Incomparability Rhetoric In The Bible And Contemporary Cultures

📝 Note: All verses in English will follow the NRSV if they are cited from the Bible unless otherwise indicated. Any other sources will rely on a translation with the original translator cited.

Introduction

One very common line of argument used against members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints contests the idea that humans are really children of God in the species sense. Traditional Christian apologists attempt to show that Adonai was considered to be the only of his kind, which by extension contradicts the Latter-day Saint idea that human beings are the same species as God. People who are ignorant of the biblical texts will usually cite this prooftext in response to the teaching:

אַתֶּ֚ם עֵדַי֙ נְאֻם־יְהֹוָ֔ה וְעַבְדִּ֖י אֲשֶׁ֣ר בָּחָ֑רְתִּי לְמַ֣עַן תֵּ֠דְעוּ וְתַֽאֲמִ֨ינוּ לִ֚י וְתָבִ֙ינוּ֙ כִּֽי־אֲנִ֣י ה֔וּא לְפָנַי֙ לֹֽא־נ֣וֹצַר אֵ֔ל וְאַֽחֲרַ֖י לֹ֥א יִֽהְיֶֽה:

You are my witnesses, says the Lord
 and my servant whom I have chosen
so that you may know and believe me
 and understand that I am he.
Before me no god was formed
 nor shall there be any after me.

— Isa. 43:10

At first glance, this passage seems to show that Adonai is saying that no gods were formed before him or will be formed after him. If so, how do Latter-day Saints square this concept with the idea that all persons have the potential to become like God?

I will show why arguments like this are foundationally unpersuasive and will give examples of this same kind of rhetoric used by authors from polytheistic cultures. I will show that statements of incomparability cannot serve as evidence of denial of other gods' existence in the context of ancient religions. First, we start with the Israelite authors.

The Tanakh (Old Testament)

Deuteronomy

The Deuteronomist narrative routinely ascribes incomparability titles to Adonai:

Do these passages indicate that the author believe no other gods existed like Adonai?

While it is interesting that there are statements of incomparability in Deuteronomy, they are most likely a form of hyperbole rather than a denial of the existence of other gods. For example:

Most scholars have reason to believe the first chapters of Deuteronomy and the last chapters were written by different individuals. Deut. 32 is thought to be likely the oldest strata of text in all of the Hebrew Bible, while the author of Deut. 4 is thought to be responding to the poem of Deut. 32. In the Song of Moses, right after the text of Deut. 32:39, verse 43 acknowledges the existence of the other gods. Further, in earlier passages, other gods are regarded to exist, so it doesn’t make sense to interpret the author(s) of Deuteronomy to believe that no God exists by Adonai. In fact, Deuteronomy seems to presuppose that other divine powers exist.

Some claim that the Shema in Deut. 6:4 affirms the existence of only one god. However, this depends on an improper reading of the Hebrew text.

שְׁמַ֖ע יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵ֖ינוּ יְהוָ֥ה אֶחָֽד׃

From this we have three parts:

• שְׁמַ֖ע יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל – "Hear, Israel"
• יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵ֖ינוּ – "Adonai [is] our God"
• יְהוָ֥ה אֶחָֽד – "Adonai is one"

This passage says nothing about the existence of the other gods; it is an affirmation of the fact that Israel covenanted with Adonai and he is their God. There is only one Adonai, and there is no other Adonai is the point of the Shema.

Isaiah

What is fascinating about Isaiah is that all of the verses that discuss the incomparability of Adonai to other gods occur in Deutero-Isaiah (chapters 40-55). Unlike Proto-Isaiah (chapters 1-39), the author of the passages denigrates the other deities by nullification rhetoric. Further, Isa. 44:9-20 is a polemic against idols by suggesting that they are impotent and that they are the creation of human hands. However, to the ancient mind, an idol wasn’t all there was to a god: rather it reflected the presence of the god and bore its name and authority, but it wasn't all the deity was. Dan McClellan explains this idea in his book YHWH's Divine Images. I highly recommend reading his book, as it takes an entire novel to understand this idea in the fullest way.

