{"id":78693,"date":"2020-08-12T06:31:39","date_gmt":"2020-08-12T03:31:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=78693"},"modified":"2020-08-12T06:31:39","modified_gmt":"2020-08-12T03:31:39","slug":"ah-ironically-of-course","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/ah-ironically-of-course\/","title":{"rendered":"Ah! (Ironically, Of Course)"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[],"acf":{"old_id":"78693","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":38047,"related_cahpter":"544","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"Leading to contemporary issues such as construction site dangers, and date rape drugs\r\n\r\n","content":"

Habakkuk chapter 2 includes a series of five declarations, described in verse 6 as \u201cpointed epigrams.\u201d Each one begins with the Hebrew interjection <\/span>\u05d4\u05d5\u05d9<\/span>, hoy<\/em>, which is often translated \u201cwoe to,\u201d but \u201cah\u201d in the New JPS translation. \u201cAh\u201d might be understood as a neutral declaration of surprise while \u201cwoe to\u201d is threatening and seems appropriate for the nature of these prophecies. However, Prof. Yitzhak Avishur, in the Hebrew commentary <\/span>Olam Hatanakh<\/span><\/em> says the word should be understood ironically; writing in Hebrew, he does not translate it. Might God, through Habakkuk, be saying, \u201cHa, you think you can get away with X, but I\u2019ll catch up with you, and you\u2019ll learn what it feels like?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The way in which the \u201cjust rewards\u201d in each epigram fit the crime lends credence to this reading.<\/span><\/p>\n

Who are these doomed characters? Paraphrasing, they are people who:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Amass what is not rightfully theirs (v.6).<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Violently acquire the means to elevate their own home in an attempt to escape disaster (v.9).<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Countenance bloodshed (NJPS, \u201ccrime\u201d) when building a town (v.12).<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. Prevail upon other people to drink to excess (v.15).<\/span><\/li>\n
  5. Call upon physical objects as if they were slumbering gods (v.19).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The first two instances, in which greedy people disregard the rights and needs of others, and the fifth, idolatry, are common themes throughout the prophetic books. The third and fourth are more specific, and uncannily modern.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Construction work is perilous, it involves sharp tools, heavy building materials and balancing at a great height above the ground. Modern safety technology makes it safer (if used!) than it would have been in biblical times, but hazards remain. When owners, contractors, or supervisors pressure workers to take on additional risks in order to complete jobs more quickly or less expensively, they are also accepting a different risk, that of completing their project at the cost of human death or injury. It\u2019s not murder, not even manslaughter, but death caused by negligence is still death. Habakkuk reminds us that God sees these deaths and takes workers\u2019 lives seriously.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Verse 15 does not specify how offenders \u201cmake others drink to intoxication\u2026 in order to gaze upon their nakedness.\u201d Assuming that they aren\u2019t physically forcing the beverage down someone\u2019s throat, other possibilities include deceptively serving an intoxicating beverage as if it were something weaker (did Habakkuk know about date rape drugs?) or \u201csweet talking\u201d them until they let down their defenses and \u201cchoose\u201d to drink more than they really want. Habakkuk\u2019s words could be directed at the advertising industry that skillfully convinces us to want what we do not need.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Is there nothing new under the sun?\u00a0 <\/span>\u200e<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":78694,"id":78694,"title":"hab2-construction","filename":"hab2-construction.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/hab2-construction.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/ah-ironically-of-course\/hab2-construction\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"hab2-construction","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":78693,"date":"2020-08-12 03:30:54","modified":"2020-08-12 03:31:03","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1920,"height":1200,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/hab2-construction-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/hab2-construction-300x188.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":188,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/hab2-construction-768x480.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":480,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/hab2-construction-1024x640.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":640,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/hab2-construction.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":960,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/hab2-construction.jpg","2048x2048-width":1920,"2048x2048-height":1200,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/hab2-construction-1200x750.jpg","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":750,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/hab2-construction-672x420.jpg","home_baner-width":672,"home_baner-height":420}},"embedded_video":"","video_duration":"","show_fb_comments":true,"credit_media":""},"tile":{"top_caption":"","main_caption":"Ah! 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