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eli-kittim · 1 year

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Does the Phrase Ἔτι ἅπαξ in Hebrews 12.26 Mean “Once” or “Once More”❓

By Bible Researcher Eli Kittim 🎓

The New Testament Versions

There are various theories about past catastrophic Biblical events. For example, some biblical narratives describe a time when the earth trembled, such as the mighty earth-quake at Mount Sinai when God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, or the cataclysmic Noachian Deluge. Some Biblical scholars even theorize about a so-called “Gap Theory" (between the first and second verses of Genesis) regarding two different creations, or even an earlier creation-and-destruction of the universe prior to the current one.

So when we encounter biblical verses that seem to suggest some type of primordial earthly destruction, scholars often theorize about the probability of such events taking place as the ones mentioned above. Hebrews 12.26 is a case in point. It talks about some form of judgment in which God “will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” But there seems to be a difference of opinion as to whether or not this event will happen for the very first time. That’s because the key phrase Ἔτι ἅπαξ has been variously translated in two different ways: “once” and “once more.” The former suggests a first time, the latter, a second. Hence, the meaning of the text remains an open question. Hebrews 12.26 (SBLGNT) declares:

οὗ ἡ φωνὴ τὴν γῆν ἐσάλευσεν τότε, νῦν δὲ

ἐπήγγελται λέγων · Ἔτι ἅπαξ ἐγὼ σείσω οὐ

μόνον τὴν γῆν ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν οὐρανόν.

Translation (NIV):

At that time his voice shook the earth, but

now he has promised, ‘Once more I will

shake not only the earth but also the

heavens.’

Most of the Bible versions of Hebrews 12.26 (with the exception of a few that I’m aware of) translate Ἔτι ἅπαξ as “once more.” That’s because Ἔτι can mean not only “still,” “yet,” “again,” but it can also relate to *time* and mean “longer” (Mt. 5.13; Lk 16.2; 20.36; Jn 7.33), “further” (Mt. 26.65; Lk 22.71), as well as “moreover” (Acts 2.26).

So, if the correct translation of Heb. 12.26 is “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens,” then the question arises: is this verse referring to Mt Sinai, the flood, the gap theory, or perhaps to a previous universe that was once-destroyed to make way for the creation of our own?

For example, one particular Bible version speculates that the reference in Heb. 12.26 is to the mighty earth-quake at Mount Sinai. The Amplified Bible reads:

His voice shook the earth [at Mount Sinai]

then, but now He has given a promise,

saying, ‘YET ONCE MORE I WILL SHAKE

NOT ONLY THE EARTH, BUT ALSO THE

[starry] HEAVEN.’

However, on closer inspection, the aforementioned translation is speculative because this “shaking” does not only involve the earth but also the heavens. At Mount Sinai, only the earth trembled (with a mighty earth-quake), not the heavens. Similarly, during the flood, neither the earth nor the heavens were destroyed: only living things (Genesis 6.7). So, the Hebrews 12.26-reference seems to imply a much larger catastrophic destruction of both the earth and the heavens. Therefore, if the verse has been faithfully translated, it can only refer to the so-called “gap theory,” or to a previously-destroyed universe.

On the other hand, the majority of the translations might be completely flawed, and the few Bible versions which suggest that this event will occur only “once” might be correct! Accordingly, the YLT version of Hebrews 12.26 proclaims:

‘Yet once -- I shake not only the earth, but

also the heaven.’

Similarly, the Darby Bible Translation exclaims:

Yet once will I shake not only the earth, but

also the heaven.

We find a similar reading in the Godbey New Testament:

I will still once shake not only the earth, but

also heaven.

Therefore, these latter versions would imply that this impending destruction will occur only once, in the future, in the same way as described, for example, in 2 Peter 3.10!

The Old Testament Versions

In trying to figure out the correct translation, it’s important to go back and look at the sources of the quoted material from the Hebrew Bible and the Septuagint. Hebrews 12.26 is actually quoting Haggai 2.6 via the Septuagint. Therefore, let’s go back and look at what that verse actually says both in the Hebrew Bible and in the Greek Septuagint. Haggai 2.6 (NIV) reads:

This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘In a

little while I will once more shake the

heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry

land.’

