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Document Details : Title: A Note on Zephaniah Author(s): RUDMAN, Dominic Journal: Biblica Volume: 80 Issue: 1 Date: 1999 Pages: 109-112 DOI: 10.2143/BIB.80.1.3200551 Abstract : The phrase יהוה ... רזה את כל אלהי הארץ in Zeph 2,11 has long been a source of confusion for commentators and various attempts have been made to explain the term רזה: does YHWH 'shrink' the gods by reducing their domains, or can we understand this term as derived from an Aramaic root and translate, 'YHWH...will rule...'? An alternative suggestion, long-discarded, takes a more literal line and understands YHWH to 'famish' the gods through the withdrawal of burnt offerings made by their worshippers. While this reading is working along the right lines, this passage appears in fact to refer to the Babylonian ritual of providing cult images with formal meals - a practice which will end with the conversion of the nations. |
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