Catholic Diocese of Sekondi - Takoradi
Beth Midrash
(-12-)
Gen 17:1
Wayəhi 'avram ben tish'im shanah wətesha' shanim wayyera Yhwh 'el 'avram wayyomer 'elāw 'ani 'êl shadday hitəhallekh ləphanay wehəyeh tamim (MT) And it happened that Abram was ninety years and nine years old and the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, 'I am God Almighty, walk before me and be blameless' (my own translation) When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said to him, "I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless"(NRSV) Gen 17:1 marks the beginning of another narrative within the Abraham narrative cycle in virtue of the first position wayyiqtol verb; wayəhi ('and it was/came to be/happened that). The narrator seems to resume the direct Abraham-Yhwh discourses concerning the patriarchal promise by having a recourse to the technical divine revelatory phrase, wayyera Yhwh 'el 'avram ("and the Lord appeared to Abram"; see also 12:7; 18:1; 26:2). Here, Abram-Yhwh intercourses ensue in which the narrator undertakes to initiate changes with respect to the names of the principal characters of the promise. Thus, Abram changes to Abraham and Sarai becomes Sarah in vv. 5 and 15 respectively. This transition process culminates in the making of the covenant between Abraham and Yhwh (ādōnāi) to seal the promise uttered in Gen 12. The narrative seems to invoke and reiterate the promise along with its blessings. The verb nathan (give) in Gen 12:7 finds its recurrences in Gen 13:15 and Gen 17:8 to suggest that it lies in God's power alone to bring the promise to effect. Besides reflecting back to Gen 12, the present episode also introduces the deity as 'el shadday (God Almighty) in v.1 even though it is wayyera Yhwh 'el 'avram (and the Lord appeared to Abram). Scholars argue for the names' changes to be the results of P's (the Priestly source/author) editing of the materials. In summary, one may state that the author of the narrative in Gen 17 emphasizes the importance of the covenant and the observance of the circumcision as probably the conditio sine qua non for the fulfilment of the promise.
Rev. Fr. Dr. Michael Chris Ndele,
Biblical Studies-KU Leuven
Beth Midrash
(-09-)
Gen 14:1a
Wayəhi bîmê ... (MT) Then, it happened in the days of ... (my translation) In the days of ... (NRSV) Gen 14 is another narrative by virtue of the first position wayyiqtol verb wayəhi (and/then, it happened). However, NRSV's translation beginning with "in the days of ..." for the Hebrew bîmê ( preposition + noun construct) leaving out the verb form wayəhi is quite misleading to the critical reader. In the corpus of the Abraham narrative cycles, Gen 14 stands out in literary features and content. It veers off from the preceding narratives regarding the patriarchal promise and its associated events. Here, the narrator appears to introduce extraneous materials in which political tensions and wars between Kings become his concern. The mode of narration dispenses with the active Abram-Yhwh interactions in Gen 12 and 13. Yhwh is an active character but now He is one who is talked about by other characters. Gen 14 points to the composite nature of the narrator's sources at this juncture in the composition. Though quite different from the narrative thread in previous chapters, yet it creates a connection through the mention of Lot and Abram and Yhwh as well as perhaps Melchizedek. The inclusion of such names and characters may be the narrator's skilful way to pick up the thread probably showing that the patriarchal story is not lost.
