[b-hebrew] resource material was chalal-perforate/pierce?

Bryant J. Williams III bjwvmw at com-pair.net
Tue Sep 11 15:17:26 EDT 2007


Dear Isaac,

Isaiah 13-35 is a series of prophecies against the nations, Israel and Judah. 

    Isaiah 13:1-14:23,    Prophecy against Babylon.
    Isaiah 14:24-27        Prophecy against Assyria.
    Isaiah 14:28-32        Prophecy against Philistia.
    Isaiah 15:1-16:14     Prophecy against Moab.
    Isaiah 17:1-3            Prophecy against Damascus.
    Isaiah 17:4-14          Prophecy against Ephraim.
    Isaiah 18:1-7            Prophecy against Ethiopia.
    Isaiah 19:1-20:6       Prophecy against Egypt.
    Isaiah 21:1-16          Prophecy about Elam, Medea, Dumah and Arabia.
    Isaiah 22:1-14          Prophecy about Jerusalem.
    Isaiah 22:15-25        Prophecy about Shebna.
    Isaiah 23:1-18          Prophecy against Tyre.
    Isaiah 24:1-25:12     Prophecy against the Sin of the World.
    Isaiah 26:1-27:13     Proclamation of Rejoicing in Judah and the Deliverance of Israel.
    Isaiah 28:1-29          Prophecy against Ephraim.
    Isaiah 29:1-31:9       Prophecy against Jerusalem & Judah.

In the midst of these prophecies is a phrase, "in that day" (BaYOM). The phrase is backward looking in 26:1, 27:1, 2. In that Day... is referring to something previous. In chapter 26 it refers to the destruction of the various nations that have come against Judah. Thus, the song of rejoicing in Judah. In chapter 27:1, In that Day is referring to the previous 26:20-21,
    "Come, my people, enter your chambers,
    and shut your doors behind you;
    hide yourselves for a little while
    until the wrath is past.
    For behold, the LORD is coming forth out of his place
    to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity,
    and the earth will disclose the blood shed upon her,
    and will more cover her slain."    (RSV, 26:20-21)
    "In that day the LORD with his hard and great and strong sword will punish 
    Leviathan the fleeing serpent,
    Leviathan the twisting serpent,
    and he will slay the dragon that is in the sea."
    In that day: ..."    (RSV, 27:1-2)

    At this point, it is not talking about Assyria nor Egypt (A$UR & MICRAIM). It is discussing the destruction of Leviathan, the serpent, the dragon = The evil one = Satan = the prime mover of sin/iniquity and the iniquity/sin of the people of the earth. Now, there is the use of some terms to the Canaanite Baal Victory Poem in which Lotan = Leviathan is used. But in this context not referring to Egypt nor Assyria. 

In Psalm 74:13-14, I agree with you that there is a definite comparison between Leviathan (dragon) and Egypt. In fact, Derek Kidner, Psalms 73-150, pp. 268, comments:

    "13-15. The parting of the Red Sea and the crushing blow to Egypt, that dragon of the deep (cf. Ezk. 32:2ff), invite comparison with the Canaanite boast of Baal's victories over the personified Sea and River, over the Dragon (TNN; cf. the plural TANNINIM, dragons, here) and over the seven-headed serpent Lotan (the equivalent word to Leviathan[1]). The point here is that what Baal claimed in the realm of myth, God has done in the realm of history - working salvation....[1] The allusion to the Canaanite material is unmistakable (Is. 27:1, where the unusual adjectives as well as the nouns are those of the Baal poem. See *Documents from Old Testament Times,* ed. D. Winston Thomas, (Nelson, 1958), pp. 129-133. For comparable passages see Ps. 89:10; Is. 51:9f."

Rev. Bryant J. Williams III

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Isaac Fried 
  To: Bryant J. Williams III 
  Cc: b-hebrew Hebrew 
  Sent: Tuesday, September 11, 2007 4:31 AM
  Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] resource material was chalal-perforate/pierce?


