Robert Alter (Hebrew Bible):
El Shaddai. The
first term, as in El Elyon (chapter 14), means God. Scholarship has
been unable to determine the origins or precise meaning of the second term—tenuous associations have been proposed with a Semitic word meaning "mountain" and with fertility. What is clear (compare Exodus 6:3) is that the biblical writers considered it an archaic name of God.
G.J. Wenham (WB Commentary on Genesis):
For another potential explanation of El Shaddai, see John Skinner, ICC on Genesis, pages 290-291.
Saturday, March 04, 2023
Robert Alter on El Shaddai
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Ezekiel ch.10:5 LSB"Moreover, the sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard as far as the outer court, like the voice of God Almighty when He speaks."
Ezekiel ch.1:24 LSB"I also heard the sound of their wings like the sound of many waters as they went, like the sound of the Almighty, a sound of tumult like the sound of an army camp; whenever they stood still, they dropped their wings."
Isaiah ch.13:6 LSB"Wail, for the day of YAHWEH is near! It will come as destruction from the Almighty."
Psalms ch.91:1LSB"He who abides in the shelter of the Most High Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty."
Exodus ch.6:3LSB"and I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name, YAHWEH, I was not known to them."
Genesis ch.22:8LSB"Then he proceeded from there to the mountain on the east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to YAHWEH and called upon the name of YAHWEH."
Abraham definitely knew JEHOVAH by his personal name.
And the title Shaddai seems to have broader meaning than giver of fertility
may be slightly off topic but wouldn't it be Gods almighty (God being plural) because Hebrew doesn't have a singular word for God?
It's el Shaddai, anonymous, not elohim/elim Shaddai, in any case when elohim refers to the plural of majesty it is translated as the singular Theos in the Septuagint.
Anonymous, aservant has it exactly right. For convenience and time sake, I quote Wikipedia:
The word el (singular) is a standard term for "god" in Aramaic, paleo-Hebrew, and other related Semitic languages including Ugaritic.
Another website states: The word Eloah is the singular (or dual) of Elohim and appears more than 70 times in the Tanakh, primarily in more poetic passages.
https://biblehub.com/text/genesis/49-25.htm
Claassens, L. J. M. – The God Who Provides: Biblical Images of Divine Nourishment (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2004)
Albright suggests, along with other scholars, that Shaddai is derived more directly from the Hebrew word shadayim, “breasts” which in turn was derived from the Akkadian shadu, “breast.” This semantic possibility does not preclude the connection to mountainous heights. “Words for ‘breast’ often develop the meaning ‘elevation, mound, hill, mountain’; mountains shaped somewhat like breasts are frequently called ‘breast, two breasts’ in Arabic” (Albright, p.184). In fact immediately following Jacob’s blessing of breasts (Gen.48:3-4; 49:25) the text speaks of the blessings of ancient mountains; bounty of everlasting hills.
Biale also notes that in Egyptian, shdi is a verb meaning “to suckle” which would make El Shaddai the God who suckles. “Whether derived from Akkadian or Egyptian, the God with breasts is a natural interpretation of the fertility deity in Genesis” (Biale, p.249). Most of the biblical passages mentioning El Shaddai depict the deity as a fertility god giving blessings for ample progeny. In Genesis 49:25 we have a striking wordplay on the name Shaddai with the blessings of the breasts (shadayim). Along with the wordplay on Shaddai and shadayim “breasts”, Genesis 49’s use of rehem “womb” may also allude to a divinity by the name of Rahmay, “the one of the womb” (Lutzky, p.24). Certainly the Torah connects God with gifts of fertility and fruitfulness.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/272174772_The_effect_of_etymology_in_rendering_of_the_divine_epithet_El_Shaddai_in_the_Peshitta_version
Like Alter, I am wary of seeing the "God with breasts" idea in El Shaddai, especially since it's based partly on an uncertain etymology.
