sweep

April 27, 2019

The lost silver coin (Lk 15:8-15:8)

“A woman,

Had ten silver coins.

If she loses

One of them,

Does she not

Light a lamp,

Sweep the house,

And search diligently

Until she finds it?”

 

Ἢ τίς γυνὴ δραχμὰς ἔχουσα δέκα, ἐὰν ἀπολέσῃ δραχμὴν μίαν, οὐχὶ ἅπτει λύχνον καὶ σαροῖ τὴν οἰκίαν καὶ ζητεῖ ἐπιμελῶς ἕως οὗ εὕρῃ;

 

Next Luke had Jesus present 3 unique parables that do not appear elsewhere in the canonical gospels.  The first one is a short story about a lost coin, while the other two unique parables are longer.  Jesus said that this woman (Ἢ τίς γυνὴ) had 10 drachma silver coins (δραχμὰς ἔχουσα δέκα).  If she lost one of them (ἐὰν ἀπολέσῃ δραχμὴν μίαν), would she not light a lamp (οὐχὶ ἅπτει λύχνον), sweep the house (καὶ σαροῖ τὴν οἰκίαν), and search diligently or carefully (καὶ ζητεῖ ἐπιμελῶς), until she found it (ἕως οὗ εὕρῃ).  In this story, a woman with 10 drachmas lost one of them.  The Greek drachma was worth about a day’s pay so that 10 would have been about 2 weeks’ salary.  Thus, this lost drachma would roughly be about a day’s pay.  Would she not search her house with a lamp, sweeping everywhere?  Do you search for things when you lose them?

July 15, 2016

Oracle about the Shiloh River and the Euphrates River (Isa 8:5-8:8)

“Yahweh spoke to me again.

‘Because this people have refused                 

The waters of Shiloh

That flow gently,

They melt in fear

Before King Rezin

With the son of Remaliah.

Therefore Yahweh is

Bringing up against them

The mighty flood waters of the river,

The king of Assyria

With all his glory.

It will rise above all its channels.

It will overflow all its banks.

It will sweep on into Judah,

As a flood pouring over it.

It will reach up to the neck.

Its outspread wings

Will fill the breadth of your land.’”

Again Yahweh spoke directly to Isaiah. The Israelites had refused the gentle waters of the Shiloh River that flowed into Jerusalem from Shiloh in the Ephraim territory. They were afraid of the attack from King Rezin of Syria and the son of Remaliah, King Pekah of Samaria. Thus Yahweh, the Lord, had to bring in a substitute to fight from the mighty flood waters of the great river, the Euphrates River. The king of Assyria with all his glory represented this mighty Euphrates River. King Ahaz had made a treaty with him. Thus this powerful river would rise above its channels and banks. It would even sweep into Judah with its flooding waters that would reach up to the neck. This river will spread its wings until it filled up the whole land. Here was the double edged sword. King Ahaz invited the King of Assyria for protection against the northern invaders, but he wanted something in return for that protection that might be Judah itself.

February 4, 2016

Evil doers (Prov 21:5-21:8)

“The plans of the diligent

Lead surely to abundance.

But everyone who is hasty

Comes only to want.

The getting of treasures by a lying tongue

Is a fleeting vapor

The getting of treasures by a lying tongue

Is a snare for death.

The violence of the wicked

Will sweep them away.

They refuse to do what is just.

The way of the guilty is crooked.

But the conduct of the pure is right.”

Diligent plans will lead to abundance, but hasty plans will only come up wanting. If you get money by a lying tongue it will be like a fleeting breath that leads to a death trap. The very violence of the wicked will sweep them away, since they refuse to do what is just. The guilty go on a crooked path, but the pure conduct their way correctly.

July 22, 2015

The fate of the wicked (Job 27:13-27:23)

“This is the portion of the wicked with God.

This is the heritage

Those oppressors receive from the Almighty, Shaddai.

If their children are multiplied,

It is for the sword.

Their offspring have not enough to eat.

Those who survive

The pestilence buries.

Their widows make no lamentation.

Although they heap up silver like dust,

Although they pile up clothing like clay,

They may pile it up.

However, the just will wear it.

The innocent will divide the silver.

They build their houses

Like nests,

Like booths made by sentinels of the vineyard.

They go to bed with wealth.

But they will do so no more.

They open their eyes.

Their wealth is gone.

Terrors overtake them like a flood.

In the night,

A whirlwind carries them off.

The east wind lifts them up.

They are gone.

It sweeps them out of their place.

It hurls at them without pity.

They flee from its power in headlong flight.

It claps its hands at them.

It hisses at them from its place.”

This section is either from Job or Zophar. However, it fits more with Zophar’s beliefs about the wicked that that of Job. He believed that the wicked would be cursed in this life or in their descendant’s lifetime. Thus this probably is the curse of Zophar, one of Job’s friends, about the fate of the wicked. This seems to explain what is going to happen to the wicked ones. If they have many children, they would die by the sword. Their children would not have food to eat and so probably die of pestilence. Their widows would not grieve for them. Their silver and clothing would disappear. Their houses would be as fragile bird’s nests and flimsy vineyard tents. They would go to bed wealthy and wake up broke. Terrors would come upon them like a whirlwind and sweep them out of their homes. They would flee the wind itself. This paints a bleak picture of the future for the wicked ones.