Saturday, September 21, 2024

Hebrew plural verbs with singular meaning

Basically, in unusual instances of seeming grammatical mismatches in the Bible, a linguistic phenomenon called “attraction” has likely occurred. This phenomenon occurs in many languages, including English.

An example in English of linguistic “attraction” – a technical grammatical mismatch – is: “Turn left at the street where there is a carwash and a fast food restaurant.” Due to there being two landmarks, the sentence should have a plural verb. But, “there are a carwash” (even with addition of another landmark), grates on the ear.

This type of grammatical error is called “attraction,” where verbs or adjectives or even pronouns are so strongly connected to the form of a nearby noun that proximity overtakes the proper grammatical construction.

So, in connection to the few examples of where Elohim (for Israel’s God) is clearly the subject, though used with plural forms of verbs or adjectives, we now can see that this is an instance where linguistic “attraction” has likely occurred.

For instance, even though it literally says this in the Hebrew, we know the Hebrew Bible is not saying that “the gods” caused Abraham to wander from his father’s home (Gen. 20:13), “the gods” revealed themselves to Jacob at the place called El Beth El (Gen. 35:7), “the gods” redeemed Israel (2 Sam.7:23), or “the gods” judge the earth so that humankind can be pleased that justice prevails (Ps. 58:11). Rather, we can understand that we are reading instances in the Hebrew where linguistic “attraction” has occurred.

There are still other instances where certain Hebrew adjectives refer to Israel’s God using plural forms. A potential for confusion develops because these adjectives translate into nouns in English (e.g., Job 35:10; Ps. 149:2; Ecc. 12:1; Is. 54:5). It is difficult to convey the sense of this in English. These are not expressed in verbs or nouns, but rather by adjectives in Hebrew. The instances are:

  • Job 35:10, which conveys the idea of God (eloah, singular form) who (are) making humanity (osai, pl. [= plural]);

  • Psalm 149:2, the idea of HaShem who (are) making Israel (osav, pl.);

  • Ecclesiastes 12:1, the idea that we are to remember God (ha-elohim, plural form) who (are) creating us (bor'eikha, pl.);

  • Isaiah 54:5, the idea that HaShem of hosts (ADONAI ts'vaot), God of the whole earth (elohei khol ha-arets, plural form), who (are) mastering/husbanding Jerusalem (boalaikh, pl.), who (are) making her (osaikh, pl.).

When conveyed in this fashion, it is apparent that there are more grammatical oddities here. Yet, Hebrew language scholars who translate the Hebrew text into English are not caught off guard. They translate these into English in singular forms, knowing there is no mysterious thing happening here.

Unfortunately, however, the fact that these adjectives translate into English as nouns – “my makers” (Job 35:10); “his makers” (Ps. 149:2); “your creators” (Ecc. 12:1); “your masters/husbands, your makers” (Is. 54:5) – has opened the door to speculation that these texts are really saying the God of Israel is a mysterious plurality of makers-creators.

In reality this continues to be a matter of linguistic “attraction” that has become an occasion for mistakes to be made by those looking for hidden hints of plurality to the godhead.

https://judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/56375/makers-and-creators-job-3510-121-kohelet-singular-v-s-plural

‎We must regard as doubtful a number of participles in the plural, which, being used as attributes of God, resemble plurales excellentiae; thus, עשָֹׁי my Maker, Jb 35:10; עשַֹׁ֫יִךְ Is 54:5; עשָֹׁיו ψ 1492; עשֶֹׁיהָ Is 22:11; נֽוֹטֵיהֶם stretching them out, Is 42:5; for all these forms may also be explained as singular,

‎⁦‪https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Gesenius%27_Hebrew_Grammar/124._The_Various_Uses_of_the_Plural-form#GHGpar-124-k‬⁩

A feature of the Hebrew language are plurals but this is common for words which refer to power and mastery, whether talking about God or humans.

