Timeline

The Two Yetzers

The concept of the two inclinations, the “yetzer ha-tov” (the good inclination) and the “yetzer ha-ra” (the evil inclination), is most fully developed in Rabbinic theology, where it plays a central role in understanding the internal moral struggle. These ideas also appear in earlier Jewish literature from the intertestamental period, such as the Dead Sea Scrolls and Sirach, and are also referred to in the New Testament, where similar internal tensions are discussed.

Timeline

Genesis 2:7 / Pseudo Jonathan Genesis 2:7 / Genesis Rabbah 14:4
1. 750–400 BCE
  
  Genesis 2:7
  
  Hebrew Bible
  
  6 Springs would well up from the earth and water the whole surface of the ground. 7 The Lord God formed the man from the soil of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. 8 The Lord God planted an orchard in the east, in Eden; and there he placed the man he had formed.
2. 300–1200 CE
  
  Pseudo Jonathan Genesis 2:7
  
  Targum
  
  6 But a cloud of glory came down from beneath the throne of glory, and was filled with water from the ocean, went up again from the earth, and sent rain down and watered the whole surface of the ground. 7 The Lord God created Adam with two inclinations. And He took dust from the site of the sanctuary and from the four winds of the world, and a mixture of all the waters of the world, and created him red, black, and white. And He breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the breath became in the body of Adam a spirit capable of speech, to give light to the eyes and to give hearing to the ears. 8 Before the creation of the world, a garden had been planted by the Memra of the Lord God from Eden for the righteous, and He made Adam dwell there when He created him.
3. 500 CE
  
  Genesis Rabbah 14:4
  
  Rabbinic
  
  “Formed” [Vayitzer] – there were two acts of formation [involved in the creation of man], a formation from the lower realms and a formation from the upper realms. Rabbi Yehoshua bar Neḥemya in the name of Rabbi Ḥanina bar Yitzḥak and the Rabbis in the name of Rabbi Eliezer: He created in him four creations from the upper realms and four from the lower realms. He [man] eats and drinks like an animal, procreates like an animal, defecates like an animal, and dies like an animal. From the upper realms: He stands upright, speaks, understands, and sees like ministering angels. But does an animal not [also] see? This is bewildering. The difference is that this one [a human] has peripheral vision. Rabbi Tafduyei said in the name of Rabbi Aḥa: The supernal beings were created in the [divine] image and likeness, but do not procreate, while the earthly beings [that have been created up to now] procreate, but were not created in the [divine] image and likeness. The Holy One blessed be He said: ‘I will create him [Adam] in the [divine] image and likeness, [a trait] from the supernal realm, but he will procreate, [a trait] from the earthly realm.’ Rabbi Tafduyei said in the name of Rabbi Aḥa: The Holy One blessed be He said: ‘If I create him from the supernal realm, he will live and never die; if from the earthly realm, he will die and will not live. Rather, I will create him from [both] these [the supernal] and those [the earthly]. If he sins, he will die; if he does not, he will live.’ “Formed" [Vayitzer] – [alluding to man’s] two inclinations [yetzarim], the good inclination and the evil inclination. Were an animal to have two inclinations, when it would see a person with a knife in his hand ready to slaughter it, it would die of fright. But does man not have two inclinations [and nevertheless does not die of fright]? Rabbi Ḥanina bar Ida said: “He forms [yotzer] the spirit of man within him” (Zechariah 12:1) – this teaches that a person’s soul is bound up [tzerura] within him. Were it not so, whenever he would experience anguish, he would shed it [his soul] and cast it off from himself.
Genesis 4:7 / Neofiti Genesis 4:7
1. 750–400 BCE
  
  Genesis 4:7
  
  Hebrew Bible
  
  6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why is your expression downcast? 7 Is it not true that if you do what is right, you will be fine? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at the door. It desires to dominate you, but you must subdue it.” 8 Cain spoke to his brother Abel.²¹ While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.
2. 300–600 CE
  
