Support for Israel . . . Or Else?

One of the tenets of conservative Christianity is that support for Israel, the nation founded in 1948, is mandated in scripture. I have heard many sermons using Genesis 12:3 as the foundation for this view. In recent years, this same verse has informed politicians as they pledged their support for Israel.

On the EthicsDaily.com website, run by a seminary acquantance, Robert Parham, is an article written by another person with whom I crossed paths in my doctoral work, Mark McEntire, that questions the legitimacy of that interpretation.

Mark, now a professor of religion at Belmont University, Nashville, TN - a Baptist oriented school - notes that Rep. Michele Bachman, R-Minn., evidently referenced this verse as a justification for the US government to continue that unquestioned and unwavering support for Israel, the nation. He indicates that there are some interpretive issues with using that verse in this way. Since I am not the scholar of Hebrew that Mark is, I will let his words come through clearly:

Bachmann was apparently referring to Genesis 12:3, in which God says to Abram, "I will bless the ones blessing you, and the one cursing you I will curse, and in you all the clans of the land will be blessed."

Interpreting this verse within the context of Genesis 12 involves several difficulties.

First is a discrepancy in the text. The primary Hebrew text presents the two participles in the first half of the verse as I have translated them above: the first one plural ("the ones blessing you") and the second one singular ("the one cursing you"). Other versions of the Bible, including all available Greek and Latin manuscripts, make both of these words plural. Therefore, it is difficult to tell whether God is threatening a curse on one specific entity, or placing a general curse on anyone who curses Abram.

Second is an interpretive difficulty created by an important aspect of Hebrew grammar. Biblical Hebrew uses singular and plural second-person pronouns that are distinctly different. In this case, the second-person pronouns translated as "you" above are singular. This is complicated, however, by the Bible's frequent use of singular, second-person pronouns that clearly refer to a group of people. Therefore, it is impossible to say with certainty whether in this statement God is speaking to and about just Abram, Abram's entire household at the time or all of Abram's descendants.

Finally, two words in the second half of the verse are difficult to translate. The word I have translated as "clans" is sometimes used in a rather precise manner to refer to extended family groups within ancient Israel's social structure, but sometimes it is used more generally to refer to people groups outside of Israel.
The word I have translated as "land" is most often used to refer to the ground, or the dirt of which it is composed. It is not typically used to refer to the "earth" in the way that modern English speakers most often use it. This makes it impossible to say for certain whether this statement of blessing and curse applies everywhere or in just one specific area.

These difficulties of text, translation and interpretation make the scope of the statement – in terms of chronology, geography and the persons involved – uncertain. This uncertainty is revealed in the Bible itself when Abraham pleads with God for the other half of his family to be included: "O that Ishmael may live in your sight." God responds by extending the blessing of Abraham to Ishmael and the 12 nations that will descend from him. (Gen. 17:18-20)

I am not calling for an abandonment of Israel, but I do think our national foreign policy ought to be driven by other concerns - like concerns for human rights, adherence to laws and international treaties,and openness to diversity within its borders - instead of a faulty interpretation of one verse of scripture. Certainly, the nation of Israel ought to be held to the standard of adherence to UN resolutions and mandates as every other country. Unfortunately, any criticism of Israel at all is taken as anti-Semitism or as flying in the face of scripture.

This continues to be an issue, since the current Israeli government has recently pledged to continue to build settlements in disputed territories. Those who argued against this pledge have been "tarred and feathered" in many quarters.

So, how should US foreign policy be guided - and by whom? Should we use one particular ideological interpretation to force us to one conclusion?