Keep Yourselves From Idols, Part 1

Posted on February 5, 2024 by admin

I don’t worship statues, I thought, when I first encountered the end of John’s letter: Little children, keep yourselves¹ from idols.² It might be easier if I did, not necessarily the keeping part: Prostrating myself before some statue in some temple on a cold stone floor, naked, sounds kinky. I like it. But it would be easier to recognize when I was doing it.

I’ve been home a lot recently, able to attend church and Bible study. The Pastor’s sermon series was on Genesis and the Bible study was an in depth look and discussion. I became increasingly uncomfortable with where my mind was going, especially in the 3^rd chapter of Genesis. I had stopped treating it like the word of God and had begun to treat it like a Delphic Oracle that I could or should outsmart somehow.

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Genesis 2:16, 17 (Tanakh)	Genesis 2:16, 17 (NET)	Genesis 2:16, 17 (NETS)	Genesis 2:16, 17 (English Elpenor)
And HaShem G-d commanded the man (הָֽאָדָ֖ם), saying: ‘Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat; [Table]	Then the Lord God commanded the man (‘āḏām, האדם), “You may freely eat fruit from every tree of the orchard,	And the Lord God commanded Adam (τῷ Αδαμ), saying, “You shall eat for food of every tree that is in the orchard, [Table]	And the Lord God gave a charge to Adam (τῷ ᾿Αδὰμ), saying, Of every tree which is in the garden thou mayest freely eat,
but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die’ [Table].	but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will surely die.”	but of the tree for knowing good and evil, of it you shall not eat; on the day that you eat of it, you shall die by death” [Table].	but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil– of it ye shall not eat, but in whatsoever day ye eat of it, ye shall surely die.
Genesis 3:6 (Tanakh)	Genesis 3:6 (NET)	Genesis 3:6 (NETS)	Genesis 3:6 (English Elpenor)
And when the woman (הָֽאִשָּׁ֡ה) saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight (תַֽאֲוָה) to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired (וְנֶחְמָ֤ד) to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat; and she gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat [Table].	When the woman (‘iššâ, האשה) saw that the tree produced fruit that was good for food, was attractive (ta’ăvâ, תאוה) to the eye, and was desirable (ḥāmaḏ, ונחמד) for making one wise, she took some of its fruit and ate it. She also gave some of it to her husband who was with her, and he ate it.	And the woman (ἡ γυνὴ) saw that the tree was good for food and that it was pleasing (ἀρεστὸν) for the eyes to look at and it was beautiful (ὡραῗόν) to contemplate, and when she had taken of its fruit she ate, and she also gave some to her husband with her, and they ate [Table].	And the woman (ἡ γυνή) saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant (ἀρεστὸν) to the eyes to look upon and beautiful (ὡραῖόν) to contemplate, and having taken of its fruit she ate, and she gave to her husband also with her, and they ate.

I focused on the woman because that was where the text gives the most hope for understanding why this happened. The man’s motivations were more inscrutable or inanely mundane: “This is the food my wife gave me, so I ate it.”³ There are two different words for desire in the Masoretic text leading to the moment the woman took of its fruit and ate.⁴ A note (18) in the NET translated the Hebrew: “that good was the tree for food, and that desirable it was to the eyes, and desirable was the tree to make one wise.”

The rabbis who translated the Septuagint didn’t choose any forms of θέλω or θέλημα for these words. Rather, they chose ἀρεστὸν (a form of ἀρεστός) for תַֽאֲוָה (ta’ăvâ), and ὡραῖόν (a form of ὡραῖος) for וְנֶחְמָ֤ד (ḥāmaḏ). But who cares about the Septuagint? Let’s just go with it. This happened because the woman exercised her free will, even if the man just followed her lead.

Let me get naked and prostrate myself before free will to see if I can recognize that I am naked and prostrate before a man-made idol: The first thing that occurs to me is that free will must be evil, since it caused the woman to disobey God’s command. Well, I don’t like being naked and prostrate before something evil, so the first thing I’ll do is add free will to God’s word.

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Genesis 1:27, 28 (Tanakh)	Genesis 1:27, 28 (NET)	Genesis 1:27, 28 (NETS)	Genesis 1:27, 28 (English Elpenor)
And G-d created man (הָֽאָדָם֙) in His own image, in the image of G-d created He him; male (זָכָ֥ר) and female (וּנְקֵבָ֖ה) created He them [Table].	God created humankind (‘āḏām, האדם) in his own image, in the image of God he created them, male (zāḵār, זכר) and female (nᵊqēḇâ, ונקבה) he created them.	And God made humankind (τὸν ἄνθρωπον); according to divine image he made it; male (ἄρσεν) and female (καὶ θῆλυ) he made them [Table].	And God made man (τὸν ἄνθρωπον), according to the image of God he made him, male (ἄρσεν) and female (καὶ θῆλυ) he made them.
And G-d blessed them; [and gave them free will] and G-d said unto them: ‘Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that creepeth upon the earth’ [Table].	God blessed them [and gave them free will] and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply! Fill the earth and subdue it! Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that moves on the ground.”	And God blessed them [and gave them free will], saying, “Increase, and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and rule the fish of the sea and the birds of the sky and all the cattle and all the earth and all the creeping things that creep upon the earth” [Table].	And God blessed them [and gave them free will], saying, Increase and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the seas and flying creatures of heaven, and all the cattle and all the earth, and all the reptiles that creep on the earth.

Now that free will has been given by God, it needs some power and purpose. Otherwise, why would I prostrate myself naked before it? Just kinky fun? No, it was not just that free will prompted the woman to disobey God, she might have obeyed God of her own free will. There’s no evidence for that in the text, but what good is free will if it is incapable of obedience?

So now, I can use my idol to judge God: If the woman’s God-given free will lacked the power, authority, whatever, to make it possible for her to have obeyed God, then God was unfair, vindictive, evil in a word. God is not evil. Therefore by free will human beings may choose righteousness and obedience. The woman might have rewritten the whole story if she had directed her free will toward righteousness and obedience rather than sin and disobedience.

About this time I recognized that I’d been here before.⁵

God promised Solomon a wise and discerning mind superior to that of anyone who has preceded or will succeed you¹—in the dream. But Solomon broke every law God gave the kings of Israel while wide-awake. Surely Solomon’s alleged wisdom was grossly overstated!

Okay, enough of this self-righteous snit. You notice what just happened. I’m all up in arms because the wise and discerning mind God allegedly gave Solomon was neither wise enough nor discerning enough to protect Solomon from falling afoul of the laws God gave the kings of Israel. I reasoned that God-given discernment at a minimum should have made the king wise enough to follow God’s rules for kings, or God-given discernment can’t be discernment given by God. It must have been only a dream.

There is a significant difference between the wise and discerning mind God gave to Solomon and the woman’s free will. The wise and discerning mind is stated explicitly:

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
1 Kings 3:11, 12 (Tanakh)	1 Kings 3:11, 12 (NET)	3 Reigns 3:11, 12 (NETS)	3 Kings 3:11, 12 (English Elpenor)
And God said unto [Solomon], Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment; [Table]	God said to him, “Because you asked for the ability to make wise judicial decisions, and not for long life, or riches, or vengeance on your enemies,	And the Lord said to him, “Because you requested this thing from me and did not request for yourself many days and did not request riches and did not request lives of your enemies but requested for yourself understanding to listen to judgment, [Table]	And the Lord said to him, Because thou hast asked this thing of me, and hast not asked for thyself long life, and hast not asked wealth, nor hast asked the lives of thine enemies, but hast asked for thyself understanding to hear judgment;
Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise (חָכָ֣ם) and an understanding (וְנָב֔וֹן) heart (לֵב); so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee [Table].	I grant your request and give you a wise (ḥāḵām, חכם) and discerning (bîn, ונבון) mind (lēḇ, לב) superior to that of anyone who has preceded or will succeed you.	behold, I have done according to your word; behold, I have given you a prudent (φρονίμην) and wise (καὶ σοφήν) heart (καρδίαν); like you there has not been before you, and after you there shall not arise similar to you [Table].	behold, I have done according to thy word: behold, I have given thee an understanding (φρονίμην) and wise (καὶ σοφήν) heart (καρδίαν): there has not been [any one] like thee before thee, and after thee there shall not arise one like thee.

On the other hand, the woman’s free will was an inference derived from two Hebrew words that can mean desire. Eventually, I had to come to terms with Solomon’s wealth and his God-given wise and discerning mind.⁶

[Solomon’s wealth] which is at least possible to measure, has been coupled in a promise with a wise and discerning mind¹ which is difficult to measure. Solomon’s wealth is hard to deny (whether I argue with the superlative degree of it or not)…

Is it possible that a wise and discerning mind given by God, would not be wise or discerning enough to prevent Solomon’s disobedience to God’s laws? That’s what the Bible seems to be saying here. And Solomon’s wealth is sort of the kicker to make that point.

God judged his creation very good.

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Genesis 1:31a (Tanakh)	Genesis 1:31a (NET)	Genesis 1:31a (NETS)	Genesis 1:31a (English Elpenor)
And G-d saw every thing that He had made, and, behold, it was very (מְאֹ֑ד) good (ט֖וֹב) [Table].	God saw all that he had made—and it was very (mᵊ’ōḏ, מאד) good (ṭôḇ, טוב)!	And God saw all the things that he had made, and see, they were exceedingly good (καλὰ λίαν) [Table].	And God saw all the things that he had made, and, behold, they were very good (καλὰ λίαν).

Is it possible that a creation (including the woman, the man and the serpent) judged very good (Tanakh, KJV, NET, English Elpenor) or exceedingly good (NETS) by God would not be good enough to prevent the woman’s, the man’s or the serpent’s disobedience to God’s one commandment? That’s what the Bible seems to be saying here.

We imagine that the woman, the man and the serpent knew God better than we do, that they saw Him as they conversed with Him. The Hebrew word מִפְּנֵי֙ (pānîm) does occur in the text, translated ἀπὸ προσώπου (Septuagint), from the presence (Tanakh, KJV, NETS), from (NET) and from the face (English Elpenor).

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Genesis 3:8, 10 (Tanakh)	Genesis 3:8, 10 (NET)	Genesis 3:8, 10 (NETS)	Genesis 3:8, 10 (English Elpenor)
And they heard (וַיִּשְׁמְע֞וּ) the voice (ק֨וֹל) of HaShem G-d walking (מִתְהַלֵּ֥ךְ) in the garden (בַּגָּ֖ן) toward the cool (לְר֣וּחַ) of the day (הַיּ֑וֹם); and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence (מִפְּנֵי֙) of HaShem G-d amongst the trees of the garden [Table].	Then the man and his wife heard (šāmaʿ, וישמעו) the sound (qôl, קול) of the Lord God moving about (hālaḵ, מתהלך) in the orchard (gan, בגן) at the breezy time (rûaḥ, לרוח) of the day (yôm, היום), and they hid from (pānîm, מפני) the Lord God among the trees of the orchard.	And they heard (καὶ ἤκουσαν) the sound (τὴν φωνὴν) of the Lord God walking about (περιπατοῦντος) in the orchard (ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ) in the evening (τὸ δειλινόν), and both Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence (ἀπὸ προσώπου) of the Lord God in the midst of the timber of the orchard [Table].	And they heard (Καὶ ἤκουσαν) the voice (τῆς φωνῆς) of the Lord God walking (περιπατοῦντος) in the garden (ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ) in the afternoon (τὸ δειλινόν); and both Adam and his wife hid themselves from the face (ἀπὸ προσώπου) of the Lord God in the midst of the trees of the garden.
And [Adam] said: ‘I heard (שָׁמַ֖עְתִּי) Thy voice (קֹֽלְךָ֥) in the garden (בַּגָּ֑ן), and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself’ [Table].	The man replied, “I heard (šāmaʿ, שמעתי) you moving about (qôl, קלך) in the orchard (gan, בגן), and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.”	And he said to him, “I heard (ἤκουσα) the sound of you (τὴν φωνήν σου) walking about (περιπατοῦντος) in the orchard (ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ), and I was afraid, because I am naked, and I hid myself” [Table].	And he said to him, I heard (ἤκουσα) thy voice (τῆς φωνῆς σου) as thou walkedst (περιπατοῦντος) in the garden (ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ), and I feared because I was naked and I hid myself.

A quick survey of the occurrences of מפני (pānîm) in the early chapters of Genesis, which I won’t undertake here, makes it difficult to believe that it was meant to imply that the woman, the man or the serpent literally saw God’s face. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.⁷ So, we imagine that they saw Jesus. Nude? The woman doesn’t strike me as one who would need to eat forbidden fruit to realize she was naked if she had already seen Jesus in shiny white clothes. All the text says is that they heard his words and knew that He responded to their words.

The Lord God’s voice…walking in the garden (Tanakh/KJV/English Elpenor) is a curious turn of phrase. I suppose it could be understood as “the voice of the Lord God, walking in the garden.” But it seems to explain the alternative translations: the sound of the Lord God moving about in the orchard (NET) and the sound of the Lord God walking about in the orchard (NETS).

The Hebrew words לְר֣וּחַ (rûaḥ) הַיּ֑וֹם (yôm), which I suppose would literally translate, “in” or “toward the spirit of the day,” were translated various ways: toward the cool of the day (Tanakh), in the cool of the day (KJV), at the breezy time of the day (NET), in the evening (NETS) and in the afternoon (English Elpenor). In the Tanakh on chabad.org it was understood as the direction the Lord’s voice walked: to the direction of the sun.⁸ And despite the fact that the rabbis who translated the Septuagint chose no form of πνεῦμα for לְר֣וּחַ (rûaḥ) here, I’m reminded of Jesus’ words to Nicodemus (John 3:5-8 ESV):

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit (πνεύματος), he cannot enter the kingdom of God [Table]. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit (πνεύματος) is spirit (πνεῦμα). Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind (πνεῦμα) blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound (τὴν φωνὴν αὐτοῦ), but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit (πνεύματος).”

Jesus’ comfort level with the interplay of spirit and wind calms me and encourages me to think that the woman, the man and the serpent communed with a voice in the wind or a voice in the Spirit. I assume then that the face or presence of the Lord was their perception of proximity to that voice. But the NET translation of לְר֣וּחַ (rûaḥ), at the breezy time, seems to be more of a hedge translation, taking no sides as it were whether God came to them calmly or furiously:

The expression is traditionally rendered “cool of the day,” because the Hebrew word רוּחַ (ruakh) can mean “wind.” U. Cassuto (Genesis: From Adam to Noah, 152-54) concludes after lengthy discussion that the expression refers to afternoon when it became hot and the sun was beginning to decline. J. J. Niehaus (God at Sinai [SOTBT], 155-57) offers a different interpretation of the phrase, relating יוֹם (yom, usually understood as “day”) to an Akkadian cognate umu (“storm”) and translates the phrase “in the wind of the storm.” If Niehaus is correct, then God is not pictured as taking an afternoon stroll through the orchard, but as coming in a powerful windstorm to confront the man and woman with their rebellion. In this case קוֹל יְהוָה (qol y^ehvah, “sound of the Lord”) may refer to God’s thunderous roar, which typically accompanies his appearance in the storm to do battle or render judgment (e.g., see Ps 29).

Though they knew Him in some sense, knowing God means more than hearing his voice and disobeying Him.

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Psalm 9:10 (Tanakh/KJV)	Psalm 9:10 (NET)	Psalm 9:11 (NETS)	Psalm 9:11 (English Elpenor)
And they that know (יֽוֹדְעֵ֣י) thy name (שְׁמֶ֑ךָ) will put their trust (וְיִבְטְח֣וּ) in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.	Your loyal followers trust in you, [NET note 21: Heb “and the ones who know (yāḏaʿ, יודעי) your name (šēm, שמך) trust (bāṭaḥ, ויבטחו) in you”] for you, Lord, do not abandon those who seek your help.	And let those who know (γινώσκοντες) your name (τὸ ὄνομά σου) hope (ἐλπισάτωσαν) in you, because you did not forsake those who seek you, O Lord.	And let them that know (γινώσκοντες) thy name (τὸ ὄνομά σου) hope (ἐλπισάτωσαν) in thee: for thou, O Lord, hast not failed them that diligently seek thee.

The Hebrew word שְׁמֶ֑ךָ (šēm), translated thy name (Tanakh, KJV) and your name (NET), might have been translated your reputation, your fame or your glory. The Greek translation of שְׁמֶ֑ךָ (šēm) τὸ ὄνομά σου—your name (NETS) and thy name (English Elpenor)—might have been translated your reputation, your fame or news of you. The Hebrew word וְיִבְטְח֣וּ (bāṭaḥ), will put their trust (Tanakh, KJV) and trust (NET), was translated ἐλπισάτωσαν in the Septuagint, hope (BLB, Elpenor). But ἐλπισάτωσαν might have been translated have confident assurance, be confident or put trust.

A note on the root word ἐλπίζω in the Koine Greek Lexicon online reads:

Does not mean “to hope” in the sense of “longing for” or “wishing”; but of “confident assurance.”

The serpent trusted (Genesis 3:4, 5) his own partially true knowledge rather than God’s command. The woman trusted (Genesis 3:6) the serpent’s knowledge and her own desires rather than God’s command. The man trusted (Genesis 3:6) his wife rather than God’s command. Though I hadn’t seen it before, Paul may have written the best summation of what transpired in the garden (Romans 1:18-21 NET).

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who suppress the truth by their unrighteousness, because what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world his invisible attributes—his eternal⁹ power and divine nature—have been clearly seen because they are understood through what has been made (Genesis 1-2). So people are without excuse. For although they knew (γνόντες, a form of γινώσκω) God, they did not glorify him as God or give him thanks, but they became futile in their thoughts, and their senseless hearts were darkened [Table].

Paul also wrote (1 Corinthians 8:2, 3 NET):

If¹⁰ someone thinks he knows¹¹ something, he does not yet¹² know¹³ to the degree that he needs to know (γνῶναι, another form of γινώσκω). But if someone loves (ἀγαπᾷ, a form of ἀγαπάω) God, he is known (ἔγνωσται, another form of γινώσκω) by God.

