(Exodus 20:18 - 21:11)
When the people witnessed the fire and flashes of light, heard the voices and what sounded like the blast of trumpets, and saw the smoke rising from the mountain, they withdrew in fear and stood far aback. They told Moses, "Let you speak to us and we'll listen, but don't have Jehovah speak to us or else we will die."
Moses assured them, "Don't be afraid! Jehovah has come to test you, to put the fear of God in you so you will not sin."
The people continued to keep their distance, while Moses approached the dark cloud of thick smoke where Jehovah was. Jehovah said to Moses, "Tell the people of Israel this:
'You see for yourselves that I speak to you down from the sky. --- You must not worship me by making idols of silver or of gold. Instead, build for me an altar of stone from the earth. On it you will consecrate to me the burnt sacrifices and peace offerings, your sheep and goats and oxen. In every location dedicated to me, I will be present to bless you. When you make the stone altar for me, do not dress the stones, for if a tool has been used upon them, the stones are defiled. Also, do not have steps leading up to the altar, in case the nakedness of your private parts be revealed to those below.'
"These are the laws and regulations you must set before your people:
"If you purchase a male Hebrew slave, he will serve you for six years, and on the seventh year he must be set free without any payment on his part. If he was unmarried when he entered service, he must leave as a single man. If he had a wife, she may leave with him. However, if the master furnished him with a wife and she bore him children, then the wife and children will belong to the master. The slave may depart with only what he brought with him. However, if the slave explicitly declares, ‘I love my master, my wife, and children, and I don’t want to be set free,’ then the master will bring him before a judge authorized by Jehovah. The slave will stand at the doorpost and, in a public ceremony, his earlobe will be pierced with an awl as a sign that he will serve his master for life.
"If a man sells his daughter, different rules apply. If she displeases the man to whom she was sold, then the transaction should be voided, and he must allow her to be bought back. (He does not have the right to resell her to a foreign buyer, for that would be a breach of contract on his part.) If he betroths the girl to his son, then he should treat her the same as any other daughter-in-law. If he acquires an additional wife, then the first wife’s share of food, her clothing allowance, or her connubial privileges must not be reduced or abridged. If he fails to fulfill any of these three obligations to her, she may go free without his being compensated.
Notes
1. The original idea of Jehovah's visit was for him to address the entire people of Israel assembled at the foot of the holy mountain. It seems much more likely that they consisted of a few thousand people and not a couple million as is suggested by the text. A congregation of the latter number isn't really conceivable. Moses would have had trouble managing even a few thousand and indeed he does. The people, however, are frightened by what is probably the landing of a rocket ship, the roar of the engines, the fire, smoke, and flashing lights. Consequently they hang back and insist that Moses speak with Jehovah for them. This is the natural and traditional role of the priest, to act as a mediator between the people and their god. Historically, when someone bypasses the middleman and accesses, or claims to access, the divine on his own (whether it be a ruler like Pharaoh Akhenaton or a peasant girl like Joan of Arc) trouble usually ensues.
2. Part of Jehovah's purpose in making a personal appearance is to inspire the people with fear, a tactic frequently used by rulers and parents to compel obedience.
3. Jehovah takes this opportunity to relate the details of his laws. Was there someone present, Moses, Aaron, who was jotting this down in shorthand as his god spoke? Assuming that Moses did have an encounter with Jehovah, it certainly remains an open question whether all the laws of Moses were really passed to him from Jehovah, or if they were formulated at a later time and then conveniently inserted into the narrative at this point.
4. It is not surprising that the first thing Jehovah can think of when giving laws to his people is something that concerns himself, the altars his people will build for him so that can enjoy seeing animals having their throats cut and their carcasses slashed up and burned. The next subject he touches upon is slavery, an institution of which he, no more enlightened than the rest of the benighted ancient world, approves.
5. Jehovah wants his altars to be made of rough stone, nothing finished or dressed or even touched by a tool. (Perhaps Jehovah was doing his people a favor by not demanding that the altar be anything fancy. It might be remembered that the Israelites were supposedly brick-making slaves, unskilled labor. They would have no experience working in stone. All the sacred monuments of Ancient Egypt were constructed of stone, but secular buildings were made of mud brick. Thus, the Israelites would have had no hand in the construction of the temples whose ruins have endured from antiquity.) The fashioning of religious statuary, altarpieces, and temples have always been a tremendous spur to the development of art and architecture. This was true in ancient times, in medieval times, even during the Renaissance and after. Jehovah apparently wants none of it. He has no inclination to teach his people to create works of art or to construct great buildings, even to honor himself. He thus far shows no interest in his people's progress or in the development of civilization. Except to impose an onerous welter of laws upon them to control every aspect of their behavior, he seems intent on keeping them at a primitive level. This is in contrast to most ancient gods (of myth?) who come to earth to impart knowledge and teach skills and even help build things.
6. Jehovah demands that there be no steps leading up the altar, as seems to be a common characteristic of altars, which are often raised so that they can be seen from afar. The reason for this is that he doesn't want anyone to peek up the priest's skirts. Nobody in those days thought of wearing long johns under those drafty robes. And we have already seen that nakedness was a big taboo with the Hebrews. (Noah's son Ham learned that accidentally seeing your drunken old man unclothed was an offense sufficiently heinous to curse your descendants forever!)
7. Many translations insist on referring to those in the Bible who are obviously slaves as servants. In modern terminology, a servant is someone who works for wages and is free to leave his master's employ whenever he wishes. A bonded or indentured servant, such as we had in the early days of our country, were obliged by contract to work for a certain term to pay off the cost of their passage. Unless they were convicts, these bondsmen entered into servitude of their own volition. A slave, on the other hand, is impressed into servitude (or born into it), he works without wages and entirely at his master's behest, and has no freedom to leave. The Jehovan law gives the slave some rights and that’s admirable, but it is disturbing to realize that a man's wife and children are, under some circumstances, not his own. (Since Jehovah, through an effort that can only be described as epic, freed the Israelites from bondage, one would think he would take a dimmer view of slavery, but no.)
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Friday, October 25, 2013
The Ten Commandments
(Exodus 20:1-20:17)
All of these words were spoken by Jehovah:
I am Jehovah, your god, who brought you out of Egypt and freed you from bondage.
Exalt no foreign gods above me.
Create for yourself no crafted images or representations of objects or beings that exist above and beyond the earth in order to revere them as idols. Do not worship and adore them! (I, Jehovah, am your god, and a jealous god I am -- and powerful. I will punish the descendants of the sinners who reject me, to the third, even to the fourth generation, but will faithfully reward a thousand generations of those who are true to me and keep my commandments.)
Swear no oath by Jehovah falsely or lightly. (For I will not pardon those who abuse my name.)
Remember to observe the Sabbath, setting the day aside for religious devotion. (Accomplish all your work for the week in six days, for the seventh day is the Sabbath and belongs to Jehovah. From Friday evening to Saturday evening, refrain from your labor, and do not allow your children, your slaves, your beasts of burden, even visiting strangers to take up work. Jehovah created the earth and sea and sky and all they contain in six days, but he rested on the seventh day, which he therefore blessed and made sacred.)
Treat with respect your father and your mother (so that you may enjoy a long life in the land that Jehovah will bestow upon you.)
Do not take a human life unlawfully.
Do not have sexual relations with any woman who is married or betrothed to another man.
Do not abduct or enslave one of your own people.
Do not testify untruthfully and maliciously against a neighbor.
Do not desire to wrongfully acquire the property of a neighbor -- not his house, his wife, his slaves, his livestock, or any of his possessions.
Notes
1. The situation in which the Ten Commandments were presented to Moses is not here made clear. They seem to be abruptly inserted into the narrative.
2. Ten Commandments is a term so familiar that to refer to the ten utterances that Jehovah conveyed to Moses and the Hebrews by any other name would be unacceptably incongruous. "Commandments" is not quite the right word for this moral framework of Hebrew law, but other English words such as "precepts," or "directives," are less apt. The original Hebrew text actually only refers to ten "words," "verses," or "matters."
3. The Commandments are more moral than legal in nature in that they itemize what is right and wrong, proper conduct. Criminal law proscribes certain behavior and mandates a punishment for it. Many contend that the Ten Commandments is the first historical instance of a moral code, but that is probably not true. In fact, it may have been derived from a similar, longer list of moral precepts to which the Egyptians subscribed. (A major difference: the Egyptian gods weren't jealous and they loved graven images.) Among the Greeks, religion did not encompass morality, the purview of philosophy. But the Buddhist religion (of India and later China) and Zoroastrian religion (of ancient Iran) promulgated moral codes and philosophical precepts. And the legal Code of Hammurabi from early Babylon long predates the Ten Commandments.
4. Subsequent passages refer to these commandments as being ten in number, but there is no biblical list that specifies each commandment, so that we know with certainty what was Commandment 6 or Commandment 9. Subsequently, there have been differing opinions as to exactly what comprises the Commandments. In Judaism, the statement of Jehovah that he led the Hebrews out of Egypt and freed them from bondage is considered the First Commandment, although it's simply a statement and not any kind of a law. The warning about foreign gods and prohibitions against idol making and worshiping are thus combined into a single commandment. Catholic and Lutheran teaching (from Saint Augustine) also combines those commandments, but separates the last commandment, so not coveting your neighbor's wife and not coveting your neighbor's property become two commandments. (This is suggested by the reiteration of the commandments in Deuteronomy.) On the other hand, most Protestants do not include the preamble as a commandment, and do not separate the coveting commandment. But they do separate the prohibition against other gods and that of idol worship so that these are two discrete commandments. (In truth, the idol commandment could also be divided, since it contains two prohibitions, creating idols and worshiping them -- but that would result in eleven commandments and there's supposed to be ten.) To confuse matters further, some faiths also alter the order of the commandments.
5. "Exalt no foreign gods above me," is a more accurate translation than the familiar King James rendering, "Thou shalt have no gods before me." "Above me" is less ambiguous than "Before me." The idea is that Jehovah takes precedence over all other gods. Again, there is no contention that other gods don't exist or that they are false, only that Jehovah must come first. The aforementioned translation is also incomplete. The Douay-Reims Version correctly refers to "strange gods," "strange" meaning foreign. This commandment does not actually prohibit or condemn the worship of other gods. The next commandment forbids the creation and reverence of idols, but still does not ban the non-idolatrous worship of other gods.
6. The commandment in which the King James Version famously refers to "graven images" is a prohibition against the creation and worship of idols. Jehovah was almost unique among ancient gods in that he was not worshiped through his image. Statues, statuettes, carved images, and pictures of gods were always intended to focus the thoughts and emotions of the worshiper. (Crucifixes and images of saints in modern churches function in the same way.) However, ancients also believed that the spirit of the god might visit the temple and inhabit its statue. The god, or goddess, could then hear the prayers of its devotees that had come to the temple, the earthly home of the deity. (This makes a certain amount of sense, more than the concept of an omniscient deity hearing all prayers wherever that may be said). Household gods had their images as well and there was some idea that the image, venerated for what it represented, also possessed some numinous power. Although Jehovah, like other gods, is thought to visit the places in which he is worshiped, he emphatically did not wish to be adored through images. There is no stated reason for this. That idol worship was a primitive idea best discarded to make way for more progressive concepts of religion would not, however, have been one. Perhaps Jehovah was what we would call camera shy. Eschewing idolatrous images would be explicable if Jehovah were an incorporeal spirit, as most moderns conceive God to be, but time and again biblical encounters reveal Jehovah as a flesh-and-blood man, even if he manifests himself in burning bushes and pillars of fire.
7. The images prohibited in the idol commandment are those of beings, as well as objects, things, places that are outside the terrestrial world. It must be remembered that the writers of the Bible envisioned a flat earth encased in a dome that was the sky. The heavenly bodies moved inside that dome. Rain water fell from a sea existing above the dome. Above that sea and below the earth and the waters of the terrestrial oceans was another realm, Heaven, the abode of Jehovah, his angels, and one supposes, other gods. (There was, as yet, no conception of Hell or the Devil.) It is not clear whether this realm and its denizens are not to be depicted at all, or whether it is prohibited only to depict them with the intention of idolatrous worship. Islam and Protestant Puritans came to the former conclusion and forbade all religious images in their places of worship. Indeed, Muslims regard any representation of Mohammed as well as Allah, as sacrilege. Catholics, obviously coming to the latter conclusion, favor images of the Christ, Mary, and the saints.
