Changes

==Description==

==Description==

'''Yahweh''' (הוהי) is the proper [[name]] of the [[God]] of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Israel ancient Israel]. He is also called El, [[literally]] "God," and Elohim, also meaning "God," although the latter was [[originally]] a plural noun meaning "gods, [[pantheon]]." By a remarkable [[act]] of theological reduction, the [[complex]] [[divine]] [[hierarchy]] of prior [[polytheistic]] religion was [[transformed]] into the [[authority]] of a sole high god. However, Yahweh was not the only god in Israelite [[religion]]. Like a king in his [[court]], Yahweh was served by lesser [[deities]], variously called "the [[Sons of God]]," "the [[Host of Heaven]]," and similar titles. This host (the word also means "army") sometimes fought battles of holy [[war]] (cf. the battle of Jericho, where Joshua meets the divine "captain of Yahweh's army"; ([http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Book_of_Joshua#Chapter__.5 Joshua. 5:13–15]) and were also [[represented]] as [[stars]] ([http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Book_of_Judges#Chapter_.5 Judges. 5:20]): "the stars fought from heaven;" (also [http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Book_of_Job#Chapter_.38 Job. 38:7]). These lesser [[deities]] attend Yahweh in [[heaven]], as in the prophet Micaiah's vision: "I saw Yahweh seated on his throne with all the Host of Heaven standing beside him, to his right and left" ([http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=First_Book_of_Kings#Chapter_22 1 Kings. 22:19]). At times they are also equated with the gods of other nations: "He [[established]] the boundaries of the nations according to the number of the Sons of God" ([http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Book_of_Deutoronomy#Chapter_.32 Deuteronomy. 32:8] with [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qumran Qumran] and the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Septuagint Septuagint]; similarly, ([http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Book_of_Deutoronomy#Chapter_.4 Deuteronomy. 4:19]). A third category of [[divine]] [[beings]] (after Yahweh and the [[Sons of God]]) consisted of [[messenger]] gods, called [[angels]]. The angels carry Yahweh's [[messages]] to [[earth]], as illustrated by Jacob's dream vision of the angels ascending and descending the celestial staircase that links heaven and earth ([http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Book_of_genesis#Chapter_.28 Genesis. 28:12]). In late biblical books, the [[Sons of God]] and the [[angels]] merge into a single category and proliferate: In Daniel's [[vision]] of the heavenly [[court]], "thousands upon thousands serve him" ([http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Book_of_Daniel#Chapter_7 Daniel. 7:10]).

'''Yahweh''' (הוהי) is the proper [[name]] of the [[God]] of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Israel ancient Israel]. He is also called El, [[literally]] "God," and Elohim, also meaning "God," although the latter was [[originally]] a plural noun meaning "gods, [[pantheon]]." By a remarkable [[act]] of theological reduction, the [[complex]] [[divine]] [[hierarchy]] of prior [[polytheistic]] religion was [[transformed]] into the [[authority]] of a sole high god. However, Yahweh was not the only god in Israelite [[religion]]. Like a king in his [[court]], Yahweh was served by lesser [[deities]], variously called "the [[Sons of God]]," "the [[Host of Heaven]]," and similar titles. This host (the word also means "army") sometimes fought battles of holy [[war]] (cf. the battle of Jericho, where Joshua meets the divine "captain of Yahweh's army"; ([https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Book_of_Joshua#Chapter__.5 Joshua. 5:13–15]) and were also [[represented]] as [[stars]] ([https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Book_of_Judges#Chapter_.5 Judges. 5:20]): "the stars fought from heaven;" (also [https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Book_of_Job#Chapter_.38 Job. 38:7]). These lesser [[deities]] attend Yahweh in [[heaven]], as in the prophet Micaiah's vision: "I saw Yahweh seated on his throne with all the Host of Heaven standing beside him, to his right and left" ([https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=First_Book_of_Kings#Chapter_22 1 Kings. 22:19]). At times they are also equated with the gods of other nations: "He [[established]] the boundaries of the nations according to the number of the Sons of God" ([https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Book_of_Deutoronomy#Chapter_.32 Deuteronomy. 32:8] with [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qumran Qumran] and the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Septuagint Septuagint]; similarly, ([https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Book_of_Deutoronomy#Chapter_.4 Deuteronomy. 4:19]). A third category of [[divine]] [[beings]] (after Yahweh and the [[Sons of God]]) consisted of [[messenger]] gods, called [[angels]]. The angels carry Yahweh's [[messages]] to [[earth]], as illustrated by Jacob's dream vision of the angels ascending and descending the celestial staircase that links heaven and earth ([https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Book_of_genesis#Chapter_.28 Genesis. 28:12]). In late biblical books, the [[Sons of God]] and the [[angels]] merge into a single category and proliferate: In Daniel's [[vision]] of the heavenly [[court]], "thousands upon thousands serve him" ([https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Book_of_Daniel#Chapter_7 Daniel. 7:10]).