  Neofiti Genesis 4:7
  
  Targum
  
  6 And the Lord said to Cain, “Why now are you angry, and why now has the look of your face changed? 7 Is it not so that if you do your deeds well in this world, you will be loosed and forgiven in the world to come? But if you do not do your deeds well in this world, your sin is kept for the day of the great judgment, and at the door of your heart your sin lies crouching. And into your hand I have given power over the evil inclination, and you shall rule over it, whether for innocence or for sin.” 8 And Cain said to Abel his brother, “Come, let the two of us go out to the face of the field.” And when the two of them had gone out to the face of the field, Cain spoke up and said to Abel, “I see that the world was not created with mercy, and it is not governed by the fruit of good deeds, and there is favoritism in judgment. Otherwise why was your offering accepted with favor, and my offering was not accepted from me with favor?” Abel spoke up and said to Cain, “I see that the world was created with mercy, and it is governed by the fruit of good deeds. And because my good deeds were better than yours, my offering was accepted from me with favor, and your offering was not accepted from you with favor.” Cain spoke up and said to Abel, “There is no judgment, and there is no judge, and there is no other world. There is no good reward given to the righteous, and no punishment taken from the wicked.” Abel spoke up and said to Cain, “There is judgment, and there is a judge, and there is another world. There is good reward given to the righteous, and punishment taken from the wicked in the world to come.” And over this matter the two of them were quarreling on the face of the field. And Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.
Sirach 15:14 / Genesis Rabbah 9:7
1. 195–180 BCE
  
  Sirach 15:14
  
  Deuterocanon
  
  11 Don’t say, “It is through the Lord that I fell away;” for you shall not do the things that he hates. 12 Don’t say, “It is he that caused me to err;” for he has no need of a sinful man. 13 The Lord hates every abomination; and those who fear him don’t love them. 14 He himself made man from the beginning and left him in the hand of his own counsel. 15 If you choose, you can keep the commandments. To be faithful is a matter of your choice. 16 He has set fire and water before you. You will stretch forth your hand to whichever you desire.
2. 500 CE
  
  Genesis Rabbah 9:7
  
  Rabbinic
  
  Rabbi Naḥman bar Shmuel bar Naḥman said in the name of Rav Shmuel bar Naḥman: “Behold it was very good” – this is the good inclination; “and behold it was very good” – this is the evil inclination. Is the evil inclination, then, very good? This is a rhetorical question. Rather, were it not for the evil inclination, a man would never build a house, would never marry a wife, would never beget children, and would never engage in commerce. Likewise, Solomon says: “[And I have considered all toil and all excelling in work,] that it is each man’s envy of his counterpart” (Ecclesiastes 4:4).
Testament of Asher 1:3 / Didache 1:1
1. 100 BCE – 100 CE
  
  Testament of Asher 1:3
  
  Pseudepigrapha, Testaments
  
  3 God has given two ways to humanity, two inclinations, two kinds of action, two ways of acting, and two outcomes. 4 So all things come in pairs, one set against the other. 5 For there are two ways, of good and of evil, and with them are the two inclinations within us that tell them apart. 6 So if the soul takes pleasure in the good inclination, all its actions are righteous, and if it sins, it repents at once. 7 For with its thoughts set on righteousness and casting away wickedness, it immediately overthrows the evil and uproots the sin. 8 But if it leans toward the evil inclination, all its actions are wicked; it drives away the good, clings to the evil, and is ruled by Beliar. Even when it does something good, Beliar twists it into evil. 9 For whenever it begins to do good, Beliar forces the outcome of the action into evil for him, since the storehouse of his inclination is filled with an evil spirit.
2. 90–120 CE
  
  Didache 1:1
  
  Early Christian
  
  1 There are two Ways: one of Life and one of Death, and there is a significant difference between the two Ways. 2 The way of life is as follows: First, you should love the God who created you; secondly, love your neighbor as yourself. Treat others as you would want to be treated. 3 Now, the teaching behind these words is this: Bless those who curse you, pray for your enemies, and fast for those who persecute you. What credit is it to you if you love only those who love you back? Don't even the non-believers do the same? Instead, love those who hate you, and you will have no enemies.
Galatians 5:9 / Berakhot 17a
1. 48–55 CE
  