Hre's another perspective:
The one who gives this directive to Abram is El Shaddai. This divine name appears forty-eight times in the OT, most often in Job (31 times, but without the accompanying “El”). On the basis of the LXX translation of this term in Job (always pantokrátōr) and the most frequent Vulg. translation (omnipotens), many modern versions render El Shaddai as “God Almighty.” There have been several attempts to ascertain the etymology of Shaddai. An ancient suggestion sees in šadday the relative particle še and the adjective day, “sufficient,” thus, “he who is sufficient.” This is reflected in Aquila and Symm. (hikanόs). A second suggestion links Shaddai with the verb šāḏaḏ, “to destroy, overpower”; thus “he who destroys, overpowers.” This etymology is surely the source of LXX pantokrátōr. It is also suggested by the wordplay in Isa. 13:6, “the day of the Lord is near; as destruction from Shaddai [šōḏ miššad-day ] it will come.” Some proposals have geographical features. One connects šadday with śāḏeh, “El of the plain (or the fields, the steppe ).”1063 Another connects it with a Semitic root ṯdw/y, whose original meaning was “breast” but which later evolved into “mountain.”1064 Thus El Shaddai is “El of the mountain” or “the mountain one.” A third, more recent attempt links El Shaddai with bêl sadê, the most common title given to the god Amurru in early Babylonian texts.1065 For bêl sadê the most accurate meaning is “Lord of the steppe,” and if the connection with Heb. šadday is sustained, then El Shaddai is “El of the steppe.” 1066 The same name occurs in other patriarchal stories, always in connection with Jacob. Either he himself uses it (43:14; 48:3; 49:25), or he is addressed by El Shaddai (35:11) or by one who invokes the name El Shaddai on him (28:3). In five of the six places in Genesis where El Shaddai is used, the name is followed by the promise of posterity. The one exception is 43:14. And three times (28:3; 48:3; 49:25) the activity of El Shaddai is described with the verb bāraḵ, “bless.”
Hamilton, Victor P.. The Book of Genesis, Chapters 1-17 (New International Commentary on the Old Testament) (Kindle Locations 8144-8161). Eerdmans Publishing Co - A. Kindle Edition.
https://www.christianpost.com/voices/no-el-shaddai-does-not-mean-god-with-breasts.html
Interestingly they now find themselves taking up many of the same arguments
that JEHOVAH'S people have been making for the restoration of God's personal name to its rightful place in the text after having rejected these as petty.
Here we see the importance of his personal brand JEHOVAH. It's meant to separate him from and exalt him above the generic Lords and Gods although it has been misused in both ancient and modern times in attempts to do the exact opposite.
The Tetragrammaton has varied uses, given the context, but I'm heartened when reading writers like Maimonides, who viewed YHWH as God's unique name. Also glad that C.T. Russell was used by Jehovah to make the divine name known.
Malachi ch.1:11 ASV"For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name'shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense'shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name'shall be great among the Gentiles, saith JEHOVAH of hosts."
With or without men's approval.
"Mighty teat" and "god with breasts" two very different propositions. That's an arrogant and unimpressive video. I have seen it before and he adds nothing to the discussion.
Does this language not come from a cattle culture?
https://www.theologyofwork.org/old-testament/genesis-12-50-and-work/abraham-genesis-121-2511/the-pastoral-lifestyle-of-the-abraham-and-his-family-genesis-124-7
https://www.jstor.org/stable/983244. Old but still interesting.
Duncan, the link I posted actually had content to read by Dr. Michael Brown, not merely a video.
Regardless of one's view, haven't we learned the folly of over-reliance on etymology? Besides, fertility imagery for YHWH seems weird.
That is what I reject.
Rashi on Genesis 17:1: I AM GOD ALMIGHTY — I am He whose (ש) Godship suffices (די) for every creature (Genesis Rabbah 46:3), therefore, ‘‘walk before Me”, and I will be your God and Protector. Similarly, wherever in the Scriptures this Divine Name שדי occurs, it signifies the idea of His sufficiency — but it all depends upon the context as to what the “sufficiency” refers to.