Including the aforementioned passage in Isaiah 43, here are some notable examples in Isaiah (this isn't an exhaustive list):

However, here is one particularly interesting passage:

שְׂאוּ־מָר֨וֹם עֵינֵיכֶ֚ם וּרְאוּ֙ מִֽי־בָרָ֣א אֵ֔לֶּה הַמּוֹצִ֥יא בְמִסְפָּ֖ר צְבָאָ֑ם לְכֻלָּם֙ בְּשֵׁ֣ם יִקְרָ֔א מֵרֹ֚ב אוֹנִים֙ וְאַמִּ֣יץ כֹּ֔חַ אִ֖ישׁ לֹ֥א נֶעְדָּֽר:

Lift up your eyes on high and see: Who created these? He who brings out their host and numbers them, calling them all by name; because he is great in strength, mighty in power, not one is missing.

— Isa. 40:26

The hosts are the heavenly beings that form Adonai’s army which includes the sun, the moon, and all the stars, things that the Hebrews viewed as being divine agents in the raqia. They were seen as having the capacity to take orders from Adonai.

The Deutero-Isaiah author still acknowledges the existence of other divine powers but it acknowledges that elohim is a holy title only reserved for Adonai. In this way it speaks of there being no other Elohim beside Adonai. However, Adonai is still referred to as Adonai sabaoth, or Adonai/Lord of Hosts. He is referred to as Adonai sabaoth (Adonai/Lord of Hosts) 54 times in Isaiah alone.

Here are all the passages in Isaiah where Adonai sabaoth (Adonai/Lord of Hosts) occurs: 1:9, 1:24, 2:12, 3:1, 5:7, 5:9, 5:16, 5:24, 6:3, 6:5, 8:13, 8:18, 9:7, 9:13, 9:19, 10:16, 10:26, 10:33, 13:4, 13:13, 14:22, 14:23, 14:24, 14:27, 17:3, 18:7, 19:4, 19:12, 19:16, 19:17, 19:18, 19:20, 21:10, 22:14, 22:25, 23:9, 24:23, 25:6, 28:29, 31:4, 31:5, 37:16, 37:32, 39:5, 44:6, 45:13, 47:4, 48:2, 51:15, 54:5.

Further, Isa. 43:10 is not a singular statement. Here is the subsequent text:

אָֽנֹכִ֥י אָֽנֹכִ֖י יְהֹוָ֑ה וְאֵ֥ין מִבַּלְעָדַ֖י מוֹשִֽׁיעַ: אָֽנֹכִ֞י הִגַּ֚דְתִּי וְהוֹשַׁ֙עְתִּי֙ וְהִשְׁמַ֔עְתִּי וְאֵ֥ין בָּכֶ֖ם זָ֑ר וְאַתֶּ֥ם עֵדַ֛י נְאֻם־יְהֹוָ֖ה וַֽאֲנִי־אֵֽל: גַּם־מִיּוֹם֙ אֲנִ֣י ה֔וּא וְאֵ֥ין מִיָּדִ֖י מַצִּ֑יל אֶפְעַ֖ל וּמִ֥י יְשִׁיבֶֽנָּה: כֹּֽה־אָמַ֧ר יְהֹוָ֛ה גֹּֽאַלְכֶ֖ם קְד֣וֹשׁ יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל לְמַֽעַנְכֶ֞ם שִׁלַּ֣חְתִּי בָבֶ֗לָה וְהֽוֹרַדְתִּ֚י בָֽרִיחִים֙ כֻּלָּ֔ם וְכַשְׂדִּ֖ים בָּֽאֳנִיּ֥וֹת רִנָּתָֽם:

I, I am the Lord,
 and besides me there is no savior.
I declared and saved and proclaimed,
 when there was no strange god among you;
and you are my witnesses, says the Lord.
 I am God, and also henceforth I am He;
there is no one who can deliver from my hand;
 I work and who can hinder it?