The tripartite [[hierarchy]] of the [[divine]] world—Yahweh, the [[Sons of God]] or Heavenly Host, and the [[angels]]—derives from the earlier [[structure]] of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canaanite_religion Canaanite religion]. According to the [[texts]] from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ugarit Ugarit] (c. 1200 BCE) and other Canaanite sources, the high god of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canaanite_religion#Pantheon Canaanite pantheon] was El, whose [[wife]], the [[mother]] of the gods, was [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asherah Asherah]. The other gods of the [[pantheon]] are collectively called the Children of El and are subservient to El's [[authority]], although some—particularly [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baal Baal], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anat Anat], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astarte Astarte], and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resheph Resheph]—are prominent deities. A third category consists of servants and [[messenger]] gods. This [[hierarchy]] is structurally equivalent to that of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israelite_period Israelite religion], with some striking [[differences]]. On the level of high god, El seems to have merged with Yahweh, who absorbs El's name and has many of his [[attributes]]. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asherah Asherah] in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israelite_period Israelite religion] becomes the name of a sacred pole or tree in local Yahwistic [[shrines]], although there are hints in some [[texts]] that she was [[worshiped]] as a goddess in some times and places. The second tier of deities, the Children of El (bn ʾil), have the same title in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israelite_period Israelite religion] (Sons of God; bene ʾel or bene haʾelohim), but in Israelite religion have been demoted into relatively powerless [[beings]]. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resheph Resheph], for example, rather than an independent god of [[war]] and [[disease]], seems to become a [[personification]] of disease, accompanying Yahweh's awesome march into battle (Hb. 3:5). Yahweh replaces or [[absorbs]] the [[functions]] of all of the active gods of the [[pantheon]], hence like El, he is the beneficent [[patriarch]] and [[judge]]; like [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baal Baal], he is the [[divine]] [[warrior]]; and like [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asherah Asherah] and her daughters, he dispenses "blessings of breast and womb" ([http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Book_of_genesis#Chapter_.49 Genesis. 49:25]). Israelite religion, like Israel's language and culture, is a child of the Canaanite or West Semitic world.

