Christian Message Boards: Does God Create Evil?

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Posted by epouraniois (Member # 5187) on :

I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.
Isa 45:7

Create.
Hebrew. The Poel Participle of the verb bârâ' (create) which, with 'evil', requires the rendering 'bring about'. Not the same form as in v8, 12, or v18, in connection with the earth. Jer. 18:11, the verb is yâtsar, to frame, or mold. In Amos 3:6 it is ‛âśâh, to bring about. A word of wide meaning; its sense has to be determined by its context.

Isa 45:7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.
Here, disturbance in contrast with 'peace'.

Evil.
Never rendered 'sin'. God brings calamity about as the inevitable consequence of sin. It is rendered 'calamity' in Ps 141:5; 'adversity' in 1 Sam 10:19. Ps 94:13. Ecc 7:14; 'grief' in Neh 2:10. Prov 15:16, Ecc 2:17 Johah 4:6; 'affliction' in Num 11:11; 'misery' in Ecc 8:6; 'trouble' in Ps 41:1; 'sore' in Deut 6:22; 'noisome' in Ezek 14:15, 21; also 'harm', 'ill', and 'mischief'.

Therefore, the meaning of Isa 45:7 does not state in the Hebrew that God creates evil, being a Figure of speech. It is most important to notice these. It is absolutely necessary for true interpretation. God's Word is made up of "words which the Holy Ghost teacheth" (1Cor. 2:13. 1Thess. 2:13. 2Tim. 3:16. 2Pet. 1:21, &c.).

A "Figure of speech" relates to the form in which the words are used. It consists in the fact that a word or words are used out of their ordinary sense, or place, or manner, for the purpose of attracting our attention to what is thus said. A Figure of speech is a deigned and legitimate departure from the laws of language, in order to emphasize what is said. Hence in such Figures we have the Holy Spirit's own marking, so to speak, of His own words.
This peculiar form or unusual manner may not be true, or so true, to the literal meaning of the words; but it is more true to their real sense, and truer to truth.
Figures are never used but for the sake of emphasis. They can never, therefore, be ignored. Ignorance of Figures of speech has led to the grossest errors, which have been caused either from taking literally what is figurative, or from taking figuratively what is literal.
The Greeks and Romans named some hundreds of such figures. The only work on Biblical Figures of speech in the English language is by Dr. Bullinger (Published by Eyre and Spottiswoode, London, 1898.). He has classified some 217 separate figures.

Figures of Speech:
http://www.angelfire.com/nv/TheOliveBranch/append6.html

Posted by J4Jesus (Member # 1367) on :

Hey. Yea He sure does.