Does the Bible Speak Science?

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Does God Speak Science?
An exe cise in biblical exegesis
By
Teddy Lishan Des a, Ph.D.
2019
Dallas, Texas
© TLD, 2019 - 2059. Unau ho ized use and/o duplica ion o his ma e ial wi hou exp ess and
w i en pe mission om his si e’s au ho and/o owne is s ic ly p ohibi ed. Exce p s and links
may be used, p o ided ha ull and clea c edi is gi en o Teddy L. Des a and wi h app op ia e
and speci ic di ec ion o he o iginal con en .
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How God’s Wo d Fo esaw Science and Technology
The Bible decla es ha God’s wisdom is in ini e, bo h in i s abili ies and scope (Da. 2:19-
22; P o . 8; Is. 40:25-26, 28; Rom. 11:33-35).
God c ea ed he physical uni e se. (Gen. 1; Job 38; Ps. 33:6-7, 119:90-91; P o . 8; Is.
40; Je . 10:11). The uni e se consis s (pe sis s) because o God’s Wo d (Heb.12:2; Col. 1:15-17).
God c ea ed man (Gen. 1:26-28, 2:7,18-25; Ps. 139:15-16; Is. 45:12) and knows his hough s
al oge he (Je . 23:23; 1 Ch . 28:9; Heb. 4:13). He is he lo d o his o y (40:23; Job 34:24-30;
Ac s 17:26). He knows he end om he beginning (Is. 46:9).
God wan s o make accessible His knowledge and wisdom o all hose who mee His
equi emen . Fi s , God in i es us o he s o ehouse o his wisdom and knowledge (P o . 2:1-7,
4:1-13, 9:1-6; 1 Co 2; Col. 2:3). Second, accessing God’s in ini e knowledge and wisdom s a s
by accep ing Jesus Ch is as Lo d. Jesus is he s o ehouse o God’s wisdom (Col. 2:3. C . Lk.
11:31; Is. 52:11-13; Re . 5:12). Thi d, accessing he wisdom o God (i.e., h ough he Wo d)
equi es he in illing o he Spi i o God. Only he Holy Spi i can sea ch (explo e) all he sec e
(sealed) wisdom o God (1 Co . 2; Eph. 1:17-19; Jn. 16:12-15). Fou h, he Holy Spi i , om he
belie e , equi es a li e o obedience as well as diligence in s udying he Bible (Job 28:12-28;
P o . 2:3-5, 8:34-35).
Howe e , his knowledge and wisdom o God o be accessed h ough he Holy Spi i , is i
some hing limi ed only o spi i ual and mo al ma e s, o does i also include knowledge and
wisdom we gene ally conside he ealm o secula educa ion and esea ch? Tha is, does God’s
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Wo d con ain knowledge (i.e., ac s and p inciples) and wisdom (i.e., applied science o
echnology), which we usually acqui e h ough o mal educa ion and esea ch?
This pape is based on he claim ha God's Wo d (when e ealed by he Holy Spi i )
con ains all knowledge and wisdom oday loca ed in he secula wo ld's co pus o knowledge
and wisdom. Be o e a emp ing o p o e his poin , i s , I p esen my p emises o such an
a gumen .
o God’s knowledge and wisdom a e unlimi ed. The implica ion is God canno be a
s ange o man’s mos ad anced science and echnology.
o The Wo d o God (i.e., he Bible) is he s o ehouse o di ine knowledge and
wisdom. The implica ion is he Wo d o God con ains ( ep esen s) he mind o
God (Jn. 1:1-5; P o . 8:22-31).
o The Bible con ains all he knowledge and wisdom ha which he secula wo ld
has accumula ed o e he cen u ies. The implica ion is one can show wha is in
he sciences in he Bible.
o The knowledge and wisdom o God con ained in he Bible is in he hidden (o
coded) o m (Col 2:3; P o . 25:2). The implica ion is i equi es he Holy Spi i o
e eal he hidden wisdom and knowledge o God (1 Co . 2).
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In Sea ch o God’s Knowledge and Wisdom
To illus a e my poin , I will ake wo books om he Bible, namely, he books o Job and
P o e bs o show, how (in concealed o coded ways) he Wo d o God con ains knowledge and
wisdom ela ed ideas well- ecognized among academic and scien i ic ci cles.
