(Saturday, February 6, 2010, 10:07 AM)
Adoration of the Golden Calf, by Nicolas Poussin, 1633-34
This was my starting point: my refusal to believe that these ...
... are the words of God.
Of course, I know and firmly believe that idolatry is, if possible, the worst sin in the eye of God, because it gives to the creature, worse, to a fictional image of the creature, the worship that is only due to the Creator, to God.
So, my first temptation would have been to re-formulate the Second Commandment, striking out the part that I refused to believe to be the words of God, inspired by God. Something like this:
But I realized that this is not a very satisfactory approach.
A look at the NETBible made me realize that their translation (Exodus 20:4-6 - NET) is significantly different from the ESV, and I also wanted to look carefully at their translation notes, and to look deeper into the Hebrew text.
Let's first of all look at the NETBible translation, which, as noticed, shows some differences from the ESV. I will evidence, by bolding them, the "critical words", those that are most problematic for the sense of the whole passage
It may be also useful to analyze comparatively the above passage with the parallel passage from Deuteronomy:
For the sake of completeness and for a further check I have also added the respective links to the Hebrew Interlinear Bible (HIB).
I have copied herebelow the relevant NET © Notes. I have also embedded in the notes a "Small Hebrew Lexicon", with the link to the critical Hebrew words, at Blue Letter Bible.
[#] (Ex 20:5)6; [Dt 5:9] sn The word “jealous” [קַנָּא, qanna' <07067>, jealous (only of God)] is the same word often translated “zeal” or “zealous.” The word describes a passionate intensity to protect or defend something that is jeopardized. The word can also have the sense of “envy,” but in that case the object is out of bounds. God’s zeal or jealousy is to protect his people or his institutions or his honor. Yahweh’s honor is bound up with the life of his people.
[$] (Ex 20:5)7; [Dt 5:9] tn Verses 5 and 6 are very concise, and the word פָּקַד (paqad) is difficult to translate. [פֹּקֵד, paqad <06485>, to attend to, muster, number, reckon, visit, punish, appoint, look after, care for] Often rendered “visiting,” it might here be rendered “dealing with” in a negative sense or “punishing,” but it describes positive attention in 13:19. When used of God, it essentially means that God intervenes in the lives of people for blessing or for cursing. Some would simply translate the participle here as “punishing” the children for the sins of the fathers (cf. Lev 18:25; Isa 26:21; Jer 29:32; 36:31; Hos 1:4; Amos 3:2). That is workable, but may not say enough. The verse may indicate that those who hate Yahweh and do not keep his commandments will repeat the sins their fathers committed and suffer for them. Deut 24:16 says that individuals will die for their own sins and not their father’s sins (see also Deut 7:10 and Ezek 18). It may have more to do with patterns of sin being repeated from generation to generation; if the sin and the guilt were not fully developed in the one generation, then left unchecked they would develop and continue in the next. But it may also indicate that the effects of the sins of the fathers will be experienced in the following generations, especially in the case of Israel as a national entity (U. Cassuto, Exodus, 243). God is showing here that his ethical character is displayed in how he deals with sin and righteousness, all of which he describes as giving strong motivation for loyalty to him and for avoiding idolatry. There is a justice at work in the dealings of God that is not present in the pagan world.
[§] (Ex 20:5,[6])8; [Dt 5:9,10] tn The Hebrew word for “generations” is not found in v. 5 or 6. The numbers are short for a longer expression, which is understood as part of the description of the children already mentioned (see Deut 7:9, where “generation” [דּוֹר, dor] is present and more necessary, since “children” have not been mentioned).
[%] (Ex 20:6)10; [Dt 5:10] tn Literally “doing loyal love” (עֹשֶׂה חֶסֶד, ’oseh khesed). [עֹשֶׂה, `asah <06213>, to do, fashion, accomplish, make; חֶסֶד, checed <02617>, goodness, kindness, faithfulness] The noun refers to God’s covenant loyalty, his faithful love to those who belong to him. These are members of the covenant, recipients of grace, the people of God, whom God will preserve and protect from evil and its effects.
