Thursday, November 16, 2023

Matthew Bowen and Samuel Zimmer on "Order" in Moses 8:19-20 (cf. Psalm 110;4)

 In Moses 8:19-20, we read:

 

And the Lord ordained Noah after his own order, and commanded him that he should go forth and declare his Gospel unto the children of men, even as it was given unto Enoch. And it came to pass that Noah called upon the children of men that they should repent; but they hearkened not unto his words. (Moses 8:19-20)

 

Commenting on “after his own order,” Matthew Bowen has the following useful note:

 

Cf. “the order [dibrātî] of Melchizedek in Psalm 110:4. The term dibrātî seems to represent an old Hebrew genitive form, probably deriving from the same root as dābār, “word.” Samuel Zinner, personal communication, June 29, 2020, suggests a possible wordplay on “order” (dibrātî) and “his words” (děbārâ) in Moses 8:20. In this vein, it is also interesting to consider JST Genesis 14:25-29: “And Melchizedek lifted up his voice and blessed Abram. Now Melchizedek was a man of faith, who wrought righteousness; and when a child, he feared God, and stopped the mouths of lions, and quenched the violence of fire. And thus, having been approved of God, he was ordained a high priest after the order of the covenant which God made with Enoch, It being after the order of the Son of God, which order came not by man, nor the will of man, neither by father nor mother, neither by beginning of days nor end of years, but of God. And it was delivered unto men by the calling of his own voice [i.e., by his word], according to his own will, unto as many as believed on his name.” (Matthew L. Bowen, “’This Son Shall Comfort Us’: An Onomastic Tale of Two Noahs,” in Ancient Names in the Book of Mormon: Toward a Deeper Understanding of a Witness of Christ [Salt Lake City: Eborn Books; Orem, Utah: Interpreter Foundation, 2023], 207 n. 30)