To begin he s udy, I will s a wi h he las chap e s o he Book o Job (i.e., chap e s 38 h u
41). In hese ou chap e s, God add esses Job di ec ly, bu in a way ha ba ely add esses Job’s
incessan c y o God o an answe . No wonde ha he Book o Job’s closing chap e s come as a
su p ise o many Bible eade s. God seems o ha e gone angen (by making an ex ended speech
on cosmology) while igno ing Job’s mise y and c y o me cy. God ba ages Job wi h ques ions,
o e whelming his mind wi h cosmological and na u al science ma e s. Bu he ques ion is: How
can a wise and compassiona e God do such a hea less hing o Job? Many Bible commen a o s
say God adop ed his s a egy o silence Job’s whining and aul - inding wi h God. God
in en ionally wan ed o educe Job o silence: I Job canno unde s and any pa o God’s
c ea ion, how can he da e o ques ion God’s ways in his li e? Because God is so powe ul and
wise, a man should us God, he indi idual knows li le abou God’s ways.1
I canno gainsay ha he e is a heological agenda behind God's leng hy speech. Howe e , in his
pape , I a gue a di e en eason behind God's speechmaking. I hypo hesize ha God's wo ds in
he Book o Job, chap e s 38 h u 41, a e in ended o he mode n man's ea s o challenge him o
all his lea ning and achie emen s. I will show how he wo ds o Job chap e s 38 h u 41 apply o
mode n man. I base his a gumen on he claim ha God's Wo d has a las ing quali y o i
1 h ps://www.heb ew4ch is ians.com/A icles/Su e ing/Theology_o _Su e ing/ heology_o _su e ing.h ml
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because God o de s he p ophe s o w i e he las man in mind: "Now go, w i e i be o e hem on
a able , And no e i on a sc oll, Tha i may be o ime o come, Fo e e and e e " (Is. 30:8).
Bu why would God like o make he mode n man His ul ima e add essee? Because God o esees
he end o he ages whe e man's p ide in his secula knowledge and wisdom would make him
ques ion God's wisdom and e en he exis ence o God (see, o example, 2 Tim. 3:1-5). This
pape will show how God expec s he mode n man's p og ess in knowledge and wisdom. God is
making such s a emen s be o ehand because He o esaw man's win ollies o p ide and a heism
because o his scien i ic achie emen s. Thus, in he eal sense, Job chap e s 38 h u 41 a e God's
"I- old-you-so" s ep o educe humankind o silence when humankind ies o w i e-o eligion
as igno ance. (See, o example, Is. 33;18, 48:5-8). I a gue he las chap e s o Job o e ell he
disco e ies o science, and God is making he long speech o s op mankind om b agging oo
much abou i s lea ning and scien i ic disco e ies.
In e p e a i e F amewo k
Since one way in which God has hidden knowledge and wisdom in he Bible is h ough His use
o igu a i e language (analogies, image y, and me apho s), I will ollow he symbolic
in e p e a ion me hod o decode he Bible o e eal hidden wisdom and knowledge. The
symbolic may no be he app op ia e in e p e a i e app oach o all pa s o he Bible, bu I
choose and use i as well-sui ed o he pu pose a hand.
The e o e, I adop a ew assump ions and p emises in using he symbolic in e p e i e me hod o
Job chap e s 38 h ough 41.

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1: God is issuing an in i a ion and a challenge o mankind o in es iga e he in icacies o he
uni e se.
2: God challenges mankind o do ce ain hings o p o e man’s capabili ies and in en i eness.
3: The message o he las man is abou scien i ic knowledge and his message is communica ed
using analogy, image y, and me apho s.
4: The symbolic line o in e p e a ion pu s some ex a bu den on he shoulde o he gene al
eade . The bu den is o wo ypes. Fi s , he eade should ha e some amilia i y wi h non-li e al
(symbolic) in e p e a ion o he Bible. Second, some knowledge abou he his o y o scien i ic
and echnological disco e ies.
