Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Dave Washburn" <dwashbur AT nyx.net>]

> What is also interesting about these verses is the
> writer's understanding of what the Glory is.
> The Glory went out of Israel when the Ark was taken,
> the Glory was the Ark! The Ark was the idol, the hypostasis,
> of YHWH, or indeed, YHWH himself.

Liz,
I'm not so sure.  Doesn't the Torah say that when the Tabernacle 
was set up, the Shekinah-glory dwelt *on the lid of* the ark (the 
kapporet) between the cherubim?  If that's the case, then the 
departure of the Ark would of necessity cause the departure of the 
glory as well, but I don't see that it necessarily means the ark itself 
*was* the glory or was YHWH.  Granted the Israelites were at this 
point treating the Ark as if it were an idol, but that's as far as I'd be 
willing to go at this point.

Dave Washburn
http://www.nyx.net/~dwashbur
"You just keep thinking, Butch.  That's what you're good at."