The English word ‘arm’ refers both to human limbs - and to weapons, the linguistic origin for words like ‘army’ and ‘armistice’. In Hebrew, however, the word “Zeroa’ is for the most part strictly anatomical - human, animal - or divine -- and when referring to God is assumed as a symbolic metaphor. But it is likely used more than any other god-like body part.
YHWH, largely depicted as a non-corporeal deity, surprisingly has his divine mighty arm often described in liturgy and biblical references, on such events such as Hanukkah and Passover, when historical and aspirational salvation is a major theme - god’s arm shows up again, a symbol of supernatural strength and conquest over enemies.
One of the famous, popular and problematic Hanukkah hymns is the medieval Maoz Tzur, Rock of Ages, with its triumphant verses of survival, including lines like “But God with His mighty arm brought out His treasured people...O bare Your holy arm and bring the end of salvation.”
Even Ezekiel uses this embodied metaphor to describe strategic superpowers and victory - but in this chapter the arm in question is not that of YHWH - but rather the local kings, operated by the greater arm beyond: Babylon rises. But Egypt is worthy of YHWH’s wrath: The Pharaoh, and his arm are found guilty of betrayal towards Judah among other moral failures. His punishment, by Babylon, Ezekiel warns, will be direct - and prevent further combat:
בֶּן־אָדָ֕ם אֶת־זְר֛וֹעַ פַּרְעֹ֥ה מֶלֶךְ־מִצְרַ֖יִם שָׁבָ֑רְתִּי וְהִנֵּ֣ה לֹֽא־חֻ֠בְּשָׁ֠ה לָתֵ֨ת רְפֻא֜וֹת לָשׂ֥וּם חִתּ֛וּל לְחׇבְשָׁ֥הּ לְחׇזְקָ֖הּ לִתְפֹּ֥שׂ בֶּחָֽרֶב׃
O mortal, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt; it has not been bound up to be healed nor firmly bandaged to make it strong enough to grasp the sword.
Ezekiel 30:20
While Ezekiel is clearly using the king’s broken arm as a symbol of Egypt’s eventual defeat - it’s hard to not imagine the actual king’s limb, too limp to leverage, forever prevented from fighting. But just to make sure the point is understood - Egypt is over -- Ezekiel adds one more warning and one more use of the arm as symbol, this time as the arms of Babylon - empowered by supernatural forces to arm-wrestle Egypt - and win:
וְהַחֲזַקְתִּ֗י אֶת־זְרֹעוֹת֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ בָּבֶ֔ל וּזְרֹע֥וֹת פַּרְעֹ֖ה תִּפֹּ֑לְנָה וְֽיָדְע֞וּ כִּי־אֲנִ֣י יְהֹוָ֗ה בְּתִתִּ֤י חַרְבִּי֙ בְּיַ֣ד מֶֽלֶךְ־בָּבֶ֔ל וְנָטָ֥ה אוֹתָ֖הּ אֶל־אֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם׃
I will make firm the arms of the king of Babylon, but the arms of Pharaoh shall fail. And they shall know that I YHWH, when I put My sword into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he lifts it against the land of Egypt.
Ezekiel 30:25
Robert Alter explores more of this ‘strong arm’ motif:
“The prophecy is a striking instance of the rhetorical strategy of resuscitating a dead metaphor. Repeatedly, “arm” is a term for “strength” or “power.” That is what it means here, but the literal sense of the word becomes salient: the arm is broken, it has been given no medical attention to heal it; dangling broken, it can no longer grasp a sword; then the other arm is broken, and the damaged one is broken a second time. The devastation of Egypt as a military power in this way is made painfully vivid.”
The king of Egypt’s broken arms lead to defeat by the king of Babylon whose arms hold firm the swords.
Could there be a more direct and disturbing image for the horrors of war?
As this war wages, while Hanukkah happens, the images of arms with arms held tightly has become, so sadly, once again familiar and debated.
We can only hope and do all we can do to work for putting down the arms, ending the seemingly endless arm-wrestle and use our arms and hands, all body parts, for love, and not for wrath.
Ezekiel’s prophetic campaign against Egypt is not yet done. Several more powerful words await, rooted in his poetry of familiar and natural symbols meant to shake up Egypt and the rest of us, towards a better, kinder, and more just existence, hand in hand.
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