[OT] References to Deity in Genesis 2

[Clair B]

• "Elohim" ("God") is used exclusively in chap 1.  "YHWY Elohim" (i.e. "Lord God" or "Jehovah God") is used almost exclusively in this chapter except in the conversation between the serpent and woman ("Elohim" only).  After this, "YHWH Elohim" is not used together in Genesis.  "YHWH" is not used in the serpent conversation because God's name is holy.
  

• Cassuto rejects the documentary hypothesis and explains the use of the titles of deity this way:
• YHWH occurs when scripture reflects the concept of God -- his ethical aspect regarding the people of Israel
• Elohim occurs in the abstract conception of God in international circles and as the creator of the material world, ruler of nature and source of life
• YHWH expresses the direct and intuitive notion of God among the unsophisticated faith of the multitude
• Elohim conveys the concept of those philosophically minded
• YHWH expresses God's personal nature in relationship to humans or nature
• Elohim  occurs speaking of God as a transcendental being outside of nature

[Jeffrey Needle]

After sending the post, I decided to verify the claim that YHWH Elohim
is not used in Genesis after chapter 2. The following verses were found
using a simple search:
(Gen 3:1) Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field
which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God
said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

(Gen 3:8) And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the
garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from
the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.

(Gen 3:9) And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where
art thou?

(Gen 3:13) And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou
hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.

(Gen 3:14) And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast
done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of
the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the
days of thy life:

(Gen 3:21) Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats
of skins, and clothed them.

(Gen 3:22) And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of
us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take
also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:

(Gen 3:23) Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of
Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.

(Gen 9:26) And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan
shall be his servant.

(Gen 15:2) And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I
go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?

(Gen 15:8) And he said, Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall
inherit it?

(Gen 24:7) The LORD God of heaven, which took me from my father's
house, and from the land of my kindred, and which spake unto me, and
that sware unto me, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land; he
shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son
from thence.

(Gen 24:12) And he said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, I pray thee,
send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham.

(Gen 24:27) And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of my master Abraham,
who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and his truth: I
being in the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master's brethren.

(Gen 24:42) And I came this day unto the well, and said, O LORD God of
my master Abraham, if now thou do prosper my way which I go:

(Gen 24:48) And I bowed down my head, and worshipped the LORD, and
blessed the LORD God of my master Abraham, which had led me in the right
way to take my master's brother's daughter unto his son.

(Gen 28:13) And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the
LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon
thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;

I guess I don't quite understand your comment about YHWH Elohim not
being used together in Genesis, after chapter 2.

Clair B wrote:
>
> * "Elohim" ("God") is used exclusively in chap 1. "YHWY Elohim"

> (i.e. "Lord God" or "Jehovah God") is used almost exclusively in
> this chapter except in the conversation between the serpent and
> woman ("Elohim" only). After this, "YHWH Elohim" is not used
> together in Genesis. "YHWH" is not used in the serpent
> conversation because God's name is holy.
>

> * Cassuto rejects the documentary hypothesis
> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Documentary_hypothesis> and explains

> the use of the titles of deity this way:

> o YHWH occurs when scripture reflects the concept of God --

> his ethical aspect regarding the people of Israel

> o Elohim occurs in the abstract conception of God in

> international circles and as the creator of the material
> world, ruler of nature and source of life

> o YHWH expresses the direct and intuitive notion of God among

> the unsophisticated faith of the multitude

> o Elohim conveys the concept of those philosophically minded
> o YHWH expresses God's personal nature in relationship to
> humans or nature
> o Elohim occurs speaking of God as a transcendental being
> outside of nature
>



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[Jeffrey Needle]

Clair, this is an interesting summation. I was not aware that "YHWH
Elohim" does not appear together in Genesis after the second chapter.

I wonder about the Cassuto notes. They bear some study.