Some common examples:

  • Exodus 22:14 בְּעָלָ֥יו - "Its owners are not with it"

  • Genesis 39:20 - אֲדֹנֵ֨י "The lords of Joseph took him" - where both verses are talking about a single person.

In the case of Osai, it has a pronominal suffix (plural) "ai" בָּנַי my children, however there are many Hebrew words that have Pronominal Suffixes "ai" and have "singular" sense, example:

  • Genesis 43:3 my face (singular) פָנַ֔י in Hebrew reads my faces, (plural) but it is obvious that human beings have one face.

  • Job 13:26 my youth (singular) נְעוּרָֽי Hebrew reads, my youths (plural) it is obvious that human beings have a single youth.

In the case of "Boreika" it has a pronominal suffix (plural), eg סוּסֶ֫יךָ your horses.

Also it has singular sense example:

  • Gen. 24:51 אֲדֹנֶ֔יךָ your Lord, in this case is talking about Abraham, one Lord, despite having plural pronominal suffix, has sense "singular, in Hebrew it is literally your lords (plural).

Saturday, August 17, 2024

Why "sons of God" is not sons of Seth in Genesis 6

 Genesis 6:1When human beings began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, 2the sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose.

4The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown. (NIV)


The sons of Seth view: The sons of God are godly humans from the line of Seth [cp. Gen 4.26] who procreated with the daughters of wicked men from the line of Cain. And their children, the Nephilim, were great, giant, mighty kings/warriors.

  • Genesis 4:26 does not say only Seth and his sons ''called on the name of the Lord'';
  • The text doesn’t say “the daughters of humans” were all evil, ungodly women from Cain only; And why would godly, faithful sons of God go after faithless, ungodly women?
  • The text distinguishes “sons of God” from humankind in v.1 (which would include family of Seth or Cain) and clearly states the “daughters of humankind” are human women in general, not just Cainites.

  • The word adam in vv.1-2 is given two totally different meanings, i.e., v.1 broad ref. to all humans and v.2 narrow ref. to some daughters of wicked humans only. This would mean the sons of some humans took the daughters of other humans;

  • At this time there is no command against marrying certain persons, e.g., Jews and Gentiles later.

  • The concept of Israel’s sonship refers to the relationship between YHWH and his people, and not to the piety of the persons involved.

  • The point of the language of Gen 6:1-4 is a sexual relationship, not matrimony. The wives...marriage idea comes from English translations. The Hebrew translated wives is simply the normal plural for women (nashim).

  • The “taking/going in to women” is a biblical euphemism for sexual relations not exclusively used for marriage. The "taking" of a woman elsewhere means illicit sexual relationship (Gen 38:2; Lev 18:17; 20:17, 21; 21:7), as can "coming/going in to" (Gen 38:2; 39:14; Lev 21:11; Judg 16:1; Amos 2:7).


Who are the Nephilim, aka Giants?

  • Humans do not reproduce a whole race of giants who go on to form whole nations, e.g., Num. 13; King Og up to 13 feet; Goliath up to 10 feet!

  • The LXX gigantes, "suggests they understood the Nephilim to be the offspring of the angel marriages, for in Greek mythology the gigantes were the product of the union of earth and heaven. And this is the way most modern commentators understand the term." (WBC)

  • Had Gen 6:4 intended to convey that Nephilim = the sons of God it would read:

“The Nephilim were on earth in those days, and also afterwards, who came to the daughters of men so that children were born to them."

Can angels procreate?

  • In Matt 22:30 Jesus means holy angels and should not contradict angels who sinned, disobeyed by taking women in Gen 6; Jude-Peter;

  • Angels are spirits but the word doesn’t mean no body! They can also become physical, see Gen 18-19; 32;

  • The Hebrew for angel, malak is not used in Gen 6 but benei elohim elsewhere means angels from heaven, Job 38:7; cp. son of gods/God is a malak in Dan 3:25-28!