It’s important to note that most of the modern Bible versions of Haggai 2.6 say “once more,” but some say “once” (see e.g. ASV, Douay-Rheims Bible, Good News Translation, JPS Tanakh 1917, and a few others). The KJB also says “once” at Haggai 2.6:

For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once,

it is a little while, and I will shake the

heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and

the dry land;

Here, however, the KJB is inconsistent. While it says “once” in Haggai 2.6, it says “once more” in the parallel verse of Hebrews 12.26:

Yet once more I shake not the earth only,

but also heaven.

In Haggai 2.6, the Hebrew text (BHS) has אַחַ֖ת (once) ע֥וֹד (yet/again). In other words, the term ע֥וֹד (od) can be translated either as “yet” or “again.” But even the Hebrew Bible versions have conflicting translations. For example, the Sefaria Bible implies that this destructive event will occur only “once.” It reads thusly:

For thus said the LORD of Hosts: In just a

little while longer I will shake the heavens

and the earth, the sea and the dry land.

Similarly, the JPS Tanakh (1985) says:

For thus said the LORD of Hosts: In just a

little while longer I will shake the heavens

and the earth, the sea and the dry land.

The Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (BHS) also seems to suggest “yet once in a little while”:

‎כִּ֣י כֹ֤ה אָמַר֙ יְהוָ֣ה צְבָאֹ֔ות עֹ֥וד אַחַ֖ת מְעַ֣ט הִ֑יא וַאֲנִ֗י מַרְעִישׁ֙ אֶת־הַשָּׁמַ֣יִם וְאֶת־הָאָ֔רֶץ וְאֶת־הַיָּ֖ם וְאֶת־הֶחָרָבָֽה׃

By contrast, the Hebrew Bible——edited by translator and scholar, Rabbi A.J. Rosenberg——featured in Chabad.org reads:

For so said the Lord of Hosts: [There will

rise] another one, and I will shake up the

heaven and the earth and the sea and the

dry land [for] a little while.

So, even these Hebrew versions conflict. Most of them imply “once,” while the last one suggests “another.” So there are arguments on both sides. However, the most credible ones seem to suggest “once” for all. That’s probably why the Greek translations (LXX & NT) employ the term hapax (ἅπαξ), which also means “once for all”!

Let’s now explore how the Greek Septuagint (LXX) translates it. The LXX renders Haggai 2.6 thusly:

διότι τάδε λέγει Κύριος παντοκράτωρ· ἔτι

ἅπαξ ἐγὼ σείσω τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν

καὶ τὴν θάλασσαν καὶ τὴν ξηράν·

English translation by L.C.L. Brenton:

For thus saith the Lord Almighty; Yet once I

will shake the heaven, and the earth, and

the sea, and the dry [land].

Thus, the Septuagint agrees with most of the Hebrew Bible versions that Haggai 2.6 is saying “once,” not “once more.”

Interestingly enough, Hebrews 12.26 quotes the Septuagint-phrase ἔτι ἅπαξ ἐγὼ σείσω verbatim (word for word), with a slight variation on the theme concerning “the heavens and the earth” at the end of the sentence. Hebrews 12.26 reads:

Ἔτι ἅπαξ ἐγὼ σείσω οὐ μόνον τὴν γῆν

ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν οὐρανόν.

Notice that both the LXX and the NT texts use the exact same key-phrase ἔτι ἅπαξ. Yet the LXX and most of the Hebrew versions say “once,” while most of the New Testament translations render it as “once more.” So which is it? If both the Septuagint and the New Testament are saying the exact same thing, then why are these texts translated differently? Both cannot be correct. According to the law of non-contradiction, contradictory statements cannot both be true. So, somewhere, somehow, someone got it wrong! The question is, what’s the right answer? What’s the correct translation?