Rather than inventing a category free will along with a lot of convoluted arguments, it seems to make more sense to stick with desire: the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit.¹⁴ The Greek word translated the desires was ἐπιθυμεῖ, an indicative form of the verb ἐπιθυμέω in the active voice and present tense. In other words, “the flesh desires against the Spirit.” Accepting the truth of this statement, even in the garden where everything was very good, cuts through a lot of unnecessary intellectual clutter.

So, the flesh desiring against the Spirit of God was the cause of sin, rather than its result, as James wrote (James 1:13-15 ESV):

Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,”¹⁵ for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire (τῆς ἰδίας ἐπιθυμίας). Then desire (ἡ ἐπιθυμία) when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

God cannot be tempted with evil. I take that to heart, for I can imagine an argument that God didn’t need to give free will to human beings in any explicit way, it was simply bequeathed as a part of his image. But if God cannot be tempted by evil, He doesn’t possess free will in any sense that is most meaningful to human beings. Apart from the ability to be tempted with evil, free will loses all its explanatory power, and most of its appeal, for human beings.

It is written in the prophets, Jesus said, ‘And they will all be taught (διδακτοὶ, a form of διδακτός) by God.’ Everyone who hears and learns from the Father comes to me.¹⁶ And that’s what God continued to do for the woman and the man in their time, and continues to do for any who read his words in the Bible any time. Paradise may be lost, but the Garden of Eden was only a shadow of the good things to come.¹⁷

Tables comparing Psalm 9:10 in the Tanakh, KJV and NET, and the Greek of Psalm 9:10 (9:11) in the Septuagint (BLB and Elpenor), and tables comparing 1 John 5:21; Romans 1:20; 1 Corinthians 8:2 and James 1:13 in the NET and KJV follow.

Psalm 9:10 (Tanakh)	Psalm 9:10 (KJV)	Psalm 9:10 (NET)
And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.	And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.	Your loyal followers trust in you, for you, Lord, do not abandon those who seek your help.

Psalm 9:10 (Septuagint BLB)	Psalm 9:11 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐλπισάτωσαν ἐπὶ σὲ οἱ γινώσκοντες τὸ ὄνομά σου ὅτι οὐκ ἐγκατέλιπες τοὺς ἐκζητοῦντάς σε κύριε	καὶ ἐλπισάτωσαν ἐπὶ σοὶ οἱ γινώσκοντες τὸ ὄνομά σου, ὅτι οὐκ ἐγκατέλιπες τοὺς ἐκζητοῦντάς σε, Κύριε
Psalm 9:11 (NETS)	Psalm 9:11 (English Elpenor)
And let those who know your name hope in you, because you did not forsake those who seek you, O Lord.	And let them that know thy name hope in thee: for thou, O Lord, hast not failed them that diligently seek thee.

1 John 5:21 (NET)	1 John 5:21 (KJV)
Little children, guard yourselves from idols.	Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

1 John 5:21 (NET Parallel Greek)	1 John 5:21 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	1 John 5:21 (Byzantine Majority Text)
Τεκνία, φυλάξατε ἑαυτὰ ἀπὸ τῶν εἰδώλων	τεκνια φυλαξατε εαυτους απο των ειδωλων αμην	τεκνια φυλαξατε εαυτα απο των ειδωλων αμην

Romans 1:20 (NET)	Romans 1:20 (KJV)
For since the creation of the world his invisible attributes—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen because they are understood through what has been made. So people are without excuse.	For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

Romans 1:20 (NET Parallel Greek)	Romans 1:20 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Romans 1:20 (Byzantine Majority Text)
τὰ γὰρ ἀόρατα αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ κτίσεως κόσμου τοῖς ποιήμασιν νοούμενα καθορᾶται, ἥ τε αἴ_διος αὐτοῦ δύναμις καὶ θειότης, εἰς τὸ εἶναι αὐτοὺς ἀναπολογήτους	τα γαρ αορατα αυτου απο κτισεως κοσμου τοις ποιημασιν νοουμενα καθοραται η τε αιδιος αυτου δυναμις και θειοτης εις το ειναι αυτους αναπολογητους	τα γαρ αορατα αυτου απο κτισεως κοσμου τοις ποιημασιν νοουμενα καθοραται η τε αιδιος αυτου δυναμις και θειοτης εις το ειναι αυτους αναπολογητους

1 Corinthians 8:2 (NET)	1 Corinthians 8:2 (KJV)
If someone thinks he knows something, he does not yet know to the degree that he needs to know.	And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know.

1 Corinthians 8:2 (NET Parallel Greek)	1 Corinthians 8:2 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	1 Corinthians 8:2 (Byzantine Majority Text)
εἴ τις δοκεῖ ἐγνωκέναι τι, οὔπω ἔγνω καθὼς δεῖ γνῶναι	ει δε τις δοκει ειδεναι τι ουδεπω ουδεν εγνωκεν καθως δει γνωναι	ει δε τις δοκει ειδεναι τι ουδεπω ουδεν εγνωκεν καθως δει γνωναι

James 1:13 (NET)	James 1:13 (KJV)
Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one.	Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:

James 1:13 (NET Parallel Greek)	James 1:13 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	James 1:13 (Byzantine Majority Text)
Μηδεὶς πειραζόμενος λεγέτω ὅτι ἀπο θεοῦ πειράζομαι· ὁ γὰρ θεὸς ἀπείραστος ἐστιν κακῶν, πειράζει δὲ αὐτὸς οὐδένα	μηδεις πειραζομενος λεγετω οτι απο του θεου πειραζομαι ο γαρ θεος απειραστος εστιν κακων πειραζει δε αυτος ουδενα	μηδεις πειραζομενος λεγετω οτι απο θεου πειραζομαι ο γαρ θεος απειραστος εστιν κακων πειραζει δε αυτος ουδενα

Keep Yourselves From Idols, Part 2

Back to Father, Son and Holy Spirit – Part 11

¹ The NET parallel Greek text, NA²⁸ and Byzantine Majority Text had the neuter reflexive pronoun ἑαυτὰ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus had the masculine εαυτους. A note in the Koine Greek Lexicon explained: “Although it is technically used of the 3rd person, it is also used for the 1st and 2nd person…”

² 1 John 5:21 (ESV) The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had αμην (KJV: Amen) here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

³ Genesis 3:12 Table

⁴ Genesis 3:6b (ESV) Table

⁵ From Solomon’s Wealth, Part 4

⁶ From Solomon’s Wealth, Part 5

⁷ John 1:18 (ESV) Table

⁸ Rashi’s commentary reads: “to the direction of the sun: To that direction in which the sun sets, and this is the west, for toward evening, the sun is in the west, and they sinned in the tenth [hour]. — [from Gen. Rabbah 19:8, Sanh. 38B].”

⁹ In the NET parallel Greek text eternal was spelled αἴ_διος, and ἀΐδιος in the NA²⁸, Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text.

¹⁰ The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had δε (KJV: And) here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

¹¹ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had ἐγνωκέναι here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ειδεναι (KJV: that he knoweth).

¹² The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had οὔπω here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ουδεπω ουδεν (KJV: nothing yet).

¹³ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had ἔγνω here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had εγνωκεν (KJV: he knoweth).

¹⁴ Galatians 5:17a (ESV) Table

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

¹⁶ John 6:45 (NET) Table

¹⁷ Hebrews 10:1a (NET)

Father, Son and Holy Spirit – Part 9

Posted on August 18, 2023 by admin

This is a continuation of my intent to become much more familiar with the Greek translation of יְהֹוָ֨ה (Yᵊhōvâ) and יֱהֹוִה֙ (yᵊhōvâ) in the Septuagint.

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Genesis 3:1 (Tanakh)	Genesis 3:1 (NET)	Genesis 3:1 (NETS)	Genesis 3:1 (English Elpenor)
Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which HaShem (יְהֹוָ֣ה) G-d (אֱלֹהִ֑ים) had made. And he said unto the woman: ‘Yea, hath G-d (אֱלֹהִ֔ים) said: Ye shall not eat of any tree of the garden?’ [Table]	Now the serpent was shrewder than any of the wild animals that the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ, יהוה) God (ĕlōhîm, אלהים) had made. He said to the woman, “Is it really true that God (ĕlōhîm, אלהים) said, ‘You must not eat from any tree of the orchard’?”	Now the snake was the most sagacious of all the wild animals that were upon the earth, which the Lord (κύριος) God (ὁ θεός) had made. And the snake said to the woman, “Why is it that God (ὁ θεός) said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree that is in the orchard’?” [Table]	NOW the serpent was the most crafty of all the brutes on the earth, which the Lord (Κύριος) God (ὁ Θεός) made, and the serpent said to the woman, Wherefore has God (ὁ Θεός) said, Eat not of every tree of the garden?

Here the narrator called God יְהֹוָ֣ה (Yᵊhōvâ) אֱלֹהִ֑ים (ĕlōhîm) in the Masoretic text, which was corroborated by Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς in the Septuagint. But the serpent said אֱלֹהִ֔ים (ĕlōhîm) in the Masoretic text, and ὁ Θεὸς in the Septuagint.

When did this happen? Is it still Friday, the sixth day? I’m going to say, no, because the text sounds like the sixth day was concluded before this happened: God saw all that he had made—and it was very good! There was evening, and there was morning, the sixth day.¹ So, is it Saturday, the Sabbath? Again, I’ll say, no, because of the way I hear the text (Genesis 2:1-3 NET):

The heavens and the earth were completed with everything that was in them [Table]. By the seventh day God finished the work that he had been doing, and he ceased on the seventh day all the work that he had been doing [Table]. God blessed the seventh day and made it holy because on it he ceased all the work that he had been doing in creation [Table].

So, I’m going to say that this conversation between Eve and the serpent occurred sometime between the following Sunday and Eve’s first conception. And the latter is just for my convenience, so I don’t have to deal with the ramifications of a child conceived before Adam sinned. I’ll leave that kind of speculation to Dan Brown. Maybe I’ll see the movie if Ron Howard is so inclined.

Eve corrected the serpent’s error:

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Genesis 3:2, 3 (Tanakh)	Genesis 3:2, 3 (NET)	Genesis 3:2, 3 (NETS)	Genesis 3:2, 3 (English Elpenor)
And the woman said unto the serpent: ‘Of the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; [Table]	The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit from the trees of the orchard;	And the woman said to the snake, “We shall eat of the fruit of the tree of the orchard, [Table]	And the woman said to the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden,
but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, G-d (אֱלֹהִ֗ים) hath said: Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die’ [Table].	but concerning the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the orchard God (ĕlōhîm, אלהים) said, ‘You must not eat from it, and you must not touch it, or else you will die.’”	but of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the orchard, God (ὁ θεός) said, ‘You shall not eat of it nor shall you even touch it, lest you die’” [Table].	but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God (ὁ Θεός) said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

Here Eve called God אֱלֹהִ֗ים (ĕlōhîm) in the Masoretic text and ὁ Θεός in the Septuagint.

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Genesis 3:4, 5 (Tanakh)	Genesis 3:4, 5 (NET)	Genesis 3:4, 5 (NETS)	Genesis 3:4, 5 (English Elpenor)
And the serpent said unto the woman: ‘Ye shall not surely die; [Table]	The serpent said to the woman, “Surely you will not die,	And the snake said to the woman, “You will not die by death, [Table]	And the serpent said to the woman, Ye shall not surely die.
for G-d (אֱלֹהִ֔ים) doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as G-d (כֵּֽאלֹהִ֔ים), knowing good and evil’ [Table].	for God (ĕlōhîm, אלהים) knows that when you eat from it your eyes will open and you will be like God (ĕlōhîm, כאלהים), knowing good and evil.”	for God (ὁ θεὸς) knew that on the day you eat of it, your eyes would be opened, and you would be like gods (θεοὶ) knowing good and evil” [Table].	For God (ὁ Θεός) knew that in whatever day ye should eat of it your eyes would be opened, and ye would be as gods (θεοί), knowing good and evil.

Here the serpent called God אֱלֹהִ֔ים (ĕlōhîm) in the Masoretic text and ὁ Θεός in the Septuagint. He told Eve ye shall be as G-d, כֵּֽאלֹהִ֔ים (ĕlōhîm) in the Masoretic text, which was translated θεοί (gods) in the Septuagint. The Masoretic text was translated gods in the KJV and angels in the Tanakh on chabad.org.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about Satan’s working (ἐνέργειαν τοῦ σατανᾶ): with all kinds of miracles and signs and false wonders,² especially false wonders (τέρασιν ψεύδους). In another essay I developed a working definition of signs and wonders, and false wonders:

I’ll try to use forms of σημεῖον for the sign, the thing itself, and forms of τέρας for the wonder, the voice of the sign (τῆς φωνῆς τοῦ σημείου), the effect it has on the one who witnesses the sign, to believe (Tanakh/KJV/NET) the messenger and ultimately the word of God.³

For false messiahs and false prophets will appear, Jesus warned, and perform great signs and wonders (τέρατα, another form of τέρας) to deceive, if possible, even the elect.⁴ Without specifying exactly what any particular sign would be, Jesus warned that the wonder, the voice of the sign, would not result in confidence in the truth, God’s word, the Scriptures: great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.⁵

The serpent had nothing to do with this particular sign (Genesis 2:16, 17 NET):

Then the Lord God commanded the man, “You may freely eat fruit from every tree of the orchard [Table], but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will surely die” [Table].

The serpent simply appropriated God’s instruction to give Eve a false wonder. The Greek word translated perform in Jesus’ saying perform great signs and wonders was not a form of ποιέω. It was δώσουσιν, a form of δίδωμι: to give. The table below comparing God’s words to the serpent’s words highlights the subtlety, shrewdness, sagacity and craftiness of the serpent.

God said… (Genesis 2:16b NET)	The serpent said… (Genesis 3:1b NET)
You may freely eat fruit from every tree of the orchard	Is it really true that God said, ‘You must not eat from any tree of the orchard’?

I suppose it’s possible to think that the serpent was even more shrewd than this. The English translation of the Elpenor Septuagint renders it: Wherefore has God said, Eat not of every tree of the garden? In any case the serpent asked Eve a question which seemed like an obvious misunderstanding, easy to correct or clarify. When she did so, the serpent’s reply was more direct.

God said… (Genesis 2:17 NET)	The serpent said… (Genesis 3:4, 5 NET)
but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will surely die	Surely you will not die, for God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will open and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.

Surely you will not die, is almost too direct. It tips the serpent’s hand too soon. But studying the Bible gives me potentially more knowledge than Eve had living in the moment. And the serpent’s directness coupled with the absence of any biblical evidence to the contrary persuades me that Eve never heard God’s words directly. So the serpent didn’t refute God as far as Eve knew, only his messenger, Adam.

Is there a wife alive who doesn’t know that her husband is often confused and misunderstands the things she says? How much confidence does that inspire? Couldn’t Adam have misunderstood or miscommunicated God’s words? And that brings me to the serpent’s false wonder:

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Genesis 3:6 (Tanakh)	Genesis 3:6 (NET)	Genesis 3:6 (NETS)	Genesis 3:6 (English Elpenor)
And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat; and she gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat [Table].	When the woman saw that the tree produced fruit that was good for food, was attractive to the eye, and was desirable for making one wise, she took some of its fruit and ate it. She also gave some of it to her husband who was with her, and he ate it.	And the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was pleasing for the eyes to look at and it was beautiful to contemplate, and when she had taken of its fruit she ate, and she also gave some to her husband with her, and they ate [Table].	And the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes to look upon and beautiful to contemplate, and having taken of its fruit she ate, and she gave to her husband also with her, and they ate.

The false wonder was that Eve believed, not the word of God or his messenger (her husband) but, the serpent’s word. For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive…⁶ The Greek word translated to deceive here was πλανῆσαι, a form of πλανάω: “to lead astray, cause to wander; to misguide, lead away from the right path; to mislead, deceive (someone)…origin of the English word ‘planet’ meaning wanderer because while the stars are fixed in place, the planets seemed to wander around the night sky.”

But I am afraid, Paul wrote, that⁷ just as the serpent deceived (ἐξηπάτησεν, a form of ἐξαπατάω) Eve by his treachery (πανουργίᾳ), your⁸ minds may be led astray (φθαρῇ, a form of φθείρω) from a sincere and pure devotion⁹ to Christ.¹⁰ His description of this false wonder sounds almost like seduction. And Adam was not deceived (ἠπατήθη, a form of ἀπατάω), but the woman, because she was fully deceived (ἐξαπατηθεῖσα, a form of ἐξαπατάω), fell into transgression (παραβάσει, a form of παράβασις).¹¹ In other words, Adam was not seduced, not by the serpent, and not by Eve to whatever extent she had become a false prophet (ψευδοπροφῆται, a form of ψευδοπροφήτης) of the serpent’s words.

Adam heard God’s command with his own ears. Adam violated God’s command with his eyes wide open because violating God’s command is what Adam wanted to do (Romans 5:12-14 NET):

So then, just as sin entered the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all people because all sinned—for before the law was given, sin was in the world, but there is no accounting for sin when there is no law. Yet death reigned from Adam until Moses even over those who did not sin in the same way that Adam (who is a type of the coming one) transgressed (παραβάσεως, another form of παράβασις) [Table].

Adam’s disobedience, his transgression of God’s command, opened both their eyes:

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Genesis 3:7 (Tanakh)	Genesis 3:7 (NET)	Genesis 3:7 (NETS)	Genesis 3:7 (English Elpenor)
And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig-leaves together, and made themselves girdles [Table].	Then the eyes of both of them opened, and they knew they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.	And the eyes of the two were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves [Table].	And the eyes of both were opened, and they perceived that they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons to go round them.

I don’t think Eve intended to disobey God but rather to be like God, knowing good (Hebrew: ṭôḇ, ט֥וֹב; Greek: καλὸν, a form of καλός) and evil (Hebrew: raʿ, וָרָֽע; Greek: πονηρόν, a form of πονηρός).¹² She only knew good up to that moment: God saw all that he had made—and it was very good (Hebrew: ṭôḇ, ט֖וֹב; Greek: καλὰ, another form of καλός)!¹³ I know that, but did she?

In the science fiction movie Blade Runner replicants were man-made humans used off-world as slaves, soldiers or sex-workers. Some were smarter, most were stronger, than natural-born human beings. All were created with four year lifespans. Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer) returned to earth seeking an audience with his creator to gain a longer life for himself and his replicant friends/accomplices. His way was impeded by Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), a reluctant thug of a law enforcement officer called a blade runner, tasked with hunting down and killing Roy and his friends/accomplices, the rebellious replicants natural-born human beings now feared and outlawed. Deckard’s boss Bryant (M. Emmet Walsh) put a fine point on his situation: “You know the score, Pal. If you’re not cop, you’re little people.”

