Micah 6: Not accepting that a born child is a god facing death

Michoh 6 OJB (Micah in NIV)

 

Not accepting that a born child is a god facing death

Guide: CJB New Testament emphasis in bold (CJB online) or OJB Old Testament, text I emphasize in green; NIV in magenta; footnotes to CJB in superscript sky blue and OJB; Nomads* discussion in yellow; and my comments in gray. I may use endnotes to cite outside literature or extensive comment.  

*Participative Sunday-school-class at UBC led by Ken Tipton. Ken seems to consider answers in a continuous search for ineluctable truth. My evolving statement about Genesis 1:26-28, now from OJB, is at the end of this post.

Note: This discussion was to celebrate the life of long-cherished Nomads class and UBC member, Bubba Henry.

Chief concerns and possible insights:

1.     My learning curve with OJB is steep.

a.      Genesis 1 cites Elohim then G-d.

b.     Micah cites Hashem then G-d.

c.      Micah of Benjamin rather than Judah (tree to Yeshua)

2.     The earth itself is awesome to humankind, including Israel.

3.     “Burnt offerings” is followed by a list

a.      It ends with the person’s firstborn, implying human burnt-sacrifice

b.     In Israeli culture, only qualified Levites could serve the church.

                                                              i.      The Catholic Church 1600 years ago disagreed with Israel’s 3400 year-old Torah.

                                                            ii.      Priests still abuse children.

c.      Children are gods facing death (Psalm 82:6-7)

                                                              i.      Parents have no right to assign their children to Church, or to sports, or to opera, or to STEM, or to anything.

                                                            ii.      I perceive a reason for John 10:34 not affirming Psalm 82:7:  the NT claims Yeshua defeats death.

1.     I think Yeshua influences civic integrity, seen or unseen.

2.     Civic integrity empowers mutual appreciation.

                                                          iii.      It is difficult to imagine the horror Isaac experienced at the moment “[Abraham] reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his [bound] son.” Genesis 22:10 NIV.

1.     No god facing death imparts everlasting psychological pain.

2.     I do not trust the Genesis-22 writer.

4.     The offensive practices seem to be getting-rich-by-cheating fellow citizens.

5.     “To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” leaves choice to the reader.

a.      It’s a no brainer if your God is political power.

                                                              i.      Consider Machiavelli, The Prince, Chapter XI. https://www.online-literature.com/machiavelli/prince/11/ , addressing the state-church competitive collaboration.

b.     It becomes more death-godly if “your God” is necessary goodness or The God.

                                                              i.      The gods facing death naturally pursue necessary goodness.

                                                            ii.      Yeshua’s civic influence is perhaps humankind’s best aid to goodness.

1.     Yeshua’s influence cannot be pursued via “Jesus”, “Christ”, “Messiah,” Church, and other hopeful institutions.

2.     I speak and write to collaborate rather than to destroy.

3.     Perhaps second best to Yeshua are the ancient Greeks

a.      Socrates Euthyphro Dilemma: is The God the good? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euthyphro_dilemma .

b.     Clytemnestra’s objections to the plan to sacrifice Iphigenia, in order to aid the Greek fleet; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iphigenia_in_Aulis .

6.     I do not know the ineluctable truth and share my opinion hoping to learn from considerate fellow citizens.

What the text seems to say:

1.     Micah is a descendant of King Saul and of Benjamin.

2.     Micah thinks Hashem furthers complaints against Israel’s behavior

a.      The earth is witness to Israel’s offenses

b.     Why does Israel offend Hashem? Do you claim Hashem wronged you?

c.      Hashem delivered you from Egypt

                                                              i.      Gave you Levites Moses, Miriam, and Aaron

                                                            ii.      Kept Balaam from helping Balak against you

                                                          iii.      Miraculous crossing of the Jordan recalling the Red Sea crossing

1.     Hashem’s righteousness was expressed a second time.

2.     This crossing was south of the Red Sea.

3.     Micah asks how to appear before Hashem to be humble before G-d. [NIV cannot erase OJB’s differing entities – e.g., in Genesis 1, Elohim vs G-d.]

a.      Will Hashem accept burnt offerings on behalf of the G-d?

