Deep Purple Registry
A registry of passages with difficult to resolve
nouns or pronouns
(Revised December 2023)
Preface
The “Deep
Purple Registry” is a catalogue
of over 200 Bible passages and over 700 verses that required special attention because
they contain nouns – particularly pronouns – that reference entities not
readily resolved as either a reference to Deity
(i.e., God the Father, Son or
Holy Spirit)– or to some other entity
(e.g., non-deity angels or other heavenly beings; mortal men; Satan or his
demons, etc.) True references to Deity
merit the “Royal Purple” font treatment in
the KJP Bible.
These exceptions warrant further
explanation as to their resolution in the associated work, the “Purple Letter Edition” rendering of KJV Bible,
dubbed the “KJP”. The nouns and pronouns that fall into this exception category
are generally identified in the “KJP” text by what is called the “Deep Purple”
font, darker than the “royal purple” font that is used for references to Deity. (Think of the “Deep
Purple” font as signifying “deep mystery”,
where there is no agreement or clear consensus to who is referred to.)
This “Deep
Purple Registry” was a by-product of the
research for the ‘Pronoun Resolution Project’, which set out to color-code all
references to Deity as a visual clue
to readers of Scripture when God is
spoken of. The primary product of the ‘Project’ was the KJP Bible text, where
references to God are in the “Royal Purple” font color. The premise of the
‘Project’ was that a primary purpose for reading God’s
Word is to learn more of Him; and when
it is not clear who is being spoken of, it detracts from that purpose, as well
interrupting the ‘flow’ of the passage. This is true even when the reference is
readily resolved from the context; and is especially perplexing when the
context and some quick research fails to resolve the reference. As the ‘Pronoun
Resolution Project’ proceeded, the need for two additional font colors emerged:
blue for God’s
angels; and a “Deep
Purple” (a darker purple) for especially difficult references that may
or may not refer to God. The “Project”
used the “1611 Authorized King James Version” of the Bible as its base. Though
the “Deep Purple Registry”
that resulted from research of the more difficult Bible passages is based on
the AV1611 KJV, it may also prove useful when reading or studying other English
translations of the Bible, since this Registry
provides entries in canonical order (Book, Chapter & Verse), that all Bibles
follow to offer a pronoun resolution reference resource that can apply to all
English translations of the Bible.
Deep
Purple Registry entries appear in book,
chapter and verse order; and consist of 3 or 4 sections, as needed, in this
format:
The first section identifies the issue
or question; the 2nd section [within a border (box)] contains the
verse or passage in question; the third section, with a heading of “N/C:”, if needed, contains Notes/Comments
to briefly state what is known about the issue, and explain the rationale for
this KJP font treatment; and the fourth section (the Resolution section)
contains how the issue was dealt with and describers the KJP font treatment
applied to that entity reference. These entries seek to address the ‘tough’
ones; including those with unresolved ambiguity, that are in dispute among
Bible scholars, those with dual-resolution, or others that merit further
explanation.
Reference Materials
Consulted, and their abbreviations used in this Registry:
Commentary and other
reference source abbreviations used in this Registry
are as follows:
“BBC” = Believer’s Bible Commentary by
Wm. MacDonald; “CC” = Clarke's
Commentary; “CS T/D” = Chas. Spurgeon’s “Treasuries of David”; “EBC” = Expositor's Bible Commentary; “GSB” = Geneva Study
Bible Commentary; “ISBE” = International Standard Bible Encyclopedia; “JAA” =
Dr. Joseph A. Alexander Commentary; “JFB” = Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible
Commentary; “LMG” = Lesley M. Grant Commentary; “MH” = Matthew Henry
Commentary; “W&Z” = The Bible Knowledge Commentary by John F. Walvoord
& Roy B. Zuck; “WN” = Wesley’s Notes; “BN” = Barnes’ Notes.
Also frequently
consulted were 14 Parallel Translations (referred to as a group herein as
“PT”):
AKJV = American King James Version; ASV
= American Standard Version; BBE = Bible in Basic English; DBT = Darby Bible
Translation; DRB = Douay-Rheims Bible; ERV = English Revised Version; ESV = English
Standard Version; GWT = God’s Word Translation;
KJV = King James Version; NAS = New American Standard Bible; RSV = Revised
Standard Version; WEB = World English Bible; WBT = Webster's Bible Translation;
WNT = Weymouth New Testament; YLT = Young’s Literal Translation.
Other abbreviations used: “N/C:” (Notes/Comments
sections of entries when applicable; “OT” is Old Testament; “NT” is New
Testament; AV is 1611 Authorized Version (of KJV).
Beginning of Deep Purple Registry Entries in Canonical Order
Genesis 1:26 – Here in the Garden of
Eden is the first of several occurrences of God using the first person plural pronoun “Us” in referring to Himself – and is an early Biblical
intimation of the Holy Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. See also Gen. 3:22, 11:7 and Isaiah 6:8 for other such examples.
1:26 And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness; and let them
have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over
the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth
upon the earth.
Resolution:
Apply the capitalized “Deep Purple” bold font to the first
of the occurrences of “Us”, as a mechanism to refer readers to the “Deep Purple Registry” to further explain this
extraordinary reference. The subsequent occurrences of first person plural
pronouns referring to God will have entries here in the “Deep
Purple Registry”; but will be treated with
the “Royal Purple” font consistent
with the intent of this work, as seen below.
Genesis 3:15 – Q: Who is referred to by the three nouns “seed”, “it” (“he”) and “his” in verse 3:15?
KJP - 15And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy
seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
N/C:. These three nouns may refer to Christ, but there is no agreement on the question: 7 of the 30 translations,
by their use of capitalization, indicate
a reference to Deity – likely Christ, and
many commentators seem to believe they refer to Christ,
but at least one commentator is adamant
that they do not!
Resolution:
Apply the “Deep
Purple” font to those
three words to alert the reader to the possibility that they may indirectly
refer to Deity, and insert this entry in the “Deep
Purple Registry”.
Genesis 3:22 – This is another instance
of God using
the first person plural pronoun “Us” in referring to Himself.
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:
Resolution:
Apply the capitalized “Royal Purple” bold
font consistent with the intent of this work, but insert an entry here
in the “Deep Purple Registry” for further explanation.
Genesis 11:7 - The Tower of Babel –
Another example of God using the first person plural pronoun “Us” in referring to Himself.
11:7 Come
{Go to}, let Us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not
understand one another's speech.
Resolution:
Apply the capitalized “Royal Purple” bold
font consistent with the intent of this work, but insert an entry here
in the “Deep Purple Registry” for further explanation.
Genesis 14:18 - 20 – Who is
Melchizedek and
what, if any, type of Theophany is this?
14:18 And
Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought forth
bread and wine; and he was the priest of the most high God. 14:19 And he blessed him, and said,
Blessed be Abram of the most high God, Possessor of heaven and earth: 14:20 And blessed be the most high God, Who hath delivered thine
enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.
N/C: Upon
first reading this passage (Genesis 14:18 - 20) that mentions Abram’s encounter
with Melchizedek, it may
arouse the reader’s mild curiosity, or possibly even mild irritation that it is
inserted in this narrative with so little background information. Were it not
for other passages in God’s Word, such as Ps. 110:4; Heb. 5:6; 6:20; 7:2-3; 10; 7:17, 21, it would
remain a mere obscure and perplexing biblical ‘factoid’. However, this is not a
mere insertion of ‘trivia’.
Resolution:
While much mystery remains about Melchizedek, most Bible scholars agree
that at a minimum he is a “type of Christ the King-Priest” and therefore references to Melchizedek are treated with the “deep
purple” font as means of alerting the reader that
there is more here than meets the eye of the casual reader. Note the spelling
variation in Hebrews (NT): “Melchizedec” As for the two pronouns in verse 19 (“And he blessed him”), the first
refers to Melchizedec, who blessed Abraham.
Genesis 16:7 Who is the “angel of the LORD” or “the angel of God” referenced here and
elsewhere in Scripture?
16:7 And
the Angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the
fountain in the way to Shur. 16:8 And He said, Hagar, Sarai's maid, whence camest thou? And whither wilt
thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress, Sarai. 16:9 And the
Angel of the LORD said unto her, Return to
thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands. 16:10 And the Angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed
exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude. 16:11 And the Angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold,
thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name
Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction. 16:12 And he will be a wild man; his
hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he
shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren. 16:13 And she called the name of the LORD Who spoke unto her, Thou God seest me; for she said,
Have I also here seen {looked after} Him that seeth me?
N/C: This is the first of several appearance in the OT of an entity
that is referred to most often as the “Angel of the LORD” or “the Angel of God”, and also as “the Angel of the Covenant”. (See also Gen. 21:17; 22:11-12; 31:11; Exod.
3:2; 14:19; Num.22:22-35; Jud. 2:1; 2:4; 5:23; 6:11-13; 6:20; 13:3-21;
2Sam.24:16; 1Kings 19:7; 2Kings 1:3; 1:15; 19:35; 1Chron.21:12-30; Ps.34:7;
Isa. 37:36; Zech.1:11-12; 3:1; 3:5-6; 4:4-6; and 12:8 for other occurrences.) It
is clear that this is not an ‘ordinary angel’ and is deserving of more explanation at this first Biblical
occurrence: ISBE calls Him “the Angel of Theophany” and the following excerpt from page 134 could serve
well as an apt and reliable introduction to the question, “Who is the angel of the LORD or the angel of God?” - “A study of these
passages shows that while the angel and Jehovah are at times distinguished from each other, they are with equal
frequency, and in the same passages, merged into each other. How is this to be
explained? It is obvious that these apparitions cannot be the Almighty Himself, whom no man hath seen, or can
see. In seeking the explanation, special attention should be paid to two other
passages. In Ex 23:20 ff God promises to send an angel before His people to lead them to the promised land; they are commanded to
obey him and not
to provoke him "for he will not pardon your transgression: for My name is in him." Thus the angel can forgive sin, which
only God can do, because God's name, (i.e., His character and thus His authority) are in the angel. Further, in the passage Ex 32:34 – 33:17 Moses intercedes for
the people after their first breach of the covenant; God responds by promising,
"Behold, Mine angel shall go before thee"; and immediately after God says, "I will not go up in the
midst of thee." In answer to further pleading, God says, "My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest."
