notes

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This page was automatically converted from a module that was shared prior to the release of Published Pages. Additionally, the arc below was auto-converted from the arc created by the author (which used the old module), and so it is possible there are misplaced logical relationships.

notes 1452680585325 Disclaimer This page was automatically converted from a module that was shared prior to the release of Published Pages. Additionally, the arc below was auto-converted from the arc created by the author (which used the old module), and so it is possible there are misplaced logical relationships.

Notes

2010-03-14 19:28:22

2010-03-28 21:42:13

Main Idea: Mediating between YHWH and Israel, Moses exhorts Israel to love YHWH exclusively and entirely. Outline: I. Introduction (5:1-6:3) A. Summons to hear and obey YHWH (5:1-5:5) B. The Decalogue: Synopsis of what obedience to YHWH means (5:6-21) 1. Love of God (5:6-15) 2. Love of Neighbor (5:7-21) C. Basis for Moses' mediatorial role between YHWH and Israel (5:22-6:3) 1. Israel's leaders ask Moses to stand in their place before YHWH for fear of death (5:22-27). 2. YHWH hears Israel and speaks to Moses (5:28-33) 3. Moses exhorts Israel to hear and obey YHWH's voice through him (6:1-3) II. The Body (6:4ff) A. The Shema: A Call to Love YHWH Alone (6:4-9) 1. The Main Idea: Because YHWH alone is God of Israel, they are to love him exclusively (6:4) and entirely (6:5). 2. How they do this: By obeying the words of his spokesman/ mediator (6:6-9) a. With all their affections (6:6-7) b. With all their being (6:8) c. With all they have (6:9) Exegetical Inquiries: 1. What are the meanings of heart, soul, might? - How do they relate? Do they show up in the passage Block – The traditional rendering, “with all your heart, soul, and strength,” misrepresents each of these words and in so doing obscures the profundity of this statement. Often appealing to Greek translations of the Hebrew, Christian interpreters have used this verse to argue for a tripartite anthropology; human beings consist essentially of mind/ intellect ( dionia/ kardia ), soul ( psych ), and spiritual/ moral power ( dynamis ). However, verse 5 is not a Greek psychological statement, but an emphatic reinforcement of absolute and singular devotion to Yahweh as called for by v. 4. Proceeding from the inside out, these three expressions may be compared to three concentric circles, each of which represents a sphere of human existence… (pg 218-219, unpublished commentary) 1. lebab DBL - heart , mind, soul, spirit, self, i.e., the source of the life of the inner person in various aspects, with a focus on feelings, thoughts, volition, and other areas of inner life McConville – “The translation ‘heart’ is suitable, since ‘heart’ in Deuteronomy is typical for penetrating to the seat of the will (as in the English ‘heartfelt’ Block – leb denotes “heart”, but more often than not, it is used metaphorically for either the seat of the emotions or the intellect or both. Since Biblical Hebrew has no separate word for “mind”, one’s leb is both one’s “feeler” and one’s “thinker”. Conclusion : It seems that he is talking here about the innermost person – that is, the part of us that thinks and feels with special attention to the feeling. It seems to be that part of a person that controls their affections. 2. nepes DBL - 1. creature , being, i.e., an animal of any kind, as a living thing in creation (Ge 1:20); 2. heart , the inner self, i.e., the essence of life, including thinking, feeling, willing, desiring (Ge 34:3); 3. life , i.e., that animate part of a person existing until the state of death (1Sa 19:11); 4. LN 9.1-9.23 person , i.e., a human being as a living person (Ex 16:16 McConville – ‘Being’ here translates nepes, often taken as ‘soul’, but indicating a person’s life or vitality. The force of the phrase is to require a devotion that is single-minded and complete. Block – Although nepes denotes fundamentally “throat, gullet,” the word is usually used in a variety of derived metaphorical senses: “appetites/ desire”… “life”… a “living being” … the whole self… Here the word refers to one’s entire person. Conclusion: There seems to be only a small difference between lebab and nepes . While lebab refers to a person’s inner self, however, nepes seems to refer to the whole person including their lebab , but focusing on their body. In the context, it would seem to suggest the stewardship of what they do with their life in both time and space. 