02_Biblica_1_B_Pinker_Layout 1 30/01/13 13:15 Pagina 512 02_B 512 ARON PINKER fectly fits the two terms wydb( and wyk)lm in 4,18. The first colon (4,18a) refers to the fixed celestial bodies in the firmament; those are His “servants” (wydb(), doing their fixed and permanent assign- ments. Some of these functions are described in Pss 19,6-7, 74,16-17, 103,23, 104,4, etc. The second colon (4,18b) refers to God’s agents doing sporadic tasks; those are His “messengers” (wyk)lm) 53. Some of their functions are described in Pss 103,20, 104,4, 135,7; 147,15- 18; 148,8, etc. This perception of the two terms wydb( and wyk)lm finds also strong support in the words of Bildad (25,5): Even the moon is not bright, lyhi)jyA )low ; xar"yF-d(a Nh " And the stars are not pure in His sight wynF("b; w%k@zA-)lo Mybikfw&kw: which introduce the celestial bodies moon and stars, in a qal wahomer structure that is similar to that in 4,19-19, and a text that partially re- peats the words in 15,15b. In Tur-Sinai’s opinion, “According to the parallel passages, the reference is not only to angels and divine beings proper, but also to the sun, the moon and stars, which too are felt to be godly beings, God’s servants and messengers” 54. This paper argues that Tur-Sinai’s partial admission is insufficient. Indeed, if it assumed that in the parallel passages parallelism extends to the corresponding cola (i.e., 4,18a║15,15a║25,5a and 4,18b║ 15,15b║25,5b) then wydb( ║ w#dq (“holy”) ║ xry (“moon”) and wyk)lm ║ Mym# (“heavens”) ║ Mybkwk (“stars”). The only way to make these parallelisms logically coherent is by accepting that in all these similar cases (4,18; 15,5; 25,5) the reference is to celestial bodies and phenomena, not angels or supernatural entities. Indeed, Berechiah ben Natronai (Ha-nakdan) (12th–13th CE) observed: “I find it most probable that the expression “his servants” is used here [4,18] as in the last speech of Bildad the Shuhite (xxv. 5)” 55. It should not come as a surprise that God was perceived as not being always pleased with His creation. As beautiful, wise, and This distinction between “servants” and “messengers” explains the strange 53 addition of Mkwtb in 1,6. Since the Myhl) ynb were servants and N+# was a messenger, he should not have appeared among those not of his kind. TUR-SINAI, Job, 85. 54 S.A. HIRSCH (trans.), A Commentary on the Book of Job by Berechiah 55 ben Natronai (London 1905) 29. © Gregorian Biblical Press 2012 - Tutti i diritti riservati