Here a clear distinction is made between an ordinary angel, and the angel who carries with him God's presence. The conclusion may be
summed up in the words of Davidson in his O.T. Theology: "In
particular providences one may trace the presence of Jehovah in influence and
operation; in ordinary angelic appearances one may discover Jehovah present on some side of His being, in some attribute of His character; in the angel of the Lord He is fully present as the covenant God of His people, to redeem
them." The question still remains, Who is the theophanic angel? To this many answers have
been given, of which the following may be mentioned:
(1) This angel is simply an angel of God with a special commission;
(2) He may be a momentary descent of God into visibility;
(3) He may be the Logos, a kind of temporary preincarnation of the second Person of the Trinity.
Each has its difficulties,
but the last is certainly the most tempting to the mind. Yet it must be
remembered that at best these are only conjectures that touch on a great
mystery. It is certain that from the beginning God used angels in human form, with human
voices, in order to communicate with man; and the appearances of the angel of the Lord, with his special redemptive
relation to God's people, show the working of that Divine mode of self-revelation
which culminated in the coming of the Saviour, and are thus a foreshadowing of, and a preparation for, the full
revelation of God in Jesus Christ. Further than this it is not safe to go.” Some suggest that the
key to distinguishing between these entities lies in whether the definite
article “the” (as opposed to “an”) is used as part of the entity’s title. Assuming
these articles (the and an) have been preserved in translation to English, then
the form of this article, while perhaps a helpful “clue”, does not appear to be
a reliable hard-fast indicator of the identity of these entities, since both
the definite and indefinite forms are used for the same entity in several
passages. Also note that in addition to Stephen’s reference to the OT appearance
to Moses of “an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush” in the wilderness of Mount Sinai,
during his defense before the Sanhedrin, there are 2 other occurrences of “an
angel of the Lord” and 9 of “the angel of the Lord” found in the New
Testament. Thus there appears to be no ‘easy answers’ to this perplexing
question. Loren Jacobs, of Jews for Jesus, in his treatise titled “An Angel You
Ought To Know”, has well said: “This writer maintains that the angel of the
Lord must be the Lord God. Yet in some sense, the angel of the Lord, even
though He Himself is deity, must be distinguished from the totality of the
Godhead. For in Zechariah 1:12, the angel of the Lord is seen interceding on
behalf of Israel, calling out to the Lord of hosts! The Holy Scriptures have
given us a paradox: The Angel of the LORD is distinct from God, yet is Himself
very God! This paradox is consistent with God's very nature. God, who is
involved with His creation and interested in our welfare (Psalm 139:3, 13), is
also high above (Isaiah 55:8,9). God is a vengeful God to those who flaunt His
revealed will (Deuteronomy 32:35), and yet He is merciful (Exodus 33:19). God
is all-important (Psalm 139), and yet He willingly "forgets"
(Jeremiah 31:34, Isaiah 64:9). God is an advocate, a defender of His people
(Psalm 59:1, Job 16:19), but He is also a prosecutor and judge (Psalm 50:6),
Ecclesiastes 3:17). When we study the nature of God, we find paradoxes.”
Resolution:
This and subsequent Biblical occurrences as
cited above are most likely of the same entity; yet sometimes with subtle
distinctions as alluded to in the ISBE and Loren Jacobs excerpts copied above. There
is good evidence that this is a true Theophany – or more specifically – a
Christophany – a pre-incarnate manifestation of Christ and as such seems worthy of treatment with the “Royal purple” font. However, to do so
would, at least in some instances, be to make blanket assumptions that may not
be warranted. Therefore, references of this entity throughout the OT will be
capitalized to indicate Deity and have the “Deep Purple” font applied for consistency across all occurrences and to refer the
reader here for fuller explanation of this unique heavenly Being. Within these passages,
where other pronouns clearly refer to God, the Father, the usual “Royal purple” font will be applied, despite the unavoidable apparent and
contradiction.
Genesis 18:2 – 19:25 Who are
the “three men” that appear in these Genesis 18 & 19 passages?
18:2 And
he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he
saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, 18:3 And
said, My LORD, if now I have found favor in Thy sight, pass not away, I pray Thee, from Thy servant: 18:4 Let a little water, I pray You, be fetched, and wash Your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree: 18:5 And I
will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort Ye Your hearts; after that Ye shall pass on: for therefore are Ye come to Your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast
said. 18:6 And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready
quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the
hearth. 18:7 And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetched a calf, tender and
good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it. 18:8 And
he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before
them; and he
stood by them under the tree, and they did eat. 18:9 And they said unto him, Where is Sarah, thy wife? And he said,
Behold, in the tent. 18:10 And He said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life;
and, lo, Sarah, thy wife, shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the
tent door, which was behind him. 18:11 Now Abraham and Sarah were
old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah
after the manner of women. 18:12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself,
saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also? 18:13 And
the LORD said
unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a
child, who am old? 18:14 Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee,
according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son. 18:15 Then Sarah
denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And He said, Nay; but thou didst
laugh. 18:16 And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom; and Abraham went
with them to bring
them on the
way.
N/C: This ‘threesome’ - consisting of God and two of His angels - appears in vv.2,4-5,8-9,
& 16; while the pronouns in vv. 3, 10, 13-15 appear to refer to a single entity, Who is God.
18:17 And
the LORD said,
Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; 18:18 Seeing that
Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of
the earth shall be blessed in him? 18:19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his household
after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham
that which He hath spoken of him. 18:20 And the LORD said, Because the cry of
Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; 18:21 I will go down now, and see
whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come
unto Me; and if not, I will know.
N/C: The Lord as a separate entity again appears in vv.17-21,
and in other verses that follow in chapters 18 and 19 of Genesis.
18:22 And the men turned their faces from thence, and went
toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.
N/C: The angel(s) apart from the Lord are referred to in v.22,
where they leave
for Sodom, and then are spoken of again beginning in 19:1.
18:23 And
Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt Thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? 18:24 Suppose {Peradventure}
there are {be} fifty righteous within the city: wilt Thou also destroy and not spare
the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? 18:25 That be far
from Thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked:
and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from Thee. Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?
18:26 And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place
for their sakes. 18:27 And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken
upon me to speak unto the LORD, who am but dust and ashes: 18:28 Suppose {Peradventure}
there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt Thou destroy all the city for lack
of five? And He said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it. 18:29 And he spoke unto Him yet again, and said, Suppose
{Peradventure} there shall be forty found there. And He said, I will not do it for
forty's sake. 18:30 And he said unto Him, Oh let not the LORD be angry, and I will
speak: Suppose {Peradventure} there shall thirty be found there. And He said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there. 18:31 And
he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the LORD: Suppose {Peradventure}
there shall be twenty found there. And He said, I will not destroy it for twenty's sake. 18:32 And he said,
Oh let not the LORD be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Suppose ten
shall be found there. And He said, I will not destroy it for ten's sake. 18:33 And the LORD went His way, as soon as he had ceased
talking with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.
N/C: It
appears to be the Lord only Who is referred to in the passage of vv. 23-33.
19:1 And
there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot
seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground; 19:2 And
he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all
night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And
they said,
Nay; but we will abide in the street all night. 19:3 And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and
entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat. 19:4 But before they lay down, the men of the
city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and
young, all the people from every quarter: 19:5 And they called unto Lot, and said
unto him, Where are the men who came in to thee this night? Bring them out unto us, that we may
know them. 19:6 And
Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him, 19:7 And said,
I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly. 19:8 Behold now, I have two daughters
which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do
ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for therefore
came they under the shadow of my roof. 19:9 And they said, Stand back. And they
said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs
be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore
upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door. 19:10 But the men put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into
the house to them, and shut to the door. 19:11 And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with
blindness, both small and great; so that they wearied themselves to find the
door. 19:12 And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? Son in law, and thy
sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them
out of this place: 19:13 For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great
before the face of the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it. 19:14 And Lot went out, and spoke unto his sons in
law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for
the LORD will
destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law. 19:15
And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two
daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city. 19:16
And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon
the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him outside the city. 19:17 And it
came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life;
look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the
mountain, lest thou be consumed. 19:18 And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my lord! 19:19 Behold now, thy servant hath found grace
in thy sight,
and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast showed unto me in
saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil overtake
me, and I die: 19:20 Behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is
a little one. Oh, let me escape thither, (is it not a little one?) and
my soul shall live. 19:21 And he said unto him, See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this
city, for which thou hast spoken. 19:22 Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do any thing till
thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar. 19:23 The
sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar. 19:24 Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon
Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven; 19:25 And He overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the
inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.
Resolution: Use “deep purple” where all three ‘angels’ (the Lord and two of His angels.) This ‘threesome’ appears
in Chapter 18, vv. 2,4-5,8-9, & 16. It appears to be the Lord only Who is spoken of in vv.10,
14-15, 17, 19-33. Use blue font where only the angel(s) – and not the Lord – are referred to, which occurs in 18:22, where they leave for
Sodom, and then are spoken of again beginning in 19:1. While both the Lord and the angels are referred to in chapter
18 and 19, they do not appear as a ‘threesome’ after they part in 18:22.
It appears that only the
two angels entered
Sodom, and lodged with Lot at his urging (19:1 And there came two angels to Sodom at even); and
were God’s agents in destroying Sodom, Gomorrah, and other cities in the
plain. Note, however, that these two angels appear to have had sufficient authority or autonomy to grant
Lot’s request to spare the town of Zoar. Also note that the pronoun shifts from
the plural (19:13 For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great
before the face of the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it.) to 2nd and 1st person
singular (19:21 And he said unto him, See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this
city, for which thou hast spoken. 19:22 Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do any thing till
thou be come thither.) Also note that ultimately, the destruction came from the
Lord (Then
the LORD rained
upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven; And He overthrew those cities,
and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew
upon the ground. 19:24-25)
Genesis 21:17 Is this an encounter with God (Theophany), or with one
of His angels?
21:17 And God heard the voice of the
lad; and the Angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth
thee, Hagar? Fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is. 21:18 Arise,
lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great
nation. 21:19 And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and
filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink. 21:20 And God was with the lad; and he
grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer.
N/C: There are
a number of appearances in the OT of what is referred to as “The Angel of God”. It remains to be seen if
these occurrences are all Theophanies (manifestations of a member of the Triune Godhead), or manifestations of God’s angels. One test of this is
whether the being that appears acts as God, or as one of His messengers or agents (angels). Note that in verse 18 of this passage the angel of God states that “I will make him a great nation.” Further, in verse 19, it states
that “God opened her eyes” (See Gen.16:7 entry for more on the “Angel of God”.)
