Tanach Thoughts

Yesterday in a certain waiting room I came across a book by Dr. Tzvi Betzer z"l, who was apparently a linguist, and who had passed away about 22 years ago, if I remember correctly. The book, dedicated in his memory, collected some (or perhaps all, I didn't check) of his various papers. Several caught my eye because they discussed topics that sounded relevant for some of my research interests. But one in particular seemed unusual. It was a short essay, more of a note, really, in terms of length, on the term "מסבות שם" (Mussabot Shem) which is typically translated something like "changed names". The term is used in Bamidbar 32:38  in reference to the Transjordanian cities captured by the Reuvenites and Gadites and resettled by their families. As mentioned above, the term is usually understood to refer to the literal names of the cities having been changed by the tribes, because the names had idolatrous connotations. However, strangely enough, in most cases we...

(image by Gustave  Doré, taken from here ) It is well known that biblical critics are immensely bothered by the Book of Yesha'ayahu. The reason that they are bothered by it is not  because it's, as they claim, made up of two to fifty (roughly) different books of different prophets, of whom only one is named (Yesha'ayhu I), but really because they deny the very possibility of prophecy. To them, prophets were the ancient world's equivalent of thinkers and political advisors. No spiritual capabilities whatsoever. As long as the prophets gave generalized apocalyptic "prophecies" that could mean anything and may not even come true, the prophets were in the clear. No, what really bothers critics is when prophets got something right . Then the prophet is a goner: He or she will be pushed from their classically-accepted era to the future, a time in which everyone  knew what had transpired, thus removing any real prophetic abilities from them. But what really bothers c...