Rev. Fr. Dr. Michael Chris Ndele,
Biblical Studies-KU Leuven
Beth Midrash
(-08-)
Gen 12:7c
Wayyiben sham mizbeach laYhwh hannir'eh 'êlāw (MT) And he built an altar there to the Lord, the one appearing to him (my translation) So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him (NRSV) Gen 13:4a 'el məqōm hammizbeach 'asher 'asah sham bari'shonah wayyiqra' bəshem Yhwh (MT) to a place of the altar which he had made there at first, and he called on the name of the Lord (my translation) to the place where he had made an altar at the first; and there Abram called on the name of the Lord (NRSV) Gen 13:18b Wayyiben sham mizbeach laYhwh (MT) And he built an altar there to the Lord (my translation) And there he built an altar to the Lord (NRSV) Both Gen 12 and 13 seem to have similar elements that unify them as a single narrative. These elements serve as narrative connectives between the episodes regarding the patriarchal promise. Key words including the Hebrew hammaqōm (the place) also identified by sham (there), mizbeach (altar) and Yhwh (the Lord). They connect both accounts to each other in purpose and theme. In a narrative critical way, the word sham (there) refers to a location and replaces maqōm (place) as found in Gen 13:4a where sham (there) now becomes məqōm (place). Sham/maqōm (there/place) as a geographical location, in these narrative sequences, assumes a narrative significance. Maqōm (place) is a point of meeting between the divine and the human in matters concerning the patriarchal promise. It is where Abram builds an altar; a symbol of this divine-human union and a means to enhance this relationship. The statement, 'el məqōm hammizbeach 'asher 'asah sham bari'shonah wayyiqra' bəshem Yhwh (to a place where he had made there an altar at first, and he called on the name of the Lord) in Gen 13:4a appears to mould the narrative into a concentric structure in that it references Gen 12:7 and relates to it with maqōm (place) but the maqōm-reference extends beyond Gen 12:7 and 13:4a to 13:18b. This may constitute a 'maqōm'-schema as ABA'A' A - he built an altar there to the Lord (12:7c) B - to a place of the altar (13:4a) A' - which he had made there at first (13:4a // 12:7) A' - and he built an altar there to the Lord (13:18b) Alternatively represented as A B A' A' The points between AB and A' show the various locations of the divine-human encounters in the story. While A is the Hebrew sham (there), B is maqōm (place) and A' means another sham (there). These may signify the same geographical space but they do not imply the same for the siting of the altar by Abram. The structural axes of ABA'A' indicate movement by Abram from one place to another probably within the same land that God shows him but where he would, at the same time, raise altars at any place he encounters God. The act of building altars at the various places during Abram's journey is a patriarchal religious practice. Therefore, it may be surmised narratologically that, in these episodes, the narrator underscores that the patriarchal promise is also the foundation of the patriarchal religion. It is a religion born through an individual or personal encounter with the divine and concretized by the symbolism of an altar.
Rev. Fr. Dr. Michael Chris Ndele, Biblical Studies-KU Leuven
Beth Midrash
(-07-)
Gen 13:14-15
v.14: WaYhwh (va ādōnāi) 'āmar 'el 'āvram 'acharê hippāred Lot mê'immō shā nā' ênekā ūre'êh min hammaqōm 'asher 'āthah sham tsāponāh wanegbāh wāqedəmāh wāyāmmāh (MT) v.15: Ki 'eth kol hā'ārets āsher 'athah rō'eh ləkā 'ethənennāh ūləza'raka 'ād 'ōlām (MT) v. 14: And the Lord said to Abram, after Lot separated from him, Lift, now, your eyes and see from the place where you are there; its north and its south and its east as well as its west (my translation) v. 15: For all the land that you have been seeing, I will give it to you and your descendants until forever (my translation) v. 14: The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, "Raise your eyes now, and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; (NRSV) v. 15: for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever (NRSV) Gen 13:17 Qum hithhāllek bā'ārets lə'ārəkah ūlərāchəbāh ki ləka 'ethənennah (MT) Arise! Walk in the land towards its length and its width for I will give it to you (my translation) Rise up, walk through the length and the breadth of the land; for I will give it to you (NRSV) In v.14, the construction WaYhwh 'āmar ('and the Lord said') marks a change in word order initiated at this point in the narrative by the narrator to introduce a new material/information. With WaYhwh 'āmar rather than Wayyomer Yhwh, new information in the narration is thus signalled by this word order. Here, the Lord speaks in imperatives which reminiscence the encounter in chapter 12 regarding the patriarchal promise. The imperative verbs occur between vv.14 and 17 with the verb forms shā (lift) and, 'qum' (arise or get up) and hithehallak (walk or move) respectively. God, just like in 12:1-2, commands Abram and reiterates the promise that will be his and his descendants' in vv.15 and 17. The narrator can be seen to underscore, through the imperatives, that the promise involves commands from God; the promise giver, and which demand obedience and focus on the part of Abram. Furthermore, significant and dominant in this portion are the Hebrew words ra'ah (see), and nathan (give). They reflect back on chapter 12:1, 7 where in v.1, ra'ah is used in the hiphil form to indicate that it is God who shows the land ('ar'eka - I will show you), as niphal verb in v.7a (wayyera Yhwh [ādōnāi]) to illustrate the self- manifestation of Yhwh (ādōnāi) to Abram, and in v.7b as niphal participle defining the constant effect of the appearing of the divine (hannir'eh: one who has been made manifest). In Gen 13:14-15, ra'ah features in v.14 as qal imperative where Abram is commanded to keep focus by observing the direction that God shows (ūre'êh: and look/see), and in v.15b as qal participle to denote that perhaps Abram sees what shall belong to him (rō'eh: as long as you keep seeing). The verb nathan (give) has occurred in the same form as qal yiqtol in both vv.15 and 16, i.e. 'ethənennāh (I will give it) with the third feminine suffix referring to the land. The narrator's use of the verb ra'ah in both Genesis chapters 12 and 13 at this point in the episodes about the patriarchal promise speaks about his vision. He could be understood, from the narrative critical perspective, to bring home the idea that the promise is an initiative by God, but which also requires human (Abram) participation through the characteristic patterns and functions of 'ra'ah'. Nevertheless, introducing the verb 'nathan' (give) in the form 'ethənennāh (I will give it), one may argue that the narrator probably emphasizes that the fulfilment of the promise is a divine prerogative.