— Isa. 43:11-14

He emphasizes that there is no other that can deliver Israel because He is their covenant God alone. This says nothing about existence of other gods, only at most that they can't save Israel because Adonai is their only savior.

Same rhetoric used by cities

Perhaps the most convincing rebuttal to the alleged monotheistic passages in Isaiah is the use of the rhetorical device by the personified Babylon of chapter 47. In the context of the passage, Adonai warns Babylon that her reliance on self is fleeting. Babylon says to herself that she cannot be overturned and that she is invincible. Adonai warns:

וְעַתָּ֞ה שִׁמְעִי־זֹ֚את עֲדִינָה֙ הַיֹּשֶׁ֣בֶת לָבֶ֔טַח הָאֹֽמְרָה֙ בִּלְבָ֔בָהּ אֲנִ֖י וְאַפְסִ֣י ע֑וֹד לֹ֚א אֵשֵׁב֙ אַלְמָנָ֔ה וְלֹ֥א אֵדַ֖ע שְׁכֽוֹל: וַתִּבְטְחִ֣י בְרָֽעָתֵ֗ךְ אָמַ֙רְתְּ֙ אֵ֣ין רֹאָ֔נִי חָכְמָתֵ֥ךְ וְדַעְתֵּ֖ךְ הִ֣יא שֽׁוֹבְבָ֑תֶךְ וַתֹּֽאמְרִ֣י בְלִבֵּ֔ךְ אֲנִ֖י וְאַפְסִ֥י עֽוֹד:

Now therefore hear this, you lover of pleasures,
who sit securely,
who say in your heart,
“I am, and there is no one besides me;
I shall not sit as a widow
or know the loss of children”
...
You felt secure in your wickedness;
you [Babylon] said, “No one sees me.”
Your wisdom and your knowledge
led you astray,
and you said in your heart,
“I am, and there is no one besides me.

— Isa. 47:8, 10

It should be obvious that if we were to take this statement literally by Babylon, it would lead to the absurd conclusion that Babylon is the only city in existence. This kind of rhetoric is also replicated in the case of Ninevah in Zephaniah:

זֹ֠א֞ת הָעִ֚יר הָֽעַלִּיזָה֙ הַיּוֹשֶׁ֣בֶת לָבֶ֔טַח הָאֹֽמְרָה֙ בִּלְבָבָ֔הּ אֲנִ֖י וְאַפְסִ֣י ע֑וֹד אֵ֣יךְ | הָיְתָ֣ה לְשַׁמָּ֗ה מַרְבֵּץ֙ לַֽחַיָּ֔ה כֹּל עוֹבֵ֣ר עָלֶ֔יהָ יִשְׁרֹ֖ק יָנִ֥יעַ יָדֽוֹ:

Is this the exultant city [Ninevah] that lived secure, that said to itself, “I am, and there is no one else”? What a desolation it has become, a lair for wild animals! Everyone who passes by it hisses and shakes the fist.

— Zeph. 2:15

Clearly, this kind of speech is meant to assert the dominance of something over another thing rather than a denial of the others' existence. The same way that these cities are characterized to think they are the only important ones is the same way that Isaiah portrays Adonai in his polemics against competing nations.

Same rhetoric used of animals or objects

Following the same format as the previous section, here are some examples:

וַיַּ֨עַן רֵעֵ֚הוּ וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ אֵ֣ין זֹ֔את בִּלְתִּ֗י אִם־חֶ֛רֶב גִּדְע֥וֹן בֶּן־יוֹאָ֖שׁ אִ֣ישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל נָתַ֚ן הָֽאֱלֹהִים֙ בְּיָד֔וֹ אֶת־מִדְיָ֖ן וְאֶת־כָּל־הַֽמַּחֲנֶֽה:

And his comrade answered, “This is no other than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, a man of Israel; into his hand > God has given Midian and all the army.”

