3:12: Gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw.
1. χρυσίον
= זָהָב, Aram. דְּהַב,
det. דַּהְבָא “gold”; its use in buildings is attested
in b. Sukkah 51B in a baraita and b. B. Bat. 4A at § Matt 24:1; m. Šeqal. 4.4
at § Matt 17:24, #6; t. Menaḥ. 13.18 (533) at § John 18:13, n. b; Josephus, J. W. 5.5.3 at § Acts 3:2, #2, n. a.
2. ἀργύριον
= כֶּסֶף, Aram. כְּסַף,
det. כַּסְפָּא “silver” is mentioned rarely as an
adornment on buildings; see as an example Josephus, J. W. 5.5.3 at § Acts 3:2, #2, n. a.
3. λίθοι τίμιοι, valuable stones, α. = gemsa אֲבָנִים טוֹבוֹת (sing.: אֶבֶן טוֹבָה), so Rev 17:4; 18:12, 16; 21:11, 19. Yet gems appear only
rarely as a building materialb and then most of the time only for
the time of the eschatological consummation.c — β. = precious stone אֲבָנִים יְקָרוֹת,d singularly also וָטוֹב אֶבֶן בָּחוּר.f By this is meant valuable
building material like marble and alabaster,e and in certain
circumstances also a stone that is fitting because of its size and form,
particularly as a cornerstone.f Since the list in 1 Cor 3:12 is a climax descendens, λίθοι τίμιοι should be understood in the sense of β.
a. Babylonian Talmud Baba Batra 16B: R.
Simeon b. Yohai (ca. 150) said, “A gem אבן טובה hung on the neck of our father Abraham; for every sick person
who saw him was immediately healed. When our father Abraham departed from the
world, God hung the stone on the sun wheel.” Abbayye († 338/39) said, “This is
what the people say (in a proverb): ‘When the sun rises, sickness is
lifted.’ ” — The parallel in t. Qidd. 5.17 (343) reads מרגלית טובה “precious pearls” instead of אבן טובה. ‖ Babylonian Talmud ʿAbodah Zarah 8B: The
Romans had it inquired of the Greeks: … “Pearl and gem אבן טיבה, which of them should be the underlayment
(mounting) for the other?” They sent word to them: “The pearl for the gem (the
latter is thus more precious than the former).” ‖ See Exod. Rab. 30 (91B) at §
Matt 13:46.
b. Rev 18:16.
c. Rev 21:19. ‖ See b. B. Bat. 75A with
parallels at § John 20:29; Pesiq. 137B at § Matt 5:25 B.
d. So אבנים יקרות (1 Kgs 7:9, 10).
e. See the baraita in b. Sukkah 51B at §
Matt 24:1.
f. See Pirqe R. El. 24 at § Matt 21:42, #1.
4. ξύλα = עֵצִים (sing.: עֵץ)
“wooden.”
Genesis Rabbah 1 (2C): R. Joshua b. Levi (read: R. Joshua of Sikhnin,
ca. 330) said in the name of R. Levi (ca. 300), “Whoever builds needs six
things: water, earth (such as silt, sand, clay), wood עֵצִים, stones, pipe, and iron. And if you should say, ‘He is wealthy
and does not need pipe,’ look, he still needs the measuring pipe; as it is
written, ‘A linen cord was in his hand and the measuring pipe’ (Ezek 40:3).”
5. χόρτος
“grass” = חָציר, עַשֶׂב;
also “dry grass” = hay חָצִיר יָבֵשׁ,a
so 1 Cor 3:12. There is no evidence from rabbinic literature for the use of hay
in building. However, the rabbis do use the expression “hay” in the
metaphorical sense of humanity when it is necessary to emphasize their
worthlessness and nothingness.a
a. Midrash Psalm 119 § 20 (248A): “The
impudent mock me to no end; (nevertheless) from your Torah I have not
departed.” (Ps 119:51). With what did they mock me (the community of Israel)?
Mocking, they said to me, “The one who has driven you into exile (= God) will
not bring you back again.” And so it says, “The face of Yahweh dispersed them,
he will not look at them again” (Lam 4:16). It further says, “ ‘Out of the
way! Unclean!,’ it was called out to them; ‘Out of the way, out of the way, do
not touch!…’ ” (Lam 4:15). They said among the gentiles, “They may no
longer abide” (Lam 4:15). Therefore, it was said, “The impudent mock me to no
end; (but still I have not departed from your Torah.” And again, they said to
me, “Do not circumcise and do not keep the Sabbaths and do not read in the
Scripture!” But I feared you and did not listen to them, for they are hay חציר יבש (dry grass): as the grass חציר does not endure, so too their words will
not endure forever. And so Scripture says, “The grass חציר is dried up, the flower withered” (Isa 40:7). But as you abide
forever, so too your words will abide forever; see Isa 40:8. — See also 2 Bar.
82:2ff. at § Rom 3:9 A, #2, n. c.
6. καλάμη
= תֶּבֶן “straw.” — Chopped straw was often blended
as a binding material in the silt or clay that was used for building.a
— Like “hay” (see above in #5), the expression “straw” also served
metaphorically as a designation of the worthless mass of humanity.b
a. Tosefta Šebiʿit 5.18 (68): Straw תבן from the fallow year may not be put into a
pillow or into silt (used for building). (The straw grown in other years could
of course be used because it was freely at the disposal of the field owner.) ‖
After the year 70, houses were not to be entirely whitewashed with lime any
longer, as a sign of mourning over the destruction of the temple. Either a
piece of the house remained without whitewash or straw chaff was blended into
the whitewash, whereby it became unsightly. The issue is addressed in the following
baraita in b. B. Bat. 60B: One may not whitewash his house (completely) with
lime. If one has mixed in sand or straw תבן,
it is permitted. R. Judah (ca. 150) said, “If sand has been mixed in, this is
(buffing) mortar and prohibited. Straw is permitted.” — A parallel passage is
found in b. Šabb. 80B. — The baraita stems from t. Soṭah 15.9 (322).
b. See Pesiq. Rab. 10 (35B) at § Matt 5:43,
#1, n. g; see Midr. Song. 7:3 (127A)
at § Rom 3:9 A, #1, n. c. See the
parallel that belongs here in Midr. Ps. 2 § 14 (16A) at § Heb 1:5 A, #3. (Hermann
L. Strack and Paul Billerbeck, A Commentary on the New Testament from the
Talmud and Midrash, ed. Jacob N. Cerone, 4 vols. [trans. Andrew Bowden and
Joseph Longarino; Bellingham, Wash.: Lexham Press, 2022], 3:387-89)