8. In a sort of postscript to the idol commandment, Jehovah makes it clear he will punish those who reject him while rewarding those who accept him and keep his commandments. Moreover, he will punish and reward the descendants. Collective guilt is a common theme in ancient times and in the Bible. The individual counted for little, save as a member of a family and tribe. When a member of a family or tribe committed an offense, it was common for the whole family or tribe to pay for it. With Jehovah, a son, a grandson, perhaps even a great-grandson are to suffer for the sins of the father. This seems unfair to modern sensibilities, but quite acceptable morally to most ancient peoples. Jehovah is certainly OK with it.
9. The contract, a promise to do this or that, to pay or perform a service, is a significant element in the establishment of civilization. In preliterate societies there was no such thing as a written contract. Even when written language was invented, most people would not know how to read or write and all but important contracts would remain verbal. Thus, the critical importance of oaths, a replacement for the written contract and the "Submit" button. The swearing commandment is about this, not using Jehovah's name to take an oath that will not be honored or which is frivolous or insincere. It has nothing to do with cussing. Interestingly, there is no condemnation of breaking any oath that was sworn in the name of someone other than Jehovah. (Violating the Hippocratic Oath, still taken today by physicians, would not then be a commandment breaker, for it is sworn by Apollo.)
10. The Sabbath commandment is really the only commandment that had been already laid down by Jehovah earlier. Strict observance seems to be demanded. It is important to remember that the Sabbath is from Friday evening to Saturday evening, as those practicing Judaism observe it today. The Sunday Sabbath was established by Christian theologians centuries after the crucifixion. One wonders why those who regard the commandments as derived from God would approve and abide by an alteration in those commandments made by men with self-serving interests. (The change was basically a public relations move to distinguish Christianity from Judaism.)
11. The first four commandments (by Protestant reckoning) concern only Jehovah and the demands he makes of his followers. Save for keeping oaths, there is little moral component here. They are all about Jehovah protecting his turf, preserving his interests and prerogatives, and ensuring his importance in the lives of his devotees.
12. "Honoring" one's father and mother is the usual translation for the parental commandment, but "honor" as it is used today is too strong a word. Honoring someone involves how we feel about him or her. How can you command feelings? The Ten Commandments are not about attitudes, feelings, thoughts, intentions, but about actions. Honoring an unworthy, perhaps despicable and dishonorable parent does not seem fitting. However, treating that parent with respect, regardless of how you feel about them or think of them, is proper and that is what is demanded. In a tribalistic, traditional, clan-oriented society familial respect is always very important.
13. The commandment prohibiting killing or murdering requires a knowledge of the implied subtext to be really meaningful. It does not prohibit killing per se. Killing what, a cockroach, a yearling steer? It would have been understood that it meant the unlawful killing of a human being, what we regard as murder and also much of what we see as manslaughter. It certainly would not have prohibited killing an enemy in battle, executing a criminal, or killing in self-defense, or, for that matter, some vengeance killing. But the Hebrews took a less lenient attitude than we do to varieties of manslaughter such as accidental death, and so some types of manslaughter would be considered unlawful killing.
14. The adultery commandment is also more nuanced than one might expect. While other forms of sexual misconduct might be considered wrong, the Hebrews had a definite idea of what constituted adultery. The commandment only addresses a man having sexual relations with a woman who is married or betrothed, and, who, therefore, is the property of another man. That man has an absolute right to expect exclusivity in regard to her favors and certainty that her children are his and not another man's. Society and the family structure is contingent upon this. On the other hand, a husband calling upon a prostitute or having sex with his slave is not a threat to society. --- This is the first commandment that is directed exclusively toward men. The adulterous woman is apparently not violating the Ten Commandments, (but she would probably be stoned to death anyway). One may regard the commandments as enumerating capital offenses, serious felonies. Lesser crimes and offenses are to be itemized later in some detail.
15. The stealing commandment has been mistranslated and misunderstood. It is not "do not steal," but rather "do not steal away." It would have been understood by the ancient Hebrews that the reference is to the abduction of persons for the purpose of enslaving them or selling them into slavery. It is necessary to add this explanation in the translation to make sense of the commandment. Illustrated by the story of Joseph, whose brothers sold him into slavery, this was a common crime and detestable even to a society that approved of slavery. We regard kidnapping as a capital offense, and it would be surprising if a crime of such seriousness were not included among the Ten Commandments. It is most likely, though, that this pertained only to one's own people. One must remember that with all tribal societies, a person has different relations and moral obligations to one's own people than he has to neighbors who are not of one's own tribe, and to foreigners who are not neighbors and perhaps enemies. Stealing a sheep from a fellow Israelite would be very wrong indeed, stealing a sheep from a neighboring Canaanite would be imprudent, stealing a sheep from an enemy Amalekite would be an act of heroism. It is also unlikely that kidnapping an Amalekite and selling him as a slave to an Edomite would be considered a wrong sufficient to be a commandment violation.
16. The ancient Hebrews appreciated, as we do, the moral difference between mere lying and committing perjury, testifying falsely and maliciously. It is more serious because perjury causes great harm, perhaps the unjust conviction and execution of an innocent person, and undermines even the most primitive legal system. It is likely that this obligation would pertain to a neighbor, but not necessarily to a foreign enemy. --- There is a considerable history of Hebrew patriarchs telling lies and practicing deception; even Abraham was anything but "Honest Abe." The Greeks didn't place a great premium on truth telling either (eg. Odysseus), but the Persians and later, the Romans valued absolute honesty very highly.
17. The so-called coveting commandment is the only one that does not involve action. It is a thought crime and it is hard to see how it could prosecuted. The prohibition is most likely not just against wanting or craving in a casual way, but desiring, even plotting, to acquire illegally, to steal or appropriate.
18. Wives are including among the property that should not desire to appropriate. It must be remembered that women were considered the possessions of their fathers and husbands. One gains the impression they were barely people, yet, ironically, the Bible is filled with strong and influential women. The myths of ancient Greece and the epics of Homer are similarly populated with significant and powerful women, some of them goddesses, but in classical Greece women, unless they were courtesans, had little stature. In ancient Persia there is little historical or archaeological evidence that women even existed, while in Egypt the situation is radically different: some of the best remembered Egyptians were women, Pharaohs even.
19. Not making the cut as a commandment was the off-repeated demand of Jehovah for circumcision. Also in the commandments there is also no expressed prohibition of treason, slavery, wife-beating, abortion, sodomy, fraud, reneging on a contract, pre-marital sex, sorcery and divination, or heresy. Some of these things will be gotten to later.
20. One wonders whether those living before the receipt of the Ten Commandments could be guilty of their violation. Were these laws always in force, or did they only come into effect after Moses presented them to his people? For instance, was the murderer Cain guilty of a crime, if Jehovah had not yet proscribed murder?
21. Jehovah in his past behavior hardly lived up to his own laws and he regularly encouraged his people to violate them, or at least tolerated their violation. He committed murder on a vast scale. He encouraged, if not commanded the Israelites to appropriate Egyptian property. He didn't punish most of those guilty of breaking his commandments, although he did try to kill Moses for not circumcising his son soon enough.
22. The Ten Commandments were a set of rules devised for a small, primitive tribe of nomads living in the 2nd Millennium B.C. supposedly given to them by their god, who, if he existed, was most likely a human from either an advanced earth society or an extraterrestrial civilization. While all peoples, even primitive ones, have laws, what is remarkable about the Hebrew ones is that they were written down, preserved, and cherished. (It is totally astonishing that so many in the 21st Century, even those of education and sophistication, regard them as an infallible and absolute guide to behavior!) It is most probable that the commandments and the system of laws and customs recorded in the Bible were developed over a period of time, even if it is very possible that Moses was the original law giver. In modern society laws have authority because they are written by an elected legislature or mandated by an autocrat. In ancient times the origin of laws was often ascribed to the divine. King Minos, the lawgiver of ancient Crete ascended Mount Dicta to receive laws from Zeus. The Spartan Lycurgus got his laws from Apollo, while Numa Pompilius of early Rome was schooled by a nymph. Zoroaster, very much like Moses, ascended a mountain and was presented with the Zend Avesta, the word of the single universal god Ahura-mazda. The Greek Bacchus also seemed to have experienced divine communion similar to what Moses knew and came down from a mountain with two tablets inscribed with laws. Perhaps these are retellings of the same story or variations of an archetypal myth embedded in the collective unconscious.
All of these words were spoken by Jehovah:
I am Jehovah, your god, who brought you out of Egypt and freed you from bondage.
Exalt no foreign gods above me.
Create for yourself no crafted images or representations of objects or beings that exist above and beyond the earth in order to revere them as idols. Do not worship and adore them! (I, Jehovah, am your god, and a jealous god I am -- and powerful. I will punish the descendants of the sinners who reject me, to the third, even to the fourth generation, but will faithfully reward a thousand generations of those who are true to me and keep my commandments.)
Swear no oath by Jehovah falsely or lightly. (For I will not pardon those who abuse my name.)
Remember to observe the Sabbath, setting the day aside for religious devotion. (Accomplish all your work for the week in six days, for the seventh day is the Sabbath and belongs to Jehovah. From Friday evening to Saturday evening, refrain from your labor, and do not allow your children, your slaves, your beasts of burden, even visiting strangers to take up work. Jehovah created the earth and sea and sky and all they contain in six days, but he rested on the seventh day, which he therefore blessed and made sacred.)
Treat with respect your father and your mother (so that you may enjoy a long life in the land that Jehovah will bestow upon you.)
Do not take a human life unlawfully.
Do not have sexual relations with any woman who is married or betrothed to another man.
Do not abduct or enslave one of your own people.
Do not testify untruthfully and maliciously against a neighbor.
Do not desire to wrongfully acquire the property of a neighbor -- not his house, his wife, his slaves, his livestock, or any of his possessions.
Notes
1. The situation in which the Ten Commandments were presented to Moses is not here made clear. They seem to be abruptly inserted into the narrative.
2. Ten Commandments is a term so familiar that to refer to the ten utterances that Jehovah conveyed to Moses and the Hebrews by any other name would be unacceptably incongruous. "Commandments" is not quite the right word for this moral framework of Hebrew law, but other English words such as "precepts," or "directives," are less apt. The original Hebrew text actually only refers to ten "words," "verses," or "matters."
3. The Commandments are more moral than legal in nature in that they itemize what is right and wrong, proper conduct. Criminal law proscribes certain behavior and mandates a punishment for it. Many contend that the Ten Commandments is the first historical instance of a moral code, but that is probably not true. In fact, it may have been derived from a similar, longer list of moral precepts to which the Egyptians subscribed. (A major difference: the Egyptian gods weren't jealous and they loved graven images.) Among the Greeks, religion did not encompass morality, the purview of philosophy. But the Buddhist religion (of India and later China) and Zoroastrian religion (of ancient Iran) promulgated moral codes and philosophical precepts. And the legal Code of Hammurabi from early Babylon long predates the Ten Commandments.
4. Subsequent passages refer to these commandments as being ten in number, but there is no biblical list that specifies each commandment, so that we know with certainty what was Commandment 6 or Commandment 9. Subsequently, there have been differing opinions as to exactly what comprises the Commandments. In Judaism, the statement of Jehovah that he led the Hebrews out of Egypt and freed them from bondage is considered the First Commandment, although it's simply a statement and not any kind of a law. The warning about foreign gods and prohibitions against idol making and worshiping are thus combined into a single commandment. Catholic and Lutheran teaching (from Saint Augustine) also combines those commandments, but separates the last commandment, so not coveting your neighbor's wife and not coveting your neighbor's property become two commandments. (This is suggested by the reiteration of the commandments in Deuteronomy.) On the other hand, most Protestants do not include the preamble as a commandment, and do not separate the coveting commandment. But they do separate the prohibition against other gods and that of idol worship so that these are two discrete commandments. (In truth, the idol commandment could also be divided, since it contains two prohibitions, creating idols and worshiping them -- but that would result in eleven commandments and there's supposed to be ten.) To confuse matters further, some faiths also alter the order of the commandments.