Ramban on Gen. 17:1-https://www.sefaria.org/Ramban_on_Genesis.17.1.1?lang=bi
I suspect that much of this interpretive "logic"(re:the feminisation of divine titles etc.) is worldview/narrative driven, hence less about a pursuit of a harmonious interpretation of the sacred text and more about crafting a plausible seeming co-option of the bible in advancing a political agenda.
Hey brother Edgar, Do you by any chance have Discord? If not, You should get it! It's an app that you can download on your pc or Phone and talk/chat with others. I'm simply wondering because I am a JW Apologist who also discusses certain matters such as this one and Trinitarianism.
I have group chat/server where there are more JW apologists who help each other and discuss with other Opposing Apologists. If you are interested Brother please le me know, it'll be great to have you there!
https://wearetextology.com/how-does-culture-influence-language/
From our sensibilities it is the true God who must determine cultural norms and not the other way around. But regarding the culture of JEHOVAH'S Ancient servants consider.
Genesis ch.35:4 NIV"So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods you have with you, and purify yourselves and change your clothes. 3Then come, let us go up to Bethel, where I will build an altar to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and who has been with me wherever I have gone.” 4So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods they had and the rings in their ears, and Jacob buried them under the oak at Shechem. 5Then they set out, and the terror of God fell on the towns all around them so that no one pursued them."
Note there was no bartering of words over the matter, the patriarch had spoken, his word was law,hence obedience was immediate and total.
The notion that an effeminate God would spontaneously emerge from such a highly patriarchal culture is not worthy of any serious reflection.
Hello JLM, my brother. I appreciate that you're reading this blog, and thanks for the offer. However, I've scaled back my online activities for various reasons. I even blog less due to other responsibilities.
But I'm glad to hear from those who are defending the faith and supplying a reason for the hope within them. May Jehovah bless your work.
Servant I agree that we are not talking about Inanna, Ishtar or any other near Eastern fertility goddess but one should not throw out the baby with the bath water.
I think Numbers 13 demonstrates some of the idiom of the nomad pastoralist.
They are clearly referring to the fruits and produce of the land of Canaan, but they describe the totality of it as a land flowing with milk and honey. These are both foods of the nomad pastoralist, just as the nomad baptiser also later ate honey.
Now if the book was concerned about the sensibilities of an association with a prominent goddess of Canaan wouldn't they have avoided saying a land flowing with milk for this very same land?
This was never a concern or there intention. This is the language of cattle culture, a language with which all of Israel at this time would be culturally familiar.
In a similar way the mighty teat, the provider, the nurturer. They knew Yehovah by his blessings, not as a mountain god like Zeus.
CF. Job 42:12.
https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev-anthro-102215-095827
Duncan, I've already posted numerous remarks that show the etymology for El Shaddai is far from settled, even among Jewish rabbis. JOSEPH FLEISHMAN Bar-Ilan University wrote a paper where he noted that the expression's meaning is uncertain. Then, he writes in a footnote outlining more sources. See note 3 in his paper.
I think picturing JEHOVAH as a cow would have been Just as offensive(mainly to JEHOVAH) as picturing him as bull.
Nehemiah ch.9:18NIV"even when they cast for themselves an image of a calf and said, ‘This is your god, who brought you up out of Egypt,’ or when they committed awful blasphemies.
