GENESIS

“Every believer in Divine Revelation finds himself amply justified in taking for granted that the Pentateuch” [the first five books of the Bible, including, therefore, Genesis] “is the work of Moses… As to unbelievers in general, they are worthy of little regard, as argument is lost on their unprincipled prejudices, and demonstration on their minds, because ever willfully closed against the light. When they have *proved* that Moses is *not* the author of this work, the advocates of Divine Revelation will reconsider the grounds of their faith.

“That there are a few things in the Pentateuch which seem to have been added by a later hand, there can be little doubt.” A.C. (Adam Clarke, 1831) I p. 23

“The actual traditions of Israel, as preserved in the book of Genesis, nearly all go back to the nomadic stage of the Aramean tribes. Some of them made their way into Egypt during the Hyksos period (*ca*, 1800 – 1600 B.C), where they were eventually reduced to slavery and put to forced labor. Then they were rescued though Moses, and after a period of wandering in the wilderness to the south and east of Palestine, make their way into that country.

“So much may be regarded as certain, but a number of questions as to details are still unsolved.”” TIB (The Interpreter's Bible, 1953) I p. 273

As to the “reliability” of the text:

“… the striking differences between the religion of Genesis and the religion of Exodus argue for the preservation of an authentic tradition.” TIB I p. 296

“The god pictured in Genesis is not like the God who reveals himself to Moses in the book of Exodus.” TIB I p.297

THE TEXT

I follow the order in which the Hebrew Bible is published, so one may read for one’s self the 51 pages, and consult my notes for entertainment. There is no pretention to exhaustion, even so there are half as many pages of notes as there are of text (granted, illustrations pad it out).

Chapter One

“Chs. [chapters] 1 – 2 contain two accounts of the creation of the world by God…The first is basically from P, the second from J2; both of them bear the marks of having been elaborated by writers other than their original authors.” TIB I p. 465

Creation [of] the world and forming [of] [ויצורת, VeYehTseeYRahTh] the ’ahDahM [“man”, Adam]

-1. In first created Gods [אלהים ’ehLoHeeYM] [את, ’ehTh (indicator of direct object; no English equivalent)] the skies and [את, ’ehTh] the land.

“Elohim, אלהים God is certainly the plural form of אל el.”  A.C. I p. 25 

-2. And the land was unformed [תהו, ThoHOo] and empty [ובהו, OoBoHOo],

and darkness [was] upon [the] face [of] abyss [תהום, TheHOM],

and spirit [of] Gods trembled [מרחפת, MeRahHayPhehTh] upon surface [of] the waters.

ThahHOoM, תהום – “the philological equivalent of Tiamat, the name borne by the personified chaos monster in the Babylonian creation myth.”  TIB I p. 467

…

-14. And said, Gods:

“Be [יהי, YeHeeY] lights [מארת, Me’oRoTh] in firmament [ברקיע, BeRahQeey`ah] the skies

to differentiate between the day and between the night.”

(And were to signal [לאתת, Le’ahThahTh] and to seasons, and to days and years,

-15. and they were to lights [למאורת, LeeMe’ORoTh] in firmament the skies to light [להאיר, LeHah’eeYR] the land.)

And they were so [כן, KhayN].

-16. And made, Gods, [את, ’ehTh] two the lights the great, [את, ’ehTh]

the light [המאור, HahMah’OR] the great to government [of] [לממשלת, LeMehMShehLehTh] the day,

and [את, ’ehTh] the light the little to government [of] the night, and [את, ’ehTh] the stars.

“There is scarcely any doubt now remaining in the philosophical world, that the moon is a habitable globe.  The most accurate observations that have been made with the most powerful telescopes, have confirmed the opinion.  The moon seems, in almost every respect to be a body similar to our earth, to have its surface diversified by hill and dale, mountains and valleys, river, lakes, and seas.  And there is the fullest evidence that our earth serves as a moon to the moon herself, differing only in this, that as the earth’s surface is thirteen times larger than the moon’s, so the moon receives from the earth a light thirteen times greater in splendor than that which she imparts to us: and by a very correct analogy, we are led to infer that all the planets and their satellites, or attendant moons, are inhabited: for matter seems only to exist for the sake of intelligent beings.”  A. C. I p. 34

-26. And said Gods,

“[We will] make ’ahDahM in our image, as our semblance [כדמותנו, KeeDeMOoThayNOo],

and [he] will descend in fish [of] the sea and in fowl [of] the skies, and in beast [ובבהמה, OoBahBeHayMaH], and in all the land, and in every the creeper the creeping upon the land.”

“Mesopotamian cosmogonies [by way of contrast] ordinarily portrayed humans as slaves” TNJBC [The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, 1990] p. 11

-27. And created, Gods, [את, ’ehTh] the ’ahDahM in his image,

in [the] image of Gods created him,

male and female created them.

“… the custom of rulers speaking in the plural originated with the Persians.” TIB I. p. 482

But note that pronouns referring to “Gods” are in the singular.

…

[An Amateur's Journey Through the Bible](http://bikingfencer.blogspot.com/2012/04/genesis.html)

Everlasting power and glory belongs only to God (Matt. 6:7,13). But Satan offers transient (short time) power and glory to those who worship him. He tried it on Jesus and failed. For humble Jesus never sought publicity nor fame, but gave all glory to His father. Throughout history, Satan has given transient power and glory to the ungodly. In our days, he targets this same group, including some religious leaders, entertainers, artists, scientists, writers, etc.

Through them, he teaches anti-God values like how to gain power and fame; defiance of authority and freedom to do whatever one likes, if even it is evil. His aim is to draw men away from God. But Paul, in great humility, did not value his intellectual asset, but counted it as dung for the sake of knowing (and serving) Christ (Phi. 3:7-8). David also adopted a child’s attitude of humility before the lord (Ps.131:1-3).

Children of God, work hard to add value to your God-given talent, but do so in humility. Seek not fame, nor wish to leave a name in a world which is destined for destruction by fire anyway (2 Pet. 3:10). Instead, submit to Jesus and walk with Him in holiness, and you will have glory and a name in the book of life in heaven. Amen.

In Luke 19:10 (NIV), "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.", what are all the possible meanings of "lost" that Jesus could be referring to? Here is one perspective on the meanings of "lost", go to link: https://youtu.be/vVPrY8yHkCU

MALACHI
 

Chapter One א
 

Love of The Name [ה', H’] to Yah-`ahQoB [“YHVH Follow”, Jacob]

[verses 1-5]

-1. Burden [משא, MahSah’], word [of] YHVH unto YeeSRah -’ayL [“Strove God”, Israel] in hand [of] MahL’ahKheeY [“My Messenger”, Malachi].
 

“The first part of this title is copied from Zech. [Zechariah] 9:1… The word משא [MahSah’], translated, lit., [literally] burden, and idiomatically, oracle, is derived from the Hebrew verb נשא [NahSah’], ‘to lift up.’ The expression goes back ultimately to the phrase ‘to lift up the voice’… The oracle can therefore be appropriately described as his burden (lit., ‘that which is lifted up’).” (Dentan, TIB 1956, pp. VI 1,121-1,122)

“This prophet is undoubtedly the last of the Jewish prophets. He lived after Zechariah and Haggai; for we find that the Temple, which was begun in their time, was standing complete in his. See chap. [chapter] iii, 10. Some have thought that he was contemporary with Nehemiah; indeed, several have supposed that Malachi is no other than Ezra under the feigned name of angel of the Lord or, my angel. … Both the Hebrew language and poetry had declined in his days.” (Adam Clarke, 1831, p. IV 523)

-2. “‘I loved you.’ said YHVH,

and [you] said, ‘In what [did] you love us?’
 

‘Was not a brother, 'aySahV [“Hirsute”, Esau], to Yah-`ahQoB?’

saith YHVH,

‘And [I] love [ואהב, Vah’oHayB] [את, ’ehTh (indicator of direct object; no English equivalent)] Yah-`ahQoB,

-3. and [את, ’ehTh] `aySahV I hated,

and [I] will set [את, ’ehTh] his mountains a waste [שממה, SheMahMaH],

and [את, ’ehTh] his inheritance to jackals’ [לתנות, LeThahNOTh] desert.’
 

“The dialectical style which is so distinctive of this book appears here. Malachi (we shall call him by that name for the sake of convenience), unlike the prophets of the eighth century who could speak in God’s name without apology, had to argue his points with an audience which was at least critical and in part hostile. He here asserts the truth of the view, at least as old as the prophet Hosea (e.g. [for example], 11:1) and strongly emphasized in Deuteronomy (e.g., 7:8), that God chose Israel because he loved her above all the other nations of the earth. The people of Malachi’s day were skeptical of this alleged love of God, because the glowing promises of Deuteronomy (7:12-15) and such prophets as Second Isaiah (54:1-17) and Haggai (2:6-9) had not been fulfilled, and the nation was reduced to a state of unprecedented poverty. The tiny postexilic community hardly extended beyond the outlying suburbs of Jerusalem, and the barren soil, which scarcely produced an adequate living at best, was periodically desiccated by long sieges of drought. These conditions, the people said with understandable skepticism, were hardly evidence of God’s love for Israel. The prophet’s reply was that, if things were bad in Israel, they were infinitely worse in Edom.” (Dentan, TIB 1956, pp. VI 1,122-1,123)

“I love Jacob but I hate Esau: … Here the context is one of God’s freely preferring one group over another and of his steadfast perseverance in his original choice.” (Cody, TNJBC 1990, p. 360)

“This verse by itself does not indicate that God’s ‘hatred’ of Esau, i.e. [in other words], the Edomites, was based upon anything more intelligible than arbitrary choice. It was this apparent element of irrationality which led Paul to use these words as a proof text for his doctrine of free election (Rom. [Romans] 9:14). However, we know from other passages in postexilic literature that that Jews had a real reason to hate the Edomites, if such hatred can ever be justified. Edom had not only failed to come to the help of their Jewish brothers during the siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonians IN 596 B.C., but may actually have participated in the sack of the city. There is no doubt at least that they rejoiced in its fall (Lam. [Lamentations] 4:21-22; Ps. [Psalm]137:7). As a result, the old antagonism between the two nations (Amos 1:11-12) rose to the bitterest possible heights in the postexilic period, and Edom became a living symbol of cruelty and faithlessness, ripe for destruction (Ezek. [Ezekiel] 25:12; Isa [Isaiah] 63:1-6; Obad. [Obadiah] 1-21). Therefore it seemed to Malachi as no doubt to many others of his day, that the expulsion of the Edomites from their old territory southeast of the Dead Sea by the Nabatean Arabs was an act of divine vengeance for their unbrotherly and inhuman conduct. It is not known exactly when the Nabatean invasion took place, but the Edomites were settled in southern Judah (Idumaea as it came to be called) by 312 B.C. (Diodora Siculus XIX. 94-100). Presumably, though, if our dating of Malachi is correct, this happened before 450 B.C. The prophecy seems to point to it as something which had occurred fairly recently.” (Dentan, TIB 1956, pp. VI 1,123-1,124)

-4. “‘For’, said [תאמר, Tho’MahR] ’ehDOM [“Ruddy”, Edom],

‘Impoverished are we [רששנו, RooShahShNOo],

and will return and rebuild [ונבנה, VeNeeBNeH] ruins [חרבות, HahRahBOTh].’
 

Thus said YHVH Armies,

‘They [המה, HayMaH] will build [יבנו, YeeBNOo] and I will destroy [אהרוס, ’ehHehROÇ].

And [they] called to them:

‘A border [of] wickedness’, and

‘The people that infuriated [זעם, Zah`ahM] YHVH until [the] world.’
 

“Malachi’s prophecy proved correct, and Edom never returned to her former lands. The Edomites (Idumaeans) remained settled in southern Palestine with their capital at Hebron (I Macc. [Maccabees] 5:3, 65), and were eventually incorporated by force into the renascent Jewish commonwealth in the time of John Hyrcanus (135-104 B.C.; Josephus Antiquities CIII 9). By a curious irony of history it was from these same Idumaeans that the family of the Herods came. The Lord of hosts recurs like a refrain twenty-four times in this little book. The hosts are in this late literature the heavenly bodies, and the phrase is monotheistic and universalistic in its connotations.” (Dentan, TIB 1956, pp. VI 1,124)

-5. “And your eyes will see [תראונה, TheeR’ehYNaH], and you will say,

‘Greatened YHVH from upon to border [of] YeeSRah -’ayL.’
 

………………………………………………………..

Rebuke of the Name [ה', H’] in priests

[verses 6 to end of chapter]

-6. “‘Son will honor father, and a slave his lords;

and if father I am, where [איה, ’ahYayH] is my honor,

and if lords I am, where is my awe [מוראי, MORah’eeY]?’

said YHVH Armies to you,

‘The priests are insulters of [בוזי, BOoZaY] my name.

And you say, “In what did we insult [בזינו, BahZeeNOo] Your Name?”
 

“The full force of the prophet’s indictment of the clergy… Their sins are so great because their calling is so high. They were appointed to give spiritual leadership (2:7). If they had done their task well and given the people the teaching which was needed, this time of spiritual discouragement need never have come… God’s name is a pious surrogate for God himself.” (Dentan, TIB 1956, pp. VI 1,125-1,126)

-7. “‘Submitting [מגישים, MahGeeYSheeΜ] upon my altar bread defiled [מגאל, MeGo’ahL].

And you say, “In what did we defile You [גאלנוך, Gay’ahLNOoKhah]?

‘In your saying, “Table [of] YHVH, spoiled [נבזה, NeeBZeH] is it.”
 

“Affected by the rationalism of the times, they may have felt that a sacrifice was only a symbol anyway, and that one kind of food was as good as another. The word table here means altar, and is reminiscent of a more primitive time when God was actually believed to partake of the sacred banquet which was spread for him.” (Dentan, TIB 1956, p. 1,126)

-8. “‘And when [כי, KeeY] you submit [תגשון, ThahGShOoN] [the] blind to altar, have no evil?

And when you submit lame and sick, have no evil?

Approach it [הקריבהו, HahQReeYBayHOo], if you please, to your governor [לפחתך, LePhehHahThehKhah];

will he want you or lift [הישא, HahYeeSah’] your face?’

said YHVH Armies.
 

“The priests have been offending God by offering him animals that are blind or lame, and thus unworthy and unacceptable (cf. [compare with] Lev [Leviticus] 1:3; 22:17-25; Deut [Deuteronomy] 15:21).” (Cody, TNJBC 1990, p. 360)

“The mention of the governor points unmistakably to the Persian period, when Judah was ruled by appointees of the great king. The word peḥāh is the same as that used in connection with the governorships of Zerubbabel (Hag. [Haggai] 1:1) and Nehemiah (Neh. 5:14).” (Cody, TNJBC 1990, pp. VI 1,127)

-9. “‘And now [ועתה, Ve`ahThaH], entreat [חלו, HahLOo], if you please, [the] face of ’ayL,

and [he] grace us [ויחננו, VeeYHahNayNOo].

From your hand was that;

will [he] bear [הישא, HahYeeSah’] from you face?’

said YHVH Armies.
 

After giving up on the pronouns changing from the first to the third person, it occurred to me that the use of El for God was unusual; could it be that YHVH was continuing his taunting of the priests, sending them first to the governor, then, perhaps, to the Canaanite god?

-10. “‘Who, also in you, and will close doors and not light [תאירו, Thah’eeYROo] my altar freely [חנם, HeeNahM]?

have not to me desire [חפץ, HayPhehTs] in you,’ said YHVH Armies,

‘and tribute [ומנחה, OoMeeNHaH] [I] will not want from your hand.
 

“The first half of this verse is very difficult in the Hebrew…” (Dentan, TIB 1956, pp. VI 1,128)

-11. ‘“‘For from east, sun, and until its coming,

great [is] my name in nations;

and in every place incense [מקטר, MooQTahR] [is] submitted [מגש, MooGahSh] to my name, and tribute pure, for great [is] my name in nations.’ said YHVH armies.
 

“The picture exactly describes the elaborate and universal worship of the heathen, whose sincerity and meticulousness in carrying on the cult of their gods is contrasted with the Jews’ slovenly indifference to the worship of the only God. The monotheism which had characterized Jewish thought at least since the days of Second Isaiah finds expression, surprisingly but not illogically, in the assertion that all honest worship, to whatever divinity it may ostensibly be offered, is really worship of the one true God… The atmosphere of the Persian Empire, with its high religion and tolerant policies, was conducive to the growth of a more magnanimous attitude toward paganism, and while the ‘liberalism’ of Malachi must not be exaggerated… he should not be denied the credit of having given the most generous estimate of foreign religion to be found in the O.T. [Old Testament, the Hebrew Bible]” (Dentan, TIB 1956, pp. VI 1,128-1,129)

-12. “‘And you profane [מחללים, MeHahLeLeeYM] it in your saying,

“[The] table [of] my Lords defiled is, it and its fruit [ונבו, VeNeeBO];

insulting [נבזה, NeeBZeH] [is] its food.”
 

-13. And [you] said,

“Behold, hardship [מתלאה, MahThLah’aH].”

And [you] snuffed [והפחתם, VeHeePahHThehM] it said YHVH Armies.

‘And you brought [והבאתם, VeHahBayThehM] plunder [גזול, GahZOoL] and [את, ’ehTh] the lame [הפסח, HahPeeÇay-ahH] and [את, ’ehTh] the sick, and you brought [את, ’ehTh] the tribute;

should I want it from your hand?’

said YHVH. ס
 

מתלאה MaThLa’aH can mean either “weariness” or “hardship”; I think the priest are pleading hardship, the poverty of the people and of themselves.

“Ye have snuffed at it] A metaphor taken from cattle which do not like their fodder. The blow strongly through their nose upon it; and after this neither they nor any other cattle will eat it.” (Adam Clarke, 1831, p. IV 524)

“The boredom of the merely professional priest, when required to carry out the routine of his office, is beautifully caricatured in this verse. The reading of the RSV [Revised Standard Version], you sniff at me, is based upon a Jewish tradition that the original reading was changed to at it in order to avoid the appearance of irreverence.” (Dentan, TIB 1956, pp. VI 1,129)

-14. “And cursed [וארור, Ve’ahROoR] [is] [the] cheater [נוכל, NOKhayL] and has in his flock a male, and a vow,

and he sacrifices [וזבח, VeZoBay-ahH] blemished [משחת, MahShHahTh] to my Lords,

for,

‘King great I [am],’

says YHVH Armies,

‘and my name [is] awesome in nations.’”
 

“The curse here is explicitly directed toward the layman. In some time of distress, perhaps of illness, a man prays to God for deliverance and vows a male from his flock. But when all is well with him again and the time comes to fulfill the vow, his native parsimony comes to the fore and he decides to offer some imperfect animal which will cause him little actual loss.” (Dentan, TIB 1956, pp. VI 1,130)

“The history of Ananias and Sapphira, Acts v, 1, &c, is a complete comment on this.” (Adam Clarke, 1831, p. IV 524)

“That Yahweh’s name is held in fear among the nations is itself an exaggeration… but it is based on the fact of his universal kingship, transcending the limits of Israel… In the background may lie the Persian idea that all peoples of the empire worshiped the same God of heaven, an idea from which Judeans in the Persian period reaped some practical benefits.” (Cody, TNJBC 1990, pp. 360-361)

 
An Amateur's Journey Through the Bible

ZECHARIAH
 

Chapter Eleven
 

-1. “Open, Lebanon, your doors,

and will consume, fire, in your cedars [בארזיך, Be’ahRZehYKhah].

-2. Wail [הילל, HaYLayL] in fir [ברוש, BeROSh], for fell cedar that [the] mighty [אדרים, ’ahDeeReeYM] robbed [שדדו, ShooDahDOo].

Wail, oaks of [אלוני, ’ahLONaY] BahShahN [Bashan]^16, for descended, forest the vintage [הבציר, HahBahTseeYR].

-3. Voice wailing of [יללת, YeeLeLahTh] the shepherds, for [is] robbed their might.

Voice roar of Lion-cubs, for robbed [is] pride [of] the YahRDayN [“Descender”, the Jordan river].
 

^16 Bashan is the ancient, biblical name used for the northernmost region of the Transjordan during the Iron Age. It is situated in modern-day Syria. Its western part, nowadays known as the Golan Heights, was captured by Israel during the 1967 Six Day War and annexed in 1981. - Wikipedia

Trees are casualties of war for making of weapons and depriving the enemy of sustenance, cover, and concealment.

Figure 8 - Spraying Agent Orange in Viet Nam –

http://asitoughttobe.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/spraying-agent-orange.jpg
 

“I will give Mr. Joseph Mede’s Note upon this verse:

‘That which moveth me more than the rest, is in chap. [chapter] xi, which contains a prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem, and a description of the wickedness of the inhabitants; for which God would give them to the sword, and have no more pity upon them. It is expounded of the destruction by Titus: but methinks such a prophecy was nothing seasonable for Zachary’s time, (when the city yet for a great part lay in her ruins, and the Temple had not yet recovered her’s) nor agreeable to the scope of Zachary’s commission; who, together with his colleague Haggai, was sent to encourage the people, lately returned from captivity, to build their Temple, and instaurate^17 their commonwealth. Was this a fit time to foretell the destruction of both, while they were yet but a-building?’” (Adam Clarke, 1831, p. IV 514)

^17 Instaurate - To renew or renovate

“D. R. Jones (… 1962…) sees the oracles of Zech [Zechariah] 9-11 coming from ‘prophetic activity and pastoral oversight in or near Damascus among Israelites of the northern dispersion of the fifth century’ (p. 258). The hypothesis has few adherents.” (Cody, TNJBC 1990, p. 357)

………………………………………………………..

The pastors, lackers of the value [הערך, Hah`ehRehKh]

[verses 4 to end of chapter]

-4. “Thus said YHVH my Gods,

‘Pastor [את, ’ehTh (indicator of direct object; no English equivalent)] sheep the to be killed [ההרגה, HahHahRayGaH],
 

“There is no more enigmatic section in the Bible than the one which follows, and none which has given rise to a greater variety of interpretations. The complexity of the problem is indicated by the fact that Josef Kremer (… 1930…) lists not less than thirty proposed identifications of the three shepherds in vs. [verse] 8, and declares that even this enumeration is by no means exhaustive. Similar difficulties cling to almost every detail of the narrative. However, the majority of commentators today are agreed that the passage is not messianic (though it is taken as such in the N.T. [New Testament]), nor eschatological, but is a description in allegorical form of a historical situation… The whole is an allegory of God’s attempt to rule an oppressed but still refractory people.” (Dentan, TIB 1956, pp. VI 1,102-1,103)

-5. ‘“that buy them kill them, and not guilted [יאשמו, Yeh`eShahMOo],

and sellers [of] them say,

“Bless YHVH”, and “I will be fortunate”,

and their shepherds will not pity [יחמול, YahHeMOL] upon them.

-6. For I will not pity [any]more upon settlers of the land.’ saith YHVH.

‘And behold, I deliver [ממציא, MahMTseeY’] [את, ’ehTh] the ’ahDahM ["man", Adam], [each] man in[to] [the] hand [of] his neighbor, and in[to] [the] hand [of] his king,

and pound [וכתתו, VeKheeTheThOo] the land, and [I] will not rescue from their hand.
 

-7. And [I] will pastor [ארעה, ’ehRe`aH] [את, ’ehTh] sheep the to be killed,

(to yes, wretched [עניי, `ahNeeYaY] [are] the sheep)

and will take to me two staves [מקלות, MahQLOTh]:

to one I called “No`ahM^18”, and to one I called “HoBLeeYM^19]", and I will pastor [את, ’ehTh] the sheep.
 

^18 נעם No`ahM “pleasantness, delight”

^19 Plural of חבל HehBehL “cord, rope; region, territory, border, district…” a cognate of our word “hobble”

“The allegorical use of two sticks is borrowed from Ezek. [Ezekiel] 37:16. The image is a very old one, since in ancient Canaanite literature Baal is also represented as furnished with two sticks which have proper names…” (Dentan, TIB 1956, pp. VI 1,104)

If the names are opposites, then the first may represent the pleasure of free ranging and the second hobbling. Or, as in the King Tut image below, a whip and a crook.

Figure 9 - King Tut holding whip and crook

http://nypost.com/2010/04/05/the-tut-mummy-returns/

-8. ‘“And I will cut off [ואכחד, Ve’ahKhHeeD] [את, ’ehTh] three the shepherds in moon [בירח, BeYeRahH] one, and will shorten [ותקצר, VahTheeQTsahR] my soul in them,

and also their soul loathe [בחלה, BahHahLaH] in me.’
 

“The persons referred to by the editor were well known to his contemporaries (of Maccabean times?) but can no longer be identified with certainty.” (Dentan, TIB 1956, pp. VI 1,104)

“Much ink has been expended in attempts to identify the three with historical persons and thus to date the oracle. Since the text provides no clue to their identity, the results are vastly divergent, and since this clause interrupts the flow of the text, it may be a later insertion anyway.” (Cody, TNJBC 1990, p. 358)

-9. “And [He] said,

‘I will not pastor you,

the dead [המתה, HahMayThaH] will die [תמות, ThahMOoTh],

and the cut-off [והנכחדת, VeHahNeeKhHehDehTh] will be cut off [תכחד, TheeKahHayD],

and the remainder will consume, woman [את, ’ehTh] flesh [of] her neighbor.
 

-10. And I will take [את, ’ehTh] my staff, [את, ’ehTh] NoahM, and chop up [ואגדע, *Vah’ehGDay*] it to nullify [להפיר, LeHahPheeYR] my covenant that I cut [כרתי, KahRahTheeY] [את, ’ehTh] all the peoples.’
 

The first and only example of which I know where God nullifies His covenant, but some exegetes make a distinction between “all the peoples” and “my people”.

“The breaking of the staff ‘Favor’ is interpreted as a symbol of the breaking of a covenant ‘with all the peoples.’ We know of no such covenant, but Ezek [Ezekiel] 34:25 and esp. [especially] Ezek 37:26-28 may lie behind this.” (Cody, TNJBC 1990, p. 358)

-11. “And it was nullified [ותפר, VahThooPhahR] in day the that,

and they knew, yes, wretched the sheep the guarding me, that [כי, KeeY] word YHVH it was.
 

-12. And [I] said unto them,

‘If [it is] good in your eyes,

owe [הבו, HahBOo] my wage, and if not, forbear [חדלו, HahDLOo].’

And they weighed [וישקלו, VahYeeShQeLOo] [את, ’ehTh] my wage, thirty [pieces of] silver.
 

“The underlying irony of the situation is shown by the fact that the wage, though not inconsiderable, equals the value of a Hebrew slave [gored by an ox - (Cody, TNJBC 1990, p. 358)] (Exod. [Exodus] 21:32).” (Dentan, TIB 1956, pp. VI 1,104)

-13. “And said, YHVH, unto me,

‘Will they send forth [השליכהו, HahShLeeYKhayHOo] unto the potter [the] mantle the prized [היקר, HahYQahR], that I prized, from upon them?’
 

And I will take thirty [pieces of] the silver,

and send forth it [to] House YHVH, unto the potter.
 

“The translation potter is based upon an ancient corruption of the text (יוצר [YOTsahR] for אוצר [‘OTsahR “treasury”]).” (Dentan, TIB 1956, pp. VI 1,105)

“Jehovah calls the price of His prophet His own price; and commands that it should not be accepted, but given to a potter to foreshadow the transaction related Matt. [Matthew] xxvii, 7…

We may look at it in another light… give the money to Judas which you have agreed to give him: for he can neither betray me, nor you crucify me, but by my own permission. But if not, forbear:-take time to consider this bloody business, and in time forbear. For though I permit you to do it, yet remember that the permission does not necessitate you to do it; and the salvation of the world may be effected without this treachery and murder.” (Adam Clarke, 1831, p. IV 515)

This is the first time I recall seeing a commentator speculate on the “what if” of Jesus not crucified, that salvation did not require his blood to atone for sin, contra [against] Paul et al [and others].

-14. ‘“And I will chop up [את, ’ehTh] my staff, the second, [את, ehTh] the HoBLeeYM,

to nullify [את, ’ehTh] the brotherhood [האחוה, Hah’ahHahVaH] between YeHOo-DaH ["YHVH Knew", Judah] and between YeeSRah-’ayL ["Strove God", Israel].’ ס
 

“The symbolism of a complete break between Judah and Israel is just the opposite of that in Ezek 37:15-19 of the two sticks joined.” (Cody, TNJBC 1990, p. 358)

-15. “And said, YHVH, unto me,

‘[Once] more take to yourself tools of a shepherd foolish [אולי, ’ehVLeeY].

-16. For behold, I raise up [מקים, MayQeeYM] a shepherd in [the] land, the cut-off;

[he] will not visit [יפקד, YeePhQoD], the youth [he] will not seek, and the broken [he] will not heal;

the station [הנצבה, HahNeeTsahBaH] [he] will not maintain [יכלכל, YeeKhahLKayL],

and flesh [of] the healthy [he] will consume, and their hooves [ופרסהן, OoPhahRÇayHehN] [he] will [יפרק, YePahRayQ].
 

