feasting, drinking, and getting stoned in ancient #Israel #judaism

2020.12.24..25: relig/judaism/

feasting, drinking, and getting stoned in ancient Israel:

. this is my commentary on:

biblical archaeology review 2020:

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-archaeology-review-winter-2020/

46#5; p52: Gluttony and Drunkenness in Ancient Israel

by Rebekah Welton.

. I assumed some priests ate meat every day 

because they had daily animal sacrifices,

but Welton claims that generally

ancient Israelites rarely ate meat.

. the deserts do not easily support cattle,

so they were used mainly for plowing fields;

most of the milk came from sheep and goats.

. the goats are less valuable than sheep

but 2/3 of the flock would be goats

because they eat weeds that sheep waste.

. Welton claims lentils were seasonal

suggesting they didn't store well over the winter

or were so popular they were always eaten immediately.

. apparently the only things they ate year round

were wheat, barley, and cheese.

. dung was important fuel for baking bread.

. during a famine when the herds needed to be culled

(reducing the demand to fit the supply)

the males of the milking herd were culled first

because they offered no milk yet needed milk.

I wondered if that fact had anything to do with

some rules about sacrifices

that require male rather than female animals.

. beer production was much easier

and more common than wine.

there was a daily beer offering

while the wine offering was only monthly;

therefore, when the bible says "shekar" 

which is usually translated as "strong drink"

that word practically means beer.

Strong's Concordance:

https://biblehub.com/hebrew/7941.htm

shekar: intoxicating drink, strong drink;

from shakar: to be or become drunk or drunken.

the disobedient son was stoned for what?

Deuteronomy 21

https://www.biblestudytools.com/parallel-bible/passage/?q=deut+21%3A18-25&t=bbe&t2=ojb

20 [if parents must report to the community that:]

"This son of ours is hard-hearted and uncontrolled, 

he will not give attention to us; 

he is a {זוֹלֵ֖ל zolel, zō-w-lêl, shaking one,

giving himself up to (sexual) pleasure},

and is into {וְסֹבֵֽא׃ wə-sō-ḇê, soveh, sobe, 

a drink with spirits}"

21 Then he is to be stoned to death

by all the men of the town: 

so you are to put away the evil from among you; 

and all Israel, hearing of it, 

will be full of fear.

hebrew analysis of Deut 21:20:

https://biblehub.com/text/deuteronomy/21-20.htm

drunkard is actually wə·sō·ḇê וְסֹבֵֽא

from sobe: a drink, liquor 

https://biblehub.com/hebrew/5435.htm

other uses of סֹ֫בֶא (sobe)

https://biblehub.com/hebrew/strongs_5435.htm

gluttony is acually zō·w·lêl זוֹלֵ֖ל

https://biblehub.com/hebrew/zolel_2151.htm

from zalal: down, to shake

https://biblehub.com/hebrew/2151.htm

other uses of  זָלַל (zalal)

https://biblehub.com/hebrew/strongs_2151.htm

. there was a lot of drinking in the bible;

and according to Welton,

it was generally viewed favorably:

the times when bible authors

warn against getting drunk

they are referring to the elites:

the king, prophets, priests, and children.

. I suppose that evil drunks are beaten up,

whereas, one doesn't treat elites that way,

so they will need to have more self control.

. gluttony too was seen as a blessing

according to Welton's reading of the bible;

the wealthy were criticized for being gluttons

only when they didn't offer to help the poor;

ie, it's not that they ate too much,

but what they ate didn't really belong to them,

it should have been directed at charity.

. likewise,

if the stoned son was accused of "gluttony"

the actual problem was misappropriating food:

either he took from his parents against their will,

or he took what should have been sacrificed,

or he shared what was sacrificed to a foreign god,

or he stole the food from a neighbor.

. these are rules covered by the 10 commandments

which are all punishable by death.

(don't steal, don't worship other gods;

and, do honor your parents and your god).

. also gluttony of beer is especially likely

to make one prone to not honor one's parents

and therefore the root of the disobedience.

. but this analysis by Welton implies that

in the stoning of the son,

the disobedience involved gluttony,

whereas the word referenced is related to shaking,

which is what masturbators appear to be doing.

. Welton does point out that a zolel is not exactly a glutton;

and also, sobe is not exactly a drunkard;

I got the impression it referred to one who

pleases himself with the spirit of a drunkard.

pay no mind to fortune by the god Destiny:

Isaiah 65:11

https://biblehub.com/text/isaiah/65-11.htm

11 But as for you who have given up 

(the name of Israel's god);

who have no care for my holy mountain,

who get ready a {shulchan, table} 

for {Chance, Fortune, good fortune, Gad},

and make offerings of mixed wine 

to the heathen god {Fate; Destiny, Meni "award"};

12 Your fate will be the sword, ... .

the design of everyday things.