Resolution:
By the context, this appears to be a
manifestation of God, Himself – or a Christophany - and not one of His ‘ordinary’ angels, but will be treated with
the “deep purple” font as
means of alerting the reader to its unique significance.
Genesis 22:11-15 “The Angel of Lord” restrains Abraham from
sacrificing Isaac.
22:10 And
Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. 22:11 And
the Angel of the
LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he
said, Here am I. 22:12 And He said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing
unto him; for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from
Me. 22:13 And
Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram
caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and
offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. 22:14 And Abraham
called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh, as it is said to this day,
In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen. 22:15 And the Angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, 22:16 And
said, By Myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy
son, thine only son: 22:17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in
multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the
sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of
his enemies; 22:18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be
blessed; because thou hast obeyed My voice.
N/C: Here is
another OT occurrence of what is referred to as “The Angel of Lord”. It is not clear that
these occurrences are all Christophanies (pre-incarnate manifestations Christ, or of God Himself), (See under Gen. 16:7 for
fuller explanation.)
Resolution:
While this appears to be a manifestation of God, Himself – and not one of His angels, it, like other such
occurrences, will be treated with the “deep
purple” font as a means of alerting the reader to its significance.
Genesis 24:7 Abraham instructs his servant to go to his country to take a wife
unto his son Isaac; and assures him that God shall send His angel before him.
24:4 But
thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son
Isaac. 24:5 And the servant said unto him, Suppose the woman will not be
willing to follow me unto this land: must I needs bring thy son again unto the
land from whence thou camest? 24:6 And Abraham said unto him, Beware thou that
thou bring not my son thither again. 24:7 The LORD God of heaven, Who took me from my father's house, and from the land of my kindred,
and Who spoke unto me, and Who swore 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.
Resolution:
This appears to be a simple reference to God’s angel, and will be treated with
the “blue” font as
the usual treatment of angels, In the KJP Bible.
Genesis 24:40 Abraham’s servant relates
and quotes Abraham’s assurance to him that God shall send His angel before him.
24:39 And
I said unto my master, Suppose the woman will not follow me. 24:40 And
he said unto me, The LORD, before Whom I walk, will send His angel with thee, and prosper thy way; and thou shalt take a wife for my
son of my kindred, and of my father's house:
Resolution:
This, like 24:7, is a simple reference to God’s angel, and is treated with the
usual “blue” font for angels.
Genesis 31:11 Jacob encounters the “Angel of God” in a dream.
31:11 And
the Angel of God spoke unto me in a dream, saying,
Jacob: And I said, Here am I. 31:12 And He said, Lift up now thine eyes, and see, all the rams which leap
upon the cattle are striped, speckled, and spotted; for I have seen all that Laban
doeth unto thee. 31:13 I am the God of Bethel, where thou anointedst the pillar, and where
thou vowedst a vow unto Me: now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land
of thy kindred.
N/C: Here is
an OT occurrence of what is referred to as “The Angel of Lord”. It is not clear that these occurrences are all Christophanies
(pre-incarnate manifestations Christ), or of God Himself. (See under Gen. 16:7 for fuller explanation.) Note that in verse
13 of this passage the Angel of God states that “I am the God of Bethel, where thou anointedst the pillar, and where
thou vowedst a vow unto Me.”
Resolution:
By the context, this appears to be a
manifestation of God, Himself – and certainly not one of His angels, but will be treated with the “deep
purple” font to alert the reader to its significance.
Genesis 32:1-3 Who or
what is referred to by “the angels of God” in verse 3?
32:1 And
Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. 32:2 And when
Jacob saw them, he said, This is God's host: and he called the name of that place Mahanaim. 32:3 And
Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the
country of Edom.
N/C: Here is
another encounter with what is referred to as “The Angels of God”. Some of these
occurrences are Theophanies (manifestations of a member of the Triune Godhead), others are
manifestations of God’s angels. One test of this is whether the ‘angel’ acts as God, or as one of His messengers of agents (angels). Note that in verse 1 & 2 of this passage the entities
referred to as “the angels of God” is treated as plural –
and as such they appear to be messengers or angels of God.
Resolution:
By the context, this appears to be a
manifestation of God’s angels and will be treated with the “blue” font to identify them as such.
Genesis 32:24-32 – Whom did Jacob wrestle with in
this passage, an angel, or God?
32:23 And
he took them, and sent them over the brook, and sent over what he had. 32:24 And
Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a Man with him until the breaking of the day. 32:25 And when He saw that He prevailed not against him, He touched the hollow of his
thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with Him. 32:26 And He said, Let Me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let Thee go, except Thou bless me. 32:27 And He said unto him, What is
thy name? And he said, Jacob. 32:28 And He said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel; for as
a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. 32:29 And Jacob asked Him, and said, Tell me,
I pray Thee, Thy name. And He said, Wherefore is it
that thou dost ask after My name? And He blessed him there. 32:30 And Jacob called the name of the place
Peniel; for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved. 32:31 And as he passed
over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he limped upon his thigh. 32:32 Therefore
the children of Israel eat not of the sinew which shrank, which is
upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day: because He touched the hollow of
Jacob's thigh in the sinew that shrank.
N/C: Here is
the account of Jacob’s encounter with what is referred to as “a Man”. Some of these
occurrences are true Theophanies (manifestations of a member of the Triune Godhead); others are
manifestations of God’s angels. Our test here is whether the being in question acts as a member of the Godhead - as opposed to one of God’s messengers or agents (angels). Note that in verse 30
Jacob says he has “seen God face to face”. Other evidence from Scripture shows this to be an
appearance of pre-incarnate Christ.
Resolution:
This appears to be a true Theophany – or more
specifically – a Christophany – a pre-incarnate manifestation of Christ and will be treated with
the “Royal purple” font to
identify it as such.
Genesis 32:25 - Which pronoun in
the latter part verse 25, “he” or ‘him”, refers to God, and which to Jacob?
32:25 And
when He saw that
He prevailed
not against him, He touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh
was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.
N/C: This is
one of those instances where we know that one of these two pronouns refers to Deity, and the other to mortal
man; and it’s virtually impossible to ascertain which is which.
Resolution:
While we know that one of these two pronouns
refers to Deity, and the other to mortal man, their references are not readily
resolved, nor is it crucial that they be. Therefore, they will remain
un-resolved beyond recognizing that one applies to the Lord; and will apply the deep purple font to both as an
acknowledgement of the unresolved ambiguity.
Genesis 48:16 Jacob’s reference to “an Angel” in verse 16 is really a
reference to God.
48:15 And
he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before Whom my fathers, Abraham and Isaac, did walk, the God Who fed me all my life long
unto this day, 48:16 An angel Who redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be
named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow
into a multitude in the midst of the earth. 48:17 And when Joseph saw that his
father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him; and he
held up his father's hand, to remove it from Ephraim's head unto Manasseh's
head. 48:18 And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father; for this is
the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head. 48:19 And his father refused,
and said, I know it, my son, I know it; he also shall become a
people, and he also shall be great; but truly his younger brother shall be
greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations.
N/C: Here in
the account of Jacob’s blessing of Ephraim and Manasseh, Joseph’s sons, on the
eve of his death, Jacob refers to the God of his fathers, Abraham and Isaac, as “an Angel” in verse 16. Despite the term, it is clearly as reference
to God, the Father.
Resolution:
There is no implication of an angel, per se, here. This is
merely the use of the term “an Angel” as an appellation by Jacob of God, the Father, and will be treated with the “Royal
purple” bold font that it merits.
Genesis 49:24 Jacob makes reference to Christ (v.24) in his prophecy of
his and Joseph’s sons.
49:2 Gather
yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel, your father.
49:3 Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my
strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power: 49:5 Simeon
and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their
habitations. 49:8 Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy
hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall
bow down before thee. 49:10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a
lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto Him shall the gathering
of the people be. 49:13 Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea; and
he shall be for an haven of ships; and his border shall be unto
Sidon. 49:14 Issachar is a strong ass crouching down between two
burdens: 49:16 Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel. 49:18
I have waited for Thy salvation, O LORD. 49:19 Gad, a troop shall overcome him; but he shall overcome at
the last. 49:20 Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield
royal dainties. 49:21 Naphtali is a hind let loose; he giveth beautiful
{goodly} words. 49:22 Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful
bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall: 49:23 The archers
have harassed him, and shot at him, and hated him: 49:24 But his
bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands
of the mighty God of Jacob (from there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel), 49:25 Even
by the God of thy father, Who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, Who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the
deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:
N/C: Here in
verse 24, on the eve of his death, in his prophecy regarding his and Joseph’s
sons, Jacob includes a reference to Christ, the Messiah, “the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel”.
Resolution:
The two references are treated with the “Royal purple” font as it applies to Christ.
Exodus - 3:2 Here the Angel of the LORD appears to Moses in the
burning bush.
3:1 Now
Moses kept the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian; and he
led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. 3:2
And the Angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush;
and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not
consumed. 3:3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight,
why the bush is not burnt. 3:4 and when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses,
Moses. And he said, Here am I. 3:5 And He said, Draw not near here: put off thy shoes from off thy
feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. 3:6 Moreover He said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid
his face; for he was afraid to look upon God. 3:7 And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in
Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; 3:8 And
I am come
down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out
of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and
honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites,
and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 3:9 Now therefore,
behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto Me; and I have also seen the
oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them. 3:10 Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto
Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt. 3:11 And Moses said
unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I
should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt? 3:12 And He said, Certainly I will be with thee; and
this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of
Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain. 3:13 And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I
come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent
me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is His name? What shall I say unto
them? 3:14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and He said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.
N/C: This is one of several appearances of the Angel of the LORD in the OT. In this
particular passage we see a transition (v.2 through v.6, assuming that here, as
in most instances, the Angel of the LORD is indeed a pre-incarnate manifestation of Christ) from the Second Person to the First Person of the Trinity. In verse 2 the Angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a
burning bush; but in verse 6 He identifies Himself as God, saying, “I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Jacob”.
