dreamer_easy: (Default)
dreamer_easy ([personal profile] dreamer_easy) wrote2008-09-12 07:47 pm

More of the Biblical God as Mother

This is very interesting, I had no idea!

Deuteronomy 32:18 (NIV):
You deserted the Rock, who fathered you;
you forgot the God who gave you birth.
Now this gets more interesting when you investigate the original Hebrew: according to scripturetext.com, the word rendered above as "fathered" could also be translated as "to bear young, to act as midwife". I think, though we're pretty safe with "gave you birth", since the Hebrew word, meaning "twist", is used to refer to a mother writhing in labour.

Now, the NIV renders Deuteronomy 32:11 thus:
like an eagle that stirs up its nest
and hovers over its young,
that spreads its wings to catch them
and carries them on its pinions.
But the KJV is explicit about the eagle's gender:
As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings:
Then again, the ASV has:
Like an eagle that stirs up its nest,
That hovers over its young,
He spread His wings and caught them,
He carried them on His pinions.
Well, here's the Hebrew. [livejournal.com profile] thegameiam, is it a lady eagle or a gentleman eagle - or can we not tell? :)

If you're interested, there are further examples in Isaiah 42:13-14, Isaiah 45:9-10, Psalm 90:2, and Numbers 11:12. biblegateway.com is a brilliant resource.

[identity profile] hergrace.livejournal.com 2008-09-12 02:33 pm (UTC)(link)
And leave us remember that Jesus, upon seeing the people of Jerusalem, longed to gather them up "as a hen gathers her chicks."

Julian of Norwich (a 14th c. mystic) wrote:
"As truly as God is our Father,
So just as truly is he our Mother."

And in fact wrote fairly widely on "God our Mother" and even referred to Jesus as our Mother. "...our precious mother, Jesus, can feed us with himself." I need to read more of her work (have only scratched the surface. But I find her fascinating, especially as, though she was a devout Roman Catholic, many of her writing sounds quite contrary to the teachings of the RC church (something which gave her much consternation and with which she struggled.)

I love how you give me so much to think about daily, Kate!

[identity profile] kateorman.livejournal.com 2008-09-12 11:45 pm (UTC)(link)
This is what I do when I'm too knackered to wash up. :)