  Galatians 5:9
  
  New Testament
  
  5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we wait expectantly for the hope of righteousness. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision carries any weight—the only thing that matters is faith working through love. 7 You were running well; who prevented you from obeying the truth? 8 This persuasion does not come from the one who calls you! 9 A little yeast makes the whole batch of dough rise! 10 I am confident in the Lord that you will accept no other view. But the one who is confusing you will pay the penalty, whoever he may be. 11 Now, brothers and sisters, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed.
2. 450–550 CE
  
  Berakhot 17a
  
  Rabbinic
  
  After his prayer, Rabbi Alexandri said the following: May it be Your will, Lord our God, that You station us in a lighted corner and not in a darkened corner, and do not let our hearts become faint nor our eyes dim. Some say that this was the prayer that Rav Hamnuna would recite, and that after Rabbi Alexandri prayed, he would say the following: Master of the Universe, it is revealed and known before You that our will is to perform Your will, and what prevents us? On the one hand, the yeast in the dough, the evil inclination that is within every person; and the subjugation to the kingdoms on the other. May it be Your will that You will deliver us from their hands, of both the evil inclination and the foreign kingdoms, so that we may return to perform the edicts of Your will with a perfect heart.
Romans 7:1 / Shabbat 30a
1. 55–58 CE
  
  Romans 7:1
  
  New Testament
  
  1 Or do you not know, brothers and sisters (for I am speaking to those who know the law), that the law is lord over a person as long as he lives? 2 For a married woman is bound by law to her husband as long as he lives, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law of the marriage. 3 So then, if she is joined to another man while her husband is alive, she will be called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she is joined to another man, she is not an adulteress. 4 So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you could be joined to another, to the one who was raised from the dead, to bear fruit to God. 5 For when we were in the flesh, the sinful desires, aroused by the law, were active in the members of our body to bear fruit for death. 6 But now we have been released from the law, because we have died to what controlled us, so that we may serve in the new life of the Spirit and not under the old written code.
2. 450–550 CE
  
  Shabbat 30a
  
  Rabbinic
  
  The Gemara relates: This question was asked before Rabbi Tanḥum from the village of Nevi: What is the ruling with regard to extinguishing a burning lamp before a sick person on Shabbat? The Gemara relates that Rabbi Tanḥum delivered an entire homily touching upon both aggadic and halakhic materials surrounding this question. He began and said: You, King Solomon, where is your wisdom, where is your understanding? Not only do your statements contradict the statements of your father David, but your statements even contradict each other. Your father David said: “The dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down into silence” (Psalms 115:17); and you said: “And I praised the dead that are already dead more than the living that are yet alive” (Ecclesiastes 4:2). And then again you said: “For a living dog is better than a dead lion” (Ecclesiastes 9:4). These are different assessments of life and death. He resolved the contradictions in the following manner: This is not difficult. That which David said: “The dead praise not the Lord,” this is what he is saying: A person should always engage in Torah and mitzvot before he dies, as once he is dead he is idle from Torah and mitzvot and there is no praise for the Holy One, Blessed be He, from him. And that is what Rabbi Yoḥanan said: What is the meaning of that which is written: “Set free among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, whom You remember no more” (Psalms 88:6)? When a person dies he then becomes free of Torah and mitzvot.
Romans 7:5 / Genesis Rabbah 9:7
1. 55–58 CE
  
  Romans 7:5
  
  New Testament
  
  1 Or do you not know, brothers and sisters (for I am speaking to those who know the law), that the law is lord over a person as long as he lives? 2 For a married woman is bound by law to her husband as long as he lives, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law of the marriage. 3 So then, if she is joined to another man while her husband is alive, she will be called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she is joined to another man, she is not an adulteress. 4 So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you could be joined to another, to the one who was raised from the dead, to bear fruit to God. 5 For when we were in the flesh, the sinful desires, aroused by the law, were active in the members of our body to bear fruit for death. 6 But now we have been released from the law, because we have died to what controlled us, so that we may serve in the new life of the Spirit and not under the old written code.
2. 500 CE
  
