Jewish Concept of God

Anthropomorphic Depictions

The understanding of God distinctive to the Hebrew Bible and hence to Judaic tradition is an amalgamation of anthropomorphic (manlike) and transcendental (otherworldly) tendencies. Emphasis upon the former however runs deep, and to such a level that God in the ancient biblical period is presented in manifest anthropomorphic (manlike)  terms, with ascription of human qualities and attributes so clear, that even the Ten Commandments are said to have been written by the “finger of God”. Some of the anthropomorphisms employed are crude and blatant, portraying God as embodying human physical characteristics and feelings, even acting much like a human being (details being quite graphic in certain places) leaving the theological problem of how to interpret them, their impact, and whether to regard them as objectionable or not. These and other elements are briefly explored in this post.

In the Bible God appears in human form, eats, drinks, rests and is refreshed. For example, in a well-known biblical encounter, God wrestles with Jacob, dislocates Jacob’s thigh and is even shown to be weak, unable to physically dominate Jacob, to the point of finally asking Jacob to let Him go as the dawn breaks.

Theophany (God's Appearance)

Theophany (meaning the appearance of God) is thus a common occurrence in the Hebrew Bible. Many biblical theophanies portray God’s utter closeness to human beings, for the most part in terms of human form, but with varying degrees of explicitness and human embodiment. So, most human organs are ascribed to God except sexuality. There are times when God is portrayed in human shapes and qualities yet residing in the heavens. He is enthroned on a special throne, rides cherubim, plants a garden, studies the Torah, presides over a divine council and even speaks to people directly from this heavenly sphere. Some of the anthropomorphic expressions are figurative or metaphorical as they render themselves to linguistically accepted metaphorical interpretations. Many however are not, being corporeal and anthropomorphic through and through. Unfortunately, numerous biblical scholars muddle these concrete and corporeal phrases by attempting to give them figurative or representational interpretations through recourse to some very arbitrary means. So, for instance, we have scholars attempting to synthetically impose their own sophisticated and developed understandings of God and His nature onto the text of the Hebrew Bible, an approach that completely defies the original intent as well as the context of the script.

Biblical Origins

The origins of Biblical human-like portrayals of God lie in the Book of Genesis, the first book of the Jewish Torah and the Christian Bible. In verse 1:26 God is said to proclaim “na’aseh ‘adam beselmenu kidemutenu”, meaning, “Let us make man in our image after our likeness.” Many orthodox exegetes try to interpret this verse spiritually, claiming that the image and likeness mentioned in the verse refer not to a physical but to a spiritual aspect. However, the original Hebrew words defy any such interpretation. The Hebrew words tzelem (image) and demute (likeness) denote the outward form and not inward spiritual attributes. Howard Eilberg-Schwartz has no hesitation in confessing that this passage in Genesis presupposes “a resemblance between the human body and divine form. The use of the word “image” (selem), which most interpreters construe to mean a physical likeness, supports this view. Furthermore, in Genesis 5:1–3, the term “image” and “likeness” are used to describe the resemblance between Adam and his son Seth. The use of the terminology here suggests that humanity resembles God in the same way that Seth resembles Adam, including their physical characteristics.”

God Like a Man

Therefore, the Hebrew God looks like a man and very often acts like a man. This idea of a God-man resemblance abounds in the Hebrew Bible together with anthropomorphic imagery. Thus God, like man, is “mutable”, freely “localized in space and time,” moves, changes and reacts to changes. Esther J. Hamori observes: “The God of the Hebrew Bible is profoundly anthropomorphic, mutable, free and able to be localized in space and time, able to move, change and be influenced to change. In biblical texts, this includes both intrinsic and extrinsic change…The Israelite God is hardly the immutable, atemporal God of classical theism.”

Further, the God of the Hebrew Bible also changes His mind as well as His decisions. For instance, the prophet Moses is recorded as having made God repent of certain evil decisions so causing God to change His mind. At times God appears as tribalistic with racist undertones, and at others a real estate agent more concerned with the property rights of the Holy Land than worship. Very often He represents the Hebrews’ aspirations and national agenda projecting in a sense their failures, dreams and fears into the cosmos. Thus, in the Hebrew God what we have is not the absolute transcendent and perfect God of theism but rather an imperfect, manlike, corporeal and finite God, a product of His very finite Hebrew creators, those who compiled and recorded the Old Testament.

