Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Bill Rea <cctr114 AT its.canterbury.ac.nz>]

Roger wrote:-

>In Jeremiah 7, we find--
>21   Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Put your burnt 
>offerings unto your sacrifices, and eat flesh. 
>22   For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I 
>brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or 
>sacrifices: 
>23   But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be 
>your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have 
>commanded you, that it may be well unto you. 
>
>In context of the chapter, Israel seems to have reduced worship of God to 
>the 
>giving of the specified offerings and sacrifices as one might pay a tax.  We 
>might conclude that the writer, in the above verses, does not mean to argue 
>that God did not actually command that offerings and sacrifices be given but 
>that God required much more than just offerings and sacrifices.  God 
>required 
>obedience of which the giving of offerings and sacrifices were a consequence

The translation of V22 is pretty good, here's my efforts from a few
years ago:-

21 Thus said YHWH Sabaoth, ``Add your burnt offerings to your
sacrifices and eat the meat! 
22 For I did not speak with your ancestors, nor did I instruct them, 
at the time I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning matters 
of burnt offering and sacrifice.
23 For this is what I command you, ``Do what I say, and I shall
be God to you and you may be my people, you shall live in the
manner I instruct you, that it may go well with you.

Instead of trying to explain away the plain meaning of V22, perhaps
we should ask from where did he get this idea? 

Precisely from the covenant itself. We must remember that sacrifices
were not invented with the giving of the Sinai covenant. Earlier the
patriarchs sacrificed (see for example Gen 15:7-21, Gen 22:13,
Gen 31:54 or Gen 46:1).  When we look at the giving of covenant
there were some preliminary matters covered in Ex 19, then
it really begins with the ten commandments in Ex 20:1 and continues
through to the end of chapter 23. In this period there is only a
single reference to sacrifice, in Ex 23:18, where it makes a passing
reference to a form of sacrifice already known to the Israelites.
Then in Ex 24 the covenant is ratified. The people pledge obedience
in Ex 24:3, then a solemn ceremony, involving a sacrifice, is held
in Ex 24:5-8 to ratify the covenant. It is after the conclusion of 
the covenant that the sacrificial system was given.

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