Thank-you for taking the time and effort to put this information together!
Blessings, Lynne Rollin Shultz wrote:
Here are the translation notes from the NET Bible for the El Shaddai from verse 1 of Gen 17. There are some references to other sources. ^ 3 * tn * The name ( el shadday , /omnipotens/ (/Shaddai/ and /Abram/,/JBL/ 54 (1935): 173-210; R. Gordis, /sdy-sd/,/JTS/ 41 (1940): 34-43; and especially T. N. D. Mettinger, /In Search of God/, 69-72. Shaddai/El Shaddai is the sovereign king of the world who grants, blesses, and judges. In the Book of Genesis he blesses the patriarchs with fertility and promises numerous descendants. Outside Genesis he both blesses/protects and takes away life/happiness. The patriarchs knew God primarily as El Shaddai ( Exod 6:3 ). While the origin and meaning of this name are uncertain (see discussion below) its significance is clear. The name is used in contexts where God appears as the source of fertility and life. In Gen 17:1-8 he appeared to Abram, introduced himself as El Shaddai, and announced his intention to make the patriarch fruitful. In the role of El Shaddai God repeated these words (now elevated to the status of a decree) to Jacob ( 35:11 ). Earlier Isaac had pronounced a blessing on Jacob in which he asked El Shaddai to make Jacob fruitful ( 28:3 ). Jacob later prayed that his sons would be treated with mercy when they returned to Egypt with Benjamin ( 43:14 ). The fertility theme is not as apparent here, though one must remember that Jacob viewed Benjamin as the sole remaining son of the favored and once-barren Rachel (see 29:31 ; 30:22-24 ; 35:16-18 ). It is quite natural that he would appeal to El Shaddai to preserve Benjamin 48:3 Jacob, prior to blessing Joseph Gen 28 ) and promised to make him fruitful. When blessing Joseph on his deathbed Jacob referred to Shaddai (we should probably read 49:25 ). (The direct association of! the nam e with , shadad , Isa 13:6 and in Joel 1:15 .) Outside Genesis the name Shaddai (minus the element Num 24:4 , 16 ) of blessing upon Israel. Naomi employs the name when accusing the Lord of treating her bitterly by taking the lives of her husband and sons ( Ruth 1:20-21 ). In P! s 68:14< /FONT> ; Isa 13:6 ; and Joel 1:15 Shaddai judges his enemies through warfare, while Ps 91:1 depicts him as the protector of his people. (In Ezek 1:24 and 10:5 the sound of the cherubs 11:7 ; 37:23 a) who is the source of life ( ! 33:4 b) and is responsible for maintaining justice ( 8:3 ; 34:10-12 ; 37:23 b). He provides abundant blessings, including children ( 22:17-18 ; 29:4-6 ), but he can also discipline, punish, and destroy ( 5:17 ; 6:4 ; 21:20 ; 23:16 ). It is not surprising to see the name so often in this book, where the theme of God 24:1 ; 27:2 ). The most likely proposal is that the name means , shad , /In Search of God/, 70-71. The name may originally have depicted God as the sovereign judge who, in Canaanite style, ruled from a sacred mountain. Isa 14:13 and Ezek 28:14 , 16 associate such a mountain with God, while Ps 48:2 refers to Zion as Isa 14 the Canaanite god El may be in view. Note that Isaiah pictures pagan kings as taunting the king of Babylon, suggesting that pagan mythology may provide the background for the language and imagery.)I think the previous message from Rich has much merit especially if we compare those meanings with the NET notes omn fertility. http://us.mg1. mail.yahoo. com/dc/launch? .gx=1&.rand=fjcemofco9h4q <http://us.mg1.mail.yahoo.com/dc/launch?.gx=1&.rand=fjcemofco9h4q> One thing for your couple to get in their heads, is the idea of the Hebrew language and Biblical times. Everything about the language is somehow involved with the essences of life in relation to agriculture, animal husbandry, geograpy, and climate. For the people of Abraham's time life was that simple and the language reflects that. They would have no trouble talking about danglers or teats or breasts of women as suckle for children. They were not clouded by the societal taboos we are today. I cannot tell you how to present it in your book but I would not shy away from adding the breast descriptions as long as you present the background of the farm life and how everything was guided and interpreted by it.Rollin ShultzMechanical designer Change Analyst Programmer Allentown, Pa 18104Motto: Ask for help when needed, help others when asked, and remember where you came from.Happy moments, PRAISE GOD, Difficult moments, SEEK GOD, Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD, Painful moments, TRUST GOD, Every moment, THANK GOD*From:* Lynne Valle <ldeva...@sbcglobal. net> *To:* ancient_hebrew@ yahoogroups. com *Sent:* Wed, June 2, 2010 3:07:58 AM *Subject:* [ancient_hebrew] El ShaddayHello again!I am a Christian journalist. I am also co-authoring a women's redemption journal with a couple. I want to include a statement in one of the chapters I am writing referencing "El Shadday" as "the Breasted One" or some similar translation. The couple I am working with object to my using this statement without a reputable reference to justify the statement. Are you aware of a Bible Dictionary, encyclopedia or other reference material that would validate this interpretation?I would greatly appreciate any assistance you might be able to offer. Blessings, Lynne rich.friedel wrote:"And when Abram was ninety nine years old and the LORD appeared to Abram, and he said to him, I am El Shaddai, walk before me, and be perfect." Genesis 17:1Before examining the word Shaddai, let us take a moment to discuss some of the problems with Biblical translations.There are many factors that go into a translation which are invisible and unknown to the reader of a translation. Most Bible readers assume that the English translation of the Bible is an equivalent representation of the original text. Because of the vast difference between the ancient Hebrews' language and our own, as well as the differences in the two cultures, an exact translation is impossible.The difficult job of the translator is to bridge the gap between the languages and cultures. Since the Hebrew text can be translated many different ways, the translator's