5: The eade should be cognizan ha God is communica ing scien i ic ideas and echnological
disco e ies h ough he ocabula y and expe ien ial limi a ions o someone who li ed a ound
1500 BC.
P og ess o Scien i ic Disco e ies
I will y o demons a e how key scien i ic and echnological disco e ies ha e been coded in he
Bible millennia be o e hei disco e ies by he mode n man. The ollowing exce p aken om
Remo Cese ani nicely summa ize he scien i ic disco e ies he pape shows as encoded in God’s
Wo d.
Among he inno a ions ha ha e deeply a ec ed he collec i e sensibili y and
imagina ion o mode n socie ies and ha e p o oked gene al and di e se eac ions, I ha e
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singled ou hose ha seem o ha e had he s onges impac : he a i al o he ain in he
peace ul li e o p e-mode n communi ies, he possibili y o ep oducing images h ough
he op ical and chemical p ocess o pho og aphy, and he eno mously imp essi e changes
in ou isual, audi o y and men al pe cep ions b ough abou by he in oduc ion o such
means o communica ion as he eleg aph, he elephone and he wi eless o he "old adio
days” (Remo Cese ani).2
Some Illus a i e Cases
Nex , I will p esen a ew sc ip u es om he books o Job and P o e bs which I belie e con ain
p edic ions abou u u e man’s achie emen s in science and echnology.
(a) Commanding he Ligh ning Bol
“Do you send he ligh ning bol s on hei way?
Do hey epo o you, ‘He e we a e’?” (Job 38:35)
We can unde s and hose wo ds in wo ways: ei he , li e ally in a me eo ological sense, o
igu a i ely, in a scien i ic- echnological sense. In he i s sense, we can say ha God is
challenging man o exe cise me eo ological powe s in commanding he hunde bol like he gods.
I ha is he sense, hen, God is asking man i can command he ligh ening o s ike whe e he wan s
o s ike. I ha be he ques ion, hen he answe , o cou se, would be: “No ye , Lo d.” So a , we
know, mankind has li le me eo ological powe s, including s a ing and di ec o a bol o ligh ning.
2 Remo Cese ani. “The Impac o he T ain on Mode n Li e a y Imagina ion.” S an o d Humani ies Re iew (1999).
h ps://web.s an o d.edu/g oup/SHR/7-1/h ml/cese ani.h ml
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Bu i we unde s and God’s challenge implied in his ques ion in mode n scien i ic e ms,
hen he answe would be, “Yes, Lo d, we ha e been able o do so.” Ou esponse could be ue
only in unde s anding he e m ‘bol o ligh ning’ in a me apho ical sense wi h scien i ic
conno a ions. And since he 18 h cen u y, science has p o ed ha ligh ning is an elec o-magne ic
phenomenon. wa e. Today, he d awn pic u e o a bol o ligh ning is he widely adop ed symbol
(image) o elec o -magne ic wa e (o , in p ac ical e ms, o wi ed and wi eless communica ion).
Hence, we can a gue ha (based such symbolic in e p e a ion o Job 38:35), God did
an icipa e ha one day humankind will ha ness elec o-magne ic wa es o do his biddings o
e ands. I ook mankind a while (ac ually, millennia) be o e i can mee God’s challenge in
ha nessing “ligh ning” o i s will.
Mankind has i s o a i e a he age o he Enligh enmen be o e i can achie e any hing
signi ican by way o commanding he ‘ligh ning bol ’. I has been h ough he expe imen s o
scien is s like Ben F anklin (1706-90), Michael Fa aday (1791-1867), Samuel Mo se (1791-1872),
James Cle k Maxwell (1831-79), Hein ich He z (1857-94), Alexande G aham Bell (1847-1922),
Guglielmo Ma coni (1874-1937), Thomas Edison (1847-1931), and many o he s.
His o ically, h ough scien i ic p og ess, man has add essed God’s challenge abou
commanding he ‘ligh ning bol ’ in h ee s eps. Fi s , s a ing wi h he wo k o Ben F anklin (1706-
90), man has disco e ed ha hunde s o m is a na u al phenomenon and ha ligh ening is a su ge
o elec ici y. F anklin has demons a ed how h ough a p ope ly designed and loca ed ligh ening
od, man can sa ely conduc a bol o ligh ning unde g ound. In his i s sense, hen man answe ing
God’s challenge in Job 38:35 has lea ned how o make ligh ening “ o epo ” o his ae ial od and
go whe e i sends i (i.e., unde he g ound).
