Hi Rolf,
I’m sure George will have his own reply, but I’d like to chime in on this as well. Initially, let me observe that it doesn’t really help your case when the verses you list in support of your position say the exact opposite of what you summarize them as saying. Rq( as a verb occurs 12x in the Hebrew Bible. With 5 of those occurrences, Exod 39:3; Num 17:3, 4; Isa 40:19; and Jer 10:9, there is no debate at all as to what is being denoted by the verb: a process of hammering, beating, and stamping out metal. That leaves 7 passages. 2 Sam 22:43 refers to trampling out an at least semi-solid substance, the mire or clay of the streets. Job 37:18, as you noted, refers to how Yahweh spreads out the clouds or the dust. But the verse goes on to say that the result is that the clouds/dust become “hard as a mirror of cast bronze.” As I said, it does not help your case when your proof texts are more in line with your opponents’ position than with yours. The rq( is a process of making something solid. In Ps 136:6, Yahweh spreads out the earth, a solid substance, something that can be walked on. In Isa 42:5, again Yahweh spreads out the earth, a solid substance. In Isa 44:24, again Yahweh spreads out the earth, a solid substance. In Ezek 6:11, Ezekiel is told to stamp his feet (presumably on the ground, a solid substance). In Ezek 25:6, the Ammonites are rebuked for having stamped their feet (on the ground) with malice against the Israelites. So, we have 12 occurrences, none of which have to do with spreading out some ethereal, airy, gaseous substance. Rq( refers to hammering, stamping, beating out. The noun rqy( occurs 15x. 9 of those occurrences are in Gen 1 (not just the3x you mentioned). Since these are the ones in question, I’ll look at the other occurrences first. Nothing can really be told one way or the other from the occurrences in Ps 19:2; 150:1; and Dan 12:3. But when you say “the parallels suggest a non-solid state,” you are begging the question. For the occurrences in Ezekiel (1:22-26), on the one hand, you try to downplay the occurrences as being used in “visions where literal things of three dimensions are used in a symbolic way to describe heavenly things.” On the other hand, you try to appeal to it later in some weird way to compare the wings of the living creatures with the wings of the birds. But there is no comparison. As we can easily tell from other ANE texts and artwork, the wings of the living creatures are holding up the rqy(. They are sky-bearers. And the throne of Yahweh is resting on the rqy(. The rqy( in Ezek 1 is a solid substance. Of course, the occurrences in Gen 1 (vv. 6, 7 (3x), 8, 14, 15, 17, 20) are the ones that are under dispute in this discussion. If the occurrences of the verb rq( and the noun rQy( are given their full weight, we should expect that the the rqy( in Gen 1 is, indeed, a solid substance. When you add to this that this is reflective of the cosmosgraphy of the ancient world (as well-demonstrated as it is, e.g., in the volume recommended to you by Martin Shield), then I think George’s case is pretty well taken – “That’s what the text says.” Blessings, Jerry Shepherd Taylor Seminary Edmonton, Alberta [email protected] _______________________________________________ b-hebrew mailing list [email protected] http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/b-hebrew
