Elyon
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Elyon: The name or epithet or word ‘Elyôn (Masoretic pronunciation of Hebrew עליון), is traditionally rendered in Samaritan Hebrew as illiyyon, and means something like 'higher, upper'. It derives from the Hebrew root ‘lh, Semitic root ‘ly 'go up, ascend'. ‘Elyôn when is means God or is applied to God is often translated 'Most High'. The Septuagint renders it as ὕψιστος (hýpsistos 'most high').
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Biblical use
Mundane use
The form has mundane use, being applied to a basket in Genesis 40.17, a chamber in Ezekiel 42.5 and so forth.
Divine Use
The compound Ēl ‘Elyôn
The compound name Ēl ‘Elyôn 'God Most High' occurs in Genesis 14.18–19 as the god whose priest was Melchizedek king of Salem. The form appears again almost immediately in verse 22, used by Abraham in an oath to the King of Sodom. In this verse the name of God also occurs in apposition to Ēl ‘Elyôn in the Masoretic text but is absent in the Samaritan version, in the Septuagint translation, and in Symmachus.
Its occurrence here was one foundation of a persistent theory first espoused by Julius Wellhausen that Ēl ‘Elyôn was an ancient god of Salem (for other reasons understood here to mean Jerusalem), later equated with God, and that the Zadokite priests of Jerusalem claimed to be descended from this Melchizedek or at least to have inherited his position. This approach is completely rejected by Orthodox Judaism scholars such as Elijah of Vilna and the Baal Shem Tov.
The only other occurrence of the compound expression is in Psalm 89.27:
And they remembered that God (’elōhîm) was their rock,
and God Most High (’ēl ‘elyôn) their redeemer.
‘Elyôn standing alone
The name ‘Elyôn 'Most High' standing alone is found in many poetic pasages, epecially in the Psalms.
It appears in Balaam's verse oracle in Numbers 24.16 as a separate name parallel to Ēl. It appears in Moses' final song in Deuteronomy 32.8 (a much discussed verse). A translation of the Masoretic text:
When the Most High (‘Elyôn) divided to the nations their inheritance,
he separated the sons of man (Ādām);
he set the bounds of the people
according to the number of the sons of Israel
However many Septuagint manuscripts have in place of "sons of Israel", angelôn theou 'angels of God' and a few have huiôn theou 'sons of God'. The Dead Sea Scrolls fragment 4QDeutj reads bny ’lwhm 'sons of God'. This reading also makes more sense in respect to the following verse:
For God's portion is his people;
Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.
This passage appears to identify ‘Elyôn with Elohim, but not necessarily with God. It can be read to mean that ‘Elyôn separated mankind into 70 nations according to his 70 sons (the 70 sons of Ēl being mentioned in the Ugaritic texts), each of these sons to be the tutelary god over one of the 70 nations, one of them being God. On the other hand, it may mean that ‘Elyôn, having given the other nations to his sons, now takes Israel for himself under his name of God. Both interpretations have supporters.
In Isaiah 14.13–14 ‘Elyôn is used in a very mystical context in the passage providing the basis for later speculation on the fall of Satan where the rebellious prince of Babylon is pictured as boasting:
I shall be enthroned in the mount of the council in the farthest north [or farthest Zaphon]
I will ascend about the heights of the clouds;
I will be like the Most High.
In this context it would be natural to avoid the name Yahweh and use a more general term for the high god.
But ’Elyôn is in other places firmly identified with God, as in 2 Samuel 22.14:
God thundered from heaven,
and the Most High uttered his voice.
Also Psalm 97.9:
For you, God, are Most High (‘elyôn) over all the earth;
you are raised high over all the gods.
Non-Biblical use
Sfire I Treaty
Outside of the Biblical texts the term occurs seldom. The most controverial is in the earliest of three Aramaic treaty inscriptions found at Sfire 16 miles southeast of Aleppo . The Sfire I inscription (KAI. 222.I.A.8–12; ANET p. 659) date to about 750 BC lists the major patron deities of each side, all of them in pairs coupled by "and", in each case a male god and the god's spouse when the names are known. Then, after a gap comes ’l w‘lyn meaning '’Ēl and ‘Elyôn', seemingly also two separate gods, followed by further pairs of deities.
It is possible that these indicate two aspects of the same god. Or it might be a single divine name. The Ugaritic texts contain divine names like Kothar-wa-Khasis 'Skilful-and-Clever', Mot-wa-Shar 'Death-and-Prince' (or possibly 'Death-and-Destruction'), Nikkal-and-Ib which is in origin the name of the Sumerian goddess named Ningal combined with an element of unknown meaning. Therefore Ēl-wa-‘Elyôn might be a single name 'God-and-Highest' identical in meaning with Biblical Ēl ‘Elyôn even though this would be unqiue. Frank Moore Cross (1973) accepts all three interpretations as possibilities.
Sanchuniathon
Yet in Sanchuniathon's euhemeristic account of the Phoenician deities, Elioun, whom he calls Hypsistos and who is therefore certainly ‘Elyôn, is quite separate from his Elus/Cronus who is the supereme god Ēl. Sanchuniathon tells only:
In their time is born a certain Elioun called "the Most High," and a female named Beruth, and these dwelt in the neighbourhood of Byblos.
And from them is born Epigeius or Autochthon, whom they afterwards called Sky; so that from him they named the element above us Sky because of the excellence of its beauty. And he has a sister born of the aforesaid parents, who was called Earth, and from her, he says, because of her beauty, they called the earth by the same name. And their father, the Most High, died in an encounter with wild beasts, and was deified, and his children offered to him libations and sacrifices.
According to Sanchuniathon it is from Sky and Earth that Ēl and various other deities are born, though ancient texts refer to Ēl as creator of heaven and earth. The Hittite theogony knows of a primal god named Alulu who fathered Sky (and possibly Earth) and who was overthrown by his son Sky, Sky then being overthrown by his son Kumarbi. A similar tradition seems to be at the basis of Sanchuniathon's account.
As to Beruth who is here ‘Elyôn's wife, a relationship with Hebrew bərît 'covenant' or with the city of Beirut have both been suggested.
See also
See also El (god), The names of God in Judaism, Sanchuniathon.
References and External links
- Cross, Frank Moore (1973). Canaanite Myth and Hebrew Epic. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press. ISBN 0674091760.
- "The treaty between KTK and Arpad" (1969). Trans. Frans Rosenthal in Ancient Near Eastern Texts, 3rd ed. with Supplement. Princeton: Princeton University Press. ISBN 0691035032.
- Bartleby: American Heritage Dictionary: Semitic Roots: cly (http://www.bartleby.com/61/roots/S25.html)
- The Divine Council: "Deuteronomy 32:8 and the Sons of God", by Michael S. Heiser (http://www.thedivinecouncil.com/DT32COOVER.pdf) (PDF.)