19“Because of your great compassion you did not abandon them in the wilderness. By day the pillar of cloud did not fail to guide them on their path, nor the pillar of fire by night to shine on the way they were to take."
https://www.academia.edu/469174/THE_EFFECT_OF_ETYMOLOGY_ON_THE_RENDERING_OF_THE_DIVINE_EPITHET_EL_SHADDAI_IN_THE_PESHITTA_VERSION
https://ore.exeter.ac.uk/repository/bitstream/handle/10871/30176/BernthalHookerA.pdf
Numbers 23:19; Hosea 11:9. Compare Isaiah 55:6-7. People keep trying to frame a god that suits their agendas and they attempt to place Jehovah (YHWH) on the level of other deities. That only works if one ignores what the Bible teaches. Furthermore, the gender talk about God in the Bible is imagery or metaphorical.
See also Hosea 12:10.
https://mellenpress.com/book/Metaphorical-Narratives-in-the-Book-of-Ezekiel/6609/
In the eschatologies that Jesus left with his companions at Luke ch.21,Matthew ch.24,25 ,mark ch.13, He warned about the danger of false messiahs and false prophets in the end times I think what the book of revelation does is show that much of this idolatry that our Lord warned about is of a political nature. The motherland/fatherland or the party is God and its statesmen political activists are prophets and messiahs and there is a naked attempt to co-opt the Holy Scriptures in promoting this idolatry. That is the source of much of these bizarre innovations.
See the first few verses of psalms 91 in light of - https://www.jpost.com/features/glamour-of-the-grammar-the-birds-and-the-bees
"Specific species like the eagle (ayit), though, can be masculine."
"Interestingly, Andrew Jukes notes that in Revelation 1:13 Pantokrator has a golden sash around his chest. Or her chest? Chest is mastois in Greek, meaning female breasts.
How do commentators handle this? A.T. Robertson says that mastois is an “Old word for breasts of a woman (Luke 11:27, Luke 23:9) and nipples of a man, as here.” That’s one of the best examples I’ve seen of mental back flips to avoid the real meaning of a Biblical text. However, he’s actually the only one I’ve come across with courage to even admit that mastois exists in Rev. 1:13. (The verses in Luke that he mentions, by the way, only refer to a woman’s breasts and do not mention a man’s nipples!)"
Duncan, applying feminine imagery to God is old as the hills, to use a cliche. It's nothing new and Bible readrs have recognized such things for years. See Deut. 32:6-the underlying Hebrew and Isa. 49:15. Julian of Norwich (in the middle ages) famously wrote that God is our Father and Mother. Another early bishop of the church wrote similar remarks.
Revelation1:13 NIV"and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, d dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest."
Hermeneutics 101 Duncan we never use a disputed text as a prooftext.
BDAG entry for mazos:
μαζός, οῦ, ὁ ⟦mazós⟧ (Hom. et al.; Kaibel 644, 4; 690, 2; PSI 253, 134; s.
Schwyzer I 472; collateral forms μασθός and μαστός [q.v.]) ‘one of the breasts’(distinguished from the στῆθος ‘chest’, the area of the torso where the μαζοί are located; the distinction noted Il. 4, 480f βάλε στῆθος παρὰ μαζὸν δεξίον= he smote him in the chest near his right nipple). 1 one of the mammillae of a male, nipple (oft. Hom.; Apollon. Rhod. 3, 119; Achilles Tat. 3, 8, 6; Etym. Mag. *574, 220) of the triumphant Christ Rv 1:13 v.l. 2 mammary gland of a female, mamma, breast (Hom. et al.; Artem. 1, 16; TestNapht 1:12 v.l.; also of an animal’s udder: Callim. 1, 48; Aratus, Phaen. 163; Crinagoras no. 26, 6).
Fig. (Philo, Aet. M. 66) of springs (Pampretius of Panopolis [V a.d.] 1, 90 [ed. HGerstinger: SBWienAk 208, 3, 1928]) which offer to humans τοὺς πρὸς ζωῆς μαζούς their life-giving breasts 1 Cl 20:10.—DELG s.v. μαστός. M-M
And actually men do have (a)breast(s)
From the American CDC "Although it is rare, men can get breast cancer. Learn about symptoms of breast cancer in men and things that may increase your risk.
