421 THE HUMAN DIVINE hmj DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AND Both human and divine hmj are linked to passive verbs. However, whereas human hmj serves as the object of passive verbs that describe the state of being angry (i.e. to be filled with anger), divine hmj serves as the subject of passive verbs that describe the trajectory of anger toward its target. This distinct function of divine hmj is observed most starkly in the relationship of hmj to the verb “to burn”. Human hmj burns its bearer (i.e. Ahasuerus burns with hmj) and divine hmj burns outward toward an object. God’s hmj is kindled at His people wnb htxn ayh-rça hwhy tmj hlwdg-yk (2 Kgs 22,13). God’s hmj goes out and burns because of the people’s evil μhyll[m [r ynpm hbkm –yaw hr[bw ytmj çak axt-–p (Jer 21,12). It burns the forest and everyone/thing that is nearby (Jer 21,14). In other words, when anger is anthropomorphically applied to God, its embodiment as heat is projected outward onto the target of God’s anger, thus directing attention away from God’s state of being angry 14. Throughout the Bible, God’s hmj is concretized as something that is poured 15. The verb “to pour”, is a surprising modifier of God’s anger because human anger, which we might assume is the model for divine anger, is not typically perceived as a concrete substance that can be poured. Nevertheless, in keeping with its typical syntactic contexts, hmj occurs as the object of the active (transitive) verb form of Èpç and as the subject of the passive verb forms of kpç and ktn. God pours out His anger upon Jerusalem μhyl[ ytmj Èpçl rmaw (Ezek 20,8). His anger is poured out upon the dwellers of Jerusalem ytmjw ypa Ètn (Jer 42,18). In keeping with the metaphor of anger as a liquid, Isaiah and Jeremiah ascribe to God a cup of hmj (Isa 51,17-22 ; Jer 25,14-16). Isaiah 51 describes the Babylonian disaster as the outcome of God forcing Jerusalem to drink from his cup of hmj wtmj swk-ta hwhy dym tytç rça (Isa 51,17). Similarly, God instructs Jeremiah to make the nations drink from His cup of hmj (Jer 25,15). Jeremiah describes God’s cup of hmj as a cup of wine (Jer 25,15) 16 and Isaiah describes its drinkers falling down drunk (Isa 51,21). However, Isaiah states also that the drinkers are not drunk from wine –yym alw trkçw hyn[ (Isa 51,21). If not wine, then just what is within the cup of hmj? The conception that stands behind the depictions of God’s poured hmj as well as the related descriptions of God’s cup of hmj has intrigued scholars for some time and there is no consensus regarding the Sitz im See also 2 Kgs 22,17; Ps 89,47; Isa 66,15; Jer 4,4. 14 See also Isa 34,2; 2 Chr 34,25; Ps 79,6. 15 In the phrase hmjh –yyh swk, both wine and anger possess definite articles. 16 Therefore, the phrase should not be translated as “the cup of wine of anger”, but rather, “the cup of wine, the anger”. Perhaps a more idiomatic rendering would be, “the cup of wine that is anger”.