3. me-od DBL - 1 very , so, greatly, utterly, i.e., pertaining to a high point on a scale of extent (Ge 1:31); 2. unit: very greatly, i.e., pertaining to a very high point, even up to a completive degree on a scale of extent (Ge 7:19; 17:2, 6, 20; 30:43; Ex 1:7; Nu 14:7; 1Ki 7:47; 2Ki 10:4; Eze 9:9; 16:13; 37:10+) strength , power, i.e., the exerting of force in a situation (Dt 6:5; 2Ki 23:25+) McConville – a person’s full capacities, perhaps including natural abilities and even resources. Block – carries the broader sense of “resources”, which would include not only physical strength, but also economic or social strength, and even the physical resources one owns: house, fields, livestock, family and servants. Conclusion – me-od as a noun would literally be “very-ness”. In the context it seems to make sense of Block’s hypothesis of moving from the innermost part of oneself to their resources. Literally it would be “love the Lord your God with your affections, your being and your resources. 2. What is meant by "these words that I command you today shall be on your heart "? Are there other places where this phrase is used? Is there a connection to Jeremiah 31?) In light of the previous discussion about the meaning of lebab , this phrase is not at all mysterious. It seems most naturally that he is saying "these words shall be on your mind". That is, "you should think about these things all the time - when you walk, when you sit, when you lay down, when you rise up - these words should be your predominant thought." It is not like the circumcision of the heart in Deuteronomy 10:16 and 30:6, which would cause no small consternation for a devout Jew. For this reason, I do not think that we should draw too quick a relation to Jeremiah 31 (also: Ps. 37:31; 2 Cor. 3:3), where the Lord says "I will write my law on their hearts". It is two different metaphors. Deuteronomy 6 is saying, "think about it". Jeremiah 31 is saying, "there will be no need for the law written in stone, because it will be written on their hearts. Their conscience will be their law." Block says it slightly differently: "unreseved love for Yahweh must be indelibly written on one's heart/mind (v. 6) that is, be internalized, integrated, and ikncorporated in one's very being." He reminds us that "Israelite faith and religion were to be internal matters of the heart..." 3. Are these to be taken literally? Again, in light of the previous discussion it would not appear so. If Block is correct that the Israelite faith is to be internal and not external, it seems that perhaps Moses might be speaking metaphorically. Nevertheless, many of the truths of the Israelite religion were portrayed in actual physical symbols - for example, the tempel and its furnishings. Block gives four reasons why these instructions were to be taken literally. The writing on the doorposts in verse 9 were meant to be taken literally (as he argues), thus the burden of proof is to show why the symbols in verse 8 are not to be taken literally. Archeaological evidence from Egypt and Mesopotamia Archeological evidence from 7th centuray BC Archeological evidence from late Second Temple Period. Arguments 2-4 can be discounted because they reflect only the practice of the command, not the intent. Argument 1 is weak because it is based only on the conjecture that verse 9 is also to be taken literally. Conclusion: The evidence is inconclusive that this was meant to be taken literally or figurativley. However, I am drawn to the argument that it was meant to be taken figuratively because the commands were meant to illustrate the meaning of having these words on their hearts, which is clearly not literal.