Friday, August 2, 2024

Oneness aka Modalist Verses

Isaiah 9:6

First, shared titles, like shared functions, even imagery does not mean the same person! Pagan kings like Artaxerxes (Ezra 7.12), Nebuchadnezzar (Ezek. 26.7; Dan 2.37) are called “King of kings." But no one would argue they are the one God as well.

That the Hebrew does not properly signify eternal or everlasting is shown by the LXX translation "father of the age to come," another title for the Messiah. Like Abraham before him, the Messiah will become father to a new people of God. Jesus himself acknowledges the title father for Abraham (John 8.39, 56; cp. Luke 16.24 when the rich man shouted, ‘Father Abraham, have some pity!')

All characteristics and functions the Messiah possesses in the messianic age belong exclusively to God and Him alone (Daniel 7:13-15, Daniel 7:27, Isaiah 9:b, Zechariah 14:4, Zechariah 12:10, etc...) Yet, visions like Dan 7 once again shows two different persons (the son of man is not the Ancient of Days). Also note, worship and service by the subjugated nations is also given to the saints of the Most High.

Lastly, Isa 9.6 was applied to Messianic figures like Hezekiah and never as a reference to God!

Sunday, June 23, 2024

Genesis 19:24, Two Yahwehs?

 Genesis 19:24, NASB 1995
"Then the LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven" Cp. Amos 4.11; Isa 13.19; Jer. 50.40

Justin Martyrs’ main argument against Trypho!

  • Dialogue 52-62

A combination of illeism and the repeat of a name!

  1. Lamech said to his wives....” You wives of Lamech.” Genesis 4:23

  2. The LORD said, “Moses shall come near to the LORD.” Exodus 24:1-2

  3. Solomon assembled the people...before Solomon 1 Kings 8:1

  4. Rehoboam came to Jerusalem and assembled all the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin...to Rehoboam, 1 Kings 12.21

  5. The LORD said “I will deliver them by the LORD.” Hosea 1:6-7

  6. “I will make them strong in the LORD,” says the LORD: Zechariah 10:12

  7. The LORD said to Satan, "The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you!" Zecheriah 3:2

  8. Jonathan speaking to David about himself 1 Samuel 20.12-13

  9. David speaking "May God curse David" 1 Samuel 25.22

  10. Abner speaking "May God punish Abner" 2 Samuel 3.8-9


Amos 4:11

  • "God" is often repeated in Hebrew instead of "I,” aka illeism.

  • Many translations substitute “God” for the first person pronoun (“I”), e.g., "as I overthrow Sodom and Gomorrah," NIV; also NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT.

  • Same idiomatic expression verbatim Isa 13:19 and Jer 50:40.

https://www.etsjets.org/files/JETS-PDFs/52/52-3/JETS%2052-3%20499-518%20Malone.pdf

Sunday, June 2, 2024

The Bible Christadelphian Version

 

  • Satan/Devil = evil human inclination;

  • Fallen angels/unclean spirits/demons = mental illnesses

Deuteronomy 32.17

They sacrificed to mental illnesses that were no gods, to gods they had never known, to new gods that had come recently, whom your fathers had never dreaded.


Psalm 95:5a LXX

For all the gods of the nations are mental illnesses.


Psalm 106:37

They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to mental illness.


Job 1:7

The LORD said to evil human inclination, “Where have you come from?” The evil human inclination answered the LORD, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.”


Job 1:12

And the LORD said to the evil human inclination, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” So the evil human inclination went out from the presence of the LORD.

Monday, May 20, 2024

The 144 thousand are not the Great Crowd

1. If all numbers in Revelation are symbols or figures of speech, no number in the book can be taken literally.

2. John never calls the Church "Israel" or "the 12 tribes," etc. The same is true for the rest of the [NOTE Gal 6:16 is qualified by “the Israel of God,” which is distinct from what Paul calls “the Israel of the flesh.”]


