The Sopherim and the Alterations of the Hebrew Text

Referință: manuscrise biblice (articolul este din anii 1930)

Articol principal: manuscrise biblice. Multe codexuri din antichitate au supraviețuit, pentru că în perioada Marelui Templu (Primul Templu) din Ierusalim se ocupau cu copierea Bibliei, care era permisa (l. Soferim). Mari exegeți medievali mentionau mai multe din acestea. Cele mai vechi codexuri ale Bibliei existente astăzi sunt: manuscrisul biblic, al fostei biblioteci imperiale din Sankt Petersburg, care este cel mai vechi si al carui Pentateuch este din Daghestan, fiind din 604 al erei noastre. De asemenea, tot din Sankt Petersburg este manuscrisul biblic din 916 cu proorocii ulteriori, include textul cu adnotarile (cu mentionarile asupra textului) masoretilor. British Museum conține nu mai puțin de 165 de manuscrise biblice, dintre care cel mai vechi text masoretic este din prima parte a secolului IX. Numarul Bibliilor din Oxford Bodleiana este 146 și cele mai multe dintre ele datând din 1104. Colectia Elkan Adler (Londra) care in prezent se gaseste la Seminarul Teologic Evreiesc din New York, deține 100 de manuscrise. In Biblioteca Națională de la Paris sunt 132 de manuscrise biblice și cele mai vechi dintre ele sunt din 1286. Biblioteca prusaca de stat din Berlin are 14, celebra (biblioteca) din Parma are 848, biblioteca Vaticanului dispune de 39 manuscrise biblice. De asemenea, sunt interesante pentru vechimea lor suluri de Biblii vechi din China și Coasta Malabar (India), acestea contin Pentateuchuri (Biblii Samaritene, vezi Samaritenii) care sunt astăzi la Londra. Compara cu Isaac Broydé (Enciclopedia evreiasca); . Ch D. Ginsburg, "Introducere la ediția Masoretico-critică a Bibliei ebraice"; H. Strack, "Prolegomena". "

PS. As dori mai multe informatii despre Pentateuchul din Daghestan, deoarece am putea vedea cum era textul in mss proto-masoretice. 

The Sopherim and the Alterations of the Hebrew Text (A transcript of a message given on June 6, 1998) by Jack M. Lane




