The
Burning Firepot and Torch
Genesis 15 is the clearest example
of Yahweh manifesting as an object. After Abram asks for reassurance that he
will possess the land, Yahweh requests a heifer, goat, ram, turtledove, and
pigeon, which Abram proceeds to cut in two (15:7-11). After Abram falls into a
deep sleep, accompanied by a deep and terrifying darkness, Yahweh makes an oath
related to land possession and a smoking firepot and burning torch (tannûr ‘āšān wəlappî ‘ēš) and pass
between the carcasses (12-20).
The seemingly bizarre episode
resembles other Neo-Assyrian imprecation ceremonies. For example, the Aramaic
text of a treaty reads, “(Just as this) calf is
cut in two, thus may Matiel be cut, and may his nobles be cut” (Sefire
1A:39-40). In the treaty, “violence done to the animal foreshadows violence
done to treaty violators.” Genesis 15 seems to carry a similar meaning (cf.
Jer. 34:18-20).
What then are the firepot and torch meant to
represent? Although unclear, they seem to represent cult objects. In this case
they are likely stand-ins for Yahweh himself, rendered appropriate by the dream
setting. (The wording of 15:17 leaves open the possibility that the pot and
torch may appear in the waking worlds, not just the dream, especially since the
carcasses exist in the waking world. In either case, it seems to be a liminal
experience) The objects are symbols for presence, likely not manifestations. (Admittedly,
the difference here is minimal) Having Yahweh himself walk through the
carcasses or carry the objects through them may be a bit too morbid, or it may
suggest a vulnerability the storyteller wants to avoid. By contrast, using
symbolic language surrogates simultaneously binds Yahweh to fulfill his promises
on penalty of death while distancing him from the scene by inserting objects as
proxies. (Michael Hundley, Yahweh Among the Gods: The Divine in Genesis,
Exodus, and the Ancient Near East [Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,
2022], 334-35)