3. The 12 tribes are counted and the “great multitude no one could count”! 


4. The 144k are from the 12 tribes of Israel whereas the great crowd is from “every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages"! Therefore, they cannot be the same group.


5. The fact that some tribes are left out and others added doesn’t make them somehow Gentiles.

[NOTE Wycliffe Commentary “In about 18 lists of the sons of Jacob or Israel in the OT, different tribes are omitted at different times….the absence of Simeon and Issachar from Deuteronomy 33, of Simeon and Judah from Judges 5, and of Gad and Asher from 1 Chronicles.”]


6. By saying “after these things I looked" John means a different group from the previously mentioned group. John is not contnuing a description of one and the same group. 


7. Some scholars [Baucham; Ladd; Beal; Colin Brown] argue that there is a “hearing-seeing” pattern in Revelation. They say that when John hears something then he sees the same thing. But Rev 7 begins with seeing not hearing. You can’t just start in the middle and choose to hear first.


8.In Rev 14 John sees the 144k he heard about in Rev 7, once again breaking the so-called "hearing-seeing" pattern.

Sunday, April 21, 2024

Present tense of prophecy list

Bible.org Rev 22:12 “I am coming” in the Greek is a present tense verb. It is what we call a futuristic or prophetic present. This is used of an event which is so certain that it is regarded as already in the process of coming to pass.


WBC2Pet 3:11 our author uses the present participle λυομένων (lit. “being dissolved”) with future sense (other likely NT examples of the present participle with future sense are Matt 26:25; Luke 1:35; John 17:20; Acts 21:2-3; cf. Moulton, Grammar 3, 87).

It’s a “very common construction in Aramaic, known to the Greeks but especially with the perfect participle.” Lagrange, S. Matth. XCI.

For future judgment:

  • John 3:36b "the wrath of God remains on him."

  • Matt 3:10 The axe is already laid at the root of the trees...every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

  • Matt 23:38 "your house is left desolate";

  • Matt 26:28 “this is my blood, the blood of the covenant, that is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

  • Eph. 5.6 the wrath of God "has come upon"; cp. Rom 1.18 "The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven"; 

  • Heb. 6:12 "are inheriting the promises";

  • 1Cor 10:11 “the end of the ages has come”!


For the coming Kingdom on earth:

  • John 3.36 "anyone who believes in the Son has eternal life";

  • Matt 23:13 "are entering the kingdom of heaven";

  • Eph. 1.14 holy spirit is the guarantee of "our inheritance," cp. Eph. 5.5 "has any inheritance";

  • Rev 5.10 some manuscripts read "they are reigning";


For the coming Messiah:

A Layman's Theology, James Clark, p 93. "The prophecies generally considered to apply to Jesus in Isa 9 and Isa 53 are couched in all three major tenses - past, present, and future."

  • Isa 40:3a “a voice is calling”;

  • Isa 53:2b “he has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon him

  • Isa 53:5b "by his wounds we are healed";

  • Isa 63:1 "Who is this who comes from Edom? He is majesty, marching."

  • Rev. 1:5 "the ruler of the kings of the earth." cp. Ps 89:27


For the Resurrection from the dead:

  • John 5:25 "an hour is coming and is now [here]"


All 3 Tenses:

Henry Jones in Principles of Interpreting the Prophecies, p 70. "The promiscous use of the present, past, and future tenses in the ancient Prophets, shows that the sign of the past tense was no sign against the future fulfilling of the things thus written. [see Isa 40.2-6; 53.1-3; 63.1-6]"

  • Hebrew 8:13 "He has made the first one obsolete [past]; and what is obsolete [present] and aging will soon disappear [future]". NOTE: spoken from the perspective of when the words first spoken by God through the prophet hundreds of years earlier.

  • John 5:24 “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life [present tense] and will not be judged [future] but has crossed over from death to life [past tense].”

  • Rev 17:8 "The beast that you saw was [past], and is not [present], and is about to rise [future] from the bottomless pit and go to destruction."