10000000029540 29540 Notes 2010-03-14 19:28:22 2010-03-28 21:42:13 Main Idea: Mediating between YHWH and Israel, Moses exhorts Israel to love YHWH exclusively and entirely. Outline: I. Introduction (5:1-6:3) A. Summons to hear and obey YHWH (5:1-5:5) B. The Decalogue: Synopsis of what obedience to YHWH means (5:6-21) 1. Love of God (5:6-15) 2. Love of Neighbor (5:7-21) C. Basis for Moses' mediatorial role between YHWH and Israel (5:22-6:3) 1. Israel's leaders ask Moses to stand in their place before YHWH for fear of death (5:22-27). 2. YHWH hears Israel and speaks to Moses (5:28-33) 3. Moses exhorts Israel to hear and obey YHWH's voice through him (6:1-3) II. The Body (6:4ff) A. The Shema: A Call to Love YHWH Alone (6:4-9) 1. The Main Idea: Because YHWH alone is God of Israel, they are to love him exclusively (6:4) and entirely (6:5). 2. How they do this: By obeying the words of his spokesman/ mediator (6:6-9) a. With all their affections (6:6-7) b. With all their being (6:8) c. With all they have (6:9) Exegetical Inquiries: 1. What are the meanings of heart, soul, might? - How do they relate? Do they show up in the passage Block – The traditional rendering, “with all your heart, soul, and strength,” misrepresents each of these words and in so doing obscures the profundity of this statement. Often appealing to Greek translations of the Hebrew, Christian interpreters have used this verse to argue for a tripartite anthropology; human beings consist essentially of mind/ intellect ( dionia/ kardia ), soul ( psych ), and spiritual/ moral power ( dynamis ). However, verse 5 is not a Greek psychological statement, but an emphatic reinforcement of absolute and singular devotion to Yahweh as called for by v. 4. Proceeding from the inside out, these three expressions may be compared to three concentric circles, each of which represents a sphere of human existence… (pg 218-219, unpublished commentary) 1. lebab DBL - heart , mind, soul, spirit, self, i.e., the source of the life of the inner person in various aspects, with a focus on feelings, thoughts, volition, and other areas of inner life McConville – “The translation ‘heart’ is suitable, since ‘heart’ in Deuteronomy is typical for penetrating to the seat of the will (as in the English ‘heartfelt’ Block – leb denotes “heart”, but more often than not, it is used metaphorically for either the seat of the emotions or the intellect or both. Since Biblical Hebrew has no separate word for “mind”, one’s leb is both one’s “feeler” and one’s “thinker”. Conclusion : It seems that he is talking here about the innermost person – that is, the part of us that thinks and feels with special attention to the feeling. It seems to be that part of a person that controls their affections. 2. nepes DBL - 1. creature , being, i.e., an animal of any kind, as a living thing in creation (Ge 1:20); 2. heart , the inner self, i.e., the essence of life, including thinking, feeling, willing, desiring (Ge 34:3); 3. life , i.e., that animate part of a person existing until the state of death (1Sa 19:11); 4. LN 9.1-9.23 person , i.e., a human being as a living person (Ex 16:16 McConville – ‘Being’ here translates nepes, often taken as ‘soul’, but indicating a person’s life or vitality. The force of the phrase is to require a devotion that is single-minded and complete. Block – Although nepes denotes fundamentally “throat, gullet,” the word is usually used in a variety of derived metaphorical senses: “appetites/ desire”… “life”… a “living being” … the whole self… Here the word refers to one’s entire person. Conclusion: There seems to be only a small difference between lebab and nepes . While lebab refers to a person’s inner self, however, nepes seems to refer to the whole person including their lebab , but focusing on their body. In the context, it would seem to suggest the stewardship of what they do with their life in both time and space. 3. me-od DBL - 1 very , so, greatly, utterly, i.e., pertaining to a high point on a scale of extent (Ge 1:31); 2. unit: very greatly, i.e., pertaining to a very high point, even up to a completive degree on a scale of extent (Ge 7:19; 17:2, 6, 20; 30:43; Ex 1:7; Nu 14:7; 1Ki 7:47; 2Ki 10:4; Eze 9:9; 16:13; 37:10+) strength , power, i.e., the exerting of force in a situation (Dt 6:5; 2Ki 23:25+) McConville – a person’s full capacities, perhaps including natural abilities and even resources. Block – carries the broader sense of “resources”, which would include not only physical strength, but also economic or social strength, and even the physical resources one owns: house, fields, livestock, family and servants. Conclusion – me-od as a noun would literally be “very-ness”. In the context it seems to make sense of Block’s hypothesis of moving from the innermost part of oneself to their resources. Literally it would be “love the Lord your God with your affections, your being and your resources. 2. What is meant by "these words that I command you today shall be on your heart "? Are there other places where this phrase is used? Is there a connection to Jeremiah 31?) In light of the previous discussion about the meaning of lebab , this phrase is not at all mysterious. It seems most naturally that he is saying "these words shall be on your mind". That is, "you should think about these things all the time - when you walk, when you sit, when you lay down, when you rise up - these words should be your predominant thought." It is not like the circumcision of the heart in Deuteronomy 10:16 and 30:6, which would cause no small consternation for a devout Jew. For this reason, I do not think that we should draw too quick a relation to Jeremiah 31 (also: Ps. 37:31; 2 Cor. 3:3), where the Lord says "I will write my law on their hearts". It is two different metaphors. Deuteronomy 6 is saying, "think about it". Jeremiah 31 is saying, "there will be no need for the law written in stone, because it will be written on their hearts. Their conscience will be their law." Block says it slightly differently: "unreseved love for Yahweh must be indelibly written on one's heart/mind (v. 6) that is, be internalized, integrated, and ikncorporated in one's very being." He reminds us that "Israelite faith and religion were to be internal matters of the heart..." 3. Are these to be taken literally? Again, in light of the previous discussion it would not appear so. If Block is correct that the Israelite faith is to be internal and not external, it seems that perhaps Moses might be speaking metaphorically. Nevertheless, many of the truths of the Israelite religion were portrayed in actual physical symbols - for example, the tempel and its furnishings. Block gives four reasons why these instructions were to be taken literally. The writing on the doorposts in verse 9 were meant to be taken literally (as he argues), thus the burden of proof is to show why the symbols in verse 8 are not to be taken literally. Archeaological evidence from Egypt and Mesopotamia Archeological evidence from 7th centuray BC Archeological evidence from late Second Temple Period. Arguments 2-4 can be discounted because they reflect only the practice of the command, not the intent. Argument 1 is weak because it is based only on the conjecture that verse 9 is also to be taken literally. Conclusion: The evidence is inconclusive that this was meant to be taken literally or figurativley. However, I am drawn to the argument that it was meant to be taken figuratively because the commands were meant to illustrate the meaning of having these words on their hearts, which is clearly not literal. notes

