On Sun, Feb 24, 2013 at 2:22 PM, Jack Kilmon <[email protected]> wrote: > This is probably kindergarten stuff to the forum but I have wondered about > it for 60 years or so. > > Exodus 3-5 are one commandment broken into three stanzas. My interest is > with 20:4 and 20:5. > > 20:4 לֹֽא תַֽעֲשֶׂה־לְךָ פֶסֶל וְכָל־תְּמוּנָה אֲשֶׁר בַּשָּׁמַיִם מִמַּעַל > וַֽאֲשֶׁר בָּאָרֶץ מִתַָּחַת וַאֲשֶׁר בַּמַּיִם מִתַּחַת לָאָֽרֶץ > > Should there be conjunction understood between 4 and: > > 20:5 לֹֽא־תִשְׁתַּחְוֶה לָהֶם וְלֹא תָעָבְדֵם כִּי אָֽנֹכִי יְהוָה > אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֵל קַנָּא פֹּקֵד עֲוֹן אָבֹת עַל־בָּנִים עַל־שִׁלֵּשִׁים > וְעַל־רִבֵּעִים לְשֹׂנְאָֽי׃ ........ > so the reading/intent would be : > > 4 You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything > that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the > water under the earth....AND... > 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the LORD your God am > a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third > and the fourth generation of those who reject me,
My own eisegesis suggests that there shouldn't be a conjunction, because verse 4 is speaking of making these idols for yourself, while verse 5 includes the possibility that such idols already exist. In other words, whether it's something you built yourself or something somebody else made, stay away from it. But that's a thoroughly superficial reading on my part. I just toss it out for whatever it might be worth. -- Dave Washburn Check out my Internet show: http://www.irvingszoo.com Now available: a novel about King Josiah! _______________________________________________ b-hebrew mailing list [email protected] http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/b-hebrew
