For YHWH Elyon is feared,
a great king over all the earth. (Psa 47:3)
For God is king of all the earth. (Psa 47:8)
God rules over the nations;
God sits on his holy throne. (Psa 47:9)
For YHWH is a great God,
a great king over all gods. (Psa 95:3)
For YHWH is great; and greatly to be praised;
he is feared above all gods. (Psa 96:4)
In his 1994 article, on
Malachi 1:11, Åke Viberg enlisted the above texts from the book of Psalms to
argue for a metaphorical reading of Mal 1:11:
The similarity between these Psalms and the language used
in Malachi 1:11 makes it likely that the cultic situation has generated the
basic form of the latter metaphorical expressions. Since the metaphor in v. 11
concerns the sacrificial system, and since the particular terminology used in
forming the metaphor in v. 11 has its origin and probably its most well-known
use in the Israelite cult, this conclusion becomes all the more likely.
The author of Malachi 1:11 has elaborated upon the
standard metaphor 'YHWH is king' to suit his particular context, which is his
polemic against the negligent priests. In such a case the metaphor takes on a
new and innovative aspect, and hence becomes more difficult to understand. We
could say that the author has wakened a slumbering metaphor and transformed it
into a new and challenging one, while at the same time hindering the readers'
capacity to comprehend. This is why, in constructing a novel metaphor, the
difficult path must be taken between the unique and challenging on the one hand
and the incomprehensible on the other. This tenuous balance between
incomprehensibility and provocativeness can be seen in certain adjustments the
author has made in the construction of v. 11, both in the elaborations that
were described above, but also in the vocabulary that is chosen to describe the
sacrifices. The author found it too disrespectful to use conventional
sacrificial terminology in this figurative sense, and therefore selected
synonymous forms that did not bear the same connotations as the more technical
terminology. This same reticence is seen in the author's reference to incense
offerings instead of cereal and meat offerings. The author considered it improper
to use the latter sacrifices in his metaphor. Another adjustment is found in
the passive construction that the author uses to describe the sacrificial act.
The author refrains from explicitly stating that the nations perform these
sacrifices, though this conclusion is clearly implicit in the metaphor. . . .In
v. 11 the author applies this basic metaphor from v. 14 to the area of cultic
life by means of certain elaborations, as was shown above. He thereby achieves
a more complex metaphor in v. 11 with the meaning 'YHWH is the great king who
should be worshipped as such.' Verse 11 therefore provides the basis for the
demands that YHWH makes regarding proper cultic practice in vv. 7-10. The
nations are merely used as an instrument to enhance the image of YHWH as the
reigning God, an instrument that is part of the vehicle that conveys a certain
message concerning the topic, i.e., YHWH, by means of metaphor.
. . .
The narrative that surrounds v. 11 presents a particular
narrative problems, as was shown above in the review of earlier
interpretations. To neglect the figurative character of a metaphorical
statement and instead attempt to interpret the metaphor literally cannot but
create acute problems with the context that gave the statement its metaphorical
character in the first place. This development is precisely what can be seen in
the history of interpretation of Malachi 1:11. (Åke Viberg, “Wakening A
Sleeping Metaphor: A New Interpretation of Malachi 1:11,” Tyndale Bulletin
45, no. 2 [1994]: 314-16)
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