ ἧς ἥμαρτεν καὶ ἀφεθήσεται αὐτῷ ἡ ἁμαρτία	καὶ οἴσει περὶ ὧν ἐπλημμέλησε Κυρίῳ, περὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἧς ἥμαρτε, θῆλυ ἀπὸ τῶν προβάτων, ἀμνάδα ἢ χίμαιραν ἐξ αἰγῶν, περὶ ἁμαρτίας· καὶ ἐξιλάσεται περὶ αὐτοῦ ὁ ἱερεὺς περὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας αὐτοῦ, ἧς ἥμαρτε, καὶ ἀφεθήσεται αὐτῷ ἡ ἁμαρτία
Leviticus 5:6 (NETS)	Leviticus 5:6 (English Elpenor)
And he shall bring to the Lord for whatever he has done amiss, for the sin that he has committed, a female from the sheep—a lamb, or a young nanny goat for sin. And the priest shall make atonement for him, for his sin that he has committed, and the sin will be forgiven him.	And he shall bring for his transgressions against the Lord, for his sin which he has sinned, a ewe lamb of the flock, or a kid of the goats, for a sin-offering; and the priest shall make an atonement for him for his sin which he has sinned, and his sin shall be forgiven him.

Jephthah’s Religious Mind

Back to David’s Forgiveness, Part 13

Back to Torture, Part 5

Back to Apostles and Prophets, Part 3

Back to Romans, Part 68

Back to Fear – Deuteronomy, Part 7

Back to Forgiven or Passed Over? Part 5

Back to A Shadow of the Good Things, Part 7

¹ Judges 3:12-30 (NET)

² Some information may have come from the Book of the Wars of the Lord (Numbers 21:14 NET).

³ Judges 11:29a (NET) Table

⁴ Judges 11:32, 33 (NET)

⁵ Judges 11:36 (NET) Table

Jesus’ Artifacts, Part 5

Posted on June 3, 2012 by admin

Now preachers have no more innate knowledge of the outline of the body of Christ or the needs and functions of any particular cell at any particular moment than I do. So I hope that when they enter their quiet inner rooms to study, they are in deep communion with the Lord Jesus. For only direct revelation—through the Bible, of course, the spiritual DNA, if you will—can give them that accurate timely sermon apart from the aforementioned knowledge that they lack.

It’s not too hard to imagine that a preacher—who goes through this intense process of preparation, delivers the sermon the Lord has given him, and then sees actual obedient results in his congregation—might mistake the content of that particular sermon for a universal truth of the Bible. So if I return to my three hypothetical preachers, studying the laundry list of Solomon’s wealth and power from three different perspectives, and I imagine that each of them has received his sermon with its application from the Lord who is able to make him stand, and that each has delivered those sermons and each has seen obedient results in his own congregation, and each has mistaken the content of his particular sermon for a universal truth of the Bible; and then I imagine that these three meet in public and eagerly discuss this wonderful thing the Lord has done for them and through them, I begin to get a taste of what I will call the preachers’ dilemma.

I make my living recording educational sessions at conferences. In the old days that meant audio cassette recorders. I ran hundreds of feet of cable from a table in the hallway into the various rooms where sessions were to be presented. Then I sat at that table of cassette recorders monitoring when sessions began and ended, that record levels were good, that the cassettes kept turning and recording audio (not a given with this particular method of recording), and I flipped the tapes over before they ran out on one side or replaced them with new tapes when full. To stave off boredom I would leave the volume control of a session that sounded interesting up louder than the rest and listen, as I monitored the others with my eyes roving over meters and tape mechanisms.

Recording the Evangelical Theological Society meeting one year I came upon two simultaneous sessions that sounded interesting. One was positioned to the left on the table in front of me, the other to the right. I decided to listen to both, since both speakers were presenting on the same passage of scripture. Both speakers presented the universal truth of the passage in question, two different, diametrically opposed universal truths. I was troubled. So troubled, in fact, that when conference attendees passed by between sessions and started up a conversation with the “CIA operative bugging all their conversations” or “the guy getting really smart really fast listening to all those Bible lessons at once,” I shared my troubled thoughts. And every passerby who heard my troubled thoughts was saddened and troubled by them, too.

None of this is particularly troubling to one who has encountered these things but has little interest in Jesus or the Bible. Such a one scoffs at my naiveté, “Come on? It’s the Bible, it can mean whatever you want it to mean.” But none of us, not me, not the passersby who heard my troubled thoughts, not the speaker in the session on the left side of my recording table, nor the speaker in the session on the right side of my recording table, set out to make the Bible say whatever he wanted it to say.

Our interest, the mutual desire that binds us together—the tape guy and the passersby and speakers at the conference, Bible students and teachers, pastors, preachers and professional theologians—was to understand the Bible, what it really says, what God intends to communicate to us, and through that study and understanding come to know God and share in the eternal life Jesus defined for, and promised to, his disciples. Now this is eternal life, Jesus prayed for his disciples, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ,whom you sent.”¹ What is troubling is how such good intentions pursued in such good faith can turn out so badly so often that people with little or no interest in the outcome and only a casual acquaintance with the phenomena can conclude so easily that the Bible means whatever the preacher wants it to mean.

So I’ll return to my three hypothetical preachers and imagine them sitting at lunch together. Each is bursting to tell the wonderful thing the Lord has done for him and through him. Each is convinced he should find more understanding and comradeship with the other two men dining with him than with any other human beings on the planet. And each is sorely disappointed. Each tries reasoning with the other, but to no avail. At that point each has two basic options: 1) to part company, troubled, disappointed and confused, agreeing to disagree; or, 2) if one has particularly strong commitments to the universal applicability of the absolute truth of his individual experience, he curses the others and their congregations with condemnation to fiery destruction.

Application two of my would-be sermon is that I should forgive preachers this minor fault, like a speck of dirt in the eye, and beg their forgiveness as well as the forgiveness of every person on this planet for the plank in my own. You see, I cause these problems. Not alone; I am a member, the least member perhaps, of a class of people with a philosophical bent of mind. I am the true believer in universal absolutes. And I and those like me are they who goad preachers into intellectual straightjackets of our own devising by holding them up to public ridicule if they don’t jump through our hoops and pay homage to our intellectual prowess, our systems of theology, our autopsy reports and our post-mortems of autopsy reports.

So do I mean to say that all systems of theology are wrong? Yes…and no.

Jesus’ Artifacts, Part 6

Back to Jesus’ Artifacts, Part 7

Back to Who am I? Part 1

Back to Torture, Part 4

Back to Who Am I? Part 5

Back to Exploration, Part 15

¹ John 17:3 (NET)

The Gospel and the Religious Mind

An attempt to distinguish the mind of Christ from the ordinary religious mind.

Author Archives: admin

About admin

Paul’s Religious Mind

Who am I? Part 1

Introduction

Jesus’ Artifacts, Part 7

Conclusion

Jephthah’s Religious Mind

Jesus’ Artifacts, Part 6

Adultery in the Prophets, Part 3

Jephthah and Moses

Jesus’ Artifacts, Part 5