Replicants were created as fully grown adults. In this Adam and Eve seem more like replicants than their natural-born descendants. Replicants were implanted with “false memories to give them the years of experiences that humans take for granted, creating a ‘cushion or pillow for their emotions.’”¹⁴ It seems fitting somehow that human beings would give their creation “false memories.” It makes sense to me that God would give something similar but true to his creation. Though the text doesn’t say it, I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that God taught Adam and Eve the content of Genesis 1 on that first Sabbath day. (If He went on to the content of Genesis 2, I need to reconsider Eve’s knowledge of God’s prohibition.)

Be that as it may, Eve’s faith in the serpent’s word introduced her to evil.

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Genesis 3:8-10 (Tanakh)	Genesis 3:8-10 (NET)	Genesis 3:8-10 (NETS)	Genesis 3:8-10 (English Elpenor)
And they heard the voice of HaShem (יְהֹוָ֧ה) G-d (אֱלֹהִ֛ים) walking in the garden toward the cool of the day; and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of HaShem (יְהֹוָ֣ה) G-d (אֱלֹהִ֔ים) amongst the trees of the garden.	Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ, יהוה) God (ĕlōhîm, אלהים) moving about in the orchard at the breezy time of the day, and they hid from the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ, יהוה) God (ĕlōhîm, אלהים) among the trees of the orchard.	And they heard the sound of the Lord (κυρίου) God (τοῦ θεοῦ) walking about in the orchard in the evening, and both Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord (κυρίου) God (τοῦ θεοῦ) in the midst of the timber of the orchard.	And they heard the voice of the Lord (Κυρίου) God (τοῦ Θεοῦ) walking in the garden in the afternoon; and both Adam and his wife hid themselves from the face of the Lord (Κυρίου) God (τοῦ Θεοῦ) in the midst of the trees of the garden.
And HaShem (יְהֹוָ֥ה) G-d (אֱלֹהִ֖ים) called unto the man, and said unto him: ‘Where art thou?’	But the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ, יהוה) God (ĕlōhîm, אלהים) called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”	And the Lord (κύριος) God (ὁ θεὸς) called Adam and said to him, “Adam, where are you?”	And the Lord (Κύριος) God (ὁ Θεὸς) called Adam and said to him, Adam, where art thou?
And he said: ‘I heard Thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.’	The man replied, “I heard you moving about in the orchard, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.”	And he said to him, “I heard the sound of you walking about in the orchard, and I was afraid, because I am naked, and I hid myself.”	And he said to him, I heard thy voice as thou walkedst in the garden, and I feared because I was naked and I hid myself.

Here the narrator called God יְהֹוָ֧ה (Yᵊhōvâ) אֱלֹהִ֖ים (ĕlōhîm) in the Masoretic text which was corroborated by Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ and Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς in the Septuagint. And Adam and Eve, though covered in clothing of their own design and manufacture, were naked and ashamed, and hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God.

I’ll pick this up in another essay.

Tables comparing Genesis 3:8; 3:9 and 3:10 in the Tanakh, KJV and NET; and tables comparing Genesis 3:8; 3:9 and 3:10 in the BLB and Elpenor versions of the Septuagint with the English translations from Hebrew and Greek, and a table comparing the Greek of 2 Corinthians 11:3 the NET and KJV follow.

Genesis 3:8 (Tanakh)	Genesis 3:8 (KJV)	Genesis 3:8 (NET)
And they heard the voice of HaShem G-d walking in the garden toward the cool of the day; and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of HaShem G-d amongst the trees of the garden.	And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.	Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God moving about in the orchard at the breezy time of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the orchard.

Genesis 3:8 (Septuagint BLB)	Genesis 3:8 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἤκουσαν τὴν φωνὴν κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ περιπατοῦντος ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ τὸ δειλινόν καὶ ἐκρύβησαν ὅ τε Αδαμ καὶ ἡ γυνὴ αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ προσώπου κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ ξύλου τοῦ παραδείσου	Καὶ ἤκουσαν τῆς φωνῆς Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ περιπατοῦντος ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ τὸ δειλινόν, καὶ ἐκρύβησαν ὅ τε ᾿Αδὰμ καὶ ἡ γυνὴ αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ προσώπου Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ ξύλου τοῦ παραδείσου
Genesis 3:8 (NETS)	Genesis 3:8 (English Elpenor)
And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking about in the orchard in the evening, and both Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God in the midst of the timber of the orchard.	And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the afternoon; and both Adam and his wife hid themselves from the face of the Lord God in the midst of the trees of the garden.

Genesis 3:9 (Tanakh)	Genesis 3:9 (KJV)	Genesis 3:9 (NET)
And HaShem G-d called unto the man, and said unto him: ‘Where art thou?’	And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?	But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”

Genesis 3:9 (Septuagint BLB)	Genesis 3:9 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐκάλεσεν κύριος ὁ θεὸς τὸν Αδαμ καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ Αδαμ ποῦ εἶ	καὶ ἐκάλεσε Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς τὸν ᾿Αδὰμ καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ· ᾿Αδάμ, ποῦ εἶ
Genesis 3:9 (NETS)	Genesis 3:9 (English Elpenor)
And the Lord God called Adam and said to him, “Adam, where are you?”	And the Lord God called Adam and said to him, Adam, where art thou?

Genesis 3:10 (Tanakh)	Genesis 3:10 (KJV)	Genesis 3:10 (NET)
And he said: ‘I heard Thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.’	And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.	The man replied, “I heard you moving about in the orchard, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.”

Genesis 3:10 (Septuagint BLB)	Genesis 3:10 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ τὴν φωνήν σου ἤκουσα περιπατοῦντος ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ καὶ ἐφοβήθην ὅτι γυμνός εἰμι καὶ ἐκρύβην	καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ· τῆς φωνῆς σου ἤκουσα περιπατοῦντος ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ καὶ ἐφοβήθην, ὅτι γυμνός εἰμι, καὶ ἐκρύβην
Genesis 3:10 (NETS)	Genesis 3:10 (English Elpenor)
And he said to him, “I heard the sound of you walking about in the orchard, and I was afraid, because I am naked, and I hid myself.”	And he said to him, I heard thy voice as thou walkedst in the garden, and I feared because I was naked and I hid myself.

2 Corinthians 11:3 (NET)	2 Corinthians 11:3 (KJV)
But I am afraid that just as the serpent deceived Eve by his treachery, your minds may be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.	But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

2 Corinthians 11:3 (NET Parallel Greek)	2 Corinthians 11:3 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	2 Corinthians 11:3 (Byzantine Majority Text)
φοβοῦμαι δὲ μή πως, ὡς ὁ ὄφις ἐξηπάτησεν ῞Ευαν ἐν τῇ πανουργίᾳ αὐτοῦ, φθαρῇ τὰ νοήματα ὑμῶν ἀπὸ τῆς ἁπλότητος [καὶ τῆς ἁγνότητος] τῆς εἰς τὸν Χριστόν	φοβουμαι δε μηπως ως ο οφις ευαν εξηπατησεν εν τη πανουργια αυτου ουτως φθαρη τα νοηματα υμων απο της απλοτητος της εις τον χριστον	φοβουμαι δε μηπως ως ο οφις ευαν εξηπατησεν εν τη πανουργια αυτου ουτως φθαρη τα νοηματα υμων απο της απλοτητος της εις τον χριστον

Father, Son and Holy Spirit – Part 10

Back to Who Am I? Part 14

Back to Who Am I? Part 15

Back to Keep Yourselves from Idols, Part 1

¹ Genesis 1:31 (NET) Table

² 2 Thessalonians 2:9b (NET)

³ Wonders and False Wonders, Part 1

⁴ Matthew 24:24 (NET)

⁵ Wonders and False Wonders, Part 1

⁶ Matthew 24:24a (NET)

⁷ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had μή πως here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had μηπως (KJV: lest by any means).

⁸ The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ουτως (KJV: so) at the beginning of this clause. The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

⁹ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had καὶ τῆς ἁγνότητος here. The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

¹⁰ 2 Corinthians 11:3 (NET)

¹¹ 1 Timothy 2:14 (NET)

¹² Genesis 3:5b (NET) Table

¹³ Genesis 1:31a (NET) Table

¹⁴ Replicant, Fictional history

Father, Son and Holy Spirit – Part 7

Posted on April 26, 2023 by admin

This is a continuation of my intent to become much more familiar with the Greek translation of יְהֹוָ֨ה (Yᵊhōvâ) and יֱהֹוִה֙ (yᵊhōvâ) in the Septuagint.

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Genesis 2:16, 17 (Tanakh)	Genesis 2:16, 17 (NET)	Genesis 2:16, 17 (NETS)	Genesis 2:16, 17 (English Elpenor)
And HaShem (יְהֹוָ֣ה) G-d (אֱלֹהִ֔ים) commanded the man, saying: ‘Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat [Table];	Then the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ, יהוה) God (‘ĕlōhîm, אלהים) commanded the man, “You may freely eat fruit from every tree of the orchard,	And the Lord (κύριος) God (ὁ θεὸς) commanded Adam, saying, “You shall eat for food of every tree that is in the orchard [Table],	And the Lord (Κύριος) God (ὁ Θεὸς) gave a charge to Adam, saying, Of every tree which is in the garden thou mayest freely eat,
but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die’ [Table].	but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will surely die.”	but of the tree for knowing good and evil, of it you shall not eat; on the day that you eat of it, you shall die by death” [Table].	but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil– of it ye shall not eat, but in whatsoever day ye eat of it, ye shall surely die.

I’ll pause just long enough to highlight that the command not to eat from the tree of the knowledge (daʿaṯ, הדעת) of good and evil (NETS: the tree for knowing [γινώσκειν, a form of γινώσκω] good and evil) was given to Adam when he was alone.

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Genesis 2:18 (Tanakh) Table	Genesis 2:18 (NET)	Genesis 2:18 (NETS) Table	Genesis 2:18 (English Elpenor)
And HaShem (יְהֹוָ֣ה) G-d (אֱלֹהִ֔ים) said: ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a help meet for him.’	The Lord (Yᵊhōvâ, יהוה) God (‘ĕlōhîm, אלהים) said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a companion for him who corresponds to him.”	Then the Lord (κύριος) God (ὁ θεός) said, “It is not good that the man is alone; let us make him a helper corresponding to him.”	And the Lord (Κύριος) God (ὁ Θεός) said, [It is] not good that the man should be alone, let us make for him a help suitable to him.

If I relied solely on the Masoretic text I would conclude that the singular אעשׁה (I will make) as opposed to the plural נעשׁה (Let us make) indicated that יהוה (Yᵊhōvâ) אלהים (‘ĕlōhîm) was a singular person of the אלהים (‘ĕlōhîm). The rabbis who translated the Septuagint don’t corroborate that conclusion, however. They translated both אעשׁה and נעשׁה ποιήσωμεν, a plural form of ποιέω. Or, perhaps אעשׁה, the singular form, wasn’t in the Hebrew text the rabbis translated into Greek.

Genesis 1:26 (NET) Table	Genesis 2:18 (NET) Table
Then God said, “Let us make (ʿāśâ, נעשׁה) humankind in our image, after our likeness, so they may rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move on the earth.”	The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make (ʿāśâ, אעשׁה) a companion for him who corresponds to him.”
Genesis 1:26 (NETS) Table	Genesis 2:18 (NETS) Table
Then God said, “Let us make (ποιήσωμεν) humankind according to our image and according to likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the sky and the cattle and all the earth and all the creeping things that creep upon the earth.”	Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man is alone; let us make (ποιήσωμεν) him a helper corresponding to him.”

As a comparison, in Genesis 18:1-3 the Masoretic text had: The Lord (yehôvâh, יהוה) appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre.¹ But the Septuagint read: AND God (θεὸς) appeared to him by the oak of Mambre.² That appearance was described: Abraham looked up and saw three men (Masoretic text: אנשים; Septuagint: ἄνδρες) standing across from him.³ Abraham addressed this trio as My Lord⁴ (Masoretic text: אדני) or Lord⁵ (Septuagint: κύριε).

In Genesis 18:9 the Masoretic text had a plural verb וַיֹּֽאמְר֣וּ (Tanakh: And they said), where the Septuagint had a singular verb εἶπε(ν) (NETS, English Elpenor: he said).

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Genesis 18:9, 10a (Tanakh)	Genesis 18:9, 10a (NET)	Genesis 18:9, 10a (NETS)	Genesis 18:9, 10a (English Elpenor)
And they said (וַיֹּֽאמְר֣וּ) unto him: ‘Where is Sarah thy wife?’ And he said (וַיֹּ֖אמֶר): ‘Behold, in the tent.’	Then they asked (‘āmar, ויאמרו) him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” He replied (‘āmar, ויאמר), “There, in the tent.”	And he said (εἶπεν) to him, “Where is your wife Sarra?” And he said (εἶπεν) in reply, “There, in the tent.”	And he said (Εἶπε) to him, Where is Sarrha thy wife? And he answered and said (εἶπεν), Behold! in the tent.
And He said (וַיֹּ֗אמֶר): ‘I will certainly return unto thee when the season cometh round; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son.’	One of them said (‘āmar, ויאמר), “I will surely return to you when the season comes round again, and your wife Sarah will have a son!”	And he said (εἶπεν), “I will come to you, when I return, during this season next year, and Sarra your wife shall have a son.”	And he said (εἶπε), I will return and come to thee according to this period seasonably, and Sarrha thy wife shall have a son;

The verb וַיֹּ֗אמֶר switched to the singular (Tanakh: And He said) in Genesis 18:10 in the Masoretic text as it was in both verses in the Septuagint: εἶπε(ν) (NETS, English Elpenor: he said). The NET translators chose One of them said (note 29) to account for this change. So in the Masoretic text only one of the trio of men that appeared to Abraham as יהוה (Masoretic text) or θεὸς (Septuagint) prophesied the birth of Sarah’s son.

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Genesis 18:13, 14 (Tanakh)	Genesis 18:13, 14 (NET)	Genesis 18:13, 14 (NETS)	Genesis 18:13, 14 (English Elpenor)
And HaShem (יְהֹוָ֖ה) said unto Abraham: ‘Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying: Shall I of a surety bear a child, who am old?	The Lord (Yᵊhōvâ, יהוה) said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child when I am old?’	And the Lord (κύριος) said to Abraam, “Why is it that Sarra laughed within herself, saying, ‘Shall I then indeed give birth? But I have grown old.’	And the Lord (Κύριος) said to Abraam, Why is it that Sarrha has laughed in herself, saying, Shall I then indeed bear? but I am grown old.
Is any thing too hard for HaShem (מֵֽיהֹוָ֖ה). At the set time I will return unto thee, when the season cometh round, and Sarah shall have a son.’	Is anything impossible for the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ, מיהוה)? I will return to you when the season comes round again and Sarah will have a son.”	Can it be that a matter is impossible with God (τῷ θεῷ)? In this season I will come back to you next year, and Sarra shall have a son.”	Shall anything be impossible with the Lord (τῷ Θεῷ)? At this time I will return to thee seasonably, and Sarrha shall have a son.

But in the Septuagint the trio of men that appeared to Abraham as θεὸς was called the Lord (κύριος) and spoke with one voice. I notice also in the Masoretic text that the Lord called Himself מֵֽיהֹוָ֖ה (Yᵊhōvâ) to Abraham, but the translators of the Septuagint did not corroborate that with κύριος. They chose τῷ Θεῷ instead.

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Genesis 18:16, 17 (Tanakh)	Genesis 18:16, 17 (NET)	Genesis 18:16, 17 (NETS)	18:16, 17 (English Elpenor)
And the men rose up (וַיָּקֻ֤מוּ) from thence, and looked out (וַיַּשְׁקִ֖פוּ) toward Sodom; and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way.	When the men got up (qûm, ויקמו) to leave, they looked out (šāqap̄, וישקפו) over Sodom. (Now Abraham was walking with them to see them on their way.)	And when the men had set out (ἐξαναστάντες) from there, they looked (κατέβλεψαν) down upon the face of Sodoma and Gomorra, and Abraam was going along with them.	And the men having risen up (᾿Εξαναστάντες) from thence looked (κατέβλεψαν) towards Sodom and Gomorrha. And Abraam went with them, attending them on their journey.
And HaShem (וַֽיהֹוָ֖ה) said: ‘Shall I (אֲנִי֙) hide from Abraham that which I (אֲנִ֥י) am doing;	Then the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ, ויהוה) said, “Should I (‘ănî, אני) hide from Abraham what I (‘ănî, אני) am about to do?	And the Lord (ὁ δὲ κύριος) said, “Surely I (ἐγὼ) shall not hide from my servant Abraam what I (ἐγὼ) am about to do?	And the Lord (ὁ δὲ Κύριος) said, Shall I (ἐγὼ) hide from Abraam my servant what things I (ἐγὼ) intend to do?

Here the actions of the three men (possibly four including Abraham) were described with plural verbs. When וַֽיהֹוָ֖ה (Yᵊhōvâ) spoke He emphasized his singular nature with אֲנִ֥י in the Masoretic text and ἐγὼ in the Septuagint. Still, the emphasis seems to highlight the oneness of the three men called κύριος that appeared to Abraham as θεὸς in the Septuagint, while the Masoretic text seems to indicate that only one of the three men was יהוה.

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Genesis 18:20, 21 (Tanakh)	Genesis 18:20, 21 (NET)	Genesis 18:20, 21 (NETS)	Genesis 18:20, 21 (English Elpenor)
And HaShem (יְהֹוָ֔ה) said: ‘Verily, the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and, verily, their sin is exceeding grievous.	So the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ, יהוה) said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so blatant	Then the Lord (κύριος) said, “The outcry concerning Sodoma and Gomorra has been increased, and their sins are very great!	And the Lord (Κύριος) said, The cry of Sodom and Gomorrha has been increased towards me, and their sins are very great.
I will go down (אֵֽרֲדָה) now, and see (וְאֶרְאֶ֔ה) whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto Me; and if not, I will know.’	that I must go down (yāraḏ, ארדה) and see (rā’â, ואראה) if they are as wicked as the outcry suggests. If not, I want to know.”	So when I go down (καταβὰς) I shall see (ὄψομαι) whether they are perpetrating according to the outcry concerning them that is coming to me, but if not—that I may know.”	I will therefore go down (καταβὰς) and see (ὄψομαι), if they completely correspond with the cry which comes to me, and if not, that I may know.

