Why Genesis 16:11-12 Changed: Our Error
I noticed something very interesting in my last post. In Genesis 16:11, the mode of God speaking to Hagar told her she would conceive and bear a son. Would conceive. When He spoke to her, she was fleeing Sarai because she HAD conceived in verse 3. Had conceived. My interesting note was that her conception was in Abram's IMAGINATION. YHWH said it was going to come to pass. I noted in my post:
My copy of the Stone Tanach says,
“And an angel of Hashem said to her, ‘Behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son; you shall name him Ishmael, for Hashem has heard your prayer. And he will be a wild ass of a man; his hand against everyone, and everyone's hand upon him, and over all his brothers shall he dwell.’”
Interestingly, to Abram Hagar had conceived back in verse 3; yet in verse 11 God, “the Name of Hashem” — the mode? — who spoke with her says she WILL conceive. I guess Abram had imagined it, and it was certainly GOING TO come to pass. Anyway, the present Hebrew sounds like Ishmael is going to be a problem — a bane to live with who won’t go away. Irrational, argumentative, violent, and an all around bossy pain in the ass. So far, looks like an accurate prophecy.
But Victor Alexander’s translation from the ancient Aramaic is radically different:
“And the angel of the Lord told her, 'Behold, you are with child and shall give birth to a son, and you shall call his name Ishmael, because the Lord has heard of your obedience. And he shall be a helper of humanity, his hand shall be over all, and the hand of everyone shall be in his, and he shall be welcomed by all his brothers as their kin.'"
Why the change in intent of the passage? This is just my opinion: Look with me again at Alexander's Aramaic: "because the Lord has heard of your obedience." What obedience? Hagar was running back to Egypt. She was as yet unwilling in obedience. What had the Lord heard? Imagination. It was prayer. Abram, Sarai, and Hagar are our consciousness. Obedience was a POTENTIAL. If you have obedience, you have one outcome; if you do not have obedience, you have another outcome. "The Lord has heard of your obedience. And he shall be a helper of humanity." Hagar's obedience didn't pan out, so he didn't become a helper of humanity, but rather its bane. This doesn't refer to the Arabs but to our lives, our consciousness in this world.
I cannot but associate this with the Law of Attraction, which looks to USE tithes -- prayer -- for selfish gain with no honor or respect for God who in indicated by prayer's fulfillment. Go figure.
My copy of the Stone Tanach says,
“And an angel of Hashem said to her, ‘Behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son; you shall name him Ishmael, for Hashem has heard your prayer. And he will be a wild ass of a man; his hand against everyone, and everyone's hand upon him, and over all his brothers shall he dwell.’”
Interestingly, to Abram Hagar had conceived back in verse 3; yet in verse 11 God, “the Name of Hashem” — the mode? — who spoke with her says she WILL conceive. I guess Abram had imagined it, and it was certainly GOING TO come to pass. Anyway, the present Hebrew sounds like Ishmael is going to be a problem — a bane to live with who won’t go away. Irrational, argumentative, violent, and an all around bossy pain in the ass. So far, looks like an accurate prophecy.
But Victor Alexander’s translation from the ancient Aramaic is radically different:
“And the angel of the Lord told her, 'Behold, you are with child and shall give birth to a son, and you shall call his name Ishmael, because the Lord has heard of your obedience. And he shall be a helper of humanity, his hand shall be over all, and the hand of everyone shall be in his, and he shall be welcomed by all his brothers as their kin.'"
Why the change in intent of the passage? This is just my opinion: Look with me again at Alexander's Aramaic: "because the Lord has heard of your obedience." What obedience? Hagar was running back to Egypt. She was as yet unwilling in obedience. What had the Lord heard? Imagination. It was prayer. Abram, Sarai, and Hagar are our consciousness. Obedience was a POTENTIAL. If you have obedience, you have one outcome; if you do not have obedience, you have another outcome. "The Lord has heard of your obedience. And he shall be a helper of humanity." Hagar's obedience didn't pan out, so he didn't become a helper of humanity, but rather its bane. This doesn't refer to the Arabs but to our lives, our consciousness in this world.
I cannot but associate this with the Law of Attraction, which looks to USE tithes -- prayer -- for selfish gain with no honor or respect for God who in indicated by prayer's fulfillment. Go figure.
posted by Daniel C. Branham-Steele at
2:00 PM
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