Resolution:
This Angel of the LORD (v.2, typically a pre-incarnate manifestation of Christ) also appears to be a
manifestation of God, Himself – certainly not one of His angels. It will be treated with the “deep
purple” font as means of alerting the reader to its
unique occurrence.
Exodus 12:23 God accompanies and directs
the actions of “the destroyer” throughout Egypt.
12:23 For
the LORD will
pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when He seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door,
and will not permit the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you. 12:24 And ye
shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever.
N/C: Here we
see the Lord Himself acting as the sovereign God, overseeing of the actions of “the destroyer” (angel of death).
Resolution:
There is a reference to an angel “the destroyer” in this passage, which is
treated with blue font. The balance of the passage appears to refer to the Lord Himself and these nouns and
pronouns are treated with the Royal Purple font.
Exodus 13:21-22 The Lord in a pillar of the cloud by day and
the pillar of fire
by night.
13:21 And
the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the
way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and
night: 13:22 He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of
fire by night, from before the people.
Resolution:
This is a visible manifestation of the presence
of God acting
as Israel’s Guide in their wanderings in the wilderness. It appears in the OT in Ex.
13:21-22, 14:19-20, 24, 33:9-10, Num. 12:5, 14:14, Deut. 31:15, and Neh. 9:12
& 19. Each deserves special treatment - applying “Deep purple” font to alert the reader
to this unusual evidence of God’s presence.
Exodus 14:17-19 The “Angel of God” interposes himself between the Egyptians and
the camp of Israel.
14:17 And
I, behold,
I will harden
the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them; and I will get Me honor upon Pharaoh, and
upon all his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen. 14:18 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gotten Me honor upon Pharaoh, upon
his chariots, and upon his horsemen. 14:19 And the Angel of God, Who went before the camp of
Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them: 14:20 And it came between the camp of
the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to
these, so that the one came not near the other all the night. 14:21 And
Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back
by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the
waters were divided.
Resolution:
The Angel of God, typically a pre-incarnate manifestation of Christ, is also a term that is
here used to refer to the visible manifestation of the presence of God acting as Israel’s protector and Guide in their inaugural
wanderings in the wilderness. The term “pillar” also appears in this verse. Applying “Deep purple” font to both nouns to
flag them as unusual evidence of God’s presence.
Exodus 19:16,19 etc. Certain manifestations of a
“voice” in
scripture are significant.
Exodus
19:16, 19:19 (2); 1Kings 19:12, 19:13; Ezekiel 1:24 (2), 1:25, 1:28, 3:12, 9:1,
43:2;
Matt.
3:17, 17:5; Mark 1:11, 9:7; Luke 3:22, 9:35, 9:36; John 12:28, 12:30; Acts
7:31, 9:4, 9:7, 10:13, 10:15, 11:7, 11:9, 22:7, 22:9, 26:14; Hebrews 12:26;
2Peter 1:17, 1:18; Rev. 1:10, 1:12, 1:15, 4:1, 6:6, 6:7, 9:13, 10:4, 10:8,
11:12, 12:10, 14:2, 14:13, 16:1, 16:17, 18:4, 19:5, 21:3.
N/C: There are instances in scripture where the word “voice” represents the presence
and glory of God. Their occurrences, listed above by book, chapter and verse, are
worthy of note.
Resolution:
These particular occurrences, as enumerated
above, are not necessarily identical in type, but most appear to be the voice
of God, while
others may be of heavenly beings. These are all extraordinary and thus are
treated with the “deep purple” font to alert the reader to their unique attribute.
Exodus 19:16-19 Here the cloud and voice represent God’s presence to the people.
19:15 And
he said unto the people, Be ready against the third day: come not near {at}
your wives. 19:16 And it came to pass on the third day in the morning,
that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding
loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled. 19:17 And
Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the lower
{nether} part of the mount. 19:18 And Mount Sinai was altogether in a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire; and the smoke thereof ascended as the
smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly. 19:19 And when the voice of the trumpet sounded
long, and became louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him by a voice. 19:20 And the LORD came down upon Mount
Sinai, on the top of the mount; and the LORD called Moses up to the top of the mount; and Moses went
up.
Resolution:
This is another visible and audible
manifestation of the presence of God on Mount Sinai as He meets and confers with Moses. These, like the pillar, deserve
special treatment - applying “Deep purple” font to alert the reader to this unusual evidence of God’s presence.
Exodus 20:18-21 The cloud and voice representing God’s presence to the people.
20:18 And
all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw
it, they moved
{removed}, and stood afar off. 20:19 And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with
us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die. 20:20 And Moses said unto the people,
Fear not; for God is come to test you, and that His fear may be before your
faces, that ye sin not. 20:21 And the people stood afar off, And Mount Sinai
was altogether in a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire; and the smoke thereof ascended 20:22 And
the LORD said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel,
Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven.
Resolution:
This is another visible and audible
manifestation of the presence of God on the mount as He meets and confers with Moses. These also merit special treatment
- applying “Deep purple” font to alert the reader to this unusual evidence of God’s presence.
Exodus 23:20-23 God sends an angel before Israel to lead them. Who is this angel?
23:20 Behold,
I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way,
and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. 23:21 Beware of Him, and obey His voice, provoke Him not; for He will not pardon your transgressions; for My name is in Him. 23:22 But if thou shalt
indeed obey His voice, and do all
that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine
adversaries. 23:23 For Mine Angel shall go before thee, and bring thee in unto the Amorites, and
the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the
Jebusites; and I will cut them off. 23:24 Thou shalt not bow down to their gods,
nor serve them, nor do after their works; but thou shalt utterly overthrow
them, and quite break down their images.
Resolution:
There is ample evidence that this Angel is the same one
represented earlier (e.g., Ex. 20:16-19) by the pillar of cloud and fire; and
many Bible scholars believe this to be a pre-incarnate manifestation of Christ – note the severe warning
to obey Him. References to Him also merit special treatment - applying “Deep purple” font to alert the reader
to this unusual evidence of God’s presence.
Exodus
24:7-13 - Who is the “He” and “His” in verse 24:11?
24:7 And
he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people; and
they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient. 24:8 And Moses took the
blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the
covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words. 24:9 Then went up
Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel: 24:10 And
they saw the God of Israel: and there was under His feet as it were a paved
work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in its clearness.
24:11 And upon the nobles of the children of Israel He laid not His hand; also they saw God, and did eat and drink. 24:12
And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to Me into the mount, and be there; and I will give thee tables of
stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them. 24:13 And Moses rose
up, and his servant, Joshua; and Moses went up into the mount of God.
Resolution:
The pronouns “He” and “His” in v.11 refer to God, and will be treated with “Royal
purple” bold font.
Exodus 24:9-18 This is notable because we are here told that Moses, Aaron, Nadab,
Abihu, and seventy elders of Israel “went up”, “and they saw the God of Israel”; and “also they
saw God, and did eat and drink”. Note the description of His appearance: “and there
was under His feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were
the body of heaven in its clearness.”
24:9 Then
went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of
Israel: 24:10 And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under His feet as it were a paved
work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in its clearness.
24:11 And upon the nobles of the children of Israel He laid not His hand; also they saw God, and did eat and drink. 24:12
And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to Me into the mount, and be there; and I will give thee tables of
stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them.
24:13 And
Moses rose up, and his servant, Joshua; and Moses went up into the mount
of God. 24:14 And
he said unto the elders, Tarry ye here for us, until we come again unto you:
and, behold, Aaron and Hur are with you; if any man have any matters to
do, let him come unto them. 24:15 And Moses went up into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount. 24:16 And
the glory of the LORD abode upon Mount Sinai,
and the cloud covered it six days; and the seventh day He called unto Moses out of
the midst of the cloud. 24:17 And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel. 24:18
And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and got up into the mount; and Moses was in the mount forty days
and forty nights.
Resolution:
The nouns in vv.9-13 refer to God, as do “the LORD” & “He” (v15) and “the LORD” (v17), and will be
treated with “Royal purple” bold font to distinguish them from the references to “cloud” (4), “glory” (2) and “fire” (1) in vv.15-18, which,
like earlier occurrences of the pillar of cloud & fire receive special treatment - the “Deep purple” font to alert the reader
to this unusual evidence of God’s presence and glory.
Exodus 24:15-18 Here the presence and glory of God is manifested by a cloud, and fire.
24:15 And
Moses went up into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount. 24:16 And the glory of the LORD abode upon Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days; and the seventh day He called unto Moses out of
the midst of the cloud. 24:17 And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel. 24:18
And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and got up into the mount; and Moses was in the mount forty days
and forty nights.
Resolution:
The nouns “cloud” (4). “glory” (2) and “fire” (1) in vv.15-18, like the earlier occurrences of the pillar of cloud & fire
receive special treatment - using “Deep
purple” font to alert the reader to this unusual
evidence of God’s presence and glory.
Exodus 32:34 and 33:2 God sends an angel before Israel. Who is this
angel?
32:24 Therefore
now go, lead the people unto the place of which I have spoken unto thee;
behold, Mine angel shall go before thee: nevertheless in the day when I visit I will visit their sin upon
them.
Exodus 33:2 God sends an angel before Israel. What entity
is this angel?
33:1 And
the LORD said
unto Moses, Depart, and go up from here, thou and the people
which thou hast brought up out of the land of Egypt, unto the land which I swore unto Abraham, to
Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, Unto thy seed will I give it: 33:2 And I will send an angel before thee; and I will drive out the
Canaanite, the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the
Jebusite:
Resolution:
There is ample evidence that this Angel referred to in these
passages is the same one represented earlier by the pillar of cloud & fire. Like the pillar, it deserves special
treatment - applying “Deep purple” font to alert the reader to this unusual evidence of God’s presence.
Exodus 34:6-7 God proclaims His Own attributes, and as such this direct quote from God deserves some special treatment. Thus, all of these words of God’s Own choosing - nouns, adjectives and qualifying
phrases He used in declaring His Own attributes – are uniquely treated here with the
“royal purple” font applied to them.
34:6And the LORD passed
by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, 7Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and Who will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.
Resolution:
These words, constituting God’s Own description of His attributes, deserve unique and special treatment – application of
“Royal Purple” font to
the entire proclamation.
Exodus 40:34-38 The presence and glory of God manifests itself in a cloud, and fire.
40:34 Then
a cloud covered
the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. 40:35 And Moses was not able to enter into
the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. 40:36 And when the cloud was taken up from over the
tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys: 40:37 But
if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up. 40:38 For
the cloud of the LORD was upon the tabernacle
by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel,
throughout all their journeys.