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Second, mankind has c ea ed his own e sion o a ‘bol o ligh ning’, namely elec ici y,
which he now commands o pe o m di e en kinds o asks. I was wo scien is s, Thomas Edison
and Nikola Telsa, who in he la e 1800s, pionee ed hei espec i e e sions o me hods o mass
gene a ing and ansmi ing elec ic powe . Today man can send elec ici y o homes and ac o ies
h ough insula ed wi es many miles away om powe gene a ing cen e s. A a lip o a swi ch,
man can pu elec ic powe ed gadge s o pe o m my iad o asks. In mas e ing elec ici y, mankind
has me God’s challenged p esen ed in Job 38:35. Elec ici y unde man’s command has elie ed
mankind om edious and labo ious asks, enabling humani y o lead a much mo e com o able
exis ence.
Thi d, he p inciples o elec omagne ism ha e been mas e ed o enable man o send images
and oice o e long-dis ance. F om a humble beginning, he idea o elecommunica ion has g own
o include oday man-made communica ion sa elli es o bi ing in he sky.
The Sco ish physicis James Cle k Maxwell in 1865 showed how elec ic and magne ic
ields a ise and in e ac . He made he p edic ion how a changing elec ic ield would
p oduce a magne ic ield. The eby he p edic ed he exis ence o elec omagne ic wa es,
which we now know include ligh , adio, and X- ays. […] In la e 1880s, he Ge man
physicis , Hein ich He z, h ough se ies o expe imen s p o ed he exis ence o
elec omagne ic wa es. His appa a us demons a ed how o gene a e and de ec adio
wa es. […] In 1901, Guglielmo Ma coni sen and ecei ed elec omagne ic wa es ac oss
he A lan ic Ocean, se ing he s age o adio, TV, sa elli e communica ion, and cellula
elephone.”3
3 ‘The Wo ld Book Encyclopedia” Vol 6. Wo ld Book
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c i e ia. This is he un amed powe o i e/ hea , which man la e ha nessed h ough i s he
echnology o he s eam engine and la e he in e nal combus ion mo o -engine.
Th ough he wo ks o in en o s such as James Wa , ea ly engines con e ed s eam-
gene a ed hea ene gy in o mechanical ene gy, eplacing animal powe in many asks. La e ,
h ough he in en ion o he mo o engine, mankind could con e chemical ene gy in o
mechanical ene gy. The manu ac u e and adop ion o a mo o -engine d i en a m machine y,
such as ac o s, ha es e s, h eshe s, and ucks, e olu ionized ag icul u e, inc easing a m
p oduc i i y many imes o e . Today, a a push o a bu on and a pull o a le e , a me s make
such a m machine y hei obedien se an s, om cul i a ing ields o ha es ing c ops o
hauling g ain o he silos. A e he day’s hea y wo k on he a m, as he Di ine wo d sugges s,
hey quie ly es nex o he ba n (Job 39:9).
So, he “wild ox” God challenges man o ame oday we ecognize as he powe o i e/
hea now ha nessed h ough he engine-mo o sys em. Soon, a me s may e en comple ely lea e
hei a m wo k (i.e., cul i a ing, weeding, e ilizing, ha es ing, e c.) o compu e -d i en a m
machine y, ulling he di ine challenge: “Will you lea e you hea y wo k o i ?” (Job 39:11).
(d). The Founda ions o he Ea h
“Whe e we e you when I laid he ea h’s ounda i on?
Tell me, i you unde s and.
5Who ma ked o i s dimensions? Su ely you know!
Who s e ched a measu ing line ac oss i ?
6On wha we e i s oo ings se ,
o who laid i s co ne s one—
7while he mo ning s a s sang oge he
and all he angels a shou ed o joy?