  Genesis Rabbah 9:7
  
  Rabbinic
  
  Rabbi Naḥman bar Shmuel bar Naḥman said in the name of Rav Shmuel bar Naḥman: “Behold it was very good” – this is the good inclination; “and behold it was very good” – this is the evil inclination. Is the evil inclination, then, very good? This is a rhetorical question. Rather, were it not for the evil inclination, a man would never build a house, would never marry a wife, would never beget children, and would never engage in commerce. Likewise, Solomon says: “[And I have considered all toil and all excelling in work,] that it is each man’s envy of his counterpart” (Ecclesiastes 4:4).
Romans 7:5 / Ruth Rabbah 3:1
1. 55–58 CE
  
  Romans 7:5
  
  New Testament
  
  4 So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you could be joined to another, to the one who was raised from the dead, to bear fruit to God. 5 For when we were in the flesh, the sinful desires, aroused by the law, were active in the members of our body to bear fruit for death. 6 But now we have been released from the law, because we have died to what controlled us, so that we may serve in the new life of the Spirit and not under the old written code. 7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Absolutely not! Certainly, I would not have known sin except through the law. For indeed I would not have known what it means to desire something belonging to someone else if the law had not said, “Do not covet.” 8 But sin, seizing the opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of wrong desires. For apart from the law, sin is dead.
2. 700–950 CE
  
  Ruth Rabbah 3:1
  
  Rabbinic
  
  “Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried; so may the Lord do to me, and so may He continue, as death will separate between you and me” (Ruth 1:17). That is what the verse said: “Small and great are there; and a servant is free from his master” (Job 3:19) – Rabbi Simon said: This is one of four verses that are similar to one another. “Small and great are there” – in this world, one who is small can become great, and one who is great can become small. But in the future, one who is small cannot become great and one who is great cannot become small. “And a servant is free of his master” – that is, he does the will of his Maker [yotzero], angers his [evil] inclination [yitzro]; when he dies, he goes free, as it is stated: “And a servant is free of his master.”
Romans 7:7 / Jerusalem Yoma 6.4
1. 55–58 CE
  
  Romans 7:7
  
  New Testament
  
  5 For when we were in the flesh, the sinful desires, aroused by the law, were active in the members of our body to bear fruit for death. 6 But now we have been released from the law, because we have died to what controlled us, so that we may serve in the new life of the Spirit and not under the old written code. 7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Absolutely not! Certainly, I would not have known sin except through the law. For indeed I would not have known what it means to desire something belonging to someone else if the law had not said, “Do not covet.” 8 But sin, seizing the opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of wrong desires. For apart from the law, sin is dead. 9 And I was once alive apart from the law, but with the coming of the commandment, sin became alive 10 and I died. So I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life brought death! 11 For sin, seizing the opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it I died.
2. 375–425 CE
  
  Jerusalem Yoma 6.4
  
  Rabbinic
  
  “At each hut one tells him, here is food, here is water.” In order to strengthen him. Why? For the evil inclination desires only what is forbidden to him. As the following: Rebbi Mana went to visit Rebbi Haggai who was weak On the Day of Atonement. He told him, I am thirsty; he answered him, drink. R. Haggai was very old at this moment, having been a student of R. Zeˋira, the teacher of R. Jeremiah, the teacher of R. Jonah, father and teacher of R. Mana. He left him and went away. After an hour he visited him and asked him, how is your thirst? He told him, the moment you permitted me it went away. Rebbi Ḥiyya bar Abba told the following case: A man was walking in public On the Day of Atonement. with his daughter. His daughter said to him, my father, I am thirsty. He said to her, wait a little bit. She said to him, my father, I am thirsty. He said to her, wait a little bit, and she died. When Rebbi Aḥa finished the musaf prayer88On the Day of Atonement. he said before them His congregants., our brothers, he who has small children should leave because of them91To feed them and give them to drink. Since little children are not required to fast, permitting them to drink would not quell their thirst; they actually have to be given to drink.
Romans 7:8 / Yoma 72b
1. 55–58 CE
  
  Romans 7:8
  
  New Testament
  
  7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Absolutely not! Certainly, I would not have known sin except through the law. For indeed I would not have known what it means to desire something belonging to someone else if the law had not said, “Do not covet.” 8 But sin, seizing the opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of wrong desires. For apart from the law, sin is dead. 9 And I was once alive apart from the law, but with the coming of the commandment, sin became alive 10 and I died. So I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life brought death! 11 For sin, seizing the opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it I died. 12 So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous, and good.
2. 450–550 CE
  
