Monday, October 18, 2010

Nebby the Vulcan (well, almost)


Perhaps it's all the Star Trek I've watched this past summer, but as I've been working through the Aramaic sections of Daniel, I have found that Nebuchadnezzar's benediction to the peoples of the earth makes him sound almost Vulcan:

First, upon witnessing how superior is the God of Shadrack, Meshak, and Abednigo in comparison to the gods of Babylon, he "made Shadrack, Meshak, and Abednigo prosper in the province of Babylon" (Dan 3:30).

In the next verse, Nebuchadnezzar declares to all the peoples, tribes, and tongues who dwell in all the world, "May your peace grow greatly" (Dan 3:31 MT; Dan 4:1).

These things together sound a little like Mr. Spock's, "Live long and prosper" (a line which Leonard Nimoy adapted from the kohanic blessing in Judaism).

Of course, Nebuchadnezzar's Vulcanhood is precluded by his unabashed display of emotion when he realized that the three men were not burning to death in the furnace, but were able to emerge unscathed. If Nebby were a true Vulcan, he would have taken one look at the scene, raised an eyebrow, and respond, "Fascinating."