(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.
Showing posts with label Joshua. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Joshua. Show all posts
Thursday, September 15, 2016
Saturday, August 22, 2015
Disposition of Conquered Lands
(Deuteronomy 3:12 - 3:29)
"When, at that time, we occupied these lands, I gave to the tribes of Reuben and Gad the territory north of Aroer on the border of the Arnon River gorges, as well as half of the hill country of Gilead along with its towns. The rest of Gilead and all of Bashan, the former kingdom of Og, I gave to the half-tribe of Manasseh. (The entire region of Argob in Bashan was known to have been a land inhabited by Rephaim. Jair, a leader from the tribe of Manasseh, conquered all of the Argob region of Bashan to the border of Geshurite and Maacathite lands. Thereafter the land was named after him and is to this day called Havvoth Jair.)
"I gave Gilead to the clan of Machir. But I also gave to the Reubenites and Gadites an area of Gilead extending from the middle of the gorges of the Arnon south to the Jabbok River, the border of Ammon. They also were given the Jordan River Valley, Arabah, from the Sea of Galilee all the way down to the Dead Sea, with the Jordan forming the western boundary of their territory and the slopes of the Pisgah mountains, the eastern boundary.
"But I commanded you at that time, 'Jehovah your god has given you this land so that you may occupy it. However, your fighting men, armed for battle, must cross the River Jordan ahead of your fellow Israelites. Your wives and children and the numerous livestock I know you have may stay behind in the towns I have given you. When Jehovah securely settles the rest of the Israelites as he has you, and when they have occupied the land across the Jordan I have given them, then each of you may return to the property of his I have given you.'
"And I then assured Joshua, 'You have witnessed how Jehovah your god has dealt with these two kings. He will deal with the kingdoms where you are going in a similar fashion. Have no fear of the nations there, for Jehovah your god will fight for you himself.'
"Also at that time, I pleaded with Jehovah, 'O Jehovah, my master, you have only begun to reveal your greatness and power to me, your servant. Is there any god in heaven or on earth who can perform the mighty deeds and great acts that you do? Please, allow me to cross the Jordan and view the good land over there, the fine hill country and Lebanon.' But Jehovah was so angry with me because of you he wouldn't listen to what I had to say. 'That's enough from you!' he declared, 'Don't speak to me about this matter again. Go up the summit of Mount Nebo and survey the land, west, north, south, and east. Take it all in with your eyes, for you're not going to cross the Jordan. But give authority to Joshua, encourage and empower him, for it is he who will lead the people across and make them a possession of the land you now see before you.' --- And so we remained in the valley near Beth Peor."
Notes
1. Pisgah is used ambiguously. It simply means peak, but refers here to the mountains east of the Jordan where the Israelites are encamped. The highest peak there is Mount Nebo, 2600 feet above sea level, and it is Nebo that is obviously meant when Jehovah bids Moses to climb a mountain to view the Promised Land. Beth Peor is where the Israelites have been long encamped, opposite Jericho.
2. The Geshurites and the Macaathites lived in the desert to the south of the Promised Land. Machir was a son of Manasseh, grandson of Joseph. His descendants were given territory in Gilead. Obviously Machir could not have been alive to have personally conducted its conquest, as some translations assert. (He would have been way too old -- and we must remember that all but three of the adult men who had participated in the Exodus were now dead.) Jair was a great grandson of Machir. He and the 30 cities he ruled (Havvoth Jair) figure in later Hebrew history.
3. The author seems obsessed with making references to the Rephaim with little reason for doing so, save that the Israelite victory over King Og seems more glorious if achieved over a giant and not a normal man.
4. In Numbers the Reubenites and Gadites had to twist Moses' arm and plead with him before he would grant them the lands conquered from Sihon and Og. Initially, Moses was enraged that they would make such a suggestion, regarding it as treasonous and blasphemous. Deuteronomy presents a different take on the story; here it is all Moses' idea and there is no reference to his objections.
5. Moses butters up Jehovah and pleads with him to let him cross the River Jordan and set foot on the Promised Land. Jehovah angrily rejects his plea and even tells him to shut up about it. What a jerk! Jehovah certainly sets no example of forgiveness or mercy. Moses was his most devoted follower, his mouthpiece, his number one fan, his BFF -- how can Jehovah treat him so shabbily?
6. Moses flatteringly proclaims that no other god can do what Jehovah can. This certainly implies that there are other gods, that Jehovah is not the one and only. Sometimes Jehovah is portrayed as the omnipotent, omniscient Creator God, but most of the time he is just a national god, whose powers may be superhuman, but far from God-like. Jehovah is merely one of many gods, but he is touted as the best -- which suggests what a scurvy lot the "gods" must have been.
7. Most of Deuteronomy consists of speeches Moses makes to his people. In Exodus he is such a poor speaker that he must rely upon his brother Aaron to do his talking for him. Apparently during those 40 years in the desert Moses was able to hone his oratorical skills.
"When, at that time, we occupied these lands, I gave to the tribes of Reuben and Gad the territory north of Aroer on the border of the Arnon River gorges, as well as half of the hill country of Gilead along with its towns. The rest of Gilead and all of Bashan, the former kingdom of Og, I gave to the half-tribe of Manasseh. (The entire region of Argob in Bashan was known to have been a land inhabited by Rephaim. Jair, a leader from the tribe of Manasseh, conquered all of the Argob region of Bashan to the border of Geshurite and Maacathite lands. Thereafter the land was named after him and is to this day called Havvoth Jair.)
"I gave Gilead to the clan of Machir. But I also gave to the Reubenites and Gadites an area of Gilead extending from the middle of the gorges of the Arnon south to the Jabbok River, the border of Ammon. They also were given the Jordan River Valley, Arabah, from the Sea of Galilee all the way down to the Dead Sea, with the Jordan forming the western boundary of their territory and the slopes of the Pisgah mountains, the eastern boundary.
"But I commanded you at that time, 'Jehovah your god has given you this land so that you may occupy it. However, your fighting men, armed for battle, must cross the River Jordan ahead of your fellow Israelites. Your wives and children and the numerous livestock I know you have may stay behind in the towns I have given you. When Jehovah securely settles the rest of the Israelites as he has you, and when they have occupied the land across the Jordan I have given them, then each of you may return to the property of his I have given you.'
"And I then assured Joshua, 'You have witnessed how Jehovah your god has dealt with these two kings. He will deal with the kingdoms where you are going in a similar fashion. Have no fear of the nations there, for Jehovah your god will fight for you himself.'
"Also at that time, I pleaded with Jehovah, 'O Jehovah, my master, you have only begun to reveal your greatness and power to me, your servant. Is there any god in heaven or on earth who can perform the mighty deeds and great acts that you do? Please, allow me to cross the Jordan and view the good land over there, the fine hill country and Lebanon.' But Jehovah was so angry with me because of you he wouldn't listen to what I had to say. 'That's enough from you!' he declared, 'Don't speak to me about this matter again. Go up the summit of Mount Nebo and survey the land, west, north, south, and east. Take it all in with your eyes, for you're not going to cross the Jordan. But give authority to Joshua, encourage and empower him, for it is he who will lead the people across and make them a possession of the land you now see before you.' --- And so we remained in the valley near Beth Peor."
Notes
1. Pisgah is used ambiguously. It simply means peak, but refers here to the mountains east of the Jordan where the Israelites are encamped. The highest peak there is Mount Nebo, 2600 feet above sea level, and it is Nebo that is obviously meant when Jehovah bids Moses to climb a mountain to view the Promised Land. Beth Peor is where the Israelites have been long encamped, opposite Jericho.
2. The Geshurites and the Macaathites lived in the desert to the south of the Promised Land. Machir was a son of Manasseh, grandson of Joseph. His descendants were given territory in Gilead. Obviously Machir could not have been alive to have personally conducted its conquest, as some translations assert. (He would have been way too old -- and we must remember that all but three of the adult men who had participated in the Exodus were now dead.) Jair was a great grandson of Machir. He and the 30 cities he ruled (Havvoth Jair) figure in later Hebrew history.
3. The author seems obsessed with making references to the Rephaim with little reason for doing so, save that the Israelite victory over King Og seems more glorious if achieved over a giant and not a normal man.
4. In Numbers the Reubenites and Gadites had to twist Moses' arm and plead with him before he would grant them the lands conquered from Sihon and Og. Initially, Moses was enraged that they would make such a suggestion, regarding it as treasonous and blasphemous. Deuteronomy presents a different take on the story; here it is all Moses' idea and there is no reference to his objections.
