Maybe you need to look at the Hebrew word(s) for "priest"?
Maybe it was some of the "judges" who were appointed at the end of Ex 18?
24 Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said. 25 He chose capable men from all Israel and made them leaders of the people, officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. 26 They served as judges for the people at all times. The difficult cases they brought to Moses, but the simple ones they decided themselves.
Or maybe it was some people they brought out of Egypt with them?
You make a fair point, Raf, but I do not think it conclusive of anything at all.
And I would have to conclude (preliminary/don't care enough to research it further) that it must be some kind of translational screw-up. For the author to have made such a mistake would have been incredibly sloppy. One would expect that kind of mistake in Genesis, which is believed by scholars to have more than one author (hence the repetition and contradiction in the Flood account, for example), but for one writer (Exodus) to forget that he hasn't yet introduced priests into the narrative... yeah, seems a bit far fetched. Still possible, but I'm more willing to accept the idea that I missed something in the translation than that the writer made such a spectacular blunder.
So, I stand corrected without prejudice (meaning, I reserve the right to revisit if my give-a-rat's ever rises to the level of wanting to).
Recommended Posts
Twinky
Maybe you need to look at the Hebrew word(s) for "priest"?
Maybe it was some of the "judges" who were appointed at the end of Ex 18?
Or maybe it was some people they brought out of Egypt with them?
You make a fair point, Raf, but I do not think it conclusive of anything at all.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Raf
Good question, Twinky. I'll look it up.
Here's some attempts at an explanation. I don't find them persuasive, but not concerned enough to argue the point.
http://biblehub.com/commentaries/exodus/19-22.htm
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Raf
Given it some thought. Not a lot, but some.
And I would have to conclude (preliminary/don't care enough to research it further) that it must be some kind of translational screw-up. For the author to have made such a mistake would have been incredibly sloppy. One would expect that kind of mistake in Genesis, which is believed by scholars to have more than one author (hence the repetition and contradiction in the Flood account, for example), but for one writer (Exodus) to forget that he hasn't yet introduced priests into the narrative... yeah, seems a bit far fetched. Still possible, but I'm more willing to accept the idea that I missed something in the translation than that the writer made such a spectacular blunder.
So, I stand corrected without prejudice (meaning, I reserve the right to revisit if my give-a-rat's ever rises to the level of wanting to).
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.