THE IMAGE OF GOD IN MAN - Tyndale House

THE IMAGE OF GOD IN MAN 71
described in Homer, but rather they concentrate attention on
the personhood of Yahweh. Yahweh is depicted in human
terms, not because He has a body like a human being, but
because He is a person and is therefore naturally thought of in
terms of human personality. 86
In addition to the numerous anthropomorphisms, whose
theological significance is not entirely unambiguous, the Old
Testament provides us with some more direct statements
concerning Yahweh's 'form'. When Israel stood before Yahweh
at Horeb, they 'heard the sound of words, but saw no form
(הָנּ ומּת)' (Dt. 4:12). 'Second Isaiah' says: 'To whom then will
you liken God, or what likeness (תּ ומּד) compare with him?'
(Is. 40:18). Nevertheless, it might be possible that Yahweh
could have a form, though it remained hidden from the eyes
of men. 87 Ezekiel 1:26 would suggest this: 'Seated above the
likeness of a throne was a likeness as it were of a human form.'
G. von Rad comments on this statement: 'The light-phenomenon
of the "glory of God" clearly displays human contours.' 88
On the other hand, we should notice the extreme hesitation
with which Ezekiel phrases his description of God; 89 he does
not say that he saw a human form, but only a 'likeness' (תּ ומּד) ְ
'like the appearance' (הֵא ְרַמְ ּכ) of a man, that is to say, the divine
appearance is at two removes from human form. Other
celestial objects in his vision are described as the likeness,
(תּ ומּד) ְ of their earthly counterparts: the living creatures are
only the 'likeness' of living creatures (v. 4), the throne is only
the 'likeness' of a throne (v. 26) ; but on the throne is seated not
the likeness of a man, but only the likeness of the appearance of
a man. In verse 28 the appearance of Yahweh is described
even more vaguely as 'the appearance of the likeness of the
glory of Yahweh ( הוה י־ד
ֹובְ ּכ תּ ומּד ְ הֵא ְרַמ)'.
Isaiah also in vision
'sees' Yahweh upon His throne (Is. 6:1), but no description of
any appearance of Yahweh is here given. In summary, it
would seem that when Yahweh is seen in vision, some 'appear-
______________________________________________________
Ancient Near Eastern literature of a stereotyped form for describing physical
appearance, originally of a divine statue, it is noteworthy that in the Old Testament
this form is employed only for the description of a human being.
86
Cf. L. Koehler, Old Testament Theology, Lutterworth, London (1957) 24.
87
H. W. Robinson, in The People and the Book 367; N. W. Porteous, IDB II 684.
88
G. von Rad, Old Testament Theology ִI 146.
89
Cf. J. J. Stamm Die Gottebenbildlichkeit 15. W. Eichrodt, Theology of the
Old Testament II 123.