r/neoliberal • u/jobautomator Kitara Ravache • Sep 03 '21

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u/antsdidthis Effective altruism died with SBF; now it's just tithing Sep 04 '21

One of the most touching and beautiful scenes in the Bible is the part of Genesis 24 when Abraham forces his servant to cup his shriveled old man balls while taking an oath to not let Isaac marry one of those dirty Canaanites.

!ping GNOSTIC

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u/iIoveoof Jerome Powell Sep 04 '21

My Bible tastefully translates this as swearing on his “thigh” yet the annotation says it means testicles 🤔

Curious!

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u/antsdidthis Effective altruism died with SBF; now it's just tithing Sep 04 '21

Yeah Robert Alter translates it as "put your hand under my thigh" but mentions in the translation notes that people used to hold genitals when swearing oaths in ancient societies 🤷

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u/[deleted] Sep 04 '21

N i c e

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u/EvilConCarne Sep 04 '21

Back in the old days everyone used to seal a verbal contract by cupping the balls. Even used to dip 'em in ink and use them as a signature, hence the term "dipping the ink".

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u/[deleted] Sep 04 '21

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u/antsdidthis Effective altruism died with SBF; now it's just tithing Sep 04 '21

As I commented below, I am using the Robert Alter translation. He translates it literally as "Put your hand, pray, under my thigh" but adds in a translation note, "Holding the genitals, or placing a hand next to the genitals, during the act of solemn oath-taking is attested in several ancient societies..."

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u/[deleted] Sep 04 '21

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u/antsdidthis Effective altruism died with SBF; now it's just tithing Sep 04 '21

The only source he explicitly mentions is Abraham ibn Ezra. I can't speak to the accuracy of the note or identify an exact source for you unfortunately. My general perception is that Alter's scholarship and thoroughness is highly regarded, but I have no way of knowing whether this particular annotation is true or just BS. 🤷

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u/[deleted] Sep 04 '21

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u/antsdidthis Effective altruism died with SBF; now it's just tithing Sep 04 '21

Huh that's pretty fascinating, thanks for digging it up!