Hebrew Bible Study
Hebrew Bible Study

Talmud for Isaiah 27:9

לָכֵ֗ן בְּזֹאת֙ יְכֻפַּ֣ר עֲוֺֽן־יַעֲקֹ֔ב וְזֶ֕ה כָּל־פְּרִ֖י הָסִ֣ר חַטָּאת֑וֹ בְּשׂוּמ֣וֹ ׀ כָּל־אַבְנֵ֣י מִזְבֵּ֗חַ כְּאַבְנֵי־גִר֙ מְנֻפָּצ֔וֹת לֹֽא־יָקֻ֥מוּ אֲשֵׁרִ֖ים וְחַמָּנִֽים׃

Therefore by this shall the iniquity of Jacob be expiated, And this is all the fruit of taking away his sin: When he maketh all the stones of the altar as chalkstones that are beaten in pieces, So that the Asherim and the sun-images shall rise no more.

Jerusalem Talmud Avodah Zarah

Rebbi Joḥanan said, a stele is a monolith, an altar has many stones84Babli 53b. In the Babli, instead of maṣseba one uses βωμός, not consistent with the use of the term in the Yerushalmi.. This change in terminology is not usually recognized in the talmudic Dictionaries.. Ḥizqiah said, a stele is annulled once it is damaged; of an altar one has to damage each single stone. A baraita of Ḥizqiah disagrees with him: If you tore down the altar, leave it alone; if you broke the stele, leave it alone 85The terminology is taken from Deut. 12:3.. Rebbi Ze`ira, Rebbi Isaac bar Naḥman in the name of Rebbi Hoshaia; Rebbi Ḥiyya (Rebbi)86Read בר for ר׳. The tradent is R. Ḥiyya bar Abba. Abba, Rebbi Eleazar in the name of Rav Hoshaia: When He turns all stones of the altar like smashed pieces of chalk87Is. 27:9. In the Babli, 54a, this is Ḥizqiah’s baraita; probably here also this is the statement which contradicts his earlier statement that simple damage, not complete annihilation, permits maṣsebot and altars for usufruct., persecute them until you eliminated its egg from the world. But here, if you broke a stele, leave it alone; if you tore down an altar, leave it alone88Divine vengeance is different from rules prescribed for humans..
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