Resolution:
The nouns “cloud” (5). “glory” (2) and “fire” (1) in vv.34-38, like the earlier occurrences of the pillar of cloud and fire receive special treatment
- using “Deep purple” font to alert the reader to this unusual evidence of God’s presence.
Leviticus
7:34 – To Whom does the pronoun “I” in verse 34 below refer?
Leviticus 7:34 For the
wave breast and the heave shoulder have I taken of the children of Israel from off the sacrifices of their
peace offerings, and have given them unto Aaron the priest and unto his sons by
a statute for ever from among the children of Israel.
N/C: This appears to be a clear reference to God.
Resolution: Apply royal purple font to the “I” in verse 34 as an almost certain reference to God.
Leviticus
7:35-36 - Who is the “he” in verses 35 and 36 below – God, or Moses?
Leviticus 7:35-36 7:35 This is the
portion of the anointing of Aaron, and of the anointing of his sons, out of
the offerings of the LORD made by fire, in the day when he presented them to minister
unto the LORD in the priest's office; 7:36 Which the LORD commanded to be given them
of the children of Israel, in the day that he anointed them, by a statute for ever throughout their
generations.
N/C: Several parallel translations were consulted (the commentaries do
not address themselves to this question). The ‘reference’ in question is
underscored in the parallel translations below.
The NIV, which
typically capitalizes pronouns that refer to God, here uses the passive voice that avoids referring to the one who
presented Aaron and his sons to minister in their office as priests: “This is
the portion of the offerings made to the LORD by fire that were allotted to
Aaron and his sons on the day they were presented to serve the LORD as
priests. On the day they were anointed, the LORD commanded that the
Israelites give this to them as their regular share for the generations to
come.” D-RB – “This is the anointing of Aaron and his sons, in the
ceremonies of the Lord, in the day when Moses offered them, that they
might do the office of priesthood, And the things that the Lord commanded to be
given them by the children of Israel, by a perpetual observance in their
generations” WEB – “This is the anointing portion of Aaron, and the
anointing portion of his sons, out of the offerings of Yahweh made by fire, in
the day when he presented them to minister to Yahweh in the priest's
office; which Yahweh commanded to be given them of the children of Israel, in
the day that he anointed them. It is their portion forever throughout
their generations.” YLT – “This is the anointing of Aaron, and the
anointing of his sons out of the fire-offerings of Jehovah, in the day he
hath brought them near to act as priest to Jehovah, which Jehovah hath
commanded to give to them in the day of His anointing them, from the
sons of Israel -- a statute age-during to their generations.” GSB –
“This is the portion of the {n} anointing of Aaron, and of the anointing
of his sons, out of the offerings of the LORD made by fire, in the day when
he presented them to minister unto the LORD in the priest's office; Which
the LORD commanded to be given them of the children of Israel, in the day that he
anointed them, by a statute for ever throughout their generations.”
Resolution: Apply deep purple font to the “He” in verses 35 and 36 as a likely reference to God. The other less likely
referent, if not God, is Moses.
Numbers 22:21-35 This appearance of the Angel of the LORD raises the question of
what sort of entity here confronted Balaam.
22:21 And
Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with the princes
of Moab. 22:22 And God's anger was kindled because he went: and the Angel of the LORD stood in the way for an
adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were
with him. 22:23 And the ass saw the Angel of the LORD standing in the way, and His sword drawn in His hand; and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the
field: and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way. 22:24 But the Angel of the LORD stood in a path of the
vineyards, a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side. 22:25 And
when the ass saw the Angel of the LORD, she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam's foot
against the wall: and he smote her again. 22:26 And the Angel of the LORD went further, and stood in
a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to
the left. 22:27 And when the ass saw the Angel of the LORD, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam's anger was kindled, and
he smote the ass with a staff. 22:28 And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have
I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times? 22:29 And Balaam
said unto the ass, Because thou hast mocked me, I would there were a sword in
mine hand, for now would I kill thee. 22:30 And the ass said unto Balaam, Am
not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto
this day? Was I ever accustomed to do so unto thee? And he said, Nay. 22:31
Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the Angel of the LORD standing in the way, and His sword drawn in His hand: and he bowed down
his head, and fell flat on his face. 22:32 And the Angel of the LORD said unto him, Wherefore
hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? Behold, I went out to withstand
thee, because thy way is perverse before Me; 22:33 And the ass saw Me, and turned from Me these three times: unless she had turned from Me, surely now also I had slain thee, and saved
her alive. 22:34 And Balaam said unto the Angel of the LORD, I have sinned; for I knew not that Thou stoodest in the way
against me: now therefore, if it displease Thee, I will return {get me back} again. 22:35 And the Angel of the LORD said unto Balaam, Go with
the men: but only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt speak. So Balaam went with
the princes of Balak.
N/C: The Angel of the LORD in the OT is typically a Christophany. In this instance, we note
that at the start of this encounter (vv.22-30), this Entity was visible to Balaam’s
donkey, but not visible to Balaam, until the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes to
the vision of the Angel of the LORD standing in the way (v.31). In v.28 the Lord enabled the donkey to
speak. It’s not clear from the text whether the Angel of the LORD is the same entity that actually performed these two enabling
acts – or if “the LORD” is a separate entity from “the Angel of the LORD”. However, verse 32 does tell us that “the Angel of the LORD” asked Balaam why he had
smitten his ass three times, and then proceeded to tell Balaam that He (“the Angel of the LORD”) had withstood Balaam
because his way was perverse before Him, and had the ass not turned from Him, He would have slain him. Further, in verse 35, he instructs Balaam
to speak “only the word that I shall speak unto thee” These statements suggest that this “Angel of the LORD” enjoyed the autonomy and
authority to assess Balaam’s behavior as perverse and to act upon that
evaluation even to the point of slaying Balaam, had his ass not taken evasive
action. This autonomy and authority seems greater than that of a mere messenger or angel of God, and suggests that this Being is some form of Deity.
Resolution: The “deep purple” font will be applied to all occurrences of nouns or pronouns
that refer to this entity within this passage to signify that It is likely a member of the Godhead.
Numbers
23:22 - Who is the “he” in verse 22 below?
Numbers
23:22 God brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn.
N/C: Several
parallel translations and commentaries were consulted. Many of these interpret
this passage to be a testimony to God’s strength; but several commentaries (WN; JFG), on this same
question, interpret this to be a reference to Israel’s strength, being much
greater than when they left Egypt. The question is further compounded by the
fact that “he” is singular, as is the word “God”;– apart from the exception noted in 24:2 (below). There seems to
be no consensus as to whom (or what) the “he” in verse 22 refers.
Resolution: Apply deep purple font to the “he” in verse 22 as a possible reference to God.
Numbers
24:2 – Here singular “Israel” is
subsequently referred to twice in the same verse by the plural possessive
pronoun “their”.
2And
Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel abiding in their tents
according to their tribes; and the Spirit
of God came upon him.
N/C: Clearly “Israel” here refers to the nation of
Israel, and is treated as plural, despite the singular noun form.
Resolution: No action or special font treatment applies.
Numbers
24:7 – Who is the “He” and “his”
(4 occurrences) in verse 7 (Israel or God)?
Numbers
24:7 He shall pour the water out of his buckets, and his seed shall be in
many waters, and his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be
exalted.
Resolution: Use regular black font for the “He” and “his” in v.7; they refer
to the nation Israel.
Numbers 24:8 – Who is the “he” and “his” (2 occurrences each) in
verse 8 (Israel or God)?
24:8 God brought him forth out of
Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn: he shall eat up the nations his enemies, and shall break
their bones, and pierce them through with his arrows.
N/C: Here, again, there is no consensus among scholars (MH, WN, PT) as to whether this, as
well a Numbers 23:22, is a reference to Israel – or to God.
Resolution: Used deep purple font for the “he” and “his” in verse 8, as it could refer to God or Israel.
Special
Treatment of Deuteronomy
Deuteronomy is especially challenging in that the
‘speaker’ in this book alternates back and forth from Moses to God or
visa-versa. This necessitated this special section that departs from the normal
Registry entry format to address this. This section follows immediately below.
Following this lengthy ‘special’ section, normal Registry entries resume,
beginning with normal entries for Deuteronomy.
Deuteronomy Chapters 1-11, 17-18, 29,
32-32 and 34 -
Do the pronouns “I”, “me”, “my” and “mine” used in these chapters of
Deuteronomy refer to Moses or God?
N/C: First person singular pronouns that appear in Deuteronomy can be
perplexing as to whether they refer to Moses or God. A surprising number of them appear to refer to Moses. Because
most Bible scholars and commentators do not concern themselves with pronoun
resolution issues in scripture; there are precious few scholarly resources
available to bring to bear upon this aspect of God’s word. I was torn between
two approaches to this problem that covers such a large body of text.
The first approach is to separate the list of chapters and verses in question into
three categories: (1) those where the pronouns refer to Muses; (2) those where
the pronouns refer to God; and (3) those where it’s not clear whether the pronouns refer to
God, or to
Moses. Chapter and verses where 1st person singular pronouns refer
to other entities are omitted from the list.
The second approach is to display all the passage texts with color-coded highlighting
to afford the reader the opportunity to decide for themselves whether they
concur with the conclusions arrived at. This second approach sub-section is
necessarily lengthy!
I implemented both
approaches as seen below.
Resolution:
First Approach: Used regular black font for the first person singular pronouns
“I” or “me” in the following verses in Deuteronomy,
Where they appear to refer
to Moses rather than God: 1:9(2); 1:12; 1:13, 1:15; 1:16; 1:17; 1:18; 1:37; 1:39,
1:41; 1:42; 1:43; 2:2; 2:9; 2:13; 2:27; 2:28; 2:29; 2:31(me); 3:12-13,
3:15-16, 3:18-19-20-21; 4:1-2; 4:5; 4:8; 4:21-22; 4:26; 4:40; 5:1;
5:5; 6:2; 6:6; 7:11; 8:19; 9:9; 9:17-21; 9:24-26; 10:3;
10:5; 10:10; 11:2; 11:8; 11:26; 17:3; 18:15; 28:1;
28:13-14-15; 31:2; 31:5; 31:27-29; and 32:46.
