Word of the Day - 5/29/2008

Susurration

A susurration is a soft murmur; whisper.

I Kings 19:11-12 informs that God chose not to speak to Elijah through boisterous natural calamities but through a susurration. The ESV ("low whisper"), NIV & NLT ("gentle whisper"), and The Message ("gentle and quiet whisper") all interpret the text as God speaking in a whisper. The CEV uses "gentle breeze" and the NASB features the similar "gentle blowing." The KJV, NKJV, RSV and Amplified Bible most famously read God speaking in a "still small voice."

The word"still" (the Hebrew demamah) can be translated as "silence." Thus, the NRSV may have the best tranlsation when it describes God as speaking via "sheer silence."

So He said, "Go forth and stand on the mountain before the LORD " And behold, the LORD was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing. (I Kings 19:11-12, NASB)