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  • From: TedBro AT aol.com
  • To: donaldrvance AT me.com
  • Cc: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org, George.Athas AT moore.edu.au
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] sky
  • Date: Fri, 31 Aug 2012 14:36:42 -0400 (EDT)

Donald:
Could you provide the relevant passages in Enoch? Of course, this may be an
entirely different question as Enoch is much later than either D or P. I
tend to think the authors of the Biblical text were more poetic than even
ancient interpreters understood. Once a text is considered sacred and
inspired there is a tendency to favor more literal readings.

On the nature of the heavenly waters above the raqia consider the
following. Note that the throne of God is said to rest upon the heavenly
waters,
"thick clouds". So it doesn't seem that raqia as the boundary between the
open air and the clouds, need be a physical object or that the author
envisioned a celestial ocean above the raqia.

Peace,
Ted Brownstein

Job 26:7 He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the
earth upon nothing.
26:8 He bindeth up the waters in his thick clouds; and the cloud is not
rent under them.
26:9 He holdeth back the face of his throne, and spreadeth his cloud upon
it.
==============================================================

Job 38:4 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare,
if thou hast understanding.
38:5 Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath
stretched the line upon it? 38:6 Whereupon are the foundations thereof
fastened?
or who laid the corner stone thereof; 38:7 When the morning stars sang
together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? 38:8 Or who shut up the
sea
with doors, when it brake forth, as if it had issued out of the womb? 38:9
When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddling
band for it,
==========
Psalms 29:3 The voice of the LORD is upon the waters: the God of glory
thundereth: the LORD is upon many waters... 29:10 The LORD sitteth upon the
flood; yea, the LORD sitteth King for ever.
=====
Proverbs 8:27 When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a
compass upon the face of the depth: 8:28 When he established the clouds
above:
=============











In a message dated 8/31/2012 9:44:56 A.M. Central Daylight Time,
donaldrvance AT me.com writes:

In all this discussion, the salient fact that the raqia separated the
waters by lifting them implies a solid entity. The metaphorical language is
evident in the Dt passage, but that doesn't preclude the conceptualization
of
the raqia as a solid entity, and a metaphorical explanation ignores the
capability of lifting the water. Read Enoch. The sleuce gates/windows are
taken quite literally.


Donald R. Vance, Ph.D.
Professor of Biblical Languages and Literature
Oral Roberts University
dvance AT oru.edu
donaldrvance AT mac.com




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