The tripartite [[hierarchy]] of the [[divine]] world—Yahweh, the [[Sons of God]] or Heavenly Host, and the [[angels]]—derives from the earlier [[structure]] of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canaanite_religion Canaanite religion]. According to the [[texts]] from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ugarit Ugarit] (c. 1200 BCE) and other Canaanite sources, the high god of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canaanite_religion#Pantheon Canaanite pantheon] was El, whose [[wife]], the [[mother]] of the gods, was [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asherah Asherah]. The other gods of the [[pantheon]] are collectively called the Children of El and are subservient to El's [[authority]], although some—particularly [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baal Baal], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anat Anat], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astarte Astarte], and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resheph Resheph]—are prominent deities. A third category consists of servants and [[messenger]] gods. This [[hierarchy]] is structurally equivalent to that of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israelite_period Israelite religion], with some striking [[differences]]. On the level of high god, El seems to have merged with Yahweh, who absorbs El's name and has many of his [[attributes]]. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asherah Asherah] in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israelite_period Israelite religion] becomes the name of a sacred pole or tree in local Yahwistic [[shrines]], although there are hints in some [[texts]] that she was [[worshiped]] as a goddess in some times and places. The second tier of deities, the Children of El (bn ʾil), have the same title in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israelite_period Israelite religion] (Sons of God; bene ʾel or bene haʾelohim), but in Israelite religion have been demoted into relatively powerless [[beings]]. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resheph Resheph], for example, rather than an independent god of [[war]] and [[disease]], seems to become a [[personification]] of disease, accompanying Yahweh's awesome march into battle (Hb. 3:5). Yahweh replaces or [[absorbs]] the [[functions]] of all of the active gods of the [[pantheon]], hence like El, he is the beneficent [[patriarch]] and [[judge]]; like [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baal Baal], he is the [[divine]] [[warrior]]; and like [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asherah Asherah] and her daughters, he dispenses "blessings of breast and womb" ([https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Book_of_genesis#Chapter_.49 Genesis. 49:25]). Israelite religion, like Israel's language and culture, is a child of the Canaanite or West Semitic world.

One of the distinctive features of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israelite_period Israelite religion] is the [[absence]] of a [[wife]] or consort for Yahweh. Yahweh is a [[male]] god, but he is not depicted as a [[sexual]] [[being]]. It is possible, although far from certain, that some local [[traditions]] may have rectified this situation. Several inscriptions from the eighth century invoke [[blessings]] "by Yahweh and his asherah." The [[grammar]] of these invocations most likely indicates that "his asherah" refers to a sacred pole or tree rather than a goddess, because a proper name cannot have a possessive suffix, and sacred poles or trees called asherahs are mentioned in the [[Bible]] as features of local [[shrines]]. However, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asherah Asherah] is El's wife in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canaanite_religion Canaanite religion], and she might be Yahweh's wife in these local [[cults]], perhaps represented by the [[sacred]] pole or tree. In several instances in the [[Bible]], the name [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asherah Asherah] clearly refers to a goddess: According to the Book of Kings, King Asa's mother made a statue of Asherah, which King Asa destroyed ([http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=First_Book_of_Kings#Chapter_15 1 Kings. 15:13]); 400 prophets of Asherah were supported by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jezebel Queen Jezebel] ([http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=First_Book_of_Kings#Chapter_18 1 Kings. 18:19]); lacking in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Septuagint Septuagint], the [[Greek]] [[translation]] of the [[Hebrew Bible|Hebrew scriptures]]); and a statue of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asherah Asherah] was placed in the [[Jerusalem]] Temple by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manasseh King Manasseh] and later destroyed by King Josiah ([http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Second_Book_of_Kings#Chapter_.21 2 Kings. 21:7]; [http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Second_Book_of_Kings#Chapter_.23 23:6]). Whether these [[statements]] are historically accurate or whether in some cases they are false accusations against "wicked" royalty (like [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jezebel Jezebel] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manasseh Manasseh]), they nonetheless clearly attest that [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asherah Asherah] could be understood as the name of a goddess. The [[symbolism]] of the sacred pole or tree called the asherah or asherim (the plural form is [[masculine]] in [[gender]]) remains suggestive but obscure. It may be a depersonalization of Asherah into a religious [[symbol]] of Yahweh [[worship]], perhaps representing an [[attribute]] of Yahweh's [[divinity]] such as [[fertility]] or [[abundance]] (in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metonymy metonymy] of the tree); it may signify that the goddess Asherah was worshiped alongside Yahweh; or perhaps more likely, the sacred pole or tree was subject to differing [[interpretations]], with a floating symbolic register.