Breast cancer is most often found in women, but men can get breast cancer too. About 1 out of every 100 breast cancers diagnosed in the United States is found in a man."
The figure (not Pantokrator, but Christ) is definitely masculine, not feminine.
But I'm reminded of Clement of Alexandria, who often speaks of God's breasts. But it's imagery, not to be taken at face value.
Servant, I agree that a lot of these tendencies to play with God's gender are rooted in politics and driven by manifest agendas.
Edgar,
Yes it is imagery, and this is my point about the term in question. We also know that the term for mountains has a relationship to the imagery of breasts.
Servant,
Men do not have breasts in the historic sense. Breasts are those which produce milk.
https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/inflections.cfm?strongs=G3149&t=LSB&ot=LXX&word=%CE%BC%CE%B1%CF%83%CF%84%CE%BF%E1%BD%B6
Servant, I am interested to know what you mean by "disputed text"? I have found no textual variants of same.
This is all hand waving.
Servant, this is anachronistic but if you want the lowdown on mens lymphatic cancers, see - Male breast cancer: a disease distinct from female breast cancer
Ayca Gucalp,a Tiffany A. Traina,a Joel R. Eisner,b Joel S. Parker,c,d Sara R. Selitsky,d Ben H. Park,e Anthony D. Elias,f Edwina S. Baskin-Bey,b and Fatima Cardosog
Duncan, regarding Rev. 1:13, I posted BDAG comments earlier. Here is what Cambridge Greek Lexicon has:
μαστός, Ion. μαζός, dial, μασδός (Alcm.), perh. also
μασθός (Plb. Plu.), ου m. 1 breast (of a woman or goddess)
Hom. Archil. Lyr. Hdt. Trag. Hellenist.poet. +; (sg. for pl.) E.
2 breast or nipple (of a man or god) Hom. X. AR. Plb. Bion
Plu.
3 udder or teat (of female animals) E. Hellenist.poet. Plu.
4 breast (of the personif. island of Delos, envisaged as
nurse of Apollo) Call.; (fig., of an island, w.connot. of
nurture or fruitfulness) Call.; (of land, ref. to a hill on which
a colony is founded) Pi.
5 (gener., ref. to a round or breast-shaped object) hill, knoll
X. Plb.
6 loop or eyelet (of cord, at the top of a hunting net) X
In any event, Christ is depicted as being "like a son of man" in that verse. And how is this any different from what the High Priest wore or the "breastplate of righteousness" which comes from Roman military usage.
You found no text that excluded pantokrator? Well you haven't been looking very hard that's all I have to say have to say about that.
No Duncan not all breasts produce milk and and this is not a modern concept. Breasts simply refer to nipples both sexes have them.
From antiquity it was understood that both sexes had breasts just as both sexes had hips and legs.
Here's strong's take "mastos: the breast
Original Word: μαστός, οῦ, ὁ
Part of Speech: Noun, MASCULINE
Transliteration: mastos
Phonetic Spelling: (mas-tos')
Definition: the breast"
Here is Thayer's:"μαζός, μαζου, ὁ, the breast: of a MAN, Revelation 1:13 Lachmann ((see μαστός). From HOMER down.)
Usage: the breast, pap."
We are not talking about general koine though, are we, we are talking about biblical Greek, show me where it "just means nipples" from the LXX or other NT occurrences.
Also your "breast plate" is an interpretation in moder English of the word θώρακα.
Try looking up thorax (in modern English) instead.
Duncan, I think more than one lexicon has illustrated that Revelation 1:13 is not proclaiming that Christ has breasts. The word was used for both men and women.
As for the Ephesians text, see
https://www.billmounce.com/greek-dictionary/thorax
Notice how he translates. Compare the Wiki onset entry which included cuirasse.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/breastplate
I think it's fair to say biblical and Koine Greek are the same thing.
https://lrc.la.utexas.edu/eieol/ntgol
Ephesians is not talking about the thorax of righteousness.