But what about the 134 places where the Sopherim substituted "Adonay" in the text for YHVH? There were some general guidelines the Sopherim followed. The guidelines were:
1. Those passages where a man directly addressed God. Apparently they felt it was not proper for a man, even Moses, to address God by name. Even today, we wouldn’t go up to a king and call him by name. We would use a title, such as "Your highness." We wouldn’t call the President by name. We might call him names, but we wouldn’t call him "Bill." (Examples: Exodus 4:10, 13; 5:22; 34:9.)
2. Changes were made in statements that bring God into a personal relationship with the speaker. So, "my YHVH" was changed to "my Adonay." (Examples: Numbers 14:17; Judges 6:15; 13:8.)
3. When God Himself directly intervened in the affairs of men, His name was removed so God wouldn’t seem to be getting so personal with mere humans. (Examples: 2 Kings 7:6; Isaiah 3:17-18; 4:4; 7:14.)
4. If anyone caused a reproach against God, the passage was seen as an affront to God, and God’s name was removed. (Example: 2 Kings 19:23.)
5. If anyone had actually seen YHVH, His name was removed so the person saw "Adonay" instead. (Examples: Isaiah 6:1, 8; Amos 7:7; 9:1.)
6. If "YHVH" was used twice in the same verse, the second one was often changed to "Adonay." (Example: Exodus 4:10.)
One scripture where this apparently was not the case is Psalm 110:1: "The LORD said to my Lord." We discussed this last week. Here the first "LORD" is "YHVH" and the second "Lord" is "Adonay," in the original Hebrew. So we have two Beings shown here, representing the Ones who became the Father and the Son. But in verse 5, there was an emendation by the Sopherim. "The Lord is at Your right hand." It goes on to describe the Messianic things this Lord will do. However, this "Lord" in verse 5 was also "YHVH" in the original Hebrew. So we now have a second YHVH, sitting at the right hand of the first YHVH. The Sopherim changed this double YHVH reference to make the problem go away. It hasn’t gone away.
Let’s look next at some of the 18 emendations listed in Bullinger's Appendix 33.
Genesis 18:22 (KJV):
"And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD."
Originally:
"And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but the LORD stood yet before Abraham."
Apparently, it was demeaning to God to have Him stand before Abraham, so the Sopherim turned it around so that the lesser, Abraham, would stand before the greater, God.
Numbers 11:15
"And if thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of hand, if I have found favour in thy sight; and let me not see my wretchedness."
Originally:
"And if thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of hand, if I have found favour in thy sight; and let me not see thy evil."
Apparently, God should not be able to possess evil.
1 Samuel 3:13:
"For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not."
Originally:
"For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons cursed God, and he restrained them not."
This text was softened because it was a harsh thing to think of someone cursing God.
2 Samuel 12:14:
"Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die."
Originally:
"Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast greatly blasphemed the LORD, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die."
How could King David be a blasphemer? A man after God’s own heart! So this was changed so that David would be the vehicle through which others -- enemies -- might blaspheme God. Yet, the original shows that God forgives blasphemy upon repentance, and that adultery and murder -- David’s sins in question here -- are considered blasphemy.
I Kings 12:16:
"So when all Israel saw that the king hearkened not unto them, the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David? neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: to your tents, O Israel: now see to thine own house, David. So Israel departed unto their tents."
Originally:
"So when all Israel saw that the king hearkened not unto them, the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David? neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: to your gods, O Israel: now see to thine own house, David. So Israel departed unto their tents."
Job 7:20:
"I have sinned; what shall I do unto thee, O thou preserver of men? why hast thou set me as a mark against thee, so that I am a burden to myself?"
Originally:
"I have sinned; what shall I do unto thee, O thou preserver of men? why hast thou set me as a mark against thee, so that I am a burden to thee?"
Could a mere mortal be a burden to God? The Sopherim thought not, but that is what Job said about himself.
Job 32:3:
"Also against his three friends was his wrath kindled, because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job."
Originally:
"Also against his three friends was his wrath kindled, because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned God."
But if Job’s three friends had only condemned Job, that wasn’t such a big deal. But if what they had said had condemned God, as it says in the original, we might want to study what they had said, so we can avoid condemning God ourselves!
Psalm 10:3:
"For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the LORD abhorreth."
Originally:
"For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and the covetous man blasphemeth, yea, abhoreth the LORD."
Here is another place where a derogatory reference to God was changed.
Psalm 106:20:
"Thus they changed their glory into the similitude of an ox that eateth grass."
Originally:
"Thus they changed My glory into the similitude of an ox that eateth grass."
Again, a derogatory comment about God is altered.
Ezekiel 8:17:
"Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke me to anger: and, lo, they put the branch to their nose."
Originally:
"Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke me to anger: and, lo, they put the branch to My nose."
It makes no sense that they would try to spite themselves. Whatever the phrase may mean, putting the branch to God’s nose is definitely an act of rebellion and mischief against God. But the Sopherim apparently felt that it was derogatory to God to refer to Him as having a nose, even when using hyperbole, as this verse does.
Hosea 4:7:
"As they were increased, so they sinned against me: therefore will I change their glory into shame."
Originally:
"As they were increased, so they sinned against me: My glory have they changed into shame."
The real meaning of the verse is that when men sin, they bring shame to God’s glory.
Habbakuk 1:12:
"Art thou not from everlasting, O LORD my God, mine Holy One? we shall not die. O LORD, thou hast ordained them for judgment; and, O mighty God, thou hast established them for correction."
Originally:
"Art thou not from everlasting, O LORD my God, mine Holy One, who diest not? O LORD, thou hast ordained them for judgment; and, O mighty God, thou hast established them for correction."
The emendation transferred immortality from God to men. It makes no sense, and has no bearing on the context. In its original form, it glorifies God who is immortal.
Malachi 1:11-12:
"For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye have profaned it, in that ye say, The table of the LORD is polluted; and the fruit thereof, even his meat, is contemptible."
Originally:
"But ye have profaned Me, in that ye say, The table of the LORD is polluted; and the fruit thereof, even his meat, is contemptible."
The Sopherim wanted to protect God against men, and made it seem that men were profaning God’s name, rather than profaning God Himself.
Malachi 3:9:
"Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation."
Originally:
"Ye have cursed Me with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation."
God’s message to Malachi shows that it is God Himself who is being cursed by the disobedience of those rebellious people who are supposed to be followers of God. It’s not that the people are cursed, but that they have cursed God with a curse.
We’ve seen a number of verses where the Sopherim, ancient scribes, made changes in the scriptures, not all of which were helpful. There were times when they should have let God tell it like it is, and not try to soften, or de-personalize, the relationship God has with His people.
From this study, I’ve seen that the scriptures show God as a Being who created us and wishes to have a relationship with us. He uses down and dirty, shirt-sleeve language, even slang terms and the colloquialisms of the people, to show that He is not the aloof, Wizard of Oz type of character that men should run from in terror. He wants to have a personal relationship with humans. That’s why He uses terms such as "marriage," "sons," etc.
I’ve seen how some of the very scriptures that show God as a personal, acting and reacting Being, were changed by scribes who didn’t see God as being that kind of a God.
Is it too undignified to speak of men blaspheming and abhorring God, thumbing their nose at God? Is it too familiar and demeaning to talk of God standing before Abraham, to talk of "my YHVH"?
We have to take scripture as it comes. There are a great many things in the Bible we don’t understand yet. But it is important that we revere the word of God, and to want to understand what it originally said. As much as the scribes were entrusted with the sacred responsibility of transferring scripture safely from one generation to the next, there was one group of scribes, the Sopherim, who were not as careful about it as perhaps they should have been.
It should have been well known to the scribes that there were many things in scripture they themselves would never be able to understand, for many things were written for a time yet future, for the last days. But they transferred those words faithfully from their time to the time of their children and grandchildren.
But being human, the scribes did make mistakes. Some scribes made mistakes in copying, others, such as the Sopherim, took it upon themselves to "correct" scripture in places. Mistakes can be spotted by comparing various copies. But the emendations of the Sopherim are only found by their own notations, the Massorah, in the manuscripts, and those have not been a part of any Bible in print until The Companion Bible was published, within the last 100 years or so.
Now you are armed with this information. This should keep you busy with your Bibles for awhile. And that's always a good thing.