Bizarre Prophetic Commands/2

Bizarre Prophetic Commands

Exegetical Approaches

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Prophetic Vision

The bizarre actions commanded to prophets and their fulfillment took place only in prophetic visions.  They were meant as analogies, and not intended to be active public displays.

Sources:Ibn EzraHoshea First Commentary 1:2About R. Avraham ibn Ezra, Rambam2 46About Rambam Moreh Nevukhim, RadakYeshayahu 20:2-3Yechezkel 4:4Yechezkel 4:9Yechezkel 5:1Hoshea 1:2About R. David Kimchi

Maintaining prophetic standards – These sources find it unfathomable that Hashem would command His prophets to act in ways which would cause others to view them as unstable or mad. If a prophet walks around naked, marries a prostitute, or lies on his side for months on end, how can he earn the respect of the people and have his rebukes to be heard?

Commanding a transgression? Rambam is further bothered by commands which appear to entail transgressing Biblical commands (such as Yechezkel's shaving of his hair and beard).¹  As Hashem could easily have a prophet relay whatever message He wants through permitted deeds, it is illogical to assume that He would ever command someone to perform a prohibited action.

Burdensome actions – Rambam does not limit his position to commands which might result in shaming the prophet, suggesting that even actions which might only burden a prophet took place in a vision and not in reality.  Thus, he claims that Yirmeyahu did not travel all the way to Bavel to hide his girdle in the Perat; this, too, took place only in a vision.²

Lack of audience

Analogy

No mention of vision – These sources are not bothered by the fact that none of the relevant texts share that the event discussed was just in a dream, assuming that most prophets (besides Moshe) received their prophecies via a vision³ and not while awake.⁴  In addition, once it is recognized that a chapter speaks of a prophetic dream, it can be assumed that all events described therein similarly took place in the vision and not in reality.⁵

"וַיַּעַשׂ כֵּן" – Ibn Ezra and Rambam claim that the fact that a chapter might relay that the "prophet did as told" (see Yeshayahu 20:2 and Hoshea 1:3 ) does not refute this approach.⁶ These words merely mean that the prophet saw himself fulfilling the prophecy in his dream.⁷

Intended audience – If the symbolic actions were not performed publicly, it is unclear for whom they were intended.  This position could suggest any of the following:

• The prophet – It is possible that Hashem wished for the prophet himself to internalize Hashem's messages, for only then would he be able to effectively relay them to the people. Alternatively, certain messages were not even intended to be relayed further and held import only for the prophet.
• Bn"Y –
• Future generations –
• Foreign nations –

Efficacy of prophecy

Symbolic Action

Hashem's commands were actively fulfilled, despite the embarrassment or pain they might have caused the prophet.  This position subdivides, with some commentators assuming that all the commands were fulfilled to the letter and others re-interpreting Hashem's words to mitigate the difficulty their fulfillment might pose for the prophet.

Literal Fulfillment

Hashem's commands are understood literally, without an attempt to soften the directives or make life easier for the prophet.

Sources:R. Yosef ibn KaspiYeshayahu 20:2Hoshea 1:2About R. Yosef ibn Kaspi, AbarbanelYeshayahu 20:1Yechezkel 5:1Hoshea 1:2About R. Yitzchak Abarbanel, MalbimHoshea Beur HaInyan 1:2About R. Meir Leibush Weiser

Non-literal Fulfillment

Many of Hashem's commands are reinterpreted, easing their fulfillment and making them accord more with the standards of behavior expected of a prophet.

Sources:ShadalYeshayahu 20:2Yechezkel 4:4Yechezkel 4:12About R. Shemuel David Luzzatto

¹ He assumes that this directive entailed transgressing the prohibition, "לֹא תַקִּפוּ פְּאַת רֹאשְׁכֶם וְלֹא תַשְׁחִית אֵת פְּאַת זְקָנֶךָ".  However, it is not clear from the verses that Yechezkel would have needed to shave areas which are forbidden.

² Those who read the verses more literally would likely suggest that the verse refers to the Perat River found in the Binyamin region (near Yirmeyahu's hometown), which served as a metaphor for the larger Perat.

³ Moreover, one mention of prophetic visions in a book can suffice for a reader to assume that other prophecies were given in the same manner. Thus, for example, the opening of Yechezkel, "וָאֶרְאֶה מַרְאוֹת אֱלֹהִים" applies to the whole book.

⁴ See Bemidbar 12:6, " וַיֹּאמֶר שִׁמְעוּ נָא דְבָרָי אִם יִהְיֶה נְבִיאֲכֶם י"י בַּמַּרְאָה אֵלָיו אֶתְוַדָּע בַּחֲלוֹם אֲדַבֶּר בּוֹ."

⁵ Thus, for example, Rambam and Radak assume that all of Bereshit 15, including the various actions done by Avraham, such as leaving his tent to view the stars and the slicing of the animals in half, are part of the prophetic vision.

⁶ See Abarbanel who questions this approach because of such verses.

⁷ Similarly, if a verse says that time passed (as in Yeshayahu 20:3, "כַּאֲשֶׁר הָלַךְ עַבְדִּי יְשַׁעְיָהוּ עָרוֹם וְיָחֵף שָׁלֹשׁ שָׁנִים"), this, too, refers only to the feeling that time passed in the dream.