  Bryant,




  There is, of course, Isaiah 27:1

  בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יִפְקֹד יְהוָה בְּחַרְבּוֹ הַקָּשָׁה וְהַגְּדוֹלָה וְהַחֲזָקָה עַל לִוְיָתָן נָחָשׁ בָּרִחַ וְעַל לִוְיָתָן נָחָשׁ עֲקַלָּתוֹן וְהָרַג אֶת-הַתַּנִּין אֲשֶׁר בַּיָּם

  But here reference, I think, is to A$UR and MICRAIM.

  Also the poetical flair of Psalms 74:13-14

  אַתָּה פוֹרַרְתָּ בְעָזְּךָ יָם שִׁבַּרְתָּ רָאשֵׁי תַנִּינִים עַל-הַמָּיִם אַתָּה רִצַּצְתָּ רָאשֵׁי לִוְיָתָן 




  Isaac Fried, Boston University



  On Sep 10, 2007, at 7:40 PM, Bryant J. Williams III wrote:


    Dear Isaac,

    Isaiah 51:9 
    מְחוֹלֶלֶת תַּנִּיןעוּרִי כִּימֵי קֶדֶם דֹּרוֹת עוֹלָמִים הֲלוֹא אַתְּ-הִיא הַמַּחְצֶבֶת רַהַב עוּרִי עוּרִי לִבְשִׁי-עֹז זְרוֹעַ יְהוָה 

    (BHS)

     9     Awake, awake, put on strength,

    O arm of the Lord!
    Awake, as in days of old,
    the generations of long ago!
    Was it not you who cut Rahab in pieces,
    who pierced the dragon?
     (NRSV)
    [Hebrew You slew Rahab; you pierced the dragon.]




    and the second in Job 26:12-13



    רָהַב בְּרוּחוֹ שָׁמַיִם שִׁפְרָה חֹלְלָה יָדוֹ נָחָשׁ בָּרִחַבְּכֹחוֹ רָגַע הַיָּם וּבִתְבוּנָתוֹ מָחַץ 





    12     By his power he stilled the Sea;
    by his understanding he struck down Rahab.
    13     By his wind the heavens were made fair;
    (by)his hand pierced the fleeing serpent.
    (NRSV)

    Now regarding the context of Isaiah 51:9. 
    I.     Call to the nation to the trust the Lord in 51:1-8.
    II.    Call to the Lord to deliver the nation in 51:9-11.
    III.   Comfort of the Lord to the nation in deliverance in 51:12-16.
    IV.   Condolences to the nation because of the Wrath of the Lord in 51:17-20.
    V.    Comfort to the Afflicted in 51:21-23.

    There is an appeal to the covenant made with Abraham in verse 2. The appeal to God's righteous character in vss. 4, 5, 7. The appeal to God's power in vss. 9, 10. It is in the midst of these appeals that the power of God is seen in how he dealt with Rahab with the use of a rhetorical question that demands a "yes" as answer in synonymous parallelism. "Rahab/dragon"  and "cut in pieces(slew)/pierced" are parallel to each other. What confirms that XALAL means "pierce," here, is that in order to cut something into pieces is that one has to pierce.

    Regarding the passage in Job 26:12-13.

    The context is one of Job in reply to Bildar in 25:1-6 where Bildad accuses Job of not knowing God's ways and unable to prove himself before God. Job's reply begins with 6 rhetorical (sarcastic) questions in 26:1-4. All the questions require a "no" as an answer. In 26:5-14 Job uses several illustrations from the created world to describe the omnipotence of God. The parallelism is between "By his power he stilled the Sea/By his wind the heavens were made fair" and "by his understanding he struck down Rahab/his hand pierced the fleeing serpent." Here, "struck" [MaXaC] is paralleled with "pierced" [XALAL].

    Rev. Bryant J. Williams III

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