[&] (Ex 20:6)11; [Dt 5:10] tn Heb “to thousands” or “to thousandth.” [אֲלָף, 'eleph <0505>, a thousand] After “tenth,” Hebrew uses cardinal numbers for ordinals also. This statement is the antithesis of the preceding line. The “thousands” or “thousandth [generation]” are those who love Yahweh and keep his commands. These are descendants from the righteous, and even associates with them, who benefit from the mercy that God extends to his people. S. R. Driver (Exodus, 195) says that this passage teaches that God’s mercy transcends his wrath; in his providence the beneficial consequences of a life of goodness extend indefinitely further than the retribution that is the penalty for persisting in sin. To say that God’s loyal love extends to thousands of generations or the thousandth generation is parallel to saying that it endures forever (Ps. 118). See also Exod 34:7; Deut 5:10; 7:9; Ps 18:51; Jer 32:18.
And, now, having prepared this "apparatus", let's ask few ...
Questions
1. How does YHWH God (who is NOT "jealous" in the anthropomorphic sense of "morbidly possessive") express His “zeal”? Perhaps punishing NOT ONLY the people who reject Him, who "betray" him with idols of false "gods", BUT also their sons, grandsons, and great-grandsons? Why? Would this be a Just God, a Loving God, a Merciful God?
2. OTOH, would this be a Just God, who NOT ONLY "shows mercy" to those "who love [Him] and keep [His] commandments", BUT ALSO "to a thousand [generations]" of their offspring?
3. Is "to punish" (or the old fashioned "to visit", or the rather free expression used by NETBible, "to respond ... by dealing"), in the context of the Second Commandment, the right translation of the Hebrew verb פֹּקֵד, paqad <06485>? Or, among the many meanings (to attend to, muster, number, reckon, visit, punish, appoint, look after, care for) there is a more appropriate one?
4. If the word "generations" is NOT in the Hebrew text, BUT is an interpolation of the translators, are we sure that it should have been interpolated at all? Are we sure that it is the right word to be interpolated, anyway, according to the sense of the passage, and to parallel expressions in other verses of the OT?
Instead of an answer
Instead of answering in detail the above questions, I will boldly say that NOT ONLY the translators have mistranslated those verses, BUT EVEN the Hebrew readers have misunderstood their real sense.
So, with amazing gall, with unbelievable chutzpah, I will propose herebelow the real sense of the Second Commandment, and in particular of the two critical (and mistranslated, and misunderstood) verses:
The "generations", which seemed the most suspect word, because they are not in the Hebrew text, are indeed, after all, a correct interpolation ...
... as a figurative expression of the brevity of the life of those who reject God (even if they get as old as to see the fourth generation of their offspring, their great-grandsons), after which follows eternal death (what Revelation calls the "second death").
... as a figurative expression of the eternity of life of those who love God and keep His commandments, who will enjoy God's Mercy unto Life Everlasting (miriads of generations)
Adoration of the Golden Calf, by Nicolas Poussin, 1633-34
This was my starting point: my refusal to believe that these ...
“I the Lord
your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the
children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me
...” (Exodus 20:5)
... are the words of God.
Of course, I know and firmly believe that idolatry is, if possible, the worst sin in the eye of God, because it gives to the creature, worse, to a fictional image of the creature, the worship that is only due to the Creator, to God.
So, my first temptation would have been to re-formulate the Second Commandment, striking out the part that I refused to believe to be the words of God, inspired by God. Something like this:
4 “You
shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything
that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in
the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing steadfast love to thousands [Or to the thousandth generation] of those who love me and keep my commandments. (Exodus 20:4-6)
But I realized that this is not a very satisfactory approach.
A look at the NETBible made me realize that their translation (Exodus 20:4-6 - NET) is significantly different from the ESV, and I also wanted to look carefully at their translation notes, and to look deeper into the Hebrew text.
