"Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live" (Exod 22:18) and contemporary Akan Christian belief and practice : a translational and hermeneutical problem
The King James Version (KJV) of Exod 22:18, "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live," has been used by some contemporary ordinary Akan Christians in Ghana to justify praying for the death and destruction of witches and wizards. Instructions such as "Pray for the death of any witch in y...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
SA ePublications
2016
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| In: |
Old Testament essays
Year: 2016, Volume: 29, Issue: 1, Pages: 11-32 |
| Further subjects: | B
Obaa ntafowayifo
B KJV B Obaa-ayen B hermeneutical and translational problem B Witch |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (kostenfrei) |
| Summary: | The King James Version (KJV) of Exod 22:18, "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live," has been used by some contemporary ordinary Akan Christians in Ghana to justify praying for the death and destruction of witches and wizards. Instructions such as "Pray for the death of any witch in your family or business; pray that Holy Ghost fire will consume any witch holding your destiny," have become a common statement at some Akan Christian prayer meetings in Ghana. This article seeks to show this belief and practice is a translational and hermeneutical problem because the Hebrew word תפּשּׂבֿטּ which the KJV translates as "witch" and subsequently translated in early Asante Bible as obayifo2 is a representational term used by the redactor of Exod 22:18 to reflect the semantic range of idolatrous practices condemned by YHWH among the Israelites. The article also purports to show that the phrase תּההאּלּ does not necessarily mean to kill the offender, and that the prohibition can be understood as being essentially religious rather than merely legal. |
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| ISSN: | 2312-3621 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Old Testament essays
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| Persistent identifiers: | HDL: 10520/EJC187705 |