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, (NET)
"Ephesians is not talking about the thorax of righteousness." oh yes it is.
Since this is exactly what that particular plate covered - is not a couple of little disks that covers nipples, is it?
Your reasoning from Mounce's use of common English is ridiculous and circular.
Goto Google images and search - roman thorax armor.
"The word was used for both men and women." - where, in the bible. We know how poor the grade of Koine is in the revelation & yet you reference occurrences in classical literature. I have listed the LXX usages.
Who's b eing ridiculous now? The last time I checked, the thorax was a body part, not something worn to protect a body part. Who ever said a breastplate just covered the nipples? Not I. I know what a breastplate is, whether worn by a Jewish priest or by a Roman soldier.
I could use Mounce or any other lexicon and it's likely not going to say Paul was talking about abody part.
BDAG cites Revelation 1:13 as an example of the word being used of a man, and it cites other examples. Sorry if I don't like repeating myself unnecessarily. My friend, you're barking up the wrong tree. Revelation is not saying that Christ has breasts.
NET Bible note for Song of Sol 1:2:
tc The MT vocalizes consonantal דדיך as דֹּדֶיךָ (dodekha, “your loves”; masculine plural noun from דּוֹד, dod, “love” plus second person masculine singular suffix). The LXX and Vulgate reflect the vocalization דַּדֶּיךָ (daddekha, “your breasts”; masculine plural noun from דַּד, dad, “breast” plus second person masculine singular suffix). This alternate tradition was well known; it was followed by Hippolytus of Rome (d. 235) in his exposition of Canticles 1:2 and by Rabbi Yohanan of Tiberias (3rd century a.d.) as recorded in the Jewish midrash on Canticles Rabbah 1:2.2. However, the MT vocalization is preferred. In terms of external evidence, the MT vocalization tradition is generally more reliable. In terms of internal evidence, the LXX form דַּדֶּיךָ (daddekha, “your [male!] breasts”) is a bit shocking, to say the least. On the other, the plural form דּוֹדִים (dodim, “loves”) is used in the Song to refer to multiple expressions of love or multiple acts of lovemaking (e.g., 1:4; 4:10; 5:1; 7:13 [ET 12]).tn Although it may be understood in the general sense meaning “love” (Song 1:4), the term דּוֹד (dod) normally means “lovemaking” (Prov 7:18; Song 4:10; 7:12 [13]; Ezek 16:8; 23:17). The plural form דֹּדֶיךָ (dodekha, lit. “your lovemakings”) is probably not a plural of number but an abstract plural (so BDB 187 s.v. דּוֹד 3).
But the usage is not that shocking to me since there are Homeric references to manly men with "breasts."
Revelation 15:6 (YLT): "and come forth did the seven messengers having the seven plagues, out of the sanctuary, clothed in linen, pure and shining, and girded round the breasts with golden girdles"
"Birds don't have nipples, as they are not mammals. Although, we talk about birds' breasts they don't have mammary glands which mammals use to feed their young milk. Here the term breast is used to describe the pectoral muscles birds use for flight."
And this is my point about "English translations" and the usages of breast in English. As written here, in English we use it but it is not correct.
Does https://biblehub.com/text/exodus/28-15.htm say breast piece?
https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/3668-breastplate-of-the-high-priest
They use breastplate throughout this article but where does the Hebrew say that?
Just to be clear, I've argued from the Greek that the ancient Hellenic word for "breasts" could apply to men and women: LSJ, BDAG, and Cambridge all make this point and Thayer's, etc. So, my case is not based on English translations. Granted, I did refer to Eph. 6:14 and the "breastplate" which was really just an obiter dictum. I'm not hanging my case on Eph. 6:14 though.
I guess you've read BDB; it uses similar language for the Hebrew word, and states that the High Priest wore it on his "breast"; moreover, BDB gives this definition for the Hebrew word, the breast-piece or sacred pouch.