Here יְהֹוָ֔ה (Masoretic text), Κύριος (Septuagint), told Abraham that He (singular) will go down now, and see. Readers of the Septuagint can understand that θεὸς, who appeared to Abraham as three men, speaks truthfully with a singular voice. Readers of the Masoretic text must be a little more flexible and forgiving regarding truth.

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Genesis 18:22 (Tanakh)	Genesis 18:22 (NET)	Genesis 18:22 (NETS)	Genesis 18:22 (English Elpenor)
And the men (הָֽאֲנָשִׁ֔ים) turned from thence, and went toward Sodom; but Abraham stood yet before HaShem (יְהֹוָֽה).	The two men (‘îš, האנשים) turned and headed toward Sodom, but Abraham was still standing before the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ, יהוה).	And after the men (ἄνδρες) had turned away from there, they went to Sodoma, but Abraam was still standing before the Lord (κυρίου).	And the men (ἄνδρες) having departed thence, came to Sodom; and Abraam was still standing before the Lord (Κυρίου).

So once the men (plural) left for Sodom, Abraham stood yet before יְהֹוָֽה (Masoretic text), Κυρίου (Septuagint). If plural men are subtracted from three men, then two left and one remained. The translators of the NET did the arithmetic for us: The two men turned and headed toward Sodom.

Reading the Masoretic text one would assume that two men left leaving the one יְהֹוָֽה. Reading the Septuagint one can assume that two of the three men who appeared to Abraham as θεὸς, called Κύριος, went to Sodom to fulfill the Lord’s word: “So when I go down I shall see whether they are perpetrating according to the outcry concerning them that is coming to me, but if not—that I may know.”⁶ The one who remained could also be called יְהֹוָֽה (Masoretic text), Κυρίου (Septuagint).

In the Masoretic text the promise, “So when I go down I shall see whether they are perpetrating according to the outcry concerning them that is coming to me, but if not–that I may know,” was a euphemistic expression fulfilled by minions, and יְהֹוָֽה relied still on hearsay for his judgment. The Septuagint, about a thousand years older than the Masoretic text, persuades me that I was probably mistaken when I assumed that יְהֹוָֽה was one⁷ of the אֱלֹהִ֔ים.

I am more inclined now to assume that the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit⁸ is יְהֹוָֽה. I am more willing to answer the question, is יְהֹוָֽה the Father, the Son or the Holy Spirit, yes. But this aside into Genesis 18, fruitful as it proved to be, was intended to provide context for two examples of אֶֽעֱשֶׂ֔ה (ʿāśâ) translated with singular verbs in Greek.

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Genesis 18:29, 30 (Tanakh)	Genesis 18:29, 30 (NET)	Genesis 18:29, 30 (NETS)	Genesis 18:29, 30 (English Elpenor)
And he spoke unto Him yet again, and said: ‘Peradventure there shall be forty found there.’ And He said: ‘I will not do (אֶֽעֱשֶׂ֔ה) it for the forty’s sake.’	Abraham spoke to him again, “What if 40 are found there?” He replied, “I will not do (ʿāśâ, אעשׁה) it for the sake of the 40.”	And he continued still to speak to him and said, “But if forty should be found there?” And he said, “On account of the forty I will not destroy (ἀπολέσω) it.”	And he continued to speak to him still, and said, But if there should be found there forty? And he said, I will not destroy (ἀπολέσω) it for the forty’s sake.
And he said: ‘Oh, let not the L-rd be angry, and I will speak. Peradventure there shall thirty be found there.’ And He said: ‘I will not do (אֶֽעֱשֶׂ֔ה) it, if I find thirty there’ [Table].	Then Abraham said, “May the Lord not be angry so that I may speak! What if thirty are found there?” He replied, “I will not do (ʿāśâ, אעשׁה) it if I find thirty there.”	And he said, “Pardon, Lord, if I should speak. But if thirty should be found there?” And he said, “I will not destroy (ἀπολέσω) it, if I find thirty there” [Table].	And he said, Will there be anything [against me], Lord, if I shall speak? but if there be found there thirty? And he said, I will not destroy (ἀπολέσω) it for the thirty’s sake.

The Greek word ἀπολέσω (I will…destroy) is clearly singular. The rabbis who translated the Septuagint demonstrated that they would translate אֶֽעֱשֶׂ֔ה with a singular verb if אֶֽעֱשֶׂ֔ה was the word they found in the Hebrew text rather than the plural נעשׁה.

Tables comparing Genesis 18:9; 18:10; 18:13; 18:14; 18:16; 18:17; 18:20; 18:21; 18:22 and 18:29 in the Tanakh, KJV and NET; and tables comparing Genesis 18:9; 18:10; 18:13; 18:14; 18:16; 18:17; 18:20; 18:21; 18:22 and 18:29 in the BLB and Elpenor versions of the Septuagint with the English translations from Hebrew and Greek, and a table comparing the Greek of Matthew 28:19 in the NET and KJV follow.

Genesis 18:9 (Tanakh)	Genesis 18:9 (KJV)	Genesis 18:9 (NET)
And they said unto him: ‘Where is Sarah thy wife?’ And he said: ‘Behold, in the tent.’	And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent.	Then they asked him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” He replied, “There, in the tent.”

Genesis 18:9 (Septuagint BLB)	Genesis 18:9 (Septuagint Elpenor)
εἶπεν δὲ πρὸς αὐτόν ποῦ Σαρρα ἡ γυνή σου ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν ἰδοὺ ἐν τῇ σκηνῇ	Εἶπε δὲ πρὸς αὐτόν· ποῦ Σάρρα ἡ γυνή σου; ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν· ἰδοὺ ἐν τῇ σκηνῇ
Genesis 18:9 (NETS)	Genesis 18:9 (English Elpenor)
And he said to him, “Where is your wife Sarra?” And he said in reply, “There, in the tent.”	And he said to him, Where is Sarrha thy wife? And he answered and said, Behold! in the tent.

Genesis 18:10 (Tanakh)	Genesis 18:10 (KJV)	Genesis 18:10 (NET)
And He said: ‘I will certainly return unto thee when the season cometh round; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son.’ And Sarah heard in the tent door, which was behind him.–	And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.	One of them said, “I will surely return to you when the season comes round again, and your wife Sarah will have a son!” (Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, not far behind him.

Genesis 18:10 (Septuagint BLB)	Genesis 18:10 (Septuagint Elpenor)
εἶπεν δέ ἐπαναστρέφων ἥξω πρὸς σὲ κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τοῦτον εἰς ὥρας καὶ ἕξει υἱὸν Σαρρα ἡ γυνή σου Σαρρα δὲ ἤκουσεν πρὸς τῇ θύρᾳ τῆς σκηνῆς οὖσα ὄπισθεν αὐτοῦ	εἶπε δέ· ἐπαναστρέφων ἥξω πρὸς σὲ κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τοῦτον εἰς ὥρας, καὶ ἕξει υἱὸν Σάρρα ἡ γυνή σου. Σάρρα δὲ ἤκουσε πρὸς τῇ θύρᾳ τῆς σκηνῆς, οὖσα ὄπισθεν αὐτοῦ
Genesis 18:10 (NETS)	Genesis 18:10 (English Elpenor)
And he said, “I will come to you, when I return, during this season next year, and Sarra your wife shall have a son.” And Sarra, who was behind him, listened at the tent door.	And he said, I will return and come to thee according to this period seasonably, and Sarrha thy wife shall have a son; and Sarrha heard at the door of the tent, being behind him.

Genesis 18:13 (Tanakh)	Genesis 18:13 (KJV)	Genesis 18:13 (NET)
And HaShem said unto Abraham: ‘Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying: Shall I of a surety bear a child, who am old?	And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?	The Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child when I am old?’

Genesis 18:13 (Septuagint BLB)	Genesis 18:13 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ εἶπεν κύριος πρὸς Αβρααμ τί ὅτι ἐγέλασεν Σαρρα ἐν ἑαυτῇ λέγουσα ἆρά γε ἀληθῶς τέξομαι ἐγὼ δὲ γεγήρακα	καὶ εἶπε Κύριος πρὸς ῾Αβραάμ· τί ὅτι ἐγέλασε Σάρρα ἐν ἑαυτῇ, λέγουσα· ἆρά γε ἀληθῶς τέξομαι; ἐγὼ δὲ γεγήρακα
Genesis 18:13 (NETS)	Genesis 18:13 (English Elpenor)
And the Lord said to Abraam, “Why is it that Sarra laughed within herself, saying, ‘Shall I then indeed give birth? But I have grown old.’	And the Lord said to Abraam, Why is it that Sarrha has laughed in herself, saying, Shall I then indeed bear? but I am grown old.

Genesis 18:14 (Tanakh)	Genesis 18:14 (KJV)	Genesis 18:14 (NET)
Is any thing too hard for HaShem. At the set time I will return unto thee, when the season cometh round, and Sarah shall have a son.’	Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.	Is anything impossible for the Lord? I will return to you when the season comes round again and Sarah will have a son.”

Genesis 18:14 (Septuagint BLB)	Genesis 18:14 (Septuagint Elpenor)
μὴ ἀδυνατεῖ παρὰ τῷ θεῷ ῥῆμα εἰς τὸν καιρὸν τοῦτον ἀναστρέψω πρὸς σὲ εἰς ὥρας καὶ ἔσται τῇ Σαρρα υἱός	μὴ ἀδυνατήσει παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ ρῆμα; εἰς τὸν καιρὸν τοῦτον ἀναστρέψω πρὸς σὲ εἰς ὥρας· καὶ ἔσται τῇ Σάρρᾳ υἱός
Genesis 18:14 (NETS)	Genesis 18:14 (English Elpenor)
Can it be that a matter is impossible with God? In this season I will come back to you next year, and Sarra shall have a son.”	Shall anything be impossible with the Lord? At this time I will return to thee seasonably, and Sarrha shall have a son.

Genesis 18:16 (Tanakh)	Genesis 18:16 (KJV)	Genesis 18:16 (NET)
And the men rose up from thence, and looked out toward Sodom; and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way.	And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way.	When the men got up to leave, they looked out over Sodom. (Now Abraham was walking with them to see them on their way.)

Genesis 18:16 (Septuagint BLB)	Genesis 18:16 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἐξαναστάντες δὲ ἐκεῖθεν οἱ ἄνδρες κατέβλεψαν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον Σοδομων καὶ Γομορρας Αβρααμ δὲ συνεπορεύετο μετ᾽ αὐτῶν συμπροπέμπων αὐτούς	᾿Εξαναστάντες δὲ ἐκεῖθεν οἱ ἄνδρες κατέβλεψαν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον Σοδόμων καὶ Γομόρρας. ῾Αβραὰμ δὲ συνεπορεύετο μετ᾿ αὐτῶν συμπροπέμπων αὐτούς
Genesis 18:16 (NETS)	Genesis 18:16 (English Elpenor)
And when the men had set out from there, they looked down upon the face of Sodoma and Gomorra, and Abraam was going along with them.	And the men having risen up from thence looked towards Sodom and Gomorrha. And Abraam went with them, attending them on their journey.

Genesis 18:17 (Tanakh)	Genesis 18:17 (KJV)	Genesis 18:17 (NET)
And HaShem said: ‘Shall I hide from Abraham that which I am doing;	And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do;	Then the Lord said, “Should I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?

Genesis 18:17 (Septuagint BLB)	Genesis 18:17 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ὁ δὲ κύριος εἶπεν μὴ κρύψω ἐγὼ ἀπὸ Αβρααμ τοῦ παιδός μου ἃ ἐγὼ ποιῶ	ὁ δὲ Κύριος εἶπεν· οὐ μὴ κρύψω ἐγὼ ἀπὸ ῾Αβραὰμ τοῦ παιδός μου, ἃ ἐγὼ ποιῶ
Genesis 18:17 (NETS)	Genesis 18:17 (English Elpenor)
And the Lord said, “Surely I shall not hide from my servant Abraam what I am about to do?	And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraam my servant what things I intend to do?

Genesis 18:20 (Tanakh)	Genesis 18:20 (KJV)	Genesis 18:20 (NET)
And HaShem said: ‘Verily, the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and, verily, their sin is exceeding grievous.	And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;	So the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so blatant

Genesis 18:20 (Septuagint BLB)	Genesis 18:20 (Septuagint Elpenor)
εἶπεν δὲ κύριος κραυγὴ Σοδομων καὶ Γομορρας πεπλήθυνται καὶ αἱ ἁμαρτίαι αὐτῶν μεγάλαι σφόδρα	εἶπε δὲ Κύριος· κραυγὴ Σοδόμων καὶ Γομόρρας πεπλήθυνται πρός με, καὶ αἱ ἁμαρτίαι αὐτῶν μεγάλαι σφόδρα
Genesis 18:20 (NETS)	Genesis 18:20 (English Elpenor)
Then the Lord said, “The outcry concerning Sodoma and Gomorra has been increased, and their sins are very great!	And the Lord said, The cry of Sodom and Gomorrha has been increased towards me, and their sins are very great.

Genesis 18:21 (Tanakh)	Genesis 18:21 (KJV)	Genesis 18:21 (NET)
I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto Me; and if not, I will know.’	I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.	that I must go down and see if they are as wicked as the outcry suggests. If not, I want to know.”

Genesis 18:21 (Septuagint BLB)	Genesis 18:21 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καταβὰς οὖν ὄψομαι εἰ κατὰ τὴν κραυγὴν αὐτῶν τὴν ἐρχομένην πρός με συντελοῦνται εἰ δὲ μή ἵνα γνῶ	καταβὰς οὖν ὄψομαι, εἰ κατὰ τὴν κραυγὴν αὐτῶν τὴν ἐρχομένην πρός με συντελοῦνται, εἰ δὲ μή, ἵνα γνῶ
Genesis 18:21 (NETS)	Genesis 18:21 (English Elpenor)
So when I go down I shall see whether they are perpetrating according to the outcry concerning them that is coming to me, but if not—that I may know.”	I will therefore go down and see, if they completely correspond with the cry which comes to me, and if not, that I may know.

Genesis 18:22 (Tanakh)	Genesis 18:22 (KJV)	Genesis 18:22 (NET)
And the men turned from thence, and went toward Sodom; but Abraham stood yet before HaShem.	And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.	The two men turned and headed toward Sodom, but Abraham was still standing before the Lord.

Genesis 18:22 (Septuagint BLB)	Genesis 18:22 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἀποστρέψαντες ἐκεῖθεν οἱ ἄνδρες ἦλθον εἰς Σοδομα Αβρααμ δὲ ἦν ἑστηκὼς ἐναντίον κυρίου	καὶ ἀποστρέψαντες ἐκεῖθεν οἱ ἄνδρες ἦλθον εἰς Σόδομα. ῾Αβραὰμ δὲ ἔτι ἦν ἑστηκὼς ἐναντίον Κυρίου
Genesis 18:22 (NETS)	Genesis 18:22 (English Elpenor)
And after the men had turned away from there, they went to Sodoma, but Abraam was still standing before the Lord.	And the men having departed thence, came to Sodom; and Abraam was still standing before the Lord.

Genesis 18:29 (Tanakh)	Genesis 18:29 (KJV)	Genesis 18:29 (NET)
And he spoke unto Him yet again, and said: ‘Peradventure there shall be forty found there.’ And He said: ‘I will not do it for the forty’s sake.’	And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty’s sake.	Abraham spoke to him again, “What if 40 are found there?” He replied, “I will not do it for the sake of the 40.”

Genesis 18:29 (Septuagint BLB)	Genesis 18:29 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ προσέθηκεν ἔτι λαλῆσαι πρὸς αὐτὸν καὶ εἶπεν ἐὰν δὲ εὑρεθῶσιν ἐκεῖ τεσσαράκοντα καὶ εἶπεν οὐ μὴ ἀπολέσω ἕνεκεν τῶν τεσσαράκοντα	καὶ προσέθηκεν ἔτι λαλῆσαι πρὸς αὐτόν, καὶ εἶπεν· ἐὰν δὲ εὑρεθῶσιν ἐκεῖ τεσσαράκοντα; καὶ εἶπεν· οὐ μὴ ἀπολέσω ἕνεκεν τῶν τεσσαράκοντα
Genesis 18:29 (NETS)	Genesis 18:29 (English Elpenor)
And he continued still to speak to him and said, “But if forty should be found there?” And he said, “On account of the forty I will not destroy it.”	And he continued to speak to him still, and said, But if there should be found there forty? And he said, I will not destroy it for the forty’s sake.

Matthew 28:19 (NET)	Matthew 28:19 (KJV)
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,	Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
πορευθέντες οὖν μαθητεύσατε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, βαπτίζοντες αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος	πορευθεντες ουν μαθητευσατε παντα τα εθνη βαπτιζοντες αυτους εις το ονομα του πατρος και του υιου και του αγιου πνευματος	πορευθεντες μαθητευσατε παντα τα εθνη βαπτιζοντες αυτους εις το ονομα του πατρος και του υιου και του αγιου πνευματος

Father, Son and Holy Spirit – Part 8

Back to Romans, Part 55

Back to Romans, Part 85

Back to Who Am I? Part 14

¹ Genesis 18:1a (NET) Table

² Genesis 18:1a (NETS) Table

³ Genesis 18:2a (NET) Table

⁴ Genesis 18:3a (NET) Table

⁵ Genesis 18:3a (NETS) Table

⁶ Genesis 18:21 (NETS)

⁷ Romans, Part 55; Romans, Part 85

⁸ Matthew 28:19b (NET)

Father, Son and Holy Spirit – Part 6

Posted on August 30, 2022 by admin

This is a continuation of my intent to become much more familiar with the Greek translation of יְהֹוָ֨ה (Yᵊhōvâ) and יֱהֹוִה֙ (yᵊhōvâ) in the Septuagint. Genesis 2:4 marked the first occurrence of יְהֹוָ֥ה (Yᵊhōvâ) in the Masoretic text. Only the Elpenor version of the Septuagint seemed to corroborate that first occurrence with the Greek word Κύριος. None of the other occurrences thus far received any validation from the Septuagint.