-17. Woe, shepherd the false [האליל, Hah’eLeeYL], leaver of [עזבי, `oZBeeY] the sheep,

sword upon his arm and upon eye his right;

his arm withering [יבוש, YahBOSh] will wither [תיבש, TheeYBahSh],

and his right eye dimming [כהה, KahHoH] will dim [תכהה, TheeKhahHeH].’”
 

“There are several things in this Chapter that are very obscure, and we can hardly say what opinion is right. Nor is it at all clear whether they refer to a very early or late period of the Jewish history.” (Adam Clarke, 1831, p. IV 515)

An Amateur's Journey Through the Bible

ZECHARIAH
 

Chapter Nine
 

Judgement upon the countries [האומות, Hah’OoMOTh] the neighboring [השכנות, HahShKheNOTh]

[verses 1-8]

“Great movements among the nations have always provided the chief occasions for prophecy. The great age of the Hebrew prophets began during the triumphant westward advance of the Assyrian armies in the mid-eighth century B.C. The second flowering of prophecy was closely connected with the spread of Babylonian supremacy and reached its climax in the writings of Second Isaiah, when the Babylonian Empire was being overthrown by the Persian. The present oracle was probably inspired by the fall of Persia before the advancing armies of Alexander the Great. Alexander had administered a decisive defeat to Darius, the Persian emperor, at the Battle of the Issus in southeastern Asia Minor in October, 333 B.C. Instead of immediately pursuing Darius toward the east, the conqueror moved south through Syria, with the aim of first seizing Egypt from the Persians. Within the year all Syria was in his hands and shortly afterward Egypt fell without a struggle. These are among the most important events in world history, and the little Jewish community in Jerusalem, located in the hills a few miles east of Alexander’s line of march, saw in them the working of the mighty hand of God.” (Dentan, TIB 1956, pp. VI 1,092-1,093)

“GOD THE WARRIOR TAKES SIDES (9:1-8). In this section Judah is set on one side, Judah’s neighbors on the other. God, whose power extends to all nations, takes Judah’s side, and as a ruler who goes to war for his people he vanquishes Judah’s neighbors.” (Cody, TNJBC 1990, p. 357)

-1. Burden [משא, MahSah’] word YHVH in land HahDRahKh [Hadrach] and DahMehSehQ [Damascus], its resting [מנחתו, MahNooHahThO],

for to YHVH, eye [of] ’ahDahM [“man”, Adam], and all tribes of YeeSRah-’ayL [“Strove God”, Israel].
 

“The first words, The burden of the word of the LORD, are the superscription for the whole collection of prophecies in chs. [chapters] 9-11. Original in this place, the same words were later copied in 12:1 and Mal. [Malachi] 1:1 to distinguish these as separate collections. The expression is found nowhere else in the Bible … Hadrach is mentioned in Assyrian documents as a city of Syria, north of Damascus and Hamath.” (Dentan, TIB 1956, pp. VI 1,093)

“Alexander the Great gained possession of Damascus, and took all its treasures: but it was without blood; the city was betrayed to him.” (Adam Clarke, 1831, p. IV 509)

-2. And also HahMahTh bordered [תגבל, TheeGBahL] in her, TsoR [Tyre] and TseeYDON [Sidon], for [she was] wise very.
 

“The siege of Tyre, Alexander’s most brilliant military exploit, lasted seven months, ending successfully in July, 332 B.C. Ezek. [Ezekiel] 28:1-34 (which some believe to be another prophecy inspired by Alexander’s siege) also makes a great point of the alleged ‘wisdom’ of Tyre.” (Dentan, TIB 1956, pp. VI 1,093)

-3. “And built [ותבן, VahTheeBehN], TsoR, a MahTsOR [fortress] to her,

and TheeTsBahR [heaped] silver as dust,

and fine gold [והרוץ, VeHahROoTs] as mud [כטיט, KeTeeT] [of] court-yards.
 

-4. Behold, my Lords will dispossess her [יורשנה, YOReeShehNaH],

and smite in[to the] sea her rampart [חילה, HaYLaH],

and she in fire will be consumed [תאכל, Thay’ahKhayL].
 

-5. ‘See, Ashkelon, and see, and Gaza,

and writhe [ותחיל, VeThahHeeYL] much,

and Ekron, for embarrassed [הביש, HoBeeYSh] her expectation [מבטה, MehBahTaH],

and perished [ואבד, Ve`ahBahD] king from Gaza,

and Ashkelon do not settle.

-6. And will settle, a bastard, in Ashdod,

and I will cut off pride [of] Philistines [פלשתים, PeLeeShTheeYM].
 

“A bastard shall dwell in Ashdod] This character would suit Alexander very well, who most certainly was a bastard; for his mother, Olympia, said that Jupiter Ammon entered her apartment in the shape of a dragon and begat Alexander! Could her husband Phillip believe this?” (Adam Clarke, 1831, p. IV 510)

Figure 7 Giulio Romano seduce Olimpiade

Palazzo del Te a Mantova

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jupiter-and-olympia-1178.jpg

-7. ‘‘‘And I will remove [והסרתי, VahHahÇeeRoTheeY] his blood from his mouth,

and their abominations [ושקציו, VeSheeQooTsahYV] from between their teeth.’

And will remain also he to our Gods,

and he be as chief [כאלף, Ke’ahLooPh] in YeHOo-DaH ["YHVH Knew", Judah], and Ekron as a Jebusite.
 

“The prophet does not look forward to the extermination of the Philistines, but to their conversion. The result of God’s victory, achieved by the hand of Alexander, will be that the Philistines will henceforth observe the dietary laws, which forbade the eating of blood (Gen. [Genesis] 9:4) and of certain kinds of animals (Deut. [Deuteronomy] 14:3-20; Lev. [Leviticus] 11:2-23), and will become a remnant for God like the faithful remnant of Israel of which the book of Isaiah speaks (10:20-22). Just as the Jebusites, the original Canaanite inhabitants of Jerusalem (II Sam. [Samuel] 5:6), were assimilated into the Hebrew population (II Sam. 24:18), so the Philistines will become a part of the people of God under conditions of full equality.” (Dentan, TIB 1956, pp. VI 1,094-1,095)

“Many of the Philistines became proselytes to Judaism; and particularly the cities of Gaza and Ashdod. See Joseph. [Josephus] Antiq. [Antiquities] lib. xiii, c. 15, s. 4.” (Adam Clarke, 1831, p. IV 510)

-8. ‘“And I encamped to my house from army, from trespasser [מעבר, May`oBayR], and from settler,

and will not pass upon them [any-]more a tormenter [נגש, NoGaySh],

for now [עתה, `ahThaH] I saw in my eyes.
 

“I will encamp about mine house] This may apply to the conquests in Palestine by Alexander, who, coming with great wrath against Jerusalem, was met by Jaddua the high priest and his fellows in their sacred robes, who made intercession for the city and the temple; and, in consequence, Alexander spared both, which he had previously purposed to destroy. He shewed the Jews also much favour; and remitted the tax every seventh year*, because the Law on that year forbad them to cultivate *their ground. See this extraordinary account in Joseph. [Josephus] Antiq. [Antiquities] lib. xi, c 8, s. 5.” (Adam Clarke, 1831, p. IV 510)

………………………………………………………..

Queen the future of TseeYON [Zion]

[verses 9 – 10]

-9. ‘“Rejoice [גילי, GeeYLeeY] much, daughter [of] TseeY-ON,

cheer [הריעי, HahReeY`eeY], daughter [of] Jerusalem,

behold, your king will come to you,

just and saved.

He [is] humble and riding upon a donkey,

and upon an ass [עיר, `ahYeeR], son [of] she-asses [אתנות, ’ahThoNOTh].
 

“The participle nôšā` is passive: the future king is not one who saves (although the LXX^12, VL^13, and Vg^14 make him that) but one who has been saved, delivered, by God (cf. Ps 33[32]).” (Cody, TNJBC 1990, p. 357)

“The climax of the oracle pictures the coming of the messianic king. The prophet sees the army of Alexander as only a tool in the hand of God. Riding invisibly with it is the God of Israel and the long-expected Prince of Peace, who is about to enter Jerusalem and re-establish both the geographical borders and the spiritual glories of the ancient kingdom of David. The victory is his even though he is no warrior and comes riding not on a war horse, but upon a beast which symbolizes a nation at peace. The portrait of the messianic ruler is no doubt modeled in part on the mysterious figure pictured in Gen. 49:10-11.” (Dentan, TIB 1956, pp. VI 1,096)

Genesis 49: “10. ‘The scepter will not be removed from Judah,

nor legislature from between his legs,

until he comes to Shiloh and the people are mustered.

-11. An ass-colt bound to a vineyard,

and a she-ass’ colt to a vine.

He washed his clothing in wine,

and his suit in blood of grapes.’”

“The Jews have a quibble on the word שבט shebet, which we translate sceptre; they say it signifies a staff or rod, and that the meaning of it is, that ‘afflictions shall not depart from the Jews till the Messiah comes;’ that they are still under afflictions, and therefore the Messiah is not come. This is a miserable shift to save a lost cause…

Nor a teacher from his offspring.—I am sufficiently aware that the literal meaning of the original מבין רגליו mi beyn ragelaiv, is from between his feet; and I am as fully satisfied that it should never be so translated; - from between the feet, and out of the thigh, simply mean progeny, natural offspring; for reasons which surely need not be mentioned. The Targum of Jonathan ben Uzziel, and the Jerusalem Targum, apply the whole of this prophecy in a variety of very minute particulars, to the Messiah; and give no kind of countenance to the fictions of the modern Jews.” (Adam Clarke, 1831, p. I 259)

“See this prophecy explained in Matt. [Matthew] xxi, 5.” (Adam Clarke, 1831, p. IV 510)

-10. ‘“And I will cut off chariot from ’ehPhRahYeeM [“Fruitful”, Ephraim] and horse from Jerusalem,

and will be cut off [ונכרתה, VeNeeKhReThaH] bow [of] war;

and word ‘peace’ to nations.

And his rule [will be] from sea to sea and from river until ends of [אספי, ’ahPhÇaY] land.
 

“… in v [verse] 10 God, speaking in the first person, says that he himself, the divine warrior, will vanquish the chariot and war horse, but that peace to the nations will be spoken by the earthly king.” (Cody, TNJBC 1990, p. 357)

………………………………………………………..

Return of [שיבת, SheeYBahTh] TseeYON and her Restoration [ושיקומה, VeSeeYQOoMaH]

[verses 11-17]

-11. ‘“Also you, in [the] blood of your covenant,

I sent forth your prisoners [אסיריך, ’ahÇeeYRahYKh] from a hole; [there was] no water in it.

-12. Return to a stronghold [לבצרון, LeeBTsahRON], prisoners of the hope;

also today tell [מגיד, MahGeeYD] a second [time], [that] I will return to you.
 

-13. For I drew to me YeHOo-DaH,

a bow I filled, ’ehPhRahYeeM,

and roused your sons TseeYON,

upon your sons, YahVahN,

and set you as a sword [of] a brave.
 

The object pronouns are feminine.

“against your sons, O Javan: Yāwān, originally Ionia [emphasis mine], stands for Gk [Greek] lands generally.” (Cody, TNJBC 1990, p. 357)

“Judah is the bow, and Ephraim is the arrows: and these are to be shot against the Greeks. I am inclined, with Bishop Newcome, to consider that the language of this prophecy is too strong to point out only the trifling advantage which the Maccabees gained over Antiochus, who was of Macedonian descent…” (Adam Clarke, 1831, p. IV 511)

“The rest of the chapter seems to be an appendix added to the preceding oracle when its prophecies were not fulfilled and the Greeks had become the world power from whom deliverance was to be expected. Its warlike spirit contrasts sharply with the peaceful temper of the preceding section, and suggests at least the possibility that it may stem from a different hand.” (Dentan, TIB 1956, pp. VI 1,097)

-14. “And YHVH upon them saw,

and went forth as lightening his spear [חצו, HeeTsO],

and my Lords YHVH in[to] ram’s horn blew,

and went in storms southern [תימן, ThaYMahN].
 

-15. YHVH Armies defended [יגן, YahGayN] upon them,

and consumed them,

and defeated [וכבשו, VeKhahBShOo] stones of slinging [קלע, QehLah`],

and they drank them like wine,

and filled as a basin [כמזרק, KahMeeZRahQ], as corners [כזויות, KeZahVYOTh] [of an] altar.
 

“This verse and the two following are very corrupt… The ferocity of vs. [verse] 15b is almost unparalleled and is perhaps due to a corruption of sense which is even deeper than the versions would indicate.” (Dentan, TIB 1956, pp. VI 1,097-1,098)

-16. “And will save them [וישיעם, VeHOSheeY`ahM], YHVH their Gods, in day the that, as a flock, his people,

as [כי, KeeY] stones of a crown [נזר, NayZahR] lifted upon his ground.

-17. For what [is] His goodness, and what [is] His beauty?

Grain, young men [בחורים, BahHOoReeYM] and new wine [ותירוש, VeTheeYROSh], budding [ינובב, YeNOBayB] virgins.”
 

A jarring bacchanal.

“The belief in the coming kingdom, constantly disappointed in particular secular situations, remains an indestructible element in biblical faith.” (Dentan, TIB 1956, pp. VI 1,098)

FOOTNOTES
 

^12 LXX - The Septuagint, the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible
 

^13 VL - Vetus Latina, ("Old Latin"), is the collective name given to the Biblical texts in Latin that existed before the Vulgate, the late fourth-century Latin translation of the Bible that later became the Catholic Church's standard Latin Bible. - wikipedia
 

^14 Vg. - Vulgate, the authorized Latin version of the Bible

An Amateur's Journey Through the Bible

ZECHARIAH
 
Chapter Five ה
 

Vision the scroll [המגילה, HahMeGeeLaH] the flying [העפה, Hah`ahPhaH]

[verses 1-4]

Figure 3

-1. “And I returned [ואשוב, Vah’ahShOoB] and lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, a scroll flying.

-2. And he said unto me, ‘What do you see?’

And I said, ‘I see a scroll flying;

her length, twenty in cubit [באמה, Bah’ahMaH], and her width, ten in cubit^6.”
 

-3. And he said unto me,

‘That [is] the curse [האלה, Hah’ahLaH], the goer forth upon [the] surface of all the land;

for every the thiever from this, like her [will be] cleansed [נקה, NeeQaH],

and every the swearer from this, like her will be cleansed.
 

-4. “I will take her out”, saith YHVH Armies,

“and comes she unto house [of] the thiever

and unto house [of] the swearer in my name to falsehood,

and lodges [ולנה, VeLahNeH] inside his house,

and consumes it [וכלתו, VeKheeLahThO] and [את, ’ehTh (indicator of direct object; no English equivalent)] its wood and [את, ’ehTh] its stones.”’”

Figure 4 Weigel, Christoph, 1654-1725

………………………………………………………..

Vision [of] the woman, the sitting inside the ’aYPhaH [“bushel basket”]

[verses 5 to end of chapter]

-5. “And went out, the angel, the worder in me, and said unto me,

‘Lift [שא, Sah’], if you please, your eyes and see what is the goer out the that.’

-6. And [I] said, ‘What is she?’

And [he] said, ‘That [זאת, Z’oTh] [is] the ‘aYPhaH, the goer out.’

And said, ‘That [is] their eyes in all the land.’
 

“The word ‘êphāh is used both of a grain measure (cf. [compare with] Deut. [Deuteronomy] 25:14…) and of a vessel of the capacity to hold such a measure. Here it is used in the latter sense.” (Thomas, TIB 1956, pp. VI 1,076)

It is also a rhyming pun: `ahPhaH [“flying”, cf. verse. 1] / ’aYPhaH.

-7. “And behold a disk [ככר, KeeKahR] [of] lead [עפרת, `oPhehRehTh] was lifted [נשאת, NeeSay’Th],

and that woman, one sitting inside the ’aYPhaH.
 

-8. And [he] said,

‘She [is] the wickedness.’

And [he] sent her forth unto inside [אל-תוך, ’ehL- ThOKh] the ’aYPhaH,

and he sent forth [את, ’ehTh] stone [of] lead unto her mouth. ס
 

-9. And I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, two women going out, and wind in their wings,

and to them [were] wings as wings of the stork [החסידה, HahHahÇeeYDaH].

And they bore [את, ’ehTh] the ’aYPhaH between the land and between the skies.
 

-10. And [I] said unto the angel the worder in me,

‘Whither [אנה, ’ahNaH] [are] they conducting [מולכות, MOLeeKhOTh] the ’aYPhaH?’

-11. And [he] said unto me,

‘To build to her a house in [the] land [of] SheeN`ahR [Shinar],

and prepare and park her [והניחה, VeHooNeeYHaH] there upon her pedestal [מכנתה, MeKhooNahThaH].”’
 

“The use of Shinar for Babylon is perhaps an intentional archaism (cf. Gen. [Genesis] 11:2).” (Thomas, TIB 1956, p. VI 1,077)

FOOTNOTES

^6 “approximately thirty by fifteen feet” (Thomas, 1956, pp. VI 1,075)
 

An Amateur's Journey Through the Bible

HAGGAI
https://esv.literalword.com/?q=Haggai+2

 
Chapter Two ב
 

The Splendor of [הפארת, HahPeh’ehRahTh] the second Temple

[verses 1-9]

-1. In [the] seventh [month], in twenty and one to [the] new[- moon],

was a word [of] YHVH in [the] hand [of] HahGah-eeY [Haggai] the prophet to say:
 

-2. “‘Say [אמר, ’ehMahR], if you please, unto Zerubbabel, son [of] Shah’ahLTheeY-’ayL ["I Asked God", Shealtiel], governor of [פחת, PahHahTh] YeHOo-DaH ["YHVH Knew", Judah],

and unto YeHO-Shoo`ah ["YHVH Savior", Joshua], son [of] YeHO-TsahDahQ ["YHVH Righteous", Josedech], the priest the great,
and unto [the] remnant of [שארית, She’ayReeYTh] the people, to say:
 

-3. “Who in you, the remaining [הנשאר, HahNeeSh`ahR], that saw [את, ’ehTh (indicator of direct object; no English equivalent)] the House the this in its honor the first?

And what [do] you see it now [עתה, `ahThaH]?

Is it not like it, as having not in your eyes?”
 

-4. And now, strengthen [חזק, HahZahQ], Zerubbabel,’ saith YHVH,

‘and strengthen, YeHO-Shoo`ah, son [of] YeHO-TsahDahQ, the priest the great,

and strengthen, all people [of] the land,’ saith YHVH,

‘and do, for I am with you’, saith YHVH Armies, 5. ‘[את, ’ehTh] ‘the word [הדבר, HahDahBahR] that I cut [כרתי, KahRahTheeY] with you [אתכם, ’eeThKhehM] in your going out from Egypt,

and my spirit stands within you;

do not fear [תיראו, TheeYRahOo]. ס
 

“What is the most splendid cathedral, if God be not in it, influencing all by His presence and Spirit! But he will not be in it unless there be a messenger of the Lord there, - and, unless he deliver the Lord’s message.” (Adam Clarke, 1831, p. IV 489)

-6. ‘“For’, thus said YHVH Armies,

‘more one little [is] she,

and I shake [מרעיש, MahR'eeYSh] [את, ’ehTh] the skies and [את, ’ehTh] the land and the sea and [את, ’ehTh] the wilderness [החרבה, HahHahRahBaH].
-7. And I will shake [והרעישתי, VeHeeR`eeYShTheeY] [את, ’eTh]
 

“Haggai here proclaims, in terms reminiscent of those used by the earlier prophets (cf. [compare with] Hos. [Hosea] 10:8; Isa. [Isaiah] 13:13; Mic. [Micah] 1:4), the world cataclysm which is to be the prelude to the coming of the messianic age. For the association of this world cataclysm in the prophet’s mind with the revolts that accompanied Darius’ accession to the throne of Persia, see Intro. [introduction], p. [page] 1039.” (Thomas, TIB 1956, pp. VI 1,045)

“‘and came, desirable of [חמדת, HehMDahTh] all the nations,

and I filled [את, ’ehTh] the house the this [with] honor.’

said YHVH Armies.

-8. ‘To me the silver and to me the gold.’

saith YHVH Armies.
 

“The messianic interpretation of these words (cf. Vulg. [Vulgate, the authorized Latin translation of the Bible] Veniet desideratus cunctis gentibus [“come desire of all nations”]) has long been abandoned. Vs. [verse] 8, with its reference to silver and gold, clearly shows what is meant by treasures in this verse (for the thought cf. Isa. 60:5…).” (Thomas, TIB 1956, pp. VI 1,045)

-9. ‘“Greater will be [the] honor [of] the house the this, the last, than [מן, MeeN] the first.”

said YHVH Armies,

‘and in place the this I will give peace.’

saith YHVH Armies.’” פ
 

………………………………………………………..

Rebuke [גערה, Gah`ahRaH] *in Unbelief of the People

[verses 10-19]

-10. In twenty and fourth [day] to ninth [month], in year two to DahR-YahVehSh [Darius],

was word YHVH unto HahGah-eeY the prophet, to say:

-11. “So said YHVH Armies:

‘Ask [of], if you please, [את,’eTh] the priests Instruction, to say:
 

“The Hebrew word tôrāh signifies an authoritative decision given by word of mouth (cf. Mal. [Malachi] 2:7; and Zech. [Zechariah] 7:2-3, where a deputation from Bethel comes to Jerusalem seeking an official decision from the priests and prophets there on a point of religious observance). The oral teaching of the priests was eventually incorporated in the Torah (the Pentateuch). Nothing can be proved from Haggai’s words as to the existence in his day of a written code of laws. No exact parallel to the torah here given is to be found in the Pentateuch. Lev. [Leviticus] 6:27-28 provides the closest parallel to it.” (Thomas, TIB 1956, pp. VI 1,047)

-12. “Lo [הן, HayN], carried [ישא, YeeSah’], a man, meat sanctified, in [the] wing [בכנף, BeeKheNahPh, “sleeve”] [of] his garment,
 

“Holy flesh: Flesh of a sacred animal slain for an offering.” (Thomas, TIB 1956, pp. VI 1,047)

“The questioning and answering here seems to take it for granted that sacrifice is already being offered on some altar in the ruins of the previous Temple” (Cody, TNJBC 1990, p. 351)

and touched [ונגע, VeNahGah`] in his wing unto the bread and unto the pottage [הנזיד, HahNahZeeYD], and unto the wine, and unto oil, and unto any [כל, KahL] food, is it sanctified?”’”
 

And responded, the priests, and said, “No.”
 

-13. And said, HahGah-eeY,

“If [אם, ’eeM] touches, a polluted [טמא, TeMay’] soul^3, in any [of] these, is it polluted?”
 

And responded, the priests, and said, “Polluted.
 

-14. And responded, HahGah-eeY, and said,

“‘Such [כן, KayN] [is] the people the this and such [is] the nation the this to my face.’ saith YHVH,

‘and such is every doing [of] their hands;

and that they approach there, polluted is it.’
 

“It is difficult to believe… that this people (vs. 14) – the people whom the prophet dubs as unclean – refers to those same persons who, according to 1:12, 14, listened to Haggai’s appeal and set to work on the temple, and to whom a time of future blessing had so recently been promised (2:1-9). To whom then does this people refer? Probably to the Samaritans. Read in conjunction with Ezra 4:1-5, these verses would seem to indicate Haggai’s unfriendly attitude to the Samaritan offer to share in the rebuilding of the temple. Whereas, Haggai argues, the sacred Jewish community of the returned exiles cannot communicate its holiness to others, it can quite easily contract uncleanness from them… With this decision of Haggai to rebuff the Samaritans we are at the beginning of that process which led later, in the days of Nehemiah and Ezra, to the erection of a wall of separation between the Jewish community and the outside world.” (Thomas, TIB 1956, pp. VI 1,046)

-15. “‘And now, set, if you please, your heart from the day the this and from ascending,

from before [מטרם, MeeTehRehM] [is] set stone unto stone in Temple YHVH,

-16. from [when] they were [מהיותם, MeeHahYOThahM] come unto a heap of [ערמת, `ahRayMahTh] twenty and were [והיתה, VeHahYeThaH] ten in it,

unto the vat [היקב, HahYehQehB] to draw [לחשף, LahHSoPh] fifty [from the] winery [פורה, POoRaH] and were twenty,

-17. I smote you in blight [בשדפון, BeSheeDahPhOoN], and in mildew [ובירקון, OoBahYayRahQON], and in hail, [את, ’ehTh] all doings [of] your hands,

and had not you unto me.’, saith YHVH.
 

-18. ‘Set, if you please, your heart from the day the this and from ascending.’

(from day twenty and four to ninth [month] to from the day that was founded Temple YHVH)

‘Set your heart.

-19. Is more the seed in granary [במגורה, BahMeGOoRaH]?

And until the vine and the fig and the pomegranate [והרמון, VeHahReeMON] and tree [of] olive not bear [נשא, NahSah’]?

From the day the this I will bless.’”
 

………………………………………………………..

Promise of The Name [ה', H’] to Zerubbabel

[verses 20 to end of Haggai]

-20. And was word [of] YHVH secondly unto HahGah-eeY

in twenty and fourth [day] to [the] new[-moon], to say:

-21. “‘Say unto Zerubbabel, governor of YeHOo-DaH, to say:
 

“I shake [את, ’ehTh] the skies and [את, ’ehTh] the land,

-22. and upturned [והפכתי, VeHahPhahKhTheeY] [the] seat [of] kingdoms,

and destroyed [והשמדתי, VeHeeShMahDeTheeY] [the] strength [of] kingdoms [of] the nations,

and upturned her chariot [מרכבה, MahRKahBaH] and her charioteers [ורכביה, VeRoKhBehYHah],

and will descend, horses and their riders [ורכביהם, VeRoKhBaYHehM],

[each] man in sword [of] his brethren.
 

-23. *In day the that,”

saith YHVH Armies,

“I will take you, Zerubbabel, son [of] She’ahLTheeY-’ayL, my slave,”

saith YHVH,

“and *set you as their *signet [כחותם, KeHOThahM],

for in you I have chosen.’

saith YHVH Armies.”’”
 

“We do not know how Zerubbabel’s career ended. As far as we know, he was the last member of the house of David to be involved in the reorganization of Judah. Haggai’s royal expectation was not met in the reality of postexilic development.” (Cody, TNJBC 1990, p. 351)

“It is ‘as a signet on the right hand’ that Zerubbabel is remembered by Ben Sirach (Ecclus. [Ecclesiasticus] 49:11).” (Thomas, TIB 1956, pp. VI 1,049)

“‘“In that day – I will make thee as a signet,” &c, must be understood that the preservation of the Jews as a distinct people, when all the great empires of the heathen were overthrown, would manifest the honour now conferred on Zerubbabel as the intrument [sic] of their restoration after the Babylonish captivity” … [“a sensible and pious correspondent”]

I think, however, that we have lived to see the spirit of this prophecy fulfilled. The earth has been shaken; another shaking, and time shall be swallowed up in eternity.” (Adam Clarke, 1831, p. IV 492)

FOOTNOTES

^3 Polluted soul - Dead body (KJV, RSV)
 

Bibliography
 

Adam Clarke, L. F. (1831). The Holy Bible containing the Old and New Testament... with Commentary and Critical Notes (first ed., Vols. IV JER-MAL). New York: J. Emory and B. Waugh.
 

Cody, A. O. (1990). The New Jerome Biblical Commentary (first ed.). (S. J. Raymond E. Brown, Ed.) Englewood Cliffs,, New Jersey, USA: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
 

Thomas, D. W. (1956). The Interpreters' Bible, The Holy Scriptures in the King James and Revised Standard Versions with general articles and Introduction, Exegesis, exposition for each book of the Bible (1st ed., Vols. VI - Lamentations - Twelve Prophets). (W. R. George Arthur Buttrick, Ed.) Nashville, Tennessee, USA: Abingdon Press.
 

STUDY AIDS
 

ספר הבריתות, תורה נביאים כתובים והברית החדשה (ÇehPhehR HahBReeYThOTh, ThORaH NeBeeY’eeM KeThOoBeeYM VeHahBReeYTh HeHahDahShaH – “Account of the Covenants: Instruction, Prophets, Writings, and the New Covenant”), The Bible Society in Israel, Jerusalem, Israel, 1991. Will survive anything short of untrained puppies, but the back is broken now. Easy to read “Arial” type font. A gift from Joy; the one I read and annotate.
 

The New Bantam-Megiddo Hebrew & English Dictionary, by Dr. Reuven Sivan and Dr. Edward A. Levenston, New York, 1975. I had misunderstood my brother to say that he got through seminary Hebrew with just this (plus his fluency). I update it from the other dictionaries. Its pages have fallen away from the glue that bound them. I’ve only lost one page so far; this is my third copy. Part of my original plan had been to be able to go into Sunday School armed only with my annotated Hebrew Bible and a pocket dictionary.
 

