Moab and the Talmud
The next chapter is about the kingdom of Moab. In contemporary days, Moab lies in the country of Jordan. It is a section of land just east of the Dead Sea. Moab was a small portion, maybe 1/3 of contemporary Jordan. While the actual message about the nation of Moab I don’t quite understand, it is interesting to revisit the history of the Moabites chronicled through the Bible. Moab is the son of Lot and Lot’s eldest daughter. Yes, that is correct: they had incest. Genesis 19:23-38 records the incident of Lot and his daughters after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot’s daughters got him drunk and performed the act to “preserve our family” (vs. 32). A rather disgusting origin to a nation’s existence.
The most well-known Moabite is probably Ruth; since there is an entire book about her. Ruth the Moabitess becomes a member in the lineage of David and ultimately Jesus the Messiah. This is quite fascinating to see the weaving of relationships between these different people. Lot was Abraham’s nephew; and now Ruth, a Moabitess, became the great-grandmother of King David. The story of Boaz and Ruth is amazing and worth taking the time to read. The book of Ruth can be read in one sitting since it is only 4 chapters.
After some searching, there does not seem to be a consensus on who they are today. A few people suggest the Chinese and Japanese, but it seems this is quickly disregarded by most. Other suggest that the Palestinians and Jordanians are the descendants of the Moabites. However, without extensive research it isn’t clear.
In Rabbinic studies there seems to be an even deeper connection between David and Goliath. Most of us know the story, the young shepherd boy defeating a warrior giant in single-combat with only a sling and a stone. While investigating the Moabites, I found an interesting thread of thought. According to Sotah 42b of the Babylonian Talmud (I believe I have accurately named the title of the texts), Orpah the second daughter-in-law of Naomi from the book of Ruth was the mother of Goliath. That would mean Goliath and David were distant legal relatives. However, the source is not the Bible and therefore not to be considered absolute truth or Cannon.
While I have very little to say about Isaiah 15, it is fascinating to navigate the complex sources provided by scholars. Since I did not know much about Moab, I thought it would great to educate myself while writing this post. In searching for information about Moab, I ended up finding another blind spot in my knowledge. My original thought was to continue examining the history of Moab and who these people are today. However, I stumbled upon something called the Talmud. This text—or collection of texts—are the teachings and thoughts of Rabbi over the centuries about the Hebrew scriptures.
It is a common mistake to believe that Jewish scholars strictly adhere to the Christian “Old Testament.” It is a mistake I often make. The Talmud is an enlightening discovery. The Talmud seems to be written over the centuries, beginning sometime in the 2nd century A.D. (C.E.). It is the oral debates and thoughts of various rabbi put to paper. The Talmud is not the Torah (which is the first five books of the Old Testament). It is rather a commentary on the application of the Torah. The importance of the Talmud is not obvious to me. It does seem to be quite important to Jewish studies, but I don’t know the weight it carries.
Sotah is a section/book within the Talmud that specifically discusses women and their roles in society and family life if I understand correctly. According to one source, this section of the Talmud was written between c.450-c.550CE.[i] There are many translations into English and I don’t know which one is the best. I know very little about Rabbinic teaching or the qualifications of Jewish scholars.
In the future I will endeavor to explore the Talmud to expand my understanding of these texts. One thought that occurred to me is: the Talmud is similar to extra-Biblical teachings in the church. When a well-known Christian scholar discusses topics of the Bible, their teaching isn’t necessarily 100% correct understanding of God’s will. For example, my own writings are not equal in value with the Bible: my writings are extra, a steppingstone or sign to that which is greater. This might be an appropriate view of the Talmud. There might be some intriguing lessons, but it cannot replace the Word of God.