Let's first of all look at the NETBible translation, which, as noticed, shows some differences from the ESV. I will evidence, by bolding them, the "critical words", those that are most problematic for the sense of the whole passage
4
“You shall not make for yourself a carved image or any likeness of
anything that is in heaven above or that is on the earth beneath or that
is in the water below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I, the Lord, your God, am a jealous [#] God, responding [$] to the transgression of fathers by dealing with children to the third and fourth generations [§] of those who reject me, 6 and showing covenant faithfulness [%] to a thousand [&] generations [§] of those who love me and keep my commandments.” (Exodus 20:4-6 - NET; cp. Ex 20:4-6 HIB)[&]
It may be also useful to analyze comparatively the above passage with the parallel passage from Deuteronomy:
8 You must not make for yourself an image of anything in heaven above, on earth below, or in the waters beneath. 9 You must not worship or serve them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous [#] God. I punish [$] the sons, grandsons, and great-grandsons for the sin of the fathers who reject me, 10 but I show covenant faithfulness [%] to the thousands [&] [thousand generations] [§] who choose me and keep my commandments. (Deuteronomy 5:8-10; cp. Dt 5:8-10 HIB)
For the sake of completeness and for a further check I have also added the respective links to the Hebrew Interlinear Bible (HIB).
I have copied herebelow the relevant NET © Notes. I have also embedded in the notes a "Small Hebrew Lexicon", with the link to the critical Hebrew words, at Blue Letter Bible.
[#] (Ex 20:5)6; [Dt 5:9] sn The word “jealous” [קַנָּא, qanna' <07067>, jealous (only of God)] is the same word often translated “zeal” or “zealous.” The word describes a passionate intensity to protect or defend something that is jeopardized. The word can also have the sense of “envy,” but in that case the object is out of bounds. God’s zeal or jealousy is to protect his people or his institutions or his honor. Yahweh’s honor is bound up with the life of his people.
[$] (Ex 20:5)7; [Dt 5:9] tn Verses 5 and 6 are very concise, and the word פָּקַד (paqad) is difficult to translate. [פֹּקֵד, paqad <06485>, to attend to, muster, number, reckon, visit, punish, appoint, look after, care for] Often rendered “visiting,” it might here be rendered “dealing with” in a negative sense or “punishing,” but it describes positive attention in 13:19. When used of God, it essentially means that God intervenes in the lives of people for blessing or for cursing. Some would simply translate the participle here as “punishing” the children for the sins of the fathers (cf. Lev 18:25; Isa 26:21; Jer 29:32; 36:31; Hos 1:4; Amos 3:2). That is workable, but may not say enough. The verse may indicate that those who hate Yahweh and do not keep his commandments will repeat the sins their fathers committed and suffer for them. Deut 24:16 says that individuals will die for their own sins and not their father’s sins (see also Deut 7:10 and Ezek 18). It may have more to do with patterns of sin being repeated from generation to generation; if the sin and the guilt were not fully developed in the one generation, then left unchecked they would develop and continue in the next. But it may also indicate that the effects of the sins of the fathers will be experienced in the following generations, especially in the case of Israel as a national entity (U. Cassuto, Exodus, 243). God is showing here that his ethical character is displayed in how he deals with sin and righteousness, all of which he describes as giving strong motivation for loyalty to him and for avoiding idolatry. There is a justice at work in the dealings of God that is not present in the pagan world.
[§] (Ex 20:5,[6])8; [Dt 5:9,10] tn The Hebrew word for “generations” is not found in v. 5 or 6. The numbers are short for a longer expression, which is understood as part of the description of the children already mentioned (see Deut 7:9, where “generation” [דּוֹר, dor] is present and more necessary, since “children” have not been mentioned).