Ethical Monotheism

Ethical monotheism was not the predominant concern of the early Hebrews. Henotheism (adherence to one particular god out of several, especially by a family, tribe, or other group) is perhaps the best term to denote a patriarchal understanding of God. Monolatry or Mono-Yahwism (the worship of only one god, Yahweh, without denying the existence of other gods) replaces henotheism with the arrival of Prophet Moses who at the same time seems to be sowing the seeds of biblical monotheism although not in the strict sense of the term. His Yahweh is a jealous God though his universe is not free from the existence of other gods. Moreover, his Yahweh is not free from human attributes and qualities seemingly boldly presented in manlike as well as crude physical terms. The anthropomorphic tendency is quite visible even in the case of later prophets, who championed strict monotheism and offered vehement opposition to idolatry and graven images. Their God is not presented in crude material terms, but is still visibly manlike and anthropomorphic i.e., a reflection of the idea that God created man in His own image and likeness. There are many biblical statements that if taken at face value present God in heavenly terms. On the other hand, God’s transcendence is not carefully protected against possible exploitation and compromise. So, the same Bible which differentiates God from mortals, also on many occasions portrays Him very much like mortals with mortal qualities and attributes.

A Tension

There appears to be a tension between anthropomorphism and transcendence throughout the Hebrew Bible but that tension is not quite decisive in eliminating the manlike depictions of God. Moreover, the Jewish community at large did not seem troubled by the presence of these anthropomorphic expressions in their scripture, until the onslaught of Greek philosophy especially in the first century BC. Even later Rabbinic thought, though not without exceptions, appears to be accepting of biblical anthropomorphisms. Hellenistic thought moved several Jewish scholars to interpret anthropomorphic expressions figuratively. For instance, Aristobulus (150 bc) and Philo Judaeus (20 bc–40 ce) championed allegorical interpretation to eliminate anthropomorphic passages, so much so that Philo completely stripped his God of all ascription of attributes.

Medieval Interpretations 

Later in medieval times Sa’adia Gaeon (882–942), Bahya ibn Paquda (1040), and Judah ha-Levi (1075–1141), after Muslims’ ridicule, vehemently opposed biblical anthropomorphisms. Finally, we come to Moses Maimonides (1135– 1204), again under Muslim influence, who propounded the dogma of God’s incorporeality and declared its deniers as idolaters and heretics.  The medieval Jewish philosophers seem to have been bothered by these human expressions, and this was mostly due to the polemic offensive of Muslim speculative theologians against them. Despite the authoritative esteem with which Maimonides was, and is, held among many Jews, his intellectualization of the Hebrew God failed to receive acceptance from among his coreligionists who rejected his pure heavenly deity. They regarded his Hellenistic doctrine to be antithetical to the historically authenticated and scripturally mandated anthropomorphic tradition of Jewry at large.

A Progressive Idea 

The history of God in the Hebrew Bible seems to be progressive, with conflicting anthropomorphic tendencies reflected throughout this progressive process. This paradoxically simmering tension, about the transcendental and anthropomorphic tendencies characterized of God, poses a problem. However, it would not be an issue were the Bible to be accepted as a composite work of many generations, a multiplicity of biblical writers, whose differing worldviews, dispositions and cultural milieus reveal themselves in the text, and so explain the tension. If, on the other hand, we view the Bible as the Word of God verbatim given to Jews through the prophetic offices of Moses and other Hebrew prophets we are left with manifold challenges. For instance, if God is entirely capable (as of course, He is) of expressing His will and intent in idioms most appropriate to His majesty and grandeur then needless to say His authentic Word does not need artificial and arbitrary allegorical tools to convey His true intent to the recipients of His Word. In sum the conflicting tension in the Hebrew Bible is reflective of the competing tendencies, thought patterns, worldviews, and metaphysics of the Hebrew Bible’s compilers and little more. The Hebrew Bible itself is the best witness to this claim, so we turn next to its study for the proof.

