Hovav the Midianite: Why Was the End of the Story Cut? The Midianite Origin of YHWH and Aniconism
The extract below is from the great article by Prof. Israel Knohl at TheTorah.com.
YHWH from the South
A number of biblical traditions describe YHWH’s emergence from the south, either the southern Transjordan, the Sinai wilderness, or both.
1. The Song of Deborah – The song in Judges 5 begins by describing the appearance of God:
שופטים ה:ד י-הוה
בצאתך משעיר
בצעדך משדה אדום
ארץ רעשה
גם שמים נטפו
גם עבים נטפו מים
ה:ה הרים נזלו
מפני י-הוה זה סיני
מפני י-הוה אלהי ישראל.
Judg 5:4 O YHWH,
when You came forth from Seir,
Advanced from the country of Edom,
The earth trembled;
The heavens dripped,
Yea, the clouds dripped water,
5:5 The mountains quaked—
Before YHWH, Him of Sinai,
Before YHWH, God of Israel.
The description of YHWH’s coming forth from the southern region of Seir/Edom, and identifying YHWH’s place with Sinai, is reminiscent of two other sections of biblical poetry portraying the appearance of God in similar fashion.
2. Moses’ Final Blessing – In Deuteronomy 33:2 we read:
דברים לג:ב י-הוה מסיני בא
וזרח משעיר למו
הופיע מהר פארן…
Deut 33:2 YHWH came from Sinai;
He shone upon them from Seir;
He appeared from Mount Paran,
3. The Prayer of Habakkuk – Likewise, the ancient poetic section that now functions as the conclusion of the book of Habakkuk (3: 3) reads:
חבקוק ג:ג אלוה מתימן יבוא
וקדוש מהר פארן סלה.
Hab 3:3 God is coming from Teman,[8]
The Holy One from Mount Paran. Sela.