5. "Exalt no foreign gods above me," is a more accurate translation than the familiar King James rendering, "Thou shalt have no gods before me." "Above me" is less ambiguous than "Before me." The idea is that Jehovah takes precedence over all other gods. Again, there is no contention that other gods don't exist or that they are false, only that Jehovah must come first. The aforementioned translation is also incomplete. The Douay-Reims Version correctly refers to "strange gods," "strange" meaning foreign. This commandment does not actually prohibit or condemn the worship of other gods. The next commandment forbids the creation and reverence of idols, but still does not ban the non-idolatrous worship of other gods.
6. The commandment in which the King James Version famously refers to "graven images" is a prohibition against the creation and worship of idols. Jehovah was almost unique among ancient gods in that he was not worshiped through his image. Statues, statuettes, carved images, and pictures of gods were always intended to focus the thoughts and emotions of the worshiper. (Crucifixes and images of saints in modern churches function in the same way.) However, ancients also believed that the spirit of the god might visit the temple and inhabit its statue. The god, or goddess, could then hear the prayers of its devotees that had come to the temple, the earthly home of the deity. (This makes a certain amount of sense, more than the concept of an omniscient deity hearing all prayers wherever that may be said). Household gods had their images as well and there was some idea that the image, venerated for what it represented, also possessed some numinous power. Although Jehovah, like other gods, is thought to visit the places in which he is worshiped, he emphatically did not wish to be adored through images. There is no stated reason for this. That idol worship was a primitive idea best discarded to make way for more progressive concepts of religion would not, however, have been one. Perhaps Jehovah was what we would call camera shy. Eschewing idolatrous images would be explicable if Jehovah were an incorporeal spirit, as most moderns conceive God to be, but time and again biblical encounters reveal Jehovah as a flesh-and-blood man, even if he manifests himself in burning bushes and pillars of fire.
7. The images prohibited in the idol commandment are those of beings, as well as objects, things, places that are outside the terrestrial world. It must be remembered that the writers of the Bible envisioned a flat earth encased in a dome that was the sky. The heavenly bodies moved inside that dome. Rain water fell from a sea existing above the dome. Above that sea and below the earth and the waters of the terrestrial oceans was another realm, Heaven, the abode of Jehovah, his angels, and one supposes, other gods. (There was, as yet, no conception of Hell or the Devil.) It is not clear whether this realm and its denizens are not to be depicted at all, or whether it is prohibited only to depict them with the intention of idolatrous worship. Islam and Protestant Puritans came to the former conclusion and forbade all religious images in their places of worship. Indeed, Muslims regard any representation of Mohammed as well as Allah, as sacrilege. Catholics, obviously coming to the latter conclusion, favor images of the Christ, Mary, and the saints.
8. In a sort of postscript to the idol commandment, Jehovah makes it clear he will punish those who reject him while rewarding those who accept him and keep his commandments. Moreover, he will punish and reward the descendants. Collective guilt is a common theme in ancient times and in the Bible. The individual counted for little, save as a member of a family and tribe. When a member of a family or tribe committed an offense, it was common for the whole family or tribe to pay for it. With Jehovah, a son, a grandson, perhaps even a great-grandson are to suffer for the sins of the father. This seems unfair to modern sensibilities, but quite acceptable morally to most ancient peoples. Jehovah is certainly OK with it.
9. The contract, a promise to do this or that, to pay or perform a service, is a significant element in the establishment of civilization. In preliterate societies there was no such thing as a written contract. Even when written language was invented, most people would not know how to read or write and all but important contracts would remain verbal. Thus, the critical importance of oaths, a replacement for the written contract and the "Submit" button. The swearing commandment is about this, not using Jehovah's name to take an oath that will not be honored or which is frivolous or insincere. It has nothing to do with cussing. Interestingly, there is no condemnation of breaking any oath that was sworn in the name of someone other than Jehovah. (Violating the Hippocratic Oath, still taken today by physicians, would not then be a commandment breaker, for it is sworn by Apollo.)
10. The Sabbath commandment is really the only commandment that had been already laid down by Jehovah earlier. Strict observance seems to be demanded. It is important to remember that the Sabbath is from Friday evening to Saturday evening, as those practicing Judaism observe it today. The Sunday Sabbath was established by Christian theologians centuries after the crucifixion. One wonders why those who regard the commandments as derived from God would approve and abide by an alteration in those commandments made by men with self-serving interests. (The change was basically a public relations move to distinguish Christianity from Judaism.)
11. The first four commandments (by Protestant reckoning) concern only Jehovah and the demands he makes of his followers. Save for keeping oaths, there is little moral component here. They are all about Jehovah protecting his turf, preserving his interests and prerogatives, and ensuring his importance in the lives of his devotees.
12. "Honoring" one's father and mother is the usual translation for the parental commandment, but "honor" as it is used today is too strong a word. Honoring someone involves how we feel about him or her. How can you command feelings? The Ten Commandments are not about attitudes, feelings, thoughts, intentions, but about actions. Honoring an unworthy, perhaps despicable and dishonorable parent does not seem fitting. However, treating that parent with respect, regardless of how you feel about them or think of them, is proper and that is what is demanded. In a tribalistic, traditional, clan-oriented society familial respect is always very important.
13. The commandment prohibiting killing or murdering requires a knowledge of the implied subtext to be really meaningful. It does not prohibit killing per se. Killing what, a cockroach, a yearling steer? It would have been understood that it meant the unlawful killing of a human being, what we regard as murder and also much of what we see as manslaughter. It certainly would not have prohibited killing an enemy in battle, executing a criminal, or killing in self-defense, or, for that matter, some vengeance killing. But the Hebrews took a less lenient attitude than we do to varieties of manslaughter such as accidental death, and so some types of manslaughter would be considered unlawful killing.
14. The adultery commandment is also more nuanced than one might expect. While other forms of sexual misconduct might be considered wrong, the Hebrews had a definite idea of what constituted adultery. The commandment only addresses a man having sexual relations with a woman who is married or betrothed, and, who, therefore, is the property of another man. That man has an absolute right to expect exclusivity in regard to her favors and certainty that her children are his and not another man's. Society and the family structure is contingent upon this. On the other hand, a husband calling upon a prostitute or having sex with his slave is not a threat to society. --- This is the first commandment that is directed exclusively toward men. The adulterous woman is apparently not violating the Ten Commandments, (but she would probably be stoned to death anyway). One may regard the commandments as enumerating capital offenses, serious felonies. Lesser crimes and offenses are to be itemized later in some detail.
15. The stealing commandment has been mistranslated and misunderstood. It is not "do not steal," but rather "do not steal away." It would have been understood by the ancient Hebrews that the reference is to the abduction of persons for the purpose of enslaving them or selling them into slavery. It is necessary to add this explanation in the translation to make sense of the commandment. Illustrated by the story of Joseph, whose brothers sold him into slavery, this was a common crime and detestable even to a society that approved of slavery. We regard kidnapping as a capital offense, and it would be surprising if a crime of such seriousness were not included among the Ten Commandments. It is most likely, though, that this pertained only to one's own people. One must remember that with all tribal societies, a person has different relations and moral obligations to one's own people than he has to neighbors who are not of one's own tribe, and to foreigners who are not neighbors and perhaps enemies. Stealing a sheep from a fellow Israelite would be very wrong indeed, stealing a sheep from a neighboring Canaanite would be imprudent, stealing a sheep from an enemy Amalekite would be an act of heroism. It is also unlikely that kidnapping an Amalekite and selling him as a slave to an Edomite would be considered a wrong sufficient to be a commandment violation.
16. The ancient Hebrews appreciated, as we do, the moral difference between mere lying and committing perjury, testifying falsely and maliciously. It is more serious because perjury causes great harm, perhaps the unjust conviction and execution of an innocent person, and undermines even the most primitive legal system. It is likely that this obligation would pertain to a neighbor, but not necessarily to a foreign enemy. --- There is a considerable history of Hebrew patriarchs telling lies and practicing deception; even Abraham was anything but "Honest Abe." The Greeks didn't place a great premium on truth telling either (eg. Odysseus), but the Persians and later, the Romans valued absolute honesty very highly.
17. The so-called coveting commandment is the only one that does not involve action. It is a thought crime and it is hard to see how it could prosecuted. The prohibition is most likely not just against wanting or craving in a casual way, but desiring, even plotting, to acquire illegally, to steal or appropriate.
18. Wives are including among the property that should not desire to appropriate. It must be remembered that women were considered the possessions of their fathers and husbands. One gains the impression they were barely people, yet, ironically, the Bible is filled with strong and influential women. The myths of ancient Greece and the epics of Homer are similarly populated with significant and powerful women, some of them goddesses, but in classical Greece women, unless they were courtesans, had little stature. In ancient Persia there is little historical or archaeological evidence that women even existed, while in Egypt the situation is radically different: some of the best remembered Egyptians were women, Pharaohs even.
19. Not making the cut as a commandment was the off-repeated demand of Jehovah for circumcision. Also in the commandments there is also no expressed prohibition of treason, slavery, wife-beating, abortion, sodomy, fraud, reneging on a contract, pre-marital sex, sorcery and divination, or heresy. Some of these things will be gotten to later.
20. One wonders whether those living before the receipt of the Ten Commandments could be guilty of their violation. Were these laws always in force, or did they only come into effect after Moses presented them to his people? For instance, was the murderer Cain guilty of a crime, if Jehovah had not yet proscribed murder?
21. Jehovah in his past behavior hardly lived up to his own laws and he regularly encouraged his people to violate them, or at least tolerated their violation. He committed murder on a vast scale. He encouraged, if not commanded the Israelites to appropriate Egyptian property. He didn't punish most of those guilty of breaking his commandments, although he did try to kill Moses for not circumcising his son soon enough.
22. The Ten Commandments were a set of rules devised for a small, primitive tribe of nomads living in the 2nd Millennium B.C. supposedly given to them by their god, who, if he existed, was most likely a human from either an advanced earth society or an extraterrestrial civilization. While all peoples, even primitive ones, have laws, what is remarkable about the Hebrew ones is that they were written down, preserved, and cherished. (It is totally astonishing that so many in the 21st Century, even those of education and sophistication, regard them as an infallible and absolute guide to behavior!) It is most probable that the commandments and the system of laws and customs recorded in the Bible were developed over a period of time, even if it is very possible that Moses was the original law giver. In modern society laws have authority because they are written by an elected legislature or mandated by an autocrat. In ancient times the origin of laws was often ascribed to the divine. King Minos, the lawgiver of ancient Crete ascended Mount Dicta to receive laws from Zeus. The Spartan Lycurgus got his laws from Apollo, while Numa Pompilius of early Rome was schooled by a nymph. Zoroaster, very much like Moses, ascended a mountain and was presented with the Zend Avesta, the word of the single universal god Ahura-mazda. The Greek Bacchus also seemed to have experienced divine communion similar to what Moses knew and came down from a mountain with two tablets inscribed with laws. Perhaps these are retellings of the same story or variations of an archetypal myth embedded in the collective unconscious.
Monday, October 21, 2013
Jehovah Appears Before the People
(Exodus 19:1 - 19:25)
Two months to the day after the people of Israel had departed Egypt, they entered the desert of Sinai. Leaving Rephilim, they traversed the Sinai desert and set up camp there, pitching their tents beneath the holy mountain.
Moses climbed the mountain in order to find Jehovah. Jehovah called down to him from the mountain and told him, “You shall announce this to the house of Jacob, the people of Israel: 'You have witnessed the punishment I inflicted upon the Egyptians, how I bore you out of Egypt as if upon the wings of an eagle and brought you into my presence. If you obey me and keep the agreement you have made with me, then you will remain a particular favorite of mine, more precious than any other people, even though the entire earth belongs to me. For me you will become a kingdom of priests, a nation dedicated to my worship.’ This is the message you must convey to the people of Israel."
Moses returned and convened a meeting of the elders of Israel. He informed them of the plans Jehovah had for them, and they replied with one voice: "We will do all that Jehovah has asked of us!”
