Bogoslovska smotra, Vol. 90 No. 2, 2020.
Original scientific paper
Kidneys as the Core of the Human Nature. A New Approach to the Interpretation of Kidneys in the Bible
Dubravko Turalija
orcid.org/0000-0002-8806-3967
; The Catholic Faculty of Theology University of Sarajevo, Bosna and Herzegovina
Abstract
The Hebrew word כִּליְהָ (kiljâ) is derived from the verb כלה (klh), meaning »to finish, to complete«, i.e., »to make whole«. Throughout the history, the noun was developing from having a physiological to having the typical spiritual meaning. The primitive-ma‑terial meaning of the word כִּליְהָ (kiljâ) relates exclusively to mature anatomical organ and, consequently, to mature age of a human being or an animal, while the spiritual meaning relates to human mature, completed, and formed core, essence, or nature. Therefore, etymologically speaking, apart from its primitive physiological meaning of »reaching maturity« or »to grow up«, the word כִּליְהָ (kiljâ) also had the spiritual-theological meaning of »forming nature«, »building up one’s nature« in the Bible. With all its characteristics, this latter meaning expresses the key characteristic of personality. Consequently, the Hebrew word for kidney is in the whole Bible regularly expressed in plural, because it points towards the binary object consisting of a number of traits that necessarily characterise it. Through kidneys Jahve sees the human nature. The verb that is most often used in their testing is בּחן (bḥn), and means »to test, to check, to penetrate, to know«. Trough kidneys Jahve tests a human being’s maturity, stability, and responsibility for all he/she is doing. The New Testament does not use the Old Testament’s term for kidney, but it has a term for what is inner that points towards the concept of kidneys that are situated deep in the body and hold the secretive human nature.
Keywords
kidneys; core; nature; hearth; essence; centre; judgement; maturity.
Hrčak ID:
243112
URI
Publication date:
31.8.2020.
Visits: 1.654 *