(Deuteronomy 34:1 - 34:12)
From the plains of Moab, Moses climbed Mount Nebo to the summit of Pisgah, across the river from Jericho. Jehovah revealed to him the entire land from Gilead as far as Dan, all the territory of Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah extending to the Mediterranean Sea, the Negev, the whole region of the Jordan Valley from Jericho, the city of palms, to Zoar. Jehovah said to him, “This is the land I promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when I swore, ‘I will give this to your descendants.’ I have let you see the land with your own eyes, but you won’t go over there.”
And so Moses, the servant of Jehovah, died in the land of Moab, according to the will of Jehovah. Jehovah buried him in Moab in a valley opposite Beth Peor, but to this day no one knows the exact location. Moses was 120 years old when he died, but neither his eyesight nor his vitality had diminished. The Israelites grieved for Moses on the plains of Moab for 30 days, until the customary period of mourning had ended.
Joshua son of Nun was now instilled with the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid hands on him. So the Israelites now obeyed him as Jehovah had commanded Moses they should do.
There has not arisen in Israel a prophet to compare with Moses, whom Jehovah knew personally. Jehovah sent him to perform miracles and wonders in Egypt against the Pharaoh, his officials, and the entire country. And with his awesome power Moses wrought these horrific acts of terror before the eyes of all Israel.
Notes
1. Moses was apparently in good health when he died. He needed to be, in order to be able to climb Mount Nebo, which is well over 2000 feet above the Jordan Valley. Of what then did Moses die? Did Jehovah, finished with him, simply put him down like an aged family pet?
2. While the text insists that Moses was 120 years old when he died, we have seen that the Books of Moses consistently give preposterously, if not impossibly long life spans for the Hebrew forefathers. The chronology of events and mere common sense suggest that Moses would have been many decades younger, even granted that the Israelites did wander as much as 40 years in the desert. The time between Moses’ exile from Egypt and his return as Jehovah’s emissary and the Israelites’ spokesman could not have been more than a few years, not the many decades suggested in the biblical text. If Moses had been 120 years old, he would have been 80 years older than any of the people he led (excepting Joshua and Caleb).
3. The view from Mount Nebo remains impressive, south to the Dead Sea, west to Jericho and even the Mount of Olives outside Jerusalem. However, the entire land can by no means be seen, irrespective of atmospheric conditions. If Moses could see the Mediterranean and the territory of Dan, he must have been granted superhuman vision.
4. Moses is unique among biblical figures in that his burial place was purposely kept secret. Apparently Jehovah buried him himself so that none of the Israelites would know the location of the grave. (Did the Israelite god use a shovel?) The only explanation for this would be to prevent the grave site from becoming a site of idolatrous veneration.
5. Joshua becomes the new leader of the Israelites. He is, after Moses’ death, inspired in some way because Moses put his hands on him. Was this merely ceremonial, or was something real, some power, some wisdom, some aptitude for divine communion conveyed to him by Moses’ touch?
6. Moses would be the last prophet that Jehovah would know personally. Is this due to Jehovah’s unwillingness to have direct relations with any of Moses’ successors or to Jehovah’s physical absence from the earth?
Saturday, October 8, 2016
Moses' Final Blessing
(Deuteronomy 32:48 - 33:29)
On that very day Jehovah told Moses, “Ascend Mount Nebo of the Abarim range in Moab, across from Jericho. There you can look out upon Canaan, which I am giving to people of Israel to occupy. There, on the mountain you have ascended, you will die and join your ancestors, just as your brother died on Mount Hor and joined his ancestors. Because you broke faith with me in front of the people of Israel at the oasis of Meribah-Kadesh in the Desert of Zin and failed to show the reverence due to me as a god, you will only be able to view from a distance the land I am giving the Israelite people. You will not enter it!”
This is the blessing that Moses, the man of God, gave to the Israelite people before his death:
“Jehovah came up from Sinai, he dawned over us in Seir and shone upon us from Mount Paran. He arose in the midst of his myriad devotees and his law was a fire in his right hand. Indeed he loved his people and his worshipers were under his protection. They knelt at his feet and listened to his teachings. The law given to us by Moses will always belong to Jacob’s congregation. Jehovah became the king of dear Israel when the tribal leaders assembled and all the tribes gathered together as a single nation.”
“Let the tribe of Reuben prosper and survive, although they are few in number.”
And of Judah, Moses said this, “Hear, O Jehovah, the plea of Judah, and reunite him with his people. Use your power to defend him and to support him against his enemies.”
Of Levi he said, “His Thummim and Urim belong to his faithful god that he tested at Massah and opposed at the oasis of Meribah. To his father and mother, he shows no bias. He gives no preferential treatment to his relatives nor does he do special favors for his children; he upholds your word and preserves your contract. He teaches your instructions to Jacob, your law to Israel. He offers incense to you and makes the burnt sacrifices upon the altar. Bless, O Jehovah, his ministry and receive with acceptance his handiwork. Whack in the groin those that rise against him, his enemies, so that they may threaten him no more.”
Of Benjamin, he said, “The beloved of Jehovah lives in safety by him, for Jehovah protects him all day long and carries him on his shoulders.”
Of Joseph he said, “May Jehovah bless his lands with the precious dew of heaven above and the waters of the deep below, with the bounty of the sun and the harvests of the moon, with the produce of the ancient mountains and the fertility of the eternal hills, with the finest fruits of the earth and its abundance. Let the favor of the one who manifested himself in the burning bush rest upon the head of Joseph; let it be like a crown upon the brow of he who was separated from his brothers. He has the majesty of a firstborn bull with horns like those of a wild ox. He will gore nations, even those at the ends of the earth. Thus are the ten thousands of Ephraim and the thousands of Manasseh.”
Of Zebulun he said, “May you prosper, Zebulun, when you go out to journey and Isacchar, when you remain at home in your tent. They will summon the people to their mountains so that they may make the proper sacrifices. They will nourish themselves with the wealth of the seas and the hidden treasures of the sand.”
Of Gad he said, “Blessed is he who enlarges Gad, who is crouched like a lion ready to tear off an arm or a head. He took the best land for himself, reserving a captain’s share. When the tribal chieftains were assembled, he carried out Jehovah’s justice and enforced his regulations among the Israelites.”
Of Dan he said, “Dan is like a lion cub that leaps out of Bashan.”
Of Naphtali he said, “Naphtali is highly favored by Jehovah and enjoys his full blessings. He will settle on the land in the south and the west.”
Of Asher he said, “May he be blessed above the other sons. Let him be held in respect by his brothers. May he dip his feet in olive oil. May the latches of his gates be of iron and bronze so that he may be strong all of his days.
“There is no one like the god of dear Israel who comes to your aid from the sky, flying majestically through the clouds. The everlasting god is your refuge. Under you are his everlasting arms supporting you. He expels the enemies before you and cries out, ‘Destroy them!’ So Israel will dwell in safety; Jacob’s abode is his alone, a land of grain and new wine nurtured by the dew that drops from the heavens.
“How blessed are you, Israel. Who else is like you, a people saved by Jehovah. He is your protective shield and conquering sword. Your enemies will kowtow before you, but you will stomp on their backs!”
Notes
1. There are two accounts in the Books of Moses of an incident that occurred in Meribah. In Exodus the people complain to Moses about the lack of water. Moses appeals to Jehovah and at his behest strikes with his rod a rock, out of which water gushes. In Numbers there is a similar story, but in it Moses does not follow Jehovah’s instructions precisely. Instead of addressing the rock, he addresses the Israelites and strikes the rock twice. A rush of fresh water results, but Jehovah is angry and insulted that Moses did not obey him. For his lack of respect to his divinity Moses is denied entry into the Promised Land. In Deuteronomy it is suggested that Moses is being punished not for his own lack of respect, but for that exhibited by the Israelites, the people he is leading. Meribah was likely located near Kadesh-Barnea on what is now the western border of Israel midway between the Mediterranean Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba. The Desert of Zin lies to the east, southwest of the Dead Sea. Mount Paran and the Desert of Paran lies in western Arabia near Mecca. Seir was a mountain range that extended from the Dead Sea to Aqaba. Mount Hor (not the northern Mount Hor that defined the northern boundary of Israel) was the place of Aaron’s death. Located in this mountain range, it is now called Mount Harun. Bashan was a kingdom on the west bank of the Jordan ruled by Og until the Israelites defeated him. What Bashan had to do with the tribe of Dan is not explained. Bashan was given to Manasseh, not Dan, whose portion was along the Mediterranean coast and couldn’t have been farther away from Bashan.
2. Moses blessings of the various tribes of Israel are muddled and disjointed, making little real sense. There are few actual benedictions; some tribes merit only comments. Simeon is left out, perhaps because their land lay within that of Judah. (Still, it does seem an unaccountable slight.) The blessings reflect the relative importance of the tribes from a much later date, which is not surprising since the entire book is highly anachronistic and represents the point of view of later priests, not of Moses. Some of the text is garbled and many verses are generally thought by scholars to be a later additions to the book.
3. The reference to Jehovah flying through the sky supports the theory that Jehovah was an extraterrestrial whose “pillar of cloud” was an aerial vehicle.
4. The blessings, such as they are, never go much beyond having bountiful harvests and being triumphant over enemies. These are still quite primitive times and the thinking of Moses (and Jehovah) never goes beyond the elemental. There seems to be no aspirations to build magnificent cities (like the Egyptians), to develop creature comforts (like the indoor plumbing the Minoans had), to create an efficient government (as the Persians and Romans would do), or to cultivate the civilized disciplines, such as philosophy, science, literature, art, and music (as the Greeks did).
On that very day Jehovah told Moses, “Ascend Mount Nebo of the Abarim range in Moab, across from Jericho. There you can look out upon Canaan, which I am giving to people of Israel to occupy. There, on the mountain you have ascended, you will die and join your ancestors, just as your brother died on Mount Hor and joined his ancestors. Because you broke faith with me in front of the people of Israel at the oasis of Meribah-Kadesh in the Desert of Zin and failed to show the reverence due to me as a god, you will only be able to view from a distance the land I am giving the Israelite people. You will not enter it!”
This is the blessing that Moses, the man of God, gave to the Israelite people before his death:
“Jehovah came up from Sinai, he dawned over us in Seir and shone upon us from Mount Paran. He arose in the midst of his myriad devotees and his law was a fire in his right hand. Indeed he loved his people and his worshipers were under his protection. They knelt at his feet and listened to his teachings. The law given to us by Moses will always belong to Jacob’s congregation. Jehovah became the king of dear Israel when the tribal leaders assembled and all the tribes gathered together as a single nation.”
“Let the tribe of Reuben prosper and survive, although they are few in number.”
And of Judah, Moses said this, “Hear, O Jehovah, the plea of Judah, and reunite him with his people. Use your power to defend him and to support him against his enemies.”
Of Levi he said, “His Thummim and Urim belong to his faithful god that he tested at Massah and opposed at the oasis of Meribah. To his father and mother, he shows no bias. He gives no preferential treatment to his relatives nor does he do special favors for his children; he upholds your word and preserves your contract. He teaches your instructions to Jacob, your law to Israel. He offers incense to you and makes the burnt sacrifices upon the altar. Bless, O Jehovah, his ministry and receive with acceptance his handiwork. Whack in the groin those that rise against him, his enemies, so that they may threaten him no more.”
Of Benjamin, he said, “The beloved of Jehovah lives in safety by him, for Jehovah protects him all day long and carries him on his shoulders.”
Of Joseph he said, “May Jehovah bless his lands with the precious dew of heaven above and the waters of the deep below, with the bounty of the sun and the harvests of the moon, with the produce of the ancient mountains and the fertility of the eternal hills, with the finest fruits of the earth and its abundance. Let the favor of the one who manifested himself in the burning bush rest upon the head of Joseph; let it be like a crown upon the brow of he who was separated from his brothers. He has the majesty of a firstborn bull with horns like those of a wild ox. He will gore nations, even those at the ends of the earth. Thus are the ten thousands of Ephraim and the thousands of Manasseh.”
Of Zebulun he said, “May you prosper, Zebulun, when you go out to journey and Isacchar, when you remain at home in your tent. They will summon the people to their mountains so that they may make the proper sacrifices. They will nourish themselves with the wealth of the seas and the hidden treasures of the sand.”
Of Gad he said, “Blessed is he who enlarges Gad, who is crouched like a lion ready to tear off an arm or a head. He took the best land for himself, reserving a captain’s share. When the tribal chieftains were assembled, he carried out Jehovah’s justice and enforced his regulations among the Israelites.”
Of Dan he said, “Dan is like a lion cub that leaps out of Bashan.”
Of Naphtali he said, “Naphtali is highly favored by Jehovah and enjoys his full blessings. He will settle on the land in the south and the west.”
Of Asher he said, “May he be blessed above the other sons. Let him be held in respect by his brothers. May he dip his feet in olive oil. May the latches of his gates be of iron and bronze so that he may be strong all of his days.
“There is no one like the god of dear Israel who comes to your aid from the sky, flying majestically through the clouds. The everlasting god is your refuge. Under you are his everlasting arms supporting you. He expels the enemies before you and cries out, ‘Destroy them!’ So Israel will dwell in safety; Jacob’s abode is his alone, a land of grain and new wine nurtured by the dew that drops from the heavens.
“How blessed are you, Israel. Who else is like you, a people saved by Jehovah. He is your protective shield and conquering sword. Your enemies will kowtow before you, but you will stomp on their backs!”
Notes
1. There are two accounts in the Books of Moses of an incident that occurred in Meribah. In Exodus the people complain to Moses about the lack of water. Moses appeals to Jehovah and at his behest strikes with his rod a rock, out of which water gushes. In Numbers there is a similar story, but in it Moses does not follow Jehovah’s instructions precisely. Instead of addressing the rock, he addresses the Israelites and strikes the rock twice. A rush of fresh water results, but Jehovah is angry and insulted that Moses did not obey him. For his lack of respect to his divinity Moses is denied entry into the Promised Land. In Deuteronomy it is suggested that Moses is being punished not for his own lack of respect, but for that exhibited by the Israelites, the people he is leading. Meribah was likely located near Kadesh-Barnea on what is now the western border of Israel midway between the Mediterranean Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba. The Desert of Zin lies to the east, southwest of the Dead Sea. Mount Paran and the Desert of Paran lies in western Arabia near Mecca. Seir was a mountain range that extended from the Dead Sea to Aqaba. Mount Hor (not the northern Mount Hor that defined the northern boundary of Israel) was the place of Aaron’s death. Located in this mountain range, it is now called Mount Harun. Bashan was a kingdom on the west bank of the Jordan ruled by Og until the Israelites defeated him. What Bashan had to do with the tribe of Dan is not explained. Bashan was given to Manasseh, not Dan, whose portion was along the Mediterranean coast and couldn’t have been farther away from Bashan.
2. Moses blessings of the various tribes of Israel are muddled and disjointed, making little real sense. There are few actual benedictions; some tribes merit only comments. Simeon is left out, perhaps because their land lay within that of Judah. (Still, it does seem an unaccountable slight.) The blessings reflect the relative importance of the tribes from a much later date, which is not surprising since the entire book is highly anachronistic and represents the point of view of later priests, not of Moses. Some of the text is garbled and many verses are generally thought by scholars to be a later additions to the book.
3. The reference to Jehovah flying through the sky supports the theory that Jehovah was an extraterrestrial whose “pillar of cloud” was an aerial vehicle.
4. The blessings, such as they are, never go much beyond having bountiful harvests and being triumphant over enemies. These are still quite primitive times and the thinking of Moses (and Jehovah) never goes beyond the elemental. There seems to be no aspirations to build magnificent cities (like the Egyptians), to develop creature comforts (like the indoor plumbing the Minoans had), to create an efficient government (as the Persians and Romans would do), or to cultivate the civilized disciplines, such as philosophy, science, literature, art, and music (as the Greeks did).
Thursday, September 29, 2016
Song of Moses
(Deuteronomy 31:30 - 32:47)
Moses then recited the words of this song from beginning to end so that the entire people of Israel could hear them:
“Listen, O Heaven, and I will speak.
Hear, O Earth, the words from my mouth.
“Let my teachings fall upon you like the rain,
Let my words settle upon you like the dew,
A gentle sprinkling upon the new grass,
A soft shower upon the budding plants.
“I will proclaim the name of Jehovah,
I will declare the greatness of our god.
He is the Rock; his deeds are perfection;
In all his actions he is just and fair,
A god who does no wrong, faithful and true,
So honorable and equitable.
“But have they not dealt with him honestly.
Corrupted, how can they still be his children,
This deceitful and perverse generation?
“Is this how you repay Jehovah,
You obtuse and doltish people?
Is he not the creator god,
The father who sired and reared you?
“Remember the days of long ago,
Consider the generations past.
Ask your father, he will show you,
Ask the elders, they will tell you:
When the Most High gave each nation
Its inherited portion of land
And divided the human race,
He established the boundaries
For his people according to
The number of Israel’s sons.
For the people of Israel
Is Jehovah’s inheritance
And Jacob, his assigned legacy.
For he found them in the desert,
In a barren, wind-swept wasteland.
He protected and looked out for them
Guarded them as he would guard his own,
Like an eagle that stirs its nest
And flutters over its young chicks,
Bearing them aloft on its wings.
“Alone, Jehovah guided them;
No foreign god accompanied him.
He made them ride over the highlands
And feast on the crops of the field.
With honey from the rock and oil
From flinty stones he nourished them.
With yogurt from the herd he fed them
And milk from the flock and fattened lambs,
The choicest rams from Bashan and goats,
Wheat of the finest quality,
And drank the foaming juice of the grape.
But Israel, stuffed and sated,
Grew fat, flabby, and defiant.
They deserted the god who made them
And scoffed at the Rock that saved them.
With foreign gods they made him jealous
Angering him with hated idols.
They sacrificed to godless demons,
Deities they had never known,
Gods of recent derivation
That your ancestors respected not.
You deserted the Rock your father,
Forgot the god that gave you birth.
Jehovah saw this and spurned them,
Angered by his own sons and daughters.
He said, ‘I will conceal myself from them
And merely watch what may become of them,
For they are a perverse generation
Of children who are faithless and disloyal.