8“Who shu up he sea behind doo s

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when i bu s o h om he womb,
9when I made he clouds i s ga men
and w apped i in hick da kness,
10when I ixed limi s o i
and se i s doo s and ba s in place,
11when I said, ‘This a you may come and no a he ;
he e is whe e you p oud wa es hal ’? (Job 38: 4-11)
The pa h mankind has aken o answe hese ques ions makes much o he his o y o mode n
scien i ic disco e y. Beginning he 16 h cen u y, scien is s such as Cope nicus, Keple , Galileo,
and New on, man has made b eak h ough disco e ies abou he uni e se which o millennia
emained a mys e y o him. S a ing wi h hese key scien is s, man has disco e ed se e al na u al
laws ha explain he in icacies and ma els o he sola sys em. Th ough b eak h ough insigh s
and disco e ies in he a eas o ma hema ics, as onomy, and physics, man has been able o
answe mos o he ques ions God has posed o him h ough Job.
Science has disco e ed he laws o g a i y and mo ion, he p inciples o he modynamics and
elec omagne ism, and he composi ion o he ea h and o he a mosphe e. Science has p o ed
ha he ea h is o a ce ain dis ance om he sun and he moon, il s 23 ½ deg ees on i s axis,
and has laye s o gases co e ing as a blanke . Science has shown ha ea h has diu nal and
seasonal cycles, ocean ides and cu en s, and expe iences des uc i e-c ea i e o ces such as
ea hquakes, olcanoes, and hu icanes. All hese because o he ope a ion o na u al laws and
in-buil na u al p ocesses, which gua an ee o he ea h’s abili y o sus ain li e.7 Man’s scien i ic
7 Fo example, wa ch he ollowing ideo clips o some insigh :
h ps://www.you ube.com/wa ch? =JGXi_9A__Vc [ea h – o igin]
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in es iga ion has shown i ha in an o he wise ba en uni e se ( illed wi h bu ning s a s and
ba en plane s and moons), he ea h s ands as a gem and a ma el. Hence, man has wonde ed
whe he he ea h is a cosmic acciden o a esul o he ac o a wise God.
As he wo ds o God o Job show, he ea h is no a me e cosmic acciden o a p obabilis ic
ou come o selec i e e olu iona y p ocesses. Bu he ea h is His wo kmanship, a plane c ea ed
unde he guiding hand o an in ini ely wise God.
(e ). Miscellany o Mo ion Ma els
"The e a e h ee hings ha a e oo amazing o me, ou ha I do no unde s and:
he way o an eagle in he sky,
he way o a snake on a ock,
he way o a ship on he high seas, and
he way o a man wi h a young woman.”
P o e bs 30:18-19
The speake ’s name is gi en as Agu ; bu ha ma e i can be King Solomon, he Wise, himsel .8
In sum, Solomon is e lec ing and exp essing wonde men di e en o ms mo ions, which he
calls he “ he way”. Some o hese amazing mo ions, mos , ela e o physical mo emen ; while,
a leas one, is a mo ion only in a igu a i e sense.
h ps://www.you ube.com/wa ch? = 9CR 3-bns0 [dynamic na u al p ocesses on ea h]
h ps://www.you ube.com/wa ch? =pwChk4S99i4 [ocean cu en s]
8 A leas acco ding o: Ellico ’s Commen a y o English Reade s.
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The i s wo mo ions a e ‘na u al’ as hey ela e o he c ea u es o God, he eagle and he snake.
The hi d mo ion is ‘a i icial’ meaning i is man-made. I ela es o a ship sailing on he wa e s.
The ou h, ‘ he way o a man wi h a woman’ is a ‘social’ mo ion, he oman ic mo es
(in e ac ion) a man makes wi h a woman.
I we limi ou sel es o he li e al sense, he e is li le imp essing abou hese wo ds. We may be
o ced o ask: “Wha a e you elling us, Agu , abou hese hings we do no al eady see o
ou sel es? Wha deep hings you a e e ealing o us abou each o hem?” We can easily dismiss
his musings as i e, a he li e al le el hey a e mundane. Such simple s a emen s do no imp ess
us much abou Agu . O , as someone said abou Agu : “ he ange o his hough , as compa ed
wi h ha o o he au ho s, is pedes ian.”9
He e, I a gue he con a y. I a gue ha Agu is no a pedes ian in his hough s. Ra he , he is a
man o deep isiona y expe ience who saw u u e echnological de elopmen s well in ad ance.
