Post by jopa on Apr 21, 2014 16:00:36 GMT
In Deut. 4:26, Moses states "I call heaven and earth to witness against you today." He will use this phrase more than once in Deut.
Some spiritualize "heaven and earth" to mean the rulers and the common people but it seems here that it is literally the "heaven and earth" even though they are personified. It is easy to understand him as stating that since the heaven and the earth will always be present, they are to witness the obedience or disobedience of Israel; and if disobedience then a Jew should always understand that they are suffering as was prescribed by Moses BECAUSE of their failure to keep the covenant.
Is there a place in Deuteronomy where the context favors using "heaven and earth" as symbolical rather than the literal?
Some spiritualize "heaven and earth" to mean the rulers and the common people but it seems here that it is literally the "heaven and earth" even though they are personified. It is easy to understand him as stating that since the heaven and the earth will always be present, they are to witness the obedience or disobedience of Israel; and if disobedience then a Jew should always understand that they are suffering as was prescribed by Moses BECAUSE of their failure to keep the covenant.
Is there a place in Deuteronomy where the context favors using "heaven and earth" as symbolical rather than the literal?