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Genesis 2:8 (Tanakh)	Genesis 2:8 (NET)	Genesis 2:8 (NETS)	Genesis 2:8 (English Elpenor)
And HaShem (יְהֹוָ֧ה) G-d (אֱלֹהִ֛ים) planted a garden eastward, in Eden; and there He put the man whom He had formed.	The Lord (Yᵊhōvâ, יהוה) God (‘ĕlōhîm, אלהים) planted an orchard in the east, in Eden; and there he placed the man he had formed.	And the Lord (κύριος) God (ὁ θεὸς) planted an orchard in Edem toward the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed.	And God (ὁ Θεὸς) planted a garden eastward in Edem, and placed there the man whom he had formed.

Here, it is the BLB Septuagint rather then the Elpenor which corroborated the Masoretic text’s יְהֹוָ֧ה (Yᵊhōvâ) with κύριος.

Primed by the graciousness of God’s word¹–He gives the gifts He deems appropriate to whomever He chooses to give them–I can hear this as the graciousness of God. He did not leave the man (‘āḏām, האדם) he had formed² naked and afraid in the wild. He prepared a garden or orchard (Hebrew: gan, גן; Greek: παράδεισον, a form of παράδεισος) for him in Eden (ʿēḏen, בעדן), which means pleasure.

Moses continued to describe the garden in pleasure:

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Genesis 2:9 (Tanakh)	Genesis 2:9 (NET)	Genesis 2:9 (NETS)	Genesis 2:9 (English Elpenor)
And out of the ground made HaShem (יְהֹוָ֤ה) G-d (אֱלֹהִים֙) to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.	The Lord (Yᵊhōvâ, יהוה) God (ĕlōhîm’, אלהים) made all kinds of trees grow from the soil, every tree that was pleasing to look at and good for food. (Now the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil were in the middle of the orchard.)	And out of the earth God (ὁ θεὸς) furthermore made to grow every tree that is beautiful to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the orchard’s midst and the tree for knowing what is knowable of good and evil.	And God (ὁ Θεὸς) made to spring up also out of the earth every tree beautiful to the eye and good for food, and the tree of life in the midst of the garden, and the tree of learning the knowledge of good and evil.

This occurrence of יְהֹוָ֤ה (Yᵊhōvâ) in the Masoretic text wasn’t corroborated by either version of the Septuagint.

In another essay I called Genesis 1:11, 12 an example of the authority of God’s word: “He spoke and the earth obeyed Him” (Genesis 1:11, 12 NET) [See Table below].

God said, “Let the land (‘ereṣ, הארץ) produce (dāšā’, תדשא) vegetation: plants yielding seeds and trees on the land bearing fruit with seed in it, according to their kinds.” It was so. The land (‘ereṣ, הארץ) produced (yāṣā’, ותוצא) vegetation—plants yielding seeds according to their kinds, and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. God saw that it was good.

Now I have two additional pieces of information:

Genesis 2:5 (NET) [See Table below]	Genesis 2:9 (NET) [See Table below]
Now no shrub of the field had yet grown on the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted (ṣāmaḥ, יצמח), for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground.	The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow (ṣāmaḥ, ויצמח) from the soil (‘ăḏāmâ, האדמה), every tree that was pleasing to look at and good for food. (Now the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil were in the middle of the orchard.)

Was it seeds that the land (‘ereṣ, הארץ) produced (yāṣā’, ותוצא)? Or was it the land’s plans, ideas or designs that God saw…was good? The same Hebrew word תוצא (yāṣā’) occurred in Genesis 1:24 (NET) [Table]:

God said, “Let the land produce (yāṣā’, תוצא) living creatures according to their kinds: cattle, creeping things, and wild animals, each according to its kind.” It was so.

Regarding the trees of Eden the land’s “obedience” was effected (not surprisingly any longer) by God who made all kinds of trees grow (ṣāmaḥ, ויצמח) from the soil (‘ăḏāmâ, האדמה). And this exercise keeps me aware that God’s word is not sometimes true and other times powerful, sometimes authoritative and others gracious. His word is all of the above all of the time. The patterns simply helped me recognize these various aspects of his word.

The description of pleasure continued:

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Genesis 2:10-14 (Tanakh)	Genesis 2:10-14 (NET)	Genesis 2:10-14 (NETS)	Genesis 2:10-14 (English Elpenor)
And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became four heads [Table].	Now a river flows from Eden to water the orchard, and from there it divides into four headstreams.	Now a river goes out of Edem to water the orchard; from there it divides into four sources [Table].	And a river proceeds out of Edem to water the garden, thence it divides itself into four heads.
The name of the first is Pishon; that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;	The name of the first is Pishon; it runs through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold.	The name of the first one is Phison; it is the one that encircles the whole land of Heuilat, there where the gold is;	The name of the one, Phison, this it is which encircles the whole land of Evilat, where there is gold.
and the gold of that land is good; there is bdellium and the onyx stone.	(The gold of that land is pure; pearls and lapis lazuli are also there.)	now the gold of that land is good, and carbuncle and light green stone are there.	And the gold of that land is good, there also is carbuncle and emerald.
And the name of the second river is Gihon; the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Cush.	The name of the second river is Gihon; it runs through the entire land of Cush.	And the second river’s name is Geon; it is the one that encircles the whole land of Ethiopia.	And the name of the second river is Geon, this it is which encircles the whole land of Ethiopia.
And the name of the third river is Tigris; that is it which goeth toward the east of Asshur And the fourth river is the Euphrates.	The name of the third river is Tigris; it runs along the east side of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates.	And the third river is the Tigris; it is one that goes over against the Assyrians. As for the fourth river, it is the Euphrates.	And the third river is Tigris, this is that which flows forth over against the Assyrians. And the fourth river is Euphrates.

I won’t comment much here on antediluvian geography, nor attempt to use tantalizing Hebrew words like כוש (kûš), חדקל (ḥideqel), אשור (‘aššûr) or פרת (pᵊrāṯ) to locate Eden on a modern map. I grew up in Missouri near the center of the North American continent. I’ve walked up a hill, stood on a road cut, looked down on the highway and out over the landscape, trying to imagine the bottom of a warm shallow sea.

It was all in my imagination, a story to tell beginning Geology students on a field trip. A fresh look at the fossils at our feet revealed that these organisms probably didn’t live here, probably didn’t even die here. They were not bent and folded organisms crushed by the weight of sediments like so many fallen caryatids. They were broken pieces, fairly well sorted according to size and density.

If I imagine that the water carrying these pieces also had larger more dense pieces as well as smaller less dense pieces, I can imagine a relative measure of the flow of this water when these pieces fell out of suspension in this particular location. Though this particular imagination feels more sciency than my former imagination, it’s still just my imagination. I can’t pinpoint a place on a map upstream where larger more dense pieces of the same organisms fell out of suspension, or downstream where smaller pieces fell out. All I see are miles and miles of fossils of about this size embedded in a silt-sized limestone matrix.

My point is that the four distributaries described in Genesis 2:10-14 were planned and engineered by God. I’m more familiar post flood with river deltas, water following the path of least resistance as it flows downhill.

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Genesis 2:15 (Tanakh)	Genesis 2:15 (NET)	Genesis 2:15 (NETS)	Genesis 2:15 (English Elpenor)
And HaShem (יְהֹוָ֥ה) G-d (אֱלֹהִ֖ים) took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.	The Lord (Yᵊhōvâ, יהוה) God (‘ĕlōhîm, אלהים) took the man and placed him in the orchard in Eden to care for it and to maintain it.	And the Lord (κύριος) God (ὁ θεὸς) took the man whom he had formed and put him in the orchard to till and keep it.	And the Lord (Κύριος) God (ὁ Θεὸς) took the man whom he had formed, and placed him in the garden of Delight, to cultivate and keep it.

Here יְהֹוָ֥ה (Yᵊhōvâ) was translated Κύριος in both versions of the Septuagint. An article I read while preparing this essay highlighted the Lord God’s graciousness to Adam, providing him with something meaningful to do in the garden, as it gave me an interesting contrast to what passes for human intelligence.

Yuval Noah Harari, historian, futurist, and World Economic Forum (WEF) adviser, said, “We just don’t need the vast majority of the population” in the early 21st century given modern technologies’ rendering human labor economically and militarily “redundant.”³

Mr. Harari explained:⁴

In the 20th century, what was common to all the stories — the liberal, the fascist, the communist — is that the big heroes of the story were the common people, not necessarily all people, but if you lived, say, in the Soviet Union in the 1930s, life was very grim, but when you looked at the propaganda posters on the walls that depicted the glorious future, you were there…

Now, when people look at the posters on the walls, or listen to TED talks, they hear a lot of these…big ideas and big words about machine learning and genetic engineering and blockchain and globalization, and they are not there…‘The future doesn’t need me. You have all these smart people in California and in New York and in Beijing, and they are planning this amazing future with artificial intelligence and bio-engineering and in global connectivity and whatnot, and they don’t need me…’

The Lord God continued:

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Genesis 2:16, 17 (Tanakh)	Genesis 2:16, 17 (NET)	Genesis 2:16, 17 (NETS)	Genesis 2:16, 17 (English Elpenor)
And HaShem (יְהֹוָ֣ה) G-d (אֱלֹהִ֔ים) commanded the man, saying: ‘Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat [Table];	Then the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ, יהוה) God (‘ĕlōhîm, אלהים) commanded the man, “You may freely eat fruit from every tree of the orchard,	And the Lord (κύριος) God (ὁ θεὸς) commanded Adam, saying, “You shall eat for food of every tree that is in the orchard [Table],	And the Lord (Κύριος) God (ὁ Θεὸς) gave a charge to Adam, saying, Of every tree which is in the garden thou mayest freely eat,
but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die’ [Table].	but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will surely die.”	but of the tree for knowing good and evil, of it you shall not eat; on the day that you eat of it, you shall die by death” [Table].	but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil– of it ye shall not eat, but in whatsoever day ye eat of it, ye shall surely die.

Here, too, יְהֹוָ֣ה (Yᵊhōvâ) in the Masoretic text was corroborated by Κύριος in both versions of the Septuagint. While there is every reason to believe that the Lord God’s command to Adam was every bit as true, powerful, authoritative and gracious as every other word He had spoken, I can hear it as arbitrary, capricious, deceitful even evil. That says far more about me and my evil desire than it does about the Lord God or his word. It seems important to highlight that the tree of life was not included in this prohibition.

I’ll pick this up in another essay. A table mentioned above comparing English translations of Genesis 1:11, 12 follows:

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Genesis 1:11, 12 (Tanakh)	Genesis 1:11, 12 (NET)	Genesis 1:11, 12 (NETS)	Genesis 1:11, 12 (English Elpenor)
And G-d said: ‘Let the earth (הָאָ֨רֶץ֙) put forth (תַּדְשֵׁ֤א) grass, herb yielding seed, and fruit-tree bearing fruit after its kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth’ And it was so [Table].	God said, “Let the land (‘ereṣ, הארץ) produce (dāšā’, תדשא) vegetation: plants yielding seeds and trees on the land bearing fruit with seed in it, according to their kinds.” It was so.	And God said, “Let the earth (γῆ) put forth (βλαστησάτω) herbaceous vegetation, seeding seed according to kind and according to likeness, and a fruit-bearing tree producing fruit of which its seed is in it according to kind, on the earth.” And it became so [Table].	And God said, Let the earth (γῆ) bring forth (βλαστησάτω) the herb of grass bearing seed according to its kind and according to its likeness, and the fruit-tree bearing fruit whose seed is in it, according to its kind on the earth, and it was so.
And the earth (הָאָ֜רֶץ) brought forth (וַתּוֹצֵ֨א) grass, herb yielding seed after its kind, and tree bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after its kind; and G-d saw that it was good [Table].	The land (‘ereṣ, הארץ) produced (yāṣā’, ותוצא) vegetation—plants yielding seeds according to their kinds, and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. God saw that it was good.	And the earth (γῆ) brought forth (ἐξήνεγκεν) herbaceous vegetation, seeding seed according to kind and according to likeness, and a fruit-bearing tree producing fruit of which its seed is in it according to kind, on the earth. And God saw that it was good [Table].	And the earth (γῆ) brought forth (ἐξήνεγκεν) the herb of grass bearing seed according to its kind and according to its likeness, and the fruit tree bearing fruit whose seed is in it, according to its kind on the earth, and God saw that it was good.

A table mentioned above comparing English translations of Genesis 2:5 follows:

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Genesis 2:5 (Tanakh)	Genesis 2:5 (NET)	Genesis 2:5 (NETS)	Genesis 2:5 (English Elpenor)
No shrub of the field was yet in the earth, and no herb of the field had yet sprung up (יִצְמָ֑ח); for HaShem G-d had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground [Table];	Now no shrub of the field had yet grown on the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted (ṣāmaḥ, יצמח), for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground.	and all verdue of the field before it came to be (γενέσθαι) upon the earth and all herbage of the field before it sprang up, for God had not sent rain upon the earth, and there was not a human to till the earth [Table],	and every herb of the field before it was (γενέσθαι) on the earth, and all the grass of the field before it sprang up, for God had not rained on the earth, and there was not a man to cultivate it.

A table mentioned above comparing English translations of Genesis 2:9 follows:

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Genesis 2:9 (Tanakh)	Genesis 2:9 (NET)	Genesis 2:9 (NETS)	Genesis 2:9 (English Elpenor)
And out of the ground (הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה) made HaShem G-d to grow (וַיַּצְמַ֞ח) every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.	The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow (ṣāmaḥ, ויצמח) from the soil ‘(ăḏāmâ, האדמה), every tree that was pleasing to look at and good for food. (Now the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil were in the middle of the orchard.)	And out of the earth (γῆς) God furthermore made to grow (ἐξανέτειλεν) every tree that is beautiful to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the orchard’s midst and the tree for knowing what is knowable of good and evil.	And God made to spring up (ἐξανέτειλεν) also out of the earth (γῆς) every tree beautiful to the eye and good for food, and the tree of life in the midst of the garden, and the tree of learning the knowledge of good and evil.

Tables comparing Genesis 2:8; 2:9; 2:11; 2:12; 2:13; 2:14 and 2:15 in the Tanakh, KJV and NET; and tables comparing Genesis 2:8; 2:9; 2:11; 2:12; 2:13; 2:14 and 2:15 in the BLB and Elpenor versions of the Septuagint with the English translations from Hebrew and Greek follow.

Genesis 2:8 (Tanakh)	Genesis 2:8 (KJV)	Genesis 2:8 (NET)
And HaShem G-d planted a garden eastward, in Eden; and there He put the man whom He had formed.	And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.	The Lord God planted an orchard in the east, in Eden; and there he placed the man he had formed.

Genesis 2:8 (Septuagint BLB)	Genesis 2:8 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐφύτευσεν κύριος ὁ θεὸς παράδεισον ἐν Εδεμ κατὰ ἀνατολὰς καὶ ἔθετο ἐκεῗ τὸν ἄνθρωπον ὃν ἔπλασεν	Καὶ ἐφύτευσεν ὁ Θεὸς παράδεισον ἐν ᾿Εδὲμ κατὰ ἀνατολὰς καὶ ἔθετο ἐκεῖ τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ὃν ἔπλασε
Genesis 2:8 (NETS)	Genesis 2:8 (English Elpenor)
And the Lord God planted an orchard in Edem toward the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed.	And God planted a garden eastward in Edem, and placed there the man whom he had formed.

Genesis 2:9 (Tanakh)	Genesis 2:9 (KJV)	Genesis 2:9 (NET)
And out of the ground made HaShem G-d to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.	And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.	The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow from the soil, every tree that was pleasing to look at and good for food. (Now the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil were in the middle of the orchard.)

Genesis 2:9 (Septuagint BLB)	Genesis 2:9 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐξανέτειλεν ὁ θεὸς ἔτι ἐκ τῆς γῆς πᾶν ξύλον ὡραῗον εἰς ὅρασιν καὶ καλὸν εἰς βρῶσιν καὶ τὸ ξύλον τῆς ζωῆς ἐν μέσῳ τῷ παραδείσῳ καὶ τὸ ξύλον τοῦ εἰδέναι γνωστὸν καλοῦ καὶ πονηροῦ	καὶ ἐξανέτειλεν ὁ Θεὸς ἔτι ἐκ τῆς γῆς πᾶν ξύλον ὡραῖον εἰς ὅρασιν καὶ καλὸν εἰς βρῶσιν καὶ τὸ ξύλον τῆς ζωῆς ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ παραδείσου καὶ τὸ ξύλον τοῦ εἰδέναι γνωστὸν καλοῦ καὶ πονηροῦ
Genesis 2:9 (NETS)	Genesis 2:9 (English Elpenor)
And out of the earth God furthermore made to grow every tree that is beautiful to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the orchard’s midst and the tree for knowing what is knowable of good and evil.	And God made to spring up also out of the earth every tree beautiful to the eye and good for food, and the tree of life in the midst of the garden, and the tree of learning the knowledge of good and evil.

Genesis 2:11 (Tanakh)	Genesis 2:11 (KJV)	Genesis 2:11 (NET)
The name of the first is Pishon; that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;	The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;	The name of the first is Pishon; it runs through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold.

Genesis 2:11 (Septuagint BLB)	Genesis 2:11 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ὄνομα τῷ ἑνὶ Φισων οὗτος ὁ κυκλῶν πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν Ευιλατ ἐκεῗ οὗ ἐστιν τὸ χρυσίον	ὄνομα τῷ ἑνὶ Φισῶν· οὗτος ὁ κυκλῶν πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν Εὐιλάτ, ἐκεῖ οὗ ἐστι τὸ χρυσίον
Genesis 2:11 (NETS)	Genesis 2:11 (English Elpenor)
The name of the first one is Phison; it is the one that encircles the whole land of Heuilat, there where the gold is;	The name of the one, Phison, this it is which encircles the whole land of Evilat, where there is gold.

Genesis 2:12 (Tanakh)	Genesis 2:12 (KJV)	Genesis 2:12 (NET)
and the gold of that land is good; there is bdellium and the onyx stone.	And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone.	(The gold of that land is pure; pearls and lapis lazuli are also there.)