According to Daniel Gurtner, in his LXX Commentary on Exodus, he writes concerning Exod 28:15: "The MT’s term
ןֶשֹׁחrefers to a “bejeweled pouch resting on Aarōn’s breast” (Propp 2006, 438).
The High Priest's Breastplate:
https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/3960528/jewish/The-High-Priests-Breastplate-Choshen.htm
Flaws with the Shaddai theory? See https://www.psalm11918.org/Resources/Blog/2016/08/is-g-d-a-she.html
https://www.academia.edu/36333306/Hebrew_Gemstones_in_the_Old_Testament
Breastpiece/breastplate or something to that effect seems to be the common term in scholarly lingo.
It is a common description in English and the earliest translations of the bible into English use it. LXX uses λογεῖον. Doesn't what you are saying about English reference works make this even clearer. The fact that a Jewish website uses an English term really does not say much.
But I come back to the point that the inclusion of "breast plate" in these sites does not ave any significant bearing on the original meanings in question.
Breastpiece or chest piece is a translation of the Hebrew. See also https://logeion.uchicago.edu/%CE%BB%CE%BF%CE%B3%CE%B5%E1%BF%96%CE%BF%CE%BD
Regardless, the main point stands. Revelation is not depicting the one like a son of man as female/feminine. Read vs. 14 too. See the mazos entry in LSJ, etc.
That blog page is just plain dumb. Shad is masculine? Someone who clearly does not understand Hebrew.
https://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/hebrew/nas/shad.html
And he can prove that it comes from the root shadad??????
"There are no translations (none, zero, nada) that render shaddai as "many-breasted one""- agreed, but it would never translate as that anyway.
"That would mean that god is a goddess" - I don't even know how to express everything that is wrong with that.
Problem #4 has absolutely nothing to do with the linguistic issue. It's a rant.
Duncan, did you read the link you supplied? It says shad is a masculine noun. Not that I agree with everything said, but that caught my attention as well as the comments about many breasted.
Another website says shad is a masculine noun:https://biblehub.com/hebrew/7699.htm
You are proving the point that you do not really understand Hebrew. We went all through this same routine for Greek. I already posted about the eagle being masculine.
But the larger and more powerful eagle is usually the female.
When we say that a term is masculine I am not even sure what the Hebrews meant. I think they might have meant strong.
As when "right hand" is used in Isaiah 41:13, It more likely means "strong hand". Some have argues that it still means "right" as that is the normally strong. I am not sure about that and the Egyptians lead with what he call the the "left" (probably from Kentish and northern English forms of Old English *lyft "weak; foolish").
This discussion seems trivial now & out of respect for our Brothers in Germany I am not going to push this anymore. Zephaniah 3 - we need to serve shoulders as one, now.
From A Greek-English Lexicon of the LXX by Muraoka:
[Mastos], ou. m. Mostly in pl. breast: of woman Ho 2.2, of man Ct 1.2, of female
snake La 4.3; source of milk . . .
'breast-sucking babes' Jl 2.16; p. c^npoc; 'dry, i.e. not443
producing milk' Ho 9.14 (II pf|ipa dxeKVOuaa 'infertile womb') . . .
Some of the characters were not preserved, so I did not post them. The substance of the entry was preserved.
Duncan, I'm willing to drop the conversation and I'm concerned about the brothers in Germany too.
My point was about shad being masculine: I understand that's a grammatical distinction and I've said such things repeatedly here for Hebrew and Greek. There's a lot I could learn about Hebrew, but I understand the distinction between grammatical and natural/ontological gender. In any event, I caught your point about the eagle and I wasn't gainsaying any of that. I was merely addressing a narrow point about shad being masculine, grammatically.
I'll meditate on your thoughts about Isaiah.
Take care and be well. My prayers are with those in Hamburg.
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