According to the first book of the Bible (Genesis 18), God, in the plains of Mamre, appears to Abraham in a "mythical, physical form, Abraham bows down towards the ground, offers Him water, requests Him to let him wash His feet, fetches Him with a morsel of bread and God responds to Abraham's request and does eat.    (Gen. 18:1-9:)

Here is the text:

God Eats

“1 The LORD appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. 2 Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground. 3 He said, “If I have found favor in your eyes, my Lord do not pass your servant by. 4 Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree. 5 Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way—now that you have come to your servant.” “Very well,” they answered, “do as you say.” 6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. “Quick,” he said, “get three seahs of the finest flour and knead it and bake some bread.” 7 Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it. 8 He then brought some curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared, and set these before them. While they ate, he stood near them under a tree. 9 “Where is your wife Sarah?” they asked him. “There, in the tent,” he said. 10 Then one of them said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.”Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. 11 Abraham and Sarah were already very old, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. 12 So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?” 13 Then the LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, „Will I really have a child, now that I am old?‟ 14 Is anything too hard for the LORD? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”

God's Organs

God’s face is mentioned about 236 times. About 200 times his eyes are mentioned. God has a nose (Gen. 8:21), there goes "a smoke out of his nostrils" (Psalms 18:8), he smells (Exodus 25:6; 29:18; I Sam. 2:18), he likes and is pleased with the sweet odor (Ezek. 20:41)

God Wrestles

Genesis 32 portrays a wrestling match between God and Jacob: “And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.  25  And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.  26  And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.  27  And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.  28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel : for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.  29  And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there.  30  And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel  : for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved. (Gen. 32)

God Repents of the Evil

Exodus 32 states that God intended to destroy the Israelites due to their evil acts but Moses admonished God and encouraged God to repent of that evil act and God did repent.

“And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people: 10 Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation. 11 And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand? 12 Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it forever.  14  And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people. (Ex.32)

God Rests and is Refreshed

Exodus 31 explains that God gets tired, rests and is refreshed. The Ten Commandments were written by God’s finger. “17 It will be a sign between me and the Israelites forever, for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.‟” 18 When the LORD finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two tablets of the covenant law, the tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God.”

God Commands Deception and Plunder

Exodus 3 maintains that God commanded the Israelites to deceive their Egyptian neighbors and steal from them.

“Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—appeared to me and said: I have watched over you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt. 17 And I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—a land flowing with milk and honey.’18 “The elders of Israel will listen to you. Then you and the elders are to go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God.’ 19 But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand compels him. 20 So I will stretch out my hand and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders that I will perform among them. After that, he will let you go. 21 “And I will make the Egyptians favorably disposed toward this people, so that when you leave you will not go empty-handed. 22 Every woman is to ask her neighbor and any woman living in her house for articles of silver and gold and for clothing, which you will put on your sons and daughters. And so you will plunder the Egyptians.”

Exodus 7 states that the Lord made Moses the God to Pharaoh. “7:1 Then the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet.” 

Exodus 12 states that the Lord told them to put blood on their doors so the Lord could differentiate Israelite houses from the Egyptians. “12:12 “On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. 13 The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.”

Israelites plundered the Egyptians under God’s command. “12:35 The Israelites did as Moses instructed and asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold and for clothing. 36 The Lord had made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and they gave them what they asked for; so they plundered the Egyptians.”

Conclusion

It is clear from the above biblical texts that the Jewish Bible portrays God in human terms, with human shortcomings and moral deficiencies. A Muslim is shocked to witness such a manlike God who eats, drinks, goes through periods of sleep, cries, commands theft, robberies, plunders, murders, genocide, ethnic cleansing, and extermination of everything that breaths. That God seems to be an immoral maniac dangerous to imitate as Richard Dawkins and others have noted. Richard Dawkins wonders whether “those people who hold up the Bible as an inspiration to moral rectitude have the slightest notion of what is actually written in it?” He feels the same about the biblical God: “What makes my jaw drop is that people today should base their lives on such an appalling role model as Yahweh - and, even worse, that they should bossily try to force the same evil monster (whether fact or fiction) on the rest of us.”

See details in my book “Concept of God in the Judeo-Christian and Islamic Traditions”, chapter 2