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  • From: "Harold R. Holmyard III" <hholmyard AT ont.com>
  • To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Is.45:7 God created evil?
  • Date: Fri, 5 Aug 2005 11:54:08 -0500

Dear James,

Yitzhak also wrote:
You might be confused because your translation mistakenly has "when
one incited"
END QUOTE

Yes. The translation is pragmatic and probably largely influenced by the
larger context of the situation which the 'chronicler' throws more light
on.
However, linguistically, there is no conclusive evidence that the subject
of the verb is Yah's anger. This is only one interpretation, which is logically
inferred by the presence of an explicit subject in the first clause.
However, this interpretation is largely influenced by our modern understanding
and usage of language and does not take into account the finer points of ancient
expression which we are not in a position to be experts on.
The chronicler, however, was in such a position and clearly did not understand
Yah's anger to be the subject of the verb.

HH: This is an invalid assumption on your part. The fact that Satan did something does not mean that God was not involved. Both God and Satan are involved in Job's afflictions, which involved certain temptations for Job.

However, he does acknowledge the ambiguity and clears up this ambiguity by making
the subject explicit to us.

HH: But the unnaturalness of the interpretation in 2 Sam 24:1, which at least two others have mentioned, really excludes the interpretation. The writer would have needed to explicitly indicate a third party because ancient biblical theology had no problem with God being involved with actions that entailed evil. He sent an evil spirit to torment Saul and an evil spirit to deceive Ahab. The writer of 2 Samuel would have had no problem saying that the anger of the Lord incited David to number Israel, saying, "Go number Israel and Judah." God's sovereignty was behind what happened, however it happened.

Yours,
Harold Holmyard





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