They made me jealous with their worthless gods
And angered me with their foolish idols.
I will make them jealous with worthless people
And anger them with a foolish nation.
For a fire will be kindled by my wrath,
And burn to the depths of the netherworld,
Consuming the earth and all of its crops,
Setting afire the base of the mountains.
I will heap upon them calamities
And pick them off with shots of my arrows.
I will wear them down with famines and fevers,
And devastate them with plagues and pestilence.
I will send against them the fangs of wild beasts
And the venom of slithering creatures.
From the outside, war will bring bereavement
While inside, a reign of terror will ensue,
For the young man and young woman alike,
For nursing infant and the gray-haired man.
‘I might have said, “Let’s obliterate them,
Erase their name from human history!”
But I feared the taunts of her enemies
Who might misread what has happened and boast,
‘It wasn’t Jehovah who accomplished this,
But our own power that is triumphant.
‘Israel is a nation without sense;
Its people are ignorant and dull-witted;
If they possessed any understanding
They would realize what their fate will be.
‘How could one man put to flight a thousand,
Or two make ten thousand beat a retreat,
Unless their Rock had delivered them up,
Unless Jehovah had handed them over?
For their rock is not like the Rock of ours,
As even our enemies will concede.
Their vine has sprung from the vine of Sodom,
Nurtured in the vineyards of Gomorrah.
Their grapes are poison, their clusters, bitter;
Their wine is like the venom of vipers,
The deadly toxin of cobras and asps.’
“Jehovah says, ‘Am I not keeping these things,
Sealing them securely in my storehouse?
I will seek vengeance and compensation.
For the time will come when they will stumble.
The day of their calamity is nigh.
Their doom and destruction will come swiftly.’
“Jehovah will pass judgment on his people,
But will have pity upon his servants
When he sees their strength has been depleted
And there is no one remaining, slave or free.
He will say to them, ‘Where are your gods now?
The gods who were the rock that was your refuge,
Who ate the flesh of your sacrifices,
And consumed your drink offerings of wine?
Let them come forth to save and shelter you!
‘Behold I am the only one:
There is no other god but me!
I put to death and bring forth life,
I am the one who wounds and heals,
And no one can be delivered
From out of my powerful hands.
I lift my hand to the heavens
And swear, as I live forever,
When I sharpen my flashing sword
And prepare to mete out justice,
I will revenge myself on my foes
And repay those who reject me.
My arrows I will make drunk with blood
And my sword will gorge itself on flesh,
The blood of the slain and captured,
And the heads of the enemy leaders.’
“May the heavens rejoice and worship him,
For he avenges the blood of his people
And takes vengeance upon his enemies.
He pays back those who have rejected him
And makes atonement for his land and people.”
Moses, accompanied by Joshua son of Nun, recited all the words of this song in the hearing of people. When he had finished speaking the words of the song, he said to the people of Israel, “Keep in mind all the warnings I have given you this day, so that you may pass them on as lessons to your children so that they will obey every word of these instructions. These are not meaningless words; they impact your very life, for by obeying them you will live long and prosper in the land you are crossing the River Jordan to occupy.”
Notes
1. The song is quite long and one doubts that it was set to a catchy tune. It is amazing that a man of Moses’ years could have recited it, let alone memorized it. Expecting future generations to remember it is asking a lot. The people would have been illiterate and thus would have had to consign the whole thing to memory. And, quite frankly, is simply ain’t that good. Thematically it’s all over the place and, as is usual with the Books of Moses, it is annoyingly redundant. But the memorization of Jehovah’s laws and instructions is the key element of the Jehovah religion. It furthers the indoctrination of the youth, who must accept the traditional teaching and learn not to question them or give in to the temptation of thinking for themselves.
2. Throughout much of the song Jehovah trashes his own people and reiterates how unworthy they are. This hardly seems like an effective sales strategy. And again Jehovah the psychopath glories in bragging about the horrendous things he’s going to do to his errant worshipers. The only reason he gives for not completely obliterating his unfaithful people is that Israel’s enemies might take credit for its destruction. Mercy, compassion are not major factors, although he does cite them.
3. Jehovah presents himself here as the sole true god. The gods of other countries are false, that is, they don’t even exist and, therefore, cannot help their people when appealed to. Elsewhere, there is the impression given that these other gods do, in fact, exist, but are either inferior or else inappropriate objects of worship for the Israelites.
4. Jehovah is called here and elsewhere, the Rock, that is, the foundation, the bulwark, the mainstay and refuge of his worshipers.
5. Jehovah boasts how magnificently he fed his people. What is he talking about? Weren’t the Israelites of the Exodus fed nothing but manna?
Moses then recited the words of this song from beginning to end so that the entire people of Israel could hear them:
“Listen, O Heaven, and I will speak.
Hear, O Earth, the words from my mouth.
“Let my teachings fall upon you like the rain,
Let my words settle upon you like the dew,
A gentle sprinkling upon the new grass,
A soft shower upon the budding plants.
“I will proclaim the name of Jehovah,
I will declare the greatness of our god.
He is the Rock; his deeds are perfection;
In all his actions he is just and fair,
A god who does no wrong, faithful and true,
So honorable and equitable.
“But have they not dealt with him honestly.
Corrupted, how can they still be his children,
This deceitful and perverse generation?
“Is this how you repay Jehovah,
You obtuse and doltish people?
Is he not the creator god,
The father who sired and reared you?
“Remember the days of long ago,
Consider the generations past.
Ask your father, he will show you,
Ask the elders, they will tell you:
When the Most High gave each nation
Its inherited portion of land
And divided the human race,
He established the boundaries
For his people according to
The number of Israel’s sons.
For the people of Israel
Is Jehovah’s inheritance
And Jacob, his assigned legacy.
For he found them in the desert,
In a barren, wind-swept wasteland.
He protected and looked out for them
Guarded them as he would guard his own,
Like an eagle that stirs its nest
And flutters over its young chicks,
Bearing them aloft on its wings.
“Alone, Jehovah guided them;
No foreign god accompanied him.
He made them ride over the highlands
And feast on the crops of the field.
With honey from the rock and oil
From flinty stones he nourished them.
With yogurt from the herd he fed them
And milk from the flock and fattened lambs,
The choicest rams from Bashan and goats,
Wheat of the finest quality,
And drank the foaming juice of the grape.
But Israel, stuffed and sated,
Grew fat, flabby, and defiant.
They deserted the god who made them
And scoffed at the Rock that saved them.
With foreign gods they made him jealous
Angering him with hated idols.
They sacrificed to godless demons,
Deities they had never known,
Gods of recent derivation
That your ancestors respected not.
You deserted the Rock your father,
Forgot the god that gave you birth.
Jehovah saw this and spurned them,
Angered by his own sons and daughters.
He said, ‘I will conceal myself from them
And merely watch what may become of them,
For they are a perverse generation
Of children who are faithless and disloyal.
They made me jealous with their worthless gods
And angered me with their foolish idols.
I will make them jealous with worthless people
And anger them with a foolish nation.
For a fire will be kindled by my wrath,
And burn to the depths of the netherworld,
Consuming the earth and all of its crops,
Setting afire the base of the mountains.
I will heap upon them calamities
And pick them off with shots of my arrows.
I will wear them down with famines and fevers,
And devastate them with plagues and pestilence.
I will send against them the fangs of wild beasts
And the venom of slithering creatures.
From the outside, war will bring bereavement
While inside, a reign of terror will ensue,
For the young man and young woman alike,
For nursing infant and the gray-haired man.
‘I might have said, “Let’s obliterate them,
Erase their name from human history!”
But I feared the taunts of her enemies
Who might misread what has happened and boast,
‘It wasn’t Jehovah who accomplished this,
But our own power that is triumphant.
‘Israel is a nation without sense;
Its people are ignorant and dull-witted;
If they possessed any understanding
They would realize what their fate will be.
‘How could one man put to flight a thousand,
Or two make ten thousand beat a retreat,
Unless their Rock had delivered them up,
Unless Jehovah had handed them over?
For their rock is not like the Rock of ours,
As even our enemies will concede.
Their vine has sprung from the vine of Sodom,
Nurtured in the vineyards of Gomorrah.
Their grapes are poison, their clusters, bitter;
Their wine is like the venom of vipers,
The deadly toxin of cobras and asps.’
“Jehovah says, ‘Am I not keeping these things,
Sealing them securely in my storehouse?
I will seek vengeance and compensation.
For the time will come when they will stumble.
The day of their calamity is nigh.
Their doom and destruction will come swiftly.’
“Jehovah will pass judgment on his people,
But will have pity upon his servants
When he sees their strength has been depleted
And there is no one remaining, slave or free.
He will say to them, ‘Where are your gods now?
The gods who were the rock that was your refuge,
Who ate the flesh of your sacrifices,
And consumed your drink offerings of wine?
Let them come forth to save and shelter you!
‘Behold I am the only one:
There is no other god but me!
I put to death and bring forth life,
I am the one who wounds and heals,
And no one can be delivered
From out of my powerful hands.
I lift my hand to the heavens
And swear, as I live forever,
When I sharpen my flashing sword
And prepare to mete out justice,
I will revenge myself on my foes
And repay those who reject me.
My arrows I will make drunk with blood
And my sword will gorge itself on flesh,
The blood of the slain and captured,
And the heads of the enemy leaders.’
“May the heavens rejoice and worship him,
For he avenges the blood of his people
And takes vengeance upon his enemies.
He pays back those who have rejected him
And makes atonement for his land and people.”
Moses, accompanied by Joshua son of Nun, recited all the words of this song in the hearing of people. When he had finished speaking the words of the song, he said to the people of Israel, “Keep in mind all the warnings I have given you this day, so that you may pass them on as lessons to your children so that they will obey every word of these instructions. These are not meaningless words; they impact your very life, for by obeying them you will live long and prosper in the land you are crossing the River Jordan to occupy.”
Notes
1. The song is quite long and one doubts that it was set to a catchy tune. It is amazing that a man of Moses’ years could have recited it, let alone memorized it. Expecting future generations to remember it is asking a lot. The people would have been illiterate and thus would have had to consign the whole thing to memory. And, quite frankly, is simply ain’t that good. Thematically it’s all over the place and, as is usual with the Books of Moses, it is annoyingly redundant. But the memorization of Jehovah’s laws and instructions is the key element of the Jehovah religion. It furthers the indoctrination of the youth, who must accept the traditional teaching and learn not to question them or give in to the temptation of thinking for themselves.
2. Throughout much of the song Jehovah trashes his own people and reiterates how unworthy they are. This hardly seems like an effective sales strategy. And again Jehovah the psychopath glories in bragging about the horrendous things he’s going to do to his errant worshipers. The only reason he gives for not completely obliterating his unfaithful people is that Israel’s enemies might take credit for its destruction. Mercy, compassion are not major factors, although he does cite them.
3. Jehovah presents himself here as the sole true god. The gods of other countries are false, that is, they don’t even exist and, therefore, cannot help their people when appealed to. Elsewhere, there is the impression given that these other gods do, in fact, exist, but are either inferior or else inappropriate objects of worship for the Israelites.
4. Jehovah is called here and elsewhere, the Rock, that is, the foundation, the bulwark, the mainstay and refuge of his worshipers.
5. Jehovah boasts how magnificently he fed his people. What is he talking about? Weren’t the Israelites of the Exodus fed nothing but manna?
Reading the Law
(Deuteronomy 31:9 - 31:29)
Moses wrote down the law and delivered it to the Levite priests who were in charge of Jehovah’s Chest of Sacred Records and to the Israelite elders. Moses charged them, “Every 7 years, in the year that debts are canceled, during the Festival of Tabernacles when all the people of Israel appear before the altar of Jehovah your god at the designated place of worship, you should publicly read the law in their hearing. Assemble the entire population, men, women and children, as well as foreign residents of your towns, so they can listen and learn to revere Jehovah your god and carefully follow the details of the law. Do this so that your children who are not familiar with the law, may hear it and learn to revere Jehovah your god. Do this as long as you dwell in the land you are crossing the River Jordan to occupy.”
Jehovah then told Moses, “The time has come for you to die. Call Joshua and come to the entrance to the Tabernacle so that I may instruct him.” And so Moses and Joshua presented themselves at the Tabernacle. Jehovah manifested himself within the Tabernacle as an elongated cloud standing before the entrance to the tent.
Jehovah spoke to Moses. “You are about to pass over and join your ancestors. After you are gone, these people will begin to worship alien gods, the gods of the land to which they are going. They will betray me and violate the contract I have made with them. My ire will then be aroused against them. I will abandon them. I will conceal myself from them. And they will be devoured. Many misfortunes and disasters will fall upon them and when that happens they will say, ‘These disasters have befallen us because Jehovah is no longer among us.’ At that time I will surely hide myself from them, because of the great evil they have done by worshiping other gods.
“Now write down the words of this song. Teach it to the Israelites and have them sing it, so that it may serve as my testimony against the people of Israel. For after I have brought them to the land flowing with milk and honey, the land I swore I would give to your forefathers, and when they have have eaten their fill and have grown fat, they will turn to other gods and worship them, disrespecting me and breaking my contract. But when disasters and calamities will overtake them, this song will remain as a testimony against them, for it will not be forgotten by their descendants. Even before I am to bring them into the land I swore to give them, I have been made aware of the inclinations of these people.”
So, on that very day, Moses wrote down the song and taught it to the Israelites.
Jehovah charged Joshua the son of Nun, “Be brave and strong, for you will lead the people of Israel into the land I swore I would give them. I will be at your side.”
When Moses had finished writing down in a book the entire body of law, he gave this order to the Levites who were in charge of carrying the Chest of Sacred records: “Take this book of law and place it inside Jehovah’s Chest of Sacred Records so that it may remain there as a testimony against the people of Israel. I know how stubborn and rebellious you are. If you are rebellious to Jehovah while I am alive and still among you, how more rebellious will you be after I am dead. Now convene all the tribal elders and officials so that I may speak with them directly and call upon the heaven and the earth as a witness. For I am aware that after my death you will corrupt yourself and act contrary to the ways I have commanded you. In the future, evil will befall you, because you will have done what is evil in the sight of Jehovah, arousing his ire by your actions.”
Notes
1. Again it must noted that Moses could not have written down the law, since there was no alphabet and no writing except for cuneiform and hieroglyphics. It is always assumed and it is certainly inferred that Jehovah’s law was written down in Hebrew, but it would be many centuries after Moses before that could become possible. It is also unclear whether a written record of every utterance, every law and statute, is to be housed in the Chest of Sacred Records, which is thought of as a receptacle for the Ten Commandments, traditionally both the Moses tablets and the broken pieces of the tablets Jehovah gave him. It also should be noted that if a record, a book, refers to a stone tablet and not, say, a papyrus scroll, there is a storage problem. (How many stone tablets could the chest contain? Its outside dimensions were 45 x 27 x 27 inches.)
2. The record of the law exist only as a rebuke to the Israelites it seems and not a positive inspiration or a guide for behavior. Jehovah seems to maintain a threatening, adversarial relationship with his Chosen People and expresses no confidence in their loyalty. (He of course knows what is in their hearts and also presumably knows the future.) One repeatedly asks, if the Israelites are so unworthy and so faithless, why did Jehovah pick them as his Chosen People? Was it because other peoples already had gods to represent them and national god of the Israelites was an open post, so to speak?
3. And again we are reminded that the ultimate sin, the greatest evil, is not any sort of moral depravity, but merely deserting Jehovah and worshiping other gods.
4. Moses doesn’t really pass muster as a successful leader. He was barely able to control his people in his lifetime and he despairs that his will and wishes will be followed after his death. He apparently has little faith in Joshua, who is his successor. (One gains the impression here that Joshua will be much more of a military than a spiritual leader.) No Mosaic dynasty has been established. In fact, there is no mention of Moses’ sons, Gershom and Eliezer; they disappear from the chronicle. Did they die? Perhaps they were unworthy in character, although that hardly seems disqualifying, judging from past history of the Hebrews in which all manner of scoundrels, mass murderers, cheats, and adulterers were exalted. Perhaps they were unworthy owing to the fact that their mother, Sephora, was a Midianite, a Hebrew, but not an Israelite.
5. Jehovah appears in the Tabernacle as he is wont, manifesting himself as an elongated cloud. This is a better translation, I think, than “pillar of cloud,” since a cloud does not have a defined and delineated shape and, therefore, can only approximate the shape of a pillar or column. An elongated cloud would veil Jehovah’s form, if he was a humanoid. Why he hides himself is a manner of conjecture -- to create a mystique? to conceal an appearance that humans would find repellent? (In Exodus it is asserted that Jehovah does have a physical and humanoid form. Moses is allowed to view him from the rear.)
Moses wrote down the law and delivered it to the Levite priests who were in charge of Jehovah’s Chest of Sacred Records and to the Israelite elders. Moses charged them, “Every 7 years, in the year that debts are canceled, during the Festival of Tabernacles when all the people of Israel appear before the altar of Jehovah your god at the designated place of worship, you should publicly read the law in their hearing. Assemble the entire population, men, women and children, as well as foreign residents of your towns, so they can listen and learn to revere Jehovah your god and carefully follow the details of the law. Do this so that your children who are not familiar with the law, may hear it and learn to revere Jehovah your god. Do this as long as you dwell in the land you are crossing the River Jordan to occupy.”
Jehovah then told Moses, “The time has come for you to die. Call Joshua and come to the entrance to the Tabernacle so that I may instruct him.” And so Moses and Joshua presented themselves at the Tabernacle. Jehovah manifested himself within the Tabernacle as an elongated cloud standing before the entrance to the tent.
Jehovah spoke to Moses. “You are about to pass over and join your ancestors. After you are gone, these people will begin to worship alien gods, the gods of the land to which they are going. They will betray me and violate the contract I have made with them. My ire will then be aroused against them. I will abandon them. I will conceal myself from them. And they will be devoured. Many misfortunes and disasters will fall upon them and when that happens they will say, ‘These disasters have befallen us because Jehovah is no longer among us.’ At that time I will surely hide myself from them, because of the great evil they have done by worshiping other gods.