Hebrew-English, English-Hebrew Dictionary in three volumes, by Israel Efros, Ph.D., Judah Ibn-Shmuel Kaufman PhD, Benjamin Silk, B.C.L., edited by Judah Ibn-Shmuel Kaufman, Ph.D., The Dvir Publishing Co. Tel-Aviv, 1950. The Megiddo pocket dictionary is basically a copy of this, but often leaves out cultic terms, so this one is often useful. The back of the Hebrew-English volume is gone, and it has fallen in half, but the pages are sewn; one might say that it is doing about as well as I am. Had I this to do over yet again I would ditch the pocket dictionary and use this one instead.
 

An Amateur's Journey Through the Bible  

Zephaniah
 
Chapter Three ג – [The] Sin [of] Jerusalem and Her Redemption [וגאולתה, VeGe’OoLahThHah]
https://esv.literalword.com/?q=Zephaniah+3
 

-1. “Woe, her dread [מראה, MoR’aH] and her defilement [ונגאלה, VeNeeG’ahLaH], the city the oppressive [היונה, HahYONaH],

-2. not listening in [the] voice [of], not taking discipline [מוסר, MOoÇahR] in YHVH,

not depending [בטחה, BahT-Hah] unto her Gods,

not approaching [Him].
 

-3. Her princes in her midst [are] lions roaring [שאגים, Sho’ahGeeYM],

her judges [are] wolves of [זאבי, Ze’ayBaY] evening, not done [גרמו, GahRMOo] to morning.

-4. Her prophets irresponsible [פחזים, PoHahZeeYM], men of betrayals [בוגדות, BOGDOTh].

Her priests pollute [חללו, HeeLeLOo] holiness, violate [חמסו, HahMÇOo] Instruction [ThoRaH, Torah].
 

-5. YHVH righteous [is] in her midst,

He does no evil [עולה, `ahVLaH] in morning,

in morning His justice he gives to light;

[he] does not fail [נעדר, Neh`eDahR],

and does not know evil [עול, `ahVahL] shame.
 

“It is probable … that all of Zeph. [Zephaniah] 3:1-20 is from other hands than Zephaniah’s.” (Taylor, TIB 1956, pp. VI 1,029)

-6. “‘I cut off nations, wasted their corners,

destroyed [החרבתי, HehHehRahBTheeY] their courtyards from without a passer-by,

desolated [נצדו, NeeTsDOo] their cities from without a man, from having no settler.

-7. I said, “If only you would revere me, take discipline”,

and would not be cut off, her dwelling.

All that I visited upon her, for all that [אכן, ’ahKhayN],

they rose early [השכימו, HeeShKeeYMOo], ruined [השחיתו, HeeShHeeYThOo] all their insubordinations [עלילותם, `ahLeeYLOThahM].
 

“their corners: Synecdoche^10]for battleworks…” (Wahl, TNJBC 1990, p. 257)

-8. “‘Therefore, wait to me,’ saith YHVH,

‘to [the] day [of] my arising, to witness;

for my judgment [is] to gather nations, to collect kingdoms,

to pour upon them my wrath, all my fury, all my flared nose,

for in fire [of] my jealousy [קנאתי, QeeN`ahTheeY] will be consumed all the land.
 

“The command to wait, addressed to Jerusalem, at first seems ironic (‘Wait, while I rise up to destroy you,’ with God’s people sharing in the universal destruction), but the oracle takes an unexpected turn.” (Wahl, TNJBC 1990, p. 257)

-9. “‘For then I will reverse [אהפך, ’ehHePoKh] unto peoples a language clear [ברורה, BahROoRaH]’,

(to call all of them in [the] name YHVH to his slave [for] him, that you [שכם, SheKhehM] [are] one.)

-10. ‘From over to rivers of Cush my supplicants [עתרי, `ahThahRah-eeY], daughter [of] my dispersions [פוצי, POoTsah-eeY], will lead [יובילו, YOBeeYLOo] my tributes.
 

“Another spirit, more kindly and less grim, breathes through these two verses… Here the hope of a universal language antedates modern times and even the experience of Pentecost. Isa. [Isaiah] 19:18 expects five Egyptian cities to speak Hebrew, the language of Canaan… The universalism of this passage is not common in the O.T. [Old Testament, the Hebrew Bible], but neither is it absent (cf. [compare with] Isa. 40-66, passim [in various places] … Mic. [Micah] 4:14… Pss. [Psalms] 67; 87; 95-100).” (Taylor, TIB 1956, pp. VI 1,031)

“Unexpectedly reprieved, the nation become true servants of Yahweh – perhaps as a result of redactional activity…” (Wahl, TNJBC 1990, p. 257)

-11. “‘In day the that you will not be embarrassed [תבושי, ThayBOoSheeY] from all your insubordination that you offended [פשעת, PahShah`ahTh] in me,

for then I will pluck [אסיר, ’ahÇeeYR] from your midst gaieties of [עליזי, `ahLeeZaY] your pride [גאותך, Gah’ahVahThayKh],

and will not continue [תוסיפי, ThOÇeePheeY] to her haughtiness [לגבהה, LeGahBHaH] [any]more in [the] mountain [of] my sanctuary.
 

“In such a state will the Jews be found when they shall hear the universal call, and believe in Christ Jesus. Indeed, this is the general state of the Jews in the present day; except a few that are called Jews, who are very rich; and who believe just as much in the God of Jacob as they do in Jesus Christ.” (Adam Clarke, 1831, p. IV 484)

“As elsewhere, wickedness is identified with arrogance and wealth…” (Wahl, TNJBC 1990, p. 257)

-12. “‘And I left [והשארתי, VeHeeSh’ahRTheeY] in your midst a people humble [עני, `ahNeeY] and meek [ודל, VahDahL].’

And they will refuge [וחסו, VeHahÇOo] in [the] name YHVH.
 

-13. [The] remnant of [שארית, She’ayReeYTh] YeeSRah-’ayL ["Strove God", Israel] will not do evil [עולה, `ahVLaH],

and they will not word falsehood [כזב, KahZahB],

and there will not be found [ימצא, YeeMTsah’] in their mouth a tongue deceitful [תרמית, ThahRMeeYTh],

for they will pasture [ירעו, YeeR`Oo] and lay down,

and have no disturber [מפריד, MahHahReeYD].” ס
 

“…only the ‘poor and afflicted’… who will put their confidence in Yahweh, will survive.” (Wahl, TNJBC 1990, p. 257)

“These are concepts prominent in the literature of developed Judaism… most of the phrases are paralleled elsewhere, and the section could have been built up by one familiar with scripture. Cf. Isa. 54:4; Ezek. [Ezekiel] 39:26… Ps. [Psalm] 120:3…” (Taylor, TIB1956, pp. VI 1,032)

-14. “Chant, daughter [of] TseeY-ON [Zion], cheer [הריעו, HahReeYOo], YeeSRah-’ayL, be happy and be gay [ועליזי, VeahLeeZeeY] in all heart, daughter [of] YeROoShahLeM [Jerusalem].
 

-15. Removed [הסיר, HahÇeeYR], YHVH, your judgment,

faced your enemy, King [of] YeeSRah-’ayL,

YHVH [is] in your midst;

do not fear [תיראי, TheeYR’eeY] evil [רע, Rah`] [any]more.
 

-16. In day the that, [he] will say to YeROoShahLeM,

‘Do not fear [תיראי, TheeYRah’eeY], TseeYON;

do not slacken [ירפו, YeeRPOo] your hands.

-17. YHVH your Gods in your midst, a brave savior,

will gladden [ישיש, YahSeeS] upon you in happiness,

will be silent [יחריש, YahHahReeYSh] in his beloved,

rejoice upon you in chanting.
 

“Even if the current MT [Masoretic Text, the standard Hebrew Bible] is hopelessly corrupt, the imagery is charming: Yahweh in his love does not know whether to shout or be still.” (Wahl, TNJBC 1990, p. 258)

Here, Hebrew, in contrast to English, connotes in every verb, noun, and pronoun, male to female expression.

-18. “‘[The] aggrieved [נוגי, NOoGaY] from [the] meeting [ממועד, MeeMO`ayD] I will gather from you;’

(they were a burden [משאת, MahS’ayTh] upon her [of] reproach [חרפה, HehRPaH].)
 

“Irreparably corrupt” (Wahl, TNJBC 1990, p. 258)

-19. “‘Behold, I do [עשה, oSeH*] [את, *’ehTh* (indicator of direct object; no English equivalents)] all your afflicters [מעניך, *MeahNahYeeKh] in time the that,

and save [את, ’ehTh] the lagger [הצלעה, HahTsoLay`aH],

and the outcast [והנדחה, VeHahNeeDahHaH] I will collect,

and put them to praise [לתהילה, LeeThHeeYLaH] and renown [ולשם, OoLeShayM, “and to name”] in all the land their shame.
 

-20. In time the that I will bring [אביא, ’ahBeeY’] you,

and in time collect you,

for I will give you to renown and to praise in all peoples of the land

in my returning [את, ’ehTh] your captives [שבותיכם, ShBOoThaYKheM] to your eyes’, said YHVH.”
 
FOOTNOTES
 

^10 A synecdoche (… from Greek [sy-NEK-do-khy] (συνεκδοχή), meaning “simultaneous understanding”) is a figure of speech in which a term for a part of something refers to the whole of something, or vice-versa. An example is referring to workers as hired hands. - Wikipedia
 

Bibliography
 

Adam Clarke, L. F. (1831). The Holy Bible containing the Old and New Testament... with Commentary and Critical Notes (first ed., Vols. IV JER-MAL). New York: J. Emory and B. Waugh.
 

Taylor, C. L. (1956). The Interpreter's Bible, The Holy Scriptures in the King James and Revised Standard Versions with general articles and Introduction, Exegesis, exposition for each book of the Bible (1st ed., Vols. VI - Lamentations - Twelve Prophets). (W. R. George Arthur Buttrick, Ed.) Nashville, Tennessee, USA: Abingdon Press.
 

Wahl, T. P. (1990). Zephania, The New Jerome Biblical Commentary (second ed.). (S. J. Raymond E. Brown, Ed.) Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall.
 

STUDY AIDS
 

ספר הבריתות, תורה נביאים כתובים והברית החדשה (ÇehPhehR HahBReeYThOTh, ThORaH NeBeeY’eeYM KeThOoBeeYM VeHahBReeYTh HeHahDahShaH – “*The Book of the Covenants: Instruction, Prophets, Writings, and the New Covenant”), The Bible Society in Israel, Jerusalem, Israel, 1991. Will survive anything short of untrained puppies, but the back is broken now. Easy to read “Arial” type font. A gift from Joy; the one I read and annotate.
 

The New Bantam-Megiddo Hebrew & English Dictionary, by Dr. Reuven Sivan and Dr. Edward A. Levenston, New York, 1975. I had misunderstood my brother to say that he got through seminary Hebrew with just this (plus his fluency). I update it from the other dictionaries. It pages have fallen away from the glue that bound them. I’ve only lost one page so far; this is my third copy. Part of my original plan had been to be able to go into Sunday School armed only with my annotated Hebrew Bible and a pocket dictionary.
 

Hebrew-English, English-Hebrew Dictionary in three volumes, by Israel Efros, Ph.D., Judah Ibn-Shmuel Kaufman PhD, Benjamin Silk, B.C.L., edited by Judah Ibn-Shmuel Kaufman, Ph.D., The Dvir Publishing Co. Tel-Aviv, 1950. The Megiddo pocket dictionary is basically a copy of this, but often leaves out cultic terms, so this one is often useful. The back of the Hebrew-English volume is gone, and it has fallen in half, but the pages are sewn; one might say that it is doing about as well as I am. Had I this to do over yet again I would ditch the pocket dictionary and use this one instead.
 

An Amateur's Journey Through the Bible

ZEPHANIAH
https://esv.literalword.com/?q=Zephaniah
 

Introduction
 

“… the history of Judah can be understood only against the background of events in Assyria, the dominant power… Assyrian fortunes were at their zenith… Even Thebes, the Egyptian capital far up the distant Nile, had fallen … (663), an event of such importance that Nahum recalled it a half century later… Although within two decades Egypt had recovered her independence…
 

Manasseh, king of Judah (687-642), ruled by permission of his Assyrian masters and for their benefit…
 

The brief reign of Amon, the successor of Manasseh, ended abruptly in less than two years with his murder. But the reformers had their day under the next king, Josiah, who was brought up by tutors, presumably of the prophets’ party. This ruler, unequaled for his piety in all the history of Judah… Under him came the publication in 621 of the book of Deuteronomy and the enforcement of its provisions upon the state of Judah. Syncretism, apostasy from the Lord, worship of astral deities, adoption of foreign customs, indifference to the Lord’s demand – such are the evils attacked in Deuteronomy…
 

Upon the death of Ashurbanipal, about 626, the political situation changed rapidly. Weakened by overexpansion and by civil wars, Assyria had no strength to withstand the revolts against the flabby rulers who followed Ashurbanipal… war broke out between Babylonians and Assyrians… in 616. In the following year Nabopolassar of Babylon found an ally in Cyaxares, king of the Medes, in 613 Tarbiz and Asshur fell, and two years later the capital, Nineveh, lay in ruins… Babylonia was to be the dominant power from 612 until the rise of Cyrus in the middle of the sixth century. An Egyptian expedition in 609 to help the lost Assyrian cause succeeded only in killing Josiah of Judah, and in 605 the battle of Carchemish definitely established Babylonian supremacy over Egypt…
 

A date around 626 fits such evidence as we possess reasonably well, and until better reasons can be given from placing the prophet at another time, here he remains, a witness to the days shortly before the Deuteronomic Code was found…
 

Nowhere better than in Zephaniah appears the pattern of the editors of the prophetic books, the three parts of which are (a) woe to Judah, (b) an extension of judgment to other nations, and (c) comfort to Judah after the world catastrophe…
 

The book of Zephaniah, says George Adam Smith, ‘is the first tinging of prophecy with apocalypse: that is the moment which it supplies in the history of Israel’s religion.’

…

He took over from Amos and Isaiah the concept of a day near at hand on which his nation would suffer invasion and dire calamity, and in turn inspired the medieval hymn attributed to Thomas of Celano, ‘Dies Irae,’ [“Day of wrath”] …
 

He received also from the eighth-century prophets the concept that God has a conscience and is offended by the moral and religious sins of his people… Of all the expressions in the book, perhaps the most striking is ‘the men who are thickening upon their lees’ (1:12) which called forth from George Adam Smith the classic comment: ‘The great causes of God and Humanity are not defeated by the hot assaults of the Devil, but by the slow, crushing, glacier-like mass of thousands and thousands of indifferent nobodies. God’s causes are never destroyed by being blown up, but by being sat upon'…
 

He does not flee altogether from the realm of practical ethics to speculation about the distant future.

…

It is the editor … who skillfully arranged the material to enforce the lesson that the Lord resists the proud and rewards the humble.” (Taylor, TIB 1956, pp. VI 1,007-1,010, 1,012-1,013)
 

Chapter One א – Day the fury of the Name [ה', H’]
 

Judgment on Jerusalem

-1. Word [of] YHVH that was unto TsePhahN-YaH^1, son [of] KOoSheeY^2, son [of] GeDahL-YaH^3, son [of] ’ahMahR-YaH^4, son [of] HeeZQee-YaH^5 in [the] days [of] Yo’Shee-YahHOo^6, son [of] ’ahMON, king [of] YeHOo-DaH [“YHVH Knows”, Judah].
 

-2. “‘Gathering [אסף, ’ahÇoPh] gather [אסף, ’ahÇayPh] everything from upon surfaces of the earth,’

saith YHVH,

-3. ‘Gather ’ahDahM [“man”, Adam] and beast,

Gather fowl [of] the skies and fishes of the sea,

and the obstacles [והמכשלות, VeHahMahKhShayLOTh] [את, ’ehTh (indicator of direct object; no English equivalent)] the wicked,

and I will cut off [והכרתי, VeHeeKhRahTheeY] [את, ’ehTh] the ’ahDahM from upon surfaces of the land,’

saith YHVH.
 

-4. ‘And I stretch [ונטיתי, VeNahTeeYTheeY] my hand upon YeHOo-DaH,

and upon all settlers [of] YeROoShahLeM [etymology uncertain, Jerusalem],

and I will cut off from the place the this, the [את, ’ehTh] gate [of] the Bah`ahL [“Master”, Baal],

[את, ’ehTh] name [of] the idolatrous [הכמרים, HahKeMahReeYM] with the priests,

-5. and [את, ’ehTh] the worshipers [המשתחוים,* HahMeeShThahHahVeeYM*] upon the roofs to army [of] the skies,
 

“Worship on the roofs was practiced by offerings of incense and libations (cf. [compare with] Jer. [Jeremiah] 19:13… II Kings 23:5…). The influence of Assyrian (or Babylonian, Akkadian) practices in Judah in Manasseh’s time and for some years later may have been more extensive than the O.T. [Old Testament, the Hebrew Bible] cares to admit (cf. II Kings 21:3… Jer. 8:2… Deut. [Deuteronomy] 4:19 …) … As Judah in vassalage to Assyria worshiped the gods of Assyria, so, when friendly with the Ammonites, it worshiped the Ammonites’ god. Solomon long before had set a precedent (I Kings 11:5…).” (Taylor, TIB 1956, pp. VI 1,015)

“The host of heaven] Sun, moon, planets, and stars. This worship was one of the most ancient, and the most common, of all species of idolatry; and it had a greater semblance of reason to recommend it.” (Adam Clarke, 1831, pp. IV 479-480)

and [את, ’ehTh] the worshipers, the swearers [הנשבעים, HahNeeShBah`eeYM] to YHVH,

and the swearers in their kings^7,

-6. and [את, ’ehTh] the turners away [הנסוגים, HahNeÇOGeeYM] from after YHVH,

and that did not seek [בקשו, BeeQShOo] [את, ’ehTh] YHVH,

and did not inquire [of] Him [דרשהו, DRahShooHOo].
 

-7. Hush [הס, HahÇ] from before my Lords YHVH,

for near [is] Day [of] YHVH,

for prepared, YHVH, a sacrifice,

sanctified [הקדיש, HeeQDeeYSh] his called [קראיו, QeRoo’ahYV].
 

“Judah is the victim, and the enemy armies are the invited guests who take a part in the feast (cf. I Sam. [Samuel] 9:13, 22; II Sam. 6:19; 15:11; I Kings 1:9).” (Taylor, TIB 1956, pp. VI 1,016)

-8. “And was in day [of] sacrifice YHVH:

‘And I visited [ופקדתי, OoPahQahDeTheeY] upon the princes,

and upon sons of the king,

and upon all the clothed [הלבשים, HahLoBSheeYM] [in] clothing [מלבוש, MahLBOoSh] foreign [נכרי, NahKhReeY],

-9. and I visited upon every the leaper [הדולג, HahDOLayG] upon the threshold [המפתן, HahMeePhThahN] in day the that,

the fillers [of the] house [of] their Lords violence and fraud [ומרמה, OoMeeRMaH]. ס
 

“That leap on the threshold] Or, that leap over the threshold. It is most probable that the Philistines are here meant. After the time that Dagon fell before the ark, and his hands were broken off in the threshold of his temple, his worshippers would not more set a foot upon the threshold, but stepped or leaped over it, when they entered into his temple.” (Adam Clarke, 1831, p. IV 480)

-10. “‘And was in day the that,’ saith YHVH,

‘A voice shouting from Gate [of] the Fishes,

and yelling [ויללה, VeeYLahLaH] from the Second [המשנה, HahMeeShNeH],

and breaking [ושבר, VahShehBehR] great from the heights [הגבעות, HahGeeB`OTh].
 

-11. Yell [הילילו, HaYLeeYLOo], settlers of the MaKhThaySh^8 [Maktesh],

for will be similar, all [the] people, as Canaan,

cut off [נכרתו, NeeKhRahThOo],

all laden of [נטילי, NeTeeYLaY] silver.
 

“The places mentioned seem in part at least to be on the north side of Jerusalem, from which direction the attack will come… The Fish Gate is mentioned in Neh. [Nehemiah] 12:39 as between the Old Gate and the Sheep Gate near the tower of Hananel; it was one of the north entrances… The Second Quarter may refer to a relatively vulnerable addition to the city on the only side where expansion was feasible, the north. Huldah lived there (II Kings 22:14).” (Taylor, TIB 1956, pp. VI 1,017)

“Maktesh] Calmet says this signifies a mortar, or a rock in form of a mortar; and was the name of a quarter of Jerusalem where they hulled rice, corn, &c…” (Adam Clarke, 1831, p. IV 480)

-12. “‘And it was in time the that I will search [את, ’ehTh] YeROoShahLeM in lamps,

and I will visit upon the men, the congealed [הקפאים, HahQoPh`eeYM] upon their lees [שמריהם, SheeMRaYHehM],
 

“The wine needs to be stirred up, poured from vat to vat; otherwise it thickens and lacks strength. So ‘Moab hath been at ease from his youth, and hath settled on his lees, and hath not been emptied from vessel to vessel, neither hath he gone into captivity; therefore his taste remains in him, and his scent is not changed’ (Jer. 48:11).” (Taylor, TIB 1956, pp. VI 1,018)

“‘the sayers in their heart,

“Will not [make] better [ייטיב, YaYTeeYB], YHVH, and will not [make] evil [ירע, YahRay`].”
 

“… while they acknowledged that there was a God, thought, like the Aristotelians, that he was so supremely happy in the contemplation of His own excellencies, that he felt it beneath His dignity to concern Himself with the affairs of mortals.” (Adam Clarke, 1831, p. IV 481)

-13. “‘And was their wealth [חילם, HaYLahM] to loot [למשסה, LeeMSheeÇaH] and their houses to destruction [לשממה, LeeSheMahMaH];’

and they built houses and did not settle,

and planted vineyards and did not drink [את, ’ehTh] their wine.
 

“… almost certainly derived from … Amos 5:11. Similar expressions are to be found in Mic. [Micah] 6:15; Deut. 28:30, 39.” (Taylor, TIB 1956, p. VI 1018)

-14. “Near [is] Day YHVH the great;

near and fast very [is] voice [of] Day YHVH bitter;

scream [צרח, TsoRay-ahH] there [the] brave.
 

-15. Day [of] crossing, the day the that,

day [of] stress and distress [ומצוקה, OoMeTsOoQaH],

day [of] desolation [שאה, Sho’aH] and devastation [ומשואה, OoMeShO’aH],

day [of] darkness and gloom [ואפלה, Ve’ahPhayLaH],

day [of] cloud and dusk [וערפל, Ve`ahRahPhehL],

-16. day [of] horn and trumpet [ותרועה, OoThROo`aH]

upon the cities the fortified [הבצרות, HahBTsooROTh],

and upon the corners, the high.
 

“For the day as a day of wrath cf. Isa. [Isaiah] 13:9-10 (where also the day produces desolation and darkness); Joel 1:15 (where the day is at hand, coming as destruction from the Almighty); and Ezek. [Ezekiel] 7:19 (where the day of wrath is one on which neither silver nor gold will be able to save; cf. Zeph. [Zephaniah] 1:18).” (Taylor, TIB 1956, pp. VI 1019)

-17. “‘And I straiten [והצרתי, VahHahTsayRoTheeY] to ’ahDahM,

and they walk as blind [כעיברים, Ke`eeYBReeYM]’

(For to YHVH they sinned),

‘and was poured out [ושפך, VeShooPahKh] their blood like dust,

and their flesh [ולחמם, OoLehHooMahM] as turds [כגללים, KahGeLahLeeYM].’
 

-18. Also their silver, also their gold will not be able to rescue them

in [the] day crossing of YHVH.

And in [the] fire of his jealousy [קנאתו, QeeNah’ThO] will be consumed [תאכל, Thay’ahKhayL] all the land,

for she [is] finished [כלה, KhahLaH];

only terrified [נבהלה, NeeBHahLaH], he will make [את, ’ehTh], all settlers of the land.”
 

“A long and perhaps unfathomable literary history lies behind this chapter in its present form. Yet its two major religious contributions ring out with the clarity of great bells: (a) the Lord requires undivided allegiance, and (b) his day is near.” (Taylor, 1956, pp. VI 1,021)

FOOTNOTES

 
^1 צפן TsahPhahN means “hide, conceal; treasure, lay up, store up; esteem”
 

^2] כושי KOoSheeY means “Ethiopian; negro; Arabian”
 

^3 גדל GahDahL means “grow; expand; magnify, extol”
 

^4 אמר ‘ahMahR means “say, utter; intend, mean; tell, relate”
 

^5 חזקה HeZQaH means “force, severity; power (algebra)”, and יה YaH means YHVH
 

^6 יאשיהו Yo’Shee-YahHOo “founded of YHVH”, from the same root as אשויה and יה - http://en.wiktionary.org
 

^7 “Milcom [the Ammonite god - TNJBC] is undoubtedly the correct vocalization (so the ancient versions). (Taylor, 1956, pp. VI 1,015)
 

^8 מכתש MaKhThaySh means “mortar (tool), crucible?”
 

For other posts see An Amateur's Journey Through the Bible

NAHUM
 

Chapter Three
(https://esv.literalword.com/?q=Nahum+3)
 

-1. “Woe, city [of] bloods,

all of her [with] deceit, plunder [פרק, PeReQ] filled;

[does] not withdraw [ימיש, YahMeeSh] preying [טרף, TahRehPh].”
 

“The extreme cruelty of Assyria to conquered nations is epic. Not only violence but deceitful diplomacy was part of Nineveh’s stock-in-trade (Isa [Isaiah] 36:16-17).” (Irene Nowell, TNJBC 1990, p. 260)

-2. “Voice [of] whip [שוט, ShOT], and voice [of] noise [רעש [of] wheel [אופן, ’OPhahN],

and horse galloping [דהר, DoHayR] and chariot [ומרכבה, OoMehRKahBaH] bounding [מרקדה, MeRahQayDaH].
 

“The topsy-turvy confusion of the battle is not unlike that described in another classic of Hebrew poetry, the Song of Deborah (Judg. [Judges] 5:20-22) … By the absence of verbs and juxtaposition of generic nouns the poet paints with maximum effectiveness the strokes of the picture. For this brilliant effect the staccato of the rhythm, two accents balanced by two in each half line, is perfect.” (Taylor, TIB 1956, p. VI 965)

-3. “Cavalry [פרש, PahRahSh] ascends [מעלה, Mah`ahLeH],

and flame sword,

and lightning spear,

and multitudinous wounded [חלל, HahLahL],

and heavy [וכבד, VeKhoBehD] corpse [פגר, PahGahR],

and has no end to carcass [לגויה, LahGVeeYaH],

and they stumble [וכשלו, OoKhSheLOo] in their carcasses.
 

-4. From multitudinous whoring [of a] whore,

goodness of charm,

mistress of enchantments [כשפים, KeShahPheeYM],

the seller [of] nations in her whoring,

and families in her enchantments.
 

“Nineveh, for all her wealth, is rotten at the core; her charms, like those of a harlot, are ephemeral, and the day of her exposure has come.” (Taylor, TIB 1956, p. VI 965)

-5. “‘Behold, I am unto you’, saith YHVH Armies,

‘and I revealed [וגליתי, VeGeeLaYTheeY] your skirts [שוליך, ShOoLahYeeKh] upon your face,

and I showed [והראתי, VeHahR’ayTheeY] nations your pudenda [מעריך, Mah`eRayKh],

and kingdoms your shame [קלונך, QLONayKh].

-6. And I sent forth [והשלכתי, VeHeeShLahKhTheeY] upon you abominations [שקצים, SheeQooTseeYM], and despised you [ונבלתיך VeNeeBahLTheeYKh],

and set you as excrement [כראי, *KeRo’eeY(].
 

“It was an ancient, though not a laudable custom, to strip prostitutes naked, or throw their clothes over their heads, and expose them to public view, and public execration. This verse alludes to such a custom.” (Adam Clarke, 1831, p. IV 465)

“As in chs. [chapters] 1-2, so in ch. [chapter] 3. The statement of what this Deity does is poles removed from the N.T. [New Testament] account of God’s character, e.g. [for example], in I John.” (Taylor, TIB 1956, p. VI 966)

-7. “‘And it was [that] all seeing you [ראיך, Ro’ahYeeKh] will move on [ידוד, YeeDOD] from you and say,

“Robbed [שדדה, ShahDeDaH] is Nineveh; who will mourn [ינוד, YahNOoD] to her?”

From where will I request [אבקש, ’ahBahQaySh] comforters to you?
 

-8. Are you better [התטיבי, HahTheeTeeYBeeY] than [מ-, Mee] No’-’ahMON [No-Amon],

the sitter in rivers [ביארים, BahYe’oReeYM]?

Waters surround to her,

whose [אשר, ’ahShehR] rampart [חיל, HaYL] [is] sea,

waters her wall.
 