— Judg. 7:14

אַחַ֥ת הִיא֙ יֽוֹנָתִ֣י תַמָּתִ֔י אַחַ֥ת הִיא֙ לְאִמָּ֔הּ בָּרָ֥ה הִ֖יא לְיֽוֹלַדְתָּ֑הּ רָא֤וּהָ בָנוֹת֙ וַֽיְאַשְּׁר֔וּהָ מְלָכ֥וֹת וּפִֽילַגְשִׁ֖ים וַֽיְהַֽלְלֽוּהָ:

My dove, my perfect one, is the only one,
 the darling of her mother,
 flawless to her who bore her.
— Song of S. 6:9

The authors have no intention to communicate that those things are the only things in existence, but rather assert the importance of that thing over others.

In Extra-Biblical Traditions

As it turns out, incomparability rhetoric was a common device in ancient poems, songs, and prose. It was often invoked to assert the supremacy or importance of one god over others. Here are some notable (but not exhaustive) examples of this rhetoric used in other traditions.

The Qu'ran

Unexpectedly, a similar kind of incomparability rhetoric appears in a Surah of the Qu'ran in the mouth of Pharaoh when talking to his subjects. To avoid confusion: I am not claiming that the Qu'ran is polytheistic; I am just saying in its internal dialogue, the Pharaoh is portrayed using this kind of one-god rhetoric for himself. The following translation has been rendered thanks to Dr. Mustafa Khattab, “The Clear Quran”. I have also provided the Arabic text for those who can read the language.

وَقَالَ فِرْعَوْنُ يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلْمَلَأُ مَا عَلِمْتُ لَكُم مِّنْ إِلَـٰهٍ غَيْرِى فَأَوْقِدْ لِى يَـٰهَـٰمَـٰنُ عَلَى ٱلطِّينِ فَٱجْعَل لِّى صَرْحًۭا لَّعَلِّىٓ أَطَّلِعُ إِلَىٰٓ إِلَـٰهِ مُوسَىٰ وَإِنِّى لَأَظُنُّهُۥ مِنَ ٱلْكَـٰذِبِينَ

Pharaoh declared, "O Chiefs, I know of no other God for you but myself. So bake bricks out of clay for me, O Hamân, and build a high tower so I may look at the God of Moses, although I am sure he is a liar."

— Surah Al-Quasas 28:38

فَأَرَىٰهُ ٱلْـَٔايَةَ ٱلْكُبْرَىٰ فَكَذَّبَ وَعَصَىٰ ثُمَّ أَدْبَرَ يَسْعَىٰ فَحَشَرَ فَنَادَىٰ فَقَالَ أَنَا۠ رَبُّكُمُ ٱلْأَعْلَىٰ

Then Moses showed him [Pharaoh] the great sign, but he denied and disobeyed ˹Allah˺, then turned his back, striving ˹against the truth˺. Then he summoned ˹his people˺ and called out, saying, “I am your lord, the most high!”

— Surah An-Nazi'at 79:20-24

Given that the Qur’an acknowledges the Pharaoh believed in the existence of other gods elsewhere (Al-A'raf 7:127), he can't be denying the existence of other gods. He is saying, according to the narrative, that no other god matters to his people except him as far as they are concerned. He acknowledged other gods but commanded his subordinates to worship him.

Marduk

Marduk was the chief patron god of the Sumerians. Although he was thought to be supreme in their theology, it should be noted that Marduk was not the earliest or the highest God of the Sumerian-Babylonian pantheon. Marduk was said to be born of Ea and Daminka.