Conclusion

The Septuagint translates the term עוֹד (od) as ἔτι (yet), and renders the phrase ‘ō·wḏ ’a·ḥaṯ as “yet once.” As far as the Hebrew translations are concerned, both the Sefaria Bible and the JPS Tanakh (1985) imply “once.” The BHS also seems to imply “once.” Only the Chabad.org Bible (with Rashi's commentary) seems to suggest “once more.” So, most of the Old Testament Hebrew and Greek texts support the phrase “yet once,” not “once more” or “once again”! All in all, from the point of view of the Old Testament concerning Haggai 2.6, it seems that both the Hebrew and the Greek versions agree on the “yet once” meaning!

Carrying this information over into the New Testament, we come to realize that the key phrase (ἔτι ἅπαξ) in Haggai 2.6 (LXX), which is quoted in Hebrews 12.26, should have the exact same meaning in the New Testament as it does in the Old Testament, namely, “yet once.” Yet, surprisingly, most of the modern NT translations say “once more,” although there are some that do say “once,” as has already been noted. Therefore, the modern translations of the New Testament are actually conflicting with the Old Testament data. Apparently, the range of meanings for the word Ἔτι makes it unclear as to which word should be applied.

So, if we combine our findings, it seems that more attention should be placed on the Hebrew and Greek Old Testament versions from which the quote of Haggai 2.6 is derived. Given that they are the sources of the Hebrews 12.26-phrase, the usages in these versions carry more weight than those of the New Testament translations in steering us in the right linguistic direction. Therefore, despite the fact that most of the modern Bible versions have “once more” for Hebrews 12.26, the few translations that have “yet once” (e.g. the YLT, Darby, etc.) might be closer to the truth!

Bottom line, given the range of meanings for the aforementioned terms, it’s difficult to pinpoint the exact rendering of both the Haggai 2.6 and Hebrews 12.26 phrases, especially since even the Hebrew translations have divergent meanings. Nevertheless, given that most of the Hebrew and Greek Old Testament versions agree on the phrase “yet once,” it seems more likely that this is the authorial intent of Haggai 2.6. And since that happens to be the exact same phrase in Hebrews 12.26, there’s no reason for the meaning to be any different than that which we find in Haggai 2.6 (LXX). Thus, it appears that the meaning of Hebrews 12.26 is faithfully translated in the YLT version which reads:

‘Yet once -- I shake not only the earth, but

also the heaven.’

This exegetical conclusion, of course, would not support the so-called “Gap Theory" or an earlier destruction of the universe prior to the current one. Rather, it would point to one final destruction at the end of the world!

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alonelywomanoffaith · 1 year

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Vayishlach - 09.12.2022

Bs"D

Yaakov's Anxiety

"Yaakov was greatly frightened; in his anxiety, he divided the people with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two camps" (Bereshis 32:8).

Why would one of the forefathers of Klal Yisroel show anxiety? The biblical forefathers are supposed to be beacons of emuna and bitachon. Chizkuni answers our question, referencing Midrash (Chizkuni on Bereshis 32:8:1)

"...you may well ask that after Yaakov had been met by angels, as we read at the end of the last portion, and these angels were clearly meant to protect him, what did he have to worry about? This obvious question is answered by our sages by explaining that one of these angels was Michael, Yaakov’s protective angel, whereas the second one was Samael, Esau’s angel. Knowing this, Yaakov had no way of knowing which of these two angels was more powerful. This is why he became very fearful." The source of the names of the angels appears to be Bereshis Rabba 78.

Who are Michael and Samael? Michael, Yaakov's angel, is the personification of Chesed. He is named for the first time in Sefer Daniel. Samael, Eisav's angel, is mentioned frequently in Midrash and kabbalistic texts, known for a multitude of reasons - all negative. Samael is known as the Yetzer HaRa, the prosecuting angel for Yaakov and all Israel. In fact, in Sefer HaBahir (Chp. 200) it is revealed that Samael came down in the form of the serpent in order to trick Adam HaRishon. The punishment for this action was to become the guardian of Eisav, an evil man.

