Biblical Hebrew Forum

[fred burlingame <tensorpath AT gmail.com>]

Hello Gary:

Thanks for your comments.
I am simply saying עולם in the biblical hebrew language means "concealed,"
or "hidden" or "unknown" ... no more ... no less.

Attaching that word to יהוה changes עולם meaning, not. As your quoted verse
advises: אלהים of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, certainly excludes not the
possibility of אלהים of all others. And likewise, יהוה לעולם excludes not
the possibility of eternal.

Exodus 3:15 simply contextualizes עולם in terms of time and a specific
person, versus another parameter like size or covenant.

Many people expect, demand and even claim to know a full revelation of the
entire nature of יהוה . Isaiah's one line response: 45:15.

The nice reproduction of lexicon excerpts that bryant furnishes in a
subsequent post, represents a lot of eternal theology added onto a word
whose plain meaning in the biblical hebrew language meaning includes
"hidden," rather than eternal.

People enjoy wonderful freedom to believe whatever they want. עולם however,
means eternal ... not ..., in the leningrad codex.

regards,

fred burlingame
On Fri, Dec 10, 2010 at 10:47 PM, Hedrick Gary <GaryH AT cjfm.org> wrote:

> Remember what we said about contextualization? I personally don't see the
> logic of "unknown YHWH" in the broader context of God's extensive
> self-relelation in the Torah.
>
> Ex. 3:15
> ויאמר עוד אלהים אל־משה כה־תאמר אל־בני ישראל יהוה אלהי אבתיכם אלהי אברהם
> אלהי יצחק ואלהי יעקב שלחני אליכם זה־שמי לעלם וזה זכרי לדר דר׃
>
> Deut. 4 is a great chapter and I don't see how it promotes the idea of an
> "unknown (or hidden) YHWH." Are you saying we can only "know" something if
> it has shape or form?
>
> Gary Hedrick
> San Antonio, Texas USA
>
>