## Tractate Soferim Chapter 4

###### Tractate Soferim 4:1
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אלו שמות שאין נמחקין הכותב אל"ף למ"ד אל"ף דל"ת יו"ד ה"י שדי צבאות אהיה אשר אהיה רבי יוסי אומר צבאות חול אמר ר"ש בן אלעזר של בית אגודה היו כותבין בירושלים והיו מוחקין צבאות שהיו נוהגין בו חול שנאמר (דברים כ׳:ט׳) ופקדו שרי צבאות בראש העם:

**The Minor Tractates of the Talmud, trans. A. Cohen, London: Soncino Press, 1965:**
The following divine names may not be erased,¹ viz. *Alef-lamed*,² (God). *Alef-daleth*,³ (Lord). *Yod-he*,⁴. *Shaddai*,⁵ *Ẓeba’oth*,⁶ *’Eheyeh ’asher ’Eheyeh*.⁷ R. Jose says: *Ẓeba’oth* is a secular noun.⁸ R. Simeon b. Eleazar said: The Aguddah⁹ family, who were scribes in Jerusalem, used to erase *Ẓeba’oth*, because they treated it as a secular noun, as it is stated, *Captains of* hosts *shall be appointed at the head of the people*.¹⁰

footnotes:
¹ lit. ‘he who writes’.
² Pronounced ’El
³ The first two letters of the divine name Alef-daleth-nun-yod
⁴ The first half of the Tetragrammaton and also constituting a name of God, Yah
⁵ Almighty.
⁶ [Lord of] hosts.
⁷ ‘I am that I am’ (cf. Ex. 3, 14).
⁸ And may be erased.
⁹ [H reads חגירה in agreement with j. Meg. 71d.]
¹⁰ Deut. 20, 9. Here צבאית refers to the army of Israel.


###### Tractate Soferim 4:2
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הכותב אל"ף למ"ד מארבע