Rev. Fr. Dr. Michael Chris Ndele, Biblical Studies-KU Leuven
Beth Midrash
Gen 1:1
Bereshith bara elohim eth hashamayim ve'eth ha'arets (MT) In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth (my translation) In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth (NRSV) This verse is a narratological summary that brings the whole cosmos under the creative powers of God. Usually, a Hebrew narrative would be identified by a wayyiqtol verb form (imperfect) in its opening, but this seems quite unique as it begins with a preposition and a noun, 'in the beginning.' The Hebrew reshith means head, chief, first or beginning which points probably to the preeminence of the 'creating force' in that this divine power preceded everything else. This becomes clearer with the use of the verb bara (qatal: perfect and complete) connected to the heavens and the earth. Here, with God as the principal subject of the verb bara, He wields absolute power to cause things into existence. This power is exclusive to Him for "in the beginning, He created the heavens and the earth."
Beth Midrash
(-02-)
Gen 2:3b
Shabath mikkāl məlaktōw asher bara elohim la'asōwt (MT) He rested from all His work which God created to do (my translation) God rested from all the work that he had done in creation (NRSV) This verse appears to be the end of the activities of creation in the first account in Genesis chapter one which culminates in the sanctification and rest on the seventh day. It is captured in the statement "He rested from all His work" meaning after all the activities/tasks involved in creating the world have been carried out, God undertook to have a respite. The verb 'bara' plays a significant role in the overall intention of the narrator in his story about the creation of the world. It occurs at the beginning in Gen 1:1 and also at the end in Gen 2:3b in its exact form and shape, i.e. bara (qal qatal/perfect 3ms) thus constituting an inclusio. (Though the verb bara is also used in this and other form in Gen 1:21 and 27, yet with specific narrative functions). The double use of bara in both places (1:1 and 2:3b) has to do with the narrator's emphasis on the creation of the entire universe being the sole work of God. However, there is a noteworthy point in the verse regarding the narrator's vision in this account. He seems to underscore the fact that creation or the act of creating did not cease with the words, "He rested from all His work." (shabath mikkāl məlaktōw).This is shown by the Hebrew 'la'asōwt' (qal infinitive) from the verb 'asah' (to do) to indicate purpose. Here, "He rested from all His work" may be understood to be apt because with la'asōwt, creation demands continuity probably on the part of human beings. In essence, re-creation is what "He rested from all His work" implies thanks to the infinitive la'asōwt. Since it is "bara elohim la'asōwt" (God created to do), it may be asserted that re-creation or continuous creation is the work of God but it is also the joint work of both God and human beings.