                                                              i.      Heifers? Rams? Olive oil? My firstborn?

                                                            ii.      Life-accomplishments for “the sin of my soul”?

b.     He has shown you what is good and required of you.

                                                              i.      Justness, mercy, and humility.

                                                            ii.      Nicholas Wolterstorff objects to NT translators changing “justness” to “righteousness”, which can be egotistic. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdcIkbAMWKA .

4.     Micah reviews Israel’s offenses so the wise may consider Hashem’s wrath.

a.      Short baskets, dishonest scales, violence of the wealthy, liars, idol worshipers.

b.     Expect destruction, ruin, famine, disgrace.

The OJB text follows:

^6:1 Hear ye now what Hashem the Lord saith: Arise, contend thou before heharim (the mountains), and let the hills hear thy voice.

² Hear ye, O harim (mountains), the riv Hashem (dispute, case, lawsuit of Hashem); listen, ye enduring mosedei eretz (foundations of the earth); for Hashem hath a case against His people, and He will contend with Yisroel.

³ O Ami (My people), what have I done unto thee? And wherein have I been a burden to thee? Testify against Me.

⁴ For I brought thee up out of Eretz Mitzrayim Egypt, and redeemed thee out of the bais avadim (house of slaves); and sent before thee Moshe, Aharon, and Miryam [descendants of Levi].

⁵ O Ami (My people), remember now what Balak Melech Moav did plot, and what Bala’am ben Beor answered him from Sheetim to Gilgal [See Yehoshua chps 3-4]; that ye may have da’as of the tzidkot (righteous acts of) Hashem.

⁶ With what shall I come before Hashem the Lord, and bow myself before Elohei Marom (G-d on High) the exalted God? Shall I come before Him with olot (burnt offerings), with calves a year old?

⁷ Will Hashem be pleased with thousands of eilim (rams), or with ten thousand rivers of shemen (olive oil)? Shall I give my bechor (firstborn) for my peysha transgression, the p’ri (fruit) of my beten for the chattat (sin) of my nefesh the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? [Do a person’s accomplishments in life only gain compensation in the afterdeath?]

⁸ He hath showed thee, O adam (man) O mortal, what is tov good. And what doth Hashem require of thee, but to do mishpat, and ahavat chesed, and to walk humbly with Eloheicha your God?

⁹ Hashem’s voice crieth unto the ir (city): To fear Thy Shem (Name) is wisdom; heed the rod and the One who appointed it. [Since it’s Hashem’s voice, G-d seems the One.]

¹⁰ Are there yet the otzerot (treasures) of wickedness in the bais rasha (the house of the wicked), and the scant measure, the too small eifah (bushel) which is accursed?

¹¹ Shall I acquit the one with dishonest scales, and with the bag of mirmah (deceitful) weights? [T.N. see Moshiach without mirmah, Yeshayah 53:9]

¹² For the oisher (the wealthy) thereof are full of chamas (violence), and the inhabitants thereof have spoken sheker, and their leshon (tongue) is remiyah (guile) in their mouth. [see Moshiach without chamas, Yeshayah 53:9 Isaiah 53:9]

¹³ Therefore also will I make thee sick in striking thee, in making thee desolate because of chattotecha.

¹⁴ Thou shalt eat, but not be satisfied; and thy emptiness remains in thee; and thou shalt put away but not save; and that which thou deliverest will I give up to the cherev (sword).

¹⁵ Thou shalt sow the zera, but thou shalt not reap the katzir (harvest); thou shalt tread the zayit (olives), but thou shalt not anoint thee with shemen (olive oil); and yayin shalt thou not drink.

¹⁶ For the chukkot Omri (statutes of Omri) are kept, and kol ma’aseh Bais Ach’av (all the works of the House of Ahab); and ye walk in their mo’atzot (advise, counsel); therefore, I should make thee a desolation, and the inhabitants thereof an object of hissing; therefore ye shall bear the cherpah (scorn, abuse, disgrace) of Ami (My people) the nations.

[Genesis 1:26-28, changing to OJB:

I read to consider and apply perhaps 5500 year old Sumerian political philosophy, religiously referenced by Semite scribes of 3900 years ago, in Genesis 1:26-28; in my paraphrase:  

Female-and-male-human-being may and can choose to practice the power, authority, and responsibility to pursue necessary goodness and constrain evil. Civic citizens may and can use the rule of law to develop statutory justice. 