“Nineveh is compared to Thebes, called No-Amon, ‘city of [the god] Amon… It was conquered by the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal in 663.” (Irene Nowell, TNJBC 1990, p. 260)

“For over fourteen hundred years it had been one of the world’s leading cities, as modern excavations at Luxor and Karnak abundantly testify… there may have been far more extensive moats and canals guarding Thebes than we know of… The reference to this historical event gives a date after which the poem must have been written.” (Taylor, TIB 1956, pp. VI 966-967)

-9. ‘“‘KOoSh flourished [עצמה, `ahTsMaH], and Egypt, and there was no end;

POoT and LOoBeeYM were in your help.
 

“‘Cush’ is the term regularly used for Ethiopia, which ruled Egypt at the time Ashurbanipal took Thebes. Help was therefore available from this large country to the south, and from the Libyans on the west… Put is associated with Cush… and may refer to Somaliland on the Red Sea.” (Taylor, TIB 1956, p. VI 967)

-10. ‘Also she to exile went in captivity,

also her sucklings [עלליה, `oLahLehYHah] were torn apart [יראטשו, YeRah’TeShOo] in head [of] all courtyards,

and upon her honored ones [נכבדיה, NeeKhBahDehYHah] handed lot,

and all her great [ones] bound [רתקו, RooThQOo] in chains [בזקים, BahZeeQeeM].
 

-11. Also you will be drunk [תשכרי, TheeShKeReeY], will be disappeared [נעלמה, Nah`ahLahMaH],

also you will seek refuge [מעוז, Mah`OZ, “strength, fastness”] from enemy.
 

“Now comes the tu quoque^10 … For the metaphor of a drunken man to describe one who has drunk of the Lord’s punishment cf. [compare with] Ps. [Psalm] 60:3; Jer. [Jeremiah] 25:16, 27.” (Taylor, TIB 1956, p. VI 967)

-12. “All your fortifications [מבצריך, MeeBTsahRahYeeKh] [are] fig trees with first fruits [בכורים, BeeKOoReeYM],

if shaken [ינועו, YeeNO`Oo] and fall upon mouth [of] consumer.”
 

“Contrast the short, swift phrases of the long poem with this prose of a scribe who writes his leisurely general proposition as a comment on the following verses… Nahum does not stop for conditional propositions.” (Taylor, TIB 1956, p. VI 967)

-13. “Behold, your people are women within you [בקרבך, BeQeeRBayKh],

to your enemies open;

open [are] gates of your land,

consumed fire your bolts. [בריחיך, BeReeYHahYeeKh]
 

““O veré Phrygiœ, neque enim Phryges. – ‘Verily, ye are Phrygian women, not Phrygian men.’ So said Numanus^11 to the Trojans. Virg. [Virgil] Æn. [The Aeneid] ix.” (Adam Clarke, 1831, p. IV 466)

“The fact that Nineveh’s defenders actually put up a good fight, and were not at all like a ‘pack of women,’ is evidence that this poem was not written post eventum [“after the event”].” (Taylor, TIB 1956, p. VI 967)

…

-19. “There is no healing [כהה, KayHaH] to your breaks [לשברך, LeSheeBRehKhah],

soothing [נחלה, NahHeLaH] your blows [מכתך, MahKahThehKhah].

All hearers hearing [of] you [שמעך, SheeM’ahKhah] clap [תקעו, ThahQ`Oo] palm [כף, KahPh] upon you;

for upon whom did not cross over your evil always?”
 

“So closes the long poem, the meter of which, with… two exceptions… is regular throughout... we can be grateful that despite the difficulties due to the addition of the acrostic and other extraneous material at the beginning, the poem has been so wonderfully preserved. It stands as one of the great landmarks of Hebrew literature…” (Taylor, TIB 1956, p. VI 969)

“Bp. [Bishop] Newton^12 makes some good remarks on the fall and total ruin of Nineveh.

‘…From that time no mention is made of Nineveh by any of the Sacred writers; and the most ancient of the Heathen authors, who have occasion to say any thing about it, speak of it as a city that was once great and flourishing, but now destroyed and desolate. Great as it was formerly, so little of it is remaining, that authors are not agreed even about its situation.’”(Adam Clarke, 1831, p. IV 467)

FOOTNOTES
 

^7 William Newcome (1729–1800) was an Englishman and cleric of the Church of Ireland who was appointed to the bishoprics of Dromore (1766–1775), Ossory (1775–1779), Waterford and Lismore (1779–1795), and lastly to the Primatial See of Armagh (1795–1800) … As an interpreter of the prophets, Newcome followed Robert Lowth. His ‘Attempt towards an Improved Version, a Metrical Arrangement, and an Explanation of the Twelve Minor Prophets,’ &c., 1785 was reissued, with additions from Samuel Horsley and Benjamin Blayney, Pontefract, 1809. In his version he claims to give ‘the critical sense … and not the opinions of any denomination.’ In his notes he makes frequent use of the manuscripts of Thomas Secker. - Wikipedia
 

^8 Diodorus Siculus … (Ancient Greek: Διόδωρος Σικελιώτης) or Diodorus of Sicily was a Greek historian, who wrote works of history between 60 and 30 BC. … Diodorus' universal history, which he named Bibliotheca historica ("Historical Library"), was immense and consisted of 40 books, of which 1–5 and 11–20 survive: fragments of the lost books are preserved in Photius and the excerpts of Constantine Porphyrogenitus. - Wikipedia
 

^9] tu quoque - Latin “you too” - a retort charging an adversary with being or doing what he criticizes in others - http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tu%20quoque
 

^10 Numanus steps forward and taunts the Trojans, calling them women. Ascanius prays to Jupiter, who thunders on the left side of the sky. Then he shoots Numanus through the head. - a summary of The Aeneid, by Virgil http://www.shmoop.com/aeneid/book-9-summary.html
 

^12 Thomas Newton (1704-1782, was an English cleric, biblical scholar and author. He served as the Bishop of Bristol from 1761 to 1782… His more remembered works include his annotated edition of Paradise Lost, including a biography of John Milton, published in 1749. In 1754 he published a large scholarly analysis of the prophecies of the Bible, titled Dissertations on the Prophecies. - wikipedia
 

Bibliography
 

Adam Clarke, L. F. (1831). The Holy Bible containing the Old and New Testament... with Commentary and Critical Notes (first ed., Vols. IV JER-MAL). New York: J. Emory and B. Waugh
 

Irene Nowell, O. (1990). The New Jerome Biblical Commentary TNJBC (first ed.). (S. J. Raymond E. Brown, Ed.) Englewood Cliffs,, New Jersey, USA: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
 

Taylor, C. L.-I. (1956). The Interpreters' Bible TIB first ed., Vol. VI Lamentations through Malachi). (S. T. George Arthur Buttrick, Ed.) Nashville: Abingdon Press.
 

STUDY AIDS
 

ספר הבריתות, תורה נביאים כתובים והברית החדשה [ÇehPheR HahBReeYThOTh, ThORaH NehBeeY'eeM KeThOoBeeYM VeHahBReeYTh HehHahDahShaH] – “The Book of the Covenants: Instruction, Prophets, Writings, and the New Covenant”] The Bible Society in Israel, Jerusalem, Israel, 1991. Will survive anything short of untrained puppies, but the back is broken now. Easy to read “Arial” type font. A gift from Joy; the one I read and annotate.
 

The New Bantam-Megiddo Hebrew & English Dictionary, by Dr. Reuven Sivan and Dr. Edward A. Levenston, New York, 1975. I had misunderstood my brother to say that he got through seminary Hebrew with just this (plus his fluency). I update it from the other dictionaries. It pages have fallen away from the glue that bound them. I’ve only lost one page so far; this is my third copy. Part of my original plan had been to be able to go into Sunday School armed only with my annotated Hebrew Bible and a pocket dictionary.
 

Hebrew-English, English-Hebrew Dictionary in three volumes, by Israel Efros, Ph.D., Judah Ibn-Shmuel Kaufman Ph.D, Benjamin Silk, B.C.L., edited by Judah Ibn-Shmuel Kaufman, Ph.D., The Dvir Publishing Co. Tel-Aviv, 1950. The Megiddo pocket dictionary is basically a copy of this, but often leaves out cultic terms, so this one is often useful. The back of the Hebrew-English volume is gone, and it has fallen in half, but the pages are sewn; one might say that it is doing about as well as I am. Had I this to do over yet again I would ditch the pocket dictionary and use this one instead.
 

The Comprehensive Concordance of the Bible: Together With Dictionaries of the Hebrew and Greek Words of the Original, With References to the English, by James Strong, Mendenhall Sales, Inc. Also a gift (or appropriation) from my parents. Also essential, although, according to Lenore Lindsey Mulligan, the current standard reference in English is the third edition of Koehler and Baumgartner's Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament. Excellent binding. A most curious introduction. Lacks perfection; when the number is wrong, you’re really stuck. There is one word in II Chronicles for which I never did find a definition.
 

The Interlinear Bible, Hebrew, Greek, English, With Strong’s Concordance Numbers Above Each Word, Jay. Green, Sr., Hendrickson Publishers. A gift from my parents. Essential, but even the pocket dictionary has a better binding.
 

An Amateur’s Journey Through the Bible

MICAH
(https://esv.literalword.com/?q=Micah+4)
 
Chapter Four ד
 

Rule [שלטון, SheeLTON] [of] the peace the including [הכלל, HahKLahL] worlds of The Name [ה', H’]

([compare with] Isaiah [ישע', YS`’] 2: 1-4)

[verses 1-5]

“According to best scholarly opinion chs. [chapters] 4-5 contain no material by the prophet, but constitute a collection of fragments which had their origins several centuries or more after the time of Micah. Closer examination of the material reveals that most of it consists of two documents intertwined.

The earlier of these (4:1-4, 6-8; 5:7, 10-14) records a voice form the closing days of the Exile. This document reflects the spirit of Second Isaiah (ca. [approximately] 540 B.C.), and is therefore later than that date. It is almost a review of Isa. [Isaiah] 40-44… By contrast with the doleful outlook of Micah and other pre-exilic prophets, these … secondary passages… reveal that invincible hope with regard to the future which prevailed as the Exile was coming to its close.

“Most of the remaining verses in these two chapters… comprise another document which came from a period in postexilic times at least a century later… This deals with the restoration of Israel by resorting to militaristic means. By contrast with the benevolent feeling toward all peoples which prevailed among the Hebrew remnant at the close of the Exile, and which is expressed in the basic document in these chapters, this production takes the opposite view and breathes vengeance upon other nations.” (Wolfe, TIB 1956, pp. VI 921-922)

-1. And it was [והיה, VeHahYaH] in last the days:

“Will be [יהיה, YeeHeYeH], [the] mountain [of] House YHVH, established [נכון, NahKhON] in head [of] the mountains,

and will be carried, he, from heights [מגבעות, MeeGBah`OTh],

and will stream [ונהרו, VeNahHahROo] unto him peoples.
 

“In the latter days or last days… This באחרית הימים [Be’ahHReeYTh HahYahMeeYM] was a technical term for the end of the Exile.” (Wolfe, TIB 1956, p. VI 922)

“Bp. [Bishop] Lowth^8 thinks, that ‘Micah took this passage from Isaiah;’ or the Spirit may have inspired both prophets with this prediction; or both may have copied some common original, the words of a prophet well known at that time.” (Adam Clarke, 1831, p. IV 447)

-2. “And walked, nations multitudinous, and said,

‘Walk and we will ascend unto Mount YHVH,

and unto House [of] Gods of Yah-`ahQOB ["YHVH Followed", Jacob],

and he will teach [ויורנו, VeYORayNOo] from his ways,

and we will walk in after them’.
 

For from TseeYON [Zion] goes out Instruction [TORaH],

and word [of] YHVH from Jerusalem,

-3. and judgment between peoples multitudinous,

and reproof [והוכיח, VeHOKheeY-ahH] to nations numerous until distant.

And [they] beat [וכתתו, VeKheeTheThOo] their swords [in]to hoes [לאתים, Le’eeTheeYM],

and their spears [וחניתותיהם, VahHahNeeThoThaYHehM] [in]to shears [למזמרות, LeMahZMayROTh];

will not carry nation unto nation a sword,

and they will not learn [ילמדון, YeeLMeDOoN] more war.

“The … first brilliant call for disarmament in the history of the world’s thought. It remains the classic of all time, for nothing has been uttered since to surpass it in effectiveness. This gives a vision of the parasitical and nonproductive implements of war giving way to the tools of well-being and construction… This dream of a world at peace is one of the most powerful concepts ever to find its way into the perspective of man.” (Wolfe, TIB 1956, p. VI 924)

-4. “And will sit, man, under his vine and under his fig tree and have no terror [מחריד, MahHReeYD],

for [the] mouth [of] YHVH Armies words.”
 

“This verse [verse 4] is an addition to the prophecy as it stands in Isaiah.” (Adam Clarke, 1831, p. IV 447)

“This poem (vss. [verses] 1-4), about the conversion of the nations to the ways of godliness, is one of the most challenging passages in the Bible.” (Wolfe, TIB 1956, pp. VI 924-925)

-5. For the all the peoples walk, [each] man in the name of his gods,

and we will walk in [the] name YHVH our Gods to world and until.
 

“There is some basis for the contention that this verse was inserted as a refutation by some individual who believed the content of vss. 1-4… expressed only an idle dream.” (Wolfe, TIB 1956, p. VI 925)

“This shall be the state of the Gentile world; when, after the captivity, the Jews walked in the name of Jehovah alone; and acknowledge no other object of religious worship to the present day.” (Adam Clarke, 1831, p. IV 447)

“The expression at the end (‘forever and ever’) is found in Mic [Micah] alone…” (Leo Laberge, 1990, TNJBC p. 252)

………………………………………………………..

Return of YeeSRah-’ayL from exile

[verses 6 to end of chapter]

-6. “‘In day the that [ההוא, HahHOo’]’,

saith YHVH,

‘I will gather [אספה, ’oÇPhaH] the lame [הצלעה, HahTsoLay`aH],

and the rejected [והנדחה, VeHahNeeDahHaH] I will collect [אקבצה, ’ahQahBayTsaH],

and that [whom] I discarded [הרעתי, HahRay`ahTheeY].
 

“This resumes the thought of vs. [verse] 4… God himself had lamed, driven away, and afflicted them, as the end of the verse implies, but now he was about to make amends.” (Wolfe, TIB 1956, p. VI 926)

-7. “‘And I placed [את, ’ehTh (indicator of direct object; no English equivalent)] the lame to remnant, and the castoff [והנהלאה, VeHahNahHahLah’aH] to a nation numerous [עצום, `ahTsOoM].’

And will king, YHVH, upon them in Mount TseeY-ON [Zion] from now and until world. פ
 

“The Chaldee is remarkable here, and positively applies the words to the Messiah. ‘But thou, O messiah of Israel, who art hidden because of the sins of the congregation of Zion, the kingdom shall come unto thee.’” (Adam Clarke, 1831, p. IV 448)

“This [following] passage presumably reflects a period in mid-postexilic times, after Jerusalem had been destroyed on several occasions by neighbor nations…” (Wolfe, 1956, TIB p. VI 927)

...

-9. “Now [עתה, ahThaH*] to what [do] you cry [תריעי, *ThahReeYeeY] out a cry [רע, Ray`ah]?

The king have not in you?

With your counselor disappeared?

For [כי, KeeY] seized you [החזיקך, HehHehZeeYQehKh] writhing [חיל, HeeYL] as birthing [כיולדה, KahYOLayDaH]?

-10. Writhe [חולי, HOoLeeY] and issue [וגחי, VahGoHeeY], daughter [of] TseeY-ON, as birthing.
 

For now, go out from city and dwell in a field,

and come until BahBehL [Babylon];

there you will be rescued [תנצלי, TheeNahTsayLeeY].

There will redeem you [יגאלך, YeeGahLayKh], YHVH, from [the] palm [of] your enemy.
 

“The last three clauses tell of the rescue by God’s help from the Exile. With the return under Cyrus in 538 B.C., and smaller ones which followed, it seemed the Israelite dream had at last been fulfilled, for God had chosen to redeem them from their enemies. This is the taproot of the redemption idea, which plays an increasingly important role in the latter part of the O.T. [Old Testament, the Hebrew Bible] and in the N.T. [New Testament].” (Wolfe, TIB 1956, p. VI 929)

-11. “And now are gathered [נאספו, Neh’ehÇPhOo] upon you nations multitudinous,

the sayers,

‘Defile [תחנך, ThehHehNahPh] and envision [ותחז, VeThahHahZ] in TseeY-ON our eyes.’
 

“Julian Morgenstern has worked out carefully the history of those tragic years… The Persians had been firm in their resolve that there should be no restoration of the Hebrew monarchy in Palestine. The neighboring nations also were determined there should be no substantial Jewish settlement there. So they harassed the struggling Jerusalem community in every way possible, destroying time after time what fortifying of the city had been accomplished… It comes from Israel’s dark hour, in postexilic times…” (Wolfe, TIB 1956, p. VI 929)

-12. “And they did not know thoughts [of] YHVH,

and did not understand his counsel,

for he collected them as a sheaf [כעמיר, Keh`ahMeeYR] [on] her threshing floor [גרנה, GahRNaH].

“The nations are described under the figure of sheaves about to be trampled into chaff on the threshing floor.” (Wolfe, TIB 1956, p. VI 930)

“The persons here referred to are not only the Chaldeans which were threshed by the Persians and Medes: but the Idumeans, Ammonites, Moabites, and Philistines, which the Jews afterwards subdued.” (Adam Clarke, 1831, p. IV 448)

-13. “Arise and trample [ודושי, VahDOSheeY], daughter [of] TseeY-ON,

for your horn [I] will set metal,

and your hooves [ופרסתיך, OoPhahRÇoThahYeeKh] will set bronze,

and crumble [והדקות, VeHahDeeQOTh] peoples multitudinous,

and devote [והחרמתי, VeHahHahRahMTheeY] to YHVH their ill-gotten gains [בצעם, BeeTs`ahM],

and their force [וחילם, VeHaYLahM] to Lord [of] All The Land .
 

-14. [5:1 in translations] Now troop [תתגדדי, TheeThGoDeDeeY], daughter [of] troop [גדוד, GeDOoD],

a siege [מצור, MahTsOR] is set upon us,

in staff [בשבט, BahShayBehT] smite [יכו, YeeKOo] upon the cheek [את, ’eTh] judge [of] YeeSRah-’ayL.”
 
FOOTNOTES
 
^8 Robert Lowth (1710 –1787) was a Bishop of the Church of England, Oxford Professor of Poetry and the author of one of the most influential textbooks of English grammar… His most famous contribution to the study of grammar may have been his tentative suggestion that sentences ending with a preposition—such as “what did you ask for?”—are inappropriate in formal writing. E. J. Waggoner said in 1899 that his translation [of the Bible] included “without doubt, as a whole, the best English translation of the prophecy of Isaiah.” … Lowth seems to have been the first modern Bible scholar to have noticed or drawn attention to the poetic structure of the Psalms and much of the prophetic literature of the Old Testament… he sets out the classic statement of parallelism which still today is the most fundamental category for understanding Hebrew poetry… - Wikipedia
 

An Amateur's Journey Through the Bible  

MICAH
(https://esv.literalword.com/?q=Micah)
 

“My Country only when right”

Introductions
 

From The Interpreters’ Bible:
 

“One of the few facts that has survived with regard to Micah concerns his home, which was at Mareshah, sometimes Moresheth or Morasheth… The place survives today as Marissa, the Arabized form of the name. From the time of Micah to the present this small town has remained much the same…
 

Mareshah was located in the southwest part of Palestine in the region called the Shephelah, a foothill area between the coastal plain and the central highlands. On the border line between Judah and the Philistine country, as well as an outpost in the direction of Egypt, this was a frontier village in the dual sense. It was one of the first objectives for attack in case of a military campaign against Palestine from either south or west…
 

Figure 1 - map of Palestine
 

The…. immediate stimulus [for Micah] was provided by the continuing influence of his late neighbor Amos, who had lived only twenty miles from Mareshah …
 

With Amos, Hosea, and Isaiah, he formed a quartet of major characters who produced the golden age of Hebrew prophecy during the latter half of the eighth century B.C.
 

In social status Micah differed from the other three. Amos was a shepherd from the mountain wastes; Hosea, a prosperous farmer from north Israel; and Isaiah, an aristocrat reared at court in the capital city of Jerusalem. By contrast, Micah apparently was a small town artisan. In present-day terminology he would be called a proletarian. His prophecies indicate deep sympathy for the poor. In our age he probably would feel more at home in a labor hall than in a cathedral.
 

His addresses were delivered for the most part not in his home town of Mareshah, but on trips to Jerusalem. In that metropolis Isaiah was presumably delivering prophetic utterances at the same time. Yet there is no evidence to indicate they ever met...
 

The initial factors which called forth both Isaiah and Micah were mainly political and international. Assyria had embarked on an era of military activity, menacing the West with her tyranny. Syria, with her capital at Damascus, had been conquered in 732 B.C., and many of her people were carried into exile. Israel suffered the same fate ten years later. This left Judah in a precarious position as the first line of defense against Assyria in the regions of Palestine. By the time of Micah, Judah had become merely a small surviving buffer between Assyria and the eventual realization of her dreams in Egypt. Since the beginning of Assyria’s aggressiveness there had been thirteen major campaigns toward Palestine and Egypt. There was every indication that these would be accelerated rather than diminished until the imperialistic aspirations of Assyria in the West would be accomplished. It therefore seemed evident to Micah that unless she should be very scrupulous with regard to her internal life and foreign relationships, Judah was destined sooner or later for annihilation. Micah knew he was living in a time when it was a question of life or death for his nation, and how could anyone who had power of discernment remain silent?
 

The exact date of Micah’s activity is uncertain. The opening verse states that his work was contemporary with the three kings of Judah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. This would make 737 to 686 B.C. the maximum period for his prophetic teaching. He would then have been contemporary with Isaiah almost throughout his ministry. This has been the older view among scholars and commentators. However, introductory verses which were prefixed to the various prophetic collections presumably by a late editor in the third century B.C., are frequently inaccurate. The verse introducing the book of Micah seems to offer one of these instances…
 

Most significant is the statement in the book of Jeremiah that the prophetic work of Micah occurred during the reign of King Hezekiah (Jer. 26:19-19). Jeremiah lived sufficiently near in time to Micah to have retained proper historical perspectives. This statement of the prophet Jeremiah, combined with the internal evidence within the book of Micah, indicates this prophet’s work was not so early as Jotham and Ahaz but was confined to the reign of King Hezekiah, which gives the maximum range of 715-686 B.C.
 

Internal evidence suggests that [Micah began his public work] immediately at the king’s accession…. at approximately 714 B.C., only shortly before the great Assyrian western campaign to Palestine in 711 B.C. He proclaimed that Judah would be annihilated, but this did not come true. So it seems Micah was discredited and passed from public view for perhaps half a decade.
 

His closing work was connected with the crisis of 701 B.C., when an Assyrian attack was materializing and the armies of Sennacherib seemed destined to conquer all of Judah. Although almost destroyed by the Assyrians, Jerusalem’s eventual survival again discredited Micah, for he had predicted that city’s utter downfall (3:12; Jer. 2:18)… 700 B.C. would be the approximate terminus ad quem^2 of his work…
 

The other major factor which commanded attention from Micah was corruption within Judah. Morals were appallingly low. Governmental officials were dishonest. A low ethical tone prevailed in most areas of life. Because the nation had lost her moral integrity, she had become sinful, soft, and ripe for conquest. Faced with this situation, Micah was willing to give his life to the task of strengthening the moral fiber of his people as their only sure defense…
 

It is notable that in the days of Jeremiah the ‘elders of the land’ gave Micah credit for having caused King Hezekiah to ‘fear the LORD and entreat the favor of the LORD’ (Jer. [Jeremiah] 26:17-19). They also went on to indicate that sparing of Jerusalem in the crisis of 701 B.C. was attributable to the prophetic work of Micah.  

King Hezekiah instituted a sweeping reform in which he destroyed the semipagan ‘high places’ and demolished the images worshiped by both the believers in Yahweh and the adherents of non-Yahweh cults. This foretaste of the later Deuteronomic reformation was probably executed as an expression of royal action resulting from the vigorous demands in the preaching of Isaiah and Micah…
 

Like most of the prophets, Micah was a poet and expressed his thoughts in rhythmic verse…
 

The text of Micah is in a good state of preservation, which indicates it was in possession of people who gave it good care during the pre-canonical period. Contrasting with the extreme corruptness in the prophecies of Hosea, the book of Micah is the in the best condition of any of the eight-century prophetic texts. The exegesis therefore presents relatively few problems.

…

The chief problem concerns the question as to how much of the content is by the prophet and how much consists of supplements added by later generations. The older view accepted without question the entire collection as the work of Micah. Since 1850 there has been a tendency to challenge this assumption. Benhard Stade, in his epoch-making articles in the* Zeitschrift für die alttestamentlich Wissenschaft*^3 from 1881 to 1884, concluded that no part of chs. [chapters] 4-7 should be ascribed to the prophet Micah…
 

More considered opinion regards the findings of the Stade school too radical…. Thus it may be said that of the seven chapters in the book, an approximate total of four are in all likelihood by Micah. The remainder, which would amount to a total of three, may be ascribed to secondary writers.
 

It is gradually coming to be realized that in those days commentators did not make separate books of their productions but that a manuscript, such as the present text of Micah, consisted of the basic document plus the comments which accrued to it during the time it circulated as a living growing book. In the case of Micah this period of growth lasted almost five centuries, from the time some collector edited what was available of the addresses into a manuscript shortly after 700 B.C. until the collection became regarded as sacred scripture at approximately 200 B.C. Thereafter it was an unalterable text… In a sense Micah is a source book for observing the development of Hebrew thought from 714 B.C. to approximately 200 B.C…
 

It might be said that he whole proletarian movement of modern times is indebted to Amos and Micah as the first individuals in the Judeo-Christian tradition to espouse in an especially active way the cause of the oppressed. Their influence in championing the welfare of the poor and needy was to become perpetuated in Zephaniah, the psalmists, John the Baptist, Jesus, Francis of Assisi, and John Wesley, to mention only a few subsequent figures who have stood in the special succession of these two prophets.
 

Jeremiah told how ‘your own sword hath devoured your prophets, like a destroying lion’ (Jer. 3:30). He went on, however, to say (26:18-19) that when Micah ‘prophesied… to all the people of Judah,’ he was not dealt with in this manner but was allowed to speak his message and live. This was in contrast with his contemporary Isaiah who, according to tradition, was put into a hollow log, which then was sawed in two. It may therefore be assumed that Micah died a natural death and is not to be reckoned among the prophet-martyrs.” (Wolfe, TIB 1956, pp. VI 897-900)
 

From Adam Clarke

“The spurious Dorotheus^4 says, that Micah was buried in the burying place of the Anakim, whose habitation had been at Hebron, and round about it…
 

After… terrible denunciation, Micah speaks of the reign of the Messiah… Micah speaks in particular of the birth of the Messiah; that he was to be born at Bethlehem, and that his dominion was to extend to the utmost parts of the earth…
 

St. Jerom says, that Micah was buried at Morashthi, ten furlongs from Eleutheropolis; and Sozomenes^5 says that his tomb was revealed to Zebennus, bishop of Eleutheropolis, under the reign of Theodosius the Great. He calls the place of his burial Beretsate, which is probably the same as Morashthi ten furlongs from Eleutheropolis.” (Adam Clarke, 1831, p. IV 439)
 

From The New Jerome Biblical Commentary
 

“His [Micah’s] name may be compared to another prophet’s name: Micaiah, son of Imlah, who lived more than a century earlier… The name means ‘who [is] like [Yahweh]?’…
 

The times were bad. The Assyrian armies of Tiglath-pileser III conquered Damascus in 732 (with a part of Israel), and Samaria in 722. Ashdod fell in 711. Sennacherib was occupying part of the coastal land, menacing Moresheth and the area… Jerusalem was besieged in 701. Danger was not only external. Prophets, priests, and judges accepted bribes; merchants cheated; Canaanite cults were used alongside the Yahwistic ones…
 

The Hebr [Hebrew] text is difficult. The ancient copies (see, e.g. [for example], Qumran fragments… and those from Murabba‘at^6 …) do not alleviate the situation. The ancient versions were already experiencing this problem.
 

Micah is concerned with the people’s rejection of God. Sin is the reason for the coming punishment. The Assyrian king is but an unconscious instrument of God’s wrath… the prophet is the accuser in God’s name. Like Hos [Hosea], Amos, and Isa [Isaiah], Micah is preoccupied with social justice and with the astute wickedness of all leaders, political and spiritual. While princes and merchants cheat and rob the poor and humble, esp. [especially] women and children, priests and prophets adapt their words to please their audience.” (Leo Laberge, TNJBC 1990, p. 249)
 
FOOTNOTES
 
^2 terminus ad quem, Latin ("limit to which") is the latest possible date of a non-punctual event (period, era, etc.) – Wikipedia

 
^3 “Magazine for Old Testament Science” – World Lingo

 
^4 Pseudo-Dorotheus, 3rd-century Christian writer

 
^5 Salminius Hermias Sozomenus[ (Greek: Σωζομενός; c. 400 – c. 450) was a historian of the Christian Church. – Wikipedia

 
^6 Wadi Murabba'at, also known as Nahal Dargah, is a ravine cut by a seasonal stream which runs from the Judean desert east of Bethlehem past the Herodium down to the Dead Sea 18 km south of Khirbet Qumran in the West Bank. It was here in caves that Jewish fighters hid out during the Bar Kochba revolt, leaving behind documents that include some letters signed by Simon Bar Kochba.

