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Habbakuk 3 and the God Resheph in the Hebrew Bible Many bible translations have a tendency to mask the polytheistic nature of Israel’s commitment to Yahweh in the Hebrew scriptures. Throughout the Old Testament, clues exist to demonstrate the monolatrous nature of the authors of these texts. This is dueContinue Reading

Resheph – God of War, Pestilence, and the Underworld in the Hebrew Bible Habbakuk 3 and the God Resheph in the Hebrew Bible Photo of the Canaanite god Resheph (Reshep, Reshpu, Reshef) from the “Min – Qeteshet – Reshef” stele displayed at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, CA Many bible translations have a tendency to mask the polytheistic nature of Israel’s commitment to Yahweh in the Hebrew scriptures. Throughout the Old Testament, clues exist to demonstrate the monolatrous nature of the authors of these texts. This is due to the fact that the authors of these texts lived in an environment that acknowledged the existence of other gods and divine beings. I like to say that scripture comes in its very own cultural packaging. These prophets, priests, poets, and scribes that assembled these texts that we call “The Bible” lived in a world that acknowledged other divine beings as naturally as 21st century writers talk about things we are familiar with. Over time many of these authors, while acknowledging other divine beings, came to view Yahweh or Jehovah as the head god of a pantheon of gods, and eventually became monotheists, or believers in a one true God. 1 These changes didn’t happen instantly, and there is disagreement as to when these changes occurred. But if we read the texts of the Old Testament with an eye open to these divergent views, we will see the Bible for what it really is: an ancient document that reflected the varying views of the authors as they worked to express their experience with the divine. There are some examples of these other gods of the Ancient Near East that remained in the text of the Hebrew Bible, that were incorporated into the council of God, or members of the entourage of Jehovah. Habbakuk 3 offers an interesting example of this, describing a scene in which Yahweh decides to engage in conflict with the waters of chaos. God came from Teman, the Holy One from Mount Paran. (Selah.) His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise. The brightness was like the sun; rays came forth from his hand, where his power lay hidden. Before him went Deber, and Resheph followed close behind. 2 (Habakkuk 3:3-5) Yahweh’s connection with the southern region of Teman is probably a shout out to older traditions associating Yahweh with this location. 3 What’s curious here is Yahweh’s military procession in verse 5, Resheph and Deber. Though these names are typically translated as “pestilence” and “plague” in many of our English Bibles, they are in reality the names of two Ancient Near Eastern deities. 4 Deber (changed by a translator to “dabar” or “word”) was a rather obscure deity, apparently the patron god of Ebla 5, but Resheph was a larger figure in the Ancient Near East. He is attested as early as the third millennium BCE, and he was one of the most popular gods of the Near East, respected from the Anatolia to Cyprus to Egypt. In the texts of Ugarit to the north of Israel, Resheph is described as the gatekeeper of the sun goddess, the guardian of the Netherworld. He is also the lord of battle, fire and disease, which he spreads with his bow and arrows — hence his role as a warrior of pestilence in Habakkuk and the references to a bow and arrows later in the same chapter. The Pharaoh Amenophis II regarded Resheph as his personal military protector. 6 The cult of the Canaanite god Resheph is well attested throughout Syria-Palestine, and far beyond, usually in syncretism with other deities. 7 Qetesh Stele current location: Louvre Museum. From left to right: Min, Qetesh, and Resheph Resheph was a destructive, powerful, smiting god of the Ancient Near East, similar in many respects to some of the characterizations of Yahweh seen throughout the Old Testament narrative. Resheph appears numerous times throughout the Old Testament, although it is hard to determine sometimes whether the authors had the personified deity in mind or simply the idea of plague or destruction. In Psalm 78:48-49, Yahweh appears to unleash Resheph and his other minions on the Egyptians: 8 He gave over their cattle to Deber and their flocks to the Reshephim. He let loose on them his fierce anger, wrath, indignation, and distress, a company of destroying angels. Deuteronomy 32:23-24 also refers to Resheph and the demon Qeteb as the means by which God punishes those who are unfaithful. The text says: “I will heap evils upon them, my arrows I will spend on them; wasted with hunger, devoured by Resheph and Qeteb, the poisonous one” 9 Resheph’s connection with Israel may have been even closer to home. According to a text from Ebla, Resheph was the patron god of Shechem, an important Canaanite city that eventually became the capital of Samaria (Israel). 10 Resheph was sometimes associated or combined with the dusk god Shulman as the deity Resheph-Shulman. 11 It has been conjectured that the god Shulman was known among the West Semites as Shalem, the divinity whose name is thought to be a component of the name of...

Resheph - God of War, Pestilence, and the Underworld in the Hebrew Bible - LDS Scripture Teachings