Political and religious philosopher Yeshua affirmed Genesis 1:26-28, contributing ideas in each Matthew 18:18 (no peace-power above humankind), Matthew 19:3-8 (mutual spousal loyalty), Matthew 5:48 (pursue your personal perfection, which also affirms Deuteronomy 18:13), 19:4-6 (don’t divide/lessen goodness), John 10:34-36 (non-evil humans are gods facing death as in Psalm 82:6-7), and in other direct dialogue, such as “go and sin no more”.

Discussion

I think Genesis 1:26-28 informs humankind to flourish in necessary goodness rather than accommodate badness and allow evil. Quoting OJB below,

And G-d said, Let Us make man in Our tzelem, after Our demut: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon ha’aretz (the earth).

²⁷ So G-d created humankind in His own tzelem, in the tzelem Elohim (image of G-d) created He him; zachar (male) and nekevah (female) created He them.

²⁸ And G-d blessed them, and G-d said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. See note, below.

Accepting the power, authority, and responsibility to rule on earth is human being (verb). Reliable human-beings pursue necessary goodness to actual reality.

Note: OJB uses “Elohim” in Genesis 1 and 2, excepting “G-d” in 1:24-31. V 27 seems to equate the two entities. Septuagint uses “ὁ θεὸς”, or God throughout Genesis 1.

Since monotheism is a human construct, I use the phrase, “The God, whatever it may be”, to express objection to any doctrinal God yet reserve humility to ineluctable evidence and remaining unknowns about what constrains human choices.]

Ezekiel 37, OJB; David, the deceased Moshiach (anointed) prince-forever

 

Ezekiel 37, OJB; David, the deceased Moshiach (anointed) prince-forever

Guide: CJB New Testament emphasis in bold (CJB online) or OJB Old Testament, text I emphasize in green; NIV in magenta; footnotes to CJB in superscript sky blue and OJB; Nomads* discussion in yellow; and my comments in gray. I may use endnotes to cite outside literature or extensive comment.  

*Participative Sunday-school-class at UBC led by Ken Tipton. Ken seems to consider answers in a continuous search for ineluctable truth. My evolving statement about Genesis 1:26-28, now from OJB, is at the end of this post.

This April 13, 2025, Nomads’ discussion opened my imagination to the psychological competition that developed from Sumer, 5500 years ago, through Judeo-Christianity and Protestantism, until today. UBC children could know by age 13 or 17.

Chief concerns and possible insights:

1.           Polytheism suggested humankind is responsible to constrain evil on earth.

a.      Sun-worship lessened when physics informed of other galaxies.

b.     Human-sacrifice to bargain with gods has almost ceased.

2.           Monotheism among Semitic-speaking peoples and others is competitive.

a.      Zoroaster (d. 599 BCE) taught goodness in thoughts, words, and deeds.

b.     Mesopotamian religious movements considered Zoroaster’s ideas; https://www.theosophical.org/publications/quest-magazine/zoroastrianism-history-beliefs-and-practices .

3.           Jacob’s ancestors, including Judah and Joseph, developed Elohim.

a.      Joshua was high priest after Moses.

b.     Later, David was priest and king, like the ancient, Melchizedek.

c.      Yeshua was a descendant of David through both Yosef and Miryam.

4.           Modern Israel hopes for an anointed king to inspire obedience to Elohim.

5.           A small Jewish faction projected Yeshua’s civic influence as anointed one.

a.      Proponents developed Yeshua-miracles to compete with tradition.

b.     Paul oppressed obedience in life to favor reward in the afterdeath.

c.      Gospel writers wrote after Pauline letters gained favor.

d.     Messianic movements surround Yeshua; https://www.jewishvoice.org/read/blog/history-messianic-judaism

e.      Yeshua informed gods facing death to choose perfection in life.   

6.           People and associations may and can accept the power, authority, and responsibility to pursue necessary goodness, implied in Genesis 1:26-28.

a.      Humankind alone is responsible to constrain injustice on earth.

b.     Constitutional republics may and can pursue statutory justice.

c.      Humankind cannot force The God to usurp human being (the practice).