“Now write down the words of this song. Teach it to the Israelites and have them sing it, so that it may serve as my testimony against the people of Israel. For after I have brought them to the land flowing with milk and honey, the land I swore I would give to your forefathers, and when they have have eaten their fill and have grown fat, they will turn to other gods and worship them, disrespecting me and breaking my contract. But when disasters and calamities will overtake them, this song will remain as a testimony against them, for it will not be forgotten by their descendants. Even before I am to bring them into the land I swore to give them, I have been made aware of the inclinations of these people.”
So, on that very day, Moses wrote down the song and taught it to the Israelites.
Jehovah charged Joshua the son of Nun, “Be brave and strong, for you will lead the people of Israel into the land I swore I would give them. I will be at your side.”
When Moses had finished writing down in a book the entire body of law, he gave this order to the Levites who were in charge of carrying the Chest of Sacred records: “Take this book of law and place it inside Jehovah’s Chest of Sacred Records so that it may remain there as a testimony against the people of Israel. I know how stubborn and rebellious you are. If you are rebellious to Jehovah while I am alive and still among you, how more rebellious will you be after I am dead. Now convene all the tribal elders and officials so that I may speak with them directly and call upon the heaven and the earth as a witness. For I am aware that after my death you will corrupt yourself and act contrary to the ways I have commanded you. In the future, evil will befall you, because you will have done what is evil in the sight of Jehovah, arousing his ire by your actions.”
Notes
1. Again it must noted that Moses could not have written down the law, since there was no alphabet and no writing except for cuneiform and hieroglyphics. It is always assumed and it is certainly inferred that Jehovah’s law was written down in Hebrew, but it would be many centuries after Moses before that could become possible. It is also unclear whether a written record of every utterance, every law and statute, is to be housed in the Chest of Sacred Records, which is thought of as a receptacle for the Ten Commandments, traditionally both the Moses tablets and the broken pieces of the tablets Jehovah gave him. It also should be noted that if a record, a book, refers to a stone tablet and not, say, a papyrus scroll, there is a storage problem. (How many stone tablets could the chest contain? Its outside dimensions were 45 x 27 x 27 inches.)
2. The record of the law exist only as a rebuke to the Israelites it seems and not a positive inspiration or a guide for behavior. Jehovah seems to maintain a threatening, adversarial relationship with his Chosen People and expresses no confidence in their loyalty. (He of course knows what is in their hearts and also presumably knows the future.) One repeatedly asks, if the Israelites are so unworthy and so faithless, why did Jehovah pick them as his Chosen People? Was it because other peoples already had gods to represent them and national god of the Israelites was an open post, so to speak?
3. And again we are reminded that the ultimate sin, the greatest evil, is not any sort of moral depravity, but merely deserting Jehovah and worshiping other gods.
4. Moses doesn’t really pass muster as a successful leader. He was barely able to control his people in his lifetime and he despairs that his will and wishes will be followed after his death. He apparently has little faith in Joshua, who is his successor. (One gains the impression here that Joshua will be much more of a military than a spiritual leader.) No Mosaic dynasty has been established. In fact, there is no mention of Moses’ sons, Gershom and Eliezer; they disappear from the chronicle. Did they die? Perhaps they were unworthy in character, although that hardly seems disqualifying, judging from past history of the Hebrews in which all manner of scoundrels, mass murderers, cheats, and adulterers were exalted. Perhaps they were unworthy owing to the fact that their mother, Sephora, was a Midianite, a Hebrew, but not an Israelite.
5. Jehovah appears in the Tabernacle as he is wont, manifesting himself as an elongated cloud. This is a better translation, I think, than “pillar of cloud,” since a cloud does not have a defined and delineated shape and, therefore, can only approximate the shape of a pillar or column. An elongated cloud would veil Jehovah’s form, if he was a humanoid. Why he hides himself is a manner of conjecture -- to create a mystique? to conceal an appearance that humans would find repellent? (In Exodus it is asserted that Jehovah does have a physical and humanoid form. Moses is allowed to view him from the rear.)
Thursday, September 15, 2016
Moses Introduces Joshua as His Successor
(Deuteronomy 31:1 - 31:8)
Moses continued to address his people, saying this to the whole nation of Israel, “I am now 120 years old and am no longer capable of leading you. Jehovah has told me, ‘You will not cross the River Jordan!’ Jehovah will make the crossing before you. He will destroy the nations ahead of you so that you can take possession of their lands. You will be led across the river by Joshua, as Jehovah has ordered. Jehovah will treat them as he did the Amorite kings, Sihon and Og, when he defeated them and conquered their countries. Jehovah will deliver into your hands the native inhabitants and you must deal with them as I have instructed you. Be strong and brave! Do not fear or hold them in dread, for Jehovah your god accompanies you and he will never forsake or desert you.
“Moses summoned Joshua and before all the people of Israel, he exhorted him, “Be strong and brave, for you must lead this people into the land that Jehovah swore to their ancestors that he would give them. You must see to it that they receive their inheritance. It is Jehovah who will precede and accompany you. He will not forsake or desert you, so do not be afraid or discouraged.”
Notes
1. Moses reiterates the assurances that Jehovah will be there for the Israelites when they enter the Promised Land and will do their fighting for them. The Israelites are never enjoined to rely upon their own courage and prowess, just as they are never allowed to use their own judgment.
2. Moses, now a paltry 120 years old, admits that he is too old and decrepit to lead his people across the Jordan. (He is not too old to make an interminable speech, however, and having himself heard by an audience numbering in the millions.) Earlier, Jehovah asserts that Moses is being punished for his disobedience and that that is the reason why he is not permitted to step foot in the Promised Land, not that he is necessarily too old. Remember that Abraham lived to be 175. (Coincidentally, men in the Bible keep dying younger and younger as we move forward in time.)
3. Joshua, who is presented here rather casually, was one of the three Israelites from the Exodus who is still alive. (The others are Caleb and the dying Moses) Even if he was a youth at the time he accompanied Moses up the mountain in Sinai, he would be a fairly on in years when he succeeds Moses 40 years later. Although Jehovah promises to defeat and destroy all the native peoples before the Israelites enter the Promised Land, Joshua will have to do a lot of fighting to secure it, enough to fill an entire book of the Bible.
Moses continued to address his people, saying this to the whole nation of Israel, “I am now 120 years old and am no longer capable of leading you. Jehovah has told me, ‘You will not cross the River Jordan!’ Jehovah will make the crossing before you. He will destroy the nations ahead of you so that you can take possession of their lands. You will be led across the river by Joshua, as Jehovah has ordered. Jehovah will treat them as he did the Amorite kings, Sihon and Og, when he defeated them and conquered their countries. Jehovah will deliver into your hands the native inhabitants and you must deal with them as I have instructed you. Be strong and brave! Do not fear or hold them in dread, for Jehovah your god accompanies you and he will never forsake or desert you.
“Moses summoned Joshua and before all the people of Israel, he exhorted him, “Be strong and brave, for you must lead this people into the land that Jehovah swore to their ancestors that he would give them. You must see to it that they receive their inheritance. It is Jehovah who will precede and accompany you. He will not forsake or desert you, so do not be afraid or discouraged.”
Notes
1. Moses reiterates the assurances that Jehovah will be there for the Israelites when they enter the Promised Land and will do their fighting for them. The Israelites are never enjoined to rely upon their own courage and prowess, just as they are never allowed to use their own judgment.
2. Moses, now a paltry 120 years old, admits that he is too old and decrepit to lead his people across the Jordan. (He is not too old to make an interminable speech, however, and having himself heard by an audience numbering in the millions.) Earlier, Jehovah asserts that Moses is being punished for his disobedience and that that is the reason why he is not permitted to step foot in the Promised Land, not that he is necessarily too old. Remember that Abraham lived to be 175. (Coincidentally, men in the Bible keep dying younger and younger as we move forward in time.)
3. Joshua, who is presented here rather casually, was one of the three Israelites from the Exodus who is still alive. (The others are Caleb and the dying Moses) Even if he was a youth at the time he accompanied Moses up the mountain in Sinai, he would be a fairly on in years when he succeeds Moses 40 years later. Although Jehovah promises to defeat and destroy all the native peoples before the Israelites enter the Promised Land, Joshua will have to do a lot of fighting to secure it, enough to fill an entire book of the Bible.
Return to Jehovah
(Deuteronomy 30:1 - 30:20)
“In the future when the blessings and curses I have described have been imposed upon you and you are living in the country to which Jehovah our god have banished you, you may recall to mind my instructions. If you and your children return to Jehovah your god and resolve to obey with all your heart and soul the commandments I have given you this day, then Jehovah will restore your fortunes. He will have mercy on you and bring you back from all the nations to which he has scattered you. Even though you may have been banished to the ends of the earth, he will fetch you and bring you back. You will be returned to the land that belonged to your ancestors and you will occupy it again. He will then make you more numerous and more prosperous than your ancestors. Jehovah will purify your minds and those of your descendants so that you and your descendants will love him will all your heart and soul and survive. Jehovah will transfer the curses to your enemies, those who have hated and persecuted you. You will again obey the voice of Jehovah and keep all the commandments I have given you this day. Jehovah your god will make you prosper greatly in all your endeavors, in your children, in your livestock, and in your crops. He will take delight in your prosperity as he took delight in that of your ancestors, if you will obey the voice of Jehovah, keep the commandments and statues written in the book of law, and turn to Jehovah your god with all your heart and soul.
“The commandment I am giving you today is not hidden from you or beyond your reach. It is not up in the sky so that you have to ask, ‘Who will ascend into the heavens to bring it down to us and proclaim it to us so that we may follow it?’ Nor is it beyond the sea so that you must ask, ‘Who will sail across the sea to bring it back to us so that we may hear what it is and obey it?’ No, the word is near to you; it is on your tongue and in your heart that you may obey it.
“I am setting before you today a choice: life and prosperity or death and disaster. I command you today to revere Jehovah your god, to act in obedience to him, and to keep his commandments, decrees, and statutes. If you do so you will live and prosper and Jehovah your god will bless you in the land you are about to enter and settle in.
“But your heart turns away in disobedience and you are seduced into the service and worship of other gods, then I tell you today that you will then be destroyed. You will not survive long in the land you are crossing the River Jordan to occupy.
“I call upon the heavens and the earth to be witnesses that I have offered you today the choice between life and death, between blessing and curses. Therefore, choose life that you and your children may live, revering Jehovah your god, obeying his word, being faithful to him. This is path to life. In the land he swore to give to your forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Jehovah will give you a long life.”
Notes
1. With what is becoming annoying redundancy, Moses presents to the Israelites the grand bargain of their contract with Jehovah: worship him and obey his laws and be blessed or else be destroyed, or at least be banished to some God-forsaken country. Here the blessings are emphasized and a second chance is offered for the nation that rejects Jehovah, but will then consent to return to worshipful obedience. It is suggested that the blessings will be greater for the nation that does so than for the nation that remains faithful. It always seems to be such, the repentant sinner is more valued than one who has never strayed, but has always been pious.
“In the future when the blessings and curses I have described have been imposed upon you and you are living in the country to which Jehovah our god have banished you, you may recall to mind my instructions. If you and your children return to Jehovah your god and resolve to obey with all your heart and soul the commandments I have given you this day, then Jehovah will restore your fortunes. He will have mercy on you and bring you back from all the nations to which he has scattered you. Even though you may have been banished to the ends of the earth, he will fetch you and bring you back. You will be returned to the land that belonged to your ancestors and you will occupy it again. He will then make you more numerous and more prosperous than your ancestors. Jehovah will purify your minds and those of your descendants so that you and your descendants will love him will all your heart and soul and survive. Jehovah will transfer the curses to your enemies, those who have hated and persecuted you. You will again obey the voice of Jehovah and keep all the commandments I have given you this day. Jehovah your god will make you prosper greatly in all your endeavors, in your children, in your livestock, and in your crops. He will take delight in your prosperity as he took delight in that of your ancestors, if you will obey the voice of Jehovah, keep the commandments and statues written in the book of law, and turn to Jehovah your god with all your heart and soul.
“The commandment I am giving you today is not hidden from you or beyond your reach. It is not up in the sky so that you have to ask, ‘Who will ascend into the heavens to bring it down to us and proclaim it to us so that we may follow it?’ Nor is it beyond the sea so that you must ask, ‘Who will sail across the sea to bring it back to us so that we may hear what it is and obey it?’ No, the word is near to you; it is on your tongue and in your heart that you may obey it.
“I am setting before you today a choice: life and prosperity or death and disaster. I command you today to revere Jehovah your god, to act in obedience to him, and to keep his commandments, decrees, and statutes. If you do so you will live and prosper and Jehovah your god will bless you in the land you are about to enter and settle in.
“But your heart turns away in disobedience and you are seduced into the service and worship of other gods, then I tell you today that you will then be destroyed. You will not survive long in the land you are crossing the River Jordan to occupy.
“I call upon the heavens and the earth to be witnesses that I have offered you today the choice between life and death, between blessing and curses. Therefore, choose life that you and your children may live, revering Jehovah your god, obeying his word, being faithful to him. This is path to life. In the land he swore to give to your forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Jehovah will give you a long life.”
Notes
1. With what is becoming annoying redundancy, Moses presents to the Israelites the grand bargain of their contract with Jehovah: worship him and obey his laws and be blessed or else be destroyed, or at least be banished to some God-forsaken country. Here the blessings are emphasized and a second chance is offered for the nation that rejects Jehovah, but will then consent to return to worshipful obedience. It is suggested that the blessings will be greater for the nation that does so than for the nation that remains faithful. It always seems to be such, the repentant sinner is more valued than one who has never strayed, but has always been pious.
A Review of the Contract with Jehovah
(Deuteronomy 29:1 - 29:29)
These are the words of the contract that Jehovah commanded Moses to make with the people of Israel in Moab, in addition to the contract he made with them at Horeb. Moses summoned all the Israelite people and addressed them:
“You have witnessed what Jehovah did to the Pharaoh of Egypt, to all his minions, and to his entire country; your very eyes saw the tests of might, the miracles and the fantastic wonders. But up until this time Jehovah has never given you the mind to understand, the eyes to see, or the ears to hear. I have led you 40 years through the desert. Neither the clothes on your back nor the sandals on your feet have worn out with age. You have not eaten bread, nor have you drunk wine or strong drink, so that you would remember that Jehovah is your god.
“When you arrived here, King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan came out to fight against us, but we defeated them. We occupied their land and gave it to the tribes of Reuben and Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh as their share of the inheritance.
“Therefore, obey all the terms of the contract so that you will succeed in all you do. You are standing today before Jehovah your god, among the tribal leaders, elders, and officers, indeed all the men of Israel, your women and children, as well as the foreigners who live among us, from those who chop wood to those who carry water. You are standing here to enter into a contract with Jehovah your god, a contract that must be sealed with an oath to Jehovah your god. It will confirm that you are his people and that he is your god, as he promised you and as he swore to your forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But you are not the only ones with whom this sworn contract is being made. It is being made not only with those who stand before Jehovah your god today but with those who are not here.
“You remember how we lived in Egypt and how we passed through the midst of nations on our way here. And you saw their detestable things, their idols of wood and stone, silver and gold. Beware lest there may be among you, a man or a woman, a clan or a tribe, that may betray Jehovah your god and go and serve the gods of those nations. Beware lest there be a root among you that will bear a fruit so poisonous and bitter. Those who hear the warnings of this sworn contract, but arrogantly say to themselves, ‘I will be safe, even if I follow the will of my headstrong heart and sate my appetites,’ Jehovah will never pardon them; his jealousy and wrath will be inflamed against them. All the curses written here will come down upon them, and Jehovah will blot out their names from under the heavens. Jehovah will single them out from all the tribes of Israel for destruction and afflict upon them all the curses of the contract detailed in this book of law.
“Then, future generations, both your descendants and foreigners who will immigrate from distant lands, will witness the devastation of the land and the pestilences that Jehovah has inflicted upon it. The entire country will be burned out by sulfur and salt, with nothing planted on it and nothing growing, not even a blade of grass. It will be like the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim that Jehovah in his intense anger destroyed. All the surrounding countries will ask, ‘Why did Jehovah do this to the land? What so aroused his fury?' The people will reply, ‘This occurred because the people of this land violated the contract they had made with Jehovah, the god of their ancestors, when he brought them out of the land of Egypt. They strayed and served other gods, gods not known to them, gods Jehovah did not permit them to worship. Consequently, Jehovah’s anger was inflicted upon this land, and he brought down upon it all the curses written in this book. Jehovah, in anger and fury, uprooted them from the land and banished them to the country where they now dwell.
“There are secrets that belong only to Jehovah our god, but the things he has revealed to us belong to us and our descendants forever so that we may follow the words of this law.”
Notes
1. This contract or covenant that Jehovah has made with the people of Israel is the heart of the Books of Moses. It seems however to be a very fluid agreement with Jehovah adding more and more conditions, more and more laws and statutes that his people must follow. The benefits of adhering to the agreement do not increase, but the penalties, eg. the curses listed in Deuteronomy, become more severe.
2. Some explanation for the Israelites not needing to eat regular food has been previously suggested. (Jehovah, being most likely an extraterrestrial, makes daily drops of synthetic food, manna, from an airship the guides the wandering Israelites and continually hovers over their camp.) No explanation can, however, be offered for the Israelites not wearing out their clothes and sandals. (Imagine wearing the same set of clothes every day for 40 years! How was a tailor or a sandal maker able to make a living?) This is, of course, preposterous. Also, it should be mentioned that Moses is ignoring one salient fact. With only a couple exceptions, all the people who had started on the Exodus had died off by the 40th year. This has been repeated many times. Moses, the old man, seems to have forgotten all about it and during this speech, he seems to be addressing the dead Israelites who departed from Egypt. One would have thought such glaring contradictions, and there are many others, would not have escaped an editor’s notice, as they still seem to escape the notice of faithful believers.
3. The contract with Jehovah is binding upon future generations of Israelites. In other words, those not yet born are bound to a contract completely without their consent. And there seems to be no opt-out clause.
4. Jehovah again takes delight in bragging how he will destroy the land if any of his subject people disobey him. Comparison is made to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Those cities were incinerated because the inhabitants were immoral, or, more likely, defiant of Jehovah. There is no suggestion, though, that the people of Sodom and Gomorrah had any sort of contract with Jehovah; he destroyed them anyway. (Why didn’t Jehovah also destroy other countries whose immorality was egregious?)