His wo ds look pedes ian only because he is ying o communica e o us abou u u e ma els
which we e ou ange o a man who li ed ci ca 900 BC. T uly, we ha e o admi e
Agu is se ing God in ying o ansmi o us he ma elous mo ion hings which would occu
in he dis an u u e. Agu is desc ibing ne e -be o e seen mo ing objec s using analogy and
image y d awn om his daily expe ience. And only when we s a seeing P o e bs 30:18-19
om his pe spec i e does we s a app ecia ing he wisdom and knowledge o God p ese ed o
us in he Bible ega ding abou ou u u e.
9 In e na ional S anda d Bible Encyclopedia.
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The case o he eagle: “The way o he eagle in he sky”
This sugges s a lying objec in he case o u u is ic science and echnology. Hence, Agu ’s
eagle in image y sense is some lying objec like an ai plane. Fo example, wha he
commen a o Ma hew Poole w i es abou he li e al eagle can easily apply o he igu a i e
eagle. “The manne o he ligh , which is exceeding high, and swi , and s ong. O a he , he
way o pa o he ai h ough which she passe h, wi hou lea ing any p in o sign in i , which
hough i be ue o all bi ds, ye is he e a ibu ed o he eagle, o whom his is mo e ue,
because she lies ou o sigh , whe e nei he he body no any sign o i can be disce ned.”10
The Ame ican b o he s, Wilbu and O ille W igh , in en ed and pionee ed he i s powe ed,
sus ained, and con olled ai plane ligh (1903) and also buil and lew he i s ully
p ac ical ai plane (1905).11 Thei achie emen was a b eak h ough, because:
Fo se e al yea s a he u n o he cen u y, dozens o g oups in Eu ope and Ame ica had
been ying o ge a lying machine o wo k. Bu de ying g a i y wasn’ p o ing easy.
Ne e heless, Wilbu and O ille W igh , a e a long pe iod o ial and e o , ound a
o mula ha seemed o wo k. The p oblem hey and e e yone else had aced was how o
gene a e enough powe o ge he machine o he g ound and o keep i going once i was up
in a s able and s eady ligh . The W igh s had de eloped a ligh weigh 25-ho sepowe engine
which p o ided a much highe powe o weigh a io han any hing ha had gone be o e.12
Today, we ha e “eagles” ha ly h ough he sky a he imaginable speed. A ypical ci ilian je
ai plane a els a a speed close o 500 mph, wi h a ange o 3,000 miles, and ising o a heigh o
10 Ma hew Poole’s Commen a y.
11 h ps://www.b i annica.com/biog aphy/W igh -b o he s
12 h ps://nzhis o y.go .nz/media/ ideo/w igh -b o he s- i s - ligh -1903
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30,000 ee . Mode n day “eagles” c oss oceans in non-s op ligh s a amazing speed, while
sus aining hund eds o ons o weigh .13
The case o he snake: “The way o he snake on a ock”
In he li e al sense, his mo ion is a wonde because,
“The snake’s mode o p og ession by he le e -like mo ion o i s ibs migh well awake
su p ise, bu he poin is s ill he acklessness o i s cou se. On a sand o so g ound, i s
mo emen s migh be aced by he imp ession made. bu his could no be done on ha d
ock; i could push i sel along on such a su ace wi hou lea ing any ack.”
Su ice ha abou he li e al snake, bu wha kind o echnology does he image y o he
mo emen o he snake sugges in e ms o mode n-day echnology? We ha e o ask, wha is
Agu ’s ision abou he “snake” whose mo ion on he ock ha a oused his wonde men ?
In echnological e ms, he nea es hing ha Agu could ha e seen in a isions esembling a
snake mo ing on he ocks is he locomo i e. I belie e Agu could likely saw a locomo i e
passing h ough ugged moun ainous e ain, as winding (i.e., coiling) i sel a ound he bends.