Clair B wrote:
>
> * "Elohim" ("God") is used exclusively in chap 1. "YHWY Elohim"

> (i.e. "Lord God" or "Jehovah God") is used almost exclusively in
> this chapter except in the conversation between the serpent and
> woman ("Elohim" only). After this, "YHWH Elohim" is not used
> together in Genesis. "YHWH" is not used in the serpent
> conversation because God's name is holy.
>

> * Cassuto rejects the documentary hypothesis
> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Documentary_hypothesis> and explains

> the use of the titles of deity this way:

> o YHWH occurs when scripture reflects the concept of God --

> his ethical aspect regarding the people of Israel

> o Elohim occurs in the abstract conception of God in

> international circles and as the creator of the material
> world, ruler of nature and source of life

> o YHWH expresses the direct and intuitive notion of God among

> the unsophisticated faith of the multitude

> o Elohim conveys the concept of those philosophically minded
> o YHWH expresses God's personal nature in relationship to
> humans or nature
> o Elohim occurs speaking of God as a transcendental being
> outside of nature
>

[Clair]

Jeff,

Thanks for checking this out. I apparently mis-read Cassuto (I doubt
he got it wrong).

I'll crack open the book and check this out.

Clair



On Apr 25, 2010, at 2:04 PM, Jeffrey Needle <jeff....@gmail.com>
wrote:

> <mime-attachment.txt>

[Jeffrey Needle]

Thanks! I'll be interested in what you find.

[Clair B]

OK -- I check it out and as I suspected, I misread the text.   After an explanation of the contexts of how and when YHWH and Elohim are used, he explains:

For these reasons the name YHWH was required in this section, and this is the name that we actually find.  Its association, however, with the appellation 'Elohim, which is restricted to this one section of the entire book, is easily explained by Scripture's desire to teach us that YHWH, which occurs here for the first time is to be wholly identified with 'Elohim mentioned in the preceding section; in other words, that the God of the moral world is none other than the God of the material world, that the God of Israel is in fact the God of the entire universe, and the names YHWH and and 'Elohim merely indicate two different facets of His activity or two different ways in which He reveals Himself to mankind.  Once this truth has been inculcated here, there is no need to repeat it later; hence in the subsequent sections the Torah employs either the Tetragrammaton or 'Elohim only, according to the context.

So according to Cassuto -- it appears in the Garden of Eden story uses references to deity in doublet form to tie the two terms together -- even though context requires only one term.  This is the only section both terms are used together to intentionally emphasize their relationship.

[Jeffrey Needle]

I see how you're reading this. I'm reading his words to mean, as you
initially read it, that YWHW Elohim "...hence in the subsequent sections

the Torah employs either the Tetragrammaton or 'Elohim only, according
to the context."

This is a clear statement, speaking of the text apart from its meaning.

Well, it isn't all that important. Just a curiosity.

[Clair B]

This paragraph certainly could be improved.  Thanks for checking this out.

[Walter Nicholes]

Fascinating that today Christians, Jews and Moslems are all derivative of the Abrahamic religion, which is claimed to be monotheistic.

We have a different understanding.

Walt

[Clair B]

Yes -- it is amazing to look at the diversity of the religious landscape -- particularly all those religions and sects that stem from a single monotheistic source.

I often wonder what aliens would think if they landed here -- never having conceived of religion -- what would they make of us humans and our practice of religion.

[Walter Nicholes]

An alternate thought:

If, in fact, Elohim (or some other god) did create all that there is, then it seems reasonable to believe that He would have created them as He created us (see Brigham Young - birth of Adam was a natural process, and man was not made of "adobe") and they would look like us, and they would have the same plan as us.  Therefore they would have received the same religion as us.

It was once stated that ours was the only earth that would crucify its creator.  All of the other earths, populated with other children of God, would actually likely have a stronger affiliation to the truth.

If they were to visit (unlikely as per none to visit but those assigned) they would likely be more shocked that there are so many deviations from the truth!

I think that aside from those I have described (children of our or other gods) there are no aliens.

Walt