5. Moses butters up Jehovah and pleads with him to let him cross the River Jordan and set foot on the Promised Land. Jehovah angrily rejects his plea and even tells him to shut up about it. What a jerk! Jehovah certainly sets no example of forgiveness or mercy. Moses was his most devoted follower, his mouthpiece, his number one fan, his BFF -- how can Jehovah treat him so shabbily?
6. Moses flatteringly proclaims that no other god can do what Jehovah can. This certainly implies that there are other gods, that Jehovah is not the one and only. Sometimes Jehovah is portrayed as the omnipotent, omniscient Creator God, but most of the time he is just a national god, whose powers may be superhuman, but far from God-like. Jehovah is merely one of many gods, but he is touted as the best -- which suggests what a scurvy lot the "gods" must have been.
7. Most of Deuteronomy consists of speeches Moses makes to his people. In Exodus he is such a poor speaker that he must rely upon his brother Aaron to do his talking for him. Apparently during those 40 years in the desert Moses was able to hone his oratorical skills.
Saturday, July 4, 2015
Joshua Chosen as Moses' Successor
(Book of Numbers 27:12 - 27:23)
Jehovah told Moses, "Go climb one of the Abarim mountains east of the Jordan River and gaze out upon the land I am giving to the children of Israel. After you have done so, you will join your ancestors, as your brother Aaron did -- for both of you defied my will at the waters in the desert of Zin. When the people of Israel revolted, you did not convince them to respect my power." (This occurred at the oasis of Meribah at Kadesh in the desert of Zin.)
Moses replied, "O Jehovah, the god who breathes life into all creatures, pick someone who can take charge of the congregation, lead the flock out to pasture and bring them back, so that the people of Jehovah may not be sheep without a shepherd."
Jehovah responded, “Choose Joshua son of Nun. He has the proper spirit in him. Lay your hand upon him. Have him stand before Eleazar and the entire community, and in their presence give Joshua your endorsement as the next leader of the people. Delegate some of your authority to him so the people will be used to obeying him. He may consult Eleazar the priest, who will seek divinations before the altar using the Urim. On Joshua’s orders the flock of Israel will go out and on his orders it will come in, he with the Israelites, the entire community.”
Moses did as Jehovah commanded him. He chose Joshua and presented him to Eleazar the priest and the entire congregation. Moses laid both his hands upon Joshua and formally endorsed him, according to the instructions he received from Jehovah.
Notes
1. It cannot be unexpected that Joshua has been selected as Moses' successor to shepherd the flock that is the people of Israel. Jehovah seems to be doing Moses a favor by allowing him to see the Promised Land before he dies. Jehovah still harbors hard feelings from Moses' conduct at the oasis of Meribah and insists upon punishing him for it as he did his brother Aaron. Moses has been a most faithful servant to Jehovah, but his god has treated him like a stooge or a dog to be kicked whenever he barks out of turn. Jehovah seems to have no words for his faithful servant, no praise, no expressions of gratitude or affection, no assurances about what may happen to him after he dies or what may happen to his people after he's gone, just a curt "you're gonna die."
2. The Urim and Thimmim, referenced in Exodus in the description of the priest's raiment, were probably amulets of some sort that may have been cast like dice to determine by divination Jehovah's will. Little is known for certain about them and there are many opinions as to what they were and how they were employed. Apparently they were to be consulted when Jehovah didn't have the time or inclination to visit the Inner Sanctum personally and sit on the Judgment Seat. The instructions, though, probably signal that Jehovah will not be speaking directly to Joshua as he had Moses, or at least not as often.
3. Although often the mention of laying on of hands is meant figuratively, here it seems to be literal. Moses is bid by Jehovah to lay his hand upon Joshua, a symbolic gesture of selection and endorsement. Moses does, in fact, lay both his hands upon Joshua. We may deduce from this that Joshua is not only Jehovah’s choice, but Moses’ choice as well. Moses had been Joshua’s mentor and he probably felt toward him as if he were his son. (No mention is made of Moses’ sons.) It is thus established that the civil and military leader of Israel will, for the present, not be an inherited position like the priesthood.
Jehovah told Moses, "Go climb one of the Abarim mountains east of the Jordan River and gaze out upon the land I am giving to the children of Israel. After you have done so, you will join your ancestors, as your brother Aaron did -- for both of you defied my will at the waters in the desert of Zin. When the people of Israel revolted, you did not convince them to respect my power." (This occurred at the oasis of Meribah at Kadesh in the desert of Zin.)
Moses replied, "O Jehovah, the god who breathes life into all creatures, pick someone who can take charge of the congregation, lead the flock out to pasture and bring them back, so that the people of Jehovah may not be sheep without a shepherd."
Jehovah responded, “Choose Joshua son of Nun. He has the proper spirit in him. Lay your hand upon him. Have him stand before Eleazar and the entire community, and in their presence give Joshua your endorsement as the next leader of the people. Delegate some of your authority to him so the people will be used to obeying him. He may consult Eleazar the priest, who will seek divinations before the altar using the Urim. On Joshua’s orders the flock of Israel will go out and on his orders it will come in, he with the Israelites, the entire community.”
Moses did as Jehovah commanded him. He chose Joshua and presented him to Eleazar the priest and the entire congregation. Moses laid both his hands upon Joshua and formally endorsed him, according to the instructions he received from Jehovah.
Notes
1. It cannot be unexpected that Joshua has been selected as Moses' successor to shepherd the flock that is the people of Israel. Jehovah seems to be doing Moses a favor by allowing him to see the Promised Land before he dies. Jehovah still harbors hard feelings from Moses' conduct at the oasis of Meribah and insists upon punishing him for it as he did his brother Aaron. Moses has been a most faithful servant to Jehovah, but his god has treated him like a stooge or a dog to be kicked whenever he barks out of turn. Jehovah seems to have no words for his faithful servant, no praise, no expressions of gratitude or affection, no assurances about what may happen to him after he dies or what may happen to his people after he's gone, just a curt "you're gonna die."
2. The Urim and Thimmim, referenced in Exodus in the description of the priest's raiment, were probably amulets of some sort that may have been cast like dice to determine by divination Jehovah's will. Little is known for certain about them and there are many opinions as to what they were and how they were employed. Apparently they were to be consulted when Jehovah didn't have the time or inclination to visit the Inner Sanctum personally and sit on the Judgment Seat. The instructions, though, probably signal that Jehovah will not be speaking directly to Joshua as he had Moses, or at least not as often.
3. Although often the mention of laying on of hands is meant figuratively, here it seems to be literal. Moses is bid by Jehovah to lay his hand upon Joshua, a symbolic gesture of selection and endorsement. Moses does, in fact, lay both his hands upon Joshua. We may deduce from this that Joshua is not only Jehovah’s choice, but Moses’ choice as well. Moses had been Joshua’s mentor and he probably felt toward him as if he were his son. (No mention is made of Moses’ sons.) It is thus established that the civil and military leader of Israel will, for the present, not be an inherited position like the priesthood.
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
Rebellion Against Moses
(Book of Numbers 14:1 - 14:45)
Throughout the entire community there was an outcry; the people were weeping and wailing all through the night. The Israelites brought their complaints to Moses and Aaron, telling them, "If only we had died in Egypt, or perished in the desert! Why is Jehovah leading us into this land only to be slaughtered in battle? Our wives and children will be carried off as captives of war. Wouldn't it be better for us to return to Egypt?" And they said to one another, "Let us choose a leader and journey back to Egypt."
Moses and Aaron then fell on their faces before the gathered assembly of the people of Israel. Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, two who were among the party that had scouted out the land, rent their garments and addressed the entire congregation. "The land we traveled through and explored was an exceeding fine land. If Jehovah is pleased with us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land flowing with milk and honey. But do not rebel against Jehovah. And have no fear of the inhabitants of that land, for we will devour them. Their defenses will crumble, with Jehovah on our side. We need not fear them."
But the congregation were all bent on stoning them. At that point the magnificence of Jehovah appeared before all the Israelites at the entrance to the Sanctum. Jehovah complained to Moses, "How long are these people going to treat me with such contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, despite all the miracles I have performed in their presence? I will disown them. I will strike them with plague and pestilence. I will then create from your descendants a nation far greater and stronger than they."
