Texts in Conversation
Ezekiel 20:44 portrays forgiveness granted not on the basis of human merit but for the sake of God's reputation, showing how honor and shame culture perceived the motivation for redemption. Psalm 79 echoes this idea by petitioning God to deliver the people and forgive their sins to preserve his reputation.
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Psalm 79:9
Hebrew Bible
7 For they have devoured Jacob and destroyed his home. 8 Do not hold us accountable for the sins of earlier generations. Quickly send your compassion our way, for we are in serious trouble. 9 Help us, O God, our deliverer! For the sake of your glorious reputation, rescue us. Forgive our sins for the sake of your reputation. 10 Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” Before our very eyes may the shed blood of your servants be avenged among the nations. 11 Listen to the painful cries of the prisoners. Use your great strength to set free those condemned to die.
Date: 6th-3rd Centuries B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Ezekiel 20:44
Hebrew Bible
42 Then you will know that I am the Lord when I bring you to the land of Israel, to the land I swore to give to your fathers. 43 And there you will remember your conduct and all your deeds by which you defiled yourselves. You will despise yourselves because of all the evil deeds you have done. 44 Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I deal with you for the sake of my reputation and not according to your wicked conduct and corrupt deeds, O house of Israel, declares the Sovereign Lord.’” 45 (21:1) The Lord’s message came to me: 46 “Son of man, turn toward the south, and speak out against the south. Prophesy against the open scrub land of the Negev,
Date: 6th Century B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... Within the Psalter, numerous psalms reuse Exodus 34:6-7. For example, in Psalm 78, the psalmist recalls Israel’s rebellion in the wilderness and God’s merciful response: “Yet he, being compassionate, forgave their iniquity and did not destroy them; he often restrained his anger and did not stir up all his wrath. He remembered that they were flesh, a wind that passes and does not come again” (Psalm 78:38-39). In addition to emphasizing God’s mercy over his judgment, the psalmist also explains God’s mercy as a response to ephemeral human nature. In a world governed by strict justice, humans, who are by nature incapable of avoiding sin (Genesis 8:21; 1 Kings 8:46; compare 2 Chronicles 6:36; Ezekiel 20:44; Psalms 51:3; Ecclesiastes 7:20; Job 15:14), would quickly cease to exist (Psalms 130:3). The motif of divine mercy in response to human nature recurs in Psalm 103, which contrasts the impermanence of humanity (Psalms 103:14-16) with God’s eternally merciful nature ..."
Kapfer, Hilary Claire
Collective Accountability among the Sages of Ancient Israel
(pp. 205-206) Harvard University, 2013
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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