One of the distinctive features of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israelite_period Israelite religion] is the [[absence]] of a [[wife]] or consort for Yahweh. Yahweh is a [[male]] god, but he is not depicted as a [[sexual]] [[being]]. It is possible, although far from certain, that some local [[traditions]] may have rectified this situation. Several inscriptions from the eighth century invoke [[blessings]] "by Yahweh and his asherah." The [[grammar]] of these invocations most likely indicates that "his asherah" refers to a sacred pole or tree rather than a goddess, because a proper name cannot have a possessive suffix, and sacred poles or trees called asherahs are mentioned in the [[Bible]] as features of local [[shrines]]. However, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asherah Asherah] is El's wife in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canaanite_religion Canaanite religion], and she might be Yahweh's wife in these local [[cults]], perhaps represented by the [[sacred]] pole or tree. In several instances in the [[Bible]], the name [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asherah Asherah] clearly refers to a goddess: According to the Book of Kings, King Asa's mother made a statue of Asherah, which King Asa destroyed ([https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=First_Book_of_Kings#Chapter_15 1 Kings. 15:13]); 400 prophets of Asherah were supported by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jezebel Queen Jezebel] ([https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=First_Book_of_Kings#Chapter_18 1 Kings. 18:19]); lacking in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Septuagint Septuagint], the [[Greek]] [[translation]] of the [[Hebrew Bible|Hebrew scriptures]]); and a statue of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asherah Asherah] was placed in the [[Jerusalem]] Temple by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manasseh King Manasseh] and later destroyed by King Josiah ([https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Second_Book_of_Kings#Chapter_.21 2 Kings. 21:7]; [https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Second_Book_of_Kings#Chapter_.23 23:6]). Whether these [[statements]] are historically accurate or whether in some cases they are false accusations against "wicked" royalty (like [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jezebel Jezebel] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manasseh Manasseh]), they nonetheless clearly attest that [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asherah Asherah] could be understood as the name of a goddess. The [[symbolism]] of the sacred pole or tree called the asherah or asherim (the plural form is [[masculine]] in [[gender]]) remains suggestive but obscure. It may be a depersonalization of Asherah into a religious [[symbol]] of Yahweh [[worship]], perhaps representing an [[attribute]] of Yahweh's [[divinity]] such as [[fertility]] or [[abundance]] (in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metonymy metonymy] of the tree); it may signify that the goddess Asherah was worshiped alongside Yahweh; or perhaps more likely, the sacred pole or tree was subject to differing [[interpretations]], with a floating symbolic register.

Early biblical [[texts]] seem to acknowledge that gods of other nations exist ([http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Book_of_Deutoronomy#Chapter_.32 Deuteronomy. 32:8]). The nations each have their own god, but Yahweh is [[Israel]]'s god. This seems to be the earliest sense of the first commandment, "You shall have no other gods beside me" ([http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Book_of_Exodus#Chapter_.20 Exodus. 20:3]). Yahweh is [[Israel]]'s high god, who delivered his people from [[slavery]] and oppression, and therefore he is entitled to Israel's [[worship]] and [[loyalty]]. Moreover, Yahweh is superior to the other gods, as proclaimed in the early hymn, the Song of the Sea: "Who is like you among the gods, O Yahweh? Who is like you, glorious in holiness, awesome in praise, working wonders?" ([http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Book_of_Exodus#Chapter_.15 Exodus. 15:11]). Other national gods exist, but Yahweh is [[Israel]]'s god and he is the greatest god. The [[worship]] of Yahweh functions as a unifying [[agent]] of Israelite [[culture]] and [[religion]]. This type of [[worship]] is sometimes called [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monolotry monolotry] (the [[worship]] of one god without denying the [[existence]] of others) or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henotheism henotheism] ([[belief]] in one god without denying the [[existence]] of others). A more thoroughgoing [[monotheism]], which denies the [[existence]] of other gods, is a product of the [[prophetic]] and Deuteronomistic [[critique]] during the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/800_BC eighth] through the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/600_BC sixth centuries BCE].