Yaakov's fear was not of Eisav himself, but of his guardian, Samael - who was also Yaakov's accuser. Sefer HaChinuch 3:2 references that Samael's intention was to wipe out Yaakov - him, and his descendants - but due to Yaakov's great righteousness, he could not. Instead, Yaakov is injured in the hip - the 'Gid HaNashe'

To note - we do not pronounce the name of Samael, instead calling it "Samech Mem", a custom recorded by R' Chaim Vital and the AriZal's Taamei Hamitzvot (end of Parshat Vayechi)

To read more about this, see the link below:

The Sole Negative Commandment in the Parsha

When Yaakov fights the Malach, he is injured - the 'gid hanashe' is damaged. This translates to the sciatic nerve, hence the halachic prohibition on consuming the sciatic nerve itself (Bereshis 32:33). In Ashkenazi communities today even the rear of the animal is not eaten, as we do not have a mesorah on the removal of the nerve itself. This is codified into halacha in Sefer HaChinuch 3:1;

"Not to eat the sciatic nerve: [Parshat] Vayishlach has one negative commandment, and it is the prohibition of [eating] the sciatic nerve; as it is stated (Genesis 32:33), "Therefore the Children of Israel shall not eat the sciatic nerve." And this [phrase] "they shall not eat" is not to be taken as part of the story, to mean that because this event occurred to [our] forefather, [we, his] descendants refrain from eating that nerve. Rather, it is a warning (prohibition) of God that they shall not eat it."

Bibliography:

Ephraim Palvanov's amazing blog, MayimAchronim.com

All translations/ texts from Sefaria

Mi Yodeya

#dvar torah #halacha #torah #torah portion #torah study #jewish #judaism #orthodox judaism #midrash #sefaria #parsha

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writer-at-the-table · 2 years

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TFW you're trying to study the daily daf but Sefaria is in one of its glitchy and slow moods.

#jumblr #jewish #daf yomi #sefaria #i love sefaria #it's an amazing resource #and i wouldn't be able to participate in daf yomi without it #but boy is it annoying #when it gets like this

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unlovablereject · 8 months

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Favorite Psalm to prep for Teshuva.

Of David.

The LORD is my light and my help

whom should I fear?

The LORD is the stronghold of my

life,

whom should I dread?

When evil men assail me

to devour my flesh-

it is they, my foes and my enemies

who stumble and fall,

Should an army besiege me,

my heart would have no fear;

should war beset me,

still would I be confident.

One thing I ask of the LORD,

only that do I seek:

to live in the house of the LORD

all the days of my life,

to gaze upon the beauty of the

LORD,

to frequent His temple.

He will shelter me in His pavilion

on an evil day,

grant me the protection of His

tent,

raise me high upon a rock

Now is my head high

over my enemies round about;

I sacrifice in His tent with shouts

joy,

singing and chanting a hymn to the

LORD.

Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud;

have mercy on on me, me, answer me

In Your behalt my heart says:

"Seek My face!"

○ LORD, I seek Your face

Do not hide Your face from me;

do not thrust aside Your servant ir

anger;

You have ever been my help.

Do not forsake me, do not abando

me,

○ God, my deliverer.

Though my father and mother

abandon me,

the LORD will take me in

Show me Your way, O LORD,

and lead me on a level Path

because of my watchful foes.

Do not subject me to the will of

my foes

for false witnesses and unjust

accusers

have appeared against me.

Had I not the assurance

that I would enjoy the goodness of

the LORD

in the land of the living...

Look to the LORD;

be strong and of good courage!

O look to the LORD!

