Texts in Conversation
In Job, God speaks from a whirlwind, using the image of a storm deity who commands wind and thunder. Zechariah also shows God appearing in a storm and directing the wind, following an ancient Near Eastern tradition that describes storm gods.
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Job 38:1
Hebrew Bible
1 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind: 2 “Who is this who darkens counsel with words without knowledge? 3 Get ready for a difficult task like a man; I will question you, and you will inform me. 4 “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you possess understanding. 5 Who set its measurements—if you know—or who stretched a measuring line across it?
Date: 5th Century B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Zechariah 9:14
Hebrew Bible
13 I will bend Judah as my bow; I will load the bow with Ephraim, my arrow. I will stir up your sons, Zion, against your sons, Greece, and I will make you, Zion, like a warrior’s sword. 14 Then the Lord will appear above them, and his arrow will shoot forth like lightning; the Sovereign Lord will blow the trumpet and will proceed in the southern storm winds. 15 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies will guard them, and they will prevail and overcome with sling stones. Then they will drink and will become noisy like drunkards, full like the sacrificial basin or like the corners of the altar.
Date: 5th Century B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... Divine responsibility for the four winds is an almost universal history-of-religions concept. Within the Jewish tradition, the opening verses of the book of Jonah offer an example. The Lord sends a wind (the noun is likewise anarthrous) that threatens the ship with Jonah on board ... (The notion of gods or goddesses traveling or appearing on the wind has a rich history-of-religions background. Biblical examples include Ezekiel 1; 2 Kings 2:1; Job 38:1; 40:6; Psalm 83:15; Jeremiah 23:19; Zechariah 9:14 ...) ..."
Rothschild, Clare K.
"Embryology, Plant Biology, and Divine Generation in the Fourth Gospel" in Ahearne-Kroll, Stephen P., et al. (eds.) Women and Gender in Ancient Religions: Interdisciplinary Approaches
(pp. 125-151) Mohr Siebeck, 2010
* 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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