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The word also includes vocal “sounds” produced by animals: “And Samuel said, What
meaneth then this bleating [literally, sound] of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing
[literally, sound] of the oxen which I hear?” (1 Sam. 15:14). In this regard
%
is used of
the “voice” of personified inanimate objects or things: “And he said, What hast thou
done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground” (Gen. 4:10).
The second meaning, “sound” or “noise,” appears especially in poetical passages and
covers a great variety of “noises and sounds,” such as the “noise or sound” of battle:
“And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses,
There is a noise of war in the camp” (Exod. 32:17). It can be used of the “sound” of
words (Deut. 1:34), water (Ezek. 1:24), weeping (Isa. 65:19), and thunder (Exod. 9:23).
The word can also represent the thing that is spoken: “And unto Adam he said,
Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree of
which I commanded thee …” (Gen. 3:17). In an extended nuance
%
signifies the thing
said, even though it is written down: “Then he wrote a letter the second time to them,
saying, If ye be mine, and if ye will hearken unto my voice …” (2 Kings 10:6).
There are several special phrases related to
% !
“To lift up one’s
2
and weep”
signifies many things including crying out for help (Gen. 39:14), mourning for present or
anticipated tragedy (Gen. 21:16), and the “sound” of disaster (Num. 16:34) or joy (Gen.
29:11).
“To hearken to one’s voice” means such things as taking note of something and
believing it (Gen. 4:23), following another’s suggestions (Gen. 3:17), complying with
another’s request (Gen. 21:12), obeying another’s command (Gen. 22:18), and answering
a prayer (2 Sam. 22:7).
Theologically the word is crucial in contexts relating to prophecy. The prophet’s
“voice” is God’s “voice” (Exod. 3:18; cf. 7:1; Deut. 18:18-19). God’s “voice” is
sometimes the roar of thunder (Exod. 9:23, 29) or a “still small voice” (1 Kings 19:12).
Thunder demonstrated God’s tremendous power and evoked fear and submission. In
covenantal contexts God stipulates that His “voice,” heard in both the roar of thunder and
the prophetic message, is authoritative and when obeyed brings reward (Exod. 19:5; 1
Sam. 12:14-18). The blast (“sound”) of a trumpet is used to signify divine power (Josh.
6:5) and presence (2 Sam. 6:15).
Interestingly the first biblical appearance of
%
(Gen. 3:8) is a highly debated
passage. Exactly what did Adam and Eve hear in the garden? Was it the sound of God
walking (cf. 1 Kings 14:6)?
VOW
A. Verb.
(
$
, 5087), “to vow.” This verb occurs in Semitic languages (Ugaritic,
Phoenician, and Aramaic). In Phoenician-Punic inscriptions the verb and also the noun
derived from it frequently denote human sacrifices and in a more general sense signify a
gift. In the Old Testament
occurs 31 times.
The distribution of the verb is over the entire Old Testament (narrative, legal, poetic,
but more rarely in the prophetic books). Beyond the Old Testament the verb occurs in the
Dead Sea Scrolls, rabbinic Hebrew, medieval and modern Hebrew. However, its usage
declined from post-Exilic times onward.