Rev. Fr. Dr. Michael Chris Ndele, Biblical Studies-KU Leuven
Beth Midrash
(-03-)
Gen 1:28b
Wayyomer lāhem 'elōhim pərū ūrəbū ūmil'ū eth hā'ārets wəkibshuhā (MT) And God said to them: be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it (my translation) And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it." (NRSV) Gen 2:15 Wayyiqqach Yhwh ('ādōnāi) 'elōhim eth hā'ādām wayyannichêhu bəgān êden lə'ābədāh ūləshāmərāh (MT) And the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to serve it and to guard/keep it (my translation) The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it (NRSV) Between Genesis chapters one and two, one does not see two different narratives but the second account being a continuation of the first creation story evidenced by verb forms other than wayyiqtol in 2:4b where it begins. The version in chapter two may be considered to be the earlier one edited and reworked to suit a specific vision of the narrator. In this recension, the name for the deity changes from 'elōhim (God) to Yhwh 'elōhim (the Lord God) which ascribes the first and the second accounts to a Priestly editor and a Yahwist redactor respectively. Though this Priestly-Yahwist hypothesis has come under critical attacks in recent times, yet it shows the narrator's ingenious maneuvering through the composite sources at his disposal. In both accounts in Gen 1:28b and 2:15, wayyiqtol verb forms (Gen 1:28b: wayyōmer - 'and he said'; 2:15: wayyiqqach - 'and he took') are used to advance the narration with additional information after the man (hā'ādām) was created. God speaks in Gen 1:28b and the verbs are imperatives, i.e. pərū ūrəbū ūmil'ū eth hā'ārets wəkibshuhā (be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it). The imperatives imply God commanding the hā'ādām (the man) to take responsibility for the earth in a way that leads to his advantage and benefit. But in Gen 2:15, the Lord God takes the man (hā'ādām) to the garden of Eden with verbs in the infinitive forms, i.e. lə'ābədāh ūləshāmərāh (to serve it and to keep it). The import of the infinitive form underscores that the author in this version wanted to show that man probably was placed in the garden to fulfill the purpose of serving and keeping/guarding the earth. The man's ability to fulfill this essential instruction demands full focus and attention the failure of which probably leads to the event in Genesis chapter three regarding his straying away from his sole purpose in the garden of Eden. In the two accounts, it can be discerned from the narrator's point of view that in Gen 1:28b, man was given a command to exercise power over the hā'ārets (the earth) while in Gen 2:15, the same man (hā'ādām) was given a law to heed to for his peaceful stay in Eden the violation of which the narrator seems to explain in chapter three with the episode concerning the provenance of sin in the cosmos.
Rev. Fr. Dr. Michael Chris Ndele, Biblical Studies-KU Leuven
Beth Midrash
(-05-)
Gen 12:1-2
v.1: Wayyomer Yhwh (ādōnāi) 'el āvram lek leka me'artsəka ūmimmōladthəka ūmibbeth 'āvika el hā'ārets 'asher 'ar'eka (MT) v.2: wə'eseka ləgōy gedōl wa'abarekka wa'agaddəlah shəmeka wahəyeh bərakah (MT) V.1: And the Lord said to Abram, Depart from your land/country and from your family and from the house of your father to the land that I will show you (my translation) V.2: I will make you become a great nation and I will bless you and I will make great your name and become a blessing (my translation) V.1: Now the Lord said to Abram, "Go from country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you (NRSV) V.2: I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing (NRSV) This narrative, in chapter twelve of the book of Genesis through its opening lines, sets the whole history of salvation in perspective through a human encounter with the divine, i.e. Abram and the Lord. The encounter begins rather with a command from God to Abram with the imperative 'lek leka' literally meaning go, go! with the second (leka) making the command very urgent and immediate thus suggesting depart, or leave alone rapidly. The 'el hā'ārets 'asher 'ar'eka (to the land which I will show you) indicates that God directs and regulates the journey towards its intended destination, the hā'ārets (the land). The command includes the promise of a land that God will show whereas in v.2, the narrator in a wayyiqtol verb series continues with details concerning what God, on His part, will do for Abram's swift obedience to the command, i.e. lek leka (depart, you in particular, leave). The beginning of the verse (v.2) expands the promise of a land with the making of a multitude of peoples out of Abram, i.e. wə'eseka ləgōy gedōl ("I will make you become a great nation") and is followed by several blessings. These two verses constitute the Patriarchal Promise. It is the foundation of the patriarchal history and the patriarchal narrative cycles in Genesis. Scholars are divided in their views about whether the blessings may be part of the essential elements of the promise to the patriarchs. However, from the narratological blueprint, one may be inclined to subscribe to a twofold promise, i.e. land and offspring, so that the several blessings can be viewed as aspects of the promise. These two elements go together because land derives its relevance from its being used by people and, in much the same way, there cannot be a people without a land. In this sense, Gen 12:1-2, from the narrative perspective, state the patriarchal promise as probably land and progeny since land without a people is useless and a people without land is rather inconceivable.