#psalm 27 #sefaria #preparing for Teshuva #Psalm of King David #high holy days #judaism #time to preapre for the high holy days #if anyone needs this #Jewish and proud

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amminadav · 1 year

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Source sheet for “The Book of Creation” ready

Finished! Source sheet for next episode of "Alphabetic Judaism" - video coming soon - recommend checking out the sources in advance! https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/453027?lang=en

#judaism #sefaria

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thejewishlink · 2 years

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First digital translation of Mishneh Torah online

“For the Jewish people, our texts are our collective inheritance,” Sefaria’s chief learning officer says. (September 21, 2022 / JNS) A complete English translation of the Mishneh Torah is being digitally offered for the first time ever by the nonprofit organization Sefaria, which digitizes and shares Jewish texts for free in Hebrew along with translations and commentaries. “We are so excited for…

View On WordPress

#Maimonides #Mishneh Torah Digital Translation #Sefaria

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unbidden-yidden · 7 months

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תהילים צ"ד

אֵל־נְקָמ֥וֹת יְהֹוָ֑ה אֵ֖ל נְקָמ֣וֹת הוֹפִֽיעַ׃ הִ֭נָּשֵׂא שֹׁפֵ֣ט הָאָ֑רֶץ הָשֵׁ֥ב גְּ֝מ֗וּל עַל־גֵּאִֽים׃ עַד־מָתַ֖י רְשָׁעִ֥ים ׀ יְהֹוָ֑ה עַד־מָ֝תַ֗י רְשָׁעִ֥ים יַעֲלֹֽזוּ׃ יַבִּ֣יעוּ יְדַבְּר֣וּ עָתָ֑ק יִ֝תְאַמְּר֗וּ כׇּל־פֹּ֥עֲלֵי אָֽוֶן׃ עַמְּךָ֣ יְהֹוָ֣ה יְדַכְּא֑וּ וְֽנַחֲלָתְךָ֥ יְעַנּֽוּ׃ אַלְמָנָ֣ה וְגֵ֣ר יַהֲרֹ֑גוּ וִ֖יתוֹמִ֣ים יְרַצֵּֽחוּ׃ וַ֭יֹּ֣אמְרוּ לֹ֣א יִרְאֶה־יָּ֑הּ וְלֹא־יָ֝בִ֗ין אֱלֹהֵ֥י יַעֲקֹֽב׃ בִּ֭ינוּ בֹּעֲרִ֣ים בָּעָ֑ם וּ֝כְסִילִ֗ים מָתַ֥י תַּשְׂכִּֽילוּ׃ הֲנֹ֣טַֽע אֹ֭זֶן הֲלֹ֣א יִשְׁמָ֑ע אִֽם־יֹ֥צֵֽר עַ֝֗יִן הֲלֹ֣א יַבִּֽיט׃ הֲיֹסֵ֣ר גּ֭וֹיִם הֲלֹ֣א יוֹכִ֑יחַ הַֽמְלַמֵּ֖ד אָדָ֣ם דָּֽעַת׃ יְֽהֹוָ֗ה יֹ֭דֵעַ מַחְשְׁב֣וֹת אָדָ֑ם כִּי־הֵ֥מָּה הָֽבֶל׃ אַשְׁרֵ֤י ׀ הַגֶּ֣בֶר אֲשֶׁר־תְּיַסְּרֶ֣נּוּ יָּ֑הּ וּֽמִתּוֹרָתְךָ֥ תְלַמְּדֶֽנּוּ׃ לְהַשְׁקִ֣יט ל֭וֹ מִ֣ימֵי רָ֑ע עַ֤ד יִכָּרֶ֖ה לָרָשָׁ֣ע שָֽׁחַת׃ כִּ֤י ׀ לֹא־יִטֹּ֣שׁ יְהֹוָ֣ה עַמּ֑וֹ וְ֝נַחֲלָת֗וֹ לֹ֣א יַעֲזֹֽב׃ כִּֽי־עַד־צֶ֭דֶק יָשׁ֣וּב מִשְׁפָּ֑ט וְ֝אַחֲרָ֗יו כׇּל־יִשְׁרֵי־לֵֽב׃ מִֽי־יָק֣וּם לִ֭י עִם־מְרֵעִ֑ים מִי־יִתְיַצֵּ֥ב לִ֝֗י עִם־פֹּ֥עֲלֵי אָֽוֶן׃ לוּלֵ֣י יְ֭הֹוָה עֶזְרָ֣תָה לִּ֑י כִּמְעַ֓ט ׀ שָׁכְנָ֖ה דוּמָ֣ה נַפְשִֽׁי׃ אִם־אָ֭מַרְתִּי מָ֣טָה רַגְלִ֑י חַסְדְּךָ֥ יְ֝הֹוָ֗ה יִסְעָדֵֽנִי׃ בְּרֹ֣ב שַׂרְעַפַּ֣י בְּקִרְבִּ֑י תַּ֝נְחוּמֶ֗יךָ יְֽשַׁעַשְׁע֥וּ נַפְשִֽׁי׃ הַֽ֭יְחׇבְרְךָ כִּסֵּ֣א הַוּ֑וֹת יֹצֵ֖ר עָמָ֣ל עֲלֵי־חֹֽק׃ יָ֭גוֹדּוּ עַל־נֶ֣פֶשׁ צַדִּ֑יק וְדָ֖ם נָקִ֣י יַרְשִֽׁיעוּ׃ וַיְהִ֬י יְהֹוָ֣ה לִ֣י לְמִשְׂגָּ֑ב וֵ֝אלֹהַ֗י לְצ֣וּר מַחְסִֽי׃ וַיָּ֤שֶׁב עֲלֵיהֶ֨ם ׀ אֶת־אוֹנָ֗ם וּבְרָעָתָ֥ם יַצְמִיתֵ֑ם יַ֝צְמִיתֵ֗ם יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ׃