7.           Nomads and UBC may and can accept without objections the mysteries of The God, Jesus, and Christ, yet pursue Yeshua’s civic influence and thereby lead humankind’s reform.

8.           UBC adults may and can help youth consider this and more by age 13 – 17 and choose humility both to The God and to Yeshua’s influence.

a.      It is unnecessary to discover at age 81 joy that existed at age 10.

b.     Every child is a god facing death (John 10:34 re Psalm 82:6-7).

c.      I could not have discovered The God and Yeshua without UBC, especially Nomads Sunday school.

 Chief concerns and possible insights:

1.           V1-10 present’s the writer’s imaginative metaphor to express Israel’s 3-way divided predicament and hope for the future.

2.           Some interesting implications:

a.      V3. “Son of man” means descendant of Adam, and “Adonoi Hashem” is interpreted “Sovereign Lord” in NIV or Adonai Elohim in CJB.

b.     V4. “Prophesy” claims authority to speak as Elohim.

c.      There’s a nest of topper miracle-stories: resurrection of dry bones, vs 4-day old corps, vs cold body, vs breathing stopped.

3.           David is anointed king to Israel forever: Israel holy forever.

4.           King David’s death provided opportunity to:

a.      Project Yeshua’s civic influence onto Hebrew promises

b.     Impose Davidic priesthood and kinship onto Yeshua-believers, excluding Israel if they persist.

c.      Bemuse humankind with Pauline salvation of souls rather than lives.

d.     Paul’s “Jesus” and “Christ” suppress Yeshua’s civic influence. Paul’s church

                                                             i.      Prevents Yeshua’s church.

                                                           ii.      Keeps humankind from practicing Genesis 1:26-28: order life.

Working considerations:

1.        V1. Three debates: Yad Hashem vs the Lord; “in” vs “by” the spirit; and spirit vs perhaps inspiration or curiosity.

a.      Unborn Yeshua does not compete,

b.     nor does Jesus nor Christ.

c.      The Septuagint cites Ἰησοῖ, Joshua (Joshua 1:1), which gets transliterated Ἰησοῦς in the (Greek) New Testament.

                                                             i.      That is to say, I think “Yeshua” does not appear in the Septuagint.

2.        V2. Internet wanted to “correct” “hinei” (certainly) to “hineni”, which means “Here I am”.

3.        V3. “Ben Adam” means of Adam, and NIV interestingly translates it “Son of man”, which capital “S” and low case “m”.

4.        V3 “Adonoi Hashem” is interpreted “Sovereign Lord” in NIV.

a.      It’s Adonai Elohim in CJB.

b.     Merriam-Webster defines sovereignty: one possessing or held to possess supreme political power.

5.        V4. “Prophesy” claims authority to speak as Elohim.

a.      When a NT person says Yeshua is a prophet, are they claiming Yeshua speaks as The God?

b.     Hebrews 9 seems to claim The God is Yeshua’s blood, resurrected and ascended.

6.        V5-6. Adonoi Hashem equipping bones to manage breath-activation seems a miracle that tops each:

a.      Yeshua raising Lazarus’s corpse after 4 days (John 11:38).

b.     Elisha used his body-warmth to revive a cold body (2 Kings 4:34).

c.      Elijah used his body to revive someone who stopped breathing (1 Kings 17:17-22).

7.        V9-10. It seems “slain” are victims of war, “vast army”, perhaps men only.

a.      The enemy seems to be family and the foreigners with whom they associated.

8.        V11-21. The speaker discloses the metaphor.

a.      The people of Israel feel separated, by tribe and by location

b.     Adonoi Hashem will restore them.

c.      The descendants of Judah will reunite with the descendants of Joseph.

9.        V22-23. Rather than split, there will be one king and one kingdom.

a.      Idol worship due to foreign associations will cease.

b.     The unmodified “Elohim” seems to identify The God.

10.    V24. David his servant will be king.

a.      One shepherd; one law; one prophesy.

b.     Moshiach, a anointed human; the Jewish Messiah . . . not Christian.

