Paul's "thorn in the flesh" in light of Numbers 33:55
Posted: Fri Jan 08, 2021 3:50 pm
LXX Num. 33:54-56
καὶ κατακληρονομήσετε τὴν γῆν αὐτῶν ἐν κλήρῳ κατὰ φυλὰς αὐτῶν· τοῖς πλείοσιν πληθυνεῖτε τὴν κατάσχεσιν αὐτῶν, καὶ τοῖς ἐλάττοσιν ἐλαττώσετε τὴν κατάσχεσιν αὐτῶν· εἰς ὃ ἐὰν ἐξέλθῃ τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ ἐκεῖ, αὐτοῦ ἔσται· κατὰ φυλὰς πατριῶν ὑμῶν κληρονομήσετε.
ἐὰν δὲ μὴ ἀπολέσητε τοὺς κατοικοῦντας ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἀπὸ προσώπου ὑμῶν,
καὶ ἔσται οὓς ἐὰν καταλίπητε ἐξ αὐτῶν,
σκόλοπες ἐν τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς ὑμῶν
καὶ βολίδες ἐν ταῖς πλευραῖς ὑμῶν, καὶ ἐχθρεύσουσιν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἐφ᾽ ἣν ὑμεῖς κατοικήσετε·
καὶ ἔσται καθότι διεγνώκειν ποιῆσαι αὐτούς, ποιήσω ὑμᾶς.
You shall inherit the land by lot according to your clans. To a large tribe you shall give a large inheritance, and to a small tribe you shall give a small inheritance. Wherever the lot falls for anyone, that shall be his. According to the tribes of your fathers you shall inherit.
But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you,
then those of them whom you let remain
shall be as thorns in your eyes
and darts? [something like thorns] in your sides, and they shall trouble you in the land where you dwell.
And I will do to you as I thought to do to them.
2 Cor. 12:7
καὶ τῇ ὑπερβολῇ τῶν ἀποκαλύψεων. διὸ ἵνα μὴ ὑπεραίρωμαι,
ἐδόθη μοι σκόλοψ τῇ σαρκί,
ἄγγελος Σατανᾶ, ἵνα με κολαφίζῃ, ἵνα μὴ ὑπεραίρωμαι.
So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations,
a thorn in the flesh was given to me,
a messenger of Satan to harass me,
to keep me from becoming conceited.
Could it be that, in Numbers, the Canaanites remaining in the land were thought to be like "thorns in your eyes" in the sense of being objects of forbidden desire. Could "thorns in your eyes" be a metaphor for Israelite desire for sexual vice, idolatry and marriage with Canaanites? If Isrealites desired, through such marriages, to unite culturally with Canaanites, then that--it seems to me--would explain the harsh warning: "I will do to you as I thought to do to them." It seems plausible enough, but I cannot find a commentary that gives a forbidden desire definition for "thorns in your eyes". I wonder if OT commentaries are avoiding forbidden desire interpretation of "thorns in your eyes" [and "sides"] so as to avoid the embarrassing NT implication that Paul's phrase, "thorn in the flesh", could be symbolic of desire for Gentile vice.
Your thoughts?
καὶ κατακληρονομήσετε τὴν γῆν αὐτῶν ἐν κλήρῳ κατὰ φυλὰς αὐτῶν· τοῖς πλείοσιν πληθυνεῖτε τὴν κατάσχεσιν αὐτῶν, καὶ τοῖς ἐλάττοσιν ἐλαττώσετε τὴν κατάσχεσιν αὐτῶν· εἰς ὃ ἐὰν ἐξέλθῃ τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ ἐκεῖ, αὐτοῦ ἔσται· κατὰ φυλὰς πατριῶν ὑμῶν κληρονομήσετε.
ἐὰν δὲ μὴ ἀπολέσητε τοὺς κατοικοῦντας ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἀπὸ προσώπου ὑμῶν,
καὶ ἔσται οὓς ἐὰν καταλίπητε ἐξ αὐτῶν,
σκόλοπες ἐν τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς ὑμῶν
καὶ βολίδες ἐν ταῖς πλευραῖς ὑμῶν, καὶ ἐχθρεύσουσιν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἐφ᾽ ἣν ὑμεῖς κατοικήσετε·
καὶ ἔσται καθότι διεγνώκειν ποιῆσαι αὐτούς, ποιήσω ὑμᾶς.
You shall inherit the land by lot according to your clans. To a large tribe you shall give a large inheritance, and to a small tribe you shall give a small inheritance. Wherever the lot falls for anyone, that shall be his. According to the tribes of your fathers you shall inherit.
But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you,
then those of them whom you let remain
shall be as thorns in your eyes
and darts? [something like thorns] in your sides, and they shall trouble you in the land where you dwell.
And I will do to you as I thought to do to them.
2 Cor. 12:7
καὶ τῇ ὑπερβολῇ τῶν ἀποκαλύψεων. διὸ ἵνα μὴ ὑπεραίρωμαι,
ἐδόθη μοι σκόλοψ τῇ σαρκί,
ἄγγελος Σατανᾶ, ἵνα με κολαφίζῃ, ἵνα μὴ ὑπεραίρωμαι.
So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations,
a thorn in the flesh was given to me,
a messenger of Satan to harass me,
to keep me from becoming conceited.
Could it be that, in Numbers, the Canaanites remaining in the land were thought to be like "thorns in your eyes" in the sense of being objects of forbidden desire. Could "thorns in your eyes" be a metaphor for Israelite desire for sexual vice, idolatry and marriage with Canaanites? If Isrealites desired, through such marriages, to unite culturally with Canaanites, then that--it seems to me--would explain the harsh warning: "I will do to you as I thought to do to them." It seems plausible enough, but I cannot find a commentary that gives a forbidden desire definition for "thorns in your eyes". I wonder if OT commentaries are avoiding forbidden desire interpretation of "thorns in your eyes" [and "sides"] so as to avoid the embarrassing NT implication that Paul's phrase, "thorn in the flesh", could be symbolic of desire for Gentile vice.
Your thoughts?