Arc

2010-03-14 19:28:22

2010-03-28 21:42:13

editing

Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy 6:4-9

OT

wlc

esv

שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל

"Hear, O Israel:

יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ יְהוָה אֶחָד׃

The LORD our God, the LORD is one.

ideaexplanation

וְאָהַבְתָּ אֵת יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ בְּכָל־לְבָבְךָ וּבְכָל־נַפְשְׁךָ וּבְכָל־מְאֹדֶךָ׃

You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul (being) and with all your might ("very-ness"; wealth, possessions) .

inference

וְהָיוּ הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוְּךָ הַיֹּום עַל־לְבָבֶךָ׃

And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart .

וְשִׁנַּנְתָּם לְבָנֶיךָ

You shall teach them diligently to your children,

וְדִבַּרְתָּ בָּם

and shall talk of them

בְּשִׁבְתְּךָ בְּבֵיתֶךָ

when you sit in your house,

וּבְלֶכְתְּךָ בַדֶּרֶךְ

and when you walk by the way,

וּבְשָׁכְבְּךָ

and when you lie down,

וּבְקוּמֶךָ׃

and when you rise.

temporal

actionmanner

וּקְשַׁרְתָּם לְאֹות עַל־יָדֶךָ

You shall bind them as a sign on your hand,

וְהָיוּ לְטֹטָפֹת בֵּין עֵינֶיךָ׃

and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.

series

וּכְתַבְתָּם עַל־מְזוּזֹת בֵּיתֶךָ וּבִשְׁעָרֶיךָ׃ ס

You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

discourse

10000000029540 29540 Arc 2010-03-14 19:28:22 2010-03-28 21:42:13 editing Deuteronomy 6 4 6 9 Deuteronomy 6:4-9 5 OT wlc esv i17972 i17973 i17974 i17959 שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל "Hear, O Israel: i17960 יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ יְהוָה אֶחָד׃ The LORD our God, the LORD is one. ideaexplanation 1 i17961 וְאָהַבְתָּ אֵת יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ בְּכָל־לְבָבְךָ וּבְכָל־נַפְשְׁךָ וּבְכָל־מְאֹדֶךָ׃ You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul (being) and with all your might ("very-ness"; wealth, possessions) . inference 2 i17975 i17976 i17962 וְהָיוּ הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוְּךָ הַיֹּום עַל־לְבָבֶךָ׃ And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart . i17977 i17963 וְשִׁנַּנְתָּם לְבָנֶיךָ You shall teach them diligently to your children, i17978 i17964 וְדִבַּרְתָּ בָּם and shall talk of them i17979 i17965 בְּשִׁבְתְּךָ בְּבֵיתֶךָ when you sit in your house, i17966 וּבְלֶכְתְּךָ בַדֶּרֶךְ and when you walk by the way, i17967 וּבְשָׁכְבְּךָ and when you lie down, i17968 וּבְקוּמֶךָ׃ and when you rise. temporal 1 actionmanner 1 actionmanner 1 i17980 i17969 וּקְשַׁרְתָּם לְאֹות עַל־יָדֶךָ You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, i17970 וְהָיוּ לְטֹטָפֹת בֵּין עֵינֶיךָ׃ and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. series i17971 וּכְתַבְתָּם עַל־מְזוּזֹת בֵּיתֶךָ וּבִשְׁעָרֶיךָ׃ ס You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. series 1 1 1 wlc 25 esv 25 a 50 discourse