Moses reported back to Jehovah on what his people had decided. Jehovah told Moses, "I will appear before your people in a dense cloud so that they may hear me when I speak to you and have faith in you ever after.” Moses imparted to Jehovah the desires of the Israelites. Jehovah instructed him, "Go down to your people and make sure they purify themselves today and also tomorrow. Let them wash their clothes. They must be ready on the third day, for then I shall descend from Mount Sinai and make an appearance before all the people. You must establish a perimeter around the mountain and warn the people, "Be careful not to go up the mountain or touch even its base, for whoever sets foot upon the mountain will certainly be put to death. Lay no hand upon him, but that person must either be stoned to death or shot with an arrow. In any case, whether it be a man or beast, that individual must not be allowed to live. Only when the horn sounds a long blast, will the people be permitted to go up on the mountain."
Moses descended the mountain and rejoined his people. He conducted purification rituals and after the people had washed their clothes, Moses addressed them: “Have all in readiness for the third day. Refrain until then from having any sexual relations with your wives.”
When the third day arrived there were thunderous noises and flashes of light emanating from the mountain, which was obscured by thick cloud. A very loud blast roared, and greatly frightened all the people in camp. When Moses led his people out of camp to meet with Jehovah, he assembled them at the foot of the mountain. (Mount Sinai swirled with smoke because Jehovah's aerial vehicle had made a fiery landing upon it. The smoke billowed from it as if from a kiln, and the whole mountain shook violently.)
While the blast grew gradually louder and its blare more protracted, Moses spoke and Jehovah answered him amid the roar. Jehovah had landed on the mountain, on the very summit of Mount Sinai. He called Moses to come up there, and Moses climbed the mountain. Jehovah instructed him, "Go down and warn your people not to break through the perimeter, for in their efforts to get a better view of the vehicle, many of them may be killed. And even the priests who approach the ship must first be purified or else the ship will destroy them.”
Moses objected, "But the people cannot come up the slopes of Mount Sinai, for it was you who ordered, ‘Let a perimeter be established around the base of the mountain and thus set it apart as sacred.’”
Jehovah responded, "Get on down there! You may come back up with Aaron, but don't let any of the priests or the people go beyond the perimeter or approach the ship, or else it will destroy them.”
Moses descended the mountain and spoke to his people.
Notes
1. The "holy mountain," Mount Sinai or Mount Horeb where Moses and Jehovah have their meetings has been identified variously, but always as a large mountain. This, though, is inconsistent with the story. Moses, who is supposedly past 80 years old, is running up and down the mountain at Jehovah's behest several times a day. (Edmund Hillary couldn’t have handled this!) This is preposterous if this were a real, serious mountain, one that would take many strenuous hours to scale. The “mountain”, even if it were the highest land in the region, must have been more like a hill, or, as we would say, a mount. Surely it could not be the peaks that have been suggested. Jehovah makes his headquarters there. It makes sense that he would establish himself on high ground that would command the surrounding area, but not on a secluded mountain top, if he really wanted to make frequent contact with Moses and the people who worship him as their god. And he is landing there with his flying ship: no one would land a craft on the top of some craggy mountain, though a vehicle capable of vertical take-off and landing might choose to touch down on the top of a hill.
2. Jehovah claims ownership of the whole world and all of its people, but has no real contact with any of its nations save this insignificant tribe of nomads and brick-making slaves, whom he wishes to exalt as his priestly tribe and personal favorite. His terms are, of course, congenial to the elders and the people of Israel. Why not? Who doesn't want to be among the "Chosen People?" The Egyptians, the Greeks, the Persians, the Chinese, and many other ancient peoples as well saw themselves as being singularly favored by the divine. Belief in the divine sanction of nations is not limited to ancient times. In recent wars, nations on both sides of the conflict have assured themselves that God was on their side and not on the other. Even Nazis thought so. The spirits with whom Joan of Arc communed were strong partisans of the French in the Hundred Year's War, thus prompting her judges to question, "Does God hate the English?" In the context of Exodus, one might ask, "Does God hate the Egyptians?" -- Apparently so!
3. Jehovah announces his arrival three days hence and bids the Israelites to wash their clothes before they can see him. It is not unfitting for worshipers to put on their "Sunday best," but the reason for this and for these purifications is not obvious. It is perhaps like much in the biblical account. An ancient custom is habitually observed. The origin and reason for that custom has been forgotten. And so a story must be conceived to explain it; divine provenance or approval is necessarily incorporated into the story to justify, even sanctify the custom. --- But perhaps the reason Jehovah insisted that those who approach him have clean clothes and be “purified” was that he was fearful they might carry some disease he did not wish to be exposed to. (One remembers the ancient historians who believed the Israelites were exiled from Egypt because they were diseased.)
4. Part of the purification ritual that the Israelites must observe prior to Jehovah's visitation is that they must refrain from having sexual relations with their wives. This is not too surprising, for many primitive societies regard the sex act as rendering one unclean. Abstinence, celibacy, virginity are almost universally regarded as virtues of the saintly. Why this mattered to Jehovah is a question.
5. A perimeter is placed around the mountain (again an indication that the so-called mountain is rather small) so that the people do not harm themselves or die by approaching too close to Jehovah. Why? Was Jehovah radioactive? Or was he merely protecting himself from possible mayhem from the rabble? Jehovah warns Moses that those who approach the ship, will be destroyed by the ship. A literal translation says, “break out against them.” This suggests that they would be shot at, perhaps with a firearm or something like a ray gun. Who knows? Apparently he left orders with associates in the ship (or programmed some robotic device) to kill anyone who came too close to his vehicle -- an understandable precaution.
6. The description of Jehovah's appearance on the summit of the holy mountain corresponds well with the landing of some kind of aerial vehicle, a rocket-propelled ship which would emit flames and smoke, make a thunderous sound (that the ancients could only describe as coming from a trumpet), and shake the vicinity. The conventional interruption is that the writers are referring to a volcanic eruption. This is absurd. Would Moses ascent a mountain in the midst of an eruption? Would Jehovah summon his followers to a volcano and endanger their lives? Would he inhabit an active volcano? Flames and smoke and quaking would be characteristic of volcanic activity, but there would also be a fall of ash, a spewing of volcanic rock and dust, and perhaps a flow of lava. None of these are described. Besides, a mountain small enough for an 80 year-old man to run up and down several times a day would probably not be large enough to be a volcano.
7. The fact that Jehovah apparently travels about in an airship that is jet or rocket powered does not particularly suggest an extraterrestrial origin. (In accordance with the many thousands of sightings both in modern and early times, most extraterrestrial visitors seem to favor craft that exhibit anti-gravity technology; their craft therefore, make little noise and do not emit smoke and fire. However, there have been exceptions and burnt areas where landings have occurred are not at all uncommon.) While the original Jehovah of Eden was almost surely an extraterrestrial human, there is no certainty that the Jehovah of Moses, or even of Abraham, who may or may not be a different chap, is otherworldly. It is just as likely he could have been a member of some advanced earth race (Atlantis, perhaps) or a survivor of some lost hi-tech earth civilization. Another possibility is that Jehovah and his ilk may have been extraterrestrial settlers on earth who had access to only fairly primitive technology, that is, rockets, instead of anti-gravity ships. (Judging from his conduct and character, it is not impossible that Jehovah was an alien criminal exiled to earth.)
Two months to the day after the people of Israel had departed Egypt, they entered the desert of Sinai. Leaving Rephilim, they traversed the Sinai desert and set up camp there, pitching their tents beneath the holy mountain.
Moses climbed the mountain in order to find Jehovah. Jehovah called down to him from the mountain and told him, “You shall announce this to the house of Jacob, the people of Israel: 'You have witnessed the punishment I inflicted upon the Egyptians, how I bore you out of Egypt as if upon the wings of an eagle and brought you into my presence. If you obey me and keep the agreement you have made with me, then you will remain a particular favorite of mine, more precious than any other people, even though the entire earth belongs to me. For me you will become a kingdom of priests, a nation dedicated to my worship.’ This is the message you must convey to the people of Israel."
Moses returned and convened a meeting of the elders of Israel. He informed them of the plans Jehovah had for them, and they replied with one voice: "We will do all that Jehovah has asked of us!”
Moses reported back to Jehovah on what his people had decided. Jehovah told Moses, "I will appear before your people in a dense cloud so that they may hear me when I speak to you and have faith in you ever after.” Moses imparted to Jehovah the desires of the Israelites. Jehovah instructed him, "Go down to your people and make sure they purify themselves today and also tomorrow. Let them wash their clothes. They must be ready on the third day, for then I shall descend from Mount Sinai and make an appearance before all the people. You must establish a perimeter around the mountain and warn the people, "Be careful not to go up the mountain or touch even its base, for whoever sets foot upon the mountain will certainly be put to death. Lay no hand upon him, but that person must either be stoned to death or shot with an arrow. In any case, whether it be a man or beast, that individual must not be allowed to live. Only when the horn sounds a long blast, will the people be permitted to go up on the mountain."
Moses descended the mountain and rejoined his people. He conducted purification rituals and after the people had washed their clothes, Moses addressed them: “Have all in readiness for the third day. Refrain until then from having any sexual relations with your wives.”
When the third day arrived there were thunderous noises and flashes of light emanating from the mountain, which was obscured by thick cloud. A very loud blast roared, and greatly frightened all the people in camp. When Moses led his people out of camp to meet with Jehovah, he assembled them at the foot of the mountain. (Mount Sinai swirled with smoke because Jehovah's aerial vehicle had made a fiery landing upon it. The smoke billowed from it as if from a kiln, and the whole mountain shook violently.)
While the blast grew gradually louder and its blare more protracted, Moses spoke and Jehovah answered him amid the roar. Jehovah had landed on the mountain, on the very summit of Mount Sinai. He called Moses to come up there, and Moses climbed the mountain. Jehovah instructed him, "Go down and warn your people not to break through the perimeter, for in their efforts to get a better view of the vehicle, many of them may be killed. And even the priests who approach the ship must first be purified or else the ship will destroy them.”
Moses objected, "But the people cannot come up the slopes of Mount Sinai, for it was you who ordered, ‘Let a perimeter be established around the base of the mountain and thus set it apart as sacred.’”
Jehovah responded, "Get on down there! You may come back up with Aaron, but don't let any of the priests or the people go beyond the perimeter or approach the ship, or else it will destroy them.”
Moses descended the mountain and spoke to his people.
Notes
1. The "holy mountain," Mount Sinai or Mount Horeb where Moses and Jehovah have their meetings has been identified variously, but always as a large mountain. This, though, is inconsistent with the story. Moses, who is supposedly past 80 years old, is running up and down the mountain at Jehovah's behest several times a day. (Edmund Hillary couldn’t have handled this!) This is preposterous if this were a real, serious mountain, one that would take many strenuous hours to scale. The “mountain”, even if it were the highest land in the region, must have been more like a hill, or, as we would say, a mount. Surely it could not be the peaks that have been suggested. Jehovah makes his headquarters there. It makes sense that he would establish himself on high ground that would command the surrounding area, but not on a secluded mountain top, if he really wanted to make frequent contact with Moses and the people who worship him as their god. And he is landing there with his flying ship: no one would land a craft on the top of some craggy mountain, though a vehicle capable of vertical take-off and landing might choose to touch down on the top of a hill.
2. Jehovah claims ownership of the whole world and all of its people, but has no real contact with any of its nations save this insignificant tribe of nomads and brick-making slaves, whom he wishes to exalt as his priestly tribe and personal favorite. His terms are, of course, congenial to the elders and the people of Israel. Why not? Who doesn't want to be among the "Chosen People?" The Egyptians, the Greeks, the Persians, the Chinese, and many other ancient peoples as well saw themselves as being singularly favored by the divine. Belief in the divine sanction of nations is not limited to ancient times. In recent wars, nations on both sides of the conflict have assured themselves that God was on their side and not on the other. Even Nazis thought so. The spirits with whom Joan of Arc communed were strong partisans of the French in the Hundred Year's War, thus prompting her judges to question, "Does God hate the English?" In the context of Exodus, one might ask, "Does God hate the Egyptians?" -- Apparently so!
