Word studies related to correction and other critical concepts

 Do we need correction? Do we need to work in a right relationship with others and with the resources that we are given? The answer to such a closed question appears to be yes. It is in the character of the foundational texts of our tradition 

• that we avoid superstition, believing things that are without foundation, 
• that we do mercy, and keep to regulations that are helpful, 
• that we avoid a certain kind of emptiness that is destructive, 
• that we allow ourselves time to reflect, 
• that we give due glory to our ancestors, 
• that we help each other to avoid deadly violence to others, 
• that we deal with our tendency to gratify ourselves at others expense, 
• whether this be in matters of sex, 
• or material possessions, 
• or lies, whether convenient or deliberate, 
• and that we be content with our lot in the midst of our friends.

You will surmise where I got this paraphrase from. And that it is largely a set of negatives - though we are not without help.

In considering the character of God and the issue of punishment, (see my prior post), we see what looks like the threat of visitation in this passage below (verse 5). This third and fourth motif is evident in several verses of Torah (see the concordance under four, rby look for ribyim). It is part of the character of God. Is it punishment? It is not. It is a straightforward statement of the intergenerational consequences of evil. 

In the wake of colonialism, in the treatment of slaves, in the conquest of territories, it is just plain obvious to anyone who has lived long enough that such violence has repercussions particularly for the victims (who indeed may not hate God). Such actions hound us today in race relations particularly, us and our children. And it feels like the threat applies through 40 rather than merely 4 generations. But that's because we never seem to learn!

Notice that the word here is visit pqd. If you want to review the error of assigning the gloss punish to any of the roots in the Hebrew Bible, check out these ones too: isr nch ryy ynw yvh where punish is a common gloss. (I had a mistake in this list, ydh instead of yvh and here are two places where the KJV inserts punish with no underlying word, Amos 1:6 (etc), Eze 14:10, Job 31:3, Lam 3:39, 4:6 - it's hard to search for this kind of nonsense.)

Here are the first verses of Exodus 20 in my translation. You will see how this expands on the third and fourth generation motif implied in the Psalms and the Prophets where Exodus 34:6 is frequently alluded to (As Jean Sharp correctly points out).

וַיְדַבֵּ֣ר אֱלֹהִ֔ים אֵ֛ת כָּל־הַדְּבָרִ֥ים הָאֵ֖לֶּה לֵאמֹֽר ס	a vidbr alohim at cl-hdbrim halh lamor s	1 And God spoke all these words, saying, S
אָֽנֹכִ֖י֙ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֑֔יךָ אֲשֶׁ֧ר הוֹצֵאתִ֛יךָ מֵאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרַ֖יִם מִבֵּ֣֥ית עֲבָדִֽ֑ים	b anoci ihvh alohiç awr hoxatiç marx mxriim mbit ybdim	2 I am Yahweh your God, who brought you forth from the land of Egypt, from the house of servitude.
לֹֽ֣א יִהְיֶֽה־לְךָ֛֩ אֱלֹהִ֥֨ים אֲחֵרִ֖֜ים עַל־פָּנָֽ֗יַ	g la ihih-lç alohim akrim yl-pnii	3 Not it is for you: other gods over my presence.
לֹֽ֣א תַֽעֲשֶׂ֨ה־לְךָ֥֣ פֶ֣֙סֶל֙ ׀ וְכָל־תְּמוּנָ֡֔ה אֲשֶׁ֤֣ר בַּשָּׁמַ֣֙יִם֙ ׀ מִמַּ֡֔עַל וַֽאֲשֶׁ֥ר֩ בָּאָ֖֨רֶץ מִתַָּ֑֜חַת וַאֲשֶׁ֥֣ר בַּמַּ֖֣יִם ׀ מִתַּ֥֣חַת לָאָֽ֗רֶץ	d la tywh-lç psl vcl-tmunh awr bwmiim mmyl vawr barx mtkt vawr bmim mtkt larx	4 You will not make for yourself a graven image or any similitude that is in the heavens above or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth.
לֹֽא־תִשְׁתַּחְוֶ֥֣ה לָהֶ֖ם֮ וְלֹ֣א תָעָבְדֵ֑ם֒ כִּ֣י אָֽנֹכִ֞י יְהוָ֤ה אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙ אֵ֣ל קַנָּ֔א פֹּ֠קֵד עֲוֺ֨ן אָבֹ֧ת עַל־בָּנִ֛ים עַל־שִׁלֵּשִׁ֥ים וְעַל־רִבֵּעִ֖ים לְשֹׂנְאָֽ֑י	h la-twtkvvh lhm vla toybdm ci anoci ihvh alohiç al qna poqd yvon abot yl-bnim yl-wilwim vyl-ribyim lwonaii	5 You will not worship them and you will not serve them, for I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous god, visiting the iniquity of forebears on children over three and over four generations to those who hate me.
וְעֹ֥֤שֶׂה חֶ֖֙סֶד֙ לַאֲלָפִ֑֔ים לְאֹהֲבַ֖י וּלְשֹׁמְרֵ֥י מִצְוֺתָֽי ס	v vyowh ksd lalpim laohbii ulwomri mxvotii s	6 And doing mercy for thousands, who love me and who keep my commandments. S
לֹ֥א תִשָּׂ֛א אֶת־שֵֽׁם־יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ לַשָּׁ֑וְא כִּ֣י לֹ֤א יְנַקֶּה֙ יְהוָ֔ה אֵ֛ת אֲשֶׁר־יִשָּׂ֥א אֶת־שְׁמ֖וֹ לַשָּֽׁוְא פ	z la tiwa at-wm-ihvh alohiç lwva ci la inqh ihvh at awr-iiwa at-wmo lwva	7 You will not lift up the name of Yahweh your God to vanity, for Yahweh will not hold innocent who lifts up his name to vanity. P
זָכ֛וֹר֩ אֶת־י֥֨וֹם הַשַּׁבָּ֖֜ת לְקַדְּשֽׁ֗וֹ	k zcor at-iom hwbt lqdwo	8 Remember the day of the Sabbath to sanctify it.
שֵׁ֤֣שֶׁת יָמִ֣ים֙ תַּֽעֲבֹ֔ד֮ וְעָשִׂ֖֣יתָ כָּל־מְלַאכְתֶּֽךָ֒	't wwt imim tybod vywit cl-mlactç	9 Six days you will serve and do all your affairs,
וְי֙וֹם֙ הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔֜י שַׁבָּ֖֣ת ׀ לַיהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֑֗יךָ לֹֽ֣א־תַעֲשֶׂ֣֨ה כָל־מְלָאכָ֡֜ה אַתָּ֣ה ׀ וּבִנְךָֽ֣־וּ֠בִתֶּ֗ךָ עַבְדְּךָ֤֨ וַאֲמָֽתְךָ֜֙ וּבְהֶמְתֶּ֔֗ךָ וְגֵרְךָ֖֙ אֲשֶׁ֥֣ר בִּשְׁעָרֶֽ֔יךָ	i viom hwbiyi wbt lihvh alohiç la-tywh cl-mlach ath ubnç-ubtç ybdç vamtç ubhmtç vgrç awr bwyriç	10 But the seventh day is the Sabbath of Yahweh your God. You will not do any trade, you and your son and your daughter, your manservant and your maidservant, and your cattle and your guest that is in your gates.
כִּ֣י שֵֽׁשֶׁת־יָמִים֩ עָשָׂ֨ה יְהוָ֜ה אֶת־הַשָּׁמַ֣יִם וְאֶת־הָאָ֗רֶץ אֶת־הַיָּם֙ וְאֶת־כָּל־אֲשֶׁר־בָּ֔ם וַיָּ֖נַח בַּיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֑י עַל־כֵּ֗ן בֵּרַ֧ךְ יְהוָ֛ה אֶת־י֥וֹם הַשַּׁבָּ֖ת וַֽיְקַדְּשֵֽׁהוּ ס	ia ci wwt-imim ywh ihvh at-hwmiim vat-harx at-him vat-cl-awr-bm vink biom hwbiyi yl-cn birç ihvh at-iom hwbt viqdwhu s	11 For six days Yahweh constructed the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and he rested on the seventh day. Therefore Yahweh blessed the Sabbath day and sanctified it. S
כַּבֵּ֥ד אֶת־אָבִ֖יךָ וְאֶת־אִמֶּ֑ךָ לְמַ֙עַן֙ יַאֲרִכ֣וּן יָמֶ֔יךָ עַ֚ל הָאֲדָמָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לָֽךְ ס	ib cbd at-abiç vat-aimç lmyn iaricun imiç yl hadmh awr-ihvh alohiç notn lç s	12 Glorify your father and your mother, so that prolonged are your days on the ground that Yahweh your God gives to you. S
לֹ֥֖א תִּֿרְצָֽ֖ח ס	ig la trxk s	13 You will not murder. S
לֹ֣֖א תִּֿנְאָֽ֑ף ס	id la tnaf s	14 You will not commit adultery. S
לֹ֣֖א תִּֿגְנֹֽ֔ב ס	'tv la tgnob s	15 You will not steal. S
לֹֽא־תַעֲנֶ֥ה בְרֵעֲךָ֖ עֵ֥ד שָֽׁקֶר ס	'tz la-tynh briyç yd wqr s	16 You will not inflict false witness against your associate. S
לֹ֥א תַחְמֹ֖ד בֵּ֣ית רֵעֶ֑ךָ לֹֽא־תַחְמֹ֞ד אֵ֣שֶׁת רֵעֶ֗ךָ וְעַבְדּ֤וֹ וַאֲמָתוֹ֙ וְשׁוֹר֣וֹ וַחֲמֹר֔וֹ וְכֹ֖ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר לְרֵעֶֽךָ פ	iz la tkmod bit riyç la-tkmod awt riyç vybdo vamto vworo vkmoro vcol awr lriyç	17 You will not covet the house of your friend, nor will you covet the wife of your friend or manservant or maidservant or bull or ass or anything that is your friend's. P
וְכָל־הָעָם֩ רֹאִ֨ים אֶת־הַקּוֹלֹ֜ת וְאֶת־הַלַּפִּידִ֗ם וְאֵת֙ ק֣וֹל הַשֹּׁפָ֔ר וְאֶת־הָהָ֖ר עָשֵׁ֑ן וַיַּ֤רְא הָעָם֙ וַיָּנֻ֔עוּ וַיַּֽעַמְד֖וּ מֵֽרָחֹֽק	ik vcl-hym roaim at-hqolot vat-hlpidim vat qol hwopr vat-hhr ywn vira hym vinuyu viymdu mrkoq	18 And all the people saw the rumblings and the torches and the voice of the shophar and the mountain smoking, and the people saw and wavered to and fro and they stood distant.