Genesis 2:12 (Septuagint BLB)	Genesis 2:12 (Septuagint Elpenor)
τὸ δὲ χρυσίον τῆς γῆς ἐκείνης καλόν καὶ ἐκεῗ ἐστιν ὁ ἄνθραξ καὶ ὁ λίθος ὁ πράσινος	τὸ δὲ χρυσίον τῆς γῆς ἐκείνης καλόν· καὶ ἐκεῖ ἐστιν ὁ ἄνθραξ καὶ ὁ λίθος ὁ πράσινος
Genesis 2:12 (NETS)	Genesis 2:12 (English Elpenor)
now the gold of that land is good, and carbuncle and light green stone are there.	And the gold of that land is good, there also is carbuncle and emerald.

Genesis 2:13 (Tanakh)	Genesis 2:13 (KJV)	Genesis 2:13 (NET)
And the name of the second river is Gihon; the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Cush.	And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia.	The name of the second river is Gihon; it runs through the entire land of Cush.

Genesis 2:13 (Septuagint BLB)	Genesis 2:13 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ὄνομα τῷ ποταμῷ τῷ δευτέρῳ Γηων οὗτος ὁ κυκλῶν πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν Αἰθιοπίας	καὶ ὄνομα τῷ ποταμῷ τῷ δευτέρῳ Γεῶν· οὗτος ὁ κυκλῶν πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν Αἰθιοπίας
Genesis 2:13 (NETS)	Genesis 2:13 (English Elpenor)
And the second river’s name is Geon; it is the one that encircles the whole land of Ethiopia.	And the name of the second river is Geon, this it is which encircles the whole land of Ethiopia.

Genesis 2:14 (Tanakh)	Genesis 2:14 (KJV)	Genesis 2:14 (NET)
And the name of the third river is Tigris; that is it which goeth toward the east of Asshur And the fourth river is the Euphrates.	And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates.	The name of the third river is Tigris; it runs along the east side of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates.

Genesis 2:14 (Septuagint BLB)	Genesis 2:14 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ὁ ποταμὸς ὁ τρίτος Τίγρις οὗτος ὁ πορευόμενος κατέναντι Ἀσσυρίων ὁ δὲ ποταμὸς ὁ τέταρτος οὗτος Εὐφράτης	καὶ ὁ ποταμὸς ὁ τρίτος Τίγρις· οὗτος ὁ προπορευόμενος κατέναντι ᾿Ασσυρίων. ὁ δὲ ποταμὸς ὁ τέταρτος Εὐφράτης
Genesis 2:14 (NETS)	Genesis 2:14 (English Elpenor)
And the third river is the Tigris; it is one that goes over against the Assyrians. As for the fourth river, it is the Euphrates.	And the third river is Tigris, this is that which flows forth over against the Assyrians. And the fourth river is Euphrates.

Genesis 2:15 (Tanakh)	Genesis 2:15 (KJV)	Genesis 2:15 (NET)
And HaShem G-d took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.	And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.	The Lord God took the man and placed him in the orchard in Eden to care for it and to maintain it.

Genesis 2:15 (Septuagint BLB)	Genesis 2:15 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἔλαβεν κύριος ὁ θεὸς τὸν ἄνθρωπον ὃν ἔπλασεν καὶ ἔθετο αὐτὸν ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ ἐργάζεσθαι αὐτὸν καὶ φυλάσσειν	Καὶ ἔλαβε Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ὃν ἔπλασε, καὶ ἔθετο αὐτὸν ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ τῆς τρυφῆς, ἐργάζεσθαι αὐτὸν καὶ φυλάσσειν
Genesis 2:15 (NETS)	Genesis 2:15 (English Elpenor)
And the Lord God took the man whom he had formed and put him in the orchard to till and keep it.	And the Lord God took the man whom he had formed, and placed him in the garden of Delight, to cultivate and keep it.

Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Part 7

¹ Genesis 1:22-23; Genesis 1:28; Genesis 1:29-30; Genesis 2:1-3

² Genesis 2:8b (NET)

³ Robert Kraychik, “WEF Adviser Yuval Harari: ‘We Just Don’t Need the Vast Majority of the Population’ in Today’s World,” Breitbart

⁴ Ibid.

Fear – Deuteronomy, Part 10

Posted on October 25, 2017 by admin

“Because you obeyed (shâmaʽ, שמעת; Septuagint: ἤκουσας, a form of ἀκούω) your wife, the Lord (y^ehôvâh, יהוה) God (ʼĕlôhı̂ym, אלהים) said to Adam, and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ cursed is the ground thanks to you; in painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.”^[1]

The Lord (y^ehôvâh, יהוה) God (ʼĕlôhı̂ym, אלהים) had commanded Adam: “You may freely eat fruit from every tree of the orchard, but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will surely die.”^[2] Eve saw that the tree produced fruit that was good for food, was attractive to the eye, and was desirable for making one wise, so she took some of its fruit and ate it.^[3] When she brought some to Adam she brought not only her recommendation but empirical evidence that she had both touched it and eaten it and had not died.

Adam preferred the voice of his wife to the voice of y^ehôvâh. When Jacob preferred the beautiful Rachel over Leah the Lord saw that Leah was unloved (śânêʼ).^[4] In other words Adam hated the voice of God relative to that of his wife, the voice of God was unloved. For the sake of argument I’ll describe Adam’s iniquity as defiance: Adam was not deceived,^[5] Paul assured Timothy.

Adam’s defiance visited upon Cain became a murderous rage: Cain became very angry [Table]…Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.^[6] Cain’s murderous rage combined with the memory of the mercy y^ehôvâh showed him became a defiant self-righteousness in his descendant Lamech, perhaps even incipient tribal law (Genesis 4:23, 24 NET):

Lamech said to his wives, “Adah and Zillah! Listen (shâmaʽ, שמען; Septuagint: ἀκούσατέ, another form of ἀκούω) to me! You wives of Lamech, hear my words! I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for hurting me. If Cain is to be avenged seven times as much, then Lamech seventy-seven times!”

The upshot of this relatively unhindered visiting of fathers’ iniquity upon the sons was: The earth was ruined in the sight of God; the earth was filled with violence.^[7] So God said to Noah, “I have decided that all living creatures must die, for the earth is filled with violence because of them.”^[8]

I began this portion of my study of fear to understand how the translators of the NET “arrived at I punish as a translation of the Hebrew word pâqad (פקד)” in Deuteronomy 5:9. If punishment could arrest this relatively unhindered visiting of fathers’ iniquity upon the sons before it culminated in a death sentence for all living creatures it would be a welcome relief. This brings me to the third occurrence of ואפקד (pâqad) translated punish or punishment (and I have brought the punishment) in the NET (Leviticus 18:25 NET):

Therefore the land has become unclean and I have brought the punishment for its iniquity upon it, so that the land has vomited out its inhabitants.

This was not a reference to the violence of the antediluvian world but to the worship/sexual practices of the inhabitants of Canaan before Israel entered the promised land. But first I need to consider whether the visiting of the fathers’ iniquity upon the sons was quite as unhindered as I have imagined it.

I was born and raised in the latter half of the twentieth century near the northern edge of the Bible belt in the United States of America. I am a hardcore materialist with some Jesus jelly smeared on top. I acknowledge this to confess the iniquity of my fathers, not to blame them or excuse myself, but to begin to claim my freedom from my own acceptance of that iniquity as my truth.

The voice of your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground (ʼădâmâh)!^[9] y^ehôvâh told Cain. I hear this as a poetic reference to y^ehôvâh’s omniscience (Psalm 139:1-12). These days I’m not unwilling to take it literally, that Abel’s blood had a voice that y^ehôvâh could hear crying out from the ground, but it’s not natural to me. I am the dark side of, Train a child in the way that he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.^[10] Still, opening myself to its possibility gives me a different perspective.

So now, you are banished (ʼârar, ארור) from the ground (ʼădâmâh, האדמה: NET footnote 28): Heb “cursed are you from the ground”), y^ehôvâh continued, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand [Table]. When you try to cultivate the ground (ʼădâmâh, האדמה) it will no longer yield its best for you. You will be a homeless wanderer on the earth [Table].^[11] To Adam He had already said, cursed (ʼârar, ארורה) is the ground (ʼădâmâh, האדמה) thanks to you; in painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, but you will eat the grain of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat food until you return to the ground (ʼădâmâh, האדמה), for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you will return.^[12]

I can begin to accept these as revelation of the very nature of the ground created by a loving, gracious and holy God, how the earth itself responds to its sinful inhabitants, rather than as post hoc punishments invented in the moment. And I can begin to see the nature of the earth, the ground we live on, as a deterrent to the unhindered visiting of the fathers’ iniquity upon the sons.

Cain couldn’t supply himself with food by his own cultivation of the ground; the ground would no longer yield its best for him. Cain built a city, a place where people could live in community and trade with one another for things they all needed. Did he honor those still righteous enough to cultivate the ground that would not yield its best to him? Did he learn from them?

The text doesn’t say. It says, The earth (ʼerets, הארץ) was ruined in the sight of God; the earth (ʼerets, הארץ) was filled with violence. If I accept that the blood of victims has a voice that y^ehôvâh can hear crying out from the ground, crying out to Him to act, and multiply that by the increase of population over the many generations I can at least imagine the cacophony in his ears and begin to appreciate his choices (Genesis 6:6, 7 NET):

The Lord (y^ehôvâh, יהוה) regretted that he had made humankind on the earth (ʼerets, בארץ), and he was highly offended. So the Lord (y^ehôvâh, יהוה) said, “I will wipe humankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth (ʼădâmâh, האדמה) – everything from humankind to animals, including creatures that move on the ground and birds of the air, for I regret that I have made them.”

The religious mind must sit quietly here to meditate that at this moment in history y^ehôvâh preferred to destroy all life (air and ground) but that which could be saved in a boat and to start over again rather than to establish a law or a religion (aside from the rudiments of animal sacrifice handed down from Adam, Cain and Abel). One might say that y^ehôvâh hated law and religion, law and religion were unloved relative to starting over again with a remnant of the former world. But after the flood (Genesis 8:20-22 NET):

Noah built an altar to the Lord (y^ehôvâh, ליהוה). He then took some of every kind of clean animal and clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And the Lord (y^ehôvâh, יהוה) smelled the soothing aroma and (y^ehôvâh, יהוה) said to himself, “I will never again curse the ground (ʼădâmâh, האדמה) because of humankind, even though the inclination of their minds (lêb, לב) is evil from childhood on. I will never again destroy everything that lives, as I have just done. While the earth continues to exist, planting time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night will not cease.”

God (ʼĕlôhı̂ym, אלהים) spoke one law to address violence, “Whoever sheds human blood, by other humans must his blood be shed; for in God’s image God (ʼĕlôhı̂ym, אלהים) has made humankind”^[13] and one revised dietary law: Everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea are under your authority. You may eat any moving thing that lives. As I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.^[14] I assume that the trees of life and of the knowledge of good and evil did not survive the flood and had become a nonissue (Genesis 3:22). But in Leviticus y^ehôvâh was establishing both a law and a religion in clear contrast to those originated by men. Now that will have to wait for another essay.

In my first draft of this essay I had hoped to avoid Noah’s curse: Cursed (ʼârar, ארור; Septuagint: ἐπικατάρατος) be Canaan!^[15] But I couldn’t get away with it. And I have to admit it is more germane than I want it to be. If Noah’s story (Genesis 9:20-27) were about almost anyone else we would take it simply as James’ source text (James 3:7-12 NET):

For every kind of animal, bird, reptile, and sea creature is subdued and has been subdued by humankind. But no human being can subdue the tongue; it is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse (καταρώμεθα, a form of καταράομαι) people made in God’s image. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing (κατάρα). These things should not be so, my brothers and sisters. A spring does not pour out fresh water and bitter water from the same opening, does it? Can a fig tree produce olives, my brothers and sisters, or a vine produce figs? Neither can a salt water spring produce fresh water.

But it was Noah, the heir of the world, who spoke this curse and this blessing so we are taught: “God’s blessing is going to rest directly on Shem, indirectly on Japheth, and His cursing is going to rest upon Ham’s son Canaan.”^[16] “So Ham was cursed and Shem and Japheth were blessed in cooperative unity. The problem which must arise from the cursing of Canaan is this: Why did God curse Canaan for the sin of Ham? Beyond this, why did God curse the Canaanites, a nation, for the sin of one man?”^[17] The text is fairly clear that Noah not God spoke both the curse and the blessing. To this point Moses had been very explicit when ʼĕlôhı̂ym or y^ehôvâh spoke. Why do we want to believe that Noah spoke for Him here?

Noah was a godly man; he was blameless (tâmı̂ym, תמים; Septuagint: τέλειος) among his contemporaries. He walked with God.^[18] Perhaps we want tâmı̂ym to be an absolute term. But this was not Paul writing, According to the righteousness stipulated in the law [as understood by first century Pharisees] I was blameless (ἄμεμπτος).^[19] Noah was blameless (KJV: perfect) among his contemporaries^[20] (dôr, בדרתיו; Septuagint: γενεᾷ), those condemned to death for their violence: Every inclination of the thoughts of their minds was only evil all the time.^[21] About all one can say for sure about Noah is that he wasn’t a murderer and perhaps not every inclination of the thoughts of [his mind] was only evil all the time.

God said to Noah, Make for yourself an ark of cypress wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it with pitch inside and out.^[22] And Noah did all that God commanded him – he did indeed.^[23] Through his faithfulness Noah was declared a herald of righteousness: and if [God] did not spare the ancient world, but did protect Noah, a herald of righteousness, along with seven others, when God brought a flood on an ungodly world…then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from their trials, and to reserve the unrighteous for punishment at the day of judgment…^[24] By faith Noah, when he was warned about things not yet seen, with reverent regard constructed an ark for the deliverance of his family. Through faith he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.^[25]

But Noah found favor (chên, חן; Septuagint: χάριν) in the sight of the Lord.^[26] As followers of Jesus it is more prudent to believe that Noah’s faithfulness was on account of y^ehôvâh’s grace rather than due to some inherent quality of Noah’s: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.^[27] There is no one righteous, not even one…^[28] [i.e., in and of himself] there is no one who shows kindness, not even one,^[29] Paul quoted the Psalm of David (Psalm 14:2, 3 Tanakh):

The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

Jesus’ assessment of Noah and of the entire Old Testament is very helpful here: Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must all be born from above.’^[30] Noah didn’t miraculously escape the corruption of the flesh of Adam. Noah didn’t speak for God unless the text had said that Noah spoke the word of God.

Noah’s “words came to pass, so we believe he was inspired by God.”^[31] I know of no place in Scripture where it is written, “this took place to fulfill Noah’s prophecy.” Generations of Bible expositors would surely have quoted it if they had found it, so the contention that Noah’s curse and blessing “came to pass” is in the eye of the beholder.

“The act of Ham could not go unpunished. In the curse of Noah upon Canaan, he was not punishing him personally for something his father Ham had done. The words of Noah refer not to Canaan himself, but to the nation that would come from him…Though we are not told the exact sin of Ham, we do know that it was reprehensible enough for God to curse the line of his son Canaan. The judgment was not directed to Canaan personally but rather to his descendants.”^[32] As prophecies go, then—and the Scriptures do not record that Canaan himself was ever enslaved to his brothers—one need not fear Noah as a prophet (Deuteronomy 18:21, 22 NET):

“Now if you say to yourselves, ‘How can we tell that a message is not from the Lord?’ – whenever a prophet speaks in my name and the prediction is not fulfilled, then I have not spoken it; the prophet has presumed to speak it, so you need not fear him.”

“Noah’s words did come to pass in the future, as we read that many of Canaan’s descendants were either killed or put under tribute by Israel (descendants of Shem) during the times of Joshua and the Judges, and later by King Solomon.” God’s words will come to pass but the simple fact that a man’s words come to pass doesn’t make them God’s words (Deuteronomy 13:1-4 NET):

Suppose a prophet or one who foretells by dreams should appear among you and show you a sign or wonder, and the sign or wonder should come to pass concerning what he said to you, namely, “Let us follow other gods” – gods whom you have not previously known – “and let us serve them.” You must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer, for the Lord your God will be testing you to see if you love him with all your mind and being. You must follow the Lord your God and revere only him; and you must observe his commandments, obey him, serve him, and remain loyal to him.

I’m not accusing Noah of being a false prophet. I’m not accusing Noah of being any kind of prophet at all. If I’m accusing Noah of anything it is that he spoke angrily, self-righteously, with a hangover. But what I must believe about God to believe that He cursed a nation of people for something a man did many generations before those people were even born is a very different god than the One I am knowing through the Scriptures.

I concede that one who believes this is God because “many of Canaan’s descendants were either killed or put under tribute by Israel (descendants of Shem) during the times of Joshua and the Judges, and later by King Solomon” may also believe that He will punish the sons, grandsons, and great-grandsons for the sin of the fathers who reject (śânêʼ, לשׁנאי) me…^[33] Still, I hope that one may be willing to concede that Noah’s curse was not the love that does no wrong to a neighbor, not the love that is the fulfillment of the law.^[34]

While I don’t believe that Noah’s curse, or his blessing, were the immutable Word of God I do think his curse is a terrifying example of God visiting Noah’s iniquity upon Canaan, terrifying precisely because the effect of Noah’s iniquity^[35] has seemed so sure and certain that so many have assumed it was divine prophecy. We’re not told how Canaan reacted to Noah’s curse. I know how I would react to Noah’s “godliness,” “blamelessness,” and his “walk” with God unless I were willing to forgive him for his drunken rant. And I know that Canaan’s descendants practiced a law and religion inimical to y^ehôvâh.

I’ll return to Leviticus 18 in another essay.