Enūma Eliš

Enūma Eliš is a creation account from the 2nd millennium BCE which likely served as the inspiration for the Book of Genesis' account. Contained between its thousand lines are statements of Marduk's incomparability. Tablet 4 describes Marduk being given a throne over the other gods with a subsquent account detailing his battle with Tiamat. Tablet 7 describes honorific titles given to him. The following quotes come from W. G. Lambert's translation of the tablets in his book Babylonian Creation Myths on p. 87, p. 125 and p. 129 respectively.

Clearly Marduk wasn't the only god to exist. Instead, he is said to have power over the other gods like no other in the pantheon.

Code of Hammurabi

In context of the Enūma Eliš, we turn to the Code of Hammurabi. In its prologue, Marduk was thought to have been assigned tasks by Anu and Bel. The following translation was done by L. W. King:

When Anu the Sublime, King of the Anunaki, and Bel, the lord of Heaven and earth, who decreed the fate of the land, assigned to Marduk, the over-ruling son of Ea, God of righteousness, dominion over earthly man, and made him great among the Igigi, they called Babylon by his illustrious name, made it great on earth, and founded an everlasting kingdom in it, whose foundations are laid so solidly as those of heaven and earth;

Even thought Marduk is considered mighty, he was not considered the only or the highest god in his pantheon.

Baal

Often perceived as a nemesis to Adonai in the biblical texts, Baal was seen as the most powerful of the gods of the Canaanite pantheon. There is a vast corpus of literature devoted to him in the tablets discovered near Ugarit in particular, the most prominent of which is the Baal Cycle.

Baal Cycle

The translation is provided by Mark Smith and Wayne Pitard here. The lines are written with noticeable parallelism to enhance the rhetorical force of the words. Here are some lines that stress Baal's incomparability:

What enemy has risen against Baal,
 What foe against the Cloudrider?”
The youths [sp]oke up, they answered:
“No enemy has risen against Baal
 No foe against the Cloudrider.

— Tablet 1.3 IV, lines 4-6 (p. 72, 113 on the PDF)

“Your decree, O El, is wise,
 Your wisdom is eternal,
 A fortunate life is your decree.
Our king is Mightiest Baal,
 Our ruler, with none above him.
All of us will bring him a chalice,
 All of us will bring him a cup.
In lament,
Indeed he cries to Bull El, his Father,
 To El, the King who created/established him.
He cries to Athirat and her children,
 The goddess and the band of her brood:
'For Baal has no house like the gods',
 No court like [A]thirat’s child[ren’s].

— Tablet 1.3 V, lines 30-39 (p. 75, 116 on the PDF)

Baal had a father above him named El. Although Baal was the uncontested dominant god, he still had a father above him who was regarded as the king of all the other gods.

Shamash

Shamash was the sun-god and son of the moon-god Nannar. He was typically portrayed as subordinate to the moon-god Sin. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Shamash is the deity that Gilgamesh prayed to for assistance and aid. The following translation is provided by W. G. Lambert in his book Babylonian Wisdom Literature of the Hymn to Shamash:

Among all the Igigi there is none who toils but you
 None who is supreme like you in the whole pantheon of gods.

— Lines 45-46

Nanshe

Nanshe was the daughter of Enki, the high god. In Sumerian mythology, the high god Enki divided up the world and assigned his children certain domains. Nanshe was given a limited domain-the modern Persian Gulf-and was tasked with exercising justice in that region. Here is a translation some lines from the Hymn to Nanshe provided by Wolfgang Heimpel in The Context of Scripture edited by William W. Hallo and K. Lawson Younger, Jr.

My lady, your powers are great divine powers, surpassing [other divine powers]
 Nanshe, your divine powers are not matched by any other divine powers.

— Lines 250-251

It is clear given the context of this deity that there are other divine powers; it is just that none other in the eyes of the composer can rival hers.

