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
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