Moses voiced his objection to Jehovah. "But the Egyptians will hear about it! You used your power to liberate the people and bring them out of Egypt. The Egyptians will tell the inhabitants of this land about it. They are well aware that you, Jehovah, are among your people, personally appearing before them, hovering above them in your airship, leading them by day in a cylindrical object that is lit up at night. If you obliterate your people in one fell swoop, then the nations that hear this report about you will say, 'Jehovah was incapable of settling his people in the land he promised to give them, so he killed them all in the desert.' Please, Jehovah, manifest your power as when you proclaimed, 'Jehovah is slow to anger, filled with unfailing loyalty, forgiving of sin and rebellion -- yet by no means excusing the guilty, laying punishment for the sins of the fathers not only upon their children, but upon their grandchildren and great-grandchildren.' In keeping with the depth of your loving mercy, please pardon the sins of these people, just as you have pardoned them from the time we set out from Egypt till now."
Jehovah responded, "I will pardon them as you have requested. Even so, as I live, as the magnificence of Jehovah will spread across the face of entire earth, the people who witnessed my power and the miracles I performed in Egypt and in the desert, but who have doubted me time and time again and refused to do what I have told them, not one of them will be permitted to see the land I promised their ancestors I would give them: none who have shown their contempt for me will ever see it. But because my servant Caleb is of a different mind and follows me with unswerving fidelity, I will settle him in the land that he scouted, and his descendants will occupy it.
"Since the Amalekites and the Canaanites control the valleys, you should turn back tomorrow and follow the route to the desert along the Red Sea."
Jehovah also told Moses and Aaron, "How long is this wicked community going to rail against me? I have heard the complaints these Israelites make against me. Well then, you can tell them this, 'As surely as I live, proclaims Jehovah, I will do to you exactly what I heard you say would happen to you. You will drop dead in this very desert -- every one of you 20 years old or more and registered in the census who has spoken out against me. I can assure you that none of you will enter the land I swore to give to you -- except for Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. The children that you said will become captives of war I will bring in to the land that you objected to and introduce them to it. As for you, you will all drop dead in the desert. Your children will remain wanderers in the desert for 40 years and will suffer the penalty for your faithlessness until the last of your carcasses is entirely swallowed up by the desert. Because the scouts explored the land for 40 days, you must wander for 40 years, a day for each year, as punishment for your sins. You will then find out what it's like to have me as an enemy. I, Jehovah, have spoken. I will do these things without fail to every member of the community who conspired against me. They will come to their end here in the desert and here they will die.'"
Thus the men whom Moses had dispatched as scouts and who had returned to incite the community against Moses with a false report about the land -- the men who were responsible for spreading that false report -- were struck down and died in front of the Inner Sanctum. Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh were the only members of the party sent out to scout the land that were still alive.
When Moses conveyed Jehovah's words to the Israelites, they were moved to grief. And so early the next morning they journeyed to the ridge overlooking the hill country and announced, " To be sure we have sinned, but now we are ready to go into the land promised to us by Jehovah."
Moses challenged them, "Why are you disobeying the orders of Jehovah? This will not be successful. Don’t go! Jehovah will not be on your side. You will be routed by your enemies, for the Amalekites and the Canaanites will confront you there. Because you have turned away from Jehovah, he will not fight for you and you will fall in battle."
But the people defiantly went the ridge overlooking the hill country, (although neither Moses nor the Chest of Sacred Records left the camp). The Amalekites and Cannaanites who inhabited the hill country came down and attacked them, driving them all the way back to Hormah.
Notes
1. Moses, who, despite the aid of Jehovah, has consistently had trouble cementing his position as national as well as religious leader, is faced again with a rebellion. The yearnings of the people to return to Egypt might be understandable were it not for the presence of Jehovah. Have they not witnessed the demonstrations of his power and his willingness to afflict death and destruction on an epic scale? Yet, they still seem to have no fear of him, even as they have lost confidence in Moses. The Israelties may be described not only as rebellious and disloyal, but stupid as well.
2. Jehovah is beside himself with exasperation. His Chosen People just won't respect or obey him, no matter how many miracles he performs or how much he puts the fear of God in them. And so he's pretty much decided to wipe them off the face of the earth and start again, creating a new nation from the descendants of Moses (and apparently not minding to wait 400 years for that to happen). Of course, we have seen before Jehovah's recourse to mass murder and so his threats are to be taken seriously. Moses, recognizing that his god has lapsed again into his psycho mode, mollifies him and shames him into relenting. He appeals to his honor: he must keep his word, fulfill his promises. But he first appeals to his vanity: his reputation would suffer if the Egyptians and other peoples found out about his failure. (It is odd that the guideline for divine behavior is, "What would the Egyptians think?"!)
3. Moses refers to Jehovah's forgiving nature. We've seen little of that, and this seems no more than flattery on Moses’ part. But he also mentions how he punishes the guilty person -- and the guilty person's children, and grandchildren, and great grandchildren. The concepts of ancestral and familial guilt, which civilized people today deplore and regard as grossly unfair, is a mainstay of Jehovan justice. Vindictiveness is thus deemed a great virtue: apparently the longer you can harbor grievances and punish wrongs, the nobler your character.
4. Moses declares that it is well known that Jehovah is with the Israelites on their journeys. (Moses keeps abreast of all the international news.) One may conclude that when Jehovah appears in the Inner Sanctum, he comes down not from Heaven, but from the heavens, that the ever-present cloud/pillar of fire is a cylindrical airship in which Jehovah rides. Otherwise, Jehovah could not personally accompany the Israelites.
5. Although Jehovah decides not to kill off his people, he is determined that none of them (save the loyal Joshua and Caleb) be allowed to enter the Promised Land, but must die in the desert, with their children wandering for 40 years. Jehovah seems to take delight in inflicting punishment and is very pleased with himself when he kills, by some means, the 10 scouts who circulated the false report that turned the people against Jehovah.
6. The Israelites, against Jehovah's order, enter the Promised Land, but, being taught another lesson and punished for defying Jehovah, they are defeated by the native inhabitants and driven back. The bottom line is: the Israelites must not take action on their own. Jehovah must make all the decisions, do all the thinking for them. They can't win in battle, travel, or even eat without Jehovah's help. They can't choose their own leader. They can't decide where they want to emigrate. And they certainly can't choose their own religion or manner of worship. Instead of being slaves to the Egyptians, the Israelites find they have even less freedom as slaves of Jehovah.
7. The Amalekites, the archenemies of the Israelites, were nomadic inhabitants of Edom, supposedly descended from Amalek, a grandson of Esau, the elder son of Isaac. The Canaanites, supposed descended from a son of Ham, lived in the area west of the River Jordan, north of Edom. Their number included the Phoenicians, who lived to the north in what is now Lebanon. From 1550 to 1200 BC, which probably embraces the period of the Exodus, Canaan was controlled to various degrees by the Egyptians, although this fact does not seem to be part of the biblical narrative. Hormah’s location is not known. It was likely a city situated in northwestern Negev.
Throughout the entire community there was an outcry; the people were weeping and wailing all through the night. The Israelites brought their complaints to Moses and Aaron, telling them, "If only we had died in Egypt, or perished in the desert! Why is Jehovah leading us into this land only to be slaughtered in battle? Our wives and children will be carried off as captives of war. Wouldn't it be better for us to return to Egypt?" And they said to one another, "Let us choose a leader and journey back to Egypt."
Moses and Aaron then fell on their faces before the gathered assembly of the people of Israel. Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, two who were among the party that had scouted out the land, rent their garments and addressed the entire congregation. "The land we traveled through and explored was an exceeding fine land. If Jehovah is pleased with us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land flowing with milk and honey. But do not rebel against Jehovah. And have no fear of the inhabitants of that land, for we will devour them. Their defenses will crumble, with Jehovah on our side. We need not fear them."
But the congregation were all bent on stoning them. At that point the magnificence of Jehovah appeared before all the Israelites at the entrance to the Sanctum. Jehovah complained to Moses, "How long are these people going to treat me with such contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, despite all the miracles I have performed in their presence? I will disown them. I will strike them with plague and pestilence. I will then create from your descendants a nation far greater and stronger than they."
Moses voiced his objection to Jehovah. "But the Egyptians will hear about it! You used your power to liberate the people and bring them out of Egypt. The Egyptians will tell the inhabitants of this land about it. They are well aware that you, Jehovah, are among your people, personally appearing before them, hovering above them in your airship, leading them by day in a cylindrical object that is lit up at night. If you obliterate your people in one fell swoop, then the nations that hear this report about you will say, 'Jehovah was incapable of settling his people in the land he promised to give them, so he killed them all in the desert.' Please, Jehovah, manifest your power as when you proclaimed, 'Jehovah is slow to anger, filled with unfailing loyalty, forgiving of sin and rebellion -- yet by no means excusing the guilty, laying punishment for the sins of the fathers not only upon their children, but upon their grandchildren and great-grandchildren.' In keeping with the depth of your loving mercy, please pardon the sins of these people, just as you have pardoned them from the time we set out from Egypt till now."
