Biblical Hebrew Forum

["David Anderson" <sarxws AT gmail.com>]

*lizfried AT umich.edu wrote:*
**
"So now, accordingly, qn' (qana')is translated as
"zealous" when the subject is God (e.g. Exod 20:5)and as "jealous" when a
human is the subject (e.g., Gen. 26:14).  Yet, I would maintain that it is
YHWH's very jealousy that has maintained the Jews over 3000 years of
persecutions, nothing else. Jews do not worship other gods, for that simple
reason, that YHWH is a jealous god. Nevertheless, Christians tend to
translate the term as "zealous" in Exod. 20:5 because jealousy is seen as a
negative emotion. It seems to me that the god that Christians see in the OT
tends to be a Platonic idealization of YHWH, which is fine, but it is
different from the god that Jews see when they read the Hebrew Bible."

---------------------End Original Message-------------------------

I do not know about other Christians, but we Catholics do not see jelousy in
a negative connotation, we believe that the word is highly misunderstood
though. You have really got me thinking about what the true image of YHWH
ought to be in my mind though, never thought about my philosophical
upbringing as changing what the OT is truly saying.

I know that you did not say all Christians translate the term as zealous.
Anyway, I figured it would aid the discussion to see a Christian
translation:

"you shall not bow down before them or worship them. For I, the LORD, your
God, am a *jealous* God, inflicting punishment for their fathers' wickedness
on the children of those who hate me, down to the third and fourth
generation" (NAB). - Exodus 20:5

I do not know if you are right about the platonism, but I can admit that
we Catholics are a highly philosophical group; St. Augustine (I think the
most influential Christian Theologian) was highly influenced by Platonis'
ideas as well.

David Anderson
Mobile, Alabama


On 9/7/06, Revdpickrel AT wmconnect.com <Revdpickrel AT wmconnect.com > wrote:
> In a message dated 9/7/2006 2:53:14 PM Central Daylight Time,
> bla26 AT co.henrico.va.us writes:
>
>
> > It would sound awkward to insist that one always say "less light" when
> > one means "darker," or "less hot" when one means "colder." If a
> > scientist had written Genesis 1, rather than a prophet, he might have
> > written, "the earth was formless and void, and there was no light on the
> > face of the deep."
> >
> > I like the prophet's version better.
> >
>
> So do I, Ben.
>
>
> Rev. Doug Pickrel, Litt.D.
> Tejas Valley
> San Antonio, Texas
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