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  • From: "Ian Hutchesson" <mc2499 AT mclink.it>
  • To: "Biblical Hebrew" <b-hebrew AT franklin.metalab.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: Names of god
  • Date: Mon, 26 Aug 2002 02:01:37 +0200


>>>El is one of G-d's names, Adonai is also one of G-d's names.
>>>
>>>To a totally monotheistic mind, the one and only G-d, has many
>>>aspects which He/It reveals to us, in history, in our lives, in the
>>>Torah, in the spiritual worlds, and the different names are used to
>>>refer to different aspects, (ie, when Lovingkindness is in play, when
>>>Stern Judgement is in play, etc.) and this does not at all fragment
>>>the unity of G-d.
>>>
>>>Shoshanna


Yigal:
>>
>>Exactly what I meant. However in "academic" scholarship the assumtion has
>>often been that the authors of (some of) the Bible were less "totally
>>monotheistic" than traditional exegesis has assumed. Living in a
>>polytheistic world, they were at once able to claim that YHWH is the only
>>True God, and at the same time picture YHWH as competing with other gods,
>>thereby assuming their existance. Of course, a lot of this has been edited
>>out, but Ps. 82, without rabbinic exegesis, seems to be a good example
>>(assuming that at least the first "Elohim", of vs. 1, is to be identified
>>with YHWH).

Shoshanna:

>But the basic assumption that academic scholarship starts out with in
>the first place - that there are multiple human authors - is wrong.

No facts, no evidence, just that it "is wrong".
Right in the spirit of this list, eh?

Our job is to deal with the text, what it says,
what its context was, indications of the original
form of the text, etc. So...

The only thing that seems problematical about this
psalm is the conflictuary use of 'lhym in the first
verse. The first use has as a referent apparently
the same as yhwh -- so here I'm in agreement with
Yigal. It is clear that the second use is not that.
It is clearly plural and is in parallel with "the
assembly of El".

Verses 5 and 8 are much longer than the other six.
v5 is not directly related in thought to what comes
before or after, though it's not too out of place,
while v8 introduces another voice who talks directly
to Elohim (the same reference as the first use of
'lhym in v1), again which has no apparent relation
to the psalm as a whole, talking not about those who
judge falsely and cause problems, but about Elohim
inheriting the nations.

Let me make a reconstruction of the psalm as follows
(without vv 5 & 8):

-------------------------------------------------------
Yahweh stands in the assembly of El, 1
in the midst of the Elohim he judges:

How long (will) you (pl.) judge (in) wickedness, 2
and bear the face of the wicked?

Judge the poor [dl] and the fatherless 3
to the needy and the destitute [r$] be righteous

Deliver the poor [dl] and the needy ['bywn] 4
from the hand of the wicked remove them

I said: you (pl.) (are) Elohim, 6
sons of Elyon all of you (pl.)

Surely, like men you (pl.) (shall) die 7
and like one of the princes you (pl.) (shall) fall
-------------------------------------------------------

It should be obvious that El in the psalm, as
it is above, is not another name for Yahweh,
but fulfills the same role as El in Ugaritic
literature, where he has his assembly of his
sons, just as he does here, the "sons of
Elyon", who are the Elohim of vv.1b & 6.

The psalm is a condemnation of the other sons
of El for their maltreatment of their charges,
recommends the right course of action, and
states their doom.

Read in the context of Deut 32:8-9, where Elyon
has apportioned the nations to the control of
the sons of God (this is probably El in DSS,
but I don't have the Hebrew) and Yahweh's
portion is Jacob, there is little strange in
the psalm.

I would say that the only name for God in this
psalm is Elohim in v1a and v8. The other uses of
Elohim and the use of El do not refer to God.


Ian


(I must add that the first two verses of Ps 82 were
found among the DSS [in 11Q13] and Elohim is there
both times in v1 -- spelt 'lwhym.)


Ps 82
-------------------------------------------------------
Psalm of Asaph

Elohim stands in the assembly of El,
in the midst of the Elohim he judges:

How long (will) you (pl.) judge (in) wickedness,
and bear the face of the wicked?

Judge the poor [dl] and the fatherless
to the needy and the destitute [r$] be righteous

Deliver the poor [dl] and the needy ['bywn]
from the hand of the wicked remove them

They know not and they understand not
in darkness they walk
all the foundations of the earth are moved

I said: you (pl.) (are) Elohim,
sons of Elyon all of you (pl.)

Surely, like men you (pl.) (shall) die
and like one of the princes you (pl.) (shall) fall

Rise up, Elohim, judge the earth
For you (shall) take possession of all the goyim.

-------------------------------------------------------









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