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Sunday, January 09, 2011

The Third Category — part two

I have been thinking about this question for a long long time. My current position is to accept theologically Bauckhan's two categories. At the same time, there are literary similarities to Baal hymns found in the OT text. These can be read at different levels. One reading suggests that Baal is being mocked by the language other readings don't see any connection with Baal other than literary form, a third option is that a Baal hymn has be taken over to be used in praise of YHWH without out any polemic intent[1]. 

Psalms 29 ESV:
1  Ascribe to the LORD, O heavenly beings,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
2  Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness.
3  The voice of the LORD is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the LORD, over many waters.
4  The voice of the LORD is powerful;
the voice of the LORD is full of majesty.
5  The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars;
the LORD breaks the cedars of Lebanon.
6  He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf,
and Sirion like a young wild ox.
7  The voice of the LORD flashes forth flames of fire.
8  The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness;
the LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
9  The voice of the LORD makes the deer give birth
and strips the forests bare,
and in his temple all cry, “Glory!”
10  The LORD sits enthroned over the flood;
the LORD sits enthroned as king forever.
11  May the LORD give strength to his people!
May the LORD bless his people with peace!

The picture here depicts a storm god, YAM the sea appears in v. 3
‏קול יהוה על־המים
The voice of the LORD is over the waters;
In verse 10 we have another reference to water but a different word
‏יהוה למבול ישׁב
The LORD sits enthroned over the flood;
The flood ‏מבול  is found only in Genesis 6-11 in reference to the flood of Noah and in Psalm 29. The flood of Noah has a thematic connection with the primeval state of Genesis 1:2. The flood is an uncreation event, a return to tohu wa-bohu. In Genesis 9:15, the covenant of Noah:


‏ולא־יהיה עוד המים למבול
καὶ οὐκ ἔσται ἔτι τὸ ὕδωρ εἰς κατακλυσμὸν
and the waters shall never again become a flood

Which tells us that "the waters" המים (of chaos) will never again become a flood למבול which represents the precreation state of tohu wa-bohu.

[1] A summary of the different readings can be found in: Carola Kloos, Yhwh's Combat With the Sea: A Canaanite Tradition in the Religion of Ancient Israel, page 95.

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