Inanna / Ištar

It should be noted that Inanna was not the highest God in her pantheon, as they was subordinate to and performed tasks on behalf of Anu and Enlil. Note: Ištar is the later name attributed to Inanna. One example of a text that uses this kind of one-god rhetoric is found in the Hymn to Inanna, translated by Franz Steiner Verlag. This text was originally written in German so this is my translation of his work:

… Inanna, you are the lady of all the divine powers, and no deity can compete with you!

— Lines 9, 20, 36, 56, 77, 93, 107, 116, 126, 144, 159, 191, 205

The next text is a translation of Ammi-Ditāna’s Hymn To Ištar by Benjamin R. Foster in his 3rd edition book Before the Muses on p. 88:

Who is it that could rival her grandeur?
 Her attributes are mighty, splendid, superb.
Ištar this is, who could rival her grandeur?
 Her attributes are mighty, splendid, superb.

Once again, more incomparability rhetoric. The author of this hymn makes Ištar to be supreme asking the unanswered question of who can rival her. The author of the hymn certainly knew and acknowledged the existence of other gods, but for the liturgical purposes of the author, only Ištar matters to the audience of the hymn.

Indra

Indra was the chief God of the Vedic pantheon yet he wasn’t the only God considered to exist; his followers acknowledged a panopoly of different gods. There was also Agni and Varuna, who were thought to be powerful beings, as well as many others. The following Sanskrit translation texts were provided by Dr. Tulsi Ram Sharma. I have also included the Sanskrit text for those who can read it.

इ॒म उ॑ त्वा पुरुशाक प्रयज्यो जरि॒तारो॑ अ॒भ्य॑र्चंत्य॒र्कैः ।
श्रु॒धी हव॒मा हु॑व॒तो हु॑वा॒नो न त्वावाँ॑ अ॒न्यो अ॑मृत॒ त्वद॑स्ति ॥

There is none other than you who is like you and who commands powers and virtues such as yours, immortal as you are.

— Rigveda, Mandala 6 / Sukta 21:10

न त्वावाँ॑ अ॒न्यो दि॒व्यो न पार्थि॑वो॒ न जा॒तो न ज॑निष्यते ।
अ॒श्वा॒यंतो॑ मघवन्निंद्र वा॒जिनो॑ ग॒व्यंत॑स्त्वा हवामहे ॥

There is none other like you,
 neither heavenly nor earthly,
 neither born nor yet to be born...

— Rigveda, Mandala 7 / Sukta 32:23 (crf. Samaveda 1:681, Atharvaveda, Kanda 20 / Sukta 121:2)

प्रजा॑पते॒ न त्वदे॒तान्य॒न्यो विश्वा॑ जा॒तानि॒ परि॒ ता ब॑भूव ।
यत्का॑मास्ते जुहु॒मस्तन्नो॑ अस्तु व॒यं स्या॑म॒ पत॑यो रयी॒णां ॥

Prajapati,
 lord of life and your children,
there is none other than you who rules over life forms and materials in existence,
 for yours are the laws of existence, none else’s.

— Rigveda, Mandala 10 / Sukta 121:10

अ॒स॒प॒त्ना स॑पत्न॒घ्नी जयं॑त्यभि॒भूव॑री ।
आवृ॑क्षम॒न्यासां॒ वर्चो॒ राधो॒ अस्थे॑यसामिव ॥

I have no rivals, I throw off the adversaries, I emerge the victor, greater than the challengers, I turn to naught the power and valour of others who are no better than passing gusts of mild winds.

— Rigveda Mandala 10 / Sukta 159:5

न त्वावाँ॑ २॥ऽ अ॒न्यो दि॒व्यो न पार्थि॑वो॒ न जा॒तो न ज॑निष्यते।
अ॒श्वा॒यन्तो॑ मघवन्निन्द्र वा॒जिनो॑ ग॒व्यन्त॑स्त्वा हवामहे॥३६॥

Indra, supreme lord of power and glory, destroyer of pain and suffering,
there is none other like you on earth or in heaven ever born or yet to be born in future.