5. Jehovah’s acts of destruction are motivated by his anger and not by his sense of justice. Punishment is never corrective, merely vindictive. There is no sense of using punishment to show the sinner the errors of his ways, only to make him suffer the most. Jehovah is less the stern, reproving parent, than the cruel and sadistic prison warden.
These are the words of the contract that Jehovah commanded Moses to make with the people of Israel in Moab, in addition to the contract he made with them at Horeb. Moses summoned all the Israelite people and addressed them:
“You have witnessed what Jehovah did to the Pharaoh of Egypt, to all his minions, and to his entire country; your very eyes saw the tests of might, the miracles and the fantastic wonders. But up until this time Jehovah has never given you the mind to understand, the eyes to see, or the ears to hear. I have led you 40 years through the desert. Neither the clothes on your back nor the sandals on your feet have worn out with age. You have not eaten bread, nor have you drunk wine or strong drink, so that you would remember that Jehovah is your god.
“When you arrived here, King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan came out to fight against us, but we defeated them. We occupied their land and gave it to the tribes of Reuben and Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh as their share of the inheritance.
“Therefore, obey all the terms of the contract so that you will succeed in all you do. You are standing today before Jehovah your god, among the tribal leaders, elders, and officers, indeed all the men of Israel, your women and children, as well as the foreigners who live among us, from those who chop wood to those who carry water. You are standing here to enter into a contract with Jehovah your god, a contract that must be sealed with an oath to Jehovah your god. It will confirm that you are his people and that he is your god, as he promised you and as he swore to your forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But you are not the only ones with whom this sworn contract is being made. It is being made not only with those who stand before Jehovah your god today but with those who are not here.
“You remember how we lived in Egypt and how we passed through the midst of nations on our way here. And you saw their detestable things, their idols of wood and stone, silver and gold. Beware lest there may be among you, a man or a woman, a clan or a tribe, that may betray Jehovah your god and go and serve the gods of those nations. Beware lest there be a root among you that will bear a fruit so poisonous and bitter. Those who hear the warnings of this sworn contract, but arrogantly say to themselves, ‘I will be safe, even if I follow the will of my headstrong heart and sate my appetites,’ Jehovah will never pardon them; his jealousy and wrath will be inflamed against them. All the curses written here will come down upon them, and Jehovah will blot out their names from under the heavens. Jehovah will single them out from all the tribes of Israel for destruction and afflict upon them all the curses of the contract detailed in this book of law.
“Then, future generations, both your descendants and foreigners who will immigrate from distant lands, will witness the devastation of the land and the pestilences that Jehovah has inflicted upon it. The entire country will be burned out by sulfur and salt, with nothing planted on it and nothing growing, not even a blade of grass. It will be like the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim that Jehovah in his intense anger destroyed. All the surrounding countries will ask, ‘Why did Jehovah do this to the land? What so aroused his fury?' The people will reply, ‘This occurred because the people of this land violated the contract they had made with Jehovah, the god of their ancestors, when he brought them out of the land of Egypt. They strayed and served other gods, gods not known to them, gods Jehovah did not permit them to worship. Consequently, Jehovah’s anger was inflicted upon this land, and he brought down upon it all the curses written in this book. Jehovah, in anger and fury, uprooted them from the land and banished them to the country where they now dwell.
“There are secrets that belong only to Jehovah our god, but the things he has revealed to us belong to us and our descendants forever so that we may follow the words of this law.”
Notes
1. This contract or covenant that Jehovah has made with the people of Israel is the heart of the Books of Moses. It seems however to be a very fluid agreement with Jehovah adding more and more conditions, more and more laws and statutes that his people must follow. The benefits of adhering to the agreement do not increase, but the penalties, eg. the curses listed in Deuteronomy, become more severe.
2. Some explanation for the Israelites not needing to eat regular food has been previously suggested. (Jehovah, being most likely an extraterrestrial, makes daily drops of synthetic food, manna, from an airship the guides the wandering Israelites and continually hovers over their camp.) No explanation can, however, be offered for the Israelites not wearing out their clothes and sandals. (Imagine wearing the same set of clothes every day for 40 years! How was a tailor or a sandal maker able to make a living?) This is, of course, preposterous. Also, it should be mentioned that Moses is ignoring one salient fact. With only a couple exceptions, all the people who had started on the Exodus had died off by the 40th year. This has been repeated many times. Moses, the old man, seems to have forgotten all about it and during this speech, he seems to be addressing the dead Israelites who departed from Egypt. One would have thought such glaring contradictions, and there are many others, would not have escaped an editor’s notice, as they still seem to escape the notice of faithful believers.
3. The contract with Jehovah is binding upon future generations of Israelites. In other words, those not yet born are bound to a contract completely without their consent. And there seems to be no opt-out clause.
4. Jehovah again takes delight in bragging how he will destroy the land if any of his subject people disobey him. Comparison is made to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Those cities were incinerated because the inhabitants were immoral, or, more likely, defiant of Jehovah. There is no suggestion, though, that the people of Sodom and Gomorrah had any sort of contract with Jehovah; he destroyed them anyway. (Why didn’t Jehovah also destroy other countries whose immorality was egregious?)
5. Jehovah’s acts of destruction are motivated by his anger and not by his sense of justice. Punishment is never corrective, merely vindictive. There is no sense of using punishment to show the sinner the errors of his ways, only to make him suffer the most. Jehovah is less the stern, reproving parent, than the cruel and sadistic prison warden.
Saturday, September 3, 2016
Blessings and Curses
(Deuteronomy 27:1 - 28:68 )
Then Moses and the elders of Israel charged the people, “Obey all the commandments I have given you this day. When you cross the River Jordan and enter the land Jehovah your god is giving you, set up some large stones and coat them with lime plaster. Write on them the whole body of the law, this after you have crossed the river to enter the land Jehovah your god is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey, as was promised your ancestors by Jehovah your god. When you have crossed the River Jordan, set up these stones at Mount Ebal and coat them with lime plaster, as I am commanding you today.
“You must then build there a stone altar to Jehovah your god. Do not work the stones with iron tools, but construct the altar only of undressed stones. Use it to make your burnt offerings to Jehovah your god. You should also make your peace offerings and have celebratory feasts before the altar of Jehovah your god. You must clearly write on these stones all the words of this law.
Moses and the Levite priests proclaimed this to all the people of Israel, “Be silent and listen! This day, O Israel, you have become the people of Jehovah your god. You must therefore obey the words of Jehovah your god and follow his commandments and decrees that I have given you this day.”
On the same day, Moses commanded the people, “When you have crossed the River Jordan the following tribes will stand on Mount Gerizim and pronounce blessings to the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin. The following are the tribes that will stand on Mount Ebal and pronounce the curses: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali. The Levites shall announce in a loud voice to the men of Israel:
‘Cursed be those who carve or cast an idol and secretly sets it up. Such works of craftsmanship are an abomination to Jehovah.’ And all the people will reply ‘Amen!’
‘Cursed be anyone who dishonors his father or mother.’ And all the people will reply ‘Amen!’
‘Cursed be anyone who tampers with a neighbor’s boundary marker.’ And all the people will reply ‘Amen!’
‘Cursed be anyone who leads a blindman astray on the road.’ And all the people will reply ‘Amen!’
‘Cursed be anyone who subverts justice for the foreigner, the orphan, or the widow.’ And all the people will reply ‘Amen!’
‘Cursed be anyone who has sexual relations with his father’s wife, for he has violated his father’s marriage bed.’ And all the people will reply ‘Amen!’
‘Cursed be anyone who has sexual intercourse with any animal.’ And all the people will reply ‘Amen!’
Cursed be anyone who has sexual relations with his sister or a half sister who is the daughter of his father or mother.’ And all the people will reply ‘Amen!’
‘Cursed be anyone who has sexual relations with his mother-in-law.’ And all the people will reply ‘Amen!’
‘Cursed be anyone who assaults his neighbor from ambush.’ And all the people will reply ‘Amen!’
‘Cursed be anyone who accepts payment to shed innocent blood,’ And all the people will reply ‘Amen!’
‘Cursed be anyone who does not accept and obey every word of these laws.’ And all the people will reply ‘Amen!’”
“If you faithfully obey the voice of Jehovah your god and carefully keep all the commandments that I have given you today, Jehovah your god will exalt you above all the nations on the earth. All these blessings will be showered upon you and remain with you if you obey Jehovah your god.
“Blessed will you be in the city and in the country.
“Blessed will you be in your children, in the produce of your land, and in the increase of your flocks and herds.
“Blessed will you be in your harvests and in your stores of grain.
“Blessed will you be when you enter this life and when you depart from it.
“Jehovah will conquer your enemies when they rise up against you. Though they may attack you from one direction, they will be made to scatter in seven.
“Jehovah will bless your storehouses and will bless all that you undertake. He will bless you in the land that he, Jehovah your god, has given you. As he promised he would, Jehovah will establish you as a people sacred to him, provided you obey the commandments of Jehovah your god and follow his ways. And when all the peoples of the world will come to see that you are under the protection of Jehovah, they will respect you. Jehovah will grant you abundance and prosperity, in your children and in your livestock and crops, within the land Jehovah your god promised he would give your ancestors. Jehovah will open the celestial dome and from his rich storehouse, will send you rain in season and bless all that you put your hand to. You will lend to many nations, but borrow from none. Jehovah will put you at the head and not in the rear. And if you heed the commands of Jehovah your god I have given you this day and follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. You must not deviate in any direction from any of the commands I am giving you today, and you must not follow and worship other gods.
“However, if you fail to obey Jehovah your god and carefully follow his commandments and the decrees I am giving you this day, these curses will fall upon you and overwhelm you:
“Cursed will you be in the city and in the country.
“Cursed will you be in your harvests and in your stores of grain.
“Cursed will you be in your children, in the produce of your land, and in the increase of your flocks and herds.
“Cursed will you be when you come into this life and when you depart from it.
“Jehovah will inflict upon you curses and confusion and thwart all that you put your hand to until, because of the evil you have done in forsaking him, you will be entirely destroyed and quickly perish. Jehovah will make disease cling to you until he has wiped you off the land you are going in to possess. Jehovah will strike you with debilitating illnesses, fever, inflammation, scorching heat and drought, blight and mildew. These calamities will pursue you until you perish. The skies above will be like bronze and the ground beneath you, like iron. Jehovah will turn the rain that falls into powder and the dust will pour down from the heavens until you are exterminated.
“Jehovah will cause you to be defeated by your enemies. You will attack your enemies from one direction, but flee from them in seven. You will be scattered among all the nations of the earth. You corpse will provide food for the birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth to scavenge; there will be no one to shoo them away. Jehovah will afflict you with the boils of Egypt, tumors, scabs and itches from which you can never be cured. Jehovah will afflict you with insanity, blindness, and derangement. At noon you will grope about like a blind man in darkness. You will not succeed in any of your endeavors; you will be continually robbed and persecuted and no one will save you. You will become betrothed and your future wife will be raped by another man. You will build a house, but will not have the opportunity to live with in it. You will plant a vineyard, but not begin to enjoy its fruit. Your cattle will be slaughtered before your eyes, but you will eat none of it. Your donkey will be stolen from under your nose and will never be returned to you. Your sheep will be given to your enemies and there will be no one to get them back for you. You sons and daughters will be sent as slaves into another land; you will strain your eyes searching for them, but you will be powerless to recover them. A people unknown to you will eat the produce of your land and reap the fruit of your labors. You will be constantly oppressed and continually frustrated. You will be driven mad by what you see. Jehovah will afflict your knees and legs with painful boils that will not heal; they will spread from the soles of your feet to the top of your head.
“You and the king you have chosen to rule over you Jehovah will exile to a foreign land unknown to you or your ancestors. There you will worship other gods, of wood and stone. You will become an object of disgust and mockery among the peoples where Jehovah will banish you.
“You will plant seed in the field, but little of it will you harvest, for the locusts will devour it. You will plant vineyards and cultivate them, but you will not drink the wine or harvest the grapes, because worms will eat them. There will be olive trees throughout your land, but you will anoint yourself with its oil, because the olives will drop off prematurely. You will father sons and daughters, but they will not belong to you, for they will become slaves. The insect will take over your trees and the crops of your field. The foreigner who lives among you will rise higher and higher as you sink lower and lower. He will lend to you, but you will not lend to him. He will be the head and you the tail.
“All these curse will come down upon you; they will pursue and overtake you until they destroy you, because you did not obey Jehovah your god and follow the commands and decrees he gave you. They will forever be a sign and warning to you and your descendants. Because you did not serve Jehovah your god joyfully and wholeheartedly while you enjoyed good times, in hunger and thirst, nakedness and deprivation you will serve the enemies Jehovah has inflicted upon you. He will put an iron yoke round your neck until you are destroyed.
“Jehovah will bring against you a distant nation from the ends of the earth that will swoop down upon you like an eagle, a country whose language you do not understand, a hard-hearted people that will show no respect for the elderly or pity for the young. It will consume the young of your livestock and the crops of your land until you are destroyed. It will leave you no grain, no new wine, no grapes, no calves of your herd or lambs of your flock so that you will starve. They will lay siege to all the towns of your country until the high walls upon which you have relied for your security will fall. They will besiege all the cities in the land Jehovah your god is giving you.
“Because of the hardships your enemies will inflict upon you during the siege, you will consume your own offspring, the very flesh of the sons and daughters Jehovah your god has given you. Even the most soft-hearted man among you will show no compassion, not to his own brother or his beloved wife or his surviving children, nor will he share with them the food he is eating, the flesh of his own children, for there will be nothing else to eat because of the horrible deprivation the siege will inflict upon all of your towns. The most refined and delicate woman, one so delicate she would not let the sole of her foot touch the ground, will not share with the husband she loves or with her son or daughter. She will secretly devour her afterbirth and her new-born child, for there will nothing else to eat due to the horrible deprivation the siege will inflict upon all of your towns.
“If you do not carefully follow the words of the law inscribed in this record and revere the glorious and awesome name of Jehovah your god, then Jehovah will inflict upon you and your descendants, extraordinary plagues that are severe and prolonged, and illnesses acute, chronic and lingering. He will bring upon you all the diseases of Egypt that you dreaded and there will be no relief from them. Jehovah will inflict upon you every illness and plague in existence, even those not mentioned in this book of laws, until you are wiped out. Once as numerous as the stars in the sky, you will become few in number because you have not obeyed Jehovah your god. Just as Jehovah found it pleasing to make you prosper and multiply, he will take delight in bringing you to ruin. You will be uprooted from the land you are to enter and occupy. Jehovah will scatter you among all the peoples from one end of the earth to the other. There you will worship gods of wood and stone that neither you nor your ancestors have known. There, among these nations you will find no peace, no place to rest your feet, but Jehovah will give you an anxious mind, failing eyesight, and a dispirited heart. You will live in constant dread both by night and day, never sure of your survival. In the morning you will lament, ‘If only it were evening!’ and in the evening, “If only it were morning!” Your heart will be filled with dread and your eyes will be horrified by what they see. Jehovah will send you back in ships to Egypt by a route he promised you you would never have to see again. There you will offer yourselves for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves -- but none will buy you!”
Notes
1. Moses enjoins the Israelites to write the entirety of the law they have been given on stones. First of all, as has often been observed, the Israelites would have been preliterate, there only Egyptian hieroglyphics and Mesopotamian cuneiform being the only available means of writing. The stones would have be undressed, that is, rough and unfinished. It is specified that no iron tool be used upon them. Moses lived during the Bronze Age; it is unlikely that the Israelites at that time would have had access to any iron tools, so the prohibition seems pointless. Plastering the stones would have provided a smooth surface upon which to write, but not, one would think, an archival surface. Compared to the magnificent monuments erected by the great bronze-age civilization, this all seems very shabby indeed.
2. Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim are adjacent peaks in the area of biblical Shechem and the later Nablus, 30 miles north of Jerusalem in what is now the West Bank. Ebal is over 3000 feet high, 200 feet higher than Gerizim. It consists mostly of limestone that was quarried considerably in ancient times. The limestone would have furnished the material for the lime plaster that is referenced. Archaeological excavations there have revealed what may have been altars. Interesting that Ebal, the mountain of curses, is higher than Gerizim, the mountain of blessings. Also interesting is the fact that Moses knew so much of the geography of the Promised Land, which he never saw nor would see.
3. The Israelites are hardly offered much of a choice by Jehovah. He has ordained them as his people and there’s nothing they can do to get out of it. The blessing he offers them would seem sufficient to secure to ensure their allegiance, but the curses would seem to make any act of disloyalty unthinkable. Since Deuteronomy was written during the time of the Babylonian Captivity, the author probably included curses that may have resembled events that had come to pass during that period. Among the religious of most creeds misfortunes and disasters are usually attributed to immorality, insufficient piety, or improper worship.
4. The curses are very telling of Jehovah’s character. As a master it is hard to imagine anyone more cruel, sadistic, and tyrannical, for it is with admittedly fiendish delight that Jehovah devises the harshest, most disgusting punishments imaginable for his people, if they disobey him. He kills off the Israelites a half dozen times in a half dozen ways. He even has them starving and resorting to cannibalism, eating their own children. Dwelling so much on the horrific curses and bragging about the pleasure he would have in inflicting them, the Jehovah of Moses reveals himself -- again -- to be nothing less than a depraved, murderous psychopath, surely more the embodiment of evil than good.
Then Moses and the elders of Israel charged the people, “Obey all the commandments I have given you this day. When you cross the River Jordan and enter the land Jehovah your god is giving you, set up some large stones and coat them with lime plaster. Write on them the whole body of the law, this after you have crossed the river to enter the land Jehovah your god is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey, as was promised your ancestors by Jehovah your god. When you have crossed the River Jordan, set up these stones at Mount Ebal and coat them with lime plaster, as I am commanding you today.
“You must then build there a stone altar to Jehovah your god. Do not work the stones with iron tools, but construct the altar only of undressed stones. Use it to make your burnt offerings to Jehovah your god. You should also make your peace offerings and have celebratory feasts before the altar of Jehovah your god. You must clearly write on these stones all the words of this law.
