"Call Upon The Name of The Lord"
Genesis 4:26 says that "at that time men began to call upon the name of the Lord". In giving a meaning to the statement, commentators have proposed that it means either (1) then began men to call themselves by the name of the Lord (marg.) i.e., to distinguish themselves thereby from idolaters; or (2) then men in some public and earnest way began to call upon the Lord, indicating a time of spiritual revival.
The traditional Jewish interpretation of this verse, though, implies that it marked the beginning of idolatry, i.e. that men start dubbing "Lord" things that were mere creatures. This is because the previous generations, notably Adam, had already "begun calling upon the name of the Lord", which forces us to interpret הוחל huchal not as "began" but as the homonym "profanated". In this light, Enosh suggests the notion of a humanity (Enoshut) thinking of itself as an absolute rather than in relation to God (Enosh vs. Adam).
Read more about this topic: Enos (biblical Figure)
Famous quotes containing the words call, the and/or lord:
“It is very strange, and very melancholy, that the paucity of human pleasures should persuade us ever to call hunting one of them.”
—Samuel Johnson (1709–1784)
“The government, which is the supreme authority in states, must be in the hands of one, or of a few, or of the many. The true forms of government, therefore, are those in which the one, the few, or the many, govern with a view to the common interest.”
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“Now the spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD tormented him.”
—Bible: Hebrew, 1 Samuel 16:14.