{"id":66617,"date":"2019-12-08T14:56:14","date_gmt":"2019-12-08T12:56:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=66617"},"modified":"2023-07-03T12:25:43","modified_gmt":"2023-07-03T09:25:43","slug":"see-no-evil-hear-no-evil","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/see-no-evil-hear-no-evil\/","title":{"rendered":"See No Evil, Hear No Evil"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u201cHe who walks in righteousness, speaks uprightly, spurns profit from fraudulent dealings, waves away a bribe instead of grasping it, stops his ears against listening to infamy, shuts his eyes against looking at evil.\u201d (15)<\/span><\/p>\n

The congruence between Malbim and Radak in their commentaries to this verse is so striking as to invite commentary. If we have created the impression that Malbim sought, as an absolute principle, to differ with his predecessors, this is a welcome opportunity to put that misconception to rest. Both exegetes attributed these characteristics to Hezekiah, and both interpreted them as signifying a moral fortitude in excess of the ordinary. Indeed, we highlight this by relating Radak\u2019s commentary and simply noting that Malbim* said likewise.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWalks in righteousness,\u201d because all his actions and deeds are righteous and benevolent. \u201cSpurns profit from fraudulence:\u201d The Torah requires judges to \u201cdetest corruption\u201d in general; they must disdain wealth because on account of that disdain they will not be inclined to accept bribes. Here, however, it specifies \u201cfraudulent profit,\u201d i.e., ill-gotten gains, because it is describing a king. A king needs money for his soldiers and army and servants and has a legitimate need to acquire wealth. However, he must still disdain ill-gotten wealth, hence \u201cfraudulent profit.\u201d Even though he has the right to appropriate others\u2019 wealth, he disdains it if it is not obtained legally such as if someone paid a fine to the king. Therefore, it states \u201cwaves away a bribe\u201d because he will never accept a bribe even to confirm innocence or guilt. He will not even accept a gift from a litigant, waving it away lest it appear to be a bribe.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cStops his ears:\u201d Since the king can execute those who defy him, it states that he does not take a life other than by law. If a member of his household were to report that someone deserves the death penalty, he would refuse to listen; i.e., he accepts only legal evidence of guilt or innocence\u2026 because he will take human life only to eradicate evil from the land.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cShuts his eyes:\u201d He refuses to see any evil in the world, or it means [to refuse] to look a wicked person in the eyes, as David said: \u201cI will not countenance a liar\u201d (Ps. 10\u201d7). All these attributes could be found in Hezekiah.<\/span><\/p>\n

*For the significance of Malbim\u2019s commentary to the Book of Isaiah,<\/span> see our introduction to chapter 1.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Image: King Hezekiah on a 17th century painting by unknown artist in the choir of Sankta Maria kyrka in \u00c5hus, Sweden \/ wikipedia<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":64317,"id":64317,"title":"2kings18-Hezekiah-\u00c5hus","filename":"2kings18-Hezekiah-\u00c5hus.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings18-Hezekiah-\u00c5hus.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/hezekiah-greater-than-david-himself\/2kings18-hezekiah-ahus\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"2kings18-hezekiah-ahus","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":64316,"date":"2019-10-13 15:32:39","modified":"2023-01-25 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