Fear – Deuteronomy, Part 11

Back to To Make Holy, Part 3

Back to Who Am I? Part 8

Back to Fear – Deuteronomy, Part 12

Back to Forgiven or Passed Over? Part 6

Back to Fear – Deuteronomy, Part 13

Back to Fear – Deuteronomy, Part 14

Back to A Monotonous Cycle Revisited, Part 3

Back to Fear – Deuteronomy, Part 15

Back to A Monotonous Cycle Revisited, Part 5

Back to The Children of Promise, Part 1

Back to Paul’s Religious Mind

^[1] Genesis 3:17 (NET)

^[2] Genesis 2:16, 17 (NET)

^[3] Genesis 3:6a (NET)

^[4] Genesis 29:31a (NET)

^[5] 1 Timothy 2:14a (NET)

^[6] Genesis 4:5b, 8 (NET)

^[7] Genesis 6:11 (NET)

^[8] Genesis 6:13a (NET)

^[9] Genesis 4:10b (NET) Table

^[10] Proverbs 22:6 (NET)

^[11] Genesis 4:11, 12 (NET)

^[12] Genesis 3:17b-19 (NET)

^[13] Genesis 9:6 (NET)

^[14] Genesis 9:2b, 3 (NET)

^[15] Genesis 9:25a (NET)

^[16] J. Ligon Duncan, “The Cursing of Canaan,” Sermon on Genesis 9:18-29, November 22, 1998, First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, Mississippi

^[17] Bob Deffinbaugh, “10. The Nakedness of Noah and the Cursing of Canaan (Genesis 9:18-10:32),” Bible.org

^[18] Genesis 6:9b (NET)

^[19] Philippians 3:6b (NET)

^[20] NET note 32: Heb “Noah was a godly man, blameless in his generations.” The singular “generation” can refer to one’s contemporaries, i.e., those living at a particular point in time. The plural “generations” can refer to successive generations in the past or the future. Here, where it is qualified by “his” (i.e., Noah’s), it refers to Noah’s contemporaries, comprised of the preceding generation (his father’s generation), those of Noah’s generation, and the next generation (those the same age as his children). In other words, “his generations” means the generations contemporary with him. See BDB 190 s.v. דוֹר.

^[21] Genesis 6:5b (NET)

^[22] Genesis 6:14 (NET)

^[23] Genesis 6:22 (NET)

^[24] 2 Peter 2:5, 9 (NET)

^[25] Hebrews 11:7 (NET)

^[26] Genesis 6:8 (NET)

^[27] Genesis 6:9 (KJV)

^[28] Romans 3:10b (NET)

^[29] Romans 3:12b (NET)

^[30] John 3:7 (NET)

^[31] Troy Lacey, “The Curse of Canaan,” October 12, 2012, Answers In Genesis

^[32] Don Stewart, “Why Was Canaan Cursed Instead of Ham?,” Blue Letter Bible

^[33] Deuteronomy 5:9b (NET)

^[34] Romans 13:10 (NET)

^[35] To those who hold that the fourth generation is a limit to Noah’s iniquity, I concede the point. It would not be accurate to blame Noah’s iniquity for the sins of Canaanites in the time of Israel’s conquest. My point is that iniquity is like a snowball rolling downhill, gaining mass and momentum, as long as people continue to reject, hate, prefer something other than, y^ehôvâh.

Fear – Exodus, Part 6

Posted on July 1, 2013 by admin

The Lord spoke to Moses: “Go quickly, descend, because your people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have acted corruptly [Table]. 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 [Table].’”^[1]

What follows is the classic story of the jealous Jehovah dissuaded by the brave hero Moses from carrying out his “evil” wrath on the descendants of Israel. Moses seems to me like a man who would be horrified by this reading of his story. I think his matter-of-fact writing style doesn’t convey tone or some of the nuance that a more artful writer (Luke, for instance) might convey.

I have seen this people, the Lord continued. Look what a stiff-necked people they are [Table]! 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[Table].^[2] In his response, O Lord, why does your anger burn against your people, Moses’ writing style paints himself as clueless as it paints Jehovah vengeful. Yet the provocation for Jehovah’s anger is clearly stated in the rest of Moses’ rhetorical question. 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?^[3]

Who wouldn’t be angry if his or her beneficence was credited by its recipients to their own work? How angry should Jehovah be when we claim that his gift of righteousness through his bearing of our sins by his death on a cross and his resurrection is by our own efforts or our own intrinsic goodness?

As I read this I heard Jehovah shouting angrily, Look what a stiff-necked people they are! 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 would Moses have disobeyed Jehovah’s direct command—leave me alone—spoken in anger? Or did he hear the lamentation in Jehovah’s voice and understand that Jehovah was asking leave of Moses to stand aside and allow Jehovah’s anger to follow its natural course and burn against them and destroy them?

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” Moses continued. Turn from your burning anger, and relent of this evil against your people.^[4] Again, the writing here leaves the impression that Moses didn’t understand the covenant the people agreed to, Whoever sacrifices to a god other than the Lord alone must be utterly destroyed.^[5] They had violated the covenant. Did Moses expect Jehovah to violate it, too?

Moses had told the people all the Lord’s words and all the decisions. All the people answered together, “We are willing to do all the words that the Lord has said,” and Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord.^[6] He took the Book of the Covenant and read it aloud to the people, and they said, “We are willing to do and obey all that the Lord has spoken.”^[7] By what authority did Moses declare the Lord Jehovah’s intent to honor the covenant by destroying the people who violated it evil?

I am not saying that Jehovah did wrong by declining to carry out the punishment demanded by the covenant. Jehovah never bound Himself to that, but said to Moses, I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy.^[8] What I am saying is, though the collection of writings known as the Old Testament continues for many volumes, the Old Covenant as an agreement between Jehovah and the descendants of Israel to keep his commandments and receive his blessing came to its crashing conclusion right here. When Jehovah declined to exact his vengeance on Israel according to the covenant they agreed to, when He did not purge^[9] the evil from Israel by executing them but showed them mercy, He consigned all [Israel] to disobedience so that he may show mercy to them all.^[10]

Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel your servants, Moses pleaded, 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.”^[11] And Paul wrote the Romans (Romans 4:13-17 NET):

For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would inherit the world was not fulfilled through the law, but through the righteousness that comes by faith [Table]. For if they become heirs by the law, faith is empty and the promise is nullified. For the law brings wrath, because where there is no law there is no transgression either. For this reason it is by faith so that it may be by grace, with the result that the promise may be certain to all the descendants – not only to those who are under the law, but also to those who have the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all (as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”). He is our father in the presence of God whom he believed – the God who makes the dead alive and summons the things that do not yet exist as though they already do.

Then the Lord relented over the evil that he had said he would do to his people.^[12] Moses was not as clueless as his writing style made him appear to be. As for Jehovah—and I want to say this as reverently as possible—there is always a sense of theatricality in his interactions with human beings, for He knew this particular circumstance, this particular conversation and its particular outcome before the beginning, when He created the heavens and the earth.^[13] For many years I declined to tell Him about my day, my reactions to it, the ways I thought and felt about it all. It seemed like a waste of time. He knew me better than I knew myself. Eventually I realized that fact alone made the retelling valuable—for me. As I tell Him about it He points out things that I missed or didn’t understand, about me and the things that happened during the day.

As I turn my attention to the authority by which Moses declared the Lord Jehovah’s apparent intent to honor the covenant by destroying the people who violated it evil, I am confronted with three different instances. All three however are the same word raʽ.^[14] Yes, the Hebrew word for evil sounds like the Egyptian word for sun god. Allan Langner^[15] wrote in the Jewish Bible Quarterly,^[16] “in Exodus 32:12, when Moses pleads with God…The word for evil [b’raah] can also be taken as a reference to Ra. The verse would then read: ‘Wherefore should the Egyptians say, Ra brought them out to slay them in the mountains?’”^[17] Perhaps the Egyptians would have said that. Perhaps Moses would have said that the Egyptians would say that. Or, perhaps Moses said that the Egyptians would say that Jehovah had led Israel into, or for, an evil purpose.

None of this compels me to conclude that Jehovah’s apparent intent to honor the covenant by destroying the people who violated it was in fact evil. But in the next instance—Turn from your burning anger, and relent of this evil (raʽ) against your people^[18]—Moses called Jehovah’s apparent intent to honor the covenant by destroying the people who violated it evil. This was more troubling. The note in the NET reads: “The word ‘evil’ means any kind of life-threatening or fatal calamity. ‘Evil’ is that which hinders life, interrupts life, causes pain to life, or destroys it.” In other words, Jehovah’s apparent intent to honor the covenant by destroying the people who violated it would only be apparently evil from a human perspective, not actually evil from Jehovah’s perspective.

I did entertain the idea that Moses meant trouble as opposed to evil. The Israelite foremen saw that they were in trouble (raʽ) when they were told, “You must not reduce the daily quota of your bricks.”^[19] Moses used a different word (albeit the root verb) when he complained to Jehovah about it. Moses returned to the Lord, and said, “Lord, why have you caused trouble (râʽaʽ)^[20] for this people? Why did you ever send me? From the time I went to speak to Pharaoh in your name, he has caused trouble (râʽaʽ) for this people, and you have certainly not rescued them!”^[21] But the third instance was the kicker, if you will.

Then the Lord relented over the evil (raʽ) that he had said he would do to his people.^[22] It is simply a statement of fact, like, In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.^[23] Here the Holy Spirit declared that Jehovah’s apparent intent to honor the covenant by destroying the people who violated it would have been evil from Jehovah’s perspective. And here for Moses Jehovah Himself modeled the behavior of repentance, giving up his right of vengeance by covenant (by law) for a higher righteousness. Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me, He said later, troubled by his own death. Yet not my will but yours be done.^[24]

This brings me back to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (raʽ). We may eat of the fruit from the trees of the orchard, Eve replied to the serpent, but concerning the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the orchard God said, “You must not eat from it, and you must not touch it, or else you will die.”^[25] Adam’s gezerah—and you must not touch it—and the alteration (whether Adam’s or Eve’s) of you will surely die^[26] to or else you will die seems to imply that Adam and Eve thought the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (raʽ) was poisonous or contained some intrinsic property that caused death.

This opened the door for the serpent to say, Surely you will not die.^[27] And Eve handled and tasted the fruit with impunity. She didn’t die. Of course, her eyes weren’t opened and she didn’t become like a divine being knowing good and evil (raʽ) either. But when she approached her husband with the forbidden fruit she had at least part of the assurance of the shrewdest of any of the wild animals that the Lord God had made,^[28] and (with every breath she took) a rapidly increasing quantity of empirical proof that Adam, too, would not die from eating forbidden fruit. Adam had only his memory of God’s word. When he ate the forbidden fruit, the eyes of both of them opened, and they knew they were naked…^[29] It was unpleasant no doubt, but was it death?

My point here is that God did not give Adam knowledge of forbidden fruit when He said, You may freely eat fruit from every tree of the orchard [Table], but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will surely die [Table].^[30] He gave Adam knowledge of God, what God would do; namely, the Lord God expelled him from the orchard in Eden to cultivate the ground from which he had been taken [Table]. When he drove the man out, he placed on the eastern side of the orchard in Eden angelic sentries who used the flame of a whirling sword to guard the way to the tree of life.^[31]

I think it is important not to miss that distinction here as well. When the Holy Spirit says, Then the Lord relented over the evil (raʽ) that he had said he would do to his people, He is teaching me knowledge of God rather than moral philosophy. After this interaction with Moses, He said, I will make all my goodness pass before your face, and I will proclaim the Lord by name before you; I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy.^[32] There is a sense here that He said to Moses my new name is, I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy.

It is repeated when the event occurred: The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with [Moses] there and proclaimed the Lord by name. The Lord passed by before him and proclaimed: “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, and abounding in loyal love and faithfulness, keeping loyal love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.”^[33] And for those who might rightly protest, “But the Lord is not a jolly old soul, an easy-going, devil-may-care sort of fellow,” Jehovah continued proclaiming his name: “But he by no means leaves the guilty unpunished, responding to the transgression of fathers by dealing with children and children’s children, to the third and fourth generation.”^[34]

Granted, it is a long name, but it does me good from time to time to remember Him by name and repeat it aloud. It is knowledge of God, who He is, what He is doing and will accomplish—and it is eternal life.^[35]

Fear – Exodus, Part 7

Back to The Two Covenants

Back to Torture, Part 3

Back to Torture, Part 4

Back to Fear – Numbers, Part 2

Back to Fear – Numbers, Part 3

Back to Romans, Part 68

Back to Condemnation or Judgment? – Part 14

Back to Forgiven or Passed Over? Part 4

Back to Christianity, Part 3

Back to Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Part 9

^[1] Exodus 32:7, 8 (NET)

^[2] Exodus 32:9, 10 (NET)

^[3] Exodus 32:11 (NET) Table

^[4] Exodus 32:12 (NET) Table

^[5] Exodus 22:20 (NET)

^[6] Exodus 24:3, 4a (NET)

^[7] Exodus 24:7 (NET)

^[8] Exodus 33:19b (NET) Table

^[9] Deuteronomy 13:5 (NET)

^[10] Romans 11:32 (NET)

^[11] Exodus 32:13 (NET) Table

^[12] Exodus 32:14 (NET)

^[13] Genesis 1:1 (NET)

^[15] From the footnote in “THE GOLDEN CALF AND RA”: Allan M. Langner was ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1948. He was Rabbi of Congregation Beth-El, Mt. Royal, Quebec, Canada, for 40 years, and is now Rabbi Emeritus.

^[16] 31:1 January – March 2003, Vol. XXXI:1 (121), “THE GOLDEN CALF AND RA”

^[17] http://jbq.jewishbible.org/assets/Uploads/311/311_CALF31-1.pdf

^[18] Exodus 32:12b (NET)

^[19] Exodus 5:19 (NET)

^[21] Exodus 5:22, 23 (NET)

^[22] Exodus 32:14 (NET)

^[23] Genesis 1:1 (NET)

^[24] Luke 22:42 (NET)

^[25] Genesis 3:2, 3 (NET)

^[26] Genesis 2:17 (NET)

^[27] Genesis 3:4 (NET) Table

^[28] Genesis 3:1 (NET)

^[29] Genesis 3:7 (NET) Table

^[30] Genesis 2:16, 17 (NET)

^[31] Genesis 3:23, 24 (NET)

^[32] Genesis 33:19 (NET)

^[33] Exodus 34:5-7a (NET)

^[34] Exodus 34:7b (NET)

^[35] John 17:3 (NET)

Son of God – 1 John, Part 2

Posted on June 1, 2013 by admin

Who is the liar but the person who denies (ἀρνούμενος, a form of ἀρνέομαι)^[1] that Jesus is the Christ? This one is the antichrist: the person who denies (ἀρνούμενος, a form of ἀρνέομαι) the Father and the Son.^[2] This is one of the things John wrote to his contemporaries about those who are trying to deceive you.^[3]

It is interesting that this became a problem among believers after the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem, after those in Israel who rejected Jesus as Christ (or, Messiah) were compelled to accept Him as a credible prophet: Now while some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and offerings, Jesus said, “As for these things that you are gazing at, the days will come when not one stone will be left on another. All will be torn down!”^[4] And, I tell you the truth, not one stone will be left on another. All will be torn down!^[5] All will be torn down!^[6]

Believers were not particularly troubled by the unbelief of enemies of the Gospel (enemies for your [believers’] sake, but in regard to election they are dearly loved for the sake of the fathers^[7]) so long as the enemies defamed the Lord Jesus and threatened and harmed his followers. The trouble began when the enemies softened their approach, accepted Jesus as a prophet, even a good man—but not the Messiah, not the Christ.

John continued: Everyone who denies (ἀρνούμενος, a form of ἀρνέομαι) the Son [i.e., denies that the Son is the Christ] does not have the Father either. The person who confesses the Son has the Father also. As for you, what you have heard from the beginning must remain in you. If what you heard from the beginning remains in you, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father.^[8] For John, what you have heard from the beginning was the Gospel, and he had written more about it previously, or perhaps it was more warning about those who are trying to deceive you (1 John 2:12, 13 NET):

I am writing to you, little children, that your sins have been forgiven because of his name. I am writing to you, fathers, that you have known him who has been from the beginning. I am writing to you, young people, that you have conquered the evil one (πονηρόν, a form of πονηρός).^[9]

The note on the evil one in the NET reads: “The phrase the evil one is used in John 17:15 as a reference to Satan. Satan is also the referent here and in the four other occurrences in 1 John (2:14; 3:12; 5:18, 19).” But in the definition of πονηρός they effectively acknowledge that they added the word one because the nominative case in Matthew 6:13 means “‘The Evil,’ and is probably referring to Satan.”

I think this is too limiting in both verses. When I pray, And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil (πονηροῦ, another form of πονηρός),^[10] I am not praying to be delivered from Satan only, but from the meaningless deeds that are 1) full of labours, annoyances, and hardships; from being 1a) pressed and harassed by those labours; I pray to be delivered from 1b) this time full of peril to Christian faith and steadfastness that causes so much pain and trouble; to be delivered from everything 2) bad, or of a bad nature or condition; from 2a) disease or blindness; as well as from that which is 2b) evil or wicked.

Likewise I believe that John wrote to young people that you have conquered the evil (πονηρόν, a form of πονηρός); not Satan only, but the meaningless deeds that are 1) full of labours, annoyances, and hardships; they are not 1a) pressed and harassed by those labours; they have overcome 1b) this time full of peril to Christian faith and steadfastness that causes so much pain and trouble; they have conquered everything 2) bad, or of a bad nature or condition; 2a) disease or blindness; as well as that which is 2b) evil or wicked. John continued (1 John 2:14 NET):

I have written to you, children, that you have known the Father. I have written to you, fathers, that you have known him who has been from the beginning. I have written to you, young people, that you are strong, and the word of God resides in you, and you have conquered the evil (πονηρόν, a form of πονηρός)…

I fantasize sometimes what the world might be like if young people were taught that they are strong, and the word of God resides in them, that they have conquered the evil, and how all of this is true in Christ through his Holy Spirit, rather than being taught the rules their elders have devised for them. In my mother’s day the path of righteousness was that girls shouldn’t wear lipstick. My mother and her contemporaries religiously put on their lipstick every Sunday morning, some even refreshed it in the pew during the service. In my day the path of righteousness was not listening to rock music. Most of my contemporaries attend churches that rock. Why not try John’s approach? Could it be any worse?

At best these rules are equivalent to gezerot. A gezerah (singular of gezerot) according to the online Jewish Encyclopedia was a “rabbinical enactment issued as a guard or preventive measure….The Rabbis based their institution of such enactments upon the Biblical passages, ‘Thou shalt not depart from the sentence,’ etc. (Deut. xvii. 11), although at the same time they transgressed another commandment: ‘Ye shall not add unto the word which I command thee, neither shall ye diminish from it’ (Deut. iv. 2; Shab. 23a; Ab. R. N. 25b).”^[11] Perhaps any particular “preventive measure” was a good idea at a particular time in a particular place. But gezerot are not the Gospel.