3. Jehovah announces his arrival three days hence and bids the Israelites to wash their clothes before they can see him. It is not unfitting for worshipers to put on their "Sunday best," but the reason for this and for these purifications is not obvious. It is perhaps like much in the biblical account. An ancient custom is habitually observed. The origin and reason for that custom has been forgotten. And so a story must be conceived to explain it; divine provenance or approval is necessarily incorporated into the story to justify, even sanctify the custom. --- But perhaps the reason Jehovah insisted that those who approach him have clean clothes and be “purified” was that he was fearful they might carry some disease he did not wish to be exposed to. (One remembers the ancient historians who believed the Israelites were exiled from Egypt because they were diseased.)
4. Part of the purification ritual that the Israelites must observe prior to Jehovah's visitation is that they must refrain from having sexual relations with their wives. This is not too surprising, for many primitive societies regard the sex act as rendering one unclean. Abstinence, celibacy, virginity are almost universally regarded as virtues of the saintly. Why this mattered to Jehovah is a question.
5. A perimeter is placed around the mountain (again an indication that the so-called mountain is rather small) so that the people do not harm themselves or die by approaching too close to Jehovah. Why? Was Jehovah radioactive? Or was he merely protecting himself from possible mayhem from the rabble? Jehovah warns Moses that those who approach the ship, will be destroyed by the ship. A literal translation says, “break out against them.” This suggests that they would be shot at, perhaps with a firearm or something like a ray gun. Who knows? Apparently he left orders with associates in the ship (or programmed some robotic device) to kill anyone who came too close to his vehicle -- an understandable precaution.
6. The description of Jehovah's appearance on the summit of the holy mountain corresponds well with the landing of some kind of aerial vehicle, a rocket-propelled ship which would emit flames and smoke, make a thunderous sound (that the ancients could only describe as coming from a trumpet), and shake the vicinity. The conventional interruption is that the writers are referring to a volcanic eruption. This is absurd. Would Moses ascent a mountain in the midst of an eruption? Would Jehovah summon his followers to a volcano and endanger their lives? Would he inhabit an active volcano? Flames and smoke and quaking would be characteristic of volcanic activity, but there would also be a fall of ash, a spewing of volcanic rock and dust, and perhaps a flow of lava. None of these are described. Besides, a mountain small enough for an 80 year-old man to run up and down several times a day would probably not be large enough to be a volcano.
7. The fact that Jehovah apparently travels about in an airship that is jet or rocket powered does not particularly suggest an extraterrestrial origin. (In accordance with the many thousands of sightings both in modern and early times, most extraterrestrial visitors seem to favor craft that exhibit anti-gravity technology; their craft therefore, make little noise and do not emit smoke and fire. However, there have been exceptions and burnt areas where landings have occurred are not at all uncommon.) While the original Jehovah of Eden was almost surely an extraterrestrial human, there is no certainty that the Jehovah of Moses, or even of Abraham, who may or may not be a different chap, is otherworldly. It is just as likely he could have been a member of some advanced earth race (Atlantis, perhaps) or a survivor of some lost hi-tech earth civilization. Another possibility is that Jehovah and his ilk may have been extraterrestrial settlers on earth who had access to only fairly primitive technology, that is, rockets, instead of anti-gravity ships. (Judging from his conduct and character, it is not impossible that Jehovah was an alien criminal exiled to earth.)
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
A Visit From Jethro
(Exodus 18:1 - 18:27)
Jethro, the priest of Midian and father-in-law of Moses, heard of all that had Jehovah had done for Moses and his people and how he had led the Israelites out of their bondage in Egypt. He, therefore, set out to visit Moses in the desert where he was camped at the foot of the holy mountain. He was accompanied by Moses' wife, Sephora, whom Moses had sent back to him, and their two sons Gershom (named such because Moses said, "I have been an immigrant in a foreign land") and Eliezer (named such because Moses said, “The god of my father gave me aid and spared me from the Pharaoh’s sword”). Jethro sent ahead this message to Moses: “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to visit you. With me is your wife and two sons."
When he arrived, Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, bowed before him, and kissed him. They exchanged greetings and salutations and went into the tent together to converse. Moses related to his father-in-law all that Jehovah had done to the Pharaoh and the Egyptians in aid of the Israelites, the troubles, trials, and tribulations that had befallen them on the way and how Jehovah had rescued them.
Jethro rejoiced for all the good services Jehovah had rendered to the Israelites in liberating them from the oppression of the Egyptians. He declared, "Blessed is Jehovah, who has delivered you from the domination of the Egyptians and their Pharaoh and so freed the people of Israel from their bondage in Egypt. I now know well that Jehovah is greater than all the other gods, for he has triumphed over them, having wrought these afflictions upon those who treated his people so arrogantly.”
Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, proffered a burnt offering and other sacrifices to Jehovah. Aaron, along with all the elders of Israel, came and joined Jethro in a meal, there at the place of sacrifice.
The next day, Moses sat in judgment of his people, who attended upon him from dawn to dusk. When his father-in-law witnessed how he administered justice, he told him, “What is it that you’re accomplishing here? Why do you hold court by yourself and make the people wait all day to see you?"
Moses answered, "The people come to me to learn the will of their god. When there’s a dispute, they come to me to resolve it. I inform them of Jehovah’s teachings and his laws."
But Moses' father-in-law argued, "This is not an effective means of doing it, for you're wearing yourself out -- and the people as well. This is too great a burden for you to bear all by yourself. Now listen to me and I will give you some sound advice that Jehovah will approve of. --- You should continue to enlighten the people on matters of the divine, to be an intermediary between your people and their god, to instruct them in the proper religious ceremonies and manner of worship, and to teach them how to behave and how to conduct their lives. But choose some able men, those who revere God and respect the truth, honest men who are above taking bribes, and make them leaders over divisions of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens of people. Let them function as magistrates. All important matters they will bring before you, but routine matters they will take care of themselves. This will be easier on you, for they will be able to share your burden. If you would do this, provided Jehovah approves of it, you will be better able to handle the demands of being your people’s judge and more likely to send your people home satisfied with your rulings.”
Moses heeded his father-in-law's counsel and did all that was suggested to him. He chose competent men from among the people of Israel and made them administrators of divisions of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens of people. These officials settled any disputes that arose among the people. Important cases were referred to Moses to rule upon, while they handled all the simpler matters.
Moses allowed his father-in-law to depart, and he returned to his own country.
Notes
1. Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, visits Moses, to bring to him his wife and children, to see how he's doing, and to give him counsel. The situation and the relationship that Moses has with his wife's father does not at all make sense if Moses was really 80 years old, as Exodus claims. The children are not adults yet, the wife is not an old woman, and the father-in-law is a wise elder who is able to advise the younger man, Moses.
2. Jethro, apprised of the Hebrew travails and triumphs, is able to rejoice with Moses how their mighty god Jehovah had made the lives of the Egyptian people miserable, how he murdered many millions of them, devastated their land, crops and livestock, how he all but destroyed the greatest nation of the ancient world and made the Egyptian gods look like chumps. (Jehovah really showed them!)
3. Nothing is mentioned concerning Moses' reunion with his wife, or his children, who, at some point, must have been sent away to live with Jethro's people. They are not included in the celebratory feast Jethro has with Moses, Aaron, and the elders of Israel. Although he makes a fuss over his father-in-law, Moses is not recorded as being glad to see his wife and sons. (He is apparently not the family man Jacob was.)
4. Jethro realizes the power of Jehovah and how he is better and stronger than any of the foreign gods around. Again, we are reminded that the Hebrews in no way thought that Jehovah, their god, was the only god -- nor could he be God, the universal deity and creator.
5. Moses learns from his father-in-law two important qualities necessary for effective leadership, firstly, being willing to take advice from those older and wiser, and secondly, not insisting on doing everything one's self, but being willing to delegate authority. Moses, to his credit, learns and adapts.
6. Here we see the beginning of organized justice and the formation of a ruling bureaucracy, institutions characteristic of and necessary for the establishment of a nation. Israel is ceasing to be a mere tribe, and is becoming a nation.
Jethro, the priest of Midian and father-in-law of Moses, heard of all that had Jehovah had done for Moses and his people and how he had led the Israelites out of their bondage in Egypt. He, therefore, set out to visit Moses in the desert where he was camped at the foot of the holy mountain. He was accompanied by Moses' wife, Sephora, whom Moses had sent back to him, and their two sons Gershom (named such because Moses said, "I have been an immigrant in a foreign land") and Eliezer (named such because Moses said, “The god of my father gave me aid and spared me from the Pharaoh’s sword”). Jethro sent ahead this message to Moses: “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to visit you. With me is your wife and two sons."
When he arrived, Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, bowed before him, and kissed him. They exchanged greetings and salutations and went into the tent together to converse. Moses related to his father-in-law all that Jehovah had done to the Pharaoh and the Egyptians in aid of the Israelites, the troubles, trials, and tribulations that had befallen them on the way and how Jehovah had rescued them.
Jethro rejoiced for all the good services Jehovah had rendered to the Israelites in liberating them from the oppression of the Egyptians. He declared, "Blessed is Jehovah, who has delivered you from the domination of the Egyptians and their Pharaoh and so freed the people of Israel from their bondage in Egypt. I now know well that Jehovah is greater than all the other gods, for he has triumphed over them, having wrought these afflictions upon those who treated his people so arrogantly.”
Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, proffered a burnt offering and other sacrifices to Jehovah. Aaron, along with all the elders of Israel, came and joined Jethro in a meal, there at the place of sacrifice.
The next day, Moses sat in judgment of his people, who attended upon him from dawn to dusk. When his father-in-law witnessed how he administered justice, he told him, “What is it that you’re accomplishing here? Why do you hold court by yourself and make the people wait all day to see you?"
Moses answered, "The people come to me to learn the will of their god. When there’s a dispute, they come to me to resolve it. I inform them of Jehovah’s teachings and his laws."
But Moses' father-in-law argued, "This is not an effective means of doing it, for you're wearing yourself out -- and the people as well. This is too great a burden for you to bear all by yourself. Now listen to me and I will give you some sound advice that Jehovah will approve of. --- You should continue to enlighten the people on matters of the divine, to be an intermediary between your people and their god, to instruct them in the proper religious ceremonies and manner of worship, and to teach them how to behave and how to conduct their lives. But choose some able men, those who revere God and respect the truth, honest men who are above taking bribes, and make them leaders over divisions of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens of people. Let them function as magistrates. All important matters they will bring before you, but routine matters they will take care of themselves. This will be easier on you, for they will be able to share your burden. If you would do this, provided Jehovah approves of it, you will be better able to handle the demands of being your people’s judge and more likely to send your people home satisfied with your rulings.”
Moses heeded his father-in-law's counsel and did all that was suggested to him. He chose competent men from among the people of Israel and made them administrators of divisions of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens of people. These officials settled any disputes that arose among the people. Important cases were referred to Moses to rule upon, while they handled all the simpler matters.
Moses allowed his father-in-law to depart, and he returned to his own country.
Notes
1. Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, visits Moses, to bring to him his wife and children, to see how he's doing, and to give him counsel. The situation and the relationship that Moses has with his wife's father does not at all make sense if Moses was really 80 years old, as Exodus claims. The children are not adults yet, the wife is not an old woman, and the father-in-law is a wise elder who is able to advise the younger man, Moses.
2. Jethro, apprised of the Hebrew travails and triumphs, is able to rejoice with Moses how their mighty god Jehovah had made the lives of the Egyptian people miserable, how he murdered many millions of them, devastated their land, crops and livestock, how he all but destroyed the greatest nation of the ancient world and made the Egyptian gods look like chumps. (Jehovah really showed them!)
3. Nothing is mentioned concerning Moses' reunion with his wife, or his children, who, at some point, must have been sent away to live with Jethro's people. They are not included in the celebratory feast Jethro has with Moses, Aaron, and the elders of Israel. Although he makes a fuss over his father-in-law, Moses is not recorded as being glad to see his wife and sons. (He is apparently not the family man Jacob was.)
4. Jethro realizes the power of Jehovah and how he is better and stronger than any of the foreign gods around. Again, we are reminded that the Hebrews in no way thought that Jehovah, their god, was the only god -- nor could he be God, the universal deity and creator.
