1886.J '3vJ [Lesley. 



None of all these words have a basis of ideal violence, but merely in- 

 volve violence as an accident of the exercise of strength, not necessary 

 but occasional. 



For violence they used NOR mi^D, "p3, p*ia, D^n, ptfj?, p, Su ; all in 

 reference to violation of peace and law, robbery, plunder, destruction of 

 crops and goods, oppression by rulers, &c. For a violent rage they used 

 rjl. But their special word for wasting and desolation, plunder and de- 

 struction, oppression, persecution, devourment, demolition and utter de- 

 struction was "W# ShUD (Masoretic ShOD), the verbal form being ShDaD. 

 Hence they called the demons ShDIM (Deut. 32 : 17), and robbers ShDDI- 

 ShDDIM.* Even in composition ShD keeps its terrible meaning, for 

 ShDF in Gen. 41: 23, 27, means the blasting of grain by the desert wind ; 

 and ShDFUN in Gen. 41 : 6, 1 K. 8 : 37, Amos 4 : 9, Deut. 28 : 22, the 

 same.f 



The point on which I wish to fix attention is this : The LXX translators 

 must have been alive to the two facts : 1. That if the name of the deity 

 for which they were to find a Greek correlative was a Hebrew name and 

 had a Hebrew etymology, they must select from the list of Hebrew words 

 meaning power the only one which was like ShDI, namely ShD, a 

 demon, or ShDD, to commit violence, lay waste, desolate, oppress, destroy. 



2. That in adopting this etymology they did it with the knowledge that 

 ShDD never meant to be strong, powerful, except in a bad sense. For 

 Gesenius himself admits this, while advocating the opinion that El ShDI 

 was a pluralis excellenlice, an epithet of Jehovah as almighty, omnipotent, 

 against the contrary opinion of Verbrugg (De nominorum Hebrseorum, 

 1752) and Ewald (Heb. Gram. pp. 298, 423)4 Without the points the word 

 is not necessarily a plural ; ShDIM would be plural. It would perhaps be 

 treating the Masorites too harshly to suspect that they pointed the word 

 Shaddai intentionally to assimilate it with Adonai ; but even if the charge 

 was just it would not prove a plural. 



The ShDI, TravTOKparajp of the LXX, must necessarily therefore if de- 

 rived from a Hebrew root, carry a malign, dreadful, destructive meaning, 

 and it only remains for those who believe it to be an epithet of Jehovah to 

 explain its use by reference to that terrible side of his character so often 

 painted in the Hebrew scriptures. 



The opposite aspect of Jehovah as a god of long suffering, abundant in 

 goodness and truth, is also frequently presented. A common tone is given 



*As the Hebrew PRK is represented in the Latin frangere, fractum, English 

 break, broken, so the Hebrew ShD is represented in the English shatter, but not 

 in Latin. 



t The proper name ShDI AUR of Num. 1 : 5, 2 : 10, is translated by Gesenius the 

 Darting of Fire. 



Jin Ps. 17:9, Prov. 11: 3, Is. 33 : 1, Jer. 5 : 6, 17 : 4,48 : 1, 19 : 29, it means to practice 

 violence, oppress, destroy. In Is. 15 : 1, 33 : 1 it expresses the horrors of a foreign 

 invasion. In Ob. 5, " robbers of the night." In Judges 5 : 27, murdered. In Ps. 

 137 : 8, Jer. 25 : 36, 48 : 8, 18, 51 : 55, 56, to desolate a land. In Micah 2 : 4, and other 

 prophets, to lay waste. 



PROC. AMER. PHILOS. SOC. XXIII. 122. 2M. PRINTED MARCH 9, 1886. 



