Richard Davidson ( Flame of Yahweh: Sexuality in the Old Testament 
“In immediate succession, three times flames/fire are mentioned, matching (in Aramaic) almost precisely the threefold (in Hebrew) mention of fiery flames in Song 8:6: (1) Dan 7:9, ‘his [the Ancient of Days’] throne was fiery flames (= resapha , ‘its flames,’ of Song 8:6); (2) Dan 7:9, ‘its wheels were burning fire’ (= rispe es , ‘flames of fire,’ of Song 8:6); and (3) Dan 7:10, “A stream of fire issued and flowed out from his presence (+ salhebetya ,’ ‘flame of Yah[weh]’ in Song 8:6). Thus, “in canonical perspective, the ‘flame of Yah’ in Song 8:6 is none other than the fiery stream that comes forth from the enthroned Yahweh himself. The Song’s flame of Yahweh thus brings us into the heavenly holy of holies.”
Dear Reader,
Can I be direct with you?
War abroad. Socialists on the rise. AI upending human life. Endless uproar online. The modern attention economy doesn’t want readers — it wants users enslaved to the tyranny of the present.
First Things is the antidote: literary excellence, timeless truths, and a fixed point of reference in a culture that has lost its bearings.
But we can’t do it without readers like you.
Our goal: Raise $150,000 by November 1 to sustain First Things in the year ahead.
Your gift anchors readers in the permanent things.
Make your Fall Campaign gift now using the button below.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Giovanni Del Piero, Director of the Editor’s Circle, at gdelpiero@firstthings.com or 212-627-1985.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
The Church in the Age of Therapy
In 1966, Philip Rieff wrote in The Triumph of the Therapeutic that “Religious man was born to…
Canada’s Deadliest Blind Spot
On September 20, the Daily Mail ran a story with the provocative headline, “Our 83-year-old Christian grandmother…
The Faithful Joy of Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen
Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen seem to have had little in common. She favored rhinestones; he wore…