5. Moses learns from his father-in-law two important qualities necessary for effective leadership, firstly, being willing to take advice from those older and wiser, and secondly, not insisting on doing everything one's self, but being willing to delegate authority. Moses, to his credit, learns and adapts.
6. Here we see the beginning of organized justice and the formation of a ruling bureaucracy, institutions characteristic of and necessary for the establishment of a nation. Israel is ceasing to be a mere tribe, and is becoming a nation.
Thursday, October 10, 2013
War with the Amalekites
(Exodus 17:8 - 17:16)
Then, the Amalekites appeared and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. Moses ordered Joshua, "Choose a company of fighting men, march them out, and engage the Amalekites in battle. Tomorrow, I will be watching from the top of the hill with the divine staff in my hand."
Joshua did as Moses had told him and fought with the Amalekites, while Moses ascended the hill to observe the battle with Aaron and Hur. When Moses kept his arms raised, Israel would prevail in the battle, but, if he let them down, the Amalekites would then start winning. Moses’ arms soon became heavy with fatigue: a stone was then found to place under him so he could sit down on it. Aaron and Hur, positioned on each side of him, held up his arms. Thus, they were able to keep his arms raised until sunset. And, by force of arms, Joshua was able to defeat the Amalekite forces and put them to flight.
Jehovah said to Moses, "Inscribe this in a book so it will be remembered -- and drum it into the ears of Joshua -- I will wipe out the memory of the Amalekites upon the earth!"
Moses built an altar and called it Jehovah-nissi [Jehovah is my banner], because, he said, “I have raised my arms to Jehovah’s banner, and so Jehovah will continue to wage war against the Amalekites from one generation to the next.”
Notes
1. Two new characters are introduced here without any real introduction. One is Joshua, who assumes the role as the military commander of the Israelites. The other is Hur, obviously a confidant of Moses and Aaron. Joshua will figure prominently as a Hebrew leader. (By the way, his name in Hebrew, Yehoshua, is the same as that of Jesus.) Hur merits only a couple further mentions. He has been identified as either the husband of Miriam or her son, but the Bible itself has nothing to say on the subject.
2. The Israelites are now required to fight, having been attacked by the Amalekites. Fight with what? Where did their swords, spears, shields, and armor come from? There is no record of them taking arms with them when they left Egypt, only a lot of looted jewelry and raiment. With a day's notice, Joshua is able to raise an army, train and equip it, and fight a winning battle. Amazing!
3. Moses tells Joshua he will be watching the battle from the top of a hill with his staff in his hands. This is the magical staff that summoned so many of the plagues back in Egypt and here in the desert had just been used to produce water from a rock. Yet, when Moses is on the hill, no mention is made of the staff, only the arms of Moses, which, when raised, cause the Israelites to prevail in battle. This is puzzling, considering the importance of the staff. Did he have it in one of his hands, or in both?
4. The Israelites can win the fight against the Amalekites only because Moses keeps his arms raised. There is a recurring theme here. Left to their own devices, the people of Israel are ever doomed. They are continually dependent upon magic and miracles and the help of Jehovah for everything, their freedom, victory in battle, their next meal. It is never their integrity and character, their intelligence, imagination, and resourcefulness, their courage and determination that brings them success of any sort. They are never rewarded for their own efforts, but must receive as a blessing from their god all that they have. And these blessings come with a price, their dedication and obedience to Jehovah, for they are no longer slaves to Egypt, but slaves to Jehovah.
5. There is a promise that the Israelites will forever be at war with the Amalekites. One presumes that the Amalekites initiated hostilities because the Israelites were encroaching upon their land, which, from the standpoint of Jehovah, is despicable. If these Amalekites are such a bad lot and going to be such a thorn in the side of the Israelites, why doesn't Jehovah simply dispose of them right now? He had no qualms about annihilating every firstborn Egyptian, presumably millions of people, in a single night -- an epic act of mass murder! (And he was able to do it with a dispatch that the Nazi perpetrators of the Jewish genocide would have envied.) Why doesn't he at least send a few little plagues against them, give them bedbugs, cause their hair to fall out, or make their milk sour, or something? And, if he really wants the memory of the Amalekites to be erased from human history, why does he order Moses to write about them and chronicle their evil deeds for posterity?
6. The Amalekites are generally taken to be the descendants of Amalek, Esau’s grandson and the son of Eliphaz, and were a nomadic tribe of Sinai and the Negez who became, over the course of many centuries, the archenemies and nemesis of the Hebrew people. This origin was challenged, even in ancient times, and there is a view that the Amalekites may have existed in the region earlier, during the days of Abraham. Many later peoples, the Armenians, the Germans, and, more recently, the Palestinians, have been identified with the Amalekites.
Then, the Amalekites appeared and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. Moses ordered Joshua, "Choose a company of fighting men, march them out, and engage the Amalekites in battle. Tomorrow, I will be watching from the top of the hill with the divine staff in my hand."
Joshua did as Moses had told him and fought with the Amalekites, while Moses ascended the hill to observe the battle with Aaron and Hur. When Moses kept his arms raised, Israel would prevail in the battle, but, if he let them down, the Amalekites would then start winning. Moses’ arms soon became heavy with fatigue: a stone was then found to place under him so he could sit down on it. Aaron and Hur, positioned on each side of him, held up his arms. Thus, they were able to keep his arms raised until sunset. And, by force of arms, Joshua was able to defeat the Amalekite forces and put them to flight.
Jehovah said to Moses, "Inscribe this in a book so it will be remembered -- and drum it into the ears of Joshua -- I will wipe out the memory of the Amalekites upon the earth!"
Moses built an altar and called it Jehovah-nissi [Jehovah is my banner], because, he said, “I have raised my arms to Jehovah’s banner, and so Jehovah will continue to wage war against the Amalekites from one generation to the next.”
Notes
1. Two new characters are introduced here without any real introduction. One is Joshua, who assumes the role as the military commander of the Israelites. The other is Hur, obviously a confidant of Moses and Aaron. Joshua will figure prominently as a Hebrew leader. (By the way, his name in Hebrew, Yehoshua, is the same as that of Jesus.) Hur merits only a couple further mentions. He has been identified as either the husband of Miriam or her son, but the Bible itself has nothing to say on the subject.
2. The Israelites are now required to fight, having been attacked by the Amalekites. Fight with what? Where did their swords, spears, shields, and armor come from? There is no record of them taking arms with them when they left Egypt, only a lot of looted jewelry and raiment. With a day's notice, Joshua is able to raise an army, train and equip it, and fight a winning battle. Amazing!
3. Moses tells Joshua he will be watching the battle from the top of a hill with his staff in his hands. This is the magical staff that summoned so many of the plagues back in Egypt and here in the desert had just been used to produce water from a rock. Yet, when Moses is on the hill, no mention is made of the staff, only the arms of Moses, which, when raised, cause the Israelites to prevail in battle. This is puzzling, considering the importance of the staff. Did he have it in one of his hands, or in both?
4. The Israelites can win the fight against the Amalekites only because Moses keeps his arms raised. There is a recurring theme here. Left to their own devices, the people of Israel are ever doomed. They are continually dependent upon magic and miracles and the help of Jehovah for everything, their freedom, victory in battle, their next meal. It is never their integrity and character, their intelligence, imagination, and resourcefulness, their courage and determination that brings them success of any sort. They are never rewarded for their own efforts, but must receive as a blessing from their god all that they have. And these blessings come with a price, their dedication and obedience to Jehovah, for they are no longer slaves to Egypt, but slaves to Jehovah.
5. There is a promise that the Israelites will forever be at war with the Amalekites. One presumes that the Amalekites initiated hostilities because the Israelites were encroaching upon their land, which, from the standpoint of Jehovah, is despicable. If these Amalekites are such a bad lot and going to be such a thorn in the side of the Israelites, why doesn't Jehovah simply dispose of them right now? He had no qualms about annihilating every firstborn Egyptian, presumably millions of people, in a single night -- an epic act of mass murder! (And he was able to do it with a dispatch that the Nazi perpetrators of the Jewish genocide would have envied.) Why doesn't he at least send a few little plagues against them, give them bedbugs, cause their hair to fall out, or make their milk sour, or something? And, if he really wants the memory of the Amalekites to be erased from human history, why does he order Moses to write about them and chronicle their evil deeds for posterity?
6. The Amalekites are generally taken to be the descendants of Amalek, Esau’s grandson and the son of Eliphaz, and were a nomadic tribe of Sinai and the Negez who became, over the course of many centuries, the archenemies and nemesis of the Hebrew people. This origin was challenged, even in ancient times, and there is a view that the Amalekites may have existed in the region earlier, during the days of Abraham. Many later peoples, the Armenians, the Germans, and, more recently, the Palestinians, have been identified with the Amalekites.
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Sustenance in the Desert
(Exodus 15:22 - 17:7)
Moses then led the people of Israel away from the Red Sea and into the desert lands of Shur, but they traveled for three days there without locating any water. When they arrived at Marah, they found they could not drink its waters because they were bitter. (That was why the place was called Marah [meaning bitter].) The people began speaking out against Moses, complaining, "What are we supposed to drink?" Moses prayed to Jehovah, who pointed out to him a piece of wood that, when cast into the water, turned it sweet and drinkable.
It was at Marah that Jehovah set up rules and regulations for the Israelites, in order to put their loyalty to the test. He told them, "If you will faithfully heed the voice of Jehovah your god, do what is right in his eyes, keep his commandments, and follow his laws, then I will bring upon you none of the afflictions that befell the Egyptians -- for I am Jehovah, a god who will heal you."
They arrived at Elim, where there were 12 wells and 70 palm trees, and they camped there by the waters of the oasis. Leaving Elim, the people of Israel entered the desert of Sin, which lies between Elim and the Sinai, this on the 15th day of the 2nd month, a month after their departure from Egypt. While in the desert, the people began again to make complaints against Moses and Aaron. They said, "Would that we had been killed by Jehovah back in Egypt where we sat among pots stuffed with meat and were able to fill our stomachs with all the food we wanted. Now, you’ve led us into this wasteland where we’ll all die of starvation!”
And so Jehovah told Moses, "I will scatter food down to you from the sky and the people will go out to gather what they need every day. By this means I can test them to see if they are following my rules or not. Let them be prepared to take in twice as much food on Friday as they do on the other days of the week.”
Moses and Aaron addressed the people of Israel, "In the evening you will realize that it was Jehovah who brought you out of the land of Egypt. By morning you will behold the glory of Jehovah. He is aware of your complaints -- which are against him, not against us. Who are we that you blame us for your grievances?”
Moses added, "In the evening Jehovah will give you meat and in the morning all the bread you want, for he has heard the complaints you have made against him. But what have we done: your grievance is not with us, but with Jehovah." Moses also said to Aaron, "Say to the whole community of Israel, ‘Present yourself to Jehovah, for he has heard your complaints.’”
And when Aaron addressed the assembly of Israelites, they all gazed out upon the desert and witnessed the awesome glory of Jehovah when he appeared among the clouds in his aerial vehicle.
Jehovah spoke to Moses, "I have heard the complaints of the people of Israel. You will say to them, 'In the evening you will eat meat and in the morning, your fill of bread, and then you will know that Jehovah is your god.’”
And so it happened that evening many flocks of quails flew in and swarmed over the camp. In the morning the ground was carpeted by a kind of dew. When it evaporated, the surface of the desert was covered with thin flakes resembling crystals of frost.
When the Israelites saw it, they were puzzled, saying to one another, "Let's call it manna, for we don't know what it is." Moses informed them, "This is the food that Jehovah has given you to eat. This is what he was speaking of when he told you, ‘Let each of you collect as much as you need to eat, an omer for each person that lives in your tent.’”
The people of Israel did as they were instructed, some gathering more, some less, but when it was measured it turned out that he who had gathered more, had no surplus, and he who had gathered less, had no deficiency, each man having enough food for his needs. But Moses warned them, "Let no one keep any of it till morning." Some, though, did not follow his instructions, but they found that by the next morning the manna they had saved was rotten; it stunk and was covered with maggots. (Moses was furious with them for disobeying him.)
