Jewish philosophy -- Early works to 1800; Judaism -- Works to 1900; Philosophy, Medieval -- Early works to 1800
Whenever the word “to go” is used in reference to God, it must be taken
in this figurative sense, i.e., it applies to incorporeal things, and
signifies either the manifestation of something incorporeal, or the
withdrawal of the Divine protection, an act corresponding in lifeless
beings to the removal of a thing, in living beings to the departure of
a living being, “walking.” The withdrawal of God’s protection is called
in the Bible “the hiding of God’s countenance,” as in Deuteronomy xxxi.
18, “As for me, I will hide my countenance.” On the same ground it has
been designated “going away,” or moving away from a thing, comp. “I
will depart and return to my place” (Hos. v. 15). But in the passage,
“And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them, and he went” (Num.
xii. 9), the two meanings of the verb are combined, viz., the
withdrawal of the Divine protection, expressed by “and he went,” and
the revelation, manifestation, and appearance of something namely, of
the anger which went forth and reached them, in consequence of which
Miriam became “leprous, white as snow.” The expression “to walk” was
further applied to conduct, which concerns only the inner life, and
which requires no bodily motion, as in the following passages, “And
thou shalt walk in his ways” (Deut. xxviii. 9); “Ye shall walk after
the Lord your God” (Deut. xiii. 5); “Come ye, and let us walk in the
light of the Lord.” (Isa. ii. 5).
CHAPTER XXV
The Hebrew shakan, as is well known, signifies “to dwell,” as, “And he
was dwelling (shoken) in the plains of Mamre” (Gen. xiv. 13); “And it
came to pass, when Israel dwelt (bishekon)” (Gen. xxxv. 22). This is
the most common meaning of the word. But “dwelling in a place” consists
in the continued stay in a place, general or special; when a living
being dwells long in a place, we say that it stays in that place,
although it unquestionably moves about in it, comp. “And he was staying
in the plains of Mamre” (Gen. xiv. 13), and, “And it came to pass, when
Israel stayed” (Gen. xxxv. 22).
The term was next applied metaphorically to inanimate objects, i.e., to
everything which has settled and remains fixed on one object, although
the object on which the thing remains is not a place, and the thing
itself is not a living being; for instance, “Let a cloud dwell upon it
[the day]” (Job iii. 5); there is no doubt that the cloud is not a
living being, and that the day is not a corporeal thing, but a division
of time.
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