Text of Judith
8:16:
Göttingen text:
16 ὑμεῖς δὲ μὴ ἐνεχυράζετε τὰς βουλὰς κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ
ἡμῶν, ὅτι οὐχ ὡς ἄνθρωπος ὁ θεὸς ἀπειληθῆναι οὐδὲ ὡς υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου διαιτηθῆναι.
Text-critical notes:
16 ὑμεῖς] ημεις A V 55 | ενεχυριαζετε
98-243-248-731 249′: cf Deut 24:6; ενεχυριζετε
318; ενεχειραζετε 126; ενεχειριζετε 583: cf praef p 33 | ἡμῶν] υμων 319 76* 249 Arm; > Syab | om ὅτι—fin 58 | ανθρωποι 319 | ἀπειληθῆναι] mutatur Lasb: ex minatur
(sic M C G N) sec Bogaert RBén 86 (1976) 35, sed cf sq | om οὐδέ—fin 126 Lam | ουδ B S V 583 a 249′ Compl Ra. | διαιτηθῆναι]
διατεθηναι 46; διαρτηθηναι (-τιθ. 19 107 311 318 ) V 583 L−319 74′-107-130-370 55 311
318: cf Num 23:19 Est E 13 ο′
et L; αναρτιθηναι 106; extollitur
(-lletur N) Lasbqpgn: pro διαρθηναι vel διαιρεθηναι?; ut diminuatur Sy (דנתבצר: ex דנתבצא?);
transmutatur Lac: cf
praec, Bogaert RBén 85 (1975) 31, sed et Num 23:19 Vulg; ad iracundiam inflammabitur V15; ut ultionem meditaret Aeth; ut
excruciaret Arm
Source: Robert Hanhart, ed., Iudith, vol. VIII, 4, Vetus Testamentum Graecum. Auctoritate
Academiae Scientiarum Gottingensis Editum (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck &
Ruprecht, 1979), 99.
NETS Translation:
As for you, do not hold to
account the purposes of the Lord, our God, for God is not to be threatened like
a man, nor is he to be put upon like a son of man.
Commentaries:
“Do not extract a pledge,” enechyrazete (v. 16), is a strong,
graphic metaphor, the imperative strengthened by the inclusion of the subject. Diaitēthēnai (“to be cajoled”) is the lectio difficilior; see excursus below.
It is influenced by Balaam’s words in Num 23:19 LXX: “God is not indecisive as
a man is, nor to be threatened as is a mere mortal.” On counsels or designs of
the Lord, boulas kyriou, compare Wis
6:4; 9:13; LXX Ps 106:11; but boulē
is also used for the secret or mystery of Nebuchadnezzar’s plan in 2:2. (Lawrence
M. Wills, Judith: A Commentary on the Book of Judith [Hermeneia—A
Critical and Historical Commentary on the Bible; Minneapolis, Minn.: Fortress
Press, 2019], 266)
16. do not impose conditions on. Lit. “do not take the plans for a
pledge.” Cf. Job 24:3.
to be cajoled. Although the translation is uncertain (see textual
note ), it is clear that the author was influenced by the LXX of Num 23:19:
“God is not indecisive as a man is, nor to be threatened as a mere mortal is.” (Carey
A. Moore, Judith: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary [AYB
40; New Haven: Yale University Press, 2008], 182)
8:16
Do not try to bind the purposes of the Lord our God: The Greek text
begins with an emphatic “You.” It may be rendered “As for you …” Try to does not reflect a Greek verb
meaning “try.” But since humans cannot in fact bind God’s purposes, the
addition try to is fitting. Also the
form of the verb bind is like the
form of “provoke” in verse 14, so the leaders are told to stop doing what they
are already doing: “Stop trying to bind …” The verb bind in Greek works with an interesting metaphor. She is saying “do
not take God’s counsels in pledge, do not hold God’s will as if it were an
object in a pawn shop.” tev’s “you must not lay down conditions for the Lord
our God” and cev’s “Don’t put limits on what the Lord our God can do” are
reasonably close to the meaning of the metaphor. njb may come closer: “You have
no right to demand guarantees where the designs of the Lord our God are
concerned.”
For God is not like man, to be threatened …: The rest of this verse
is an obvious paraphrase of Num 23:19. nab actually sets this verse apart from
the rest of the text as if it were a quotation. It is said that God is unlike a
human being (tev “one of us”) in two ways. They are represented in two Greek
verbs. The first of these is that God cannot be threatened; that is, “You cannot threaten God” or Do not think you
can use strong words to force God.”
Nor like a human being, to be won over by pleading: This second way
in which God is not like “one of us” is not as clear. Won over by pleading can possibly mean “forced to give a prompt
decision” or “coaxed, cajoled.” The second possibility can be rendered, as in neb,
“God will not … be bargained with.” tev seems to be using both these
possibilities for the second verb and not using the first verb threatened at all. It is difficult to
see the idea of “threaten” present in tev’s word “bargain.” Of the two options
for won over by pleading, “forced to
give a prompt decision” is slightly more defensible than “coaxed, cajoled.”
Following tev’s restructuring at the end of the verse, a more satisfactory
rendering would be:
• Don’t
put limitations on what the Lord our God can do. God is not a mere human. Do
you think you can threaten him or force him to make a decision on the spot?
“On the spot,” meaning
“instantly,” is added here to avoid the impression that we are trying to get
God to make a decision because he is indecisive. (Roger Aubrey
Bullard and Howard A. Hatton, A Handbook on Judith [UBS Handbook Series; New
York: United Bible Societies, 2001], 369–370)