Jehovah responded, "I will pardon them as you have requested. Even so, as I live, as the magnificence of Jehovah will spread across the face of entire earth, the people who witnessed my power and the miracles I performed in Egypt and in the desert, but who have doubted me time and time again and refused to do what I have told them, not one of them will be permitted to see the land I promised their ancestors I would give them: none who have shown their contempt for me will ever see it. But because my servant Caleb is of a different mind and follows me with unswerving fidelity, I will settle him in the land that he scouted, and his descendants will occupy it.
"Since the Amalekites and the Canaanites control the valleys, you should turn back tomorrow and follow the route to the desert along the Red Sea."
Jehovah also told Moses and Aaron, "How long is this wicked community going to rail against me? I have heard the complaints these Israelites make against me. Well then, you can tell them this, 'As surely as I live, proclaims Jehovah, I will do to you exactly what I heard you say would happen to you. You will drop dead in this very desert -- every one of you 20 years old or more and registered in the census who has spoken out against me. I can assure you that none of you will enter the land I swore to give to you -- except for Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. The children that you said will become captives of war I will bring in to the land that you objected to and introduce them to it. As for you, you will all drop dead in the desert. Your children will remain wanderers in the desert for 40 years and will suffer the penalty for your faithlessness until the last of your carcasses is entirely swallowed up by the desert. Because the scouts explored the land for 40 days, you must wander for 40 years, a day for each year, as punishment for your sins. You will then find out what it's like to have me as an enemy. I, Jehovah, have spoken. I will do these things without fail to every member of the community who conspired against me. They will come to their end here in the desert and here they will die.'"
Thus the men whom Moses had dispatched as scouts and who had returned to incite the community against Moses with a false report about the land -- the men who were responsible for spreading that false report -- were struck down and died in front of the Inner Sanctum. Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh were the only members of the party sent out to scout the land that were still alive.
When Moses conveyed Jehovah's words to the Israelites, they were moved to grief. And so early the next morning they journeyed to the ridge overlooking the hill country and announced, " To be sure we have sinned, but now we are ready to go into the land promised to us by Jehovah."
Moses challenged them, "Why are you disobeying the orders of Jehovah? This will not be successful. Don’t go! Jehovah will not be on your side. You will be routed by your enemies, for the Amalekites and the Canaanites will confront you there. Because you have turned away from Jehovah, he will not fight for you and you will fall in battle."
But the people defiantly went the ridge overlooking the hill country, (although neither Moses nor the Chest of Sacred Records left the camp). The Amalekites and Cannaanites who inhabited the hill country came down and attacked them, driving them all the way back to Hormah.
Notes
1. Moses, who, despite the aid of Jehovah, has consistently had trouble cementing his position as national as well as religious leader, is faced again with a rebellion. The yearnings of the people to return to Egypt might be understandable were it not for the presence of Jehovah. Have they not witnessed the demonstrations of his power and his willingness to afflict death and destruction on an epic scale? Yet, they still seem to have no fear of him, even as they have lost confidence in Moses. The Israelties may be described not only as rebellious and disloyal, but stupid as well.
2. Jehovah is beside himself with exasperation. His Chosen People just won't respect or obey him, no matter how many miracles he performs or how much he puts the fear of God in them. And so he's pretty much decided to wipe them off the face of the earth and start again, creating a new nation from the descendants of Moses (and apparently not minding to wait 400 years for that to happen). Of course, we have seen before Jehovah's recourse to mass murder and so his threats are to be taken seriously. Moses, recognizing that his god has lapsed again into his psycho mode, mollifies him and shames him into relenting. He appeals to his honor: he must keep his word, fulfill his promises. But he first appeals to his vanity: his reputation would suffer if the Egyptians and other peoples found out about his failure. (It is odd that the guideline for divine behavior is, "What would the Egyptians think?"!)
3. Moses refers to Jehovah's forgiving nature. We've seen little of that, and this seems no more than flattery on Moses’ part. But he also mentions how he punishes the guilty person -- and the guilty person's children, and grandchildren, and great grandchildren. The concepts of ancestral and familial guilt, which civilized people today deplore and regard as grossly unfair, is a mainstay of Jehovan justice. Vindictiveness is thus deemed a great virtue: apparently the longer you can harbor grievances and punish wrongs, the nobler your character.
4. Moses declares that it is well known that Jehovah is with the Israelites on their journeys. (Moses keeps abreast of all the international news.) One may conclude that when Jehovah appears in the Inner Sanctum, he comes down not from Heaven, but from the heavens, that the ever-present cloud/pillar of fire is a cylindrical airship in which Jehovah rides. Otherwise, Jehovah could not personally accompany the Israelites.
5. Although Jehovah decides not to kill off his people, he is determined that none of them (save the loyal Joshua and Caleb) be allowed to enter the Promised Land, but must die in the desert, with their children wandering for 40 years. Jehovah seems to take delight in inflicting punishment and is very pleased with himself when he kills, by some means, the 10 scouts who circulated the false report that turned the people against Jehovah.
6. The Israelites, against Jehovah's order, enter the Promised Land, but, being taught another lesson and punished for defying Jehovah, they are defeated by the native inhabitants and driven back. The bottom line is: the Israelites must not take action on their own. Jehovah must make all the decisions, do all the thinking for them. They can't win in battle, travel, or even eat without Jehovah's help. They can't choose their own leader. They can't decide where they want to emigrate. And they certainly can't choose their own religion or manner of worship. Instead of being slaves to the Egyptians, the Israelites find they have even less freedom as slaves of Jehovah.
7. The Amalekites, the archenemies of the Israelites, were nomadic inhabitants of Edom, supposedly descended from Amalek, a grandson of Esau, the elder son of Isaac. The Canaanites, supposed descended from a son of Ham, lived in the area west of the River Jordan, north of Edom. Their number included the Phoenicians, who lived to the north in what is now Lebanon. From 1550 to 1200 BC, which probably embraces the period of the Exodus, Canaan was controlled to various degrees by the Egyptians, although this fact does not seem to be part of the biblical narrative. Hormah’s location is not known. It was likely a city situated in northwestern Negev.
Thursday, April 16, 2015
Scouts Sent to Canaan
(Book of Numbers 13:1 - 13:33)
Jehovah instructed Moses, "Send out scouts to reconnoiter the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people of Israel. Let them all be leaders, one from each of the ancestral tribes."
Moses did as Jehovah commanded. He dispatched twelve men, all Israelite tribal leaders, from their camp in the desert of Paran. These were their names and respective tribes:
Shammua son of Zaccur -- Reuben
Shaphat son of Hori -- Simeon
Caleb son of Jephunneh -- Judah
Igal son of Joseph -- Issachar
Hoshea son of Nun -- Ephraim
Palti son of Raphu -- Benjamin
Gaddiel son of Sodi -- Zebulun
Gaddi son of Susi -- Manasseh (Joseph)
Ammiel son of Gemalli -- Dan
Sethur son of Michael -- Asher
Nahbi son of Vophsi -- Naphtali
Geuel son of Machi -- Gad
These are the names of the men Moses sent to scout out the land. (Moses changed the name of Hoshea son of Nun to Joshua.)
When Moses sent them out to explore Canaan, he charged them, "Journey there via the Negev into the hill country. Survey the land and determine whether the inhabitants are strong or weak, few or many, whether the land on which they live is good or bad, whether there are walled towns or unfortified camps, whether the soil is fertile or poor, and whether or not there are many trees. Make an effort to bring back samples of the crops and fruits you may see there." (It was the season for picking the first ripe grapes).
The scouts set out and explored the land from the desert of Zin as far as Rehob, toward Lebo Hamath. They traversed the Negev and arrived at Hebron, where the sons of Anak, Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, lived. (The city of Hebron was built 7 years before the Egyptian city of Zoan.) When they reached the valley of Eshcol, they cut down a branch with a single cluster of grapes that was so large it took two men to carry it on a pole. They also brought back pomegranates and figs. (This place was named the Eshcol Wadi, because of the cluster of grapes the Israelites cut down there.)
