| It
will demonstrated that the distinct cognitive quality of rum (to
lift up) and sur (turn aside, take away, remove) are maintained in both
Lev. 1-7 and Dn. 8:11; 11:31 & 12:11. The distinctive root meanings of
rum and sur are contrasted in Lev. 4:8, 9 & 10 where rum,
sur and rum are used respectively. If the meaning of rum
and sur were synonyms in these consecutive verses, it would make no
sense to use two different verbs. Clearly the author intended a distinct
and different activity in verses 8 & 10 where rum is used
compared to verse 9 where sur is used. In verses 8 & 10 the
priest offers up the fat or lifts up the fat from the sin offering to burn
it on the altar of burnt offering. In verse 9, the priest specifically
removes or turns aside the fold on the liver beside the kidneys. The
literal translation is rendered: “And he shall lift up from it all the
fat of the bullock of the sin offering, the fat which (is/was) covering
over the inward parts (verse 8), and the two kidneys and the fat which
(is/was) on them, which (is/was) beside the flanks and he shall remove
(turn aside) the fold on the liver beside the kidneys (verse 9). As it is
lifted up from the sacrifice of the peace offerings of the bullock, the
priest also shall burn them as incense on the altar of burnt offering”
(verse 10).
Careful examination of every use
of rum and sur in Lev. 1-7 reveals two distinct and
consecutive actions. First, the fat is removed (turned aside) or separated
(sur) from the inward parts and second, the separated fat is lifted
up by the priest from the sacrificial offering and burned on the altar. It
is especially noteworthy that in the case of food (cereal) offerings,
there is no fat to remove (turn aside) or separate (sur) and
without exception the root verb rum is used where the priest lifts up from
the food offering, its memorial offering, and burns it as incense on the
altar (see Lev. 2:9; 6:15). The activity involves offering up or lifting
up the cereal to burn as incense as opposed to removing the food offering.
It is also noteworthy that Lev. 6:15-20 is the only passage in the OT
where rum and tamid are closely linked. This linkage does
not exist for sur. The flour lifted up (rum) in Lev. 6:15
was to be a “continual” food offering in verse 20. This is parallel to
the linkage of these two words in Dn. 8:11.
The sequential activity of first
removing the fat from the inward parts of the sin offering and then
lifting up the fat as a burnt offering in Lev. 4 is confirmed by an
examination of sur in Lev. 3 in connection with the peace offering
of the bullock. A reading of Lev. 3:1-5 reveals that the priest brings
near to Jehovah the fat only after it is removed (turned aside) or
separated (sur) from the inward parts including the fatty fold by
the liver. It is then burned as incense on the altar (v. 5). The same
sequence is described more explicitly in verses 9-11. This reading alone
would suggest that the rum activity of lifting up the fat following
its separation or removal was not involved. However, Lev. 4:10 explicitly
states that just as the fat was lifted up (rum) from the sacrifice
of the peace offering of the bullock, described in Lev. 3:1-11, so also
the fat of the sin offering of Lev. 4:1-12 is to be lifted up from the sin
offering and burned as incense after its prior removal (sur) as
described in Lev. 3. Hence it becomes clear that there is a two-fold
sequential activity involved with both the sin and peace offerings of
sacrificial animals. First, the fat is turned aside or separated (sur)
from the inward parts and second the separated fat is lifted up (rum)
from the animal as an incense offering on the altar of burnt offering.
This two-fold sequential activity is in contrast to the singular rum
activity associated with the cereal offering. The exclusive cognitive
quality of rum (lift up or offer up) is again set forth with the
food offerings in Num. 15:19-20 in which the children of Israel are to
lift up (rum) a cake of the first of their dough as a heave
offering. The use of sur is superfluous since nothing needs to be
separated which was previously intimately united such as fat to the inward
parts.
The distinctive root meaning of rum
is also clearly evident in Lev. 6:10-11 in which the priest “lifts up”
the ashes from the altar and places them beside the altar. The priest does
not remove (sur) the ashes from the altar since they are first
lifted up from and then placed beside the altar. Then, only after changing
his garments, the priest brings (the removal activity) the ashes outside
the camp.
In every case where rum is
employed in the cultic service of Leviticus and Numbers, the accurate,
literal rendering is “lift up” or “offer up” in harmony with the
root meaning of rum. Rodriguez correctly points out that rum
is often used in cultic settings in the sense of “to donate” or “to
give a gift” (Num. 15:19-21) but simply acquiesces to Jacob Milgram’s
assertion that rum should be rendered “to remove, set aside” in
Lev. 2:9 & 4:8. However, the context of the passages and the evidence
presented reveals that the priest does not set aside but lifts up a food
offering and burns it as incense (Lev. 2:9) and lifts up the fat following
its separation from the inward parts as offering of incense in Lev.
4:8-10.33
It is suggested that the evidence
convincingly demonstrates that the distinct cognitive qualities for root
meanings of both rum and sur are maintained throughout
Leviticus and Daniel as well as the entire OT. The evidence will not
substantiate a claim of a specialized use of an “extended” meaning for
rum for the cultic functions of Leviticus.
The only two instances among the
hundreds of normal renderings where rum is translated as “take
away” are found in Dn. 8:11 and Eze. 45:9 in the KJV. The New Englishman’s
Hebrew Concordance confirms these observations.34
The phrase in Eze. 45:9 translated as “take away your exactions from my
people” is more accurately rendered “take up or lift up your exactions
(oppression) from my people”. The “daily” is, in fact, “turned
aside or taken away” in Dn. 11:31 and Dn. 12:11; but the Hebrew verb sur
is used in these instances. Lexical evidence confirms that the basic sense
of meaning for sur is “to turn aside” or “to depart” with
occasional extended meanings in the hiphil and hophal of “taken away”
or “be removed”.35
The Hebrew concordance again confirms that the hundreds of uses of sur
in the various verbal forms always have this sense of meaning.36
The translators of the Hebrew text, apparently in an effort to maintain
consistency of “activity of the daily” in Dn. 8:11 with 11:31 &
12:11, translated rum of Dn. 8:11 in this particular instance as
“take away” (rather than the correct rendering of “lift up” or “raise
up”) to correspond with sur of Dn. 11:31 & 12:11.
Hasel does not give any
linguistic evidence for his acceptance of the rendering “take away”
for rum in Dn. 8:11. He devotes only 4 lines out of 84 pages to this key
issue.37 With the
correct translation of rum, Hasel’s rendering of the second
phrase of verse 11 would be: “from Him (Christ) the daily (Priestly
ministry) was lifted up or raised up and the place of His sanctuary was
cast down”. This rendering is self-contradictory and retains no
self-consistency with the text, if the antecedent of “him” is the
Prince of the host. The accurate rendering of the second phrase of verse
11 in view of the evidence presented thus far, is: “and from him (Rome:
masculine, pagan phase) the daily was lifted up.” When “the daily”
represents the self-exalting behavior of pagan Rome, as it will be
demonstrated, the text is self-consistent and becomes significant. In this
case the little horn lifts up this self-exalting character. Ellen White
supports this meaning: “paganism” and “her doctrines, ceremonies,
and superstitions were incorporated into the faith and worship of
the professed followers of Christ” which “resulted in the development
of ‘the man of sin.’”38
5.2.2.2
Hattamid Linkage with Gadal. |