Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Jack Kilmon" <jkilmon AT historian.net>]

Hi George and Ishinan:
   I have given thought in the past regarding the Iron Age conception of 
cosmology and what  רָקִיעַ meant.  I took my clue from the term 
וַֽאֲרֻבֹּת הַשָּׁמָיִם used at Gen 7:11, 8:2; 2 Ki 7:19; Isa 24:18; Mal 
3:10.  The best translation I can think of, less generic than "Windows" is 
"shutters" because araboth are non-glazed windows but lattice-work windows 
(which would not be found in a symbolic robe). Araboth are constructed in a 
solid substrate.  The Cairo Geniza Targum, T. Pseudojonathan and T. Neofiti 
use the Aramaic hrky, windows that would be constructed in a plank boat, 
wall of a house as well as shemaya.  Have you ever had room service 
breakfast at a Hotel (preferably King David)?  You have your plate of food 
and a stainless steel domed covering to keep it warm.  Sometimes there is 
even an arabah in the top through which you put your finger to lift the 
cover.  The plate is the flat circular earth and the steel cover is the 
raqiya. The finger hole is the arabah (except they are closed with a lattice 
which had to  וַיַּבְדֵּל בֵּין הַמַּיִם אֲשֶׁר מִתַּחַת לָרָקִיעַ וּבֵין 
הַמַּיִם אֲשֶׁר מֵעַל לָרָקִיעַ  to keep breakfast from getting wet.  We now 
know there is no water above the heavens and our space walking astronauts 
needed no scuba gear.  All of the stars, planets, the sun and moon "hung" 
like lanterns from the inside of the metal dome.  This is also pretty close 
to other Iron Age and Bronze Age cosmologies.  Mr, Ockham informs me that 
רָקִיעַ  is hammered out metal.

Best Regards,

Jack

Jack Kilmon
Houston, TX

-----Original Message----- 
From: George Athas
Sent: Sunday, September 02, 2012 2:55 AM
To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] MEANING AND SYMBOLISM OF CLOTHING IN REFERENCE TO 
THE HEAVENS IN SEMITIC LANGUAGES

Ishinan,

Thanks for a fascinating post and all the digging you've done to bring out 
those references. I have a couple of issues, however, with how you're 
bringing the data together and reaching a conclusion about them.

Firstly, the Quranic references are, obviously, quite late. We are talking 
at the very least a millennium later than the biblical texts we've been 
tossing about. As such, I'm reticent to place too much weight on them in 
terms of determining the conceptuality of the biblical writers.

Secondly, the Kabbalah is also quite late and, therefore, unreliable for 
determining the ancient conceptuality. Paul evidently had a concept of 
multiple heavens (cf. 2 Cor 12.2), but again this says nothing about, say, 
how the writer of Genesis 1 understood the רקיע.

Thirdly, I follow your discussion about seeing celestial realia as divine 
garments. Clothing is often used as a symbol of authority (cf. how robes get 
used and misused in the books of Samuel and Kings), so I see the symbolic 
value in the texts you mention. And I see how you're getting 'patch' out of 
רקע. However, I really do not see how this relates specifically to the issue 
of whether the רקיע is conceived as an actual hard panel or not. As far as I 
can see, none of the texts you've mentioned make use of this word. If I'm 
wrong on that, please correct me — I'm very happy to change my opinion on 
this.

Finally, the concept of 'patch' as part of רקע does not mean this concept 
exhausts the meaning of the trilateral root. We are dealing with a semantic 
domain that is demonstrated ultimately by usage of specific forms (verbs, 
nouns, etc.) in specific contexts. I fear that you may be imbibing a little 
of the etymological fallacy with a dash of totality transfer. As I 
mentioned, I'm happy to be corrected on this, but I don't think the data 
quite get us to your conclusion.

Cheers!


GEORGE ATHAS
Dean of Research,
Moore Theological College (moore.edu.au)
Sydney, Australia


From: Ishnian <ishinan AT comcast.net<mailto:ishinan AT comcast.net>>
Date: Saturday, 1 September 2012 2:06 PM
To: B-Hebrew <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org<mailto:b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>>
Subject: [b-hebrew] MEANING AND SYMBOLISM OF CLOTHING IN REFERENCE TO THE 
HEAVENS IN SEMITIC LANGUAGES

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


_______________________________________________
b-hebrew mailing list
b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org<mailto:b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/b-hebrew

_______________________________________________
b-hebrew mailing list
b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/b-hebrew