Winged Feet

Ben Crick ben.crick at argonet.co.uk
Sun May 2 01:39:50 EDT 1999


On Sat  1 May 99 (17:47:39 +0100), mauros at iol.ie wrote:
> Not just rabbinical:  the Jerusalem Bible footnote 'g' to Is. 6:2 
> reads "euphemism for sexual organs"

 Dear Maurice,

 We seem to be straying a bit from the parameters of b-greek, IMHO.
 But with regard to the euphemistic use of PODES in the LXX of Isaiah 6:2,
 there is a clearer example in Isaiah 7:20, XURHSEI KURIOS...KAI TAS TRICAS
 TWN PODWN KAI TON PWGWNA AFELEI. Here is the sort of gross physical
 indignity often perpetrated on captives, the shaving off of the facial and
 the pubic hair. This shaving of both visible and invisible hair expresses
 the *totality* of the judgment against Ahaz and Judah.

 The interpretation of 'genitals' for the feet of angels would still appear
 inappropriate to me in Isaiah 6:2, in spite of the deuterocanonical and
 pseudepigraphical passages you cite. But with respect to *men* as opposed
 to angels there is the example of King Eglon in Judges 3:24 (APOKENAI TOUS
 PODAS AUTOU in LXX) and of King Saul in 1 Samuel 24:3<4> (PARASKEUASASQAI
 in LXX) and 'relieving themselves'. SKEUOS is used in 1 Thessalonians 4:4
 (TO hEAUTOU SKEUOS KTASQAI EN hAGIASMWi KAI TIMHi) as a euphemism for the
 penis. The sign of Circumcision reinforces this usage.

 So yes: I will allow the interpretation; but I will point out that
 POUS, PODOS also means the actual 'foot'!  At a psychology seminar I
 once attended, the lecturer lit a large cigar and held it up in his
 hand watching the smoke curl upwards. "I know what you are thinking,"
 he said, "this cigar is a phallus. But let us remember that it is also
 just a cigar".

 ERRWSQE
 Ben
-- 
 Revd Ben Crick, BA CF
 <ben.crick at argonet.co.uk>
 232 Canterbury Road, Birchington, Kent, CT7 9TD (UK)
 http://www.cnetwork.co.uk/crick.htm






More information about the B-Greek mailing list