Moses and the Levite priests proclaimed this to all the people of Israel, “Be silent and listen! This day, O Israel, you have become the people of Jehovah your god. You must therefore obey the words of Jehovah your god and follow his commandments and decrees that I have given you this day.”
On the same day, Moses commanded the people, “When you have crossed the River Jordan the following tribes will stand on Mount Gerizim and pronounce blessings to the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin. The following are the tribes that will stand on Mount Ebal and pronounce the curses: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali. The Levites shall announce in a loud voice to the men of Israel:
‘Cursed be those who carve or cast an idol and secretly sets it up. Such works of craftsmanship are an abomination to Jehovah.’ And all the people will reply ‘Amen!’
‘Cursed be anyone who dishonors his father or mother.’ And all the people will reply ‘Amen!’
‘Cursed be anyone who tampers with a neighbor’s boundary marker.’ And all the people will reply ‘Amen!’
‘Cursed be anyone who leads a blindman astray on the road.’ And all the people will reply ‘Amen!’
‘Cursed be anyone who subverts justice for the foreigner, the orphan, or the widow.’ And all the people will reply ‘Amen!’
‘Cursed be anyone who has sexual relations with his father’s wife, for he has violated his father’s marriage bed.’ And all the people will reply ‘Amen!’
‘Cursed be anyone who has sexual intercourse with any animal.’ And all the people will reply ‘Amen!’
Cursed be anyone who has sexual relations with his sister or a half sister who is the daughter of his father or mother.’ And all the people will reply ‘Amen!’
‘Cursed be anyone who has sexual relations with his mother-in-law.’ And all the people will reply ‘Amen!’
‘Cursed be anyone who assaults his neighbor from ambush.’ And all the people will reply ‘Amen!’
‘Cursed be anyone who accepts payment to shed innocent blood,’ And all the people will reply ‘Amen!’
‘Cursed be anyone who does not accept and obey every word of these laws.’ And all the people will reply ‘Amen!’”
“If you faithfully obey the voice of Jehovah your god and carefully keep all the commandments that I have given you today, Jehovah your god will exalt you above all the nations on the earth. All these blessings will be showered upon you and remain with you if you obey Jehovah your god.
“Blessed will you be in the city and in the country.
“Blessed will you be in your children, in the produce of your land, and in the increase of your flocks and herds.
“Blessed will you be in your harvests and in your stores of grain.
“Blessed will you be when you enter this life and when you depart from it.
“Jehovah will conquer your enemies when they rise up against you. Though they may attack you from one direction, they will be made to scatter in seven.
“Jehovah will bless your storehouses and will bless all that you undertake. He will bless you in the land that he, Jehovah your god, has given you. As he promised he would, Jehovah will establish you as a people sacred to him, provided you obey the commandments of Jehovah your god and follow his ways. And when all the peoples of the world will come to see that you are under the protection of Jehovah, they will respect you. Jehovah will grant you abundance and prosperity, in your children and in your livestock and crops, within the land Jehovah your god promised he would give your ancestors. Jehovah will open the celestial dome and from his rich storehouse, will send you rain in season and bless all that you put your hand to. You will lend to many nations, but borrow from none. Jehovah will put you at the head and not in the rear. And if you heed the commands of Jehovah your god I have given you this day and follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. You must not deviate in any direction from any of the commands I am giving you today, and you must not follow and worship other gods.
“However, if you fail to obey Jehovah your god and carefully follow his commandments and the decrees I am giving you this day, these curses will fall upon you and overwhelm you:
“Cursed will you be in the city and in the country.
“Cursed will you be in your harvests and in your stores of grain.
“Cursed will you be in your children, in the produce of your land, and in the increase of your flocks and herds.
“Cursed will you be when you come into this life and when you depart from it.
“Jehovah will inflict upon you curses and confusion and thwart all that you put your hand to until, because of the evil you have done in forsaking him, you will be entirely destroyed and quickly perish. Jehovah will make disease cling to you until he has wiped you off the land you are going in to possess. Jehovah will strike you with debilitating illnesses, fever, inflammation, scorching heat and drought, blight and mildew. These calamities will pursue you until you perish. The skies above will be like bronze and the ground beneath you, like iron. Jehovah will turn the rain that falls into powder and the dust will pour down from the heavens until you are exterminated.
“Jehovah will cause you to be defeated by your enemies. You will attack your enemies from one direction, but flee from them in seven. You will be scattered among all the nations of the earth. You corpse will provide food for the birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth to scavenge; there will be no one to shoo them away. Jehovah will afflict you with the boils of Egypt, tumors, scabs and itches from which you can never be cured. Jehovah will afflict you with insanity, blindness, and derangement. At noon you will grope about like a blind man in darkness. You will not succeed in any of your endeavors; you will be continually robbed and persecuted and no one will save you. You will become betrothed and your future wife will be raped by another man. You will build a house, but will not have the opportunity to live with in it. You will plant a vineyard, but not begin to enjoy its fruit. Your cattle will be slaughtered before your eyes, but you will eat none of it. Your donkey will be stolen from under your nose and will never be returned to you. Your sheep will be given to your enemies and there will be no one to get them back for you. You sons and daughters will be sent as slaves into another land; you will strain your eyes searching for them, but you will be powerless to recover them. A people unknown to you will eat the produce of your land and reap the fruit of your labors. You will be constantly oppressed and continually frustrated. You will be driven mad by what you see. Jehovah will afflict your knees and legs with painful boils that will not heal; they will spread from the soles of your feet to the top of your head.
“You and the king you have chosen to rule over you Jehovah will exile to a foreign land unknown to you or your ancestors. There you will worship other gods, of wood and stone. You will become an object of disgust and mockery among the peoples where Jehovah will banish you.
“You will plant seed in the field, but little of it will you harvest, for the locusts will devour it. You will plant vineyards and cultivate them, but you will not drink the wine or harvest the grapes, because worms will eat them. There will be olive trees throughout your land, but you will anoint yourself with its oil, because the olives will drop off prematurely. You will father sons and daughters, but they will not belong to you, for they will become slaves. The insect will take over your trees and the crops of your field. The foreigner who lives among you will rise higher and higher as you sink lower and lower. He will lend to you, but you will not lend to him. He will be the head and you the tail.
“All these curse will come down upon you; they will pursue and overtake you until they destroy you, because you did not obey Jehovah your god and follow the commands and decrees he gave you. They will forever be a sign and warning to you and your descendants. Because you did not serve Jehovah your god joyfully and wholeheartedly while you enjoyed good times, in hunger and thirst, nakedness and deprivation you will serve the enemies Jehovah has inflicted upon you. He will put an iron yoke round your neck until you are destroyed.
“Jehovah will bring against you a distant nation from the ends of the earth that will swoop down upon you like an eagle, a country whose language you do not understand, a hard-hearted people that will show no respect for the elderly or pity for the young. It will consume the young of your livestock and the crops of your land until you are destroyed. It will leave you no grain, no new wine, no grapes, no calves of your herd or lambs of your flock so that you will starve. They will lay siege to all the towns of your country until the high walls upon which you have relied for your security will fall. They will besiege all the cities in the land Jehovah your god is giving you.
“Because of the hardships your enemies will inflict upon you during the siege, you will consume your own offspring, the very flesh of the sons and daughters Jehovah your god has given you. Even the most soft-hearted man among you will show no compassion, not to his own brother or his beloved wife or his surviving children, nor will he share with them the food he is eating, the flesh of his own children, for there will be nothing else to eat because of the horrible deprivation the siege will inflict upon all of your towns. The most refined and delicate woman, one so delicate she would not let the sole of her foot touch the ground, will not share with the husband she loves or with her son or daughter. She will secretly devour her afterbirth and her new-born child, for there will nothing else to eat due to the horrible deprivation the siege will inflict upon all of your towns.
“If you do not carefully follow the words of the law inscribed in this record and revere the glorious and awesome name of Jehovah your god, then Jehovah will inflict upon you and your descendants, extraordinary plagues that are severe and prolonged, and illnesses acute, chronic and lingering. He will bring upon you all the diseases of Egypt that you dreaded and there will be no relief from them. Jehovah will inflict upon you every illness and plague in existence, even those not mentioned in this book of laws, until you are wiped out. Once as numerous as the stars in the sky, you will become few in number because you have not obeyed Jehovah your god. Just as Jehovah found it pleasing to make you prosper and multiply, he will take delight in bringing you to ruin. You will be uprooted from the land you are to enter and occupy. Jehovah will scatter you among all the peoples from one end of the earth to the other. There you will worship gods of wood and stone that neither you nor your ancestors have known. There, among these nations you will find no peace, no place to rest your feet, but Jehovah will give you an anxious mind, failing eyesight, and a dispirited heart. You will live in constant dread both by night and day, never sure of your survival. In the morning you will lament, ‘If only it were evening!’ and in the evening, “If only it were morning!” Your heart will be filled with dread and your eyes will be horrified by what they see. Jehovah will send you back in ships to Egypt by a route he promised you you would never have to see again. There you will offer yourselves for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves -- but none will buy you!”
Notes
1. Moses enjoins the Israelites to write the entirety of the law they have been given on stones. First of all, as has often been observed, the Israelites would have been preliterate, there only Egyptian hieroglyphics and Mesopotamian cuneiform being the only available means of writing. The stones would have be undressed, that is, rough and unfinished. It is specified that no iron tool be used upon them. Moses lived during the Bronze Age; it is unlikely that the Israelites at that time would have had access to any iron tools, so the prohibition seems pointless. Plastering the stones would have provided a smooth surface upon which to write, but not, one would think, an archival surface. Compared to the magnificent monuments erected by the great bronze-age civilization, this all seems very shabby indeed.
2. Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim are adjacent peaks in the area of biblical Shechem and the later Nablus, 30 miles north of Jerusalem in what is now the West Bank. Ebal is over 3000 feet high, 200 feet higher than Gerizim. It consists mostly of limestone that was quarried considerably in ancient times. The limestone would have furnished the material for the lime plaster that is referenced. Archaeological excavations there have revealed what may have been altars. Interesting that Ebal, the mountain of curses, is higher than Gerizim, the mountain of blessings. Also interesting is the fact that Moses knew so much of the geography of the Promised Land, which he never saw nor would see.
3. The Israelites are hardly offered much of a choice by Jehovah. He has ordained them as his people and there’s nothing they can do to get out of it. The blessing he offers them would seem sufficient to secure to ensure their allegiance, but the curses would seem to make any act of disloyalty unthinkable. Since Deuteronomy was written during the time of the Babylonian Captivity, the author probably included curses that may have resembled events that had come to pass during that period. Among the religious of most creeds misfortunes and disasters are usually attributed to immorality, insufficient piety, or improper worship.
4. The curses are very telling of Jehovah’s character. As a master it is hard to imagine anyone more cruel, sadistic, and tyrannical, for it is with admittedly fiendish delight that Jehovah devises the harshest, most disgusting punishments imaginable for his people, if they disobey him. He kills off the Israelites a half dozen times in a half dozen ways. He even has them starving and resorting to cannibalism, eating their own children. Dwelling so much on the horrific curses and bragging about the pleasure he would have in inflicting them, the Jehovah of Moses reveals himself -- again -- to be nothing less than a depraved, murderous psychopath, surely more the embodiment of evil than good.
First Fruit Offerings and Tithes
(Deuteronomy 26:1 - 26:19)
“When you have entered the land Jehovah your god is giving you as an inheritance, when you have taken possession of it and settled in it, then you should take the first fruits of the crops you harvest from the land Jehovah your god is giving, put them in a basket, and take them to the place that Jehovah your god has designated as a place of worship. Present yourself to the officiating priest and tell him, ‘I proclaim to Jehovah your god that I have now entered the land he has swore to our ancestors that he would give us.’ The priest will then accept the basket from you and place it upon the altar of Jehovah.
“You must then declare before Jehovah your god, ‘My ancestor was an Aramean nomad who went to live as an alien resident in Egypt. When he arrived, his family was small, but it would become a large and mighty nation. The Egyptians, though, maltreated us and made our lives miserable, subjecting us to hard labor. We appealed to Jehovah, the god of our ancestors. He heard our cries and saw our toil, our misery and oppression. With his might and power Jehovah produced horrendous acts of terror, miracles and wonders and brought us out of Egypt. He led us to this place and presented us with this country, a land flowing with milk and honey. Now I bring to you the first fruits of the land that you, Jehovah, has given us!’ Set down the basket on the altar of Jehovah your god and prostrate yourself before it. Afterwards you, along with the Levites and the foreigners living among you, may make merry and celebrate the bounty Jehovah your god has bestowed upon you and your household.
“When you have finished paying the tithe on all your produce in the third year (the year of the tithe) and giving it to the Levites, the resident aliens, the orphans, and widows so that they may eat their fill in your towns, then you shall declare before the altar of Jehovah your god, ‘I have removed the sacred portion from my house and according to the instructions of your commandments, I have given it to the Levites, the resident aliens, the orphans and widows. I have not deviated from any of your commandments, nor have I forgotten any of them. I have not eaten any of the tithe while I was in mourning, or removed any of it while I was ritually impure, nor have I made an offering of it to the dead. I have obeyed Jehovah my god. I have done all you have commanded of me. Look down from Heaven, your holy habitation, and bless your people Israel and the country you have given us as you promised our ancestors you would do, a land flowing with milk and honey.
“Jehovah your god commands you this day to follow these decrees and regulations and to obey them faithfully with all your heart and soul. You have declared here today that Jehovah is your god, that you will follow his ways, keep his commandments and statutes, and heed what he tells you. And Jehovah has declared to you that you are his people and will be his treasured possession as he has promised and that you must obey all his commandments. If you do, he will set you above all the other nations he has created. He will grant you praise, honor, and fame. You will be a nation that is sacred to Jehovah your god, as he has promised you.”
Notes
1. Here Moses reiterates briefly the story of the Israelite people. That Jehovah freed the people from bondage is always the rationale for the necessity of the Israelites obeying everything Jehovah tells them. They have, in fact, traded one master for another. Instead of being a servant of the Egyptians, they are servants of Jehovah. It is moot question which was the more demanding taskmaster.
2. The tithe (always a tenth of the harvest) was given every third year to the Levite priests, with some to go to the indigent, widows and orphans and foreign residents. One wonders what happened to the needy on non-tithe years, did they starve?
3. The quid pro quo of Jehovah’s relationship with the Israelites is restated -- follow all my laws, do what I tell you to do, worship me as a god, and I will shower all manner of benefits upon your nation. Jehovah is in many respects like the lord of the manor and Israelites, serfs.
4. This concludes Moses sermon/speech to the Israelites. It is amazing a dying man was capable of delivering such a long speech, especially since he was so oratorically challenged that he needed someone else (Aaron) to speak for him. The speech, as has been noted many times, included anachronistic references and advice that the Israelites would not need for hundreds of years.
“When you have entered the land Jehovah your god is giving you as an inheritance, when you have taken possession of it and settled in it, then you should take the first fruits of the crops you harvest from the land Jehovah your god is giving, put them in a basket, and take them to the place that Jehovah your god has designated as a place of worship. Present yourself to the officiating priest and tell him, ‘I proclaim to Jehovah your god that I have now entered the land he has swore to our ancestors that he would give us.’ The priest will then accept the basket from you and place it upon the altar of Jehovah.
“You must then declare before Jehovah your god, ‘My ancestor was an Aramean nomad who went to live as an alien resident in Egypt. When he arrived, his family was small, but it would become a large and mighty nation. The Egyptians, though, maltreated us and made our lives miserable, subjecting us to hard labor. We appealed to Jehovah, the god of our ancestors. He heard our cries and saw our toil, our misery and oppression. With his might and power Jehovah produced horrendous acts of terror, miracles and wonders and brought us out of Egypt. He led us to this place and presented us with this country, a land flowing with milk and honey. Now I bring to you the first fruits of the land that you, Jehovah, has given us!’ Set down the basket on the altar of Jehovah your god and prostrate yourself before it. Afterwards you, along with the Levites and the foreigners living among you, may make merry and celebrate the bounty Jehovah your god has bestowed upon you and your household.
“When you have finished paying the tithe on all your produce in the third year (the year of the tithe) and giving it to the Levites, the resident aliens, the orphans, and widows so that they may eat their fill in your towns, then you shall declare before the altar of Jehovah your god, ‘I have removed the sacred portion from my house and according to the instructions of your commandments, I have given it to the Levites, the resident aliens, the orphans and widows. I have not deviated from any of your commandments, nor have I forgotten any of them. I have not eaten any of the tithe while I was in mourning, or removed any of it while I was ritually impure, nor have I made an offering of it to the dead. I have obeyed Jehovah my god. I have done all you have commanded of me. Look down from Heaven, your holy habitation, and bless your people Israel and the country you have given us as you promised our ancestors you would do, a land flowing with milk and honey.
“Jehovah your god commands you this day to follow these decrees and regulations and to obey them faithfully with all your heart and soul. You have declared here today that Jehovah is your god, that you will follow his ways, keep his commandments and statutes, and heed what he tells you. And Jehovah has declared to you that you are his people and will be his treasured possession as he has promised and that you must obey all his commandments. If you do, he will set you above all the other nations he has created. He will grant you praise, honor, and fame. You will be a nation that is sacred to Jehovah your god, as he has promised you.”
Notes
1. Here Moses reiterates briefly the story of the Israelite people. That Jehovah freed the people from bondage is always the rationale for the necessity of the Israelites obeying everything Jehovah tells them. They have, in fact, traded one master for another. Instead of being a servant of the Egyptians, they are servants of Jehovah. It is moot question which was the more demanding taskmaster.
2. The tithe (always a tenth of the harvest) was given every third year to the Levite priests, with some to go to the indigent, widows and orphans and foreign residents. One wonders what happened to the needy on non-tithe years, did they starve?
3. The quid pro quo of Jehovah’s relationship with the Israelites is restated -- follow all my laws, do what I tell you to do, worship me as a god, and I will shower all manner of benefits upon your nation. Jehovah is in many respects like the lord of the manor and Israelites, serfs.
