The Word of God

Definition:

The “Word of God” refers to the divine message or revelation communicated to humanity by God. This term is often used to describe sacred texts or scriptures that are believed to be inspired by a higher power, conveying God’s will, teachings, and commandments.

Etymology:

The phrase “Word of God” combines “word,” meaning a unit of language or speech, with “God,” the supreme being in monotheistic religions.

Description:

The “Word of God” is a central concept in many religions, particularly in Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. It encompasses the sacred texts and teachings that are regarded as divinely inspired and authoritative.

The word “word” can mean “promise,” as it goes without saying that we tend to promise that we speak the truth with every word we say. Hence the phrase “you have my word,” meaning “I promise.” It’s important to note that a promise is fictional. There is nothing about making a promise that can guarantee a promise will be fulfilled.

Religion:

In Judaism, The Torah, which includes the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, is considered the foundational Word of God. The Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) as a whole is also regarded as sacred scripture. Jews believe that these scriptures are divinely inspired and contain God’s revelation to humanity. In The Torah (the first five books of Old Testament of the Bible), in Leviticus, chapter 26, verse 46, it says: “These are the statutes and rules and laws that the Lord made between him and the people of Israel through Moses on Mount Sinai.”

In Christianity, The Bible, including the Old Testament and the New Testament, is considered the Word of God. Christians believe that these scriptures are divinely inspired and contain God’s revelation to humanity. In the Bible, in 2 Timothy, chapter 3, verse 16 (KJV), it says: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”

The Quran is regarded as the Word of God, revealed to the Prophet Muhammad by the archangel Gabriel. Muslims believe that the Quran is the final and complete revelation from God. In the Quran, Surah Al-Shu’ara 26:192-195, it says: “And indeed, it [the Qur’an] is [a revelation] from the Lord of the worlds. The Trustworthy Spirit has brought it down upon your heart, [O Muhammad] – that you may be of the warners – in a clear Arabic language.”

As both the Torah and the Quran are considered the word of God, tensions sometimes arise among their adherents. Furthermore, since the Promised Land (Israel and the Palestinian territories) is integral to divine promises in these texts, there have historically been conflicts among Jews, Christians, and Muslims over to whom God intended to give this land.

In the Bible, in John, chapter 1, verse 1 (KJV), it says: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” This quote implies that God does not exist but is merely a word that was invented by humans. In the Bible, in Genesis, chapter 1, verse 3 (KJV), it says: “And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.” In the Bible, in Hebrews, chapter 11, verse 3, it says: “By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.” These verses claim that God created the world just by using His words, which is also a reference to the world (God’s words) is just something that is made-up. When the verse talks about the visible being made out of the invisible, it is a metaphor for it being made up from fantasy, as that’s all God’s words actually are: fantasy.

The Bible is filled with statements about God’s words. For example:

  • In the Bible, in Psalm, chapter 12, verse 6 (KJV), it says: “The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.”
  • In the Bible, in Proverbs, chapter 30, verse 5 (KJV), it says: “Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.” This might sound like it’s a positive thing having God protecting you. But it actually means that belief in God is shielding from an accurate understanding.
  • In the Bible, in Isaiah, chapter 40, verse 8 (KJV), it says: “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.”
  • In the Bible, in Matthew, chapter 4, verse 4 (KJV), it says: “But he answered, ‘It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'”
  • In the Bible, in John, chapter 17, verse 17 (KJV), it says: “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”
  • In the Bible, in Hebrews, chapter 4, verse 12 (KJV), it says: “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

The “ten utterances” refer to the ten instances of “And God said” in the creation narrative of Genesis in the Bible, through which God spoke the world into existence. These utterances are considered foundational in Jewish thought, symbolizing the profound power of speech and the divine word. They are found throughout the first chapter of Genesis and slightly beyond, where God commands creation into being. Here is a breakdown of these utterances:

  1. Genesis 1:3 – “And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.”
  2. Genesis 1:6 – “And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.”
  3. Genesis 1:9 – “And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.”
  4. Genesis 1:11 – “And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.”
  5. Genesis 1:14 – “And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years.”
  6. Genesis 1:20 – “And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.”
  7. Genesis 1:24 – “And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.”
  8. Genesis 1:26 – “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.”
  9. Genesis 1:28 – “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”
  10. Genesis 1:29 – “And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.”