Where they appear to refer
to God: in the
following list of verses: Deuteronomy 1:8; 1:35-36; 1:42b; 2:5; 2:9b; 2:19; 2:24-25; 2:31b; 3:2b; 3:26b; 4:10b; 5:6-10; 5:28b-31; 7:4; 9:12b-14; 9:23; 10:1b-2; 10:11b; 11:14-15; 18:18-20; 29:6; 31:14; 31:16-21; 31:23; 32:20-24; 32:26-27; 32:34-35; 32:39-42; 32:49; 32:51-52; 34:4; and the bold royal purple font is appropriate for these first
person singular pronouns.
Where they remain
unresolved: Verses 11:18; 11:21 have not been unresolved
to any degree of certainty as to whether they refer to God, or to Moses; the
“deep purple font” has been applied to them.
Second Approach: Highlighted full text of applicable passages in question:
This approach, while
neither elegant nor particularly scholarly, seemed the best available: Each
passage was carefully read in context and a color-coded highlighting scheme was
applied to aid in identifying, to the degree possible, the speaker in each
passage of this book, as seen below. Clearly, Moses is the author and narrator
of Deuteronomy; but some first-person-singular pronouns in this book refer to God.
These highlight colors were
used to aid the effort to distinguish between the ‘speakers’:
1. Those words where the ‘speaker’ is clearly God are highlighted in blue. Some of these are instances of Moses
quoting God, most appear to be passages where God, Himself, is the
‘speaker’.
2. Those words that clearly are spoken by Moses are highlighted in
green. These represent
the vast majority of the text. I also used a dark pink to highlight those nouns and pronouns that
refer to Moses or
to Moses and Israel
collectively as an additional visual clue.
3. Those passages where the identity of the ‘speaker’ is in
question are highlighted in yellow.
4. Those few passages where neither God nor Moses is the speaker
are not highlighted at all.]
1These are the
words which Moses spoke unto
all Israel on this side of the Jordan in the wilderness, in the Arabah
opposite Suph {plain over against the Red Sea}, between Paran, and Tophel,
and Laban, and Hazeroth, and Dizahab. 2(It is eleven
days' journey from Horeb by the way of Mount Seir unto Kadesh-barnea.) 3And it came to pass in
the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month,
that Moses spoke unto
the children of Israel, according unto all that the LORD had given him in commandment unto them; 4After he had slain
Sihon, the king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon, and Og, the king of
Bashan, who dwelt at Astaroth in Edrei. 5On this side of the
Jordan, in the land of Moab, began Moses to declare
this law, saying,
6The LORD our God spoke unto us in Horeb, saying, Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount: 7Turn you, and take your journey, and go to the
mount of the Amorites, and unto all the places near thereunto, in
the Arabah {plain}, in the hills, and in the Shephelah {vale},
and in the Negev {south}, and by the seaside, to the land of the
Canaanites, and unto Lebanon, unto the great river, the river Euphrates. 8Behold, I have set
the land before you: go in and possess the land which the LORD swore unto your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give
unto them and to their seed after them.
9And I (Moses) spoke unto
you at that time, saying, I am not
able to bear you myself alone: 10The LORD your God hath
multiplied you, and, behold, ye are this day as the stars of heaven for
multitude. 11(The LORD God of your
fathers make you a thousand times so many more as ye are, and bless you,
as He hath promised you!) 12How can I myself alone bear your weight, and your burden, and
your strife? 13Take you
wise men, and understanding, and known among your tribes, and I will make them rulers over you. 14And ye answered me, and said, The thing which thou hast spoken is good for us
to do. 15So I took the chief of your tribes, wise
men, and known, and made them heads over you, captains over thousands, and
captains over hundreds, and captains over fifties, and captains over tens, and
officers among your tribes. 16And I charged your judges at that time,
saying, Hear the causes between your brethren, and judge righteously
between every man and his brother, and the stranger that is with
him. 17Ye shall not
respect persons in judgment; but ye shall hear the small as well as the
great; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man, for the judgment is God's; and the
cause that is too hard for you, bring it unto me, and I will hear
it. 18And I commanded you at that time all the
things which ye should do.
19And when we departed
from Horeb, we went through all that great and terrible wilderness, which ye
saw by the way of the mountain of the Amorites, as the LORD our God commanded
us; and we came to Kadesh-barnea. 20And I said unto you, Ye
are come unto the mountain of the Amorites, which the LORD our God doth give
unto us. 21Behold, the LORD thy God hath set
the land before thee. Go up and possess it, as the LORD God of thy
fathers hath said unto thee; fear not, neither be discouraged. 22And ye came near unto me
every one of you, and said, We will send men before us, and they shall search
us out the land, and bring us word again by what way we must go up, and into
what cities we shall come. 23And the saying pleased
me well: and I took twelve men of you, one of a tribe: 24And they turned and went
up into the mountain, and came unto the valley of Eshcol, and searched it out. 25And they took of the fruit
of the land in their hands, and brought it down unto us, and brought us
word again, and said, It is a good land which the LORD our God doth give
us.
26Notwithstanding ye would
not go up, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God: 27And ye murmured in your
tents, and said, Because the LORD hated us, He hath
brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the
Amorites, to destroy us. 28Where shall
we go up? Our brethren have discouraged our heart, saying, The people are
greater and taller than we; the cities are great and walled up to
heaven; and, moreover, we have seen the sons of the Anakim there. 29Then I said unto you,
Dread not, neither be afraid of them. 30The LORD your God, Who goeth
before you, He shall fight for you,
according to all that He did for you in Egypt
before your eyes; 31And in the
wilderness, where thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bore thee,
as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into
this place. 32Yet in this
thing ye did not believe the LORD your God, 33Who went in the
way before you, to search you out a place to pitch your tents in, in fire by night,
to show you by what way ye should go, and in a cloud by day.
34And the LORD heard the
voice of your words, and was angry, and swore, saying, 35Surely there shall not one of these men of this
evil generation see that good land, which I swore to
give unto your fathers, 36Except {Save} Caleb, the son of Jephunneh; he shall see
it, and to him will I give the land that he hath trodden upon, and to
his children, because he hath wholly followed the LORD. 37Also the LORD was angry
with me for your
sakes, saying, Thou also shalt not go
in there. 38But Joshua, the son of Nun, who standeth before thee, he shall go
in thither: encourage him; for he shall cause Israel to inherit it. 39Moreover your little ones, who ye said should be a
prey, and your children, who in that day had no knowledge between good and
evil, they shall go in there, and unto them will I give it, and they shall possess it. 40But as for you, turn you, and take your
journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea.
41Then ye answered and
said unto me, We have sinned against
the LORD, we will go up and
fight, according to all that the LORD our God commanded
us. And when ye had girded on every man his weapons of war, ye were ready to go
up into the hill. 42And the LORD said unto me, Say unto them, Go not up, neither fight; for I am not among you; lest ye be smitten before your
enemies. 43So I spoke unto
you; and ye would not hear, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD, and went
presumptuously up into the hill. 44And the Amorites, who
dwelt in that mountain, came out against you, and chased you, as bees do, and
destroyed you in Seir, even unto Hormah. 45And ye returned and wept
before the LORD; but the LORD would not
hearken to your voice, nor give ear unto you. 46So ye abode in Kadesh
many days, according unto the days that ye abode there.
1Then we turned, and took our journey into
the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea, as the LORD spoke unto me: and we compassed
Mount Seir many days. 2And the LORD spoke unto me, saying, 3Ye have compassed this mountain long enough: turn
you northward. 4And command
thou the people,
saying, Ye are to pass through the border of your brethren, the
children of Esau, who dwell in Seir, and they shall be afraid of you; take ye
good heed unto yourselves therefore: 5Meddle not with them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as a foot breadth;
because I have given Mount Seir unto Esau for a
possession. 6Ye shall
buy food of them for money, that ye may eat; and ye shall also buy water
of them for money, that ye may drink. 7For the LORD thy God hath blessed thee in all the works of thy hand; He knoweth thy walking through this great wilderness. These forty years the LORD thy God hath been with thee; thou hast lacked
nothing. 8And when we passed by
from our brethren, the children of Esau, who dwelt in Seir, through the way of
the Arabah {plain} from Elath, and from Ezion-geber, we turned and passed by the way of the
wilderness of Moab.
9And the LORD said unto me, Distress not the Moabites, neither contend with them in battle: for I will not give thee of their land for a possession; because I have given Ar unto the children of Lot for a
possession. 10The Emim dwelt therein
in times past, a people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakim, 11Who also were accounted
giants, as the Anakim; but the Moabites call them Emim. 12The Horites also dwelt
in Seir formerly, but the children of Esau succeeded them, when they had
destroyed them from before them, and dwelt in their stead, as Israel did unto
the land of his possession, which the LORD gave unto
them. 13Now rise up,
said I, and get you over the brook Zered. And we went over the brook Zered. 14And the period {space}
in which we came from
Kadesh-barnea, until we were come over the brook Zered, was thirty and eight years, until
all the generation of the men of war were perished from among the host,
as the LORD swore unto them. 15For indeed the hand of
the LORD was against them, to
destroy them from among the host, until they were consumed.
16So it came to pass, when
all the men of war were consumed and dead from among the people, 17That the LORD spoke unto me, saying, 18Thou art to pass over through Ar, the border of Moab, this
day: 19And when
thou comest near
over against the children of Ammon, distress them not, nor meddle with them;
for I will not give thee of the land of the children of
Ammon any possession, because I have given
it unto the children of Lot for a possession. 20(That also was accounted a land of giants: giants
dwelt therein formerly; and the Ammonites call them Zamzummim, 21A people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakim;
but the LORD destroyed them before them; and they succeeded
them, and dwelt in their stead: 22As He did to the
children of Esau, who dwelt in Seir, when He destroyed
the Horites from before them; and they succeeded them, and dwelt in their stead
even unto this day: 23And the
Avvim, who dwelt in Hazerim, even unto Gaza, the Caphtorim, who came
forth out of Caphtor, destroyed them, and dwelt in their stead.) 24Rise ye up, take your journey, and pass over the
river Arnon; behold, I have given into thine hand Sihon, the Amorite,
king of Heshbon, and his land. Begin to possess it, and contend with him
in battle. 25This day
will I begin to put the dread of thee and the fear of
thee upon the nations that are under the whole heaven, who shall hear
report of thee, and shall tremble, and be in anguish because of thee.