4. This concludes Moses sermon/speech to the Israelites. It is amazing a dying man was capable of delivering such a long speech, especially since he was so oratorically challenged that he needed someone else (Aaron) to speak for him. The speech, as has been noted many times, included anachronistic references and advice that the Israelites would not need for hundreds of years.
Thursday, July 21, 2016
More Regulations
(Deuteronomy 24:5 - 25:19)
“If a man is newly married, he must not be drafted into the army or be obligated to perform any public service. He should be free to spend a year at home to be happy with the wife he has just wed.
“Do not accept a pair of millstones, not even an upper millstone, as security for a debt, for that would be taking away a person’s livelihood.
“If anyone abducts and enslaves a fellow Israelite or sells him, that person must be put to death. In that way the evil among you will be purged.
“In the case of defiling skin diseases, take care to follow the instructions of the Levitical priests. You must do exactly as I have commanded them, keeping in mind what I did to Miriam during the passage out of Egypt.
“When you make a loan of any sort to a neighbor, do not enter the man’s house to receive what he is offering you as security, but wait outside until he brings it to you. If it is a cloak and he is a poor man, do not keep it overnight, but return it to him before sunset so that he can sleep in it. He will be grateful and you will have done what is right in the eyes of Jehovah your god.
“Do not exploit a worker who is poor and needy, whether he be a fellow Israelite or an alien residing in one of your towns. Pay him his wages at the end of the work day, for he is poor and is counting on it. Otherwise he may complain about you to Jehovah your god and you will be guilty of a sin.
“Parents must not be executed for the crimes of their children, nor children for the crimes of their parents. Each must be executed only for his own crimes.
“You must not subvert the justice due a resident alien or the orphan, or accept as security for a debt the garments of a widow. Always remember that you were once slaves in Egypt and that Jehovah your god freed you from bondage; that is why I give you this command.
“When you harvest your fields and leave a sheath behind, don’t go back for it, but leave it for the foreigners that live among you, the orphans, and the widows, and Jehovah your god will bless you in all your endeavors. When you pick the olives in your orchards, do not go over the vines a second time, but leave some olives for the foreigners, orphans, and widows. And when you pick the grapes in your vineyard, do not strip the vines, but leave some grapes for the foreigners, orphans, and widows. Remember that you were once slaves in Egypt; that is why I command you to do this.
“If two people have a dispute, they should take it to court, with the judge deciding who is in the right and who is in the wrong. If the person in the wrong deserves a flogging, the judge should order him to lie down, and then he should be flogged in the judge’s presence with the number of lashes appropriate to the crime. Never, however, should more than 40 lashes be imposed, for that would publicly degrade your fellow Israelite.
“Do to muzzle an ox [to prevent it from eating] while it is treading down the grain.
“If two brothers live together and one of them dies without having a son, the widow should not remarry outside of the family. It is the duty of the surviving brother to marry her and have intercourse with her. The first son they have should be named after the dead brother so that his name will not pass away in Israel. However, if the brother will not marry his brother’s widow, she should go to the elders of the town and tell them, “My brother-in-law refuses to allow my husband’s name to be perpetuated in Israel and will not perform his duty as my husband’s brother.” The elders should summon the brother-in-law and speak to him. If he continues to refuse and tells them, “I do not want to marry her,” then the widow should approach him in the presence of the elders, remove one of his sandals, spit in his face, and declare, “This is what happens to a man who refuses to build up his brother’s house!” And his house shall be called in Israel, “the house of the unsandaled man.”
“If two Israelite men get into a fight and the wife of one of them tries to rescue her husband by reaching out and grasping the testicles of the man who is beating her husband, you should cut off her hand, showing her no pity.
“You should not carry in your bag two different weights, one heavy, one light, or have two different measures in your house, one large, one small. Accurate and honest weights you must have, so that you may prosper in the land Jehovah your god is giving you. Jehovah your god detests anyone who does such things and anyone who does not conduct honest business dealings.
“Never forget what the Amalekites did to you when you came out of Egypt. They attacked you when you were tired and fatigued and picked off those who lagged behind with no fear of God. Therefore, when Jehovah your god gives you refuge from your enemies in the land he is giving you as an inheritance, you must exterminate the Amalekites and erase the memory of them from under the heavens. Do not forget this!"
Notes
1. Exempting newly married men from military service seems a humane practice, not inconsistent with modern policy of sometimes giving married men or men with children draft deferments. It provides as well an inducement to marry. Societies have nearly always encouraged marriage, both to provide social stability and to perpetuate the race through children, who can be most successful reared within a stable marriage.
2. In Israelite society most individuals made flour for bread using their own hand mills to grind the grain they have harvested from their own fields. To confiscate a millstone would be tantamount to depriving someone of food.
3. Enslaving an Israelite was a capital offense, but no mention is made of the morality of enslaving a foreigner.
4. The subject of skin diseases, some of which may or may not be accurately described as leprosy, is covered extensively in the Books of Moses. Why something medical in nature should be under the purview of the priests is curious. Medical doctors were probably unknown in Hebrew society at this time, even if in places like Egypt medical knowledge and practices were surprisingly advanced. So it is likely that priests were sought out for health advice. But the important aspect of skin afflictions seem to be their affect upon ritual purity, an obsession in Levitical law.
5. There are several provisions mandating kindly treatment of the the poor and downtrodden and making some allowances for the needy. (These seem consistent with Christian charity.) One puts a limit on the number of lashes an offender can be flogged. Apparently 39 lashes is OK, but 40 will degrade the recipient. A line, of course, must be drawn somewhere, but one wonders whether the age and physical condition of the person flogged, as well as the seriousness of the crime, should be a consideration in determining the proper number of lashes to be meted out.
6. The declaration that individuals should be punished only for their own crimes is very much at odds with previous statements supporting the concept of collective and ancestral guilt.
7. Not muzzling the oxen that tread the grain (apparently the standard means of threshing the grain, that is, separating the grain from the chaff) could be interpreted as exemplifying the principle of rewarding those who work, even animals.
8. The obligation of a man to marry his brother’s widow strikes one as a primitive, tribalistic custom that seems a contradiction to the prohibition in Leviticus against marrying a brother’s widow. The exception here is if the deceased brother has no children. This is called Levirate marriage and in not unique to Hebrew society. Its purpose is generally to preserve marriage within the tribal unit. The bizarre ceremony of the sandal is called halizah. The widow must perform this ceremony before marrying anyone else, or be deemed an adulteress. Orthodox Jews still perform this ancient ceremony when circumstances warrant.
9. The prohibition against a wife interfering in her husband’s fight by grabbing the testicles of his opponents is perhaps the most bizarre and ludicrous passage in the Bible. Do wives generally throw themselves into the middle of fist fights or brawls their husbands engage in? Are they usually present when such encounters occur? And how on earth would a woman position herself during a fight so that she would be able to seize one of the combatant’s testicles? Who is it that is in a position to cut off her hand -- a judge, when the matter comes to court? And why are her actions, that of a loyal wife trying to defend her husband, so objectionable that they deserve no pity? How could this provision have any practical value as a guide to behavior? Perhaps it is meant symbolically. Perhaps it means that a woman should not interfere with her husband’s quarrels with other men.
10. There is another call for genocide against the detested Amalekites, the arch enemy of the Israelites and later a symbol for evil. These were a nomadic people who lived in south Canaan, in the Negev. They were supposedly the descendants of Amalek, a grandson of Esau, but were spoken of in Genesis as existing long before Amalek was even born. The term is applied vaguely in the Bible, and it is impossible to pinpoint who exactly the Amalekites were and when and where they lived.
“If a man is newly married, he must not be drafted into the army or be obligated to perform any public service. He should be free to spend a year at home to be happy with the wife he has just wed.
“Do not accept a pair of millstones, not even an upper millstone, as security for a debt, for that would be taking away a person’s livelihood.
“If anyone abducts and enslaves a fellow Israelite or sells him, that person must be put to death. In that way the evil among you will be purged.
“In the case of defiling skin diseases, take care to follow the instructions of the Levitical priests. You must do exactly as I have commanded them, keeping in mind what I did to Miriam during the passage out of Egypt.
“When you make a loan of any sort to a neighbor, do not enter the man’s house to receive what he is offering you as security, but wait outside until he brings it to you. If it is a cloak and he is a poor man, do not keep it overnight, but return it to him before sunset so that he can sleep in it. He will be grateful and you will have done what is right in the eyes of Jehovah your god.
“Do not exploit a worker who is poor and needy, whether he be a fellow Israelite or an alien residing in one of your towns. Pay him his wages at the end of the work day, for he is poor and is counting on it. Otherwise he may complain about you to Jehovah your god and you will be guilty of a sin.
“Parents must not be executed for the crimes of their children, nor children for the crimes of their parents. Each must be executed only for his own crimes.
“You must not subvert the justice due a resident alien or the orphan, or accept as security for a debt the garments of a widow. Always remember that you were once slaves in Egypt and that Jehovah your god freed you from bondage; that is why I give you this command.
“When you harvest your fields and leave a sheath behind, don’t go back for it, but leave it for the foreigners that live among you, the orphans, and the widows, and Jehovah your god will bless you in all your endeavors. When you pick the olives in your orchards, do not go over the vines a second time, but leave some olives for the foreigners, orphans, and widows. And when you pick the grapes in your vineyard, do not strip the vines, but leave some grapes for the foreigners, orphans, and widows. Remember that you were once slaves in Egypt; that is why I command you to do this.
“If two people have a dispute, they should take it to court, with the judge deciding who is in the right and who is in the wrong. If the person in the wrong deserves a flogging, the judge should order him to lie down, and then he should be flogged in the judge’s presence with the number of lashes appropriate to the crime. Never, however, should more than 40 lashes be imposed, for that would publicly degrade your fellow Israelite.
“Do to muzzle an ox [to prevent it from eating] while it is treading down the grain.
“If two brothers live together and one of them dies without having a son, the widow should not remarry outside of the family. It is the duty of the surviving brother to marry her and have intercourse with her. The first son they have should be named after the dead brother so that his name will not pass away in Israel. However, if the brother will not marry his brother’s widow, she should go to the elders of the town and tell them, “My brother-in-law refuses to allow my husband’s name to be perpetuated in Israel and will not perform his duty as my husband’s brother.” The elders should summon the brother-in-law and speak to him. If he continues to refuse and tells them, “I do not want to marry her,” then the widow should approach him in the presence of the elders, remove one of his sandals, spit in his face, and declare, “This is what happens to a man who refuses to build up his brother’s house!” And his house shall be called in Israel, “the house of the unsandaled man.”
“If two Israelite men get into a fight and the wife of one of them tries to rescue her husband by reaching out and grasping the testicles of the man who is beating her husband, you should cut off her hand, showing her no pity.
“You should not carry in your bag two different weights, one heavy, one light, or have two different measures in your house, one large, one small. Accurate and honest weights you must have, so that you may prosper in the land Jehovah your god is giving you. Jehovah your god detests anyone who does such things and anyone who does not conduct honest business dealings.
“Never forget what the Amalekites did to you when you came out of Egypt. They attacked you when you were tired and fatigued and picked off those who lagged behind with no fear of God. Therefore, when Jehovah your god gives you refuge from your enemies in the land he is giving you as an inheritance, you must exterminate the Amalekites and erase the memory of them from under the heavens. Do not forget this!"
Notes
1. Exempting newly married men from military service seems a humane practice, not inconsistent with modern policy of sometimes giving married men or men with children draft deferments. It provides as well an inducement to marry. Societies have nearly always encouraged marriage, both to provide social stability and to perpetuate the race through children, who can be most successful reared within a stable marriage.
2. In Israelite society most individuals made flour for bread using their own hand mills to grind the grain they have harvested from their own fields. To confiscate a millstone would be tantamount to depriving someone of food.
3. Enslaving an Israelite was a capital offense, but no mention is made of the morality of enslaving a foreigner.
4. The subject of skin diseases, some of which may or may not be accurately described as leprosy, is covered extensively in the Books of Moses. Why something medical in nature should be under the purview of the priests is curious. Medical doctors were probably unknown in Hebrew society at this time, even if in places like Egypt medical knowledge and practices were surprisingly advanced. So it is likely that priests were sought out for health advice. But the important aspect of skin afflictions seem to be their affect upon ritual purity, an obsession in Levitical law.
5. There are several provisions mandating kindly treatment of the the poor and downtrodden and making some allowances for the needy. (These seem consistent with Christian charity.) One puts a limit on the number of lashes an offender can be flogged. Apparently 39 lashes is OK, but 40 will degrade the recipient. A line, of course, must be drawn somewhere, but one wonders whether the age and physical condition of the person flogged, as well as the seriousness of the crime, should be a consideration in determining the proper number of lashes to be meted out.
6. The declaration that individuals should be punished only for their own crimes is very much at odds with previous statements supporting the concept of collective and ancestral guilt.
7. Not muzzling the oxen that tread the grain (apparently the standard means of threshing the grain, that is, separating the grain from the chaff) could be interpreted as exemplifying the principle of rewarding those who work, even animals.
8. The obligation of a man to marry his brother’s widow strikes one as a primitive, tribalistic custom that seems a contradiction to the prohibition in Leviticus against marrying a brother’s widow. The exception here is if the deceased brother has no children. This is called Levirate marriage and in not unique to Hebrew society. Its purpose is generally to preserve marriage within the tribal unit. The bizarre ceremony of the sandal is called halizah. The widow must perform this ceremony before marrying anyone else, or be deemed an adulteress. Orthodox Jews still perform this ancient ceremony when circumstances warrant.
9. The prohibition against a wife interfering in her husband’s fight by grabbing the testicles of his opponents is perhaps the most bizarre and ludicrous passage in the Bible. Do wives generally throw themselves into the middle of fist fights or brawls their husbands engage in? Are they usually present when such encounters occur? And how on earth would a woman position herself during a fight so that she would be able to seize one of the combatant’s testicles? Who is it that is in a position to cut off her hand -- a judge, when the matter comes to court? And why are her actions, that of a loyal wife trying to defend her husband, so objectionable that they deserve no pity? How could this provision have any practical value as a guide to behavior? Perhaps it is meant symbolically. Perhaps it means that a woman should not interfere with her husband’s quarrels with other men.
10. There is another call for genocide against the detested Amalekites, the arch enemy of the Israelites and later a symbol for evil. These were a nomadic people who lived in south Canaan, in the Negev. They were supposedly the descendants of Amalek, a grandson of Esau, but were spoken of in Genesis as existing long before Amalek was even born. The term is applied vaguely in the Bible, and it is impossible to pinpoint who exactly the Amalekites were and when and where they lived.
Remarriage of Divorced Wife
(Deuteronomy 24:1 - 24:4)
“If a man marries and is displeased with his wife when he discovers she is unchaste, he may draw up a bill of divorcement, present it to her, and banish her from his home. If, after leaving his house, the woman marries another man and the second husband also draws up a bill of divorcement, presents it to her, and banishes her from his home, the first husband may not remarry her, for she has been defiled -- to do so would be an abomination in the eyes of Jehovah. You should not tolerate such a sin in the land that Jehovah is giving you for an inheritance.”
Notes
1. The question of divorce is rarely addressed in the Old Testament. The conditions referenced here as a basis for divorce are ambiguous. There are two conditions stated: firstly, the husband has to be displeased with his wife and desirous of being rid of her and, secondly, there must be a fault with the bride. A lack of chastity seems to be suggested by the text, but it is possible that other faults might be included, ill health, physical deformity of some kind, perhaps even an inability to have children. The divorce would seem to be more akin to an annulment.
2. The husband draws up a bill of divorcement, that is, he prepares some sort of legal document, something down in writing. The society of Moses, the people listening to this sermon, would not have been literate. It seems a stretch that personal legal documents would have used until many centuries later, after the invention an alphabet and the Hebrew language. But most of Moses’ sermon is anachronistic in this regard, pertaining to social conditions that would only exist many centuries in the future.
3. It is perhaps surprising that the divorced woman is free to marry again. Would she, though, have been stigmatized, regarded as a dishonored woman?
4. There is no suggestion that a woman could ever divorce a man irrespective of cause. But this is hardly surprising considering the second-class status women had in Hebrew society. (Women didn’t fare much better in other ancient societies until the Romans, who, at least at a later period, granted women greater rights.)
5. Why a man remarrying a former wife constitutes a sin is hard to determine. The second husband does not sin by marrying a defiled woman that once belonged to another man, then why should the first husband remarry a woman that is already defiled? The rationale seems somewhat obscure.
6. Jehovah only seems concerned about what sins are perpetrated in the land he is giving the Israelites. He doesn’t want his land polluted. (It’s always all about him!) It seems he could care less about sins committed in foreign lands, even by Israelites. He is rather like a landlord who polices his property to ensure that behavior of which he disapproves does not occur, but he is unconcerned about what his tenants may do off the premises. The welfare and moral character of his people is only important in so far as it impinges upon Jehovah’s plans and impacts Jehovah’s pride.
“If a man marries and is displeased with his wife when he discovers she is unchaste, he may draw up a bill of divorcement, present it to her, and banish her from his home. If, after leaving his house, the woman marries another man and the second husband also draws up a bill of divorcement, presents it to her, and banishes her from his home, the first husband may not remarry her, for she has been defiled -- to do so would be an abomination in the eyes of Jehovah. You should not tolerate such a sin in the land that Jehovah is giving you for an inheritance.”
Notes
1. The question of divorce is rarely addressed in the Old Testament. The conditions referenced here as a basis for divorce are ambiguous. There are two conditions stated: firstly, the husband has to be displeased with his wife and desirous of being rid of her and, secondly, there must be a fault with the bride. A lack of chastity seems to be suggested by the text, but it is possible that other faults might be included, ill health, physical deformity of some kind, perhaps even an inability to have children. The divorce would seem to be more akin to an annulment.
2. The husband draws up a bill of divorcement, that is, he prepares some sort of legal document, something down in writing. The society of Moses, the people listening to this sermon, would not have been literate. It seems a stretch that personal legal documents would have used until many centuries later, after the invention an alphabet and the Hebrew language. But most of Moses’ sermon is anachronistic in this regard, pertaining to social conditions that would only exist many centuries in the future.
3. It is perhaps surprising that the divorced woman is free to marry again. Would she, though, have been stigmatized, regarded as a dishonored woman?