#a relevant psalm for our time #Psalm 94 #jumblr #nachamu nachamu ami #text traditional but copied from sefaria.org #I considered including a translation and then decided to use it as bait to get people looking it up on Sefaria 😁#if you daven weekday minyan you may recognize it as the psalm for Wednesday

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himehikoshrine · 3 months

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Biblical Naming Puns in Quartz Plays

Both Levi and Isaac are biblical names whose meaning is explained in the text of Genesis. Shown here in the JPS translation, which includes in line explanations, in Genesis 29:34 we get Levi being given for its meaning as "to attach," or "to join." It shares a route with the word for wreath, so it could be said to have 'to join in a circle' connotation, which works very well with the etymology of kielce and circus, as well as the gear metaphor. He is the ringleader after all, another word that includes the connection to circles and rings.

Isaac comes from the word "to laugh". Shown is Genesis 17:19, though the incident it's referencing happens earlier. A fitting name for a clown, and even more fitting given some lines on Isaac's route, too. But again, this is a name picked based on the pun given in Genesis for it.

These are similar to Jacob in Mary Jane, which, according to Genesis 25:26 is a pun on the word for "heel". Mary names him that after getting the idea to make a doll out of corpse parts after picking up a heel off the beach.

Mary is almost certainly a biblical reference of a name, as well, but it isn't on the origin of the name and explanation for the word play involved.

These are all pretty specific references, but the pattern makes me fairly certain that all three are intentional.

Fun fact - Isaac is the father of Jacob who is the father of Levi, so this also represents three major generations of Genesis.

Whatever else he's got going on or shoved in that weird genius head of his, the Bible is clearly something in Neji's reference pool. Pretty deep-cut references too. With the "Raham" in Jire's poem, these represent some pretty close original textual readings. Some of the phrasing in the Jire poem also suggests at least a passing knowledge with Japanese Catholic liturgical phrasing or at least imitations there of.

But Neji's references don't stop here. The Oh Rama Havenna names seem to be based of Latin instead. He's dabbling in Greco-Roman mythology references elsewhere, Japanese mytho-history in I Am Death, linguistics, latin, possibly middle english, world literature, historical references and beyond. A fascinating place, Neji's mind.

So while I can totally see a reading that there's some religious background Neji is not telling us, I can also see him reading the bible from cover to cover with translation posts just for his reference pool "to make the greatest performance ever!"

#jackjeanne #jack jeanne meta #jack jeanne #sissia of the central nation #mary jane #allusions and references #shout of to Sefaria always and forever #neji #i feel like all posts about the plays themselves need a neji tag #seeing how ishida writes neji is some vindication for me as someone who came here from tokyo ghoul

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