Wadi Murabba'at - Wikipedia

 
An Amateur's Journey Through the Bible

OBADIAH
(https://esv.literalword.com/?q=Obadiah)

Introductions
 

Slave of Yah – “briefest of Old Testament prophetic books…
 

“Who was this prophet? – where born? – of what country? – at what time did he prophesy? – who were his parents? – when, and where did he die? – are questions which have been asked from the remotest antiquity; and which, to his day, have received no answer worthy of recording…
 

Whoever will be at the trouble to collate this short prophecy with the forty-ninth chapter of Jeremiah, will find a remarkable similarity, not only in the sentiments and words, but also in whole verses…. Whether he copied Obadiah, or Obadiah him, cannot be determined: but it would be very strange if two prophets, unacquainted with each other, should speak of the same event precisely in the same terms.” (Adam Clarke, The Holy Bible containing the Old and New Testament... with Commentary and Critical Notes, 1831, p. IV 425)
 

“The political situation implied in the prophecy points to a time after the Exile, probably in the mid-fifth century B.C. …  

The occasion of the prophecy is the expulsion of the Edomites from their land, which the prophet sees as a divine judgment on that nation for its cruelties toward Israel.
 

The first main division (vss. [verses] 1-14) deals with Edom’s judgment and the moral reasons therefore. An alliance of surrounding nations is being roused to wage war on Edom (vs. [verse]1b). God’s purpose is to humble the Edomites’ pride and to rout them out from their supposedly impregnable mountain fortresses (vss. 2-4)…
 

The second main section (vss. 15-21 concerns the day of the Lord, which includes universal judgment, the restoration of Israel, and the establishment of the kingdom of God… Deliverers will arise to lead Israel to victory over Edom (vs. 21a). Thus the kingdom of God will be established (vs. 21b) …
 

The close verbal parallels between vss. 1-9 and Jer. [Jeremiah] 49:7-22 can be explained only by some literary relationship between the two passages… The difference in the order of the material makes it likely that both Obadiah and Jeremiah are using an earlier oracle against Edom…
 

Several phrases are also common to Obadiah and Joel… In 2:32 Joel indicates that he is quoting directly from Obad. [Obadiah] 17 by the phrase, ‘as the Lord has said.’…
 

The text of Obadiah is moderately well preserved. Since vss. 7, 19, 21 are difficult to interpret as they now stand, they may have suffered corruption in transmission.” (Thompson, 1953, TIB pp. VI 857-859)
 

Text and Exegeses
 

`ohBahD-YaH [“Slave [of] YHVH”, Obadiah]

Abasement of [השפלת, HahShPeLahTh] ’ehDOM [“Red”, Edom]

[verses 1-16]

-1. Vision of `ohBahD-YaH:
 

“Thus said my Lords YHVH to ’ehDOM:

a hearing [שמועה, ShMOo'ah] we heard from [מאת, May'ayTh] YHVH,

and an envoy [וציר, VeTseeYR] in nations [was] sent forth [שלח, ShooLahH];

rise and we will rise upon her to war:
 

-2. ‘Behold, small I gave you in nations,

contemptible [בזוי, BahZOo-eeY] you are from more.

-3. Malignity [זדון, ZeDON] [of] your heart beguiled you [השיאך, HeeSheeY’ehKhah],

dwellers in clefts [בחגוי, BeHahGVay] of rock [סלע, ÇehLah`].

High [מרום, MeROM] is his settlement [שבתו, SheeBThO] he says [אמר, ’oMayR] in his heart, “Who will descend [to] land?”
 

Figure 1 Petra, the Edomite capital
 

-4. If you elevate [תגביה, TahGBeeYHah] as an eagle,

and if between stars set your nest [קנך, QeeNehKhah],

from there I will descend you.’

saith YHVH.

“The Edomites lived in ‘retreats of rock’ (Song of S. [Solomon] 2:14), hiding places in canyons and caves. The translation rock interprets ṣela’ as a common noun, alluding to the rugged terrain of the whole region. There is probably also a secondary reference to Sela… the modern Umm el-Bayyah, the rock citadel of the ancient inhabitants of Teman… and of Petra… apt poetic impressions of the crags, fantastic in shape and color, … ‘A rose-red city – half as old as Time’ (J. W. Burgon…).” (Thompson, TIB 1953, p. VI 861)

“Edom …was located in the highlands on the E ‎[east] ‎side of the Dead Sea. The reddish (Hebr [Hebrew] ’ĕdôm, ‘Edom’; ’ādom, ‘red’) mountains of Edom, rising higher than 3,280 ft. [feet], provided significant military security for the Edomites. The capital of Edom was Sela (Judg [Judges] 1:36; etc.), a name which means ‘rock’ and which provides a nice instance of paronomasia^1 (the ‘rock’ is both the mountains of Edom and its capital), and of synecdoche^2 (the part, Sela, is used for the whole, Edom.” (Mallon, TNJBC 1990, p. 404)

…
-7. “Unto the border they sent you forth,

all men of your covenant beguiled you [השיאוך, HeeShee’OoKhah],

prevailed [יכלו, YahKhLOo] to you, men of your peace,

[those who broke] your bread [with you] have placed a wound [מזור, MahZOR] beneath you;

[he] has no understanding in him.  

“Under Arab pressure in the sixth and fifth centuries B.C. the Edomites were finally driven completely out of their original borders and settled in southern Judah… The Arab conquerors had formerly been Edom’s allies in raids on Judah (Ps. [Psalm] 83:6).” (Thompson, TIB 1953, p. VI 862)

…

-10. “From violence [against] your brother Yah-`ahQOB [“YHVH Followed”, Jacob] you [are] covered [תכסך, TheeKhahÇKhah] [in] shame [בושה, BOoShaH], and cut off [ונכרת, VeNeeKhRahTah] forever.
 

“This doom was ultimately fulfilled when the Idumeans (the Grecianized name for this people) were conquered by the Jews under John Hyrcanus (134-104 B.C.) and ceased to have a separate national existence (Josephus Antiquities XIII. 9. 1).” (Thompson, TIB 1953, p. VI 863)

However, Herod the Great was an Idumean; his dynasty was created and exterminated by the Romans.

-11. “In day [of] your stand from opposition [מנגד, MeeNehGehD],

in day captured [שבות, ShVOTh], strangers, his force,

and foreigners [ונכרים, VeNahKheReeYM] came to his gates,

and upon Jerusalem handed a lot;

also you [are] as one from them.
 

“According to I Esdras 4:45, the Edomites took an active part with the Chaldeans in the invasion and plundering of Judah, which reached its climax in the destruction of Jerusalem in 587 B.C. The spoil was divided by lot (as in Joel 3:3).” (Thompson, TIB 1953, pp. VI 863-864)

-12. “And do not look in day of your brother,

in day of his estrangement [נכרו, NahKhRO],

and do not be happy to sons of YeHOo-DaH [“YHVH knows”, Judah],

in day [of] their destruction [אבדם, ’ahBDahM],

and do not greaten your mouth in day [of] distress…

…

-15. For approaching [is] Day YHVH upon all the nations,

as that you did, will been done to you;

your recompense [גמלך, GeMooLKhah] will return in your head.

-16. For as that you drank upon mountain my holy,

will drink all the nations always,

and drink and swallow [ולעו, VeLah`Oo],

and were [והיו, VeHahYOo] as never [כלוא, KeLO’] were.
 

“The imagery of drinking the cup of God’s wrath is most fully developed in Jer. 25: 15-28, where the figure is explained as God’s judgment, first on Judah and then on the pagans.” (Thompson, TIB 1953, p. VI 865)

………………………………………………………..

Greatness of YeeSRah-’ayL

[verses 17 to end]

-17. “And in Mount TseeYON [Zion] will be refuge,

and will be holy,

and will inherit [וירש, VeYahRShOo], House Yah-`ahQOB [“YHVH Followed”, Jacob], [את, ’ehTh, (indicator of direct object; no English equivalent)] their inheritance [מורשיהם, MORahShaYHehM].
 

-18. And was, House Yah-`ahQOB, fire,

and House YOÇayPh [“Increase”, Joseph] flame,

and House of `aySahV [“Ruddy”, Esau] straw,

and ignited [ודלקו,* VeDahLQOo*] in them and consumed them,

and will not be a remnant [שריד, SahReeYD] to House `aySahV,

for YHVH speaks.

“After their return from captivity the Jews… did break out as a flame upon the Idumeans: they reduced them into slavery; and obliged them to receive circumcision, and practice the rites of the Jewish religion. See I Macc. ‎[Maccabees] ‎ v, 3, &C… and Joseph. ‎[Josephus]‎ Antiq. [Antiquities] lib. xiii, c. 17.” (Adam Clarke, 1831, p. IV 427)

-19. “And will inherit, the Negev^3 [wilderness south], [את, ’ehTh] Mountain `aySahV;

and the ShePhayLah^4 [Piedmont], [את, ’ehTh] PeLeeShTheeYM [Philistines];

and will inherit [את, ’ehTh] field of ’ehPhRahYeeM [“Fruitful”, Ephraim] and [את, ’ehTh] field of ShoMRON [“Guarded”, Samaria];

and BeN-YahMeeN [“Son of Right (or South)” Benjamin], [את, ’ehTh] GeeL`ahD [“Mound of Testimony”, Gilead].
 

-20. And exile [of] the force the this to sons of YeeSRah-’ayL that [are] KeNah`ahNeeYM [“Traders”, Canaanites] until TsahRPhahTh [France, Zarephath],

and exile of Jerusalem which is in ÇPhahRahD [Spain, Sepharad, but see note below],

and they will inherit [את, ’ehTh] cites of the Negev.
 

“The directions in which the expansion would take place are thus south, west, north, and east. These conquests were accomplished in the second century B.C., when northern Judah and Benjamin were the nucleus from which the Jews under the Maccabees pressed out into the areas indicated in this verse…

“Sepharad is Sardis, Çparad in Persian monuments, the capital of Lydia in Asia Minor. An Aramaic inscription with a parallel Lydian text, found at Sardis, calls this city ṣprd, the same consonants as here, and proves the existence of a Jewish colony there as early as the tenth year of Artaxerxes, probably Artaxerxes I Longimanus, king of Persia (465-424 B.C…). The Peshitta^5 and Targ. [Targum^6] misinterpreted this name as Spain, and consequently Spanish and Portuguese Jews are called Sephardim.” (Thompson, TIB 1953, pp. VI 866-867)

-21. “And ascended saviors in Mount TseeYON to judge [את, ’ehTh] Mount `aySahV,

and was [והיתה, VeHahYeThaH] the kingdom to YHVH.”

“These reconquests will be led by saviors who, like the judges of old (Judg. [Judges] 2:16; 3:9, 15) will deliver the Israelites from their oppressors.” (Thompson, TIB 1953, p. VI 867)

An Amateur's Journey Through the Bible
 

Bibliography
 

Adam Clarke, L. F. (1831). The Holy Bible containing the Old and New Testament... with Commentary and Critical Notes (first ed., Vols. IV JER-MAL). New York: J. Emory and B. Waugh.
 

Mallon, E. D. (1990). The New Jerome Biblical Commentary (first ed.). (S. J. Raymond E. Brown, Ed.) Englewood Cliffs,, New Jersey, USA: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
 

Thompson, J. A. (1953). The Interpreter's Bible (first ed., Vol. VI). (S. T. George Arthur Buttrick, Ed.) Nashville: Abingdon Press.
 

STUDY AIDS
 

ספר הבריתות, תורה נביאים כתובים והברית החדשה [ÇehPhehR HahBReeYThOTh, ThORaH NeBeeY’eeM KeThOoBeeYM VeHahBReeYTh HeHahDahShaH] – The Book of the Covenants: Instruction, Prophets, Writings, and the New Covenant] The Bible Society in Israel, Jerusalem, Israel, 1991. Will survive anything short of untrained puppies, but the back is broken now. Easy to read “Arial” type font. A gift from Joy; the one I read and annotate.
 

*The New Bantam-Megiddo Hebrew & English Dictionary, by Dr. Reuven Sivan and Dr. Edward A. Levenston, New York, 1975. I had misunderstood my brother to say that he got through seminary Hebrew with just this (plus his fluency). I update it from the other dictionaries. It pages have fallen away from the glue that bound them. I’ve only lost one page so far; this is my third copy.
 

Hebrew-English, English-Hebrew Dictionary in three volumes, by Israel Efros, Ph.D., Judah Ibn-Shmuel Kaufman Ph.D, Benjamin Silk, B.C.L., edited by Judah Ibn-Shmuel Kaufman, Ph.D., The Dvir Publishing Co. Tel-Aviv, 1950. The Megiddo pocket dictionary is basically a copy of this, but often leaves out cultic terms, so this one is often useful. The back of the Hebrew-English volume is gone, and it has fallen in half, but the pages are sewn; one might say that it is doing about as well as I am.
 

The Comprehensive Concordance of the Bible: Together With Dictionaries of the Hebrew and Greek Words of the Original, With References to the English, by James Strong, Mendenhall Sales, Inc. Also a gift (or appropriation) from my parents. Also essential, although, according to Lenore Lindsey Mulligan, the current standard reference in English is the third edition of Koehler and Baumgartner's Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament. Excellent binding. A most curious introduction. Lacks perfection; when the number is wrong, you’re really stuck. There is one word in II Chronicles for which I never did find a definition.
 

The Interlinear Bible, Hebrew, Greek, English, With Strong’s Concordance Numbers Above Each Word, Jay. Green, Sr., Hendrickson Publishers. A gift from my parents. Essential, but even the pocket dictionary has a better binding.
 

FOOTNOTES
 

^1 Paronomasia

1. Rhetoric. the use of a word in different senses or the use of words similar in sound for effect, as humor or ambiguity; punning.

2. a pun. — paronomastic, adj.

^2 A synecdoche is a figure of speech in which a term for a part of something refers to the whole of something, or vice-versa.
 

^3 Negev - Synonymous with “the South”
 

^4 ShPhayLah - The piedmont between the mountains and the sea to the west
 

^5 “The Peshitta (Classical Syriac: ܦܫܝܛܬܐ pšîṭtâ for "simple, common, straight, vulgate"), sometimes called the Syriac Vulgate, is the standard version of the Bible for churches in the Syriac tradition.
 

“General, but not universal, consensus is that the Old Testament of the Peshitta was translated into Syriac from the Hebrew, probably in the 2nd century AD, and that the New Testament of the Peshitta was translated from the Greek. This New Testament, originally excluding certain disputed books (2 Peter, 2 John, 3 John, Jude, Revelation), had become a standard by the early 5th century. The five excluded books were added in the Harklean Version (616 AD) of Thomas of Harqel.” Wikipedia

^6 Targum - The Aramaic translation of the Bible. It forms a part of the Jewish traditional literature, and in its inception is as early as the time of the Second Temple. http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/14248-targum

AMOS
 
Chapter Seven ז
(https://esv.literalword.com/?q=Amos+8)
 

“The book concludes with a series of visions [7:1-9:10]. The structure of the first part of visions 1 through 4 is identical: God shows the prophet something, asks what he sees, and then explains the significance of what is seen. In the first two visions Yahweh relents because of the prophet’s intercession. But in the third, fourth, and fifth, punishment is certain.” (Barré, 1990, TNJBC p. 214)

………………………………………………………..

*Three visions [of] ruin: locust, fire, and cloud

[verses 1-9]

-1. “Thus showed me [הראני, HeeR’ahNeeY], my Lords YHVH:

and behold, producer [יוצר, YOTsayR] [of] locusts [גבי, GoBah-eeY] in [the] beginning of [the] ascents [of] the latter crop [הלקש, HahLahQehSh].”

(And behold, [the] latter crop [is] after shearings of [גזי, GeeZaY] the king’s [flock].)
 

“…just at the time when the spring rains were fostering the final growth of the crops, when locusts would therefore constitute the greatest menace. And lo, it was the latter growth…: It is …likely that the clause is a gloss explaining the rare Hebrew word for latter growth [לקש LahQehSh].” (Fosbroke, 1953, TIB p. VI 830)

-2. “And it was with completion [כלה, KeeLaH] to eating [את, ’ehTh (indicator of direct object; no English equivalent)] grass [עשב, `aySehB] [of] the land,

and I said [ואמר, Ve’oMahR],

‘My Lords YHVH, pardon [סלח, ÇLahH], if you please;

who will raise [יקום, YahQOoM] Yah-`ahQOB?

For small he [is].’
 

-3. Pitied [נחם, NeeHahM], YHVH, upon that;

‘Not will be.’

said YHVH.

…

-7. Thus was shown me [הראני, HeeR’ahNeeY]:

and behold, my Lords stationed [נצב, NeeTsahB] upon a wall plumbed [אנך, ’ahNahKh],

and in his hand a plumb [אנך, ’ahNahKh].

-8. And said YHVH unto me,

‘What [do] you see, `ahMOÇ [Amos]?’

And I said, ‘A plumb.’

And said, my Lords,

‘Behold, I set a plumb in midst [בקרב, BeQehRehB] my people YeeSRah-’ayL ["Strove God", Israel];

I will not continue more [to] pass to him.
 

“With the terrible finality of that sentence ringing in his ears, Amos knew the dread certainty of the doom that was to overtake his people and the pitiful hopelessness of any further intercession. The Lord had spoken; he must prophesy.” (Fosbroke, TIB 1953, p. VI 832)

-9. ‘“And devastated [ונשמו, VeNahShahMOo], high places [במות, BahMOTh] [of] YeeSHahQ [“He Laughed”, Isaac],

and sanctuaries of YeeSRah-’ayL ruined,

and I rose [וקםתי, VeQahMTheeY] upon [the] House YahRahB-`ahM [“Multitudinous People”, Jeroboam] in sword.’ פ
 

There was never any chance of YHVH changing his purpose, only his method.

“The Lord had promised to Jehu, the ancestor of Jeroboam, that his family should sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation. Zechariah, the son of Jeroboam, was the fourth in order after Jehu: and on him the threatening in this verse fell; for he was murdered by Shallum after he had reigned six months, and in him the family became extinct. See 2 Kings x, 30, and xv, 8-10.” (Adam Clarke, 1831, p. IV 417)

………………………………………………………..

`ahMOÇ and ’ahMahTs-YaH [“Might [of] YHVH”, Amaziah]

[verses 10 to end of chapter]

-10. “And sent forth, ’ahMahTs-YaH, priest of BaYTh-’ayL [“House of God”, Bethel], unto YahRahB-`ahM, king [of] YeeSRah-’ayL, to say,

‘Conspired [קשר, QahShahR] upon you, `ahMOÇ, in midst House YeeSRah-’ayL …’

…

-12. And said ’ahMahTs-YaH unto `ahMOÇ,

‘Visionary [חזה, HoZeH], go, flee yourself [ברח-לך, BRaH-LeKhaH] unto [the] land [of] YeHOo-DaH ["YHVH Knew", Judah],

and eat there bread,

and there prophesy.’

…

-14. And responded [ויען, *VahYahahN*], ahMOÇ, and said,

…

-16. ‘And now [ועתה, Ve`ahThaH], hear word YHVH:

You say, “[Do] not prophesy upon YeeSRah-’ayL,

and [do] not drip [תטיף, ThahTeeYPh] upon House YeeSHahQ.”

-17. “Therefore”, so said YHVH,

“Your wife in city will be dicked,

and your sons and your daughters in sword will fall,

and your ground in cord will be divided,

and you, upon ground polluted will die,

and YeeSRah-’ayL [to] exile [גדה, GahLaH] will be exiled [יגלה, YeeGLaH] from upon his ground.”’ ס

 
An Amateur's Journey Through the Bible

REVELATION
 

………………………………………………………..

21:9-22:5 “This section of twenty-four verses, practically the length of a chapter, is a somewhat detailed and not wholly consistent description of the New Jerusalem. The belief in a heavenly city is rooted in astral speculations, according to which there was a perfect, heavenly model for everything on earth, including cities and temples. Thus there was a heavenly Babylon; also a heavenly temple of Marduk, which came to be identified with the city. The heavenly city quite naturally took on astral features. The sun and moon became the chief deities, while the twelve constellations of the zodiac symbolized lesser deities. The twelve portals through which these constellations were thought to pass became gates of the square city, with its sides facing the four winds of heaven. Also, it was thought that the Milky Way was a broad street or river throughout the city. The city itself had a certain cosmic significance in that it symbolized or came to be identified with the universe itself.” (Rist, 1957, TIB p. XII 533)

Chapter Twenty-one כא
(https://esv.literalword.com/?q=Revelation+21)
 

The skies the new and the land the new
[verses 1-8]

…

-2. I saw [את, ’ehTh (indicator of direct object; no English equivalent)] City the Holy, Jerusalem the New, descend from the skies from the Gods, readied [מוכנה, MOoKhahNaH] as a bride [וכלה, VeKhahLaH] adorned [מקשטת, MeQooShehTehTh] to her husband.
 

“This vision of salvation was written at a time when the historical Jerusalem had been destroyed recently and by a man who was not at home in any city of his culture.” (Collins, 1990, TNJBC p. 1015)

…
 

………………………………………………………..

Jerusalem the New

[verses 9 to end of chapter]

...

-14. And to walls [of] the city, twelve foundations,

and on them twelve names of twelve sent forths of [apostles] the lamb.
 

“This remark looks back on the time of the apostles and would not have been written by one of the disciples of Jesus.” (Collins, 1990, TNJBC p. 1015)

The imagery of the New Jerusalem contradicts its constitution; it is a walled city where walls will be no more necessary.

…

-19. Foundations [of] wall of [חומת, HOMahTh] the city [were] decorated [מקשטים, MeQooShahTeeYM] in every stone precious.

The foundation the first was jasper [ישפה, YahShPheH],

the second sapphire [ספיר, SahPeeYR],

the third agate [שבו, ShehBO],

the fourth emerald [ברקת, BahRehQehTh],

the fifth diamond [יהלום, YahHahLOM],

the sixth ruby [אדם, ’oDehM],

the seventh pearl [תרשיש, ThahRSheeYSh],

the eighth onyx [שהם, ShoHahM],

the ninth topaz [פטדה, PeeTDaH],

the tenth turquoise [נפך, NoPhehKh],

the eleventh opal [לשם, LehSheM],

the twelfth amethyst [אחלמה, ’ahHLahMaH].
 

“These [stones] correspond to the twelve stones on the breastplate of the high priest. In John’s time these stones were associated with the twelve constellations of the zodiac.” (Collins, 1990, TNJBC p. 1015)

…
 

Chapter Twenty-two כב
(https://esv.literalword.com/?q=Revelation+22)
 

“The epilogue [22:6-21] is a somewhat disjointed section, largely composed of final assurances and exhortations. In some places it is difficult to determine just who the speaker is supposed to be. Consequently various rearrangements of the text have been suggested in order to make it more coherent. Thus, in his translation Moffatt has worked out the following sequence of verses; 8-9, 6-7, 10-11, 14-16, 13, 12, 17-21… Charles was of the opinion that from 20:4 to the end there was a great deal of dislocation, causing incoherence and self-contradiction, which he attributed to the untimely death of the author, either through natural causes or as a martyr, before he had completed his book. However, he had left notes and other materials which a zealous but unintelligent disciple had used in finishing his mater’s work… Probably the difficulty is traceable to another cause, viz., ["namely] that throughout the epilogue the writer has not always been as careful as he might have been in assigning his words to the different dramatis personae.” (Rist, 1957, TIB p. XII 544)

...
 

………………………………………………………..

House YayShOo`ah ["Savior", Jesus] the Anointed

[verses 6 to end of the New Testament]

-6. More He said unto me: “These words the these are believable and true;

and YHVH, Gods of spirits of the prophets, sent forth [את, ’ehTh] his angels to show to his slave [את, ’ehTh] that [which] needs to be in rapidity.”
 

“There are many sayings in this book, which, if taken literally, would intimate that the prophecies delivered in the whole of the Apocalypse were to be fulfilled in a short time after their delivery to John: and this is a strong support of the scheme of Westein, and those who maintain that the prophecies of this book all referred to those times in which the apostle lived; and to the disturbances which then took place not only among the Jews, but in the Roman empire. What they all mean, and when and how they are to be fulfilled, God in heaven alone knows!” (Clarke, 1831, p. II 1010)

…

-18. “I testify [מעיד, May`eeYD] in all who that hear [את, ’ehTh] words of prophecy of the account the this,

a man if he adds upon them,

will be added upon him [את, ’ehTh] the blows the written in account the this.

-19. And a man, if he subtracts [יגרע, YeeGRah`] from words of account the prophecy the that,

will subtract, the Gods, [את, ’ehTh] his portion from tree the living and from City the Holy, from the words the written in account the this.”

“The speaker of this cursing colophon may be Christ, as some maintain, but more probably the words are intended to be taken as those of the author. A warning or curse to prevent any alterations in a book was not uncommon in ancient times. Irenaeus, toward the end of the second century, appended such a curse to a book he had written against heretics, adjuring copyists to make no changes ‘by our Lord Jesus Christ, by his glorious advent when he comes to judge the living and the dead’ (Eusebius Church History V. 20 2). Ironically enough, the curse is about all that remains of this particular book.” (Rist, 1957, TIB p. XII 549)

“This is termed a revelation, but it is a revelation of symbols; an exhibition of enigmas, to which no particular solution is given; and to which God alone can give the solution.” (Clarke, 1831, p. II 1011)

END NOTES
 

^i The Interpreters' Bible The Holy Scriptures in the King James and Revised Standard versions with general articles and introduction, exegesis, [and] exposition for each book of the Bible in twelve volumes, George Arthur Buttrick, Commentary Editor, Walter Russell Bowie, Associate Editor of Exposition, Paul Scherer, Associate Editor of Exposition, John Knox Associate Editor of New Testament Introduction and Exegesis, Samuel Terrien, Associate Editor of Old Testament Introduction and Exegesis, Nolan B. Harmon Editor, Abingdon Press, copyright 1955 by Pierce and Washabaugh, set up printed, and bound by the Parthenon Press, at Nashville, Tennessee, Volume XII, James, Peter, John, Jude, Revelation [Introduction and Exegesis by Martin Rist], General Articles, Indexes
 

^ii The New Jerome Biblical Commentary [TNJBC], Edited by Raymond E. Brown, S.S., Union Theological Seminary, New York; NY, [Revelation – Adela Yarbro Collins]; Roland E. Murphy, O. Carm. (emeritus) The Divinity School, Duke University, Durham, NC, with a foreword by His Eminence Carlo Maria Cardinal Martini, S.J.; Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 1990
 

^iii The text is my translation of ספר הבריתות, תורה נביאים כתובים והברית החדשה [ÇehPhehR HahBReeYThOTh, ThORaH NeBeeY’eeYM KeThOoBeeYM VeHahBReeYTh HeHahDahShaH] [The Book of the Covenants: Instruction, Prophets, Writings; and The Covenant The New] The Bible Society in Israel, Jerusalem, Israel, 1991 with the occasional help of NOVUM TESTAMENTAUM, Graece et Latine, Utrumque textum cum apparatu critic imprimendum curavit EBERHARD NESTLE, novis curis elaboraverunt Erwin Nestle et Kurt Aland, Editio vicesima secunda, United Bible Societies, London, printed in Germany 1963, when I wanted to check the Greek.
 

^iv The New Testament of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The text carefully printed from the most correct copies of the present Authorized Version. Including the marginal readings and parallel texts. With a Commentary and Critical Notes. Designed as a help to a better understanding of the sacred writings. By Adam Clarke, LL.D. F.S.A. M.R.I.A. With a complete alphabetical index. Royal Octavo Stereotype Edition. Vol. II. [Volume VI together with the Old Testament volumes in Dad’s set] New York, Published by J. Emory and B. Waugh, for the Methodist Episcopal Church, at the conference office, 13 Crosby-Street. J. Collord, Printer. 1831.
 

^v “We have almost a counterpart of this description in Pirkey Eliezer [“Chapters of Eliezer” – 8th century Jewish commentary], chap. 4. I shall give the substance of this from Schoetgen. ‘Four troops of ministering angels praise the holy blessed God; the first is Michael, at the right hand; the next is Gabriel, at the left; the third is Uriel, before; and the fourth is Raphael, behind him. The Shechina of the holy blessed God is in the midst, and he himself sits upon a throne high and elevated, hanging in the air; and his magnificence is as amber, חשמל (chasmal,) in the midst of the fire. – Ezek. i. 4. On his head is placed a crown, and a diadem, with the incommunicable name (יהוה Yehovah) inscribed on the front of it. His eyes go throughout the whole earth; a part of them is fire, and a part of them hail. Before him is the veil spread, that veil which is between the temple and the holy of holies; and seven angels minister before him, within that veil: the veil and his footstool are like fire and lightning; and under the throne of glory there is a shining like fire and sapphire, and about his throne are justice and judgment.
 