— Yajurveda 27:36

Amun-Re

One way deities were made to seem incomparable to others is by saying they created all of existence. In Egyptian mythology, Amun-Re was the syncretic chief god who created the universe and all the other divine agents, and he even created himself. The translation of the following lines is by Robert K. Ritner in the book of the Great Cairo Hymn to Amun-Re from The Context of Scripture edited by William W. Hallo and K. Lawson Younger, Jr.

You are the Sole One, who made [all] that exists.
 One, alone, who made that which is.
From whose two eyes mankind came forth,
 on whose mouth the gods came into being.
...
Singly unique one, without his second
...
Unique king, like whom among the gods?

Conclusion

Having shown all sorts of ancient examples of the rhetoric being used, the most likely conclusion to be drawn is that incomparability rhetoric can't be used to conclude that only god exists in the minds of the authors.

Extra Resources

Other deities mentioned apart from Adonai

Here is a list of deities mentioned that are not Adonai.

Gen 3:5; 22; 6:2, 4; 31:3, 32; 35:2, 4;
Exod 12:12; 15:11; 18:11; 20:3, 23; 22:20; 23:13, 24, 32, 33; 32:1, 4, 8, 23, 31; 34:14, 15, 16, 17;
Lev 19:4;
Num 25:2; 33:4;
Deut 3:24; 4:7, 28; 5:7; 6:14; 7:4, 16, 25; 8:19; 10:17; 11:16, 28; 12:2, 3, 30, 31; 13:2, 6, 7, 13; 17:3; 18:20; 20:18; 28:14, 36, 64; 29:18, 26; 31:16, 18, 20; 32:12, 17, 21, 37, 39;
Josh 23:7, 16; 24:2, 14, 15, 16, 2, 23;
Judg 2:3, 12, 17, 19; 3:6; 5:8; 6:10, 31; 9:27; 10:6, 13, 14, 16; 11:24; 16:23, 24; 17:5; 18:24;
1 Sam 4:8; 5:7; 6:5; 7:3; 8:8; 17:43; 26:19; 28:13;
2 Sam 7:23;
1 Kgs 9:6, 9; 10:24; 11:2, 4, 5, 8, 10, 33; 12:28; 14:19; 18:24, 25, 27; 19:2; 20:10, 23, 28;
2 Kgs 1:2, 3, 6, 16; 17:7, 26, 27, 29, 31, 33, 35, 37, 38; 18:33, 34, 35; 19:12, 18, 19, 37;
Isa 9:6; 14:13; 21:9; 31:3; 36:18, 19, 20; 37:12, 19, 38; 41:23; 42:17; 43:10, 12; 44:10, 15, 17; 45:20; 46:6;
Jer 2:11, 28; 5:7, 19; 7:6, 9; 10:11; 11:10, 12, 13; 13:10; 16:11, 13, 20; 22:9; 25:6; 35:15; 43:12, 13; 46:25; 48:35;
Ezek 28:2, 9;
Hos 3:1; 13:4; 14:3;
Amos 5:26; 8:14;
Jonah 1:5;
Mic 4:5; 7:18;
Zeph 2:11;
Nah 1:14;
Hab 1:11;
Mal 2:11, 15;
Ps 29:1; 44:20; 77:13; 81:9; 82:1, 6; 86:8; 89:6, 7; 95:3; 96:4, 5; 97:7, 9; 135:5; 136:2; 138:1;
Ruth 1:15;
Dan 1:2; 2:11, 47; 3:12, 14, 15, 18, 25, 28, 29; 4:8, 9, 18; 5:4, 11, 14, 23; 6:7, 12; 11:8, 36, 37, 38, 39;
Ezra 1:7;
1 Chr 5:25; 10:10; 14:12; 16:25, 26;
2 Chr 2:5; 7:19, 22; 25:14, 15, 20; 28:23, 25; 32:13, 14, 15, 17, 19, 21; 33:15