26And I sent messengers
out of the wilderness of Kedemoth unto Sihon, king of Heshbon, with words of
peace, saying, 27Let me pass
through thy land: I will go along by the high way, I will neither turn unto the
right hand nor to the left. 28Thou shalt sell me food
for money, that I may eat; and give me water for
money, that I may drink: only I will pass through on my feet; 29(As the children of Esau
who dwell in Seir, and the Moabites who dwell in Ar, did unto me) until I
shall pass over the Jordan into the land which the LORD our God giveth us. 30But Sihon, king of
Heshbon, would not let us pass by him; for the LORD thy God hardened
his spirit, and made his heart obstinate, that He might
deliver him into thy hand, as appeareth this day. 31And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have begun to
give Sihon and his land before thee; begin to
possess it, that thou mayest inherit his land. 32Then Sihon came out
against us, he and all his people,
to fight at Jahaz. 33And the LORD our God delivered
him before us; and we smote him,
and his sons, and all his people. 34And we took all
his cities at that time, and utterly destroyed the men, and the women, and the
little ones, of every city; we left none to remain: 35Only the cattle we took for a
prey unto ourselves, and the
spoil of the cities which we took. 36From Aroer, which is
by the brink of the river of Arnon, and from the city that is by
the river, even unto Gilead, there was not one city too strong for us; the LORD our God delivered
all unto us: 37Only unto the land of
the children of Ammon thou camest not, nor unto any place of the river
Jabbok, nor unto the cities in the mountains, nor unto whatsoever the LORD our God forbade us.
1Then we turned, and
went up the way to Bashan: and Og, the king of Bashan, came out against us, he and all
his people, to battle at Edrei. 2And the LORD said unto me, Fear him not: for I will deliver him, and all his people, and his land, into thy
hand; and thou shalt do unto him as thou didst unto Sihon, king of the
Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon. 3So the LORD our God delivered
into our hands Og also, the king of Bashan, and all his
people: and we smote him until none
was left to him remaining. 4And we took all
his cities at that time, there was not a city which we took not
from them, threescore cities, all the region of Argob, the kingdom of Og in
Bashan. 5All these
cities were fortified with high walls, gates, and bars; beside
unwalled towns, a great many. 6And we utterly
destroyed them, as we did unto Sihon, king of
Heshbon, utterly destroying the men, women, and children, of every city. 7But all the cattle, and
the spoil of the cities, we took for a prey to ourselves. 8And we took at
that time out of the hand of the two kings of the Amorites the land that was
on this side Jordan, from the river of Arnon unto mount Hermon; 9(Which Hermon the
Sidonians call Sirion; and the Amorites call it Senir;) 10All the cities of the
plain, and all Gilead, and all Bashan, unto Salecah and Edrei, cities of the
kingdom of Og in Bashan. 11For only Og,
king of Bashan, remained of the remnant of giants; behold, his bedstead was
a bedstead of iron; is it not in Rabbath of the children of Ammon? Nine
cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it, after
the cubit of a man.
12And this land, which
we possessed at that time, from Aroer, which is by
the river Arnon, and half of Mount Gilead, and the cities thereof, gave I unto the
Reubenites and to the Gadites. 13And the rest of Gilead,
and all Bashan, being the kingdom of Og, gave I unto the
half tribe of Manasseh; all the region of Argob, with all Bashan, which was
called the land of giants. 14Jair, the son of
Manasseh took all the country of Argob unto the borders of Geshurites
and Maachathites; and called them after his own name, Havvoth-jair, unto this
day. 15And I gave Gilead
unto Machir. 16And unto the
Reubenites and unto the Gadites I gave from
Gilead even unto the river Arnon, half the valley, and the border even unto the
river Jabbok, which is the border of the children of Ammon; 17The Arabah {plain}
also, and Jordan, and the boundary thereof, from Chinnereth even
unto the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, under the slopes of
Pisgah {even the salt sea, under Ashdoth-pisgah eastward}.
18And I commanded
you at that time, saying, The LORD your God hath given
you this land to possess it: ye shall pass over armed before your brethren the
children of Israel, all that are fit for the war. 19But your wives, and your
little ones, and your cattle, (for I know that
ye have much cattle) shall abide in your cities which I have given
you; 20Until the LORD have given
rest unto your brethren, as well as unto you, and until they also
possess the land which the LORD your God hath given
them beyond Jordan: and then shall ye return every man unto his
possession, which I have given you.
21And I commanded
Joshua at that time, saying, Thine eyes have seen all that the LORD your God hath done
unto these two kings: so shall the LORD do unto all
the kingdoms whither thou passest. 22Ye shall not fear them:
for the LORD your God shall fight
for you.
23And I besought
the LORD at that time, saying, 24O LORD God, Thou hast begun
to show Thy servant Thy greatness,
and Thy mighty hand: for what God is there
in heaven or in earth, that can do according to Thy works, and
according to Thy might? 25I pray Thee, let me go over,
and see the good land that is beyond Jordan, that goodly mountain, and
Lebanon. 26But the LORD was
angry with me for your sakes, and
would not hear me: and the LORD said unto me, Let it suffice thee; speak no more unto Me of this matter. 27Get thee up into the top of Pisgah, and lift up
thine eyes westward, and northward, and southward, and eastward, and behold it
with thine eyes: for thou shalt not go over this Jordan. 28But charge Joshua, and encourage him, and
strengthen him: for he shall go over before this people, and he shall cause
them to inherit the land which thou shalt see. 29So we abode in
the valley over against Beth-peor.
1Now therefore hearken, O
Israel, unto the statutes and unto the ordinance, which I teach you,
to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your
fathers giveth you. 2Ye shall not
add unto the word which I command you, neither
shall ye diminish anything from it, that ye may keep the commandments of
the LORD your God which I command
you. 3Your eyes
have seen what the LORD did because of
Baal-peor: for all the men that followed Baal-peor, the LORD thy God hath
destroyed them from among you. 4But ye that did
cleave unto the LORD your God are alive,
every one of you this day. 5Behold, I have taught
you statutes and ordinances {judgments}, even as the LORD my God commanded me, that ye
should do so in the land to which ye go to possess it. 6Keep, therefore, and do them;
for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the
nations, who shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is
a wise and understanding people. 7For what nation is
there so great, who hath God so nigh
unto them, as the LORD our God is in
all things that we call upon Him for?
8And what
nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous
as all this law, which I set before you this
day?
9Only take heed to
thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine
eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life:
but teach them to thy sons, and thy sons' sons; 10Specially the day
that thou stoodest before the LORD thy God in Horeb,
when the LORD said unto me, Gather Me the people
together, and I will make them hear My words, that they may learn to fear Me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that
they may teach their children. 11And ye came near and
stood under the mountain; and the mountain burned with fire unto the
midst of heaven, with darkness, clouds, and thick
darkness. 12And the LORD spoke unto
you out of the midst of the fire: ye heard the voice of the
words, but saw no similitude; only ye heard a voice. 13And He declared
unto you His covenant, which He commanded
you to perform, even ten commandments; and He wrote them
upon two tables of stone. 14And the LORD commanded me at that
time to teach you statutes and judgments, that ye might do them in the land
whither ye go over to possess it.
15Take ye, therefore, good
heed unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that
the LORD spoke unto you in Horeb
out of the midst of the fire: 16Lest ye corrupt yourselves,
and make you a carved image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness
of male or female, 17The likeness
of any beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged fowl that
flieth in the air, 18The likeness
of any thing that creepeth on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is
in the waters beneath the earth: 19And lest thou lift up
thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the
stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them,
and serve them, which the LORD thy God hath
divided unto all nations under the whole heaven. 20But the LORD hath taken
you, and brought you forth out of the iron furnace, even out of Egypt,
to be unto Him a people of
inheritance, as ye are this day. 21Furthermore, the LORD was angry
with me for your sakes, and swore that I should not
go over the Jordan, and that I should not
go in unto that good land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee
for an inheritance: 22But I must die in
this land, I must not go over the Jordan: but ye shall go
over, and possess that good land. 23Take heed unto
yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the LORD your God, which He made with
you, and make you a carved image, or the likeness of any thing,
which the LORD thy God hath
forbidden thee. 24For the LORD thy God is a
consuming fire, even a jealous God.
25When thou shalt beget
children, and children's children, and ye shall have remained long in the land,
and shall corrupt yourselves, and make a carved image, or the
likeness of any thing, and shall do evil in the sight of the LORD thy God, to provoke
Him to anger: 26I call heaven
and earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish
from off the land whereunto ye go over the Jordan to possess it; ye
shall not prolong your days upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed. 27And the LORD shall
scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the nations
{heathen}, where the LORD shall lead
you. 28And there ye
shall serve gods, the work of men's hands, wood and stone, which neither see,
nor hear, nor eat, nor smell. 29But if from thence thou
shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt
find Him, if thou seek Him with all
thy heart and with all thy soul. 30When thou art in
tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter
days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt
be obedient unto His voice; 31(For the LORD thy God is a
merciful God), He will not
forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers
which He swore unto them.
32For ask now of the days
that are past, which were before thee, since the day that God created man
upon the earth, and ask from the one side of heaven unto the other,
whether there hath been any such thing as this great thing is, or
hath been heard like it? 33Did ever
people hear the voice of God speaking out of the
midst of the fire, as thou hast heard, and live? 34Or hath God ventured
to go and take Him a nation from the midst
of another nation, by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war,
and by a mighty hand, and by an outstretched arm, and by great terrors,
according to all that the LORD your God did for you
in Egypt before your eyes? 35Unto thee it was showed,
that thou mightest know that the LORD, He is God; there
is none else beside Him. 36Out of heaven He made thee
to hear His voice, that He might
instruct thee: and upon earth He showed thee
His great fire; and thou heardest His words out
of the midst of the fire. 37And because He loved thy
fathers, therefore He chose their seed after
them, and brought thee out in His sight with His mighty
power out of Egypt; 38To drive out
nations from before thee greater and mightier than thou art, to bring
thee in, to give thee their land for an inheritance, as it is this
day. 39Know
therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the LORD, He is God in heaven
above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else. 40Thou shalt keep
therefore His statutes, and His commandments,
which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee,
and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days
upon the earth, which the LORD thy God giveth
thee, forever.