The place of the throne are the seven clouds of glory; and the chariot-wheel, and the cherub, and the living creatures, which give glory before his face. The throne is in similitude like sapphire; and at the four feet of it are four faces, and four wings. When God speaks from the east, then it is from between the two cherubim, with the face of a MAN; when he speaks from the south, then it is from the two cherubim, with the face of a LION; when from the west, then it is from between the two cherubim, with the face of an OX; and when from the north, then it is from between the cherubim, with the face of an EAGLE.
 

And the living creatures stand before the throne of glory; and they stand in fear, in trembling, in horror, and in great agitation; and from this agitation a stream of fire flows before them. Of the two seraphim, one stands at the right hand of the holy blessed God, and one stands at the left, and each has six wings; with two they cover their face, lest they should see the face of the shechina; with two they cover their feet, lest they should find out the footstool of the shechina; and with two they fly, and sanctify his great name. And they answer each other, saying Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory- And the living creatures stand near his glory, yet they do not know the place of his glory: but wheresoever his glory is, they cry out, and say, Blessed be the glory of the Lord in his place.’” (Clarke, 1831, p. II 940)
 

^vi For Clarke the Catholic Church is the antichrist; this is part of his commentary on 13:11:
“That the Romish hierarchy has had the extensive power here spoken of, is evident from history: for the civil power was in subjection to the ecclesiastical. The parochial clergy, one of the horns of the second beast, have had great secular jurisdiction over the whole Latin world. Two-thirds of the estates of Germany were given by the three Othos, who succeeded each other, to ecclesiastics; and in the other Latin monarchies the parochial clergy possessed great temporal power. Yet, extraordinary as the power of the secular clergy was in all parts of the Latin world, it was but feeble when compared with that of the monastic orders, which constituted another horn of the beast. The Mendicant Friars, the most considerable of the regular clergy, first made their appearance in the early part of the thirteenth century. These friars were divided by Gregory X, in a general council which he assembled at Lyons in 1272, into the four following societies or denominations, viz. the Dominicans, the Franciscans, the Carmelites, and the Hermits of St. Augustine. ‘As the pontiffs,’ observes Mosheim, ‘allowed these four mendicant orders the liberty of travelling wherever they thought proper, of conversing with persons of all ranks, of instructing the youth and the multitude wherever they went; and as these monks exhibited, in their outward appearance and manner of life, more striking marks of gravity and holiness than were observable in the other monastic societies, they arose all at once to the very summit of fame, and were regarded with the utmost esteem and veneration throughout all the countries of Europe. The enthusiastic attachment to these sanctimonious beggars went so far, that, as we learn from the most authentic records, several cities were divided, or cantoned out, into four parts, with a view to these four orders; the first part was assigned to the Dominicans, the second to the Franciscans, the third to the Carmelites, and the fourth to the Augustinians.… The Dominicans and Franciscans were, before the Reformation, what the Jesuits have been since that happy and glorious period, the very soul of the hierarchy, the engines of state, the secret springs of all the motions of the one and the other, and the authors and directors of every great and important event in the religious and political world’” (Clarke, 1831, p. II pp. 969-970)
 

^vii “This seems to be almost literally taken from the Jerusalem Targum, and that of Jonathan ben Uzziel, on Numb.” [Numbers] “xi. 26. I shall give the words at length: ‘And there were two men left in the camp, the name of the one was Eldad, the name of the other was Medad; and on them the spirit of prophecy rested. … they both prophesied together, and said, “In the very end of time Gog and Magog and their army shall come up against Jerusalem; and they shall fall by the hand of the king Messiah; and for seven whole years shall the children of Israel light their fires with the wood of their warlike engines; and they shall not go to the wood nor cut down any tree.”’ In the Targum of Jonathan ben Uzziel, on the same place, the same account is given; only the latter part, that is, the conjoint prophecy of Eldad and Medad, is given more circumstantially; thus – ‘And they both prophesied together, and said, “Behold, a king shall come up from the land of Magog, in the last days, and shall gather the kings together, and leaders clothed with armour, and all people shall obey them; and they shall wage war in the land of Israel, against the children of the captivity: but the hour of lamentation has been long prepared for them, for they shall be slain by the flame of fire which shall proceed from under the throne of glory, and their dead carcasses shall fall on the mountains of the land of Israel; and all the wild beasts of the field, and the wild fowl of heaven, shall come and devour their carcasses; and afterward all the dead of Israel shall rise again to life, and shall enjoy the delights prepared for them from the beginning”’” (Clarke, 1831, p. II 1003)
 

I finished reading the Bible in Hebrew on the Sabbath at 8:53 a.m., October 17th, 2009, a project I began sometime in 1998. Eleven years of daily reading, with three dictionaries, three commentaries, and the occasional call to Mom when those resources failed me. I am holier than thou.
 

Update: today, 1/29/2019 I completed proofing the New Testament for publishing.
 

Update: today, 1/29/2023 I completed proofing the New Testament for publishing AGAIN on Blogspot and Reddit r/bibleexegesis, so 25 years so far.
 
Update: today, 11/15/2023 I completed proofing the New Testament for publishing AGAIN on Blogspot and Reddit r/bibleexegesis and r/biblestudy, so nearly 26 years so far.
 

An Amateur's Journey Through the Bible

REVELATION
 
Chapter Nineteen יט
(https://esv.literalword.com/?q=Revelation+19)

-1. After that [אחרי כן, ’ahHahRaY KhayN] I heard a voice great as voice [of] a throng [המון, HahMON] multitudinous in skies, say:
 

“Praise YHVH [Hallelujah]! The salvation and the honor and the bravery to our Gods,

-2. for true and righteous [are] his judgments,

for he judged [את, ’ehTh (indicator of direct object; no English equivalent)] the dicker the great,

that corrupted [השחיתה, HeeShHeeYThaH] [את, ’ehTh] the land in her dicking,

and avenged [ונקם, VeNahQahM] [את, ’ehTh] blood [of] his slaves from her hand.”
 

“The first word, Hallelujah (Alleluia - KJV [King James Version]), is the Hebrew for ‘Praise ye the Lord,’ and in the N.T. [New Testament] is found only here and in vss. [verses] 3, 4, and 6, with a Greek translation in vs. [verse] 5.” (Rist, 1957, TIB p. XII 506)

“It is worthy of remark, that the Indians of North America have the same word in their religious worship, and use it in the same sense. ‘In their places of worship, or beloved square, they dance sometimes for a whole night, always in a bowing posture, and frequently singing, halleluyah, Ye ho wah; praise ye Yah, Ye ho vah:’ probably the true pronunciation of the Hebrew יהוה which we call Jehovah.” (Clarke, 1831, p. II 997)

...
 

………………………………………………………..

The ride [הרוכב, HahROKhahB] upon the horse the white

[verses 11 to end of chapter]

....
 

Chapter Twenty כ
(https://esv.literalword.com/?q=Revelation+20)

Thousand the years

[verses 1-6]

-1. I saw an angel descend from the skies,

and in his hand a key [to] the abyss [התהום, HahThahHOM] and a chain [ושרשרת, VeShahRShehRehTh] great.

-2. He caught [תפש, ThahPhahS] the dragon, the snake the original [הקדמוני, HahQahDMONeeY],

that he [was] the slanderer [המלשין, HahMahLSheeYN] and the adversary [SahTahN, “The adversary”, Satan],

and bound [וקשר, VeQahShahR] him to a thousand years.

-3. He sent forth him unto the abyss, and closed the seal upon him,

so [כדי, KeDaY] that he could not err [any]more [את, ’ehTh] the nations until [the] completion [תם, ThoM] [of] thousand the years,

after which [כן, KhayN] [will] need that be released [שיתר, ShehYooThahR], he, to time little.
 

“This brief but significant episode, like the expulsion of Satan from heaven, has a mythological base. Reference has previously been made to the cosmological myth of the conflict between the god Marduk and Tiâmat, the monster of chaos (cf. [compare with] 12:7), as well as to the ancient account of the struggle between the serpentine leviathan and the gods (cf. 12:3). We may also recall that after Horus had overcome the evil Set-Typhon, for some reason Isis relented and ordered him released. To turn to a Jewish source, in I Enoch 10: 4-6 and 54: 5-6 the fallen angels are to bound until the Day of Judgment, a view that is repeated in Jude 6.

But none of these is a true parallel. Perhaps the closest analogy is to be found in the Iranian eschatological story of the demonic Azhi Dahaka, with two serpent heads growing out between his shoulders, who traced his lineage to Ahriman. His thousand years of evil rule over the earth ended when Fredun overcame him and chained him beneath Mount Damavand, since he was not able to put him to death. At the end of the world, however, he will be released, only to be put to death finally by Sama, who will be miraculously restored for this purpose (cf. Bundahish 29:7-9; 31:7; Bahman Yat 3:58-62; 9:7-8). In a similar fashion the power that Satan exercised over the world was checked when he was bound and imprisoned in the bottomless pit.” (Rist, 1957, TIB p. XII 518)

“Were I to give a collection of the conceits of the primitive fathers on this subject, my readers would have little reason to applaud my pain.” (Clarke, 1831, p. II 1001)

-4. I saw chairs; were seated [התישבו, HeeThYahShBOo] upon them, and judgment was given in their hands,

and [the] souls [of] the beheaded [הנערפים, HahNehehRahPheeYM*] upon testimony [עדות, *ayDOoTh] [of] YayShOo'ah ["Savior", Jesus] and upon [the] word [of] Gods,

and those that [did] not worship to [the] beast and to her image and [did] not receive [את, ’ehTh] the mark upon their foreheads [מצחותיהם, MeeTsHOThaYHeM] and upon their hands –

[these] lived and kinged with the Anointed a thousand years.
 

“There is something like this in the Republic of Plato, book x. p. 322. Edit. Bip. where, speaking of Erus, the son of Armenius, who came to life after having been dead twelve days; who described the states of departed souls; and asserted; ‘that some were obliged to make a long peregrination under the earth, before they arose to a state of happiness, ειναι δε την πορειαν χιλιετη, [einai de ten poreian khiliete] for it was a journey of a thousand years’; he adds, ‘that as the life of man is rated at a hundred years, those who have been wicked suffer in the other world a tenfold punishment; and, therefore, their punishment lasts a thousand years.’ Ibid.” (Clarke, 1831, p. II 1002)

“The doctrine itself [of the millennium] is an outgrowth of the prophetic view of the day of the Lord, when the enemies of the Jews would be defeated and the righteous theocracy Israel as God’s people would be re-established here on earth in this present age of human history, a belief that developed into the expectation of the kingdom of God… It cannot be emphasized too strongly that despite variations, the beliefs in the day of the Lord, the kingdom of God, or the messianic period were all this-worldly, attaching to this present age. They were based on the fundamentally optimistic view that this world and age, despite the evil could and would be improved so that God’s reign would be actually realized in it.

Apocalypticism, however, is basically belief in two totally distinct and different ages: this present age is temporal and irretrievably evil because it is under the control of the author of evil; whereas the new age will be eternal and perfectly righteous because it would be under the direct governance of God.” (Rist, 1957, TIB p. XII 519)

…
 

………………………………………………………..

Fall of the Adversary

[verses 7-10]

-7. After [the] completion [כלות, KahLOoTh] [of] thousand the years, is released [יתר, YooThahR], the adversary from his imprisonment [מכלאו, MeeKeeL’O],

-8. and he goes out to err [את, ’ehTh] the nations in four ends [of] the land, [את, ’ehTh] GOG [Gog] and MahGOG [Magog]^vii, to gather them to war,

and their count [is] as sand [of] the sea.
 

“This episode of Gog and Magog is based upon a popular saga that makes its earliest known appearance in a strange prophecy in Ezek. [Ezekiel] 39-39. According to it, God will entice Gog of the land of Magog to attack and plunder the seemingly defenseless Israelites dwelling in their cities in peace and prosperity. Gog with his armies will come upon the mountains of Israel and cover the land like a cloud. But God in his wrath against these heathen people will destroy them with hailstones, fire, and brimstone. Birds and wild beasts will gorge themselves on the flesh of the slain, and their bones will be buried east of the Jordan so that the Holy Land may not be defiled.

This prediction, frequently with Gog of Magog changed to Gog and Magog and at times without these mouth-filling names, was soon adapted, with variations, to messianic and apocalyptic expectations (cf. Strack and Billerbeck)…

This gathering of the nations quite obviously overlooks their previous destruction by Christ, along with the two beasts preceding the millennium (cf. 19: 11-21).” (Rist, 1957, TIB pp. XII 521-522)

…
 

………………………………………………………..

The judgment the last

[verses 11 to end of chapter]

...

-12. And I saw [את, ’ehTh] the dead, the little and the great, standing before the chair,

and the accounts were opened.

Also an account other was opened, [the] account [of] the living.

And the dead were judged from within the words the written in [the] accounts according to their deeds.
 

-13. The Sea gave [את, ’ehTh] the dead that [were] in him,
Death and She’OL [Sheol, Hades] gave [את, ’ehTh] their dead,

and man man [each] was judged according to their deeds.
 

“This second or general resurrection is apparently physical, i.e. [in other words], the souls of both the righteous and the wicked which went to Hades (Sheol) at death are now reunited with their earthly bodies. This seems to be implied by the statement that the sea, which inconsistently remains even though the earth is gone, gave up those that had been drowned. Also, it may be inferred that without a physical body the saved could not enjoy the blessing of eternal life on earth nor could the wicked be suitably punished in the fiery lake.

Orthodox, i.e., rabbinical Jewish teaching of the time insisted upon the physical resurrection as certain (cf. Berakoth 60^b and the parable in Sanhedrin 91^a), a belief that had earlier been acquired from Persian eschatology. The Greeks, on the other hand, frequently considered the body as thoroughly evil, as the prison of the soul; consequently for them immortality consisted of the complete liberation of the soul from the corrupting body of flesh. Paul, both a Jew and a Hellenist, attempted a compromise, according to which there would be a body at the resurrection but it would be a spiritual body, not the physical, for ‘flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God’ (I Cor., [Corinthians] 15:50).” (Rist, 1957, TIB pp. XII 524-525)

-14. The Death and the She’OL were sent forth unto [the] lake [אגם, ’ahGahM] the fire.

This is the death the second – [the] lake the fire.
 

“Inasmuch as they were not humans and consequently had not died, this description is hardly logical. On that account, some propose that it is an interpolation, or else displaced material which belongs after vs. 15; but these suggestions do not seem necessary, since lack of precise and logical statement is characteristic of the writer.” (Rist, 1957, TIB p. XII 527)

-15. And who was not found written in [the] account [of] the lives was sent forth unto [the] lake the fire.
 

“The image of the book of life is an attempt to explain why some turn to the true God and some do not. This image of election and nonelection is placed side by side with the image of human responsibility (the books in which deeds are recorded). No contradiction is perceived between them.” (Collins, 1990 TNJBC, p. 1015)

“A somewhat different concept of the ultimate fate of the unrighteous is presented in Zoroastrian eschatology. Upon their death their souls go to hell, where they are punished, while those of the righteous go to heaven to await the resurrection. After the general resurrection all are to walk through a stream of white-hot molten metal. To the righteous this will be like warm milk, but to the wicked it will be a terrible ordeal, which, however will purify them of all their sins so that everyone will enjoy the new age. John would not have approved of this view of ultimate universal redemption.” (Rist, 1957, TIB pp. XII 527-528)

END NOTES
 

^vii “This seems to be almost literally taken from the Jerusalem Targum, and that of Jonathan ben Uzziel, on Numb. [Numbers] xi. 26. I shall give the words at length: ‘And there were two men left in the camp, the name of the one was Eldad, the name of the other was Medad; and on them the spirit of prophecy rested. … they both prophesied together, and said, “In the very end of time Gog and Magog and their army shall come up against Jerusalem; and they shall fall by the hand of the king Messiah; and for seven whole years shall the children of Israel light their fires with the wood of their warlike engines; and they shall not go to the wood nor cut down any tree.”’ In the Targum of Jonathan ben Uzziel, on the same place, the same account is given; only the latter part, that is, the conjoint prophecy of Eldad and Medad, is given more circumstantially; thus – ‘And they both prophesied together, and said, “Behold, a king shall come up from the land of Magog, in the last days, and shall gather the kings together, and leaders clothed with armour, and all people shall obey them; and they shall wage war in the land of Israel, against the children of the captivity: but the hour of lamentation has been long prepared for them, for they shall be slain by the flame of fire which shall proceed from under the throne of glory, and their dead carcasses shall fall on the mountains of the land of Israel; and all the wild beasts of the field, and the wild fowl of heaven, shall come and devour their carcasses; and afterward all the dead of Israel shall rise again to life, and shall enjoy the delights prepared for them from the beginning”’” (Clarke, 1831, p. II 1003)

 
An Amateur's Journey Through the Bible

REVELATION
 
Chapter Seventeen יז – The dicker the great and the beast
(https://esv.literalword.com/?q=Revelation+17)
 

-1. One from seven the angels, carriers of seven the basins, came and worded with me,

“Come”, he said, “I will show to you [את, ’ehTh (indicator of direct object; no English equivalent)] judgment [of] the dicker [הזונה, HahZONaH] the great, the sitter upon waters multitudinous,
 

-2. that kings of the land dicked [זנו, ZahNOo] with her, and dwellers of the land got drunk [השתכרו, HeeShThahKROo] from wine [of] her dicking [תזנותה, ThahZNOoThaH].”
 

-3. He carried me to [the] desert in wind,

and I saw a woman sitting upon a beast red as scarlet [כשני, KeShahNeeY],

and the beast full [of] names revileous [גדופים, GeeDOoPheeYM],

and mistress of seven heads and ten horns.

…

-6. I saw [את, ’ehTh] the woman drunk [שכורה, SheeKORaH] from blood [of] the saints and from blood [of] witnesses of YayShOo`ah ["Savior", Jesus].

As I saw her, I was astonished [השתתוממתי, HeeShThOMahMTheeY] astonishment [שמה, ShahMaH] great.

Asked me, the angel,

“Why are you amazed [השתוממת, HeeShThOMahMThah]?

I will tell to you [את, ’ehTh] secret [of] the woman and the beast the carryings her,

that to her are the seven heads and ten horns.
 

“But the angelic interpretation… is actually more perplexing than the scene which had mystified John.” (Rist, 1957, TIB p. XII 492)

…

-16. “Ten the horns that you saw, and the beast – they [הללו, HahLahLOo] hate [ישנאו, YeeSNe’Oo] [את, ’ehTh] the dicker,

and they make her [ויעשוה, VeYah`ahSOoHah] desolate [שוממה, ShOMahMaH] and naked,

also they ate [יאכלו, Yo’KhLOo] [את, ’ehTh] her flesh,

and her they burned [ישרפו, YeeSRePhOo] in fire,

-17. for Gods gave in their hearts bring out to labor [את, ’ehTh] His intention.”
 
 

Chapter Eighteen יח – Fall of BahB-ehL [בבל, “Gate [of] God”, Babylon]
(https://esv.literalword.com/?q=Revelation+18)
 
…

-21. And an angel, a strong one, lifted [הרים, HayReeYM] a stone as a stone [for] milling [ריחים, RaYHahYeeM] great,

and sent forth it to [the] sea, in his saying:

“Thus [ככה, KahKhaH] you will be sent forth [תשלך, ThooShLahKh] in a flood [בשתף, BeShehThehPh], BahB-ehL the city the great,

and not be found [תמצא, TheeMahTsay’] [any]more.
 

-22. Notes of [צלילי, TsLeeYLaY] strummers of [פורטי, PORTaY] lyre [נבל, NayBehL],

notes of players [נוגנים, NOGNeeYM] and flautists of [ומחללי, OoMeHahLeLaY] flutes,

and notes of blowers [תוקעים, ThOQ`eeYM] in trumpets [בחצוצרות, BahHahTsOTsROTh]

not will be heard in you [any]more.
 

And any [כל, KahL] craftsman [אמן, ’ooMahN] from all [the] crafts not will be found in you [any]more,

and not will be heard [any]more in your midst [בקרבך, BeQeeRBayKh] voice of millstones.

-23. Light from a lamp will not light in you [any]more.

And voice [of] bridegroom [חתן, HahThahN] and bride [וכלה, VeKhahLaH] not will be heard in you [any]more.
 

For your merchants [סוחריך, ÇOHRaYKh] were honored of the land,

and in your sorceries [ובכשופיך, OoBeKeeShOoPhahYeeKh] were erred [התעו, HooTh`Oo] all the nations.

-24. In her was found blood [of] prophets and saints,

and blood [of] all that were slaughtered [נטבחו, NeeTBahHOo] upon [the] land.”
 

“The threnody^5 of the angelic counterpart of Seraiah which is contained in vss. [verses] 21b-24 is one of the finest examples of poetic writing in Revelation.” (Rist, 1957, TIB p. XII 504)

FOOTNOTES
 

^5 thren·o·dy A poem or song of mourning or lamentation. [Greek, song; see ode.]
 
An Amateur's Journey Through the Bible

REVELATION
 
Chapter Fourteen יד – Seven Visions (https://esv.literalword.com/?q=Revelation+14)
 

The song the new of the redeemed [הפדויים, HahPeeDOoYeeYM*]

[verses 1-5]

-1. I saw, and behold, the lamb standing upon Mount TseeYON [Zion],

and with him a hundred and forty and four thousand,

that his name and name [of] his father [were] written upon their foreheads [מצחותיהם, MeeTsHOThaYHeM].

…

-3. They sang a song new before the chair and before four the beasts and the elders,

and has not man ability to learn [את, ’ehTh (indicator of direct object; no English equivalent)] the song except [זולתי, ZOoLahTheeY] a hundred and forty and four thousand, the redeemed from the land.

-4. These [were] they that [were] not polluted [נטמאו, NeeTMah’Oo] in women [נשים, NahSheeYM], for virgins [בתולים, BeThOoLeeYM] they [הם, HayM] [were].

These [were] they, the walkers after the lamb to all that he walked.

These [were] redeemed from sons of ’ahDahM ["man", Adam], first born to Gods and to [the] lamb.

-5. Deceit [מרמה, MeeRMaH] is not found in their mouth,

clean are they from blemish.
 

“This motif of defilement also serves to contrast the 144,000 with the Watchers. The Watchers are angels who descended or fell to earth, a change of status associated with sexual intercourse. The 144,000 are humans who are exalted to heavenly status, a transition associated with continence. The Watchers are said to have defiled themselves with women (1Enoch 7:1; 9:8; 15:1-7). (Collins, 1990,  TNJBC p. 1010)

………………………………………………………..

The tiding of three the angels

[verses 6-13]

…

-9. An angel other, [the] third, came after them and called in voice great:
 

“Every the worshiper to [the] beast and to her image,

and receives a mark upon his forehead or upon his hand,

-10. also he will drink from wine [of] wrath [חרון, HahRON] [of] Gods,

the decanted [מצוג, MahTsOoG] in[to] [the] cup [of] his fury [זעמו, Zah`eMO],

and it has not been diluted [מהול, MahHOoL],

and he will be tortured [ויענה, VeeY`ooNeH] in fire and brimstone [וגפרית, VeGahPhReeYTh]

before the angels, the sanctified, and before the lamb.
 

“A somewhat different concept is presented in I Enoch 48:9, for according to this passage, one of the privileges of the elect will be to witness the fiery tortures of the damned in Gehenna.” (Rist, 1957, TIB p. XII 472)

-11. “Smoke [of] their anguish [ענוים, `eeNOoYahM] will ascend to worlds of worlds,

and not will there be to them respite [מנוחה, MeNOoHaH] day and night to worshippers to [the] beast and to her image, and to who that receives [את, ’ehTh] mark [of] her name.”
 

“…largely a catena of O.T. [Old Testament, the Hebrew Bible] phrases and recollections.” (Rist, 1957, TIB p. XII 472)

...

-13. I heard a voice from the skies say,

“Write: ‘Fortunate are the dead that die in [the] Lord from now [מעתה, May`ahThaH] [on].’” …
 

“These are the only glorious dead. They die, not in the field of battle, in either what are lawful or, unlawful wars against their fellow men.” (Clarke, 1831, p. II 978)

………………………………………………………..

Harvester [קציר, QahTseeYR] [of] the land

[verses 14 to end of chapter]

-14. I saw, and behold a cloud white,

and upon the cloud sat [one] as similar [to a] son [of] ’ahDahM,

a crown [עטרת, `ahTehRehTh] gold upon his head, and a sickle [ומגל, OoMahGahL] sharp in his hand.
 

-15. And an angel other went out from the temple

calling in voice great unto the sitter upon the cloud:

“Send forth [את, ’ehTh] your sickle and harvest,

for come has the hour to harvest,

for dry is [the] harvest [of] the land.”
 

“It seems somewhat strange that the angel should give orders to the heavenly Christ to begin his punitive work of harvest, until we realize that he is merely a messenger bringing a command from God himself, who is in his temple. This is quite in harmony with the statement in Matt. [Matthew] 24:36 that no one, not even the angels nor the Son, knows the day or the hour of the end, save the Father himself.” (Rist, 1957, TIB p. XII 475)

…

-18. An angel other, that to him was the rule [ השלטון, HahSheeLTON] upon the fire,

went out from the altar and in voice great called unto the holder [האחוז, Hah’OHayZ] [of] [את, ’ehTh] the sickle the sharp, and said:

“Send forth [את, ’ehTh] your sickle the sharp [חדה, HahDaH] and crop [ובצר, OoBeTsoR] [את, ’ehTh] clusters [אשכלות, ’ehShKoLOTh] vine [גפן, GehPhehN] [of] the land, for ripened [בשלו, BahShLOo], her grapes.”
 

-19. Swung [הטיל, HahTeeYL], the angel, [את, ’ehTh] his sickle unto the earth,

cropped [בצר, BahTsahR] [את, ’ehTh] vine [of] the land,

and [it] was sent forth [והשליך, VeHeeShLeeYKh] unto the winepress [הגת, HahGahTh] great of [the] wrath [of] the Gods.
 

“According to the angelology of the time, angels presided over the various forces of nature. The angels of the four winds appeared in 7:1; the angel of the water will make his entrance in 16:5. It was but natural that there should be an angel of fire. The Zoroastrians considered the archangel Ash Vahishta as the guardian of the fire. In Jubilees 2:2 the angels ‘of the spirit of fire’ are among those in charge of the natural elements. In the O.T. the cherub who took fire from the wheels of God’s chariot-throne in Ezek. [Ezekiel] 10:7 may be comparable to an angel of fire.” (Rist, 1957, TIB p. XII 476)

-20. The winepress was trampled [נדרכה, NeeDRahKhaH] from out to [the] city,

and the blood went out from the winepress until reins of [רסני, ReeÇNaY] the horses to a distance of three hundred kilometer[s].
 
An Amateur's Journey Through the Bible

REVELATION
 
Chapter 13 יג – Two the beasts (https://esv.literalword.com/?q=Revelation+12)
 

-1. I saw a beast ascend from the sea, that [had] ten horns to her, and seven heads. Upon her horns ten crowns, and upon her heads names blasphemous.
 

“…symbolic of the Roman emperors, an identification which is made specific in 17:10.” (Rist, 1957, TIB p. XII 460)

-2. And the beast that I saw was similar to a leopard [לנמר, LeNahMayR]:

her legs [were] as legs of a bear, and her mouth as mouth [of] a lion.
 

“…it combines features of the four beasts of Dan. [Daniel] 7. The author of Daniel writes that he saw four beasts coming out of the sea: the first was like a lion; the second like a bear; the third like a four-headed leopard; and the fourth a terrible, fierce beast with ten horns. Three of these horns were plucked out, and a little horn with eyes like a man, and speaking great things, took its place. This little horn made war on the saints (Dan. 7:21; cf. [compare with] 7:8 LXX [the Septuagint, the ancient Greek translation off the Hebrew Bible). These four beasts represent respectively the kingdoms of Babylon, Media, Persia, and the Greco-Syrian Empire. The little horn is Antiochus IV, whose surname, Epiphanes (God manifest), was blasphemous according to Jewish standards. It was he who persecuted the Jews, precipitating the Maccabean revolt and occasioning the writing of Daniel. The death of the persecutor and the end of this evil age were promised after three and a half years of persecution. The apocalyptic prediction of Daniel was not fulfilled, for obviously the age of human history was not terminated: but Antiochus did die soon afterward, and the Jews gained their independence and re-established the theocracy.