At the end of 40 days they returned from their scouting expedition. They reported to Moses and Aaron and to whole community of Israel camped at Kadesh in the desert of Paran and showed them the fruit from the land. This was the report they gave to Moses: "We entered the land you sent us reconnoiter. It is indeed a land flowing with milk and honey. Here are samples of its fruit. The inhabitants are strong and live in large, fortified towns. We even saw the descendants of Anak there. The Amalekites dwell in the Negev. The Hethites, Jebusites, and Amorites inhabit the hill country, while the Canaanites occupy the sea coast and the Jordan River Valley.”
Caleb, to quiet the people who were challenging Moses, enjoined them, "We should go up there right now and occupy the country, for we are well able to conquer it."
But the men who had accompanied him dissented. “We can't attack these people; they’re stronger than we are." They spread among the Israelites a false, unfavorable report about the country they had explored. They claimed, "The land we surveyed as scouts eats up its inhabitants. All the people we saw there were of gigantic stature. We even encountered extraterrestrial beings (for the Anakim are descended from extraterrestrials.) Beside them we felt as if we were mere locusts, and they must have felt the same about us.”
Notes
1. At Jehovah's behest, Moses sends out men to explore Canaan and scout out the land they intend to settle, but it is odd that they are tribal leaders. Selecting a man from each of the tribes of Israel makes sense politically, but chiefs would be older men. Wouldn't it be better to choose younger, fitter men more able to endure the rigors of the expedition and who, if lost, would be expendable? Of course, the tribal chiefs would possess better judgment and whatever they reported would have credibility.
2. There is no explanation given why Moses changed Hoshea son of Nun's name to Joshua. In Genesis Jehovah dubs Abram, Abraham, and an involved story is spun to justify Jacob's name change to Israel. Hoshea means "salvation," while Joshua means "he is salvation" and is a shortened form of Jehoshua, "Jehovah is salvation." There is perhaps some great significance in the name change, but it is hardly explicit. There is also the possibility that Hoshea and Joshua were actually two different people. Also, take note that Joshua was the Hebrew name of Jesus, the Messiah.
3. The incident of the large cluster of grapes is hard to explain except as an exaggeration, a Bunyanesque tall tale to emphasize the bounteous nature of the land proverbially flowing with milk and honey.
4. Anak was the son of Arba and the father of Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai of Hebron. The Anakim, a race of giants, were supposedly descended from the Nephilim who were mentioned as a hybrid race of antediluvian times. Nephilim is often translated as "fallen angels," however "fallen" should not be interpreted metaphorical, "fallen" in moral sense, but rather "fallen to earth," having come down to earth, not, I do believe, from Heaven, but from the heavens -- thus, human-like beings from space, extraterrestrials, (although there is another possibility, that the Nephilim descended not in space craft, but from airships emanating from another part of the earth). The Bible suggests -- and it is suggested in many other ancient records as well -- that the Nephilim, or other beings like them (the "gods"), mated with earth women and created a hybrid species of humans, who, not surprisingly, were in many respects superior -- eg., the heroes of Greek myth, the early Egyptian pharaohs. Anak's family apparently claimed extraterrestrial descent and were certainly not alone among the ancients in claiming to have a "god" on the family tree. The original antediluvian Nephilim would have been wiped out in the Flood, so members of the race mentioned here would have had to have been produced by subsequent contact by these beings with womankind. Genesis does, in fact, state that these beings would later appear on earth.
5. Anak and his sons are mentioned in Middle Kingdom Egyptian inscriptions of the Pharaoh's Canaanite enemies. However, this was probably hundreds of years before Moses and the Exodus. No one dates the Exodus as early as the Middle Kingdom, which ended around 1650 BC. (The Bible points to 1446 BC for the Exodus, although any date is problematic.) Weaving Anak into the Exodus narrative seems, then, to be quite a stretch.
6. Those who dissent from the viewpoint of Caleb, a let's-get'r-done kind of guy who urges the Israelites to invade and take over Canaan right now, color, if not contradict the scouting report they have given to Moses when they disseminate it among the people. They want to dissuade the Israelites from mounting an invasion of Canaan and are not above lying to them to lobby for their point of view. (The story of giants is meant to taken as an exaggeration, for the giants, the extraterrestrial hybrids, were seen in Hebron, only not throughout the entire land) Would the scouts have lied if they had been a group of ordinary soldiers rather than tribal leaders with their own political agenda? Not to second guess at this late date, but perhaps Jehovah made a mistake by having Moses send out tribal leaders as scouts.
7. The scouts are gone for 40 days, probably corresponding to the 40 years the Israelites will have to wander before being allowed to settle in the Promised Land. It seems to be a magic number, but, like all the numbers in the Bible, dates, ages, etc., it is suspicious symmetrical and highly suspect.
8. The Negev was, as it is, the wedge-shaped southern part of what is now Israel. The Desert of Zin was to the north of Negev. The Egyptian city of Zoan has not been positively identified. Its mention in later biblical books probably refers to the 11th-Century BC Delta city of Tanis. But here, Zoan is likely to be the Hyksos capital of Avaris in Goshen, founded in the early 18th-Century BC. The city of Hebron, now a large Palestinian, West Bank city, 19 miles south of Jerusalem, was a Canaanite royal city in the 18th-Century BC. It is near the burial cave of Abraham. The city of Kadesh, or Kadesh-Barnea, lies in the southern part of Zin. It marks the traditional southern border of ancient Israel. However, the Kadesh mentioned here clearly cannot be the same place, for the Israelites were then encamped in the Desert of Paran, not Zin. Neither are to be confused with the Syrian-Hittite city of Kadesh on the Orontes River, where a famous battle occurred between the Hittites and the Egyptians under Ramesses the Great in the year 1274 BC (by conventional Egyptian chronology -- which is probably wrong).
Jehovah instructed Moses, "Send out scouts to reconnoiter the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people of Israel. Let them all be leaders, one from each of the ancestral tribes."
Moses did as Jehovah commanded. He dispatched twelve men, all Israelite tribal leaders, from their camp in the desert of Paran. These were their names and respective tribes:
Shammua son of Zaccur -- Reuben
Shaphat son of Hori -- Simeon
Caleb son of Jephunneh -- Judah
Igal son of Joseph -- Issachar
Hoshea son of Nun -- Ephraim
Palti son of Raphu -- Benjamin
Gaddiel son of Sodi -- Zebulun
Gaddi son of Susi -- Manasseh (Joseph)
Ammiel son of Gemalli -- Dan
Sethur son of Michael -- Asher
Nahbi son of Vophsi -- Naphtali
Geuel son of Machi -- Gad
These are the names of the men Moses sent to scout out the land. (Moses changed the name of Hoshea son of Nun to Joshua.)
When Moses sent them out to explore Canaan, he charged them, "Journey there via the Negev into the hill country. Survey the land and determine whether the inhabitants are strong or weak, few or many, whether the land on which they live is good or bad, whether there are walled towns or unfortified camps, whether the soil is fertile or poor, and whether or not there are many trees. Make an effort to bring back samples of the crops and fruits you may see there." (It was the season for picking the first ripe grapes).
The scouts set out and explored the land from the desert of Zin as far as Rehob, toward Lebo Hamath. They traversed the Negev and arrived at Hebron, where the sons of Anak, Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, lived. (The city of Hebron was built 7 years before the Egyptian city of Zoan.) When they reached the valley of Eshcol, they cut down a branch with a single cluster of grapes that was so large it took two men to carry it on a pole. They also brought back pomegranates and figs. (This place was named the Eshcol Wadi, because of the cluster of grapes the Israelites cut down there.)
At the end of 40 days they returned from their scouting expedition. They reported to Moses and Aaron and to whole community of Israel camped at Kadesh in the desert of Paran and showed them the fruit from the land. This was the report they gave to Moses: "We entered the land you sent us reconnoiter. It is indeed a land flowing with milk and honey. Here are samples of its fruit. The inhabitants are strong and live in large, fortified towns. We even saw the descendants of Anak there. The Amalekites dwell in the Negev. The Hethites, Jebusites, and Amorites inhabit the hill country, while the Canaanites occupy the sea coast and the Jordan River Valley.”
Caleb, to quiet the people who were challenging Moses, enjoined them, "We should go up there right now and occupy the country, for we are well able to conquer it."
But the men who had accompanied him dissented. “We can't attack these people; they’re stronger than we are." They spread among the Israelites a false, unfavorable report about the country they had explored. They claimed, "The land we surveyed as scouts eats up its inhabitants. All the people we saw there were of gigantic stature. We even encountered extraterrestrial beings (for the Anakim are descended from extraterrestrials.) Beside them we felt as if we were mere locusts, and they must have felt the same about us.”