41Then Moses set apart three
cities on this side of the Jordan toward the sunrising; 42That the slayer might
flee there, who should kill his neighbor unintentionally, and hated him
not in times past; and that fleeing unto one of these cities, he might live: 43Namely, Bezer in
the wilderness, in the plain country, of the Reubenites; and Ramoth in Gilead,
of the Gadites; and Golan in Bashan, of the Manassites.
44And this is the
law which Moses set before the children
of Israel: 45These are
the testimonies, and the statutes, and the ordinances, which Moses spoke unto
the children of Israel, after they came forth out of Egypt, 46On this side of the
Jordan, in the valley over against Beth-peor, in the land of Sihon, king of the
Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon, whom Moses and the
children of Israel smote, after they were come forth out of Egypt: 47And they possessed his
land, and the land of Og, king of Bashan, two kings of the Amorites, who were
on this side of the Jordan toward the sunrising; 48From Aroer, which is
by the bank of the river Arnon, even unto mount Sion, which is Hermon, 49And all the Arabah
{plain} on this side of the Jordan eastward, even unto the sea of the Arabah,
under the springs of Pisgah.
1And Moses called all
Israel, and said unto them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and ordinances which
I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them,
and keep, and do them. 2The LORD our God made a
covenant with us in Horeb. 3The LORD made not
this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even
us, who are all of us here alive
this day. 4The LORD talked with
you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire, 5(I stood
between the LORD and you at that time,
to show you the word of the LORD: for ye
were afraid by reason of the fire, and went not up into the mount), saying,
6I am the LORD thy God, Who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the
house of bondage. 7Thou shalt
have no other gods before Me. 8Thou shalt not make thee any carved image,
or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or
that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath
the earth: 9Thou shalt
not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I, the LORD thy God, am a
jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the
children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me, 10And showing
mercy unto thousands of them that love Me and keep My commandments. 11Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain:
for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain. 12Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee. 13Six days thou shalt labor, and do all thy work: 14But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou,
nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor
thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is
within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as
thou. 15And
remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and
by an outstretched arm: therefore the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day. 16Honor thy father and thy mother, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be
prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. 17Thou shalt not kill. 18Neither shalt thou commit adultery. 19Neither shalt thou steal. 20Neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy
neighbor. 21Neither
shalt thou desire thy neighbor's wife, neither shalt thou covet thy neighbor's
house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his ass, or
any thing that is thy neighbor's.
22These words the LORD spoke unto all
your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the
thick darkness, with a great voice: and He added no
more. And He wrote them in two
tables of stone, and delivered them unto me. 23And it came to pass,
when ye heard the voice out of the midst of the
darkness, (for the mountain did burn with fire), that ye
came near unto me, even all the
heads of your tribes, and your elders; 24And ye said, Behold, the
LORD our God hath showed
us His glory and His greatness,
and we have heard His voice out of the
midst of the fire: we have seen this day that
God doth talk with man, and he liveth. 25Now, therefore, why
should we die? For this great fire will consume us: if we
hear the voice of the LORD our God any more,
then we shall die. 26For who is
there of all flesh, that hath heard the voice of the
living God speaking out of the
midst of the fire, as we have, and
lived? 27Go thou
near, and hear all that the LORD our God shall say:
and speak thou unto us all that the LORD our God shall speak
unto thee; and we will hear it, and do it. 28And the LORD heard the
voice of your words, when ye spoke unto me; and the LORD said unto me, I have heard the voice of the words of this people, which they
have spoken unto thee: they have well said all that they have spoken. 29O that there were such an heart in them, that they
would fear Me, and keep all My commandments
always, that it might be well with them, and with their children forever! 30Go say to them, Get you into your tents again. 31But as for thee, stand thou here by Me, and I will speak
unto thee all the commandments, and the statutes, and the
judgments, which thou shalt teach them, that they may do them in
the land which I give them to possess it. 32Ye shall observe to do
therefore as the LORD your God hath
commanded you: ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. 33Ye shall walk in all the
ways which the LORD your God hath
commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that
ye may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess.
1When the LORD thy God shall bring
thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many
nations before thee, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and
the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven
nations greater and mightier than thou; 2And when the LORD thy God shall
deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy
them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor show mercy unto them: 3Neither shalt thou make
marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his
daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. 4For they
will turn away thy son from following Me, that they
may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly. 5But thus shall ye deal
with them; ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and
cut down their idols {groves}, and burn their graven images with fire. 6For thou art an
holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen
thee to be a special people unto Himself, above all
people that are upon the face of the earth. 7The LORD did not set
His love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more
in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: 8But because the LORD loved you,
and because He would keep the oath
which He had sworn unto your
fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a
mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of
Pharaoh, king of Egypt. 9Know,
therefore, that the LORD thy God, He is God, the
faithful God, who keepeth covenant
and mercy with them who love Him and keep His commandments
to a thousand generations; 10And repayeth them that
hate Him to their face, to
destroy them: He will not be slack to
him that hateth Him, He will repay
him to his face. 11Thou shalt
therefore keep the commandments, and the statutes, and the ordinances,
which I command thee this day, to do them.
12Wherefore it shall come
to pass, if ye hearken to these judgments, and keep, and do them, that the LORD thy God shall keep
unto thee the covenant and the mercy which He swore unto
thy fathers: 13And He will love
thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee: He will also
bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy grain, and
thy wine, and thine oil, the increase of thy cattle, and the flocks of
thy sheep, in the land which He swore unto
thy fathers to give thee. 14Thou shalt
be blessed above all people: there shall not be male or female barren among
you, or among your cattle. 15And the LORD will take
away from thee all sickness, and will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt,
which thou knowest, upon thee; but will lay them upon all them that hate
thee.
16And thou shalt consume
all the people whom the LORD thy God shall
deliver thee; thine eye shall have no pity upon them: neither shalt thou serve
their gods; for that will be a snare unto thee. 17If thou shalt say in
thine heart, These nations are more than I; how can I dispossess them? 18Thou shalt not be afraid
of them: but shalt well remember what the LORD thy God did unto
Pharaoh, and unto all Egypt; 19The great temptations
which thine eyes saw, and the signs, and the wonders, and the mighty hand, and
the outstretched arm, whereby the LORD thy God brought
thee out: so shall the LORD thy God do unto all
the people of whom thou art afraid. 20Moreover, the LORD thy God will send
the hornet among them, until they that are left, and hide themselves from thee,
be destroyed. 21Thou shalt
not be frightened by them: for the LORD thy God is among
you, a mighty God and awesome. 22And the LORD thy God will put
out those nations before thee by little and little: thou mayest not consume
them at once, lest the beasts of the field increase upon thee. 23But the LORD thy God shall
deliver them unto thee, and shall destroy them with a mighty destruction, until
they be destroyed. 24And He shall
deliver their kings into thine hand, and thou shalt destroy their name from
under heaven: there shall no man be able to stand before thee, until thou have
destroyed them. 25The graven
images of their gods shall ye burn with fire: thou shalt not desire the silver
or gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be
snared therein: for it is an abomination to the LORD thy God. 26Neither shalt thou bring
an abomination into thine house, lest thou be a cursed thing like it: but
thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is
a cursed thing.
1Hear, O Israel: Thou art
to pass over the Jordan this day, to go in to possess nations greater and
mightier than thyself, cities great and fortified up to heaven, 2A people great and tall,
the children of the Anakim, whom thou knowest, and of whom thou hast
heard say, Who can stand before the children of Anak! 3Understand therefore
this day, that the LORD thy God is He Who goeth over
before thee; as a consuming fire He shall
destroy them, and He shall bring them down
before thy face: so shalt thou drive them out, and destroy them quickly, as the
LORD hath said unto thee. 4Speak not thou in thine
heart, after the LORD thy God hath cast
them out from before thee, saying, For my righteousness the LORD hath
brought me in to possess this land: but for the wickedness of these nations the
LORD doth drive them out from before thee. 5Not for thy
righteousness, or for the uprightness of thine heart, dost thou go to possess
their land; but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD thy God doth drive
them out from before thee, and that He may perform
the word which the LORD swore unto thy fathers,
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 6Understand,
therefore, that the LORD thy God giveth thee
not this good land to possess it for thy righteousness; for thou art a
stiff-necked people.
7Remember, and forget
not, how thou provokedst the LORD thy God to wrath in
the wilderness: from the day that thou didst depart out of the land of Egypt,
until ye came unto this place, ye have been rebellious against the LORD. 8Also in Horeb ye
provoked the LORD to wrath, so that the LORD was angry
with you to have destroyed you. 9When I was gone up
into the mount to receive the tables of stone, even the tables of the
covenant which the LORD made with you, then I abode in
the mount forty days and forty nights, I neither did
eat bread nor drink water: 10And the LORD delivered
unto me two tables of stone written with the finger of God; and on
them was written according to all the words, which the LORD spoke with
you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly. 11And it came to pass at
the end of forty days and forty nights, that the LORD gave me the two
tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant. 12And the LORD said unto me, Arise, get thee down quickly from hence; for thy people whom thou hast brought forth out of Egypt have corrupted themselves;
they are quickly turned aside out of the way which I commanded them; they have made them a molten image. 13Furthermore, the LORD spoke unto
me, saying, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a
stiff-necked people: 14Let Me alone, that I may
destroy them, and blot out their name from under heaven: and I will make of thee a nation
mightier and greater than they. 15So I turned and
came down from the mount, and the mount burned with fire: and the two tables of
the covenant were in my two hands. 16And I looked,
and, behold, ye had sinned against the LORD your God, and
had made you a melted calf; ye had turned aside quickly out of the way
which the LORD had commanded you. 17And I took the
two tables, and cast them out of my two hands,
and broke them before your eyes. 18And I fell down
before the LORD, as at the first, forty
days and forty nights: I did neither eat bread,
nor drink water, because of all your sins which ye sinned, in doing wickedly in
the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger. 19For I was afraid
of the anger and hot displeasure, wherewith the LORD was
angry with you to destroy you. But the LORD hearkened
unto me at that time also. 20And the LORD was very
angry with Aaron to have destroyed him; and I prayed for
Aaron also at the same time. 21And I took your
sin, the calf which ye had made, and burnt it with fire, and stamped it, and
ground it very small, even until it was as small as dust: and I cast the
dust thereof into the brook that descended out of the mount.
22And at Taberah, and at Massah, and at Kibroth-hattaavah, ye provoked the