Thereafter, they gathered the manna in the morning, every man's ration, for in the heat of the sun the ungathered manna would melt. On Fridays they collected twice as much manna, two omers per person. All the leaders of the people came to question Moses about this, and he explained to them, "Jehovah has commanded us that tomorrow should be a day of rest, the Sabbath dedicated to Jehovah. Therefore, bake today what you will need to bake and boil what you need to boil, but you can save the left-overs for tomorrow." They did what Moses had ordered and, lo, the manna did not spoil, nor did it become wormy.
Moses instructed, "Eat this food today, for this is the Sabbath and on this day there will be no manna on the ground. Gather manna six days a week, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, it will not be there.” Nevertheless, on Saturday some of the people went out in the fields to gather manna; they found none.
Jehovah rebuked Moses, "How long will your people refuse to follow my orders and commandments? Jehovah has given you the Sabbath as a gift. For that reason he has given you a double ration on Friday, so that there will be enough for two days and every person can stay at home and not have to venture forth on Saturday."
Thereafter, the people of Israel observed the Sabbath as a day of rest.
The people of Israel called the food given to them by Jehovah, "manna." (It resembled a coriander seed, it was white and tasted like biscuits made with honey.)
Moses proclaimed, "Jehovah has commanded this of us, ‘Keep an omer of manna so that future generations may see what kind of food I fed you in the desert after I brought you out of the land of Egypt.'"
Moses instructed Aaron, "Take a jar and fill it with an omer's worth of manna and store it in a sacred place so that it can be preserved for the sake of future generations." Aaron did as Jehovah had commanded Moses; (for safe keeping, he would stow it in the holy chest that contained the tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments.)
And so the people of Israel subsisted on manna for 40 years until they came to the land where they would eventually settle; that is, they continued to eat manna until they reached the borders of Canaan.
(Incidentially, an omer is the tenth part of a ephah.)
According to the instructions of Jehovah, the whole community of Israelite people left the desert of Sin and continued their journey from place to place. They eventually arrived at Rephidim. However, here there was no water for them to drink, and the people argued with Moses, demanding of him, "Give us water to drink!"
Moses responded, "Why are you quarreling with me? Why are you testing Jehovah?"
But they were perishing from lack of water and blamed Moses. "Why did you bring us out of Egypt, so that we, our children, and our livestock will die of thirst?" they grumbled.
Moses appealed to Jehovah, "What shall I say to the people? They are on the brink of stoning me to death!"
Jehovah told Moses, "Go ahead of the people, take along the elders of Israel and carry in your hand the staff that you had used to strike the River Nile. On a rock in Horeb, I will stand in front of you, and when you strike the rock with your staff, water will gush forth from it and the people will be able to drink." Moses did this in the presence of the Israelite elders. The place where this was done was thenceforth called Massah, because it was here the Israelites had tested Jehovah, asking, "Is Jehovah on our side, or not?" It would also be called Meribah, because they had quarreled there.
Notes
1. Jehovah must perform several miracles to spare the Israelites from starving and dying of thirst. The first is to purify the undrinkable water of Marah, this by submerging a certain piece of wood into the water. Jehovah could, with advanced technology, easily render the water potable. Is the piece of wood (or tree, as most translations say) just a bit of hocus pocus or was it a device (or contained a device) that did the work of purifying the water? If Jehovah could create an actual miracle, why bother with the piece of wood at all, why not just make the polluted water pure?
2. Jehovah, at this point, speaks of his laws and commandments and the necessity of his people following them. What are they? So far we have only learned he demands circumcision, observance of the Sabbath, and a sacrifice to him of all the first-born. Is there more? A deal is made that Jehovah will support the Israelites if they do his bidding.
3. The Israelites, who consistently show a lack of gratitude and faith, not only gripe and grumble to Moses, but wish they were back in Egypt -- dead. This is a recurring theme. One wonders why Jehovah would bother being a god to a people so unworthy, so unappreciative.
4. The whole nation of Israel witnesses the appearance of Jehovah's airship, which is obviously the glory in the clouds. Jehovah speaks. Does he come down to earth and speak to Moses man-to-man, or is his voice projected from the sky. --- It is never made clear how Moses communicated with Jehovah. Was Jehovah a disembodied voice? Did he materialize before Moses or visit him in a normal way. Was their communion telepathic? There is no reference to Jehovah appearing in the manner of a spirit or apparition. At this point, he is only described as appearing in what is likely an aerial vehicle and speaking from it. Later, when he produces the water from the rock of Horeb, it seems that Jehovah is literally there, standing with Moses. (This is at Horeb, presumably his home base.) There is no indication that his presence is anything but the physical appearance of a human being.
5. The Israelites are starving, but why is that? Obviously, it would have been difficult to find food in the desert (especially for a purported 2 million people!). However, the Israelites did have livestock, spared from the plagues. Why would they have not used them for food, if they were really starving?
6. The Israelites are fed by Jehovah a strange substance they call manna (from the Hebrew words meaning "what is it?") There have been many suggestions as to what manna might have been, all them preposterous, if not ludicrous. Several things must be born in mind. The Israelites were unfamiliar with it. It fell from the sky daily, except on the Sabbath. (Dropped from Jehovah's airship?) And it had enough nourishment to sustain the Israelites, who ate it exclusively for a period of 40 years. (The 40 years wandering in the desert is surely as unlikely as the Israelite population numbering 2 million!) The only logical explanation is that the manna was a synthetic food manufactured by Jehovah's race, probably for consumption during interstellar voyages and extraterrestrial sojourns. It would have contained all the nutritional requirements for a human. Curiously, though, it would melt in the sun and rot in a day, though it would not spoil during the Sabbath. Perhaps Jehovah was able to treat the manna in some way to control its preservation. (One would think such a product would have to have a “best used by” date pretty far in the future.) It is interesting to recall that the Greek gods also had a special diet, consisting of nectar and ambrosia. It is possible that ambrosia and manna were the same thing, food of the gods -- or synthetic space food.
7. Omer is a unit of dry measure equal to about two quarts.
8. Elim, where there were exactly 12 wells and 70 palm trees, not 69 mind you, was probably an oasis on a wadi about 60 miles southeast of Suez. Horeb in Rephidim may (or may not) be the same location where Moses encountered the burning bush. Massah means “test,” and Meridah means “quarrel.”
Moses then led the people of Israel away from the Red Sea and into the desert lands of Shur, but they traveled for three days there without locating any water. When they arrived at Marah, they found they could not drink its waters because they were bitter. (That was why the place was called Marah [meaning bitter].) The people began speaking out against Moses, complaining, "What are we supposed to drink?" Moses prayed to Jehovah, who pointed out to him a piece of wood that, when cast into the water, turned it sweet and drinkable.
It was at Marah that Jehovah set up rules and regulations for the Israelites, in order to put their loyalty to the test. He told them, "If you will faithfully heed the voice of Jehovah your god, do what is right in his eyes, keep his commandments, and follow his laws, then I will bring upon you none of the afflictions that befell the Egyptians -- for I am Jehovah, a god who will heal you."
They arrived at Elim, where there were 12 wells and 70 palm trees, and they camped there by the waters of the oasis. Leaving Elim, the people of Israel entered the desert of Sin, which lies between Elim and the Sinai, this on the 15th day of the 2nd month, a month after their departure from Egypt. While in the desert, the people began again to make complaints against Moses and Aaron. They said, "Would that we had been killed by Jehovah back in Egypt where we sat among pots stuffed with meat and were able to fill our stomachs with all the food we wanted. Now, you’ve led us into this wasteland where we’ll all die of starvation!”
And so Jehovah told Moses, "I will scatter food down to you from the sky and the people will go out to gather what they need every day. By this means I can test them to see if they are following my rules or not. Let them be prepared to take in twice as much food on Friday as they do on the other days of the week.”
Moses and Aaron addressed the people of Israel, "In the evening you will realize that it was Jehovah who brought you out of the land of Egypt. By morning you will behold the glory of Jehovah. He is aware of your complaints -- which are against him, not against us. Who are we that you blame us for your grievances?”
Moses added, "In the evening Jehovah will give you meat and in the morning all the bread you want, for he has heard the complaints you have made against him. But what have we done: your grievance is not with us, but with Jehovah." Moses also said to Aaron, "Say to the whole community of Israel, ‘Present yourself to Jehovah, for he has heard your complaints.’”
And when Aaron addressed the assembly of Israelites, they all gazed out upon the desert and witnessed the awesome glory of Jehovah when he appeared among the clouds in his aerial vehicle.
Jehovah spoke to Moses, "I have heard the complaints of the people of Israel. You will say to them, 'In the evening you will eat meat and in the morning, your fill of bread, and then you will know that Jehovah is your god.’”
And so it happened that evening many flocks of quails flew in and swarmed over the camp. In the morning the ground was carpeted by a kind of dew. When it evaporated, the surface of the desert was covered with thin flakes resembling crystals of frost.
When the Israelites saw it, they were puzzled, saying to one another, "Let's call it manna, for we don't know what it is." Moses informed them, "This is the food that Jehovah has given you to eat. This is what he was speaking of when he told you, ‘Let each of you collect as much as you need to eat, an omer for each person that lives in your tent.’”
The people of Israel did as they were instructed, some gathering more, some less, but when it was measured it turned out that he who had gathered more, had no surplus, and he who had gathered less, had no deficiency, each man having enough food for his needs. But Moses warned them, "Let no one keep any of it till morning." Some, though, did not follow his instructions, but they found that by the next morning the manna they had saved was rotten; it stunk and was covered with maggots. (Moses was furious with them for disobeying him.)
Thereafter, they gathered the manna in the morning, every man's ration, for in the heat of the sun the ungathered manna would melt. On Fridays they collected twice as much manna, two omers per person. All the leaders of the people came to question Moses about this, and he explained to them, "Jehovah has commanded us that tomorrow should be a day of rest, the Sabbath dedicated to Jehovah. Therefore, bake today what you will need to bake and boil what you need to boil, but you can save the left-overs for tomorrow." They did what Moses had ordered and, lo, the manna did not spoil, nor did it become wormy.
Moses instructed, "Eat this food today, for this is the Sabbath and on this day there will be no manna on the ground. Gather manna six days a week, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, it will not be there.” Nevertheless, on Saturday some of the people went out in the fields to gather manna; they found none.
Jehovah rebuked Moses, "How long will your people refuse to follow my orders and commandments? Jehovah has given you the Sabbath as a gift. For that reason he has given you a double ration on Friday, so that there will be enough for two days and every person can stay at home and not have to venture forth on Saturday."
Thereafter, the people of Israel observed the Sabbath as a day of rest.
The people of Israel called the food given to them by Jehovah, "manna." (It resembled a coriander seed, it was white and tasted like biscuits made with honey.)
Moses proclaimed, "Jehovah has commanded this of us, ‘Keep an omer of manna so that future generations may see what kind of food I fed you in the desert after I brought you out of the land of Egypt.'"
Moses instructed Aaron, "Take a jar and fill it with an omer's worth of manna and store it in a sacred place so that it can be preserved for the sake of future generations." Aaron did as Jehovah had commanded Moses; (for safe keeping, he would stow it in the holy chest that contained the tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments.)
And so the people of Israel subsisted on manna for 40 years until they came to the land where they would eventually settle; that is, they continued to eat manna until they reached the borders of Canaan.
(Incidentially, an omer is the tenth part of a ephah.)
According to the instructions of Jehovah, the whole community of Israelite people left the desert of Sin and continued their journey from place to place. They eventually arrived at Rephidim. However, here there was no water for them to drink, and the people argued with Moses, demanding of him, "Give us water to drink!"
Moses responded, "Why are you quarreling with me? Why are you testing Jehovah?"
But they were perishing from lack of water and blamed Moses. "Why did you bring us out of Egypt, so that we, our children, and our livestock will die of thirst?" they grumbled.
Moses appealed to Jehovah, "What shall I say to the people? They are on the brink of stoning me to death!"