Railway acks a e a ely laid down in a s aigh line, ins ead, hey a e winding, making he as -
mo ing ain appea like a me al snake in i s jou ney.14 Fo one who looks om a dis ance a
13 The p ophe Isaiah may ha e he mode n je in mind when he gi es us his compa ison by inspi a ion.
“Bu hose who us he LORD will ind new s eng h. They will be s ong like eagles soa ing upwa d on
wings; hey will walk and un wi hou ge ing i ed.” (Is. 40:31)
14 “The I on Snake is an ancien ibal p ophecy a ibu ed o bo h he Maasai and Kĩkũyũ ibes
in Kenya in which a ailway is desc ibed as an i on snake. […] A simila end-o - he-wo ld my h
speaking o snakes o i on appea s in he Hopi adi ion o he New Wo ld as he ou h sign on
Hopi able s. In 1965, Ronald Ha dy published a book abou he building o he Eas A ican

22
as -mo ing locomo i e nego ia ing he sides o hills, i s ceaseless wis ing mo ion can c ea e in
him he men al image o a wis ing i on se pen . Fo example, he e a e a se ies o me apho s,
analogies, and image ies applied o he locomo i e ha can es ablish such igu a i e connec ion
( esemblance) be ween he locomo i e and he se pen . Fo example, wha Remo Cese ani has
gleaned om he li e a u e unde sco e his poin :
Nume ous ex s, s a ing wi h he i s decades o he cen u y, ep esen he ain and
ail oads as dis u bing and uncanny in en ions, ha h ea en o comple ely unbalance
bo h he social landscape and he indi idual sensibili y. I is om hese ex s ha some
e y success ul images and me apho s come o us: he engine as an in lamed and
smoking mons e , ha eno a es he ancien my h o Vulcan, god o i e and
c a smanship; he ain ha unwinds like a se pen o ejec s i e and smoke like a d agon;
he s aigh ail oad lines ha cu he na u al landscape, pe o a e he moun ains, iola e
na u e. (Remo Cese ani)15
Also, one o he mos s ylis ic w i e s o mode n imes, Flanne y O’Conno , applies he image y
o he se pen o a locomo i e, as ollows: “[…] he ain glided pas hem and disappea ed like a
igh ened se pen in o he woods […]”16
I mode n-day w i e s desc ibe he ain as an “i on snake” o a “smoking d agon”, hen i is
likely ha wha Agu is seeing in a ision and desc ibing in he image y o a se pen is likely a
Rail oad called The I on Snake (Collins, London).”
h ps://en.wikipedia.o g/wiki/The_I on_Snake
15 Remo Cese ani. “The Impac o he T ain on Mode n Li e a y Imagina ion.” S an o d
Humani ies Re iew (1999). h ps://web.s an o d.edu/g oup/SHR/7-1/h ml/cese ani.h ml
16 Flanne y O’Conno . “The A i icial Nigge .” The Kenyon Re iew, ol. 20, no. 1, 1998, pp.
161–176.
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ain. Agu is desc ibing an ou -o - ange u u is ic objec using he closes hing he can mus e
om his li e expe ience. His ma els a he "snake”, we oo now sound. S ill, i s ikes us as
wonde how such a hea y me al objec , a locomo i e (which in a iably d aws sco es o wagons
behind i ) could keep i s balance while mo ing a g ea speed on wo na ow acks, some imes
a ound moun ain ledges and down deep alleys.
The case o he sailing ship: “The way o a ship on he high seas.”
This may no seem o demand much imagina ion on he pa o Solomon because in his days hey
had sea a ing ships (1 Kgs. 10:22). Bu s ill Solomon may ma el seeing in a ision he mode n-
age mega on s eel ships sailing on he oceans. He can unde s and wood loa ing on wa e , bu he
could ha e ound ons o me al loa ing o he oceans mos as onishing. S ill, he would ha e been
dumb ounded o see he mode n-day ships sel -p opelled and no d i en by wind. The s eng h o
he ships o wi hs and he s onges o he sea s o ms could ha e ma eled him, mo e.