4. There is no suggestion that a woman could ever divorce a man irrespective of cause. But this is hardly surprising considering the second-class status women had in Hebrew society. (Women didn’t fare much better in other ancient societies until the Romans, who, at least at a later period, granted women greater rights.)
5. Why a man remarrying a former wife constitutes a sin is hard to determine. The second husband does not sin by marrying a defiled woman that once belonged to another man, then why should the first husband remarry a woman that is already defiled? The rationale seems somewhat obscure.
6. Jehovah only seems concerned about what sins are perpetrated in the land he is giving the Israelites. He doesn’t want his land polluted. (It’s always all about him!) It seems he could care less about sins committed in foreign lands, even by Israelites. He is rather like a landlord who polices his property to ensure that behavior of which he disapproves does not occur, but he is unconcerned about what his tenants may do off the premises. The welfare and moral character of his people is only important in so far as it impinges upon Jehovah’s plans and impacts Jehovah’s pride.
Thursday, June 30, 2016
Further Regulations
(Deuteronomy 23:15 - 23:25)
“If an escaped slave has taken refuge with you, do not return him to his master, but let him live with you without persecution in whatever town he may choose.
“Israelite women or men are forbidden to become temple prostitutes and the fees that such persons may earn may not be used as payment for any vow in the house of Jehovah your god, for both are abominations to him.
“You may not charge interest to fellow Israelites, whether on money, food, or anything that might be loaned on interest. You may charge interest to a foreigner, but not to a fellow Israelite, so that Jehovah your god may bless all your undertakings in the land you are entering to take possession of.
“If you make a vow to Jehovah your god, do not delay in fulfilling it, for he will require it of you and, failing to do so, you will be guilty a sin. However, if you make no vow, no sin is committed. But be careful to do what you say, if you have made a voluntary vow to Jehovah your god.
“When you pass through your neighbor’s vineyard, you may eat your fill of grapes, but you must not take any away in a basket. And when you pass through your neighbor’s field of standing grain, you may pick some kernels with your hand, but you must not reap the crop with a sickle.”
Notes
1. The provision to shelter runaway slaves is an interesting one, hardly conducive to the perpetuation of the institution of slavery, of which Jehovah has never expressed any disapproval. If there is no legal obligation for fugitive slaves to be returned, then the incentive for slaves to escape is great. Therefore, one would think this provision would result in considerable social disruption, however humane it may seem to us. It would be surprising if this passage was not cited when 19th century Americans were dealing with the problem of fugitive slaves.
2. One way in which Jehovah separates himself from his rival gods is his rejection of practices such as prostitution and “sacred” intercourse within the temple. Such practices may have been widespread in the ancient world, in Greece and Rome as well as Babylonia and other Middle Eastern countries, but there is no consensus among historians as to its extent. Prostitution was rarely condemned by ancient cultures or regarded as immoral per se. The biblical references are obviously to the religious practices of the neighboring Canaanites, but there is no real evidence for the existence of temple prostitution in early Palestine. The authors of the Bible had an interest in portraying their enemies in the worst possible light and using their immorality as a justification for Israel’s aggression against them.
3. The Old Testament prohibition on charging interest is curious, since the descendants of the Israelites would become notorious as moneylenders (one of the few professions the medieval Christians, conforming to this regulation, would allow the Jews to engage in). It highlights the hallmark of tribal mentality, two different set of rules, one governing relationships within the tribe and another governing relationships with those outside it. While foreigners dwelling among the Israelites are, in many ways, treated with equality, here we see an example of disparate treatment and of how foreigners might be exploited by Israelites.
4. It is made clear that not to fulfill a vow made to Jehovah is a sin, but that to renege on some promise not made explicit, a mere statement of intention, or some vow made perhaps to someone other than Jehovah, would not qualify as a sin.
5. Taking a few samples from a neighbor’s vineyard or field is held as permissible, not stealing, while collecting grapes in a basket or actually harvesting the grain is not. This is quite in line with tradition and indeed, English common law.
“If an escaped slave has taken refuge with you, do not return him to his master, but let him live with you without persecution in whatever town he may choose.
“Israelite women or men are forbidden to become temple prostitutes and the fees that such persons may earn may not be used as payment for any vow in the house of Jehovah your god, for both are abominations to him.
“You may not charge interest to fellow Israelites, whether on money, food, or anything that might be loaned on interest. You may charge interest to a foreigner, but not to a fellow Israelite, so that Jehovah your god may bless all your undertakings in the land you are entering to take possession of.
“If you make a vow to Jehovah your god, do not delay in fulfilling it, for he will require it of you and, failing to do so, you will be guilty a sin. However, if you make no vow, no sin is committed. But be careful to do what you say, if you have made a voluntary vow to Jehovah your god.
“When you pass through your neighbor’s vineyard, you may eat your fill of grapes, but you must not take any away in a basket. And when you pass through your neighbor’s field of standing grain, you may pick some kernels with your hand, but you must not reap the crop with a sickle.”
Notes
1. The provision to shelter runaway slaves is an interesting one, hardly conducive to the perpetuation of the institution of slavery, of which Jehovah has never expressed any disapproval. If there is no legal obligation for fugitive slaves to be returned, then the incentive for slaves to escape is great. Therefore, one would think this provision would result in considerable social disruption, however humane it may seem to us. It would be surprising if this passage was not cited when 19th century Americans were dealing with the problem of fugitive slaves.
2. One way in which Jehovah separates himself from his rival gods is his rejection of practices such as prostitution and “sacred” intercourse within the temple. Such practices may have been widespread in the ancient world, in Greece and Rome as well as Babylonia and other Middle Eastern countries, but there is no consensus among historians as to its extent. Prostitution was rarely condemned by ancient cultures or regarded as immoral per se. The biblical references are obviously to the religious practices of the neighboring Canaanites, but there is no real evidence for the existence of temple prostitution in early Palestine. The authors of the Bible had an interest in portraying their enemies in the worst possible light and using their immorality as a justification for Israel’s aggression against them.
3. The Old Testament prohibition on charging interest is curious, since the descendants of the Israelites would become notorious as moneylenders (one of the few professions the medieval Christians, conforming to this regulation, would allow the Jews to engage in). It highlights the hallmark of tribal mentality, two different set of rules, one governing relationships within the tribe and another governing relationships with those outside it. While foreigners dwelling among the Israelites are, in many ways, treated with equality, here we see an example of disparate treatment and of how foreigners might be exploited by Israelites.
4. It is made clear that not to fulfill a vow made to Jehovah is a sin, but that to renege on some promise not made explicit, a mere statement of intention, or some vow made perhaps to someone other than Jehovah, would not qualify as a sin.
5. Taking a few samples from a neighbor’s vineyard or field is held as permissible, not stealing, while collecting grapes in a basket or actually harvesting the grain is not. This is quite in line with tradition and indeed, English common law.
Cleanliness in Camp
(Deuteronomy 23:9 - 23:14)
“When you set up camp while waging war against your enemies, avoid anything that is ritually impure. If one of your men is ritually impure because of a nocturnal emission, he must remove himself from camp for the day. He should stay away from camp until evening when he is to bathe himself, returning to camp at sunset.
“Establish a designated area outside of camp to be used as a latrine. Each man should have as part of his equipment a shovel so that when he urinates or defecates he can dig a hole for that purpose, then cover it up with dirt. The camp must be kept holy because Jehovah your god moves about in it as he protects you and defeats your enemies. He does not want to be exposed to anything indecent -- or else he may turn away from you!”
Notes
1. Jehovah continues his micromanagement of Israelite affairs, apparently thinking that his Chosen People are too stupid to figure out it needs to make a place where soldiers can relieve themselves. The reason for it, though, seems less for the sake of the Israelites than for Jehovah, who wants to make sure he will not offended by any unsanitary conditions. The Victorian dictum “cleanliness is next to godliness,” has its corollary here, “cleanliness (in the sense of maintaining ritual purity) is part of godliness.” And there is the threat that if Jehovah does not find everything squared away in camp, he will abandon the Israelites -- a rather petty threat for a presumed god to make.
2. Surely there is a certain impracticality in the rule that a soldier must absent himself from camp for a day if he has a nocturnal emission (colloquially, a wet dream, literally, an involuntary ejaculation occurring during sleep). One can imagine the scenarios. “Where is Captain Nehemiah? Why isn’t he attending our meeting of officers to discuss our strategy to defeat the Canaanites? Oh, he had a wet dream last night and won’t be able to come back to camp till after sunset.” or “Why can’t Benjamin perform guard duty today? He got out of it by saying he’s ritually impure because he supposedly had a nocturnal emission last night.” and “We don’t see much of our sergeant in camp these days. He keeps having wet dreams!” The situation seems patently ludicrous and one unlikely to further troop morale or personal dignity, being, at least to modern sensibilities, an embarrassing intrusion upon one’s privacy.
“When you set up camp while waging war against your enemies, avoid anything that is ritually impure. If one of your men is ritually impure because of a nocturnal emission, he must remove himself from camp for the day. He should stay away from camp until evening when he is to bathe himself, returning to camp at sunset.
“Establish a designated area outside of camp to be used as a latrine. Each man should have as part of his equipment a shovel so that when he urinates or defecates he can dig a hole for that purpose, then cover it up with dirt. The camp must be kept holy because Jehovah your god moves about in it as he protects you and defeats your enemies. He does not want to be exposed to anything indecent -- or else he may turn away from you!”
Notes
1. Jehovah continues his micromanagement of Israelite affairs, apparently thinking that his Chosen People are too stupid to figure out it needs to make a place where soldiers can relieve themselves. The reason for it, though, seems less for the sake of the Israelites than for Jehovah, who wants to make sure he will not offended by any unsanitary conditions. The Victorian dictum “cleanliness is next to godliness,” has its corollary here, “cleanliness (in the sense of maintaining ritual purity) is part of godliness.” And there is the threat that if Jehovah does not find everything squared away in camp, he will abandon the Israelites -- a rather petty threat for a presumed god to make.
2. Surely there is a certain impracticality in the rule that a soldier must absent himself from camp for a day if he has a nocturnal emission (colloquially, a wet dream, literally, an involuntary ejaculation occurring during sleep). One can imagine the scenarios. “Where is Captain Nehemiah? Why isn’t he attending our meeting of officers to discuss our strategy to defeat the Canaanites? Oh, he had a wet dream last night and won’t be able to come back to camp till after sunset.” or “Why can’t Benjamin perform guard duty today? He got out of it by saying he’s ritually impure because he supposedly had a nocturnal emission last night.” and “We don’t see much of our sergeant in camp these days. He keeps having wet dreams!” The situation seems patently ludicrous and one unlikely to further troop morale or personal dignity, being, at least to modern sensibilities, an embarrassing intrusion upon one’s privacy.
Thursday, June 2, 2016
Those Excluded from Jehovah's Congregation
(Deuteronomy 23:1 - 23:8)
“No one whose genitals have been crushed or cut off may join the congregation of Jehovah. No one born illegitimately may ever became a member of Jehovah’s congregation nor may his descendants even for ten generations. No one who is an Ammonite or a Moabite or their descendants even to the tenth generation may join Jehovah’s congregation, for their nations did not welcome you with food and water when you came out of Egypt. Instead they hired Balsam son of Beor from Pethor in Aram to curse you. (Jehovah your god did not heed Balaam, but turned his curse into a blessing, because Jehovah your god loves you.) Throughout your history, you must never promote their prosperity or make a treaty with them. But you should not abhor the Edomite, for he is your relation, or the Egyptian, for you were resident aliens in their land. Children from the third generation of them may become members of Jehovah’s congregation.”
Notes
1. It seems rather cruel and unfair that if a man suffers an accident adversely affecting his private parts then he’s no longer allowed to be a part of Jehovah’s congregation, or, in modern terms, to worship in church. This provision may have been directed toward religious devotees who willfully emasculated themselves, such as the worshipers of the ancient Phrygian god Attis. But this would seem to condemn castration for any reason. (Hebrew society had no place for eunuchs, who, nevertheless, were a part of many Asian cultures.) The early Christian church, though, expressly accepted as members men who had been emasculated. Jesus himself, in Matthew, ambivalently suggests castration to avoid submitting to carnal desires that might lead to sinful sexual behavior. Some Christian zealots have put this into practice. (An interesting example is the American Civil War soldier Boston Corbett, the killer of Lincoln assassin John Wilkes Booth. Perhaps unbalanced by inhaling poisonous fumes while working as a hatter, he became a religious fanatic. One night in 1858, while walking home from church, he was propositioned by a couple prostitutes. Disturbed by the encounter, he sought guidance from the Bible and found a solution by severing his private parts with a pair of scissors.) --- The castration of boys to maintain a high singing voice was practiced in Europe from the 16th Century. It was only condemned by the Catholic Church in the 19th Century; Italy did not make this abominable custom illegal until 1870!
2. The exclusion of those of illegitimate birth from Jehovah’s congregation is consistent with the policy of keeping only those who are “impure” from worshiping Jehovah. Just as animals sacrificed to Jehovah must be without blemish so must the worshipers be without physical imperfections. That no one has no control over the circumstances of his birth or the morals of his parents is not considered. Children paying for the sins the fathers is well established in Jehovan law. Punishment creates a deterrent to bad behavior; however, in this case, it is not the guilty but the innocent upon whom the weight of punishment falls.
3. Moabites and Ammonites are also excluded from worshiping Jehovah because they, or their ancestors did not treat the Israelites with hospitality during the Exodus. Moreover, they hired the prophet Balaam to curse them. The Moabites and Ammonites are apparently to be regarded as permanent enemies. Jehovah eschews the modern notion of “permanent interests, but no permanent enemies.” The United States of America, for instance, has never held historic grudges; it has a habit of establishing friendship with almost every country it has fought a war against, England, Mexico, Spain, Germany, Japan, even Vietnam. Jehovah, though, if anything, is a vindictive god who has no desire to make friends of enemies.
4. Egypt, surprisingly, is given something of a pass. The grandchild of an Egyptian could become a full-fledged Jehovah worshiper. This, because the Israelites lived in their country. Indeed, but they were slaves there -- what favors were owed the Egyptians? The Edomites were also granted some leniency since they were relatives. (The Edomites were descended from Esau, Jacob’s elder twin brother.) It should be pointed out that the Moabites and Ammonites were fellow Hebrews as well, being descended from Lot, Abraham’s nephew.
5. Aram, here Aram Haharaim, “of the two rivers”, is usually placed in an area including northern Mesopotamia and Syria and what is now southeastern Turkey. This area would have been the kingdom of Mitanni during Moses’ time. However, it is more likely that the Aram of the Bible, the home of the Aramaeans, was a much smaller area in southern Syria north of the Golan Heights, not in Mesopotamia, where Arameans may have later settled.
“No one whose genitals have been crushed or cut off may join the congregation of Jehovah. No one born illegitimately may ever became a member of Jehovah’s congregation nor may his descendants even for ten generations. No one who is an Ammonite or a Moabite or their descendants even to the tenth generation may join Jehovah’s congregation, for their nations did not welcome you with food and water when you came out of Egypt. Instead they hired Balsam son of Beor from Pethor in Aram to curse you. (Jehovah your god did not heed Balaam, but turned his curse into a blessing, because Jehovah your god loves you.) Throughout your history, you must never promote their prosperity or make a treaty with them. But you should not abhor the Edomite, for he is your relation, or the Egyptian, for you were resident aliens in their land. Children from the third generation of them may become members of Jehovah’s congregation.”
Notes
1. It seems rather cruel and unfair that if a man suffers an accident adversely affecting his private parts then he’s no longer allowed to be a part of Jehovah’s congregation, or, in modern terms, to worship in church. This provision may have been directed toward religious devotees who willfully emasculated themselves, such as the worshipers of the ancient Phrygian god Attis. But this would seem to condemn castration for any reason. (Hebrew society had no place for eunuchs, who, nevertheless, were a part of many Asian cultures.) The early Christian church, though, expressly accepted as members men who had been emasculated. Jesus himself, in Matthew, ambivalently suggests castration to avoid submitting to carnal desires that might lead to sinful sexual behavior. Some Christian zealots have put this into practice. (An interesting example is the American Civil War soldier Boston Corbett, the killer of Lincoln assassin John Wilkes Booth. Perhaps unbalanced by inhaling poisonous fumes while working as a hatter, he became a religious fanatic. One night in 1858, while walking home from church, he was propositioned by a couple prostitutes. Disturbed by the encounter, he sought guidance from the Bible and found a solution by severing his private parts with a pair of scissors.) --- The castration of boys to maintain a high singing voice was practiced in Europe from the 16th Century. It was only condemned by the Catholic Church in the 19th Century; Italy did not make this abominable custom illegal until 1870!
2. The exclusion of those of illegitimate birth from Jehovah’s congregation is consistent with the policy of keeping only those who are “impure” from worshiping Jehovah. Just as animals sacrificed to Jehovah must be without blemish so must the worshipers be without physical imperfections. That no one has no control over the circumstances of his birth or the morals of his parents is not considered. Children paying for the sins the fathers is well established in Jehovan law. Punishment creates a deterrent to bad behavior; however, in this case, it is not the guilty but the innocent upon whom the weight of punishment falls.
3. Moabites and Ammonites are also excluded from worshiping Jehovah because they, or their ancestors did not treat the Israelites with hospitality during the Exodus. Moreover, they hired the prophet Balaam to curse them. The Moabites and Ammonites are apparently to be regarded as permanent enemies. Jehovah eschews the modern notion of “permanent interests, but no permanent enemies.” The United States of America, for instance, has never held historic grudges; it has a habit of establishing friendship with almost every country it has fought a war against, England, Mexico, Spain, Germany, Japan, even Vietnam. Jehovah, though, if anything, is a vindictive god who has no desire to make friends of enemies.
4. Egypt, surprisingly, is given something of a pass. The grandchild of an Egyptian could become a full-fledged Jehovah worshiper. This, because the Israelites lived in their country. Indeed, but they were slaves there -- what favors were owed the Egyptians? The Edomites were also granted some leniency since they were relatives. (The Edomites were descended from Esau, Jacob’s elder twin brother.) It should be pointed out that the Moabites and Ammonites were fellow Hebrews as well, being descended from Lot, Abraham’s nephew.
