Biblical Hebrew Forum

[<tladatsi AT charter.net>]

HH,

You are correct, I should have started at 33:11 but 34 
seems disconnected from 33. The DH folks argue that most of 
34 is J while all of 33 is E.

How is seeing Yahweh s glory being taught Yahweh?s ways?  
This is an odd formula is it not?  It seems to me the usual 
formula is that Yahweh s ways are expressed in the 
commandments (e.g. Ex 18:20 or Deu 5:33). ?  Is there 
somewhere else in the Bible where this formula of learning 
Yahweh?s ways by seeing His glory is expressed?  

I do not see that it is clear that Moses actually saw 
Yahweh?s Glory. The verb is 3rd person qal perfect (to be) 
followed by a infinite construct (passing) and then the 
noun (my glory).  If I understand the words correctly,  as 
the glory is passing by Yahweh will lift up Moses and place 
him inside the crevice of rock and cover both the crevice 
and Moses with Yahweh?s hand until the glory passed.  When 
Yahweh removed his hand, Moses only saw Yahweh?s backside.  
The implication seems to be that Yahweh?s glory had already 
passed and is not visible from behind.   

As an aside, it seems a very odd image, Yahweh picking up 
Moses, placing him into the crevice of a rock, holding His 
hand over both the crevice and Moses, while walking to a 
location where Moses can only see His backside.  Even 
reckoning that Yahweh would be seen as having exaggerated 
features, it is a series of anatomically complicated and 
counter-intuitive actions.

Also Yahweh seems to be answering questions Moses did not 
ask.  As I noted earlier Yahweh tells Moses that he may not 
see Yahweh?s face even though Moses did not ask to see His 
face.  Yahweh goes on to say that He loves whom He loves 
and He honors whom He honors (or however you want to 
translate that).   What question is Yahweh answering?  In 
Ex 3:14 Moses asks Yahweh what His name is and Yahweh 
responds I am who I am which some correspondents suggest is 
a non-response, if not actually a rude or snide response  
(verb ?asher ?verb).  Irrespective of the nature of the 
response, it is a response to a question.  Moses did not 
ask Yahweh anything about who is loved or favored and 
Yahweh has already said that Moses has His favor.  It is 
almost as if someone asked why does Moses get this special 
treatment and Yahweh responds I will decide who gets 
special treatment who does not. 


Jack Tladatsi