[%] (Ex 20:6)10; [Dt 5:10] tn Literally “doing loyal love” (עֹשֶׂה חֶסֶד, ’oseh khesed). [עֹשֶׂה, `asah <06213>, to do, fashion, accomplish, make; חֶסֶד, checed <02617>, goodness, kindness, faithfulness] The noun refers to God’s covenant loyalty, his faithful love to those who belong to him. These are members of the covenant, recipients of grace, the people of God, whom God will preserve and protect from evil and its effects.
[&] (Ex 20:6)11; [Dt 5:10] tn Heb “to thousands” or “to thousandth.” [אֲלָף, 'eleph <0505>, a thousand] After “tenth,” Hebrew uses cardinal numbers for ordinals also. This statement is the antithesis of the preceding line. The “thousands” or “thousandth [generation]” are those who love Yahweh and keep his commands. These are descendants from the righteous, and even associates with them, who benefit from the mercy that God extends to his people. S. R. Driver (Exodus, 195) says that this passage teaches that God’s mercy transcends his wrath; in his providence the beneficial consequences of a life of goodness extend indefinitely further than the retribution that is the penalty for persisting in sin. To say that God’s loyal love extends to thousands of generations or the thousandth generation is parallel to saying that it endures forever (Ps. 118). See also Exod 34:7; Deut 5:10; 7:9; Ps 18:51; Jer 32:18.
And, now, having prepared this "apparatus", let's ask few ...
Questions
1. How does YHWH God (who is NOT "jealous" in the anthropomorphic sense of "morbidly possessive") express His “zeal”? Perhaps punishing NOT ONLY the people who reject Him, who "betray" him with idols of false "gods", BUT also their sons, grandsons, and great-grandsons? Why? Would this be a Just God, a Loving God, a Merciful God?
2. OTOH, would this be a Just God, who NOT ONLY "shows mercy" to those "who love [Him] and keep [His] commandments", BUT ALSO "to a thousand [generations]" of their offspring?
3. Is "to punish" (or the old fashioned "to visit", or the rather free expression used by NETBible, "to respond ... by dealing"), in the context of the Second Commandment, the right translation of the Hebrew verb פֹּקֵד, paqad <06485>? Or, among the many meanings (to attend to, muster, number, reckon, visit, punish, appoint, look after, care for) there is a more appropriate one?
4. If the word "generations" is NOT in the Hebrew text, BUT is an interpolation of the translators, are we sure that it should have been interpolated at all? Are we sure that it is the right word to be interpolated, anyway, according to the sense of the passage, and to parallel expressions in other verses of the OT?
Instead of an answer
Instead of answering in detail the above questions, I will boldly say that NOT ONLY the translators have mistranslated those verses, BUT EVEN the Hebrew readers have misunderstood their real sense.
So, with amazing gall, with unbelievable chutzpah, I will propose herebelow the real sense of the Second Commandment, and in particular of the two critical (and mistranslated, and misunderstood) verses:
4
“You shall not make for yourself a carved image or any likeness of
anything that is in heaven above or that is on the earth beneath or that
is in the water below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I, the Lord, your God, am a jealous passionately caring God, responding to ceaselessy correcting the transgression of fathers all people by dealing with children to the third and fourth generations of those who reject me, until the end of their earthly life [even if they get as old as to see the fourth generation of their offspring, their great-grandsons] 6 and showing covenant faithfulness Mercy to a thousand generations unto Life Everlasting [miriads of generations] for those who love me and keep my commandments. [Exodus 20:4-6, freely but truthfully rendered by Miguel_de_Servet]
The "generations", which seemed the most suspect word, because they are not in the Hebrew text, are indeed, after all, a correct interpolation ...
... as a figurative expression of the brevity of the life of those who reject God (even if they get as old as to see the fourth generation of their offspring, their great-grandsons), after which follows eternal death (what Revelation calls the "second death").
... as a figurative expression of the eternity of life of those who love God and keep His commandments, who will enjoy God's Mercy unto Life Everlasting (miriads of generations)
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