(Before It's News)
ATOMS, SUBATOMIC PARTICLES IN BIBLE
Proverbs is one of my favorite books in the Bible.
As I was working my way through The Word: The Bible from 26 Translations, I found a section that mentioned atoms.
In 8:26 we find this enigmatic phrase: “the highest part of the dust of the world.”
What does this mean? What dust would be more important than other dust?
What really got my attention was Helen Spurrell’s translation from original Hebrew. Her translation was, ” the primitive atoms of the globe.”
I checked Bullinger’s Bible and found this: “the first atoms or particles of the world.” Since this translation is over 100 years old I was impressed.
This is why “atoms” is the correct translation.
The Hebrew for this phrase is “rosh aphar tebel”
. If you have studied Ezekiel 38 you may remember that Gog was the “Chief Prince” of an invading army. “Chief Prince” is the translation of Rosh. The primary meaning of rosh seems to be the head of something organized.
The Hebrew word for dust is aphar. Here it is a plural word in Hebrew. The primary meaning is particles that are bound together. Some translators use the word “clods” for this word.
The word translated world is tebel and it means the created world that we live on.
“Highest part of the dust” was an attempt to translate a complicated Hebrew phrase.
My translation of the phrase, in context, would then be:” I Wisdom, existed before all things. I was here even before God made the elementary particles that cling together to form everything we see.”
Did Solomon know about atoms?
I do not think he did.
When God gave his direct word to men they did not always understand it.
Daniel repeatedly asked for an interpretation of his visions . The Prophets had to study their own revelations.
1 Peter 1: 11&12 NAS “As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you…”
So, Solomon wrote this as a witness to men, would later would understand, that everything is made up of atoms and their subatomic particles.
The Bible also mentions DNA, time dilation, relativity, atomic fission, atomic binding force, etc.
Look for these studies later in “My Other Stories” or