5. Aram, here Aram Haharaim, “of the two rivers”, is usually placed in an area including northern Mesopotamia and Syria and what is now southeastern Turkey. This area would have been the kingdom of Mitanni during Moses’ time. However, it is more likely that the Aram of the Bible, the home of the Aramaeans, was a much smaller area in southern Syria north of the Golan Heights, not in Mesopotamia, where Arameans may have later settled.
Sunday, May 22, 2016
Sexual Regulations
(Deuteronomy 22:13 - 22:30)
“Consider the case of a man who takes a wife and has intercourse with her, then spurns and publicly defames her, claiming, ‘When I married this woman, I found she wasn’t a virgin.’ The parents of the wife should then bring proof of her virginity to the elders when they hold court at the city gate. The woman’s father should address the elders and say, ‘I gave my daughter in marriage to this man, but he spurns her. Now he defames her by falsely claiming he did not find my daughter to be a virgin. But I present evidence of my daughter’s virginity.’ The parents should then produce the sheets from the bridal bed and spread them before the elders. Because he has publicly defamed an Israelite virgin, the elders of the town should arrest the husband, flog him, and fine him 100 shekels of silver, which should be given to the wife’s father. The woman will remain the man’s wife and he may never divorce her as long as he lives. But if the husband’s accusation is true and there is no evidence that the wife was a virgin at the time of the marriage, then the woman should be brought to the door of her father’s house and there stoned to death by the men of the town -- for she has committed an egregious sin by acting promiscuously while still living in the house of her father. In this way you must purge such evil from Israel!
“If a man is caught in the act of committing adultery, then both he and the woman involved are to be put to death, in this way purging Israel of such evil.
“Consider the case of a man who meets a virgin who is betrothed and has sexual relations with her. If this happens in a city, they should both be taken to the city gate and stoned to death, she, because she did not cry out even though it was in the city, and he, because he violated his neighbor’s wife. And so you will purge such evil from among you. But if it is in the country that a man meets a virgin who is betrothed and rapes her, then only the man who has done this must be put to death. Do nothing to the young woman, though, for she has committed no crime worthy of death. This is like the case of a man being attacked and murdered away from town, because the woman was attacked in open country, even if she had cried out, there would have been no one to hear and rescue her.
“If a man encounters a woman who is not betrothed, rapes her, and they are found out, then he must pay the father of the girl 50 shekels of silver. He must also marry the girl, because he has violated her. He can never divorce her as long as he lives.
“A man must not have sexual relations with his father’s wife, for this would dishonor his father’s manhood.”
Notes
1. It has only been in recent times that the virginity of the bride has not been of crucial importance. Since wives were not unlike a commodity that is bought or sold, the husband is being cheated if he receives used or damaged goods. And there is the certainty the husband must have that his children are, in fact, his, and not those of another man. The accusation that a bride has been unchaste is so damning that one who makes it falsely must suffer legal punishment, while the non-virgin bride is to suffer death, if the accusation is true. There is a general death penalty for adulterers, male and female -- death as well for the man who has sexual relations with a betrothed woman and for the betrothed woman if it is determined that she could have successfully cried out for help. (The woman, whether actually raped or not, is given a pass if she is ravished in the countryside where no one would hear her cries for help -- an interesting, but not unreasonable loophole.) These draconian punishments would, one might think, reduce the incidence of adultery and premarital sex in Hebrew society to next to nothing, but subsequent history will reveal that this, sadly, would not be the case.
2. The father of the bride accused of being non-virginal is apparently expected to prove his daughter’s virginity with physical evidence, no less than the sullied sheets of the bridal bed (or possibly the bride’s clothes). Apparently the father-in-law is supposed to call at his son-in-law’s house the morning after the wedding and collect the properly stained bed clothes, in order to preserve them in case of challenges to his daughter’s prenuptial virginity. Really? Was this a custom fastidiously pursued? It seems preposterous, if not disgusting.
3. That the non-virginal bride is stoned at the door of her father’s house suggests that a measure of guilt must be shared by the father, who failed to control his daughter. One can imagine the sadness of the parents not only loosing a daughter in so dishonorable a way, but washing her blood from the door of their house. One would think that such “honor” killings would be unknown in the modern world, but in some conservative societies, mostly Islamic, they still occur and if not legally sanctioned, they are often tolerated.
4. A shekel is worth about half an ounce. Therefore, 50 shekels of silver would be equal to 100 ounces, or about $1700 in today’s money. 100 shekels of silver would be worth about $3400. Although these fines seem minimal today, they were probably significant to the average Israelite. As is the case with all legal fines, the punishment weighs heavily on the poor, lightly upon the rich.
5. The punishment for a rapist is merely a fine and an obligation to marry his victim, desirable or undesirable as that may be for him. This does not seem like a good deal for the girl who must not only suffer being raped, but has to spend the rest of her life married to the man who raped her. Of course this outcome is not surprising in a society that is totally male-centric, with women generally regarded as property.
“Consider the case of a man who takes a wife and has intercourse with her, then spurns and publicly defames her, claiming, ‘When I married this woman, I found she wasn’t a virgin.’ The parents of the wife should then bring proof of her virginity to the elders when they hold court at the city gate. The woman’s father should address the elders and say, ‘I gave my daughter in marriage to this man, but he spurns her. Now he defames her by falsely claiming he did not find my daughter to be a virgin. But I present evidence of my daughter’s virginity.’ The parents should then produce the sheets from the bridal bed and spread them before the elders. Because he has publicly defamed an Israelite virgin, the elders of the town should arrest the husband, flog him, and fine him 100 shekels of silver, which should be given to the wife’s father. The woman will remain the man’s wife and he may never divorce her as long as he lives. But if the husband’s accusation is true and there is no evidence that the wife was a virgin at the time of the marriage, then the woman should be brought to the door of her father’s house and there stoned to death by the men of the town -- for she has committed an egregious sin by acting promiscuously while still living in the house of her father. In this way you must purge such evil from Israel!
“If a man is caught in the act of committing adultery, then both he and the woman involved are to be put to death, in this way purging Israel of such evil.
“Consider the case of a man who meets a virgin who is betrothed and has sexual relations with her. If this happens in a city, they should both be taken to the city gate and stoned to death, she, because she did not cry out even though it was in the city, and he, because he violated his neighbor’s wife. And so you will purge such evil from among you. But if it is in the country that a man meets a virgin who is betrothed and rapes her, then only the man who has done this must be put to death. Do nothing to the young woman, though, for she has committed no crime worthy of death. This is like the case of a man being attacked and murdered away from town, because the woman was attacked in open country, even if she had cried out, there would have been no one to hear and rescue her.
“If a man encounters a woman who is not betrothed, rapes her, and they are found out, then he must pay the father of the girl 50 shekels of silver. He must also marry the girl, because he has violated her. He can never divorce her as long as he lives.
“A man must not have sexual relations with his father’s wife, for this would dishonor his father’s manhood.”
Notes
1. It has only been in recent times that the virginity of the bride has not been of crucial importance. Since wives were not unlike a commodity that is bought or sold, the husband is being cheated if he receives used or damaged goods. And there is the certainty the husband must have that his children are, in fact, his, and not those of another man. The accusation that a bride has been unchaste is so damning that one who makes it falsely must suffer legal punishment, while the non-virgin bride is to suffer death, if the accusation is true. There is a general death penalty for adulterers, male and female -- death as well for the man who has sexual relations with a betrothed woman and for the betrothed woman if it is determined that she could have successfully cried out for help. (The woman, whether actually raped or not, is given a pass if she is ravished in the countryside where no one would hear her cries for help -- an interesting, but not unreasonable loophole.) These draconian punishments would, one might think, reduce the incidence of adultery and premarital sex in Hebrew society to next to nothing, but subsequent history will reveal that this, sadly, would not be the case.
2. The father of the bride accused of being non-virginal is apparently expected to prove his daughter’s virginity with physical evidence, no less than the sullied sheets of the bridal bed (or possibly the bride’s clothes). Apparently the father-in-law is supposed to call at his son-in-law’s house the morning after the wedding and collect the properly stained bed clothes, in order to preserve them in case of challenges to his daughter’s prenuptial virginity. Really? Was this a custom fastidiously pursued? It seems preposterous, if not disgusting.
3. That the non-virginal bride is stoned at the door of her father’s house suggests that a measure of guilt must be shared by the father, who failed to control his daughter. One can imagine the sadness of the parents not only loosing a daughter in so dishonorable a way, but washing her blood from the door of their house. One would think that such “honor” killings would be unknown in the modern world, but in some conservative societies, mostly Islamic, they still occur and if not legally sanctioned, they are often tolerated.
4. A shekel is worth about half an ounce. Therefore, 50 shekels of silver would be equal to 100 ounces, or about $1700 in today’s money. 100 shekels of silver would be worth about $3400. Although these fines seem minimal today, they were probably significant to the average Israelite. As is the case with all legal fines, the punishment weighs heavily on the poor, lightly upon the rich.
5. The punishment for a rapist is merely a fine and an obligation to marry his victim, desirable or undesirable as that may be for him. This does not seem like a good deal for the girl who must not only suffer being raped, but has to spend the rest of her life married to the man who raped her. Of course this outcome is not surprising in a society that is totally male-centric, with women generally regarded as property.
Various Regulations
(Deuteronomy 21:22 - 22:12)
“If a man has committed a capital offense, is executed, and his body exposed on a stake, his body should not remain there over night. He should be buried that day, for a hanged man is under a divine curse and you should not thus desecrate the land Jehovah your god has given you as an inheritance.
“If you see your neighbor’s cattle or sheep wandering away, do not evade your responsibility. Return it to its owner. If the owner does not live nearby or if you don’t know who the owner is, you should bring it to your home and keep it there until the owner comes looking for it. You will then return it to him. This applies as well to your neighbor’s donkey, an article of clothing, or anything else your neighbor has lost. Don’t evade your responsibility! And if you see that your neighbor’s donkey or ox has collapsed on the road, don’t look the other way. Help your neighbor to get it back on its feet.
“A woman must not wear men’s clothing, nor should a man wear women’s clothing. Anyone who does so is an abomination to Jehovah your god.
“If you happen to find a bird’s nest in a tree or on the ground and there are eggs or chicks and the mother is sitting on the nest, do not take the mother along with the chicks. You may take the chicks, but be sure to let the mother go, so that you may prosper and live long.
“When you build a new house, you should make a barrier around the perimeter of the roof so that you will not incur blood guilt if someone should fall from it to their death.
“You must not plant in your vineyard a second crop. If you do so, both the grapes from the vineyard and the other crop will be considered impure. You must not yoke to your plow an ox and a donkey together. Nor should you wear clothing made of wool and linen woven together.
“You should attach tassels to the four corners of the hem of the cloak you wear.”
Notes
1. The provision concerning the exposure of the executed man is ambiguous and has been translated variously. The Israelites probably did not use hanging as a form of execution. Those already executed, by stoning or otherwise, may have been displayed by being hung from a tree or gibbet, but, more likely, impaled on a stake. (Impaling itself was a not uncommon form of execution in ancient and medieval times, but it was probably not practiced by the Israelites.) Until very recent times executed criminals were publicly exposed as a warning to potential lawbreakers and a deterrent to crime. Hanged men might dangle on the gibbet or hanging tree until their corpses rotted. Jehovah, though, apparently did not think much of the practice, more concerned about defiling the land with the presence and perhaps stench of those executed.
2. Jehovah encourages a good neighbor policy with his exhortations for his people to take care of lost livestock and property, in contrast to a “finders keepers, losers weepers” policy. This seems consistent with the Christian concept of the “Good Samaritan.” Helping a neighbor whose ox or donkey has collapsed on the road suggests a modern parallel, “If a neighbor’s car is stalled on the road, do not drive on, but stop and lend him assistance.”
3. Having a railing, a wall, a fence, a parapet, whatever, atop the flat roofs of their homes seems a sensible idea if it was a practice, and apparently it was, for Israelites to stroll on their roofs. This suggests that the common house would be a more than one story, since someone is unlikely to kill themselves falling off the roof of a single story dwelling. This section also affirms that causing death through negligence is tantamount to murder under Jehovan law.
4. The prohibition against wearing clothes of the other sex is not surprising. The practice has pretty much always been frowned upon, if not condemned. Although in contemporary society no one would look too askance at a woman wearing clothes that are pretty much what a man would wear, male transvestites are still not viewed with acceptance in most quarters. In regard to ancient society, one might ask, however, looking at the clothing the ancient Hebrew men and women wore, how could one tell the difference.
5. Taking a bird’s eggs or chicks is acceptable, but one must not take the mother bird as well, presumably for conservation reasons. This makes sense. The mother can have more chicks; if the mothers are taken as well it might wipe out the species.
6. This phobia of Jehovah’s for mixing things of different types, plant species, yarns, animals, seems an extension of his xenophobia and his desire for his Chosen People to remain uncontaminated by external influences. One wouldn’t think that the fiber composition of an article of clothing or the manner in which a plow is yoked would be subject to divine law, but we have seen that there no limit to Jehovah’s pettiness or to his obsessive efforts to micromanage Hebrew society. It should be mentioned, though, there is more to the proscriptions that it might seem. The ox-donkey combination is significant because Jehovah has already decreed that cattle are ritually pure and donkeys are ritually impure. The linen-wool combination (linsey-woolsey, or shatnez) also has import. Priests wore linen undergarments and wool overgarments: for lay persons to do the same would be to presume their sacred prerogative. (The tassels, or tzitzit, which are prepared in a special way described in Numbers, were exempt from the shatnez prohibition.) The linen-wool mixture may also be symbolic. Linen represents Egypt, an agrarian society, wool, Israel, a society of herders; the customs of the two societies must not be mixed.
“If a man has committed a capital offense, is executed, and his body exposed on a stake, his body should not remain there over night. He should be buried that day, for a hanged man is under a divine curse and you should not thus desecrate the land Jehovah your god has given you as an inheritance.
“If you see your neighbor’s cattle or sheep wandering away, do not evade your responsibility. Return it to its owner. If the owner does not live nearby or if you don’t know who the owner is, you should bring it to your home and keep it there until the owner comes looking for it. You will then return it to him. This applies as well to your neighbor’s donkey, an article of clothing, or anything else your neighbor has lost. Don’t evade your responsibility! And if you see that your neighbor’s donkey or ox has collapsed on the road, don’t look the other way. Help your neighbor to get it back on its feet.
“A woman must not wear men’s clothing, nor should a man wear women’s clothing. Anyone who does so is an abomination to Jehovah your god.
“If you happen to find a bird’s nest in a tree or on the ground and there are eggs or chicks and the mother is sitting on the nest, do not take the mother along with the chicks. You may take the chicks, but be sure to let the mother go, so that you may prosper and live long.
“When you build a new house, you should make a barrier around the perimeter of the roof so that you will not incur blood guilt if someone should fall from it to their death.
“You must not plant in your vineyard a second crop. If you do so, both the grapes from the vineyard and the other crop will be considered impure. You must not yoke to your plow an ox and a donkey together. Nor should you wear clothing made of wool and linen woven together.
“You should attach tassels to the four corners of the hem of the cloak you wear.”
Notes
1. The provision concerning the exposure of the executed man is ambiguous and has been translated variously. The Israelites probably did not use hanging as a form of execution. Those already executed, by stoning or otherwise, may have been displayed by being hung from a tree or gibbet, but, more likely, impaled on a stake. (Impaling itself was a not uncommon form of execution in ancient and medieval times, but it was probably not practiced by the Israelites.) Until very recent times executed criminals were publicly exposed as a warning to potential lawbreakers and a deterrent to crime. Hanged men might dangle on the gibbet or hanging tree until their corpses rotted. Jehovah, though, apparently did not think much of the practice, more concerned about defiling the land with the presence and perhaps stench of those executed.
2. Jehovah encourages a good neighbor policy with his exhortations for his people to take care of lost livestock and property, in contrast to a “finders keepers, losers weepers” policy. This seems consistent with the Christian concept of the “Good Samaritan.” Helping a neighbor whose ox or donkey has collapsed on the road suggests a modern parallel, “If a neighbor’s car is stalled on the road, do not drive on, but stop and lend him assistance.”
3. Having a railing, a wall, a fence, a parapet, whatever, atop the flat roofs of their homes seems a sensible idea if it was a practice, and apparently it was, for Israelites to stroll on their roofs. This suggests that the common house would be a more than one story, since someone is unlikely to kill themselves falling off the roof of a single story dwelling. This section also affirms that causing death through negligence is tantamount to murder under Jehovan law.
4. The prohibition against wearing clothes of the other sex is not surprising. The practice has pretty much always been frowned upon, if not condemned. Although in contemporary society no one would look too askance at a woman wearing clothes that are pretty much what a man would wear, male transvestites are still not viewed with acceptance in most quarters. In regard to ancient society, one might ask, however, looking at the clothing the ancient Hebrew men and women wore, how could one tell the difference.
5. Taking a bird’s eggs or chicks is acceptable, but one must not take the mother bird as well, presumably for conservation reasons. This makes sense. The mother can have more chicks; if the mothers are taken as well it might wipe out the species.
6. This phobia of Jehovah’s for mixing things of different types, plant species, yarns, animals, seems an extension of his xenophobia and his desire for his Chosen People to remain uncontaminated by external influences. One wouldn’t think that the fiber composition of an article of clothing or the manner in which a plow is yoked would be subject to divine law, but we have seen that there no limit to Jehovah’s pettiness or to his obsessive efforts to micromanage Hebrew society. It should be mentioned, though, there is more to the proscriptions that it might seem. The ox-donkey combination is significant because Jehovah has already decreed that cattle are ritually pure and donkeys are ritually impure. The linen-wool combination (linsey-woolsey, or shatnez) also has import. Priests wore linen undergarments and wool overgarments: for lay persons to do the same would be to presume their sacred prerogative. (The tassels, or tzitzit, which are prepared in a special way described in Numbers, were exempt from the shatnez prohibition.) The linen-wool mixture may also be symbolic. Linen represents Egypt, an agrarian society, wool, Israel, a society of herders; the customs of the two societies must not be mixed.
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