Notes
1. At Jehovah's behest, Moses sends out men to explore Canaan and scout out the land they intend to settle, but it is odd that they are tribal leaders. Selecting a man from each of the tribes of Israel makes sense politically, but chiefs would be older men. Wouldn't it be better to choose younger, fitter men more able to endure the rigors of the expedition and who, if lost, would be expendable? Of course, the tribal chiefs would possess better judgment and whatever they reported would have credibility.
2. There is no explanation given why Moses changed Hoshea son of Nun's name to Joshua. In Genesis Jehovah dubs Abram, Abraham, and an involved story is spun to justify Jacob's name change to Israel. Hoshea means "salvation," while Joshua means "he is salvation" and is a shortened form of Jehoshua, "Jehovah is salvation." There is perhaps some great significance in the name change, but it is hardly explicit. There is also the possibility that Hoshea and Joshua were actually two different people. Also, take note that Joshua was the Hebrew name of Jesus, the Messiah.
3. The incident of the large cluster of grapes is hard to explain except as an exaggeration, a Bunyanesque tall tale to emphasize the bounteous nature of the land proverbially flowing with milk and honey.
4. Anak was the son of Arba and the father of Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai of Hebron. The Anakim, a race of giants, were supposedly descended from the Nephilim who were mentioned as a hybrid race of antediluvian times. Nephilim is often translated as "fallen angels," however "fallen" should not be interpreted metaphorical, "fallen" in moral sense, but rather "fallen to earth," having come down to earth, not, I do believe, from Heaven, but from the heavens -- thus, human-like beings from space, extraterrestrials, (although there is another possibility, that the Nephilim descended not in space craft, but from airships emanating from another part of the earth). The Bible suggests -- and it is suggested in many other ancient records as well -- that the Nephilim, or other beings like them (the "gods"), mated with earth women and created a hybrid species of humans, who, not surprisingly, were in many respects superior -- eg., the heroes of Greek myth, the early Egyptian pharaohs. Anak's family apparently claimed extraterrestrial descent and were certainly not alone among the ancients in claiming to have a "god" on the family tree. The original antediluvian Nephilim would have been wiped out in the Flood, so members of the race mentioned here would have had to have been produced by subsequent contact by these beings with womankind. Genesis does, in fact, state that these beings would later appear on earth.
5. Anak and his sons are mentioned in Middle Kingdom Egyptian inscriptions of the Pharaoh's Canaanite enemies. However, this was probably hundreds of years before Moses and the Exodus. No one dates the Exodus as early as the Middle Kingdom, which ended around 1650 BC. (The Bible points to 1446 BC for the Exodus, although any date is problematic.) Weaving Anak into the Exodus narrative seems, then, to be quite a stretch.
6. Those who dissent from the viewpoint of Caleb, a let's-get'r-done kind of guy who urges the Israelites to invade and take over Canaan right now, color, if not contradict the scouting report they have given to Moses when they disseminate it among the people. They want to dissuade the Israelites from mounting an invasion of Canaan and are not above lying to them to lobby for their point of view. (The story of giants is meant to taken as an exaggeration, for the giants, the extraterrestrial hybrids, were seen in Hebron, only not throughout the entire land) Would the scouts have lied if they had been a group of ordinary soldiers rather than tribal leaders with their own political agenda? Not to second guess at this late date, but perhaps Jehovah made a mistake by having Moses send out tribal leaders as scouts.
7. The scouts are gone for 40 days, probably corresponding to the 40 years the Israelites will have to wander before being allowed to settle in the Promised Land. It seems to be a magic number, but, like all the numbers in the Bible, dates, ages, etc., it is suspicious symmetrical and highly suspect.
8. The Negev was, as it is, the wedge-shaped southern part of what is now Israel. The Desert of Zin was to the north of Negev. The Egyptian city of Zoan has not been positively identified. Its mention in later biblical books probably refers to the 11th-Century BC Delta city of Tanis. But here, Zoan is likely to be the Hyksos capital of Avaris in Goshen, founded in the early 18th-Century BC. The city of Hebron, now a large Palestinian, West Bank city, 19 miles south of Jerusalem, was a Canaanite royal city in the 18th-Century BC. It is near the burial cave of Abraham. The city of Kadesh, or Kadesh-Barnea, lies in the southern part of Zin. It marks the traditional southern border of ancient Israel. However, the Kadesh mentioned here clearly cannot be the same place, for the Israelites were then encamped in the Desert of Paran, not Zin. Neither are to be confused with the Syrian-Hittite city of Kadesh on the Orontes River, where a famous battle occurred between the Hittites and the Egyptians under Ramesses the Great in the year 1274 BC (by conventional Egyptian chronology -- which is probably wrong).
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Moses Upon the Mountain
(Exodus 24:1 -24:18)
Jehovah invited Moses, "Come up and present yourselves to me, and bring Aaron, Nadab and Abihu and the 70 elders of Israel -- but they must worship me only from a distance. You alone may approach me. The others must stand back, and the rest of the people may not come up at all.”
When Moses came down from the mountain, he communicated to his people the ordinances and instructions Jehovah had given him, to which the people responded unanimously, "We will abide by all that Jehovah commands us to do!"
Moses wrote down all the pronouncements of Jehovah. He got up early in the morning to construct an altar at the foot of the mountain. He also erected 12 standing stones, one for each of the 12 tribes of Israel. He had the young men of each tribe prepare burnt-offerings and peace-offerings of calves to Jehovah. Moses drained half the blood from the sacrifices into some basins and sprinkled the other half upon the altar.
Holding the scroll upon which he had written the contract with Jehovah, Moses read it aloud to the people. They all responded, "All that Jehovah has asked of us we will obediently do!" Moses then sprinkled blood from the sacrifice upon the people and proclaimed, “May this blood sanctify the contract you have made with Jehovah."
Moses then went back up the mountain, accompanied by Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the 70 elders of Israel. They actually saw the god of Israel! He stood upon a surface that shone like lapis lazuli, blue and brilliant as when the sky is very clear. Jehovah did not strike down the elders of Israel. No, they were permitted to glimpse their god, and to eat and drink in his presence.
Jehovah told Moses, "Climb the mountain. Come up and visit with me. I will give you stone tablets inscribed with my laws and commandments so that you may teach them to your people.” Moses set out with his right-hand man Joshua to go up the mountain and meet with Jehovah. Before leaving, he advised the elders, "Wait here until we return. Aaron and Hur are with you. If any matter arises, refer it to them."
Moses ascended the mountain. A thick cloud covered the summit as Jehovah's vehicle made a landing on it. The cloud enshrouded the peak for six days. On the seventh day, Jehovah summoned Moses into the cloud. Jehovah's vehicle then made a fiery takeoff from the top of the mountain -- which the people of Israel could see from below. (When Moses had gone into the cloud, when he had gone to the top of the mountain, he was absent for 40 days and nights.)
Notes
1. Nadab and Abihu were the two oldest sons of Aaron. Hur, from the tribe of Judah, was mentioned earlier as a companion of Moses. (The Bible has little to say about him, although other Hebrew literature speaks about him extensively.)
2. The construction of an altar probably involved little more than arranging a few large stones, since Jehovah had already prohibited the use of dressed stones. The standing stones for each tribe of Israel are referred to, in most translations, as columns or pillars, but that would imply that there were dressed and finished stones fashioned into a certain shape. Rather they would have resembled the standing stones familiar in neolithic monuments like Stonehenge. However, the stones were probably not of any great size, for the text gives the impression that Moses, an 80 year-old man, raised them during a morning's work. Even if greater manpower was employed, one would think they still would have been of modest size, a few feet high perhaps.
3. The sacrifice and the sprinkling of blood, an offensive and disgusting sight, can only suggest to the modern reader a pagan, if not satanic rite.
4. Moses is writing down the words of Jehovah. But how? There were only two types of writing in the Middle East during the 2nd Millennium B.C. Neither employed an alphabet. In Mesopotamia, the Hebrew's ancestral homeland, soft clay tablets were inscribed with a wedge-shaped stylus to produce cuneiform writing. The tablets could be hardened by firing. In Egypt there was hieroglyphic writing upon papyrus scrolls. Moses, educated as an Egyptian, would have been literate (unlike the vast majority of the Israelites), and may have had the talents of a scribe who could have written in hieroglyphs or in a simplified, cursive form known as hieratic. There was a hieratic script known as Proto-Sinaitic that was used by the Semites in Egypt. (It is considered a precursor of the Phoenician alphabet that evolved centuries later.) Moses may have used it. --- One should keep in mind that the Israelites, at this point, did not speak Hebrew, a language not yet developed, but rather a dialect of Aramaic, an important language in the Middle East for many centuries. Moses, of course, would have been fluent as well in Egyptian.