However, in 63 B.C. they were conquered by the Romans under Pompey. As a result, the fourth beast of Daniel was reinterpreted to apply to Rome, or its ruler, or both. This identification is explicitly made in the Talmudic treatise Abodah Zarah [“Slavery (Worship) Foreign”] 2b (cf. II Esdras 12:11).” (Rist, 1957, TIB p. XII 460)

And the dragon gave to her [את, ’ehTh (indictor of direct object; no English equivalent)] his energy and [את, ’ehTh] his chair and authority multitudinous.
 

“…signifying that the beast is satanic in character, is almost Satan incarnate. This is possibly a satire on the Roman belief that the empire and the emperors were divine in origin and character. This view differs greatly from that expressed by Paul, who wrote to the church at Rome that the empire is of God and those in office are God’s ministers (Rom. [Romans] 13:1-7). For Paul the empire and its rulers are inherently good, though not divine, because they are under the direct control of God himself, not of Satan, as in Revelation. Similarly, I Peter, like Revelation written in a time of persecution, probably during Trajan’s reign a few years later, commends the Christians for the Lord’s sake to be subject to the emperor and his governors; they are to fear God and honor the emperor (I Pet. [Peter] 2:13-16). However, for John there is nothing good about either the empire or the emperors; the rulers are not ordained by God, but are the agents of Satan himself, who has invested them with his own authority.” (Rist, 1957, TIB p. XII 461)

…

-11. I saw a beast other ascend from the land.

There were to her two horns, similar to horns of a lamb,

and she worded as ThahNeeYN [Dragon].

-12. [את, ’ehTh] authority [of] the beast the first she brought out [מוציאה, MOTseeY’aH] unto the labor [הפעל, HahPo`ahL] before her,

and compelled [ומאלצת, OoMe’ahLehTsehTh] [את, ’ehTh] the land and her settlers to worship to beast the first,

that [the] smite [מכה, MahKaH] the death that to her be healed.
 

“This may be a survival of a tradition preserved in II Baruch 29:4 and II Esdras 6:49-52 of two beasts, one, Leviathan, from the sea, and the other Behemoth, from the earth.”^vi (Rist, 1957, TIB p. XII 463)

…

-14. And she erred [ומתעה, OoMahTh`aH] [את, ’ehTh] settlers of the land

upon hand of the signs that [were] given her to do to presence [לנכח, LeNoKhahH] [of] the beast, in her saying to settlers of the land to make an image to [the] beast that she smote [הכתה, HooKThaH] a smite [by] sword and lived.

-15. Also was give her to give spirit to [the] image [of the] beast, in such a way [באפן, Be’oPhehN] that [the] image of the beast also would word [ידבר, YeeDahBayR],

and even caused [יגרם, YeeGRoM], thereby [לכך, LeKhahKh], that died all that had not worshipped to [the] image [of] the beast.
 

“This, of course, was the crux of the entire situation for the Christians: there were but two alternatives, one was to deny Christ and worship the emperor, the other was to confess Christ and refuse to worship the ruler.” (Rist, 1957, TIB p. XII 465)

-16. And she caused [גורמה, GORehMehTh] to thus:

that the all, the small and the great, the fortunate and the poor, the free and the slaves,

put to them a mark [תו, ThahV] upon hand their right or upon their forehead [מצחם, MeeTsHahM],

-17. so [כדי, KeDaY] that not be able a man to buy or to sell - except [אלה, ’ehLaH] who that has to him the mark, name [of] the beast, or count [of] her name.

-18. In that [is] the wisdom: who that understanding [שבינה, ShehBeeYNaH] [is] to him, will think, if you please:

[את, ’ehTh] count [of] the beast, for the count [of] ’ahDahM ["man", Adam] is he,

and his count [is] six hundred and sixty and six.

“…it will be evident that what is intended by 666 is, that the Greek name of the beast (for it was in the Greek language that Jesus Christ communicated his Revelation to St. John) contains this number. Many names have been proposed from time to time, as applicable to the beast, and at the same time containing 666. We will only notice one example, viz. [namely] that famous one of Irenᴂus, which has been approved of by almost all commentators who have given any sort of tolerable exposition of the Revelation. The word alluded to is Λατεινος [Lateinos], the letters of which have the following numerical values – λ 30, α 1, τ 300, ε 5, ι 10, ν 50, ο 70, σ 200; and if these be added together, the sum will be found to be equivalent to the number of the beast. This word was applied by Irenᴂus, who lived in the second century, to the then existing Roman empire; ‘for,’ says he, ‘they are Latins who now reign.’” (Clarke, 1831, p. II 974)

“The connection of the beast with Nero redivivus has led others to find the solution in his name. This may be done by transliterating the Greek Νερον Καισαρ (Neron Caesar) into Hebrew letters and giving them their numerical equivalents in the following manner: (200)ו+(60)ס+(100)ק+(50)ן+(6)ו+(200)ר+(50)נ. These sums, when added up, total 666…

If this identification is correct, it fits very well into the practically certain belief that the beast is closely related to the satanic Nero, returned to life…

With the appearance of these two beasts in ch. [chapter] 13, the leading characters of the apocalyptic drama have now come on the stage, save for the scarlet woman, the bride of Christ, and Gog and Magog, who make their entrance later. On the one side, the evil side, are Satan, the beasts representing the demonic Roman emperors and the Antichrist, the angels of Satan, the pagans who are generally grouped as enemies and persecutors of the Christians, as well as Jews and apostate Christians, who are also on Satan’s side. On the other, the good side, are God, Christ, the archangels and angels, the two heavenly witnesses, the four living creatures, the twenty-four elders, and the faithful Christians, especially the martyrs.” (Rist, 1957, TIB pp. XII 466-467)

END NOTES
 

^v For Clarke the Catholic Church is the antichrist; this is part of his commentary on 13:11:
 

“That the Romish hierarchy has had the extensive power here spoken of, is evident from history: for the civil power was in subjection to the ecclesiastical. The parochial clergy, one of the horns of the second beast, have had great secular jurisdiction over the whole Latin world. Two-thirds of the estates of Germany were given by the three Othos, who succeeded each other, to ecclesiastics; and in the other Latin monarchies the parochial clergy possessed great temporal power. Yet, extraordinary as the power of the secular clergy was in all parts of the Latin world, it was but feeble when compared with that of the monastic orders, which constituted another horn of the beast. The Mendicant Friars, the most considerable of the regular clergy, first made their appearance in the early part of the thirteenth century. These friars were divided by Gregory X, in a general council which he assembled at Lyons in 1272, into the four following societies or denomination, viz. the Dominicans, the Franciscans, the Carmelites, and the Hermits of St. Augustine. ‘As the pontiffs,’ observes Mosheim, ‘allowed these four mendicant orders the liberty of travelling wherever they thought proper, of conversing with persons of all ranks, of instructing the youth and the multitude wherever they went; and as these monks exhibited, in their outward appearance and manner of life, more striking marks of gravity and holiness than were observable in the other monastic societies, they arose all at once to the very summit of fame, and were regarded with the utmost esteem and veneration throughout all the countries of Europe. The enthusiastic attachment to these sanctimonious beggars went so far, that, as we learn from the most authentic records, several cities were divided, or cantoned out, into four parts, with a view to these four orders; the first part was assigned to the Dominicans, the second to the Franciscans, the third to the Carmelites, and the fourth to the Augustinians.… The Dominicans and Franciscans were, before the Reformation, what the Jesuits have been since that happy and glorious period, the very soul of the hierarchy, the engines of state, the secret springs of all the motions of the one and the other, and the authors and directors of every great and important event in the religious and political world’” (Clarke, 1831, p. II pp. 969-970)

 
An Amateur's Journey Through the Bible

REVELATION
 
Chapter Twelve יב – The woman and the dragon [והתנין, VeHahThahNeeYN]

(https://esv.literalword.com/?q=Revelation+12)
 

Seven visions of the dragon’s kingdom

-1. A sign great was seen in skies:

a woman that the sun clothed her [לבושה, LeBOoShaH],

the moon under her legs,

and upon her head a crown of twelve stars.
 

-2. Pregnant, she, and screaming [וזועקת, VeZO`ehQehTh] from pangs and anguishes of [וצירי, VeTseeYRaY] birthing [לדה, LayDaH].
 

-3. Also a sign other was seen in skies:

and behold a dragon great, red as fire;

seven heads to him, and ten horns;

upon his heads seven crowns [כתרים, KeThahReeYM].
 

-4. And his tail [וזנבו, OoZahNahBO] dragged [סחב, ÇahHahB] a third from stars of the skies and sent forth them landward.

And the dragon stood to face the woman, the approached to birthe,

in order to swallow [לבלע, LeeBLo`ah] [את, ’ehTh] her son in time the birth.
 

-5. To after that she birthed a son male, that future [was] to shepherd [לרעות, LeeRah`OTh] [את, ’ehTh] all the nations in staff [בשבט, BeShayBehT] iron,

was snatched away [נחטף, NehHTahPh], her son, unto the Gods and unto his chair.
 

-6. And the woman ran away [ברחה, BRahHah] to [the] desert, that there [was] prepared [הוכן, HOoKhahN] to her a place from the Gods,

in order that they nourish her [שיכלכלוה, ShehYeKhahLKeLOoHah] there a thousand and two hundred and sixty day[s].
 

“It has long been recognized that this scene, which is not derived from any known Jewish source, must be based upon a rather widespread myth of the divine child whose destruction is sought by those whose power he threatens, this myth being coupled with some astral speculation. The Greek story of the birth of Apollo has been cited in this connection, although it has few astral features. The goddess Leto, with child by Zeus, was pursued by the dragon Python, who sought to kill her because of a prophecy that the child, if born, would live to vanquish him. However, at the order of Zeus, Boreas, the god of the North, took Leto to Poseidon, who provided her a refuge on an island where she gave birth to Apollo. The thwarted dragon withdrew to Parnassus, where four days later Apollo fulfilled the prediction and killed him.

A second myth, even closer since it combines the astral motif, is that of the birth of Horus. Isis, the Egyptian goddess, is identified with Virgo, a constellation of the zodiac. Her consort is Osiris, the sun god. Set-Typhon, frequently depicted as a red crocodile of the Nile, is identified with constellation hydra or Dragon. He kills Osiris, and then pursues Isis and her child Horus, the son of Osiris. They escape in a papyrus boat to an island; according to a variant account, Isis uses wings in her flight. Horus later avenges his father by vanquishing Set-Typhon, but Isis orders him released.

Some variation of this myth of the birth of the sacred babe interwoven with astrology lies at the base of John’s account. Since according to astral thinking everything occurring on earth has previously happened in heaven, this is not an allegorical depiction of the earthly birth of Jesus to Mary. Instead, it related the birth of the heavenly Messiah to a celestial mother, possibly before creation began.” (Rist, 1957, TIB pp. XII 452-453)

-7. And war was stirred up [התחוללה, HeeThHOLeLaH] in skies;

MeeYKhah-’ayL [“Who is Like God?”, Michael] and his angels warring [נלחמים, NeeLHahMeeYM] in [the] dragon, and [the] dragon warred and his angels.

-8. They did not prevail [התגברו, HeeThGahBROo], and also their place is not found [any]more in skies,

-9. so was sent forth, the dragon the great, the snake the primeval [הקדמוני, HahQahDMONeeY] the called Slanderer [מלשין, MahLSheeYN] and Adversary, the error [of] [את, *’ehTh(] all [the] world [תבל, ThayBayL]; he was sent forth earthward, and his angels were sent forth with him.
 

“…for the first time, the dragon is specifically identified as the Devil and Satan, the one who deceives the whole world. The first word is Διαβολος [diabolos], meaning ‘slanderer,’ regularly used in the LXX [the Septuagint, the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible] for the Hebrew Satan, which means ‘adversary’ or ‘accuser.’ In the O.T. [Old Testament, the Hebrew Bible] Satan is found as a proper name in but three Books, Zech. [Zechariah] 3:1; Job passim [“throughout”]; and I Chr. [Chronicles] 21:1. In the first two instances Satan is clearly subordinate to God, is, in fact, his agent; but in the third he acquires a limited independence of God and tempts David to take a census of the people. A later development in Judaism, which is most clearly marked in the apocalyptic writings, tended toward an increasing dualism in which Satan is the chief supernatural agent of evil, and is not only the deceiver, tempter, and enemy of men, but becomes the adversary and opponent of God as well. This may have been due to the influence of Persian theology, in which Ormazd and Ahriman were as much opposed to each other as light is to darkness. ... Outside the O.T., Satan is given a variety of names in Jewish and Christian sources, including Beliar or Belial, Azazel, Sammael, Mastema, Asmodeus, and Beelzebub or Beelzebul.” (Rist, 1957, TIB p. XII 457)

…
 
An Amateur's Journey Through the Bible

REVELATION
 
Chapter Eight ח
(https://esv.literalword.com/?q=Revelation+8)
 

The seal the seventh

[verses 1-5]

………………………………………………………..

The rams horns
[verses 6 to end of chapter]

…

-7. “The first blew in rams horn,

and behold, there followed [התהוו, HeeThHahVooOoo] hail and fire mixed [מערבים, Me`oRahBeeYM] in blood and were sent forth landward.

A third [of] the land was burned, a third [of] the trees were burned, and all green [ירק, YehRehQ] grass [עשב, `aySehB] was burned.”
 

“Many eminent men suppose that the irruption of the barbarous nations on the Roman frontier is here intended. It is easy to find coincidence, when fancy runs riot. Later writers might find here the irruptions of the Austrians, and British, and Prussians, Russians, and Cossacs, on the French empire!” (Clarke, 1831, p. II 949)

…
 

Chapter Nine
(https://esv.literalword.com/?q=Revelation+9)
 

-1. “The angel the fifth blew in a rams horn,

and I saw a star fall from the skies landward,

and was given to him a key [to] [the] pit [בור, BOR] [of] the abyss [התהום, HahThahHOM].”
 

“This bottomless pit or abyss is not Hades or Sheol, the temporary dwelling of the spirits of the dead. Neither is it the final and eternal punishment, which in Revelation is the lake of fire, the equivalent of Hell or Gehenna. It is, however under ground … and has a narrow shaft or opening with a lid or door that can be closed and locked.” (Rist, 1957, TIB p. XII 431)

…
 

Chapter Ten י – The Angel and the account the small
(https://esv.literalword.com/?q=Revelation+10)
 

…
 

Chapter Eleven יא
(https://esv.literalword.com/?q=Revelation+11)
 

Two the witnesses

[verses 1-14]

…
 

………………………………………………………..

The ram horn the seventh

[verses 15 to end of chapter]

…

-16. “Twenty and four the elders, the sitters upon their chairs to face the Gods,

fell upon their faces and worshipped to Gods, 17. in their saying:
 

‘Thankful are we to you, YHVH Armies, that is and was,

for you clothed your strength the great, and kinged.

-18. The nations raged [קצפו, QahTsPhOo],

and came your rage and time to judge the dead,

and to give reward [שכר, SahKhahR] to your slaves the prophets,

and to saints and to reverers of your name, to small and to great,

and to destroy [ולהשחית, OoLeHahShHeeYTh] [את, ’ehTh (indicator of direct object; no English equivalent)] destroyers of [משחיתי, MahShHeeYThaY] the land.’
 

“He is so certain that he stands on the very threshold of these eschatological events that he uses the past tense instead of the future – the ‘prophetic past,’ as it has been termed. Revelation as a whole is but an amplification of the two liturgical songs in this scene that follows the blowing of the seventh trumpet.” (Rist, 1957, TIB p. XII 451)

-19. “Then [אז, ’ahZ] was opened [נפתח, NeePhThahH] [the] temple [of] Gods in skies and [the] ark of his covenant was seen [נראה, NeeR’aH] in his temple.”
 

“The ark had long been lost, probably at the time of the capture of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. Certainly it was not in the second temple.” (Rist, 1957, TIB p. XII 451)

…
 

An Amateur's Journey Through the Bible

REVELATION
 
Chapter Five ה – The account the sealed, and the lamb [והסה, VeHahÇeH]
(https://esv.literalword.com/?q=Revelation+5)
 

…

-6. “And I saw, between the chair and four the beasts and between the elders, standing, a lamb, like a sacrifice [טבוח, TahBOo-ahH],

seven horns to him, and seven eyes –

that they [הן, HayN] [were] seven spirits [of] the Gods, the sent forth unto all the land.
 

“John considers that God’s miraculous deliverance of the Jews from their Egyptian oppressors after series of devastating plagues was the prophetic prototype of the coming liberation of the Christians, the new Israel, from their Roman persecutors, after a series of similar destructive woes. In addition, the Passover lamb, which was instrument in this deliverance, is considered as the archetype of Christ, through whose blood the Christians are to be saved. Paul had previously made this identification (I Cor. [Corinthians] 5:7), but failed to develop the idea.” (Rist, 1957, TIB p. XII 407)

“The imagery [of the seven eyes] was probably prompted by the seven eyes of Yahweh in Zech. [Zechariah] 4:10, ‘which run to and fro through the whole earth’ seeing everything that occurs.” (Rist, 1957, TIB p. XII 408)

…

-9. “And they sang a song new:
 

‘Worthy you are to take [את, ’ehTh (indicator of direct object; no English equivalent)] the account and to open [את, ’ehTh] its seals,

for you were slaughtered [נשחטת, NeeShHahTeThah],

and in your blood you acquired [קנית, QahNeeYThah] to God

from sons of every tribe and tongue,

from every people and country [ואמה, Ve’ooMaH]’…
 

“… no doubt a true description of the constituency of Christianity by the end of the first century, for by then it had ceased to be a Jewish movement and was largely composed of the heterogeneous peoples of the Roman Empire.” (Rist, 1957, TIB p. XII 409)

…

-13. “And every creature that [is] in skies and in land, and from under to land, and upon the sea, and all that [are] in them, I heard say:
 

‘To sitter upon the chair, and to lamb,

the blessing and the precious and the honor and the power [והעז, VeHah`oZ] to worlds of worlds.’”
 

“Now if Jesus Christ were not properly God, this would be idolatry; as it would be giving to the creature what belongs to the Creator.” (Clarke, 1831, p. II 942)

“Now follows the least intelligible parts of this mysterious book, on which so much has been written, and so much in vain.” (Clarke, 1831, pp. II 942-943)

 
...
 

Chapter Six ו - The seals
(https://esv.literalword.com/?q=Revelation+6)
 

…

-2. “I saw and beheld a horse, white;

and the sitter upon it carried a bow. …
 

“A weapon [bow] characteristic of Parthian armies; Parthia was the successor to the Persian empire… Parthia was Rome’s greatest rival in the East. Inhabitants of the eastern provinces, including some Jews, who were unhappy with Roman rule, looked to Parthia as a potential liberator. Chapter 17 suggests that John expected Parthia to invade and defeat Rome.” (Collins, 1990, TNJBC 1004-1005)

…

-9. “As that [כאשר, Kah’ahShehR] opened [את, ’ehTh the seal, the fifth,

I saw, from under to [the] altar, [את, ’ehTh] souls [of] the sacrificed [הטבוחים, HahTeBOoHeeYM] upon [the] word [of] the Gods, and upon the testimony, that they clung [שהחזיקו, ShehHehZeeQOo] in it.

-10. And they shouted in voice great,

‘Until when, my Lord the holy and true,

will you not judge and avenge [ותנקם, VeTheeNQoM] [את, ’ehTh] our blood from settlers of the land?’”
 

“This attitude, frequently encountered in the martyrologies and apologies, is quite different from that attributed to Jesus on the Cross, ‘Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do’ (Luke 23:34), or to Stephen as he was dying ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them’ Acts 7:60).” (Rist, 1957, TIB p. XII 415)

…
 

Chapter Seven
(https://esv.literalword.com/?q=Revelation+7)
 

The seals from sons of YeeSRah-’ayL

[verses 1-8]

-1. “After this [כן, KhayN] I saw four angels standing in four corners [of] the land

holding [אוחזים, ’OHahZeeYM] [את, ’ehTh] four winds [of] the land,

that not return, wind, upon the land, and not upon the sea, and not upon any tree.”
 

“Before the end of this age actually arrives, a great persecution will bring the number of the martyrs to the necessary total (cf. [compare with] 6:11). Consequently there is a cessation of woes until those who are to become martyrs are sealed. For this reason the four angels at the four corners of the earth hold back the four winds, causing a temporary pause in the infliction of plagues on the peoples of the world.

According to a cosmology probably derived from the Babylonians, the earth was considered to be a square, with an angelic watcher of each of the four winds stationed at each corner.” (Rist, 1957, TIB p. XII 417)

…
 

………………………………………………………..

The throng the multitudinous

[verses 9 to end of chapter]

...
 

An Amateur's Journey Through the Bible

REVELATION
 
Chapter Three ג
(https://esv.literalword.com/?q=Revelation+3)

The writing the fifth

[verses 1-6]

Of the Sardis congregation:

…

-5. “‘The overcomer will clothe [ילבש, YeeLBahSh] garments white, and I will not erase [אמחה, ’ehMHeH] [את, ’ehTh (indicator of direct object; no English equivalent)] his name from Account the Lives …
 

“Originally a roster of names of those who would survive the manifestation of God’s wrath (Mal [Malachi] 3:16-4:3); in Rev [Revelation], a list of those who will enter the new Jerusalem (21:27)” (Collins, 1990, TNJBC p. 1003)

...
 

………………………………………………………..

The writing the sixth

[verses 7-13]

Of the congregation at Philadelphia:

…

-12. “‘The overcomer, I will make him a column [עמוד, `ahMOoD] in temple [בהיכל, BeHaYKhahL] [of] my Gods, and he will not go out [any]more the outside …
 

“At the end of the book, in the description of the New Jerusalem, John forgets this prophecy, for he says that there will be no temple in it, and God and the Lamb will take its place (21:22). This is but one of the numerous examples of the writer’s indifference to consistency in details.” (Rist, 1957, TIB p. XII 395)

………………………………………………………..

The writing the Seventh

[verses 14 to end of chapter]

Of the congregation at Laodicea:

…

-21. “‘The overcomer, I will give to him to sit with me upon my chair,

like that also I overcame and sat with my father upon his chair.’”
 

“In Mark 1:35-45 (cf. [compare with] Matt. [Matthew] 20:20-28), answering a request by James and John that they be allowed to sit at the right and left of him in his glory, Jesus replies that this is not in his power to grant. On the contrary, instead of ruling, they are to be like him, the ‘servant of all.’

Quite a different view is presented in Matt. 19:28, as Jesus reportedly tells his disciples that when the Son of man sits on his glorious throne, those who have followed him will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” (Rist, 1957, TIB p. XII 399)

“The main body of Revelation is seemingly composed of seven series of purported eschatological visions, with seven visions in each of the series.” (Rist, 1957, TIB p. XII 400)

...
 
 

Chapter Four ד – The sight [המראה, HahMahR’eH] in skies
(https://esv.literalword.com/?q=Revelation+4)

-1. “After the words the these, I saw, and behold, a door open in skies,

and the voice, the first – that I heard in voice [of] ram’s horn [שופר, ShOPhahR], word unto me - say,

‘Ascend hither [הנה, *HayNaH], and I will show to you [את, ’ehTh] that [which] needs to be afterward [אחרי כן, ’ahHahRaY KhayN].’
 

“Since, according to astral theology, everything that was to happen on earth had already been predetermined in heaven, if a person could only visit heaven to learn its secrets through information provided by angels, or possibly by reading the heavenly tablets of destiny, he would have a preview of all that was to occur on Earth" was to occur on earth.” (Rist, 1957, (Rist, 1957, TIB p. XII 401)

-2. “Immediately I was in inspiration of [בהשראת, BeHahShRah’ahTh] the spirit,

and behold, a chair set [מצב, MooTsahB] in skies, and upon the chair [one] seated.

-3. And the seated was similar in appearance to stone: jasper [ישפה, YahShPheH] and ruby [ואדם, Ve’oDehM].

And a rainbow [וקשת, VeQehShehTh] around to [the] chair similar in appearance to agate [לברקת, LeBahRehQehTh].

-4. Around to [the] chair [were] twenty and four chairs,

and upon the chairs sat twenty and four elders

clothed [in] garments white, and crowns gold upon their heads.
 

“In Babylonian astrology 24 stars, half to the N [north] and half to the S [south] of the zodiac, were called ‘judges of the All.’” (Collins, 1990, TNJBC p. 1004

-6. “Before the chair as a sea, glass, similar to crystal [לבדלח, LeeBDoLahH]

and, in [the] middle [of] the chair, and around to [the] chair, four beasts full [of] eyes from before and from behind.

-7. The beast the first [was] similar to a lion,

the beast the second [was] similar to a calf [לעגל, Le`ayGehL],

the beast the third: a face to her as a face [of a] man,

and the beast the fourth [was] similar to an eagle [נשר, NehShehR] flying.
 

“It is supposed that there is a reference here to the…standards, or ensigns of the four divisions of the tribes in the Israelitish camp … a lion …the standard of Judah on the east with the two tribes of Issachar and Zebulon. …a calf, or ox, which was the emblem of Ephraim, who pitched on the west, with the two tribes of Manasseh and Benjamin. The third, with the face of a man… was the standard of Reuben, who pitched on the south, with the two tribes of Simeon and Gad. The fourth, which was like a flying (spread) eagle, was… the ensign of Dan, who pitched on the north, with the two tribes of Asher and Naphtali**.” (Clarke, 1831, p. II 939)

-8. “And four the beasts: to each one from them [were] six wings; around and from within them full of eyes^4.

And day and night they did not [אינן, ’aYNahN] cease [הדלו, HahDLOo] to say:
 

‘Holy, holy, holy YHVH Gods [of] armies,

that was and is and is coming.’”

“The four living creatures delineated in these verses are a combination of the living creatures or cherubim seen by Ezekiel and the seraphim observed by Isaiah. The cherubim as described by Ezekiel were four in number. Although somewhat human in form, each was four-headed, having the face of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle. Furthermore, they were winged, having four wings apiece. Their function was to carry the platform of God’s throne, which was like a chariot. Beside each creature there was a double chariot wheel with its rim filled with eyes (Ezek. [Ezekiel] 1:3-25). These cherubim were of Babylonian origin, for the Babylonians had four winged genii or guardians in the form of an ox, a lion, a man, and an eagle. … As for the seraphim in Isa. 6:1-7, they were celestial beings, apparently human in form, but with six wings. They were stationed near the throne and sang, ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.’

…

But whatever the origin of the cherubim and seraphim, they came to have importance in later Jewish thinking, and were often seen together. In one of his journeys to heaven Enoch saw the seraphim, the cherubim, and the ophannim (personifications of the eyes on the wheels.

…

The living creatures of Revelation are to be seen as against this complex background. They are four in number, and are full of eyes all over their bodies, so that they could see everything. Thus the ophannim, the eye-bearing wheels, are now combined with the cherubim. Unlike the four-headed cherubim, these creatures have but a single head each, like the seraphim; but like the cherubim again, the head of one is like a lion, of another, like an ox, of the third like a man, and of the last, like an eagle flying. Finally, like the seraphim, they sing the ‘Thrice Holy.’ Accordingly, the cherubim, ophannim, and seraphim become merged into one type of heavenly being in Revelation… John is not original in his use of symbolism; indeed … he may not be wholly original in his use of the O.T. [Old Testament, the Hebrew Bible]. On the contrary, it would appear that he was in the main stream of a growing apocalyptic tradition.^iv” (Rist, 1957, TIB p. XII 404)

FOOTNOTE

^4 I picture peacocks
 
ENDNOTE  
^iv “We have almost a counterpart of this description in Pirkey Eliezer [“Chapters of Eliezer” – 8th century Jewish commentary], chap. [chapter] 4. I shall give the substance of this from Schoetgen. ‘Four troops of ministering angels praise the holy blessed God; the first is Michael, at the right hand; the next is Gabriel, at the left; the third is Uriel, before; and the fourth is Raphael, behind him. The *Shechina( [presence] of the holy blessed God is in the midst, and he himself sits upon a throne high and elevated, hanging in the air; and his magnificence is as amber, חשמל (chasmal) in the midst of the fire. – Ezek. i. 4. On his head is placed a crown, and a diadem, with the incommunicable name (יהוה [YHVH] Yehovah) inscribed on the front of it. His eyes go throughout the whole earth; a part of them is fire, and a part of them hail. Before him is the veil spread, that veil which is between the temple and the holy of holies; and seven angels minister before him, within that veil: the veil and his footstool are like fire and lightning; and under the throne of glory there is a shining like fire and sapphire, and about his throne are justice and judgment.
 

The place of the throne are the seven clouds of glory; and the chariot-wheel, and the cherub, and the living creatures, which give glory before his face. The throne is in similitude like sapphire; and at the four feet of it are four faces, and four wings. When God speaks from the east, then it is from between the two cherubim, with the face of a MAN; when he speaks from the south, then it is from the two cherubim, with the face of a LION; when from the west, then it is from between the two cherubim, with the face of an OX; and when from the north, then it is from between the cherubim, with the face of an EAGLE.
 

