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vagueness of the term frustrated persons who hoped to obtain some sort of power over
the deity, since the name gave little or no indication of the god’s character. This was
particularly true for El, the chief Canaanite god. The ancient Semites stood in mortal
dread of the superior powers exercised by the gods and attempted to propitiate them
accordingly. They commonly associated deity with the manifestation and use of
enormous power. Perhaps this is reflected in the curious Hebrew phrase, “the power [ ]
of my hand” (Gen. 31:29,
KJV
;
RSV
, “It is in my power”; cf. Deut. 28:32). Some Hebrew
phrases in the Psalms associated with impressive natural features, such as the cedar
trees of Lebanon (Ps. 80:10) or mountains (Ps. 36:6). In these instances, conveys a
clear impression of grandeur or majesty.
Names with as one of their components were common in the Near East in the
second millennium B.C. The names Methusael (Gen. 4:18) and Ishmael (Gen. 16:11)
come from a very early period. In the Mosaic period, was synonymous with the Lord
who delivered the Israelites from bondage in Egypt and made them victorious in battle
(Num. 24:8). This tradition of the Hebrew as a “God” who revealed Himself in power
and entered into a covenant relationship with His people was prominent in both poetry
(Ps. 7:11; 85:8) and prophecy (Isa. 43:12; 46:9). The name of was commonly used by
the Israelites to denote supernatural provision or power. This was both normal and
legitimate, since the covenant between “God” and Israel assured an obedient and holy
people that the creative forces of the universe would sustain and protect at all times.
Equally, if they became disobedient and apostate, these same forces would punish them
severely.
(426), “god.” This Aramaic word is the equivalent of the Hebrew
!
It is a
general term for “God” in the Aramaic passages of the Old Testament, and it is a cognate
form of the word
the designation of deity used by the Arabs. The word was used
widely in the Book of Ezra, occurring no fewer than 43 times between Ezra 4:24 and
7:26. On each occasion, the reference is to the “God” of the Jewish people, whether the
speaker or writer was himself Jewish or not. Thus the governor of the province “Beyond
the River” (i.e., west of the river Euphrates) spoke to king Darius of the “house of the
great God” (Ezra 5:8). So also Cyrus instructed Sheshbazzar, the governor, that the
“house of God be builded” in Jerusalem (Ezra 5:15).
While the Persians were certainly not worshipers of the “God” of Israel, they
accorded Him the dignity that befitted a “God of heaven” (Ezra 6:10). This was done
partly through superstition; but the pluralistic nature of the newly-won Persian empire
also required them to honor the gods of conquered peoples, in the interests of peace and
social harmony. When Ezra himself used the word
, he frequently specified the God
of the Jews. Thus he spoke of the “God of Israel” (5:1; 6:14), the “God of heaven” (5:12;
6:9) and “God of Jerusalem” (7:19); he also associated “God” with His house in
Jerusalem (5:17; 6:3). In the decree of Artaxerxes, Ezra was described as “the priest, the
scribe of the God of heaven” (7:12, 21). This designation would have sounded strange
coming from a pagan Persian ruler, had it not been for the policy of religious toleration