personal beliefs will often dictate how the text will be translated. A translation of the Biblical text is a translator's interpretation of the original text based on his own theology and doctrine. The reader is then forced to use the translators understanding of the text as his foundation for the text. For this reason, readers will often compare translations, but are usually limited to Christian translations.I always recommend including a "Jewish" translation when comparing texts, as this will give a translation from a different perspective. Yes, it will be biased toward the Jewish faith, but Christian translations are biased toward the Christian faith as well. Acomparison of the two translations can help to discover the bias of each.The translator's task is compounded by the presence of words and phrases whose original meanings have been lost. In these cases the translator will attempt to interpret the words and phrases as best as possible based on the context of the word and the translators opinion of what the author was attempting to convey. When the reader of the translation comes across the translator's attempts at translating the difficult text, the reader makes the assumption that the translator has accurately translated the text.Most Bible translations translate this word as "Almighty." Manytimes a translator will not translate a Hebrew word literally because the literal meaning would mean nothing to the Western mind, and in some cases would actually be offensive to the Western reader. Such is the case with the word "ShDy" (shaddai). The use of the word "Almighty" by the translator is his attempt at translating the text in a manner that will both make sense to the Western reader aswell as retain some of the meaning of the original Hebrew word.The parent root for this word is "ShD" (shad). The original pictographs for this word are, "Sh" is apicture of the two front teeth and has the meaning of "sharp," "press" (as from chewing) as well as "two." The "D" is a picture of a tent door with a meaning of "hang" or "dangle" as the door is hung or dangles down from the top of the tent. The combined meanings of the "Sh" and "D" would be "two danglers."The goat was a very common animal within the herds of the Hebrews. It produces milk within the udder and is extracted by the goat kid by squeezing and sucking on the two teats dangling below the udder.The function of these teats is to provide all the necessary nourishment for the kids, as they would die without it.The Hebrew word "ShDy" (shaddai) also has the meaning of a "teat." Just as the goat provides nourishment to its kids through the milk, God nourishes his children through his milk and provides all the necessities of life. This imagery can be seen in the following passage:"And I will come down to snatch them [Israel] from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up from that land to a good and wide land to a land flowing with milk and honey." Exodus 3:8The word "ydX" (teat) is often coupled with the word "la" (mighty, strong) creating the phrase "AL ShDy" (el shaddai) literally meaning the "mighty teat," hence we can see the translator's reluctance to literally translate this phrase in this manner and instead using the more sanitized "God Almighty."Hope this helps You might want to download this pdfhttp://www.ancient- hebrew.org/ bookstore/ e-books/hno. pdf <http://www.ancient-hebrew.org/bookstore/e-books/hno.pdf>Rich AHRC >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>--- In ancient_hebrew@ yahoogroups. com <mailto:ancient_hebrew%40yahoogroups.com>, Lynne Valle <ldeva...@...> <mailto:ldeva...@...> wrote:> > * > * > > * > * >> *El Shadday: the Breasted One (Psalm 87; Galatians 4:26; Revelation 12)*> >> Can anyone help me with verifying that El Shadday can mean "The Breasted> One" > > Erin Burroughs wrote the following in an article: >> "Strong's Bible Concordance lists "El" (word #410) as meaning "God;" and> "Shadday" (word 7706) as meaning "Almighty," where the title "really> indicates the fullness and riches of God's grace, that He is never weary > of pouring forth His mercies on His people, and that He is more ready to > give than they are to receive," and where "bountiful expresses the sense> most exactly." When we look at the word "bountiful," we see that it is > from the Latin "bonita-s." In the Oxford Latin Dictionary, we see that > "bonita-s" is a *feminine* adjective for "goodness, kindness,> benevolence. " When we look at the Hebrew root words for Shadday, which> are "shad" and "day," we see in Strong's Bible Concordance that "shad" > (word 7699) means "the breast of a woman" and "day" (word 1767) means> "enough, sufficient, from, able, according to, after ability, among, as > oft as, more than enough, in, much as is sufficient, sufficiently, very."> > Thanks for the help, > Lynne > > > -- > May His richest blessings be with you, > Lynne Erickson Valle - Psalms 45:1 >-- May His richest blessings be with you, Lynne Erickson Valle - Psalms 45:1Please visit my online Christian news site at: Dove Press <http://www.dovepress.net/> Visit my page at: Kansas City Non-Denominational Christian Examiner <http://www.examiner.com/x-21219-Kansas-City-Nondenominational-Christian-Examiner>Kansas City Examiner.com <http://www.examiner.com/Kansas_City>Please sign up for a free subscription to my page at the top of any of my articles. Thank youfor helping to reclaim the influence of media for the Kingdom of God!Please visit my personal business at: Dove Studio <http://www.dovestudio.net/>
-- May His richest blessings be with you, Lynne Erickson Valle - Psalms 45:1Please visit my online Christian news site at: Dove Press <http://www.dovepress.net> Visit my page at: Kansas City Non-Denominational Christian Examiner <http://www.examiner.com/x-21219-Kansas-City-Nondenominational-Christian-Examiner>
Kansas City Examiner.com <http://www.examiner.com/Kansas_City>Please sign up for a free subscription to my page at the top of any of my articles. Thank you
for helping to reclaim the influence of media for the Kingdom of God!Please visit my personal business at: Dove Studio <http://www.dovestudio.net>