  Yoma 72b
  
  Rabbinic
  
  Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: What is the meaning of that which is written: “And this is the Torah which Moses put [sam] before the children of Israel” (Deuteronomy 4:44)? The word sam is written with the letter sin and means put; it is phonetically similar to the word sam written with the letter samekh, meaning a drug. This use of this word therefore alludes to the following: If one is deserving, the Torah becomes a potion [sam] of life for him. If one is not deserving, the Torah becomes a potion of death for him. And this idea is what Rava said: For one who is skillful in his study of Torah and immerses himself in it with love, it is a potion of life; but for one who is not skillful in his studies, it is a potion of death.
Romans 7:10 / Exodus Rabbah 5:9
1. 55–58 CE
  
  Romans 7:10
  
  New Testament
  
  7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Absolutely not! Certainly, I would not have known sin except through the law. For indeed I would not have known what it means to desire something belonging to someone else if the law had not said, “Do not covet.” 8 But sin, seizing the opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of wrong desires. For apart from the law, sin is dead. 9 And I was once alive apart from the law, but with the coming of the commandment, sin became alive 10 and I died. So I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life brought death! 11 For sin, seizing the opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it I died. 12 So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous, and good.
2. 1200 CE
  
  Exodus Rabbah 5:9
  
  Rabbinic
  
  When the Holy One blessed be He gave the Torah at Sinai, He displayed His voice to Israel with miracles and wonders. How so? The Holy One blessed be He would speak, and the voice emerged and circulated throughout the world. Israel heard the voice coming to them from the south and were running to the south to greet the voice. From the south it shifted for them to the north, and they were running to the north. From the north it shifted to the east, and they were running to the east. From the east it shifted for them to the west, and they were running to the west. From the west it shifted for them to the heavens, and they were raising their eyes. It shifted to the earth, and they were looking at the earth, as it is stated: “From the heavens, He sounded His voice to you to admonish you [and on the earth He showed you His great fire]” (Deuteronomy 4:36). Israel were saying to each other: “But wisdom, where shall it be found?” (Job 28:12). Israel was saying: ‘From where does the Holy One blessed be He come, from the east or from the south?’ As it is stated: “The Lord came from Sinai and shone to them from Seir” (Deuteronomy 33:2), and it is written: “God came from the south” (Habakkuk 3:3), and it says: “All the people were seeing the voices” (Exodus 20:15). Voice is not written here, but “voices.” Rabbi Yoḥanan said: The voice would emerge and divide into seventy voices for seventy languages, so that all the nations could understand. Each and every nation would hear a voice in the language of that nation, and their souls departed. But Israel heard and they were not harmed. How would the voice emerge? Rabbi Tanḥuma said: It would emerge in two forms: It would kill the idolaters, who did not accept it, and would give life to Israel, who accepted the Torah.
Romans 7:11 / Chagigah 16a
1. 55–58 CE
  
  Romans 7:11
  
  New Testament
  
  7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Absolutely not! Certainly, I would not have known sin except through the law. For indeed I would not have known what it means to desire something belonging to someone else if the law had not said, “Do not covet.” 8 But sin, seizing the opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of wrong desires. For apart from the law, sin is dead. 9 And I was once alive apart from the law, but with the coming of the commandment, sin became alive 10 and I died. So I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life brought death! 11 For sin, seizing the opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it I died. 12 So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous, and good.
2. 450–550 CE
  
  Chagigah 16a
  
  Rabbinic
  
  Apropos this Sage, the Gemara cites another statement of his: Rabbi Yehuda, son of Rabbi Naḥmani, the disseminator of Reish Lakish, interpreted a verse homiletically: What is the meaning of that which is written: “Trust not in a companion, do not put your confidence in an intimate friend” (Micah 7:5)? If the evil inclination says to you: Sin, and the Holy One, Blessed be He, will forgive, do not trust it, since it is stated: “Trust not in a companion [rei’a].” And rei’a is referring to none other than the evil [ra] inclination, as it is stated: “For the inclination of the heart of man is evil [ra]” (Genesis 8:21).
1 Corinthians 5:6 / Berakhot 17a
1. 55–57 CE
  
