Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Ishnian" <ishinan AT comcast.net>]

MEANING AND SYMBOLISM OF CLOTHING IN REFERENCE TO THE HEAVENS IN SEMITIC 
LANGUAGES


The trilateral root of _rq`_ in Hebrew actually means "patch", ( parallel 
meaning is also found in many Semitic languages such as in Ugaritic, 
Classical Arabic etc. All of them are, invariably, describing the sky region 
with the exact same terminology.  Parallel to Hebrew_ rq`_ Arabic has 
al-raqiy` or  the first heaven 
and  al-'Arqa` for each  layer or patch  of the seven heavens . This is a 
clear reference to each one of the seven heavens.  The Qur'an (Fussilat 41: 
12)    "And He created seven skies (heavens)  in two days, and taught each 
sky its duties. And He adorned the nearest sky (or: the sky of this world) 
with  stars...etc."  and 
"Allah is He Who created seven Firmaments and of the earth a similar number." 
  (Qur'an 65:120)

Further Islamic texts refer to several levels of heavens: known as  
al-Firdaws, `Adn, Na`iym, Na'wa, DAr al-salAm, dAr al-MuaqAmah, Al-MaqqAm 
al-'Amiyn.

Each of these heavens being a cover to what is next to it as though it was 
'patched' over by the next one above it.  The highest celestial 'region' 
being portrayed as 'patched' garment.

The same idea of the seven heavens is  expressed in the Jewish Kabbalah: 
Shamayim, the first Heaven Raqy`, the second Heaven Shehaqim, the third 
Heaven Machen, the fourth Heaven Machon, the fifth Heaven Zebul, the sixth 
Heaven, and Araboth the seventh Heaven.

Ugaritic, equally has a rich vocabulary in describing heaven as a divine 
clothing.  For example: when Motu  sarcastically  refers back to Ba`lu's 
victory over Yammu and his monsters, he asserts that Ba`lu was uncovered ( 
i.e. suffered a terrible  humiliation)  But then he goes on to state that, 
the heavens came loose  like the girdle (rks) of his cloak (`ipd) {see KTU 
1.5:1.4-5}. Thus it would seem that Motu takes the heavens to be the 
"clothing" of the weather -god Ba`lu ( here it could just as well become an 
obvious metaphor for the clouded sky.) In fact, in Ugaritic, once the heavens 
are depicted as Ba`lu cloak.

Similarly, the Bible frequently uses the concept of the heavens covering YHWH 
like a tent ( which incidentally is made of patches sowed together). In fact 
the idea that the heavens are YHWH 's garment finds an echo in Ps. 102:25-26 

"Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens 
(shamamym) [are] the work of thy hands.

They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like 
a garment (bgd); as a vesture ( lbwsh) shalt thou change them, and they shall 
be changed:"

In addition, natural phenomena also may be clothed by YHWH. Indeed, in anger, 
God clothes the heavens with blackness, and he makes sackcloth (sq) their 
covering ( ksw-t) Isa. 50:3 "I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make 
sackcloth their covering."

I hope that the above examples are sufficiently convincing to convey the true 
meaning and symbolism of "clothing/patched garment:"  in reference to the sky 
or heaven(s) in the Semitic languages. 

Best regards to all 

Ishinan Ishibashi