The first gezerah followed swiftly after God’s first prohibition: The Lord God planted an orchard in the east, in Eden; and there he placed the man he had formed. The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow from the soil, every tree that was pleasing to look at and good for food. (Now the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil were in the middle of the orchard.)…The Lord God took the man and placed him in the orchard in Eden to care for it and to maintain it.^[12]

God’s Prohibition

Eve’s Knowledge of God’s Prohibition

Then the Lord God commanded the man, “You may freely eat fruit from every tree of the orchard, but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will surely die.”

Genesis 2:16, 17 (NET)

The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit from the trees of the orchard; but concerning the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the orchard God said, ‘You must not eat from it, and you must not touch it, or else you will die.’”

Genesis 3:2, 3 (NET)

The circumstantial evidence points to Adam as the originator of the first gezerah, and you must not touch it. It sounds like a good idea. “If you don’t touch it, Eve, you won’t eat it and you won’t die—whatever that means.” But in practice when Eve touched it she did not die—whatever that means. She saw with her own eyes that the tree produced fruit that was good for food, and it was attractive to the eye.^[13] She had the serpent’s assurance that she would not die—whatever that means—and that God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will open and you will be like divine beings who know good and evil.^[14]

If I take the sequence of events recorded in Genesis literally, after she took some of its fruit and ate it nothing happened, neither the serpent’s promise nor God’s. After all, God’s prohibition was given to Adam. Eve was created afterward. Perhaps it was reasonable for Adam to assume that God’s prohibition applied also to his wife, but nothing happened until Eve also gave some of it to her husband who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them opened, and they knew they were naked [Table].^[15] I sincerely doubt that realizing she was naked was the wisdom Eve desired.^[16]

So the Lord God expelled [Adam] from the orchard in Eden to cultivate the ground from which he had been taken [Table]. When he drove the man out, he placed on the eastern side of the orchard in Eden angelic sentries who used the flame of a whirling sword to guard the way to the tree of life.^[17] Adam and Eve and all their descendants will surely die. Perhaps Adam and Eve understood death when, The Lord God made garments from skin for [them], and clothed them.^[18] If not, they certainly understood it about a century later^[19] when their firstborn Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.^[20] But I want to remove the serpent from the equation for a moment.

If I suppose that the serpent did not persuade Eve to eat the forbidden fruit, and Eve did not persuade Adam, and if Adam raised his sons to stand guard over the tree of the knowledge of good and evil like the angelic sentries guarded the way to the tree of life, if they, or we to this very day, faithfully kept Adam’s gezerah not to touch the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, would that be the righteousness of God? My answer is an unequivocal, “No.” It would simply mean that tanks and machine guns and the fear of death had kept us from sinning against Adam’s gezerah, which only incidentally also kept us from violating God’s prohibition.

So at worst gezerot when practiced promote actions that ignore the righteousness that comes from God, and [seeks] instead to establish [one’s] own righteousness.^[21] It is a catastrophe if those who believe and practice them do not submit to God’s righteousness. For Christ is the end (τέλος;^[22] “the end to which all things relate, the aim, purpose”) of the law, with the result that there is righteousness for everyone who believes.^[23] This people honors me with their lips, Jesus said, but their heart is far from me, and they worship me in vain, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.^[24] As a teaching practice gezerot are sin relative to the Gospel.

Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness, John continued, indeed, sin is lawlessness. And you know that Jesus was revealed to take away (ἄρῃ, a form of αἴρω) sins…^[25] John also used ἄρῃ in his Gospel account. After Jesus died Joseph of Arimathea…asked Pilate if he could remove (ἄρῃ, a form of αἴρω) the body of Jesus.^[26] So as Joseph sought to take away the body of Jesus from the cross, Jesus was revealed to take away (ἄρῃ) sins from us, and in him there is no sin, John continued. Everyone who resides in him does not sin; everyone who sins has neither seen him nor known him. Little children, let no one deceive you: The one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as Jesus is righteous. The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning.^[27]

But there is still hope: For this purpose the Son of God was revealed: to destroy the works of the devil.^[28] Jesus was still revealed to take away even the sin of rejecting his righteousness for our own gezerot. Everyone who has been fathered by God does not practice sin, because God’s seed resides in him, and thus he is not able to sin, because he has been fathered by God. By this the children of God and the children of the devil are revealed: Everyone who does not practice righteousness – the one who does not love his fellow Christian (ἀδελφὸν, a form of ἀδελφός)^[29] – is not of God.^[30]

Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue but in deed and truth. And by this we will know that we are of the truth and will convince our conscience in his presence, that if our conscience condemns us, that God is greater than our conscience and knows all things. Dear friends, if our conscience does not condemn us, we have confidence in the presence of God, and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do the things that are pleasing to him. Now this is his commandment: that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he gave us the commandment. And the person who keeps his commandments resides in God, and God in him. Now by this we know that God resides in us: by the Spirit he has given us.^[31]

I included the Greek text of Jesus’ quote from Isaiah for completeness.

Jesus	Septuagint	Parallel Greek Text – NET
This people honors me with their lips,but their heart is far from me, and they worship me in vain, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. Matthew 15:8, 9 (NET)	ὁ λαὸς οὗτος τοῖς χείλεσιν αὐτῶν^[32] τιμῶσίν^[33] με ἡ δὲ καρδία αὐτῶν πόρρω ἀπέχει ἀπ᾽ ἐμοῦ μάτην^[34] δὲ σέβονταί με διδάσκοντες ἐντάλματα ἀνθρώπων καὶ διδασκαλίας Isaiah 29:13	ὁ λαὸς οὗτος τοῖς χείλεσιν με τιμᾷ,^[35]ἡ δὲ καρδία αὐτῶν πόρρω ἀπέχει ἀπ᾿ ἐμοῦ μάτην δὲ σέβονται μεδιδάσκοντες διδασκαλίας ἐντάλματα ἀνθρώπων Matthew 15:8, 9
Translation from a contemporary understanding of ancient Hebrew
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.^[36] Isaiah 29:13 (NET)

Addendum (7/15/2015): Jim Searcy has published that the Septuagint is a hoax written by Origen and Eusebius 200 hundred years or so after Christ. “In fact, the Septuagint ‘quotes’ from the New Testament and not vice versa…” His contention is that the “King James Version is the infallible Word of God.” So, I’ll re-examine the quotations above with the KJV.

Jesus

KJV

Parallel Greek Text – NET

This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

Matthew 15:8, 9 (KJV)

Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:

Isaiah 29:13

ὁ λαὸς οὗτος τοῖς χείλεσιν με τιμᾷ, ἡ δὲ καρδία αὐτῶν πόρρω ἀπέχει ἀπ᾿ ἐμοῦ μάτην δὲ σέβονται μεδιδάσκοντες διδασκαλίας ἐντάλματα ἀνθρώπων

Matthew 15:8, 9

If as Jim Searcy claimed the Septuagint was written after the New Testament, But in vain (μάτην δὲ) was not a part of Isaiah’s original prophecy as Jesus claimed. Rather, Jesus added it on the spot.

Son of God – 1 John, Part 3

Back to Fear – Exodus, Part 6

Back to Antichrist, Part 5

Back to My Reasons and My Reason, Part 4

Back to Prayer

Back to Funeral, Part 3

Back to Westworld, Part 3

Back to Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Part 9

^[2] 1 John 2:22 (NET)

^[3] 1 John 2:26 (NET)

^[4] Luke 21:5, 6 (NET)

^[5] Matthew 24:2 (NET)

^[6] Mark 13:2 (NET)

^[7] Romans 11:28 (NET)

^[8] 1 John 2:23, 24 (NET)

^[10] Matthew 6:13 (NET)

^[11] http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/6646-gezerah

^[12] Genesis 2:8, 9, 15 (NET)

^[13] Genesis 3:6a (NET)

^[14] Genesis 3:5 (NET) Table

^[15] Genesis 3:6b-7a (NET)

^[16] …the woman saw that the tree produced fruit that was good for food, was attractive to the eye, and was desirable for making one wise… (Genesis 3:6a NET)

^[17] Genesis 3:23, 24 (NET)

^[18] Genesis 3:21 (NET)

^[19] Genesis 4:25; 5:3

^[20] Genesis 4:8 (NET)

^[21] Romans 10:3a (NET)

^[23] Romans 10:3b, 4 (NET)

^[24] Matthew 15:8, 9 (NET)

^[25] 1 John 3:4, 5a (NET)

^[26] John 19:38a (NET)

^[27] 1 John 3:5b-8 (NET)

^[28] 1 John 3:8b (NET)

^[30] 1 John 3:9, 10 (NET)

^[31] 1 John 3:18-24 (NET)

^[33] honour, revere, reverence http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/morph?l=timw%3Dsin&la=greek&prior=de%5C

^[36] NET note: “Heb ‘their fear of me is a commandment of men that has been taught.’”

Romans, Part 24

Posted on October 8, 2012 by admin

Much more then, Paul continued, because we have now been declared righteous (δικαιωθέντες, a form of δικαιόω) by his blood, we will be saved through him from God’s wrath (ὀργῆς, a form of ὀργή).¹ I had a tendency to think of this as present or future wrath. That may also be true, but as he continued his discussion of how sin entered the world and how the Lord Jesus’ one righteous act was the agency through which came righteousness leading to life for all people,² it is evident that the past tense of the wrath revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who suppress the truth by their unrighteousness³ was on Paul’s mind.

So, because we have now been declared righteous (δικαιωθέντες, a form of δικαιόω) by his blood, we will be saved through him from 1) the impure desires of human hearts,⁴ 2) dishonorable passions,⁵ and 3) depraved minds,⁶ as well as the sins associated with God’s wrath in Romans 1:18-32. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled (κατηλλάγημεν, a form of καταλλάσσω) to God through the death of his Son, how much more, since we have been reconciled (καταλλαγέντες, another form of καταλλάσσω), will we be saved by his life?⁷ Though I may be reading too much into the text I think it is possible to gauge Paul’s progress through his troubles and affliction by the word translated reconciled above.

To the married I give this command – not I, but⁸ the Lord – a wife should not divorce a husband (but if she does, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled [καταλλαγήτω, another form of καταλλάσσω] to her husband), and a husband should not divorce his wife.⁹ Here in 1 Corinthians reconciliation seems almost like the second best choice to remaining unmarried if a wife divorces her husband. This I assume was written before Romans. After Romans, in 2 Corinthians, I encounter the word translated reconciled again (2 Corinthians 5:17-21 NET).

So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away – look, what is new has come! [Table] And all these things are from God who reconciled (καταλλάξαντος, another form of καταλλάσσω) us to himself through Christ, and who has given us the ministry of reconciliation (καταλλαγῆς, a form of καταλλαγή) [Table]. In other words, in Christ God was reconciling (κκαταλλάσσων, another form of κκαταλλάσσω) the world to himself, not counting people’s trespasses against them, and he has given us the message of reconciliation (καταλλαγῆς, a form of καταλλαγή). Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His plea through us. We plead with you on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled (καταλλάγητε, another form of καταλλάσσω) to God!” God made the one who did not know (γνόντα, a form of γινώσκω) sin to be sin for us, so that in him we would become the righteousness (δικαιοσύνη) of God [Table].

Not only this, Paul continued in Romans, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received this reconciliation (καταλλαγὴν, another form of καταλλαγή).¹⁰ I don’t see any particular problem with reading Paul’s attitude toward our reconciliation with God back into the reconciliation of a wife with her husband.

So then, Paul continued, just as sin entered the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all people because all sinned…¹¹ Thus began a contrast between Adam and Jesus. A similar contrast can be found in 1 Corinthians 15. In fact the contrasting mate to this opening statement is found there rather than in Romans.

Adam

Jesus

So then, just as sin entered the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all people because all sinned…

Romans 5:12 (NET)

[the Lord Jesus] must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet [Table]. The last enemy to be eliminated is death.

1 Corinthians 15:25, 26 (NET)

Paul’s rationale for this particular contrast is more apparent in 1 Corinthians.

Adam

Jesus

For since death¹² came through a man…

1 Corinthians 15:21a (NET)

…the resurrection of the dead also came through a man.

1 Corinthians 15:21b (NET)

In his letter to the Romans Paul veered away a bit from this same presentation. First, he offered the following explanation (Romans 5:13, 14 NET):

…for before the law was given, sin was in the world, but there is no accounting (ἐλλογεῖται, a form of ἐλλογέω) for sin when there is no law. Yet death reigned from Adam until Moses even over those who did not sin in the same way that Adam (who is a type of the coming one) transgressed Table.

In other words, not everyone transgressed the specific command God gave to Adam alone before Eve was created, You may freely eat fruit from every tree of the orchard [Table] (including the tree of life), but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will surely die [Table].¹³ After Adam disobeyed God and gained knowledge of evil he had sons and daughters in his own likeness, according to his image.¹⁴

But the gracious gift (i.e., reconciliation) is not like the transgression,¹⁵ Paul returned to his contrast of Adam and Jesus.

Adam

Jesus

For if the many died through the transgression of the one man…

Romans 5:15b (NET)

…how much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one man Jesus Christ multiply to the many!

Romans 5:15c (NET)

And the gift is not like the one who sinned.¹⁶

Adam

Jesus

For judgment, resulting from the one transgression, led to condemnation…

Romans 5:16b (NET)

…but the gracious gift from the many failures led to justification.

Romans 5:16c (NET)

For if, by the transgression of the one man, death reigned through the one…

Romans 5:17a (NET)

…how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one, Jesus Christ!

Romans 5:17b (NET)

Consequently, just as condemnation for all people came through one transgression…

Romans 5:18a (NET)

…so too through the one righteous act came righteousness leading to life for all people.

Romans 5:18b (NET)

For just as through the disobedience of the one man many were made sinners…

Romans 5:19a (NET)

…so also through the obedience of one man many will be made righteous.

Romans 5:19b (NET)

Now the law came in, Paul explained, so that the transgression (i.e., the breaking of specific commandments as Adam did) may increase, but where sin increased, grace multiplied all the more…¹⁷

Adam

Jesus

…so that just as sin reigned in death…

Romans 5:21a (NET)

…so also grace will reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 5:21b (NET)

Eternal life can be a difficult concept for those of us socialized in the value and necessity of death. Perhaps the easiest way to present that socialization is through the 2011 film “In Time.” Henry Hamilton (Matt Bomer) served as the objective character in the movie and presented the normative assumption, “Everyone can’t live forever. Where would we put them?” Sylvia Weis (Amanda Seyfried), the convert from the dark side concurred, “We’re not meant to live forever.” Her father Philippe (Vincent Kartheiser) said, “everyone wants to live forever,” but in his role as the personification of evil that meant only foolish people want this, and that desire will always keep evil men like Philippe Weis in power. Philippe quipped, “for a few to be immortal, many must die.” And the protagonist Will Salas (Justin Timberlake) countered, “No one should be immortal if even one person has to die.”

Paul, however, paired eternal life with the gift of God’s credited righteousness. Once God’s righteousness begins to take root and flourish in one the possibility and desirability of eternal life (not mere immortality) become obvious. This same contrast in 1 Corinthians complements the contrast in Romans.

Adam

Jesus

For just as in Adam all die…

1 Corinthians 15:22a (NET)

…so also in Christ all will be made alive.

1 Corinthians 15:22b (NET)

The first man, Adam, became a living person”…

1 Corinthians 15:45a (NET)

…the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.

1 Corinthians 15:45b (NET)

Here I can relate this contrast to Jesus’ explanation to Nicodemus, I tell you the solemn truth, unless a person is born of water and spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God [Table]. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, “You must all be born from above.”¹⁸

Addendum: March 28, 2024
According to a note (27) in the NET, Paul quoted from Genesis 2:7 in 1 Corinthians 15:45. A table comparing the Greek of Paul’s quotation to that of the Septuagint follows.

1 Corinthians 15:45a (NET Parallel Greek)	Genesis 2:7b (Septuagint BLB) Table	Genesis 2:7b (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἐγένετο ὁ πρῶτος ἄνθρωπος Ἀδὰμ εἰς ψυχὴν ζῶσαν	ἐγένετο ὁ ἄνθρωπος εἰς ψυχὴν ζῶσαν	ἐγένετο ὁ ἄνθρωπος εἰς ψυχὴν ζῶσαν
1 Corinthians 15:45a (NET)	Genesis 2:7b (NETS)	Genesis 2:7b (English Elpenor)
The first man, Adam, became a living person	the man became a living being	the man became a living soul

Tables comparing the Greek of 1 Corinthians 7:10 and 15:21 in the NET and KJV follow.

1 Corinthians 7:10 (NET)	1 Corinthians 7:10 (KJV)
To the married I give this command—not I, but the Lord—a wife should not divorce a husband	nd unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband:

1 Corinthians 7:10 (NET Parallel Greek)	1 Corinthians 7:10 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	1 Corinthians 7:10 (Byzantine Majority Text)
Τοῖς δὲ γεγαμηκόσιν παραγγέλλω, οὐκ ἐγὼ ἀλλὰ ὁ κύριος, γυναῖκα ἀπὸ ἀνδρὸς μὴ χωρισθῆναι	τοις δε γεγαμηκοσιν παραγγελλω ουκ εγω αλλ ο κυριος γυναικα απο ανδρος μη χωρισθηναι	τοις δε γεγαμηκοσιν παραγγελλω ουκ εγω αλλ ο κυριος γυναικα απο ανδρος μη χωρισθηναι

1 Corinthians 15:21 (NET)	1 Corinthians 15:21 (KJV)
For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead also came through a man.	For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.

1 Corinthians 15:21 (NET Parallel Greek)	1 Corinthians 15:21 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	1 Corinthians 15:21 (Byzantine Majority Text)
ἐπειδὴ γὰρ δι᾿ ἀνθρώπου θάνατος, καὶ δι᾿ ἀνθρώπου ἀνάστασις νεκρῶν	επειδη γαρ δι ανθρωπου ο θανατος και δι ανθρωπου αναστασις νεκρων	επειδη γαρ δι ανθρωπου ο θανατος και δι ανθρωπου αναστασις νεκρων