  1 Corinthians 5:6
  
  New Testament
  
  1 It is actually reported that sexual immorality exists among you, the kind of immorality that is not permitted even among the Gentiles, so that someone is cohabiting with his father’s wife. 2 And you are proud! Shouldn’t you have been deeply sorrowful instead and removed the one who did this from among you? 3 For even though I am absent physically, I am present in spirit. And I have already judged the one who did this, just as though I were present. 4 When you gather together in the name of our Lord Jesus, and I am with you in spirit, along with the power of our Lord Jesus, 5 hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord. 6 Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast affects the whole batch of dough? 7 Clean out the old yeast so that you may be a new batch of dough—you are, in fact, without yeast. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8 So then, let us celebrate the festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of vice and evil, but with the bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth.
2. 450–550 CE
  
  Berakhot 17a
  
  Rabbinic
  
  After his prayer, Rabbi Alexandri said the following: May it be Your will, Lord our God, that You station us in a lighted corner and not in a darkened corner, and do not let our hearts become faint nor our eyes dim. Some say that this was the prayer that Rav Hamnuna would recite, and that after Rabbi Alexandri prayed, he would say the following: Master of the Universe, it is revealed and known before You that our will is to perform Your will, and what prevents us? On the one hand, the yeast in the dough, the evil inclination that is within every person; and the subjugation to the kingdoms on the other. May it be Your will that You will deliver us from their hands, of both the evil inclination and the foreign kingdoms, so that we may return to perform the edicts of Your will with a perfect heart.
Matthew 6:13 / Berakhot 60b
1. 70–90 CE
  
  Matthew 6:13
  
  New Testament
  
  9 So pray this way: “Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored, 10 may your kingdom come, may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread, 12 and forgive us our debts, as we ourselves have forgiven our debtors. 13 And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. 14 “For if you forgive others their sins, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive you your sins.
2. 450–550 CE
  
  Berakhot 60b
  
  Rabbinic
  
  The Gemara proceeds to cite additional blessings recited as part of one’s daily routine. One who enters to sleep on his bed recites Shema in his bed from Shema Yisrael to VeHaya Im Shamoa. Then he recites: Blessed…Who makes the bands of sleep fall upon my eyes and slumber upon my eyelids, and illuminates the pupil of the eye. May it be Your will, O Lord my God, that You make me lie down in peace and give me my portion in Your Torah, accustom me to mitzvot and do not accustom me to transgression, lead me not into error, nor into iniquity, nor into temptation nor into disgrace. May the good inclination have dominion over me and may the evil inclination not have dominion over me. Save me from an evil mishap and evil diseases. Let neither bad dreams nor troubling thoughts disturb me. May my bed be flawless before You, that my progeny should not be flawed. Enlighten my eyes in the morning lest I sleep the sleep of death, never to awaken. Blessed are You, O Lord, Who gives light to the whole world in His glory.
Matthew 6:13 / Siddur Ashkenaz
1. 70–90 CE
  
  Matthew 6:13
  
  New Testament
  
  9 So pray this way: “Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored, 10 may your kingdom come, may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread, 12 and forgive us our debts, as we ourselves have forgiven our debtors. 13 And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. 14 “For if you forgive others their sins, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive you your sins.
2. 1050–1100 CE
  
  Siddur Ashkenaz
  
  Rabbinic
  
  Blessed are You, Adonoy our God, King of the Universe, Who removes sleep from my eyes and slumber from my eyelids. And may it be Your will Adonoy, our God And God of our fathers, to make us study Torah regularly, and hold fast to Your commandments. Do not bring us into the grasp of sin, nor into the grasp of transgression or iniquity. Do not cause us to be tested, or brought to disgrace. Let us not be ruled over by the Evil Inclination. Keep us far from an evil person, and from an evil companion. Make us hold fast to the Good Inclination, and to good deeds, and compel our Evil Inclination to be subservient to You. Grant us this day and every day favor, kindness, and compassion9 in Your eyes and in the eyes of all who see us, and bestow bountiful kindness upon us, Blessed are You, Adonoy, Who bestows bountiful kindness upon His people Israel.
James 1:14 / Genesis Rabbah 22
1. 80–90 CE
  