5. When Jehovah is seen by his people, he is standing on some sort of floor, surface, pavement, mat? It is described as being of a jewel-like blue stone that most translations refer to as a sapphire. This is inaccurate: sapphires, that is, gems of blue corundum, were unknown until the days of the Roman Empire. It is more likely that lapis lazuli, also a brilliant blue, is meant. It was a stone used a great deal by the ancient Egyptians.
6. A cloud covers the holy mountain for six days. One gets the impression that the mountain is so high that it is in the clouds, but this is obviously not the case since it has been shown that the "mountain" was, of necessity, of very modest height. The cloud could have been vapor or smoke from the Jehovan airship. It could have been a smoke screen to prevent the Israelites from viewing the craft and what might be going on around it. Another possibility is that the cloud could have been an antiseptic mist to protect Jehovah and his people from earthly micro-organisms. On the seventh day, flame is seen, most likely owing to the Jehovan vehicle taking off. Moses goes up to the mountain and is gone for 40 days and nights. It is preposterous to assume that he spent all that time leaning against a rock or crouching in the dirt listening to Jehovah pontificate. It seems more likely that he, after waiting around for six days, entered Jehovah's vehicle and departed in it -- where? into space, to another planet, to some other place on earth, who can say? Unfortunately the text, which claims to have been written by Moses, does not give anything like a first person account. And it is certain that the authors of Exodus didn’t really understand what they were writing about. But it seems fairly clear to an objective and informed modern that Moses was an extraterrestrial contactee or at least was communing with an advanced human (or humanoid) from outside his own society.
7. One may reasonable conclude in deciphering the narrative presented here, that Jehovah was using the mountain as his base of operations. He was stationed on the top of the mountain for a period of time when, at this point, he was communicating with Moses. His aerial vehicle, spaceship, whatever, was not there at that time. He was perhaps there alone and didn’t need his ship or companions. When he invited Moses for what would be a protracted visit, he summoned his ship to return and it landed upon the summit. For six days, for whatever reason, it was surrounded by a cloud -- mist, smoke, vapor? Then, on the seventh day, with Moses aboard, Jehovah’s ship took off in a fiery blast-off witnessed by the gathering of Israelites at the foot of the mountain.
Jehovah invited Moses, "Come up and present yourselves to me, and bring Aaron, Nadab and Abihu and the 70 elders of Israel -- but they must worship me only from a distance. You alone may approach me. The others must stand back, and the rest of the people may not come up at all.”
When Moses came down from the mountain, he communicated to his people the ordinances and instructions Jehovah had given him, to which the people responded unanimously, "We will abide by all that Jehovah commands us to do!"
Moses wrote down all the pronouncements of Jehovah. He got up early in the morning to construct an altar at the foot of the mountain. He also erected 12 standing stones, one for each of the 12 tribes of Israel. He had the young men of each tribe prepare burnt-offerings and peace-offerings of calves to Jehovah. Moses drained half the blood from the sacrifices into some basins and sprinkled the other half upon the altar.
Holding the scroll upon which he had written the contract with Jehovah, Moses read it aloud to the people. They all responded, "All that Jehovah has asked of us we will obediently do!" Moses then sprinkled blood from the sacrifice upon the people and proclaimed, “May this blood sanctify the contract you have made with Jehovah."
Moses then went back up the mountain, accompanied by Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the 70 elders of Israel. They actually saw the god of Israel! He stood upon a surface that shone like lapis lazuli, blue and brilliant as when the sky is very clear. Jehovah did not strike down the elders of Israel. No, they were permitted to glimpse their god, and to eat and drink in his presence.
Jehovah told Moses, "Climb the mountain. Come up and visit with me. I will give you stone tablets inscribed with my laws and commandments so that you may teach them to your people.” Moses set out with his right-hand man Joshua to go up the mountain and meet with Jehovah. Before leaving, he advised the elders, "Wait here until we return. Aaron and Hur are with you. If any matter arises, refer it to them."
Moses ascended the mountain. A thick cloud covered the summit as Jehovah's vehicle made a landing on it. The cloud enshrouded the peak for six days. On the seventh day, Jehovah summoned Moses into the cloud. Jehovah's vehicle then made a fiery takeoff from the top of the mountain -- which the people of Israel could see from below. (When Moses had gone into the cloud, when he had gone to the top of the mountain, he was absent for 40 days and nights.)
Notes
1. Nadab and Abihu were the two oldest sons of Aaron. Hur, from the tribe of Judah, was mentioned earlier as a companion of Moses. (The Bible has little to say about him, although other Hebrew literature speaks about him extensively.)
2. The construction of an altar probably involved little more than arranging a few large stones, since Jehovah had already prohibited the use of dressed stones. The standing stones for each tribe of Israel are referred to, in most translations, as columns or pillars, but that would imply that there were dressed and finished stones fashioned into a certain shape. Rather they would have resembled the standing stones familiar in neolithic monuments like Stonehenge. However, the stones were probably not of any great size, for the text gives the impression that Moses, an 80 year-old man, raised them during a morning's work. Even if greater manpower was employed, one would think they still would have been of modest size, a few feet high perhaps.
3. The sacrifice and the sprinkling of blood, an offensive and disgusting sight, can only suggest to the modern reader a pagan, if not satanic rite.
4. Moses is writing down the words of Jehovah. But how? There were only two types of writing in the Middle East during the 2nd Millennium B.C. Neither employed an alphabet. In Mesopotamia, the Hebrew's ancestral homeland, soft clay tablets were inscribed with a wedge-shaped stylus to produce cuneiform writing. The tablets could be hardened by firing. In Egypt there was hieroglyphic writing upon papyrus scrolls. Moses, educated as an Egyptian, would have been literate (unlike the vast majority of the Israelites), and may have had the talents of a scribe who could have written in hieroglyphs or in a simplified, cursive form known as hieratic. There was a hieratic script known as Proto-Sinaitic that was used by the Semites in Egypt. (It is considered a precursor of the Phoenician alphabet that evolved centuries later.) Moses may have used it. --- One should keep in mind that the Israelites, at this point, did not speak Hebrew, a language not yet developed, but rather a dialect of Aramaic, an important language in the Middle East for many centuries. Moses, of course, would have been fluent as well in Egyptian.
5. When Jehovah is seen by his people, he is standing on some sort of floor, surface, pavement, mat? It is described as being of a jewel-like blue stone that most translations refer to as a sapphire. This is inaccurate: sapphires, that is, gems of blue corundum, were unknown until the days of the Roman Empire. It is more likely that lapis lazuli, also a brilliant blue, is meant. It was a stone used a great deal by the ancient Egyptians.
6. A cloud covers the holy mountain for six days. One gets the impression that the mountain is so high that it is in the clouds, but this is obviously not the case since it has been shown that the "mountain" was, of necessity, of very modest height. The cloud could have been vapor or smoke from the Jehovan airship. It could have been a smoke screen to prevent the Israelites from viewing the craft and what might be going on around it. Another possibility is that the cloud could have been an antiseptic mist to protect Jehovah and his people from earthly micro-organisms. On the seventh day, flame is seen, most likely owing to the Jehovan vehicle taking off. Moses goes up to the mountain and is gone for 40 days and nights. It is preposterous to assume that he spent all that time leaning against a rock or crouching in the dirt listening to Jehovah pontificate. It seems more likely that he, after waiting around for six days, entered Jehovah's vehicle and departed in it -- where? into space, to another planet, to some other place on earth, who can say? Unfortunately the text, which claims to have been written by Moses, does not give anything like a first person account. And it is certain that the authors of Exodus didn’t really understand what they were writing about. But it seems fairly clear to an objective and informed modern that Moses was an extraterrestrial contactee or at least was communing with an advanced human (or humanoid) from outside his own society.
7. One may reasonable conclude in deciphering the narrative presented here, that Jehovah was using the mountain as his base of operations. He was stationed on the top of the mountain for a period of time when, at this point, he was communicating with Moses. His aerial vehicle, spaceship, whatever, was not there at that time. He was perhaps there alone and didn’t need his ship or companions. When he invited Moses for what would be a protracted visit, he summoned his ship to return and it landed upon the summit. For six days, for whatever reason, it was surrounded by a cloud -- mist, smoke, vapor? Then, on the seventh day, with Moses aboard, Jehovah’s ship took off in a fiery blast-off witnessed by the gathering of Israelites at the foot of the mountain.