Jehovah told Moses, "Go ahead of the people, take along the elders of Israel and carry in your hand the staff that you had used to strike the River Nile. On a rock in Horeb, I will stand in front of you, and when you strike the rock with your staff, water will gush forth from it and the people will be able to drink." Moses did this in the presence of the Israelite elders. The place where this was done was thenceforth called Massah, because it was here the Israelites had tested Jehovah, asking, "Is Jehovah on our side, or not?" It would also be called Meribah, because they had quarreled there.
Notes
1. Jehovah must perform several miracles to spare the Israelites from starving and dying of thirst. The first is to purify the undrinkable water of Marah, this by submerging a certain piece of wood into the water. Jehovah could, with advanced technology, easily render the water potable. Is the piece of wood (or tree, as most translations say) just a bit of hocus pocus or was it a device (or contained a device) that did the work of purifying the water? If Jehovah could create an actual miracle, why bother with the piece of wood at all, why not just make the polluted water pure?
2. Jehovah, at this point, speaks of his laws and commandments and the necessity of his people following them. What are they? So far we have only learned he demands circumcision, observance of the Sabbath, and a sacrifice to him of all the first-born. Is there more? A deal is made that Jehovah will support the Israelites if they do his bidding.
3. The Israelites, who consistently show a lack of gratitude and faith, not only gripe and grumble to Moses, but wish they were back in Egypt -- dead. This is a recurring theme. One wonders why Jehovah would bother being a god to a people so unworthy, so unappreciative.
4. The whole nation of Israel witnesses the appearance of Jehovah's airship, which is obviously the glory in the clouds. Jehovah speaks. Does he come down to earth and speak to Moses man-to-man, or is his voice projected from the sky. --- It is never made clear how Moses communicated with Jehovah. Was Jehovah a disembodied voice? Did he materialize before Moses or visit him in a normal way. Was their communion telepathic? There is no reference to Jehovah appearing in the manner of a spirit or apparition. At this point, he is only described as appearing in what is likely an aerial vehicle and speaking from it. Later, when he produces the water from the rock of Horeb, it seems that Jehovah is literally there, standing with Moses. (This is at Horeb, presumably his home base.) There is no indication that his presence is anything but the physical appearance of a human being.
5. The Israelites are starving, but why is that? Obviously, it would have been difficult to find food in the desert (especially for a purported 2 million people!). However, the Israelites did have livestock, spared from the plagues. Why would they have not used them for food, if they were really starving?
6. The Israelites are fed by Jehovah a strange substance they call manna (from the Hebrew words meaning "what is it?") There have been many suggestions as to what manna might have been, all them preposterous, if not ludicrous. Several things must be born in mind. The Israelites were unfamiliar with it. It fell from the sky daily, except on the Sabbath. (Dropped from Jehovah's airship?) And it had enough nourishment to sustain the Israelites, who ate it exclusively for a period of 40 years. (The 40 years wandering in the desert is surely as unlikely as the Israelite population numbering 2 million!) The only logical explanation is that the manna was a synthetic food manufactured by Jehovah's race, probably for consumption during interstellar voyages and extraterrestrial sojourns. It would have contained all the nutritional requirements for a human. Curiously, though, it would melt in the sun and rot in a day, though it would not spoil during the Sabbath. Perhaps Jehovah was able to treat the manna in some way to control its preservation. (One would think such a product would have to have a “best used by” date pretty far in the future.) It is interesting to recall that the Greek gods also had a special diet, consisting of nectar and ambrosia. It is possible that ambrosia and manna were the same thing, food of the gods -- or synthetic space food.
7. Omer is a unit of dry measure equal to about two quarts.
8. Elim, where there were exactly 12 wells and 70 palm trees, not 69 mind you, was probably an oasis on a wadi about 60 miles southeast of Suez. Horeb in Rephidim may (or may not) be the same location where Moses encountered the burning bush. Massah means “test,” and Meridah means “quarrel.”
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Jubilation
(Exodus 15:1 - 15:21)
Moses and the men of Israel sang a song to their god. It went like this:
I sing to Jehovah joyously,
For he has triumphed gloriously,
Overturning horse and driver
And casting them into the sea.
Jehovah is the source of my strength
And the subject of my song of praise.
He has become my salvation.
He is my god, I glorify him!
God of my father, I exalt him!
Jehovah is like a man of war,
Mighty is the name of Jehovah!
The Pharaoh's army and chariots,
He did fling them into the water;
His chosen men and officers,
He did drown them in the Red Sea.
The waters covered them and they sank
To the bottom like a heavy stone.
In your right hand, O Jehovah,
Is strength amplified by glory.
By your right hand, O Jehovah,
Have you devastated the foe.
With your power and your glory
You put down those who rise against you.
In the fire of your seething wrath
Have you consumed them like stubble.
And in a blast of your anger
Were the waters gathered together;
The rushing currents standing on end,
Piled up in the middle of the sea.
But Jehovah's enemy did vow,
"I will pursue and overtake them;
I will rob them and divide the spoils;
I will avenge myself upon them;
I will draw my sword and attack them,
Destroying them with my own hands."
Your breath blew a gale against them
So that the waters overwhelmed
And drowned them, so that they did sink
Like lead into the depths of the sea.
Who is your equal among the gods,
O Jehovah! Who is your match?
So glorious in your godliness,
Inspiring adulation and awe,
Performing wondrous miracles ---
You stretched out your right hand and, lo!,
The earth swallowed up our enemies.
In loyal love have you led
Those you have set free from bondage;
And in godly might do you guide
Them to the land you have made holy.
Nations will hear the news and be alarmed.
Distress will seize the people of Palestine;
The sheiks of Edom will be sorely troubled;
Mighty men of Moab will tremble in fear;
The rulers of Canaan will faint dead away.
Overcome by fear and dread will they be,
Impassive as a stone before your power,
As your people, O Jehovah, pass through,
As those you have liberated make their way
To the land set aside as their legacy,
You will escort them there and settle them
In the home prepared for their habitation,
In the sanctuary, O Jehovah,
You have created for them with your own hands.
Jehovah will reign forever and ever!
(For the horses of the Pharaoh, with their chariots and drivers, went into the midst of the sea, but Jehovah brought the waters of the sea back down upon them, while the children of Israel walked through the middle of the sea dry shod.)
Miriam, the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, picked up a tambourine and all the women followed her, playing their tambourines and cavorting in dance. She answered the men's song with one of her own, which began,
Let us sing a song to Jehovah,
For he has triumphed gloriously,
Casting horse and driver into the sea.
Notes
1. It is amazing that the Israelites, a race of brick-making slaves, are able, at almost a moment's notice, to compose a song to express their sense of triumph in their liberation. In it they rightfully thank Jehovah, but seem to say nothing about the virtues of personal freedom or the greatness of the nation they are going to build. The emphasis is, as always, on the negative and the destructive, getting revenge, intimidating and showing up other peoples. It is also curious that they chose to mention the reaction of other countries and speak of events that are yet to occur. Apparently a geopolitical sense has been instilled in this slave race.
2. Miriam is referred to as the sister of Aaron, but not, for some reason, as the sister of Moses. At any rate, her family origin probably singled her out as a leader of the women and it is she who leads the women in a song to answer that sung by the men. She plays the tambourine (or the ancient timbrel, a hand-held percussion instrument of Egyptian origin, not really any different from the modern tambourine, though, which is why I have used the modern term.) And she dances. She must have been a pretty spry gal, for, if Moses was past 80 years old at the time, she would have been pushing 90. Her song, not too strong on originality, seems to be a near duplicate of the men's song, but then, we don't know the tune, if there was one.
3. Miriam is spoken of as a prophetess, although we have yet to hear any of her prophecies or of her communion with Jehovah. Was she privy to the plans of her brothers Moses and Aaron? (It should be mentioned that in Islam she is not considered a prophetess, for, not surprisingly, in that religion only a man is worthy to be a prophet.)
4. Many translations refer here to horses and riders. This would not be strictly accurate because horses were not ridden at this period: they were only used to pull chariots. (Large horses were not yet bred and things like harnesses and saddles had yet to be invented.) Therefore, unless the reference is anachronistic, it should refer to horses and drivers (of chariots).
Moses and the men of Israel sang a song to their god. It went like this:
I sing to Jehovah joyously,
For he has triumphed gloriously,
Overturning horse and driver
And casting them into the sea.
Jehovah is the source of my strength
And the subject of my song of praise.
He has become my salvation.
He is my god, I glorify him!
God of my father, I exalt him!
Jehovah is like a man of war,
Mighty is the name of Jehovah!
The Pharaoh's army and chariots,
He did fling them into the water;
His chosen men and officers,
He did drown them in the Red Sea.
The waters covered them and they sank
To the bottom like a heavy stone.
In your right hand, O Jehovah,
Is strength amplified by glory.
By your right hand, O Jehovah,
Have you devastated the foe.
With your power and your glory
You put down those who rise against you.
In the fire of your seething wrath
Have you consumed them like stubble.
And in a blast of your anger
Were the waters gathered together;
The rushing currents standing on end,
Piled up in the middle of the sea.
But Jehovah's enemy did vow,
"I will pursue and overtake them;
I will rob them and divide the spoils;
I will avenge myself upon them;
I will draw my sword and attack them,
Destroying them with my own hands."
Your breath blew a gale against them
So that the waters overwhelmed
And drowned them, so that they did sink
Like lead into the depths of the sea.
Who is your equal among the gods,
O Jehovah! Who is your match?
So glorious in your godliness,
Inspiring adulation and awe,
Performing wondrous miracles ---
You stretched out your right hand and, lo!,
The earth swallowed up our enemies.
In loyal love have you led
Those you have set free from bondage;
And in godly might do you guide
Them to the land you have made holy.
Nations will hear the news and be alarmed.
Distress will seize the people of Palestine;
The sheiks of Edom will be sorely troubled;
Mighty men of Moab will tremble in fear;
The rulers of Canaan will faint dead away.
Overcome by fear and dread will they be,
Impassive as a stone before your power,
As your people, O Jehovah, pass through,
As those you have liberated make their way
To the land set aside as their legacy,
You will escort them there and settle them
In the home prepared for their habitation,
In the sanctuary, O Jehovah,
You have created for them with your own hands.
Jehovah will reign forever and ever!
(For the horses of the Pharaoh, with their chariots and drivers, went into the midst of the sea, but Jehovah brought the waters of the sea back down upon them, while the children of Israel walked through the middle of the sea dry shod.)
Miriam, the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, picked up a tambourine and all the women followed her, playing their tambourines and cavorting in dance. She answered the men's song with one of her own, which began,
Let us sing a song to Jehovah,
For he has triumphed gloriously,
Casting horse and driver into the sea.
Notes
1. It is amazing that the Israelites, a race of brick-making slaves, are able, at almost a moment's notice, to compose a song to express their sense of triumph in their liberation. In it they rightfully thank Jehovah, but seem to say nothing about the virtues of personal freedom or the greatness of the nation they are going to build. The emphasis is, as always, on the negative and the destructive, getting revenge, intimidating and showing up other peoples. It is also curious that they chose to mention the reaction of other countries and speak of events that are yet to occur. Apparently a geopolitical sense has been instilled in this slave race.
2. Miriam is referred to as the sister of Aaron, but not, for some reason, as the sister of Moses. At any rate, her family origin probably singled her out as a leader of the women and it is she who leads the women in a song to answer that sung by the men. She plays the tambourine (or the ancient timbrel, a hand-held percussion instrument of Egyptian origin, not really any different from the modern tambourine, though, which is why I have used the modern term.) And she dances. She must have been a pretty spry gal, for, if Moses was past 80 years old at the time, she would have been pushing 90. Her song, not too strong on originality, seems to be a near duplicate of the men's song, but then, we don't know the tune, if there was one.
3. Miriam is spoken of as a prophetess, although we have yet to hear any of her prophecies or of her communion with Jehovah. Was she privy to the plans of her brothers Moses and Aaron? (It should be mentioned that in Islam she is not considered a prophetess, for, not surprisingly, in that religion only a man is worthy to be a prophet.)
4. Many translations refer here to horses and riders. This would not be strictly accurate because horses were not ridden at this period: they were only used to pull chariots. (Large horses were not yet bred and things like harnesses and saddles had yet to be invented.) Therefore, unless the reference is anachronistic, it should refer to horses and drivers (of chariots).
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