“Son of man, set your face toward Jerusalem, preach against the holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel…” Ezekiel 21:2.
Preach, nataph, Strong’s#5197: To drop down as water, to fall in drops; to flow, drip, ooze, distill, trickle; to cause words to flow.
This verb refers to dripping or flowing of water, rain, honey, myrrh, sweet wine, and words especially in the poetical and prophetic literature of the OT.
In Judges 5; and Psalm 68 nataph is used three times of the clouds of heaven dropping water. In the Song of Deborah, rain pours down and the earth quakes as Yahweh, in a mighty theophany, appears marching across the land, “Lord, when thou didst go forth from Seir, when thou didst march from region of Edom, the earth trembled, and the heavens dropped, yea the clouds dropped water.” Judges 5:4.
Yahweh, not Baal, is the real “Rider of the clouds” Psalm 68:8. In prophetic literature of the OT, nataph is used of one who speaks God’s word to the people. The idea of “prophesy” (preach) is expressed by one who causes words to drop, drip, flow. In our hook, Micah 2:6; words are spoken by wealthy land-grabbers of vs 2, they are asking Micah not to continue speaking (talking long) words of judgment against them vs,1-4.
Chris
Apr 28, 2013 @ 04:48:00
“Rider of the clouds…” I like that.