Early biblical [[texts]] seem to acknowledge that gods of other nations exist ([https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Book_of_Deutoronomy#Chapter_.32 Deuteronomy. 32:8]). The nations each have their own god, but Yahweh is [[Israel]]'s god. This seems to be the earliest sense of the first commandment, "You shall have no other gods beside me" ([https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Book_of_Exodus#Chapter_.20 Exodus. 20:3]). Yahweh is [[Israel]]'s high god, who delivered his people from [[slavery]] and oppression, and therefore he is entitled to Israel's [[worship]] and [[loyalty]]. Moreover, Yahweh is superior to the other gods, as proclaimed in the early hymn, the Song of the Sea: "Who is like you among the gods, O Yahweh? Who is like you, glorious in holiness, awesome in praise, working wonders?" ([https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Book_of_Exodus#Chapter_.15 Exodus. 15:11]). Other national gods exist, but Yahweh is [[Israel]]'s god and he is the greatest god. The [[worship]] of Yahweh functions as a unifying [[agent]] of Israelite [[culture]] and [[religion]]. This type of [[worship]] is sometimes called [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monolotry monolotry] (the [[worship]] of one god without denying the [[existence]] of others) or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henotheism henotheism] ([[belief]] in one god without denying the [[existence]] of others). A more thoroughgoing [[monotheism]], which denies the [[existence]] of other gods, is a product of the [[prophetic]] and Deuteronomistic [[critique]] during the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/800_BC eighth] through the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/600_BC sixth centuries BCE].

In addition to the major categories of [[divine]] [[beings]], the human dead are also referred to as gods. When [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Saul King Saul] has a sorceress summon the ghost of the [[prophet]] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel Samuel], she calls the [[ghost]] an Elohim ([http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=First_Book_of_Samuel#Chapter_28 1 Samuel. 28:13]). Elsewhere the shades of the dead are called gods ([http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Book_of_Isaiah#Chapter_.8 Isaiah. 8:19]) and "holy ones" ([http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Book_of_Psalms#Psalm_16 Psalms. 16:3]). Although [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divination divination] by consulting the shades of the dead is prohibited in [http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Book_of_Deutoronomy#Chapter_.18 Deuteronomy 18:11], it may have been a fairly common local [[practice]]. Statues called teraphim were also used for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divination divination] ([http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Book_of_Ezekiel#Chapter_21 Ezekiel. 21:26]; [http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Book_of_Zechariah#Chapter_.10 Zechariah. 10:2]) and are once referred to as gods ([http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Book_of_genesis#Chapter_.31 Genesis. 31:30]). These were probably statues of dead [[ancestors]] who bestowed [[blessings]] on their descendants and could be invoked for divination. These [[practices]] indicate that the dead were not connected to the world of the gods as full-fledged [[deities]], but as shadowy intermediaries between the world of the living and the [[divine]] realm. The world of the dead was the subterranean [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheol Sheol], not in [[heaven]] where Yahweh and his [[divine]] entourage dwelled, but somehow their shadowy [[existence]] was in some respects divine and included godlike [[foresight]] into the [[future]].

In addition to the major categories of [[divine]] [[beings]], the human dead are also referred to as gods. When [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Saul King Saul] has a sorceress summon the ghost of the [[prophet]] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel Samuel], she calls the [[ghost]] an Elohim ([https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=First_Book_of_Samuel#Chapter_28 1 Samuel. 28:13]). Elsewhere the shades of the dead are called gods ([https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Book_of_Isaiah#Chapter_.8 Isaiah. 8:19]) and "holy ones" ([https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Book_of_Psalms#Psalm_16 Psalms. 16:3]). Although [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divination divination] by consulting the shades of the dead is prohibited in [https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Book_of_Deutoronomy#Chapter_.18 Deuteronomy 18:11], it may have been a fairly common local [[practice]]. Statues called teraphim were also used for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divination divination] ([https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Book_of_Ezekiel#Chapter_21 Ezekiel. 21:26]; [https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Book_of_Zechariah#Chapter_.10 Zechariah. 10:2]) and are once referred to as gods ([https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Book_of_genesis#Chapter_.31 Genesis. 31:30]). These were probably statues of dead [[ancestors]] who bestowed [[blessings]] on their descendants and could be invoked for divination. These [[practices]] indicate that the dead were not connected to the world of the gods as full-fledged [[deities]], but as shadowy intermediaries between the world of the living and the [[divine]] realm. The world of the dead was the subterranean [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheol Sheol], not in [[heaven]] where Yahweh and his [[divine]] entourage dwelled, but somehow their shadowy [[existence]] was in some respects divine and included godlike [[foresight]] into the [[future]].

