Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Peter Kirk <peterkirk AT qaya.org>]

On 28/08/2004 14:41, Walter R. Mattfeld wrote:

> I get the notion that the Rabshakeh "appears" to be telling Hezekiah that
> because Hezekiah has AFFRONTED Yahweh-Elohim by tearing down Yahweh's altars
> and high places that Yahweh has sent the Assyrians to punish him, and that
> God will NOT aide him against Assyria. Any other interpretations out there ?
>
>  
Sounds about right to me. I don't think it is the first recorded case of 
outsiders misunderstanding the true worship of YHWH and mocking a 
caricature or straw man version of it. It certainly isn't the last. But 
then the chief butler's misunderstanding is not surprising since his 
culture presumably had no concept of a god who should be worshipped only 
at one single sanctuary. But this is what YHWH had asked for, at least 
according to the Torah, and was the attested practice from the time of 
the Exodus at least until Solomon's day, although the location of the 
central sanctuary varied from time to time.

--
Peter Kirk
peter AT qaya.org (personal)
peterkirk AT qaya.org (work)
http://www.qaya.org/