The case o a man and his gi l iend: “The way o a man wi h a young woman”
Nea ly all commen a o s ag ee ha Agu (i.e., King Solomon) he e is e e ing o he
seduc i eness o a man’s wo ds wi h a woman he desi es o win he hand. Fo example, he
Pulpi Commen a y no es:
The p o e b says ha he sin ul ac o which i alludes lea es no ou wa d sign by which i
can gene ally be ecognized; i escapes man's knowledge. This is exempli ied and
con i med in he ollowing e se. I is no su icien o e e he saying o he insidious
a s o he seduce , by which he saps he p inciples and in lames he passions o his
ic im. The sin o unchas i y is signi ied, which demands sec ecy and a o ds no oken o
i s commission. (The Pulpi Commen a y on P o e bs 30:19)
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He e, again we ha e o o ce ou sel es beyond he amilia e i o y. We ha e o y o li e he
isiona y expe ience o Agu and ask ou sel es wha p obably God is showing o him abou he
u u e and he is ying o desc ibe gi en he limi a ions o his 900 BC expe iences.
Keeping o ou assump ion ha God is showing Agu abou u u e echnologies ha in ol e
mo ion, we ask wha kind o echnology cap u es mo emen s in ela ion o a man and a young
woman?
And he echnology ela es o omance, a lo e a ai be ween a man and a woman. In he li e al
sense, he e is li le o ma el abou wo lo e s aking a walk. Agu ’s desc ip ion o he lo e s
becomes a ma el only i we assume, he e oo, ha he is using image y o desc ibe a u u is ic
echnology. We know one-way in which mode n-man depic s omance h ough he echnology o
he mo ion pic u e.17
Hence, his p esupposes ha Agu ’s a el in ime also included wa ching a cinema in isiona y
expe ience. This ime Agu is wa ching a non-ma e ial mo ion (i.e., i ual mo emen )
con igu ed on a sil e sc een, whe e he ollows he u ns and wis s o some omance be ween a
man and woman. I he nex e se ( . 20) is associa ed wi h he p eceding e se ( . 19), hen
Agu may be seeing some o m o he seduc ion unde way. Such a plo in a mo ie s o y does no
come as a su p ise as a heme o scene o sexual p omiscui y is a common a e in many mode n-
day mo ies. To summa ize, a close examina ion o he mo ions Agu sees e eal some insigh :
• The h ee mo ions a e ma e ial (i.e., space- ime displacemen s), while he ou h one is
non-ma e ial (i.e., i ual) mo ion.
17 This can also include wa ching omance on some o he isual media, including TV and he In e ne .
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• Among he ou mo ions, only one (i.e., ship) is p esen ed li e ally, as-i -is. The o he
h ee mo ions a e p esen ed (because hey a e ou o he ange o Agu ’s li e expe ience)
in he o m o image y o analogies.
• A ship is a common ehicle in he days o Solomon. Bu he disco e y o he scien i ic
p inciple behind a ship’s mo ion on he wa e is s ill in he u u e. So, Agu may be
wonde ing how a hea y objec is no sinking, bu e o lessly sailing on he wa e .
• The ou mo ions a ouse cu iosi y in Agu because hey de y some na u al law; namely,
he law o g a i y (“eagle”), buoyancy (ship), ic ion and cen e o g a i y (“snake’), and
ma e iali y (“scene o omance”).
The idea o he mo ion pic u e (i.e., cinema) is also implied in o he pa s o he Book o P o e b.
One possible example is P o e bs 25:10:
Like apples o gold in se ings o sil e
Is a wo d spoken in igh ci cums ances. (P o . 25:11)
He e I will discuss how he o iginal Heb ew wo ds o “like apples o gold in se ings o sil e ”
con ain he idea o he u u e echnology man will de elop, namely, he mo ion pic u e.
The wo d ansla ed se ings in P o . 25:11 holds he key o unde s anding he whole exp ession
in e ms o u u is ic echnologies. The wo d “se ings” in he o iginal Heb ew is תוֹּ֥ י ִּכ ְּש ַמ ְּב
(be·mas·ki·yo· ) is ela ed o showpiece, igu e, o imagina ion. Fo example, Ma hew Poole
ansla es he i s line o P o . 25:11, as close as o he o iginal, in no ing: “The golden apples
appea ing h ough ne -wo k o sil e , o being eng a en o po ayed upon able s o sil e ”
(Ma hew Poole Commen a y). The Pulpi Commen a y also communica es he same idea,
saying: “apples o gold in pic u es o sil e . The e is a doub abou he meaning o he wo d