On a [[different]] level the [[human]] [[king]] functioned as a quasidivine intermediary between the [[divine]] and [[human]] realms. The king is at times referred to as the son of God ([http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Book_of_Psalms#Psalm_2 Psalms. 2:7]; [http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Second_Book_of_Samuel#Chapter_.7 2 Samuel. 7:14]) and the firstborn of God ([http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Book_of_Psalms#Psalm_89 Psalms. 89:28]), and in one text the king seems to be addressed as Elohim ([http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Book_of_Psalms#Psalm_45 Psalms. 45:7]). The [[language]] of [[divine]] kinship in these [[texts]] indicates that [[God]] [[adopts]] the reigning [[king]] as his earthly son, which [[corresponds]] to the king's role as God's chosen [[representative]] or intermediary on [[earth]]. As portrayed in the royal psalms, the [[king]] is the earthly guarantor of [[cosmic]] order, defeating the enemies—both [[human]] and [[cosmic]]—and establishing [[harmony]] and [[peace]]. The king partakes of the [[divine]] through the sacral office of kingship, which ideally ensures "[[abundant]] [[authority]] and [[peace]] without end" ([http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Book_of_Isaiah#Chapter_.9 Isaiah. 9:6]). In the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Temple Second Temple period] (536 BCE–70 CE), in the [[absence]] of a reigning [[king]], the concept of the king as a quasidivine intermediary stimulated the [[expectation]] of a royal [[messiah]], the [[future]] Davidic king, hedged with [[divinity]], who will defeat [[chaos]] once and for all.

On a [[different]] level the [[human]] [[king]] functioned as a quasidivine intermediary between the [[divine]] and [[human]] realms. The king is at times referred to as the son of God ([https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Book_of_Psalms#Psalm_2 Psalms. 2:7]; [https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Second_Book_of_Samuel#Chapter_.7 2 Samuel. 7:14]) and the firstborn of God ([https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Book_of_Psalms#Psalm_89 Psalms. 89:28]), and in one text the king seems to be addressed as Elohim ([https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Book_of_Psalms#Psalm_45 Psalms. 45:7]). The [[language]] of [[divine]] kinship in these [[texts]] indicates that [[God]] [[adopts]] the reigning [[king]] as his earthly son, which [[corresponds]] to the king's role as God's chosen [[representative]] or intermediary on [[earth]]. As portrayed in the royal psalms, the [[king]] is the earthly guarantor of [[cosmic]] order, defeating the enemies—both [[human]] and [[cosmic]]—and establishing [[harmony]] and [[peace]]. The king partakes of the [[divine]] through the sacral office of kingship, which ideally ensures "[[abundant]] [[authority]] and [[peace]] without end" ([https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Book_of_Isaiah#Chapter_.9 Isaiah. 9:6]). In the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Temple Second Temple period] (536 BCE–70 CE), in the [[absence]] of a reigning [[king]], the concept of the king as a quasidivine intermediary stimulated the [[expectation]] of a royal [[messiah]], the [[future]] Davidic king, hedged with [[divinity]], who will defeat [[chaos]] once and for all.

*[http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?&id=GALE%7CCX3424501574&v=2.1&u=tel_a_uots&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w Source]

*[http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?&id=GALE%7CCX3424501574&v=2.1&u=tel_a_uots&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w Source]