                                                             i.      https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/4350289/jewish/15-Moshiach-Facts-Every-Jew-Should-Know.htm

                                                           ii.      https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/1121893/jewish/Who-Is-Moshiach-the-Jewish-Messiah.htm

11.    V25-28. Promises to Israel

a.      They live-in [not necessarily own] land given to Jacob

b.     David prince forever

c.      Covenant of peace with them; everlasting; sanctuary, home

d.     Israel holy forever.

[Two outcomes: 1) Israel did not obey the decrees and 2) like Joshua, David did not live forever. The outcomes empowered the projection of Yeshua’s civic influence on to Old Testament prophecy.]

Ezekiel 37, OJB

^37:1 The Yad Hashem the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the Ruach [Hakodesh] of Hashem by the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of atzmot bones,

² And caused me to pass by them round about; and, hinei [behold, certainly], there were rabbot me’od in the open valley; and, hinei, they were very dry.

³ And He said unto me, Ben Adam Son of man [Here, CJB had “human being”, which obfuscates the interpretation of “Ben Adam” as “Son of man”. Perhaps choosing to read OJB rather than CJB for Old Testament scripture is preferred for “orthodox” comprehension.], can these atzmot live? And I answered, Adonoi Hashem, Thou knowest. “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.”

⁴ Again He said unto me, Prophesy [Some scholars interpret this “speak on God’s behalf”.] upon these atzmot, and say unto them, O ye atzmot hayeveshot, hear the Devar Hashem.

⁵ Thus saith Adonoi Hashem unto these atzmot: Hinei, I will cause ruach breath to enter into you, and ye shall live;

⁶ And I will lay gidim (sinews, tendons) upon you, and will bring up basar flesh upon you, and cover you with ohr (skin), and put ruach in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall have da’as that I am Hashem the Lord. [CJB has Adonai here, which leaves “Sovereign” in V3 disconnected, as in NIV.]

⁷ So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and hinei a rattling, and the atzmot came together, etzem to its etzem.

⁸ And when I beheld, hinei, the gidim and the basar came up upon them, and the ohr covered them above; but there was no ruach in them.

⁹ Then said He unto me, Prophesy unto the ruach; prophesy, Ben Adam, and say to the ruach, Thus saith Adonoi Hashem: Come from the arba ruchot four winds, O ruach, and breathe upon these slain [“Slain” refers to Judean victims of heathens. Heathens includes enemies, called Edomites, including Israelites who chose to disobey the covenant with Yahweh, divided as Ephramites starting in V15. This seems to be an awkward, perhaps evasive reference to the division of Israel: covenant-observers vs other Jews; descendants of Joseph vs descendants of Judah; northern tribes vs southern tribes, the “mountain” of which is Judah.], that they may live.

¹⁰ So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the ruach came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their raglayim feet, a chayil gadol me’od me’od vast army. [It seems this was not simply a killing field with women and children slain, but a battlefield.]

¹¹ Then He said unto me, Ben Adam, these atzmot are the kol Bais Yisroel the people of Israel. Hinei, they say, Our atzmot are dried up, and tikvateinu (our hope) is gone; nigzarnu lanu (we are cut off). [V11 seems to delineate the story as a metaphor. If so, everything in V1-10 was an idea to construct the metaphor. In particular, “the spirit of God” was the writer’s imagination to support his intentions.]

¹² Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith Adonoi Hashem: Hinei, O My people, I will open your keverot graves, and cause you to come up out of your keverot, and bring you into Admat Yisroel (the Land of Israel).

¹³ And ye shall know that I am Hashem, when I have opened your keverot, O My people, and brought you up out of your keverot,

¹⁴ And shall put My Ruach in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land; then shall ye know that I Hashem have spoken it, and performed it, saith Hashem.

¹⁵ The Devar Hashem the word of the Lord came again unto me, saying,

¹⁶ Moreover, thou ben adam [why no capital letters?], take thee Etz Echad a stick of wood, and write upon it, For Yehudah, and for the Bnei Yisroel his chaverim Judah and the Israelites associated with him; then take another Etz Echad, and write upon it, For Yosef, the Etz Ephrayim and for kol Bais Yisroel his chaverim Joseph (that is, to Ephraim) and all the Israelites associated with him;

¹⁷ And join them one to another into Etz Echad; and they shall become achadim (one) in thine yad hand.

