by StoneWall 20 Replies latest watchtower bible
Exodus 32:14 [NWT] " And Jehovah began to feel regret over the evil that he had spoken of doing to his people"
This is taken from the New World Translation but it is worded very closely the same in American standard, King James version and a couple other translations. Why do they refer to the "evil he had spoken of doing to his people"? Does this mean God can/will do evil?
Looking forward to your comments,reasonings,explanations etc.
it just reinforces that fact that it is all a trailor load of BS
Fudge i've run out of posts again
It shows God can be persuaded to change her mind. Typical woman - vascilating from one decision to another.........
The power of prayers changed Jehovah's(TM) mind.
I wonder how many more prayers I'll have to send into space or to Alcyone or where ever before he changes his mind about me? If it's numbers that count that is!
I'd try and redefine what the word 'evil' meant in this context. I of course would avoid the implications of a straightforward reading.
I of course would avoid the implications of a straightforward reading.
Why should it get so complicated; that everyone needs to read it this way or that way..? It seems almost duplicitous.
This is similar to when Abraham tried to talk God out of destroying Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham negotiated it down to 10 righteous men and he would not destroy. But what about 10 women, or even 10 children, were the children evil.
As to the account that was God telling Moses he would destroy the Israelites as a people because of making the golden calf and make a nation out of Moses descendants.
S&G = eternal death
Israelites = not eternal death
(Genesis 18:20-33) 20 Consequently Jehovah said: “The cry of complaint about Sod′om and Go·mor′rah, yes, it is loud, and their sin, yes, it is very heavy. 21 I am quite determined to go down that I may see whether they act altogether according to the outcry over it that has come to me, and, if not, I can get to know it.” 22 At this point the men turned from there and got on their way to Sod′om; but as for Jehovah, he was still standing before Abraham. 23 Then Abraham approached and began to say: “Will you really sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 Suppose there are fifty righteous men in the midst of the city. Will you, then, sweep them away and not pardon the place for the sake of the fifty righteous who are inside it? 25 It is unthinkable of you that you are acting in this manner to put to death the righteous man with the wicked one so that it has to occur with the righteous man as it does with the wicked! It is unthinkable of you. Is the Judge of all the earth not going to do what is right?” 26 Then Jehovah said: “If I shall find in Sod′om fifty righteous men in the midst of the city I will pardon the whole place on their account.” 27 But Abraham went on to answer and say: “Please, here I have taken upon myself to speak to Jehovah, whereas I am dust and ashes. 28 Suppose the fifty righteous should be lacking five. Will you for the five bring the whole city to ruin?” To this he said: “I shall not bring it to ruin if I find there forty-five.” 29 But yet again he spoke further to him and said: “Suppose forty are found there.” In turn he said: “I shall not do it on account of the forty.” 30 But he continued: “May Jehovah, please, not grow hot with anger, but let me go on speaking: Suppose thirty are found there.” In turn he said: “I shall not do it if I find thirty there.” 31 But he continued on: “Please, here I have taken upon myself to speak to Jehovah: Suppose twenty are found there.” In turn he said: “I shall not bring it to ruin on account of the twenty.” 32 Finally he said: “May Jehovah, please, not grow hot with anger, but let me speak just this once: Suppose ten are found there.” In turn he said: “I shall not bring it to ruin on account of the ten.” 33 Then Jehovah went his way when he had finished speaking to Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.
(Exodus 32:7-14) 7 Jehovah now said to Moses: “Go, descend, because your people whom you led up out of the land of Egypt have acted ruinously. 8 They have turned aside in a hurry from the way I have commanded them to go. They have made a molten statue of a calf for themselves and keep bowing down to it and sacrificing to it and saying, ‘This is your God, O Israel, who led you up out of the land of Egypt.’” 9 And Jehovah went on to say to Moses: “I have looked at this people and here it is a stiff-necked people. 10 So now let me be, that my anger may blaze against them and I may exterminate them, and let me make you into a great nation.” 11 And Moses proceeded to soften the face of Jehovah his God and to say: “Why, O Jehovah, should your anger blaze against your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a strong hand? 12 Why should the Egyptians say, ‘With evil intent he brought them out in order to kill them among the mountains and to exterminate them from the surface of the ground’? Turn from your burning anger and feel regret over the evil against your people. 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac and Israel your servants, to whom you swore by yourself, in that you said to them, ‘I shall multiply YOUR seed like the stars of the heavens, and all this land that I have designated I shall give to YOUR seed, that they may indeed take possession of it to time indefinite.’” 14 And Jehovah began to feel regret over the evil that he had spoken of doing to his people.
The ideas presented in the book of Exodus are from a time period prior to the "invention" of a devil. The idea of a personal arch-enemy working against God's purposes came from the Persians, and drifted over to the Jews who lived among them.
Prior to that time, Jehovah was the source of all good and all evil.
Leolaia or some of the other board scholars coul give you a much fuller explanation.
Well, I could be argued that since "Jehovah's people" were the ones that ultimately wrote the account, they sure would have seen it as an evil from their perspective.
You could check out this forum here, where we are discuss precisely that text, albeit with the focus on why Jehovah changes his mind.
In fact, I am going to submit your question, as it has not been posed yet.
I would explain it by saying that Xenu is a wishy-washy son of a bitch.