  James 1:14
  
  New Testament
  
  12 Happy is the one who endures testing because when he has proven to be genuine, he will receive the crown of life that God promised to those who love him. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14 But each one is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desires. 15 Then when desire conceives, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is full grown, it gives birth to death. 16 Do not be led astray, my dear brothers and sisters. 17 All generous giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or the slightest hint of change. 18 By his sovereign plan he gave us birth through the message of truth, that we would be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.
2. 500 CE
  
  Genesis Rabbah 22
  
  Rabbinic
  
  to bear [vehisiu] the iniquity of guilt” (Leviticus 22:16). Another matter, “if you do good,” I will forgive you all your sins, but if not, the sin of that man will be overflowing. Rabbi Berekhya said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Ami: “A contemplation by David. Happy is he whose crime is forgiven [nesui], whose sin is pardoned” (Psalms 32:1). Happy is the man who stands above his transgression and his transgression does not stand above him, as it is stated: “Sin [ḥatat] crouches [rovetz] at the entrance.” Ḥatat rovetzet is not written here, but rather, ḥatat rovetz. Initially, it is weak like a female, but then it becomes strong like a male. Rabbi Akiva said: Initially it is similar to a spider web, but ultimately, it is like a ship’s rope. That is what is written: “Woe to those who pull iniquity with cords of pointlessness, and sin like the rope of a wagon” (Isaiah 5:18). Rabbi Yitzḥak said: Initially it has the status of a guest, but ultimately, it becomes the master of the house. That is what is written [in the prophet’s rebuke of David for succumbing to temptation]: “He was loath to take from his flock or his cattle to prepare for the guest who had come to him” (II Samuel 12:4) – this is the guest; “and he took the ewe of the poor man and prepared it for the man who had come to him” (II Samuel 12:4) – this is the master of the house. Rabbi Tanḥum bar Meryon said: There are dogs in Rome who know how to work at sustaining themselves. They go and sit before the bakery
James 1:14 / Sukkah 52b
1. 80–90 CE
  
  James 1:14
  
  New Testament
  
  13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14 But each one is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desires. 15 Then when desire conceives, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is full grown, it gives birth to death. 16 Do not be led astray, my dear brothers and sisters. 17 All generous giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or the slightest hint of change. 18 By his sovereign plan he gave us birth through the message of truth, that we would be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.
2. 450–550 CE
  
  Sukkah 52b
  
  Rabbinic
  
  Rava said: Initially, the verse called the evil inclination a traveler coming from afar. Subsequently, the verse calls it a guest, as one welcomes it. Ultimately, the verse calls it man, indicating significance, as it became the homeowner. As it is stated in the parable of the poor man’s lamb that Nathan the prophet said to David: “And there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was reluctant to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to prepare for the guest” (II Samuel 12:4). And it is written in the same verse: “And he took the poor man’s lamb, and prepared it for the man that was come to him.” In other words, the evil inclination that began as a traveler gradually rose in prominence.
John 8:34 / Sukkah 52b
1. 90–110 CE
  
  John 8:34
  
  New Testament
  
  33 “We are descendants of Abraham,” they replied, “and have never been anyone’s slaves! How can you say, ‘You will become free’?” 34 Jesus answered them, “I tell you the solemn truth, everyone who practices sin is a slave of sin. 35 The slave does not remain in the family forever, but the son remains forever. 36 So if the son sets you free, you will be really free.
2. 450–550 CE
  
  Sukkah 52b
  
  Rabbinic
  
  Rava said: Initially, the verse called the evil inclination a traveler coming from afar. Subsequently, the verse calls it a guest, as one welcomes it. Ultimately, the verse calls it man, indicating significance, as it became the homeowner. As it is stated in the parable of the poor man’s lamb that Nathan the prophet said to David: “And there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was reluctant to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to prepare for the guest” (II Samuel 12:4). And it is written in the same verse: “And he took the poor man’s lamb, and prepared it for the man that was come to him.” In other words, the evil inclination that began as a traveler gradually rose in prominence.