¹⁸ And when the Bnei Amecha your people speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not show us what thou meanest by these?

¹⁹ Say unto them, Thus saith Adonoi Hashem: Hinei, I will take the Etz Yosef, which is in the Yad Ephrayim, and the Shivtei Yisroel his chaverim, and will put them with him, even with the Etz Yehudah, and make them Etz Echad, and they shall be Echad in Mine Yad.

²⁰ And the Etzim whereon thou writest shall be in thine yad before their eyes.

²¹ And say unto them, Thus saith Adonoi Hashem: Hinei, I will take the Bnei Yisroel Israelites from among the Goyim the nations, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land;

²² And I will make them Goy Echad one nation in the land upon the mountains of Yisroel; and Melech Echad one king shall be Melech king to them all; and they shall be no more two Goyim, neither shall they be divided into two Mamlachot kingdoms any more at all.

²³ Neither shall they make themselves tameh defiled any more with their gillulim idols, nor with their shikkutzim filth, nor with any of their peysha’im rebellion; but I will save them out of all their moshavot colonies wherein they have sinned, and will make them tahor obedient; so shall they be My people, and I will be their Elohim God. [This seems an incidental definition of God as Elohim.]

²⁴ And Avdi my servant Dovid [Moshiach] shall be Melech [king] over them; and they all shall have Ro’eh Echad; they shall also walk in My mishpatim laws, and observe My chukkot decrees, and do them.

²⁵ And they shall dwell in HaAretz the land that I have given unto Avdi Ya’akov servant Jacob, wherein your Avot ancestors have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their banim children, and their bnei banim ad olam forever; and Dovid Avdi [Moshiach] shall be their Nasi prince l’olam.

²⁶ Moreover I will make a Brit Shalom covenant of peace with them; it shall be a Brit Olam everlasting with them; and I will establish them, and multiply them, and will set My Mikdash sanctuary in the midst of them l’olam forever.

²⁷ My Mishkan dwelling place also shall be with them; yes, I will be their Elohim God, and they shall be My people.

²⁸ And the Goyim nations shall know that I Hashem the Lord set apart as kodesh holiness Yisroel, when My Mikdash sanctuary shall be in the midst of them l’olam (forever).

[Genesis 1:26-28, changing to OJB:

I read to consider and apply perhaps 5500 year old Sumerian political philosophy, religiously referenced by Semite scribes of 3900 years ago, in Genesis 1:26-28; in my paraphrase:  

Female-and-male-human-being may and can choose to practice the power, authority, and responsibility to pursue necessary goodness and constrain evil. Civic citizens may and can use the rule of law to develop statutory justice. 

Political and religious philosopher Yeshua affirmed Genesis 1:26-28, contributing ideas in each Matthew 18:18 (no peace-power above humankind), Matthew 19:3-8 (mutual spousal loyalty), Matthew 5:48 (pursue your personal perfection, which also affirms Deuteronomy 18:13), 19:4-6 (don’t divide/lessen goodness), John 10:34-36 (non-evil humans are gods facing death as in Psalm 82:6), and in other direct dialogue, such as “go and sin no more”.

Discussion

I think Genesis 1:26-28 informs humankind to flourish in necessary goodness rather than accommodate badness and allow evil. Quoting OJB below,

And G-d said, Let Us make man in Our tzelem, after Our demut: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon ha’aretz (the earth).

²⁷ So G-d created humankind in His own tzelem, in the tzelem Elohim (image of G-d) created He him; zachar (male) and nekevah (female) created He them.

²⁸ And G-d blessed them, and G-d said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. See note, below.

Accepting the power, authority, and responsibility to rule on earth is human being (verb). Reliable human-beings pursue necessary goodness to actual reality.

Note: OJB uses “Elohim” in Genesis 1 and 2, excepting “G-d” in 1:24-31. Septuagint uses “ὁ θεὸς”, or God.

Since monotheism is a human construct, I use the phrase, “The God, whatever it may be”, to express objection to any doctrinal God yet reserve humility to ineluctable evidence and remaining unknowns.]