Additional note on šadday
Additional note on šadday
The divine name rendered the Almighty in Ruth 1:21 is the Hebrew šadday. This term is used in this way forty-eight times. It is especially common in the book of Job where it is found thirty-one times. In prose it is often linked with ’el in the expression translated ‘God almighty’, but in poetry it commonly stands alone, though ’el may be used in parallelism (e.g. Job 8:3). The significance to be attached to šadday is not immediately obvious, and very varied suggestions have been made. Mostly they centre round the thoughts of power or compassion.An obvious approach is the etymological one. Many have felt that by starting with the root meaning of the word we will be led to its significance as a divine name. Unfortunately, however, there is little agreement among scholars as to what the root meaning is. Thus Norman Walker, in an important article, lists and rejects eleven suggested derivations and proceeds to add another of his own.9 He notes three from the Hebrew, namely ‘My destroyer’ (šh-d-d, ‘destroy’) favoured by Franz Delitzsch, A. Dillmann and B. Stade, ‘My Rain-giver’ (šh-d-h, ‘give rain’) favoured by W. Robertson Smith, and ‘My Demon’ (šhēd, ‘demon’) suggested by T. Nöldeke. Eight he sees as based on the view that ultimately the term comes from the Assyrian šhadû, ‘mountain’. He lists ‘My Mountain’ (Friedrich Delitzsch), ‘of the Mountains’ (C. J. Ball), ‘Mountain’ (through the Aramaic; F. Baethgen, S. A. Cook), ‘Mountain-Moon’ (šhadû+ai, ‘moon’; F. Hommel), ‘of the Two Mountains’ (dual form; H. Radau), ‘of the Hill-Country’ (G. A. Barton), ‘of the Mountains’ (W. F. Albright), and ‘of the Mountains’ (through the Amorite šhadê; Garrow Duncan). To this impressive list Norman Walker adds his own derivation of the term. He thinks it comes from the Sumerian šozu, the eighteenth of the god Marduk’s fifty names. This he sees as meaning ‘All-knowing’, which ‘seems more in keeping with the thoughts of the devoutly religious, like Abraham, Naomi and Job, than the Greek rendering “All-ruling, Almighty” of the Septuagint’.10Even this dozen suggestions does not exhaust the possibilities. H. F. Stevenson holds to ‘the traditional view that Shaddai is derived from the word “invariably used in Scripture for a woman’s breast” (Schofield)’.11 He thinks that the term denotes ‘the Breasted One’ and maintains that it points to the compassion of God. He cites G. Campbell Morgan and Canon R. B. Girdlestone in support of this view, the former rendering it by ‘God All-bountiful’ or ‘God All-sufficient’.John Skinner mentions yet other suggestions. He reminds us of the traditional Jewish derivation from š=’ăšer and day, ‘the all-sufficient’ or ‘self-sufficient’. He refers to others we have listed, and to some, like that from the Syriac meaning ‘to hurl’, that we have not.12But it is clear that we have gone far enough along this road. Etymology yields such varied results that there can be no doubt but that it is a dubious guide to the meaning of the word. There is nothing at all that gives us conclusive information about its derivation.13 All conclusions based on etymology must be regarded as hazardous in our present state of knowledge.We turn to the way the word is used. šadday is an ancient name, for God said to Moses, ‘I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of ’el šadday’ (Exod. 6:3, AV). This is borne out by a study of Genesis. The first occurrence of the name is in the Lord’s appearance to Abraham when that patriarch was ninety-nine years old. God said, ‘I am ’el šadday’ (Gen. 17:1), after which he commanded him to walk before him and be perfect, and promised to make a covenant with him. Isaac called on ’el šadday to bless Jacob on the occasion when he was about to set out for Padan-aram (Gen. 28:3). When God appeared to Jacob and changed his name to Israel he told him, ‘I am ’el šadday: be fruitful and multiply … the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it’ (Gen. 35:11f., AV). In each of these passages there is the thought of the power of God. He disposes as he sees fit, and no obstacle need be taken into account. But equally every one of the passages we have cited could be understood of a compassionate God, who had mercy on Abraham and on Isaac and on Jacob and blessed them all. It would also not be difficult to make out a case for omniscience, with the ‘All-Knowing’ declaring in each case exactly what will come to pass. This is a difficulty which often meets us. In many passages more than one suggested meaning yields a satisfactory sense.There are some places, however, where the thought of power seems more appropriate than any other meaning, as when we read in Psalm 68:14 of the time ‘When šadday scattered kings’, or when šadday is the abiding place of him ‘that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High’. This man ‘shall abide under the shadow of šadday. I will say of the Lord, he is my refuge and my fortress’ (Ps. 91:1f., AV; cf. Job 22:25). The thought here is surely that of strength. So is it when Isaiah calls on men to howl, ‘for the day of the Lord is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from šadday’ (Isa. 13:6, AV). Joel also speaks of the day of the Lord as at hand, and he tells us that ‘as a destruction from šadday shall it come’ (Joel 1:15, AV). Ezekiel twice refers to the voice of šadday, likening it to the sound of many waters and to the noise of the wings of the cherubim (Ezek. 1:24; 10:5). There are also some passages in Job where the thought of power seems appropriate, as when the patriarch is exhorted, ‘despise not thou the chastening of šadday: for he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole’ (Job 5:17f., AV). So Job can say, ‘the arrows of šadday are within me, the poison whereof drinketh up my spirit: the terrors of God do set themselves in array against me’ (Job 6:4, AV; cf. 23:16; 27:2). Similarly, Zophar’s series of questions indicates the greatness of God: ‘Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out šadday unto perfection?’ (Job 11:7, AV). Again, Elihu could say, ‘Touching šadday, we cannot find him out’ (Job 37:23, AV).From all this it seems that the thought of power does attach to the name. There are many passages wherein this is the most appropriate meaning, and very few, if any, where it is not acceptable. We should accordingly take this to be the basic force of šadday as a name of God.When Naomi then says ‘šadday hath dealt very bitterly with me’ and ‘šadday hath afflicted me’ (Ruth 1:20f., AV) the emphasis will be on God’s great power. He cannot be resisted. If he sends disaster on anyone, that disaster cannot be averted. The book, of course, goes on to bring out the complementary thought that God in his grace has mercy on his people. But our author does not choose to use this name of God when he brings out the point.