Monday, February 25, 2013

Uriah Smith on the 2520

THE "SEVEN TIMES" OF LEVITICUS 26
(Uriah Smith, Daniel and the Revelation, Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1912 ed., pp. 784, 785)
Almost every scheme of the "Plan of the Ages," "Age-to-come," etc., makes use of a supposed prophetic period called the "Seven Times;" and the attempt is made to figure out a remarkable fulfilment by events in Jewish and Gentile history. All such speculators might as well spare their pains; for there is no such prophetic period in the Bible.
The term is taken from Leviticus 26, where the Lord denounces judgments against the Jews, if they shall forsake him. After mentioning a long list of calamities down to verse 17, the Lord says:
"And if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins." Verse 18. Verses 19 and 20 enumerate the additional judgments, then it is added in verse 21:
"And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me: I will bring seven times more plagues upon you according to your sins." More judgments are enumerated, and then in verses 23 and 24 the threatening is repeated: "And if ye will not be reformed by me these things, but will walk contrary unto me; then will I also walk contrary unto you, and will punish you yet seven times for your sins." In verse 28 it is repeated again.
Thus the expression occurs four times, and each succeeding mention brings to view severer punishments, because the preceding ones were not heeded. Now, if "seven times" denotes a prophetic period (2520 years), then we would have four of them, amounting in all to 10,080 years, which would be rather a long time to keep a nation under chastisement.
But we need borrow no trouble on this score; for the expression "seven times" does not denote a period of duration, but is simply an adverb expressing degree, and setting forth the severity of the judgments to be brought upon Israel.
If it denoted a period of time, a noun and its adjective would be used, as in Dan. 4: 16: "Let seven times pass over him." Here we have the noun (times) and adjective (seven): thus, shibah iddan; but in the passages quoted above from Leviticus 26, the words "seven times" are simply the adverb sheba, which means "sevenfold." The Septuagint makes the same distinction (in the Greek, using the noun and adjective) in Dan. 4: 16, etc., but in Leviticus simply the adverb.
The expression in Dan. 4: 16 is not prophetic, for it is used in plain, literal narration. (See verse 25.)

2 comments:

  1. The questions that centre around the meaning of the phrase ‘seven times’ cannot be explicitly answered from the Hebrew alone but it can be shown that there is a contextual and linguistic justification for the argument that the word ‘seven’ (Heb. sheba) in the text is best understood as being a period or duration under which Israel will be chastised or corrected for its transgression of God’s laws in general and the Sabbatical cycle in particular.
    For those advocating that ‘sheba’ is to be understood in a symbolic manner there are two camps. Some try to see it as referring to the completeness or perfection of God’s judgements upon Israel, others see that there is an inherit implication of intensity and that ‘seven times’ is better understood as ‘sevenfold’ worse judgements. Both try to give ‘sheba’ an adverbial form modifying the verb ‘chastise’. We see the adverb in the sentence as being the word translated in the KJV as ‘more’ (Heb. yasaf) being the adverb modifying ‘chastise’. Sheba then, in that context becomes a noun (merely the number seven). We then translate the sentence in Leviticus 26: 18 as, “If as yet for all this you will not hearken, then I will prolong your punishing even seven for your sins. “
    We have translated ‘yasaf ‘as 'prolong', which is its usual meaning. It never has the meaning of ‘more’ as in ‘intensity’ in this context. It is our position that the use of 'sheba' in Leviticus 26 is unique and refers to a duration rather than an intensity.

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  2. LEVITICUS 26 DANIEL 4
    'SEVEN TIMES' IS MENTIONED FOUR TIMES. 'SEVEN TIMES' IS MENTIONED FOUR TIMES.
    PRIDE OF YOUR POWER IS NOT THIS GREAT BABYLON THAT I HAVE BUILT FOR THE HOUSE OF THE KINGDOM BY THE MIGHT OF MY POWER AND FOR THE HONOUR OF MY MAJESTY?
    HEAVEN AS IRON, AND YOUR EARTH AS BRASS A BAND OF IRON AND BRASS, IN THE
    TENDER GRASS OF THE FIELD; AND LET IT BE WET WITH THE DEW OF HEAVEN, AND LET HIS
    PORTION BE WITH THE BEASTS IN THE GRASS OF THE EARTH:
    FOR YOUR LAND SHALL NOT YIELD HER INCREASE, NEITHER SHALL THE TREES OF THE LAND YIELD
    THEIR FRUITS. THE TREE GREW, AND WAS STRONG, AND THE HEIGHT THEREOF REACHED
    UNTO HEAVEN, AND THE SIGHT THEREOF TO THE END OF ALL THE EARTH: THE LEAVES THEREOF
    WERE FAIR, AND THE FRUIT THEREOF MUCH,
    I WILL ALSO SEND WILD BEASTS AMONG YOU LET HIS PORTION BE WITH THE BEASTS
    I WILL SCATTER YOU AMONG THE HEATHEN SCATTER HIS FRUIT
    “CUT DOWN” “HEW DOWN”
    BANDS BAND
    BEASTS (2) BEAST, S (8)
    BRASS BRASS (2)
    EARTH EARTH (8)
    ENEMY, IES (6) ENEMIES
    FIELD FIELD (4)
    FRUIT, FUL, S) (3) FRUIT (3)
    HEAVEN HEAVEN, S (14)
    IRON IRON (2)
    PRIDE PRIDE
    SCATTER SCATTER
    TREES (2) TREE (6)

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