הֶאָמֹ֤ר תֹּאמַר֙ אֱלֹהִ֣ים אָ֔נִי לִפְנֵ֖י הֹֽרְגֶ֑ךָ וְאַתָּ֥ה אָדָ֛ם וְלֹא־אֵ֖ל בְּיַ֥ד מְחַלְלֶֽיךָ׃
Masihkah kamu akan berkata, ‘Aku ini Allah’, di hadapan orang yang membunuhmu? Padahal kamu hanyalah manusia dan bukan Allah, di tangan orang-orang yang menewaskanmu.
Rabbeinu Chananel
ותגנב רחל את התרפים אשר לאביה; she stole them in order that he would reconsider his actions, saying to himself that any deity which allows itself to be stolen surely cannot be much good to anyone. The same argument had been used by Yoash who told his father that if his deity, the baal, was really capable of avenging himself, he should do so himself instead of letting his human worshipper become his defender. (Judges 6,31) Similar arguments are reflected in Ezekiel 28,9 where the prophet predicts the downfall of the King of Tzor (Tyre) who had declared himself a god. He ridicules this “god” as saying to his murderer: “I am a god!” (quoted by Rabbeinu Bachya).
Rabbeinu Bahya
Rabbeinu Chananel writes as follows concerning the subject of the Teraphim: Rachel stole the Teraphim in order to force her father to become a penitent seeing he would realise that a god which allows itself to be stolen surely could not be something of substance. How could a god who cannot take care of himself take care of others? We find the same argument spelled out in detail in Judges 6,31 where Yoash ridicules the people who want to avenge their idol and execute Jerubaal (Gideon) who had smashed its altar, saying to them: “let the Baal fight his own enemies if he is as powerful as you believe him to be!” Ezekiel 28,9 phrases it thus: “Will you then say before your murderer: ”I am a god?’ But you are a man and no god in the hand of your desecrators.” [The subject of discussion was Chiram King of Tyre, a friend of David and Solomon who developed illusions of grandeur].