(the following are taken from the EPUB version of the book I acquired; if you have the page numbers in the print edition, let me know)
A good illustration of the persistence of religious ideas is displayed
in Second Isaiah (sixth century BCE), whose author is often assumed to be
monotheistic because of his radical rhetoric. Yet, even he could not escape the
centuries-old belief in the existence of other gods. While demanding they no
longer be referred to as אֱלֹהִים, he actually affirms the existence and power
of supernatural entities, such as the sea dragon, Rahab (Isa 51:9), and the
astral deities (Isa 40:25-26; 45:12). (Daniel Sarlo, The Solar Nature of
Yahweh: Reconsidering the Identity of Ancient Israelite Deity [Lanham, Md.:
Lexington Books, 2022], intro, footnote 39)
Jer 23:24
|
אִם־יִסָּתֵר אִישׁ בַּמִּסְתָּרִים וַאֲנִי לֹא־אֶרְאֶנּוּ
נְאֻם־יְהוָה הֲלוֹא אֶת־הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֶת־הָאָרֶץ אֲנִי מָלֵא נְאֻם־יְהוָה׃ |
Can a man be hidden in hiding places so that I
cannot see him?—Oracle of Yahweh. |
This passage states that
Yahweh observes everything and that, therefore, there is no way to avoid divine
justice. Despite the traditional interpretation, there is no explicit statement
that Yahweh is omnipresent. Rather, it fits the ANE view that the solar deity
regularly visits the upperworld and underworld and, thus, metes out justice
fairly. In fact, Jer 23:24 resembles statements made about other solar deities.
For example, in the Hymn to Shamash, it is said that nam-ri-ru-ka im-lu-u 2
si-ḫi-ip KUR.KUR, “Your fierce light fills the lands to
their limits. (Daniel Sarlo, The
Solar Nature of Yahweh: Reconsidering the Identity of Ancient Israelite Deity [Lanham,
Md.: Lexington Books, 2022], CHAPTER 4)