Thursday, October 10, 2013
War with the Amalekites
(Exodus 17:8 - 17:16)
Then, the Amalekites appeared and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. Moses ordered Joshua, "Choose a company of fighting men, march them out, and engage the Amalekites in battle. Tomorrow, I will be watching from the top of the hill with the divine staff in my hand."
Joshua did as Moses had told him and fought with the Amalekites, while Moses ascended the hill to observe the battle with Aaron and Hur. When Moses kept his arms raised, Israel would prevail in the battle, but, if he let them down, the Amalekites would then start winning. Moses’ arms soon became heavy with fatigue: a stone was then found to place under him so he could sit down on it. Aaron and Hur, positioned on each side of him, held up his arms. Thus, they were able to keep his arms raised until sunset. And, by force of arms, Joshua was able to defeat the Amalekite forces and put them to flight.
Jehovah said to Moses, "Inscribe this in a book so it will be remembered -- and drum it into the ears of Joshua -- I will wipe out the memory of the Amalekites upon the earth!"
Moses built an altar and called it Jehovah-nissi [Jehovah is my banner], because, he said, “I have raised my arms to Jehovah’s banner, and so Jehovah will continue to wage war against the Amalekites from one generation to the next.”
Notes
1. Two new characters are introduced here without any real introduction. One is Joshua, who assumes the role as the military commander of the Israelites. The other is Hur, obviously a confidant of Moses and Aaron. Joshua will figure prominently as a Hebrew leader. (By the way, his name in Hebrew, Yehoshua, is the same as that of Jesus.) Hur merits only a couple further mentions. He has been identified as either the husband of Miriam or her son, but the Bible itself has nothing to say on the subject.
2. The Israelites are now required to fight, having been attacked by the Amalekites. Fight with what? Where did their swords, spears, shields, and armor come from? There is no record of them taking arms with them when they left Egypt, only a lot of looted jewelry and raiment. With a day's notice, Joshua is able to raise an army, train and equip it, and fight a winning battle. Amazing!
3. Moses tells Joshua he will be watching the battle from the top of a hill with his staff in his hands. This is the magical staff that summoned so many of the plagues back in Egypt and here in the desert had just been used to produce water from a rock. Yet, when Moses is on the hill, no mention is made of the staff, only the arms of Moses, which, when raised, cause the Israelites to prevail in battle. This is puzzling, considering the importance of the staff. Did he have it in one of his hands, or in both?
4. The Israelites can win the fight against the Amalekites only because Moses keeps his arms raised. There is a recurring theme here. Left to their own devices, the people of Israel are ever doomed. They are continually dependent upon magic and miracles and the help of Jehovah for everything, their freedom, victory in battle, their next meal. It is never their integrity and character, their intelligence, imagination, and resourcefulness, their courage and determination that brings them success of any sort. They are never rewarded for their own efforts, but must receive as a blessing from their god all that they have. And these blessings come with a price, their dedication and obedience to Jehovah, for they are no longer slaves to Egypt, but slaves to Jehovah.
5. There is a promise that the Israelites will forever be at war with the Amalekites. One presumes that the Amalekites initiated hostilities because the Israelites were encroaching upon their land, which, from the standpoint of Jehovah, is despicable. If these Amalekites are such a bad lot and going to be such a thorn in the side of the Israelites, why doesn't Jehovah simply dispose of them right now? He had no qualms about annihilating every firstborn Egyptian, presumably millions of people, in a single night -- an epic act of mass murder! (And he was able to do it with a dispatch that the Nazi perpetrators of the Jewish genocide would have envied.) Why doesn't he at least send a few little plagues against them, give them bedbugs, cause their hair to fall out, or make their milk sour, or something? And, if he really wants the memory of the Amalekites to be erased from human history, why does he order Moses to write about them and chronicle their evil deeds for posterity?
6. The Amalekites are generally taken to be the descendants of Amalek, Esau’s grandson and the son of Eliphaz, and were a nomadic tribe of Sinai and the Negez who became, over the course of many centuries, the archenemies and nemesis of the Hebrew people. This origin was challenged, even in ancient times, and there is a view that the Amalekites may have existed in the region earlier, during the days of Abraham. Many later peoples, the Armenians, the Germans, and, more recently, the Palestinians, have been identified with the Amalekites.
Then, the Amalekites appeared and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. Moses ordered Joshua, "Choose a company of fighting men, march them out, and engage the Amalekites in battle. Tomorrow, I will be watching from the top of the hill with the divine staff in my hand."
Joshua did as Moses had told him and fought with the Amalekites, while Moses ascended the hill to observe the battle with Aaron and Hur. When Moses kept his arms raised, Israel would prevail in the battle, but, if he let them down, the Amalekites would then start winning. Moses’ arms soon became heavy with fatigue: a stone was then found to place under him so he could sit down on it. Aaron and Hur, positioned on each side of him, held up his arms. Thus, they were able to keep his arms raised until sunset. And, by force of arms, Joshua was able to defeat the Amalekite forces and put them to flight.
Jehovah said to Moses, "Inscribe this in a book so it will be remembered -- and drum it into the ears of Joshua -- I will wipe out the memory of the Amalekites upon the earth!"
Moses built an altar and called it Jehovah-nissi [Jehovah is my banner], because, he said, “I have raised my arms to Jehovah’s banner, and so Jehovah will continue to wage war against the Amalekites from one generation to the next.”
Notes
1. Two new characters are introduced here without any real introduction. One is Joshua, who assumes the role as the military commander of the Israelites. The other is Hur, obviously a confidant of Moses and Aaron. Joshua will figure prominently as a Hebrew leader. (By the way, his name in Hebrew, Yehoshua, is the same as that of Jesus.) Hur merits only a couple further mentions. He has been identified as either the husband of Miriam or her son, but the Bible itself has nothing to say on the subject.
2. The Israelites are now required to fight, having been attacked by the Amalekites. Fight with what? Where did their swords, spears, shields, and armor come from? There is no record of them taking arms with them when they left Egypt, only a lot of looted jewelry and raiment. With a day's notice, Joshua is able to raise an army, train and equip it, and fight a winning battle. Amazing!
3. Moses tells Joshua he will be watching the battle from the top of a hill with his staff in his hands. This is the magical staff that summoned so many of the plagues back in Egypt and here in the desert had just been used to produce water from a rock. Yet, when Moses is on the hill, no mention is made of the staff, only the arms of Moses, which, when raised, cause the Israelites to prevail in battle. This is puzzling, considering the importance of the staff. Did he have it in one of his hands, or in both?
4. The Israelites can win the fight against the Amalekites only because Moses keeps his arms raised. There is a recurring theme here. Left to their own devices, the people of Israel are ever doomed. They are continually dependent upon magic and miracles and the help of Jehovah for everything, their freedom, victory in battle, their next meal. It is never their integrity and character, their intelligence, imagination, and resourcefulness, their courage and determination that brings them success of any sort. They are never rewarded for their own efforts, but must receive as a blessing from their god all that they have. And these blessings come with a price, their dedication and obedience to Jehovah, for they are no longer slaves to Egypt, but slaves to Jehovah.
5. There is a promise that the Israelites will forever be at war with the Amalekites. One presumes that the Amalekites initiated hostilities because the Israelites were encroaching upon their land, which, from the standpoint of Jehovah, is despicable. If these Amalekites are such a bad lot and going to be such a thorn in the side of the Israelites, why doesn't Jehovah simply dispose of them right now? He had no qualms about annihilating every firstborn Egyptian, presumably millions of people, in a single night -- an epic act of mass murder! (And he was able to do it with a dispatch that the Nazi perpetrators of the Jewish genocide would have envied.) Why doesn't he at least send a few little plagues against them, give them bedbugs, cause their hair to fall out, or make their milk sour, or something? And, if he really wants the memory of the Amalekites to be erased from human history, why does he order Moses to write about them and chronicle their evil deeds for posterity?
6. The Amalekites are generally taken to be the descendants of Amalek, Esau’s grandson and the son of Eliphaz, and were a nomadic tribe of Sinai and the Negez who became, over the course of many centuries, the archenemies and nemesis of the Hebrew people. This origin was challenged, even in ancient times, and there is a view that the Amalekites may have existed in the region earlier, during the days of Abraham. Many later peoples, the Armenians, the Germans, and, more recently, the Palestinians, have been identified with the Amalekites.
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