And the living creatures stand before the throne of glory; and they stand in fear, in trembling, in horror, and in great agitation; and from this agitation a stream of fire flows before them. Of the two seraphim, one stands at the right hand of the holy blessed God, and one stands at the left, and each has six wings; with two they cover their face, lest they should see the face of the shechina; with two they cover their feet, lest they should find out the footstool of the shechina; and with two they fly, and sanctify his great name. And they answer each other, saying Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory- And the living creatures stand near his glory, yet they do not know the place of his glory: but wheresoever his glory is, they cry out, and say, Blessed be the glory of the Lord in his place.’” (Clarke, 1831, p. II 940)
 

An Amateur's Journey Through the Bible

REVELATION
 
Chapter Two ב
(https://esv.literalword.com/?q=Revelation+1)  

The writing the first

[verses 1-7]

-1. “‘Unto [the] angel [of the] congregation of Ephesus write:

…

-6. … “that is to your credit [לזכותך, LeeZKhOoThKhah];

you hate [את, ’ehTh (indicator of direct object; no English equivalent)] doings of the Nicolaitans that also I hate.”
 

The Interpreters’ Bible says nothing here about the Nicolaitans, but Clarke reports that they “…taught the community of wives; that adultery and fornication were things indifferent; that eating meats offered to idols was quite lawful; and mixed several pagan rites with Christian ceremonies.” (Clarke, 1831, p. II 927)^iii

 
...
 

………………………………………………………..

The writing the second

[verses 8-11]

-8. “Unto [the] angel [of the] congregation of Smyrna write, [את, ’ehTh] these the words:

'Says [אומר, ’Omar], the first and the last, that died and lives,

-9. "I know [את, ’ehTh] your distress [צרתך, TsahRahThKhah] and [את, ’ehTh] your poverty [עניך, `ahNeYeKhah] – although [אלא, ’ehLah’] that fortunate you [are] -
 

“Christians at Smyrna may have been poor because they were immigrants from Galilee or Judea, uprooted by the Jewish War (AD 66-74). A 2d-cent. [century] inscription from Smyrna refers to a group called ‘the former Judeans’…” (Collins, 1990, TNJBC p. 1002)

“‘“and [את, ’ehTh] blasphemy [גדופם, GeDOoPhahM] of the sayers, 'YeHOo-DeeYM [YHVH-ites, Judeans, Jews] are we.',

and they are not [ואינם, Ve’aYNahM]; rather [the] assembly [כנסת, KeNehÇehTh] of the SahTahN [“The adversary”, Satan].
 

“In view of the competition between synagogue and church, coupled with the Christians’ claim that they were the true Israel, it is not surprising, even though regrettable, that Jews at Smyrna and elsewhere in the empire displayed hostility toward the Christians, slandered them, and at times were delators, giving the Roman authorities information against Christians who might otherwise have escaped investigation, arrest, and punishment. Nor is it surprising, though even more regrettable, that Christians returned this hostility and developed a considerable amount of anti-Semitism, so that the Jews of Smyrna are called a synagogue of Satan. We are reminded of a similar attitude in words no doubt [?] mistakenly attributed to Jesus, ‘You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires’ (John 8:44). For the author of Revelation there can be no salvation for these Jews, who are on Satan’s side in the conflict.” (Rist, 1957, TIB p. XII 383)

-10. “‘“Do not fear [תירא, TheeYRah’] from facing what that you are [in] future [to] bear.

Behold, [in] future the SahTahN is to send forth men from you to prison [לכלה, LahKehLeH], so that you be tried [שתנסו, ShehTheNooÇOo],

and will be to you distress ten days.

Be [היה, HehYayH] believing until death,

and I will give to you [the] crown [of] [עטרת, `ahTehRehTh] the life.
 

“It is possible that this concept of an immortal crown was suggested by depictions of Greek gods with crowns of light or nimbi, such as the halo that later appeared on the heads of saints in Christian art.” (Rist, 1957, TIB p. XII 384)

-11. “Who that [has] ear to him, harken, if you please, [to] what that the spirit says to congregations:

‘the overcomer [המנצח, HahMeNahTsay-ahH] will not suffer [ינזק, YeeNahZayQ] in death the second.
 

“We learn from 20:14-15 that the second death, which follows the second resurrection and general judgment, consists in being cast into the lake of fire for an eternity of dreadful torture, along with Satan, the two beasts, and Death and Hades. The martyr, by reason of his martyrdom, escapes this terrible fate. Instead, upon his victorious death he will go to heaven to await the first resurrection, when he and his fellow martyrs – and they alone – will be resurrected to share in the blessings of the millennium while everyone else is in Hades. Also they escape the necessity of the second resurrection, the final judgment, and any possibility of being thrown into the fiery lake for punishment.” (Rist, 1957, TIB p. XII 384)

………………………………………………………..

The writing the third

[verses 12-17]

…

The over comers in the church at Pergamum are promised:

-17. … ‘“the MahN [manna] the hidden [הגנוז, HahGahNOoZ] …
 

“It was a constant tradition of the Jews that the ark of the covenant, the tables of stone, Aaron’s rod, the holy anointing oil, and the pot of manna, were hidden by King Josiah, when Jerusalem was taken by the Chaldeans: and that these shall all be restored in the days of the Messiah.” (Clarke, 1831, p. II 930)

-18. “‘Unto [the] angel [of the] congregation of Thyatira write:

“[את, ’ehTh] these are the words said [by the] son [of] the Gods,

that his eyes are as flame [כשלהבת, KeShahLHehBehTh] [of] fire

and his legs are as bronze gleaming [נוצצת, NOTsehTsehTh].
 

“The sun god Apollo Tyrimnaios was the tutelary divinity of this prosperous city, and his worship was joined with that of the emperors, who were identified as Apollo incarnate and each, like him, the son of Zeus. … Thus the celestial Christ, the Son of God, is set over against and above the emperor, who as the incarnate Apollo is the son of Zeus.” (Rist, 1957, TIB p. XII 387)

To the over comers there:

...

-28. … “‘“And I will give to him [את, ’ehTh] star [of] the dawn.”’”
 

“This takes us once again into the realm of astral speculation. The statement may mean that the martyr is to shine like a star in heaven, is to be given a kind of astral immortality, as in Dan. [Daniel] 12:3, where the resurrected saints will be ‘as the stars for ever and ever.’ This same concept of a glorious starry immortality for the righteous is presented in I Enoch 104:2; II Baruch 51:10; and II Esdras 7:97. But the belief in sidereal immortality was not confined to the Jews. It is well known that it had existed in the pagan world for a number of centuries. Certain heroes, among them Hercules and Perseus, had been changed into constellations as a reward for their virtuous deeds; but even ordinary people, if their lives had been pious, virtuous, and pure, could ascend to heaven, where they would be changed into stars.

…

Why is this particular star given to the martyr? This question reminds some students of the astral belief that the goddess Ishtar, as the evening star setting at night, signified death, but as the morning star rising the next day, symbolized life and immortality. Accordingly, the gift of the morning star to the martyr is symbolic of the immortal life…” (Rist, 1957, TIB pp. XII 389-390)

...

^iii The New Testament of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The text carefully printed from the most correct copies of the present Authorized Version. Including the marginal readings and parallel texts. With a Commentary and Critical Notes. Designed as a help to a better understanding of the sacred writings. By Adam Clarke, LL.D. F.S.A. M.R.I.A. With a complete alphabetical index. Royal Octavo Stereotype Edition. Vol. II. [Volume VI together with the Old Testament volumes in Dad’s set] New York, Published by J. Emory and B. Waugh, for the Methodist Episcopal Church, at the conference office, 13 Crosby-Street. J. Collord, Printer. 1831.

An Amateur's Journey Through the Bible

THE TEXT
(https://esv.literalword.com/?q=Revelation)
 

Years, literally, ago, when I first started sharing delightful morsels with you, the entire Hebrew Bible was summarized in a few quotable quotes. I had, as one of my missions, the object of being able to assess for myself the exegetes’ observations, and I was particularly keen to “hear the very voice of Jesus”, as Flusser put it. When I got to Mark I started to make and share more detailed notes, and gradually my missives became Sunday School Bible studies. My methodology, thus developed, remained to the end, but Revelation is of interest only to the specialist. What follows are just a few observations, not an outline useful for study.

“Revelation is a carefully composed literary work, and not the mere record of visionary experiences.” (Rist, 1957, TIB pp. XII 504).

John appears to have had time in prison to write his response to his impending doom.

Revelation opens in the epistolary style.

Chapter One
 

-1. Revelation [התגלות, HeeThGahLOoTh, αποκαλυψις – apokalupsis = apocalypse] of YayShOo`ah [“Savior”, Jesus] the Anointed [Christ],

that gave to him, the Gods, in order [כדי, KeDaY] to show [להראות, LeHahRe’OTh] to his slaves [δουλοις – doulois] [את, ’ehTh (indicator of direct object; no English equivalent)] that [which] needs to be in a hurry [במהרה, BeeMeHayRaH], and he sent in hand [of] his angel, and made known to his slave YO-HahNahN [“YHVH is Gracious”, John].”^i

…

-3. Fortunate the reader, and fortunate the hearers [את, ’ehTh] words of the prophecy

and guarders [את, ’ehTh] the written in her,

for has neared [קרובה, QROBaH] the time [העת, Hah`ayTh].
 

[John’s] “book… is not to be a secret one such as Daniel purported to be …to be kept sealed and unread until the end was actually at hand…” (Rist, 1957, TIB p. XII 367)

-4. “YO-HahNahN, unto seven the congregations that are in Asia:

mercy and peace to you from [מאת, May’ayTh] the Present [ההוה, HahHoVeH], the Was [ההיה, HahHahYaH], and will Come [ויבוא, VeYahBO’],

and from seven the spirits that are before his seat,
 

“From him which is, and which was, and which is to come] This phraseology is purely Jewish and probably taken from the Tetragrammaton, יהוה YEHOVAH; which is supposed to include in itself all time past, present, and future.” (Clarke, 1831, p. II 921)

“A minor grammatical item might be noted in passing. Although the participles are governed by a preposition, they are in the nominative case, contrary to good usage. However, the author may have done this deliberately to show the unchanging nature of God.

The greeting is also from the seven spirits who are before God’s throne. Who are these seven spirits? They seem to represent a combination of astralism and angelology… It is highly probable that they are related to the seven archangels of Jewish speculation (cf. [compare with] Ezek. [Ezekiel] 9:2; Tob. [Tobias] 12:15; I Enoch 20:1-8; III Enoch 17:13; Test. [Testimony of] Levi 8:2). These Jewish angels are probably the counterpart of the seven Amesha-Spentas of ancient Persian religion. But these seven spirits are also identified with the seven planets of Babylonian astral-theology, the sun, moon, and the five other heavenly bodies visible to the naked eye which apparently traverse the heavens in a regular manner. These heavenly bodies have a definite control over mankind, over his fate, and in general determine what is to happen on the earth. In popular thinking they became personified, and were regarded as divinities.” (Rist, 1957, TIB p. XII 369)

“The seven spirits – before his throne] The ancient Jews who represented the throne of God as the throne of an eastern monarch, supposed that there were seven ministering angels before this throne, as there were seven ministers attendant on the throne of a Persian monarch. We have an ample proof of this, Tobit. xii. 15. I am Raphael, one of the SEVEN HOLY ANGELS, which present the prayers of the saints, and which go in and out before the glory of the Holy One.” (Clarke, 1831, p. II 921)

-5. “and from YayShOoah the Anointed, the witness [העד, *HahayD*, μαρτυς – martus = martyr], the believable [הנאמן, HahNeh’ehMahN], firstborn [of] the dead, and supreme to angels of the land.
 
To lover [of] us, that in his blood freed [שחרר, SheeHRayR] us from our sins, 6. and made us a kingdom of priests to Gods his father,
to Him the honor and the bravery to worlds of worlds. Believe [אמן, ’ahMayN, Amen].
 

“… i.e. [in other words], a theocracy…” (Rist, 1957, TIB p. XII 369)

-7. “Behold, he came [בא, Bah’] with the clouds.

Every eye will see him,

also those that pierced him [שדקרוהו, ShehDeQahROoHOo];

and will wail [ויספדו, VeYeeÇPeDOo] upon him, all families [of] the land.

Yes. Believe.
 

“The picture which he draws is reminiscent of Dan. [Daniel] 7:13, ‘behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven.’ However, in Daniel the words refer to the personification of the saints of Israel, the nation, which in the next verse is promised glory and an everlasting dominion over the nations that have oppressed it; they do not point to a personal messiah at all, as they are made to do in this verse in Revelation. This is but one of many examples of the manner in which John reinterprets the O.T. [Old Testament, the Hebrew Bible] and other sources, adapting them to his urgent message and ardent expectations.” (Rist, 1957, TIB p. XII 371)

………………………………………………………..

The revelation: the voice [of] the desert

[verses 9 to end of chapter]

-9. “I, YO-HahNahN, your brother and partaker [ושתף, OoShooThahPh] in distress [בצרה, BahTsahRaH] and in [the] kingdom and in [the] forbearance in YayShOo`ah,

was in island [באי, Bah’eeY] the called Patmos^1, for the sake [of the] word [of] Gods and witness of [ואדות, Ve’ayDOoTh] YayShOo`ah.

-10. I was in the inspiration of [בהשראת, BeHahShRah’ahTh] the spirit in Day the Lord,

and I heard from behind me a voice, great as voice [of] rams horn [שופר, ShOPhahR], 11. say,

‘[את, ’ehTh] that you see, write in [an] account’ …
 

<“Even if one could accept the belief, in the face of evidence to the contrary, that John actually experienced the vision he relates, it would be necessary to raise serious questions concerning their divine origin. But many, even among the most learned, would have it both ways: Revelation is the product of visions, and yet it shows many evidences of being a careful literary production in which a large number and variety of sources were used. Or, it is maintained, John’s visions were real, and were of a divine origin, and yet his predictions were not fulfilled.” (Rist, 1957, TIB p. XII 372)
 
…

-12. “I faced to see [את, ’ehTh] the voice, the wording [המדבר, HahMeDahBayR] unto me,

and as that I faced, I saw [את, ’ehTh] seven the lamps [of] gold.

-13. And between [ובין, OoBaYN] seven lamps, [one] as appearance [כמרא, KeMahR’ayH] [of] son [of] ’ahDahM [“man”, Adam],

wrapped [עוטה, 'OTeH] [in a] robe [מעיל, Me`eeYL] until his feet [מרגלותיו, MahRGeLOThahYV],

and girded [וחגור, VeHahGOoR] [with] a girdle of [חגורת, HahGORahTh] gold upon his breasts [חזיהו, HahZaYHOo].

…

-16. ln hand his right, seven stars,
 

“This is a vivid description of the power of Christ over the planets, which according to astral-theology had control over the fate and destiny of mankind.” (Rist, 1957, TIB p. XII 376)

“from his mouth went out a sword edges [פיפיות, PeeYPeeYOTh] sharp [חדה, HahDaH] …
 

“It is possible that this… symbolism is derived from Isa. [Isaiah] 11:4, where the Messiah ‘shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.’” (Rist, 1957, TIB p. XII 376)

-17. “As that I saw him, I fell to his legs as dead,

and he put [את, ’ehTh] hand his right upon me and said,
 

“It has been pointed out that Christ does not put the seven stars out of his right hand before placing it on John, but this is merely quibbling, for John is an apocalyptist, not a logician, and is not concerned with minor (or in places even major) inconsistencies.” (Rist, 1957, TIB p. XII 376)

“‘Do not fear [תירא, TheeYRah’]; I [am] the first and the last and the living.
 

“This assimilation of Jesus to God suggests that the risen Messiah has been exalted to divine status.” (Collins, 1990, TNJBC p. 1001)

-18. “‘I was dead,

and behold, alive am I to worlds of worlds,

and to me [are] keys [to] She’OL [Hades] and Death.
 

“Hades, the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew Sheol, was not for John a place of punishment, but was the temporary abode in the lower world of the souls of the dead, both good and evil, with the exception of the martyrs (whose souls went to heaven when they died), Moses and Elijah (11:3-12), and possibly the twelve apostles (21:14). The souls of the martyrs are to wait in heaven for the first resurrection (20:4-6), while the rest of the dead will remain in Hades until the second and general resurrection (20: 12-13).” (Rist, 1957, TIB pp. XII 377-378)

“In the Jerusalem Targum on Gen. [Genesis] xxx.22. are these words, ‘There are four KEYS in the hand of God, which he never trusts either to angel or seraph. 1. The key of the rain. 2. The key of provision. 3. The key of the grave. And, 4. The key of the barren womb.’” (Clarke, 1831, p. II 925)

…

-20. “‘[את, ’ehTh] secret [of] seven the stars that you saw in my right [hand] and seven lamps the gold: seven the stars, they are the angels of seven the congregations, and seven the lamps, they are seven congregations.’”
 

“In Persian religion each individual had his fravashi, or guardian angel, a concept that passed over into Judaism and Christianity (cf. Tob. 5:21; Acts 12:15). It may also be recalled that in Daniel the separate nations had their guardian patrons or angels (Dan. 10:13, 20-21; cf. Deut” [Deuteronomy] “32:8 LXX [the Septuagint, the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible]). The destinies of the nations and of their angelic guardians were intimately related: the nation was not punished until its supernatural patron was defeated.” (Rist, 1957, TIB pp. XII 378-379)

FOOTNOTES
 

^1 Patmos - “This island is one of the Sporades, and lies in the ᴁgean Sea … It is now called Pactino, Patmol, or Palmosa. …The island has a convent on a well fortified hill, dedicated to John the apostle; the inhabitants are said to amount to about three hundred men, and about twenty women to one man. It is very barren, producing very little grain, but abounding in partridges, quails, turtles, pigeons, snipes, and rabbits. It has many good harbours, and is much infested by pirates…. The whole island is about thirty miles in circumference.” (Clarke, 1831, p. II 923)
 
An Amateur's Journey Through the Bible

REVELATION*

(https://esv.literalword.com/?q=Revelation)
 

After eleven years of morning readings I finished the Bible in Hebrew, together with the twelve volume The Interpreters' Bible I inherited from Joy’s dad, the six volumes of Adam Clarke’s commentary on loan from my dad (one volume at a time), and the blockbuster New Jerome Biblical Commentary cousin John had recommended, aided by three dictionaries (including mom’s seven volume Evan Shoshan), a Greek New Testament, and the occasional call to mom when those resources failed me, on the Sabbath at 8:53 a.m., October 17th, 2009 - a project I began sometime in 1998. I wrapped up my notes a month later for Joy to proof. Donna Hoyne thinks I’m “freakishly religious”. Shawn accuses me of “learning for fun”. Aleina thinks I’m ridiculous (although, to be fair, that is because of my equally consistent commitment to Neopets).
 

Preface
 

Reading through Revelation, prior to the close study, I see the final pieces of conventional Christianity being put in place. I marvel at how completely most observant Christians have assimilated the sometimes unrelated fragments. It is here that Jesus’ prediction of the fate of those who chose the wrong side, or failed to join the right side, when Israel was on its eve of destruction, is adopted for elaboration into a doctrine of justice in the afterlife in the face of Imperial persecution. Eternal life for Christian martyrs predated the Islamic version by several hundred years; the elaborate tortures in Hell of the enemies of the church sank to the lowest common denominator of human depravity; chapter 2. verse 11. introduces this perversion of Jesus’ gospel. The Interpreter’s Bible’s exposition passes over it without comment; it is one thing, apparently, to acknowledge such lapses in the Old Testament, but another to face them in the New.
 

The Interpreters’ Bible devotes 267 pages to The Revelation of St. John the Divine, Adam Clarke 111, and the radically succinct New Jerome 20. I go into this study picturing Revelation as one of the bookends to a shelf of writings the other end of which is Daniel. Daniel exhorted the people to one last fight, after which they would never have to fight again, and subsequent to which their protection would come from God’s armies of angels led by the Son of Man. They won; expelling the Greeks, but, 200 years later, again under foreign domination, the last promise remained to be fulfilled. John, and this in the wake of the destruction of Israel by Rome, exhorts the people, not to fight again, but to wait for the promised heavenly armies. Here is how John imagines what is to come.
 

Introductions
 

“Revelation is by any criterion the finest example of an apocalypse in existence … apocalypticism may be defined as the eschatological belief that the power of evil (Satan), who is now in control of this temporal and hopelessly evil age of human history in which the righteous are afflicted by his demonic and human agents, is soon to be overcome and his evil rule ended by the direct intervention of God, who is the power of good, and who thereupon will create an entirely new, perfect, and eternal age under his immediate control for the everlasting enjoyment of his righteous followers from among the living and the resurrected dead.

…

… eschatological interest alone should be sufficient to differentiate apocalypticism from Old Testament prophecy, which is primarily if not exclusively concerned with this life and this age of human history, rather than with the next life and the age to come. … Likewise, this distinction should separate the concept of the kingdom of God (an outgrowth of the Old Testament prophecy) as taught by the Pharisees and John the Baptist, as well as by Jesus, from apocalypticism; for the kingdom of God was to be established in this age in this time of human history, not in an entirely new and different age to be created by God. Not even the resurrection and the judgment scenes as found in some depictions of the kingdom of God are sufficient to make it an apocalyptic concept for the resurrection and judgment in these instances are to occur in this present age, which will continue after these events take place.

…

… not only is apocalypticism eschatological, it is also always dualistic … a dualism of two opposing supernatural powers … In Persian apocalypticism – apparently the ultimate source of both Jewish and Christian apocalypticism – the dualism is most marked, for Ahriman, the evil god, and Ormazd, the good, are practically equal in power, like darkness and light.

…

This opposition of two supernatural forces led to a belief in two distinct and separate ages. The present one, under the control of Satan, is of necessity evil, temporal, limited, and irredeemable in character; in direct contrast the one to come, under God’s immediate direction, will be perfectly righteous, timeless, and eternal… It is either stated or assumed that in the beginning this age, created as it was by God, was initially good, as described in accounts of the Garden of Eden. However, for some reason, usually given as the sin of Adam or Even or the intercourse of the sons of God with the daughters of men (Gen. [Genesis] 6:14), God abandoned this age to Satan and his evil supernatural and human followers, and is himself transcendent in heaven, far removed for the present from earth and men…. Intimately associated with this concept of two ages is that of two worlds, the present and the world to come. … This dualism of two ages and two worlds is not a characteristic either of prophecy or of the idea of the kingdom of God… the prophets and the Pharisees, as well as Jesus, unlike the dualistic apocalypticists, shared the view of the psalmist that ‘the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein’ (Ps. [Psalm] 24:1), a belief that is basic both to prophecy and to the doctrine of the kingdom of God.

…

As a result of God’s temporary abdication he has left this age and this world to Satan and his evil agents, so that the righteous are oppressed, persecuted, and sometimes martyred by the unrighteous, that is, by the Gentile heathens (or in the case of Mohammedan apocalypses, by the Christian Crusaders).
 

Since overpowering forces of evil, both supernatural and human, are arrayed against them, there is little that the oppressed righteous can do of themselves to alleviate or improve their desperate situation. There is in fact but one course they can pursue, and that is to continue to be completely loyal and faithful to God, awaiting his divine intervention. … righteousness is not primarily ethical and moral conduct. … Apocalyptic righteousness consists in complete loyalty to God and to the cultic and ritualistic requirements of his religion. For example, in Daniel the test of righteousness is absolute conformity to the requirements of Torah, especially to the dietary laws and the commandments to worship God alone and to have nothing to do with idolatry. Similarly, in Revelation the criterion of righteous conduct is perfect loyalty and devotion to God and Christ, which is demonstrated by absolute refusal to worship the emperor or the state in any manner whatever, even though the death penalty might be invoked against the nonconformists. Accordingly, in Revelation there is a bare minimum of distinctly ethical and moral teaching. Indeed, the invoking of the vengeance and judgment of God against their persecutors by the martyrs might be considered to be unethical when judged by the highest Christian standards.
 

By contrast, the requirements of the kingdom of God as taught by Jesus consist in the highest type of ethical and moral conduct and behavior. By learning and doing God’s will man may assist in bringing his kingdom into being, in this age and this time.

…

R. H. Charles, the greatest of all the modern students of this subject, wrote that the knowledge of both the prophet and the apocalyptic writer ‘came through visions, trances, and through spiritual, and yet not unconscious communion with God – the highest form of inspiration’, but do these purportedly divine visions correctly interpret the past and present and accurately predict the future? Are their depictions of the universe in which we live in conformity with our present astrophysical knowledge? Are their doctrines of God, of Satan, of Christ, of angels and demons, of two ages of righteousness and of rewards and punishments in harmony with our best Christian teaching? If our answers are in the negative, then the divine origin of these visions is subject to question.

…

… the canonical position of both Revelation and Daniel has been largely responsible for the artificial, subjective, and arbitrary manner in which they have been treated, not only by Christians in general but also by the majority of scholars down through the centuries.

…

It is obvious that Revelation was written in a time when the Christians of Asia Minor, and probably other places as well, were being persecuted by the Roman officials for their refusal to worship the emperors, both living and dead, as gods, and to worship Roma, the personification of Rome, as a goddess.

…

The Jews alone were exempted from the requirements of the state cult in recognition that theirs was an ethnic religion which had by ancient custom strictly forbidden both the worship of any god save their own and the use of idols. … At first Christians, as members of the Jewish race and comprising a sect of Judaism, shared in this exemption granted to the Jews; but by the end of the first century most Christians were non-Jewish in origin and Christianity itself had become a religion separate and distinct from Judaism. Hence Christians, even though they claimed that they, not the Jews, were the true Israel, were expected to show their political loyalty by worshiping the state and its deified emperors, living and dead.

…

It was this situation which occasioned the writing of Revelation.

…

… while the author calls himself ‘John’ … at no time does he assert that he is an apostle or make any claims to apostolic authority.

…

… if dating of Revelation toward the end of the first century is reasonably correct^1 ^2, it is doubtful that it could have been by John the son of Zebedee. For according to a statement attributed to Papias before the middle of the second century, which is supported by other evidence, John, like his brother James, was killed by the Jews before the year 70, while the temple was still standing. … To be sure, there is other evidence that John lived in Ephesus to a ripe old age, but the possible invention of this tradition is more readily explained than that of his early martyrdom.

…

One can agree with Dionysius … that the two books [the Gospel of John and Revelation] could not have been by the same author.

…

[John] was … a confessor, that is, one who had testified that he was a Christian when brought before the Roman authorities, and as such had been exiled to Patmos (1:9).

…

There are those who maintain that Revelation contains so many Semitisms that John must have been bilingual, writing in Greek but thinking in Hebrew or Aramaic. It is certain, as Dionysius observed, that Revelation is not written in good Greek; in fact no other author of the New Testament so frequently disregards the canons of style, grammar, and syntax.

…

A significant but somewhat neglected feature of Revelation is the relatively large amount of astrology that pervades the work from the first to the final chapter. Based upon the belief that the heavenly bodies controlled the destinies of mankind, astral speculation was widespread in the Mediterranean world, and was accepted by Jews as well as by non-Jews, by both the learned and the ignorant” (Rist, TIB 1957, pp. XII 347-358)^i
 

“There is little consensus among exegetes on the overall structure of Rev. [Revelation]. Its structure is problematic because of the presence of numerous parallel passages and repetitions within the book and because of occasional breakdowns in consecutive development.” (Collins, TNJBC 1990, p. 999)[ii]

FOOTNOTES
 

^1 “Mr. Westein favours the opinion of those who have argued that the Revelation was written before the Jewish war… I cannot say whether they have done it rightly or not, because I do not understand the Revelation.” (Clarke, 1831, p. II 912)
 

^2 “… there is no compelling reason to doubt the traditional dating of Rev [Revelation] attested by Irenaeus and other early Christian writes, viz. [namely], the end of the reign of Domitian (AD 95-96).” (Collins, TNJBC 1990, p. 998)
 
ENDNOTES
 
^i The Interpreters' Bible The Holy Scriptures in the King James and Revised Standard versions with general articles and introduction, exegesis, [and] exposition for each book of the Bible in twelve volumes, George Arthur Buttrick, Commentary Editor, Walter Russell Bowie, Associate Editor of Exposition, Paul Scherer, Associate Editor of Exposition, John Knox Associate Editor of New Testament Introduction and Exegesis, Samuel Terrien, Associate Editor of Old Testament Introduction and Exegesis, Nolan B. Harmon Editor, Abingdon Press, copyright 1955 by Pierce and Washabaugh, set up printed, and bound by the Parthenon Press, at Nashville, Tennessee, Volume XII, James, Peter, John, Jude, Revelation [Introduction and Exegesis by Martin Rist], General Articles, Indexes
 

^ii The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, Edited by Raymond E. Brown, S.S., Union Theological Seminary, New York; NY, [Revelation – Adela Yarbro Collins]; Roland E. Murphy, O. Carm. (emeritus) The Divinity School, Duke University, Durham, NC, with a foreword by His Eminence Carlo Maria Cardinal Martini, S.J.; Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 1990
 

An Amateur's Journey Through the Bible