I’m trying to understand the “Watchman” passage in Ezekiel 3:16-21 (largely repeated in 33:1-9). Excerpting from 3:18-19 (ESV):
If….you give him no warning….in order to save his life (ləḥayyōtô), that wicked person shall die for his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand (dāmô mîyyādəkā ʾăbaqqēš).
But if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness….he shall die (yāmût) for his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul (ʾet–napšəkā hiṣṣaltā).
I’m trying to determine whether “deliver your soul” means anything different from “save [your] life”. For some reason, each time the wicked man turns from his wickedness he “saves his life”, but the watchman, by his obedience, “delivers [his] soul”.
In the logic of the contingencies, these two don’t seem to be exactly interchangeable. They have different opposites:
- “save his life” ↔ “die”, whereas
- “deliver his soul” ↔ “his blood I will require…” .
The last I understand (mostly from looking at the more dynamic translations) to mean “I will hold you responsible for his death”. This makes me wonder whether “deliver his soul” actually means “not be held responsible [for another’s death]”.
Does “deliver your soul” mean anything different from “save your life”?
Timothy K. Wiebe
How about “We forgive you.” :-/
Mary Ellen Nissley
Luke 17:3
Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.
We tend to think it’s more godly to not rebuke, but just “forgive”.
But Jesus said it’s important to do the rebuking.
For one thing, it opens the door to honest relationships.
And for another, it keeps us real with ourselves. We often think we have forgiven, when we have only stuffed it under the rug. And it rankles, and turns us bitter, and we don’t know why.
Timothy K. Wiebe
I’m assuming the air conditioner wasn’t stolen by a brother.
Mary Ellen Nissley
It never hurts to first rebuke. If that doesn’t work, Jesus gave several steps to follow. If nothing works, we are to count them as a heathen… and Jesus told us how to treat our enemies. 🙂
Timothy K. Wiebe
Last night I heard the testimony of a man who was murdered by some thugs. He was then raised from the dead and refused to press charges. Instead he forgave them openly. One of the men he forgave is a full time evangelist now.
Mary Ellen Nissley
Rebuking doesn’t have to be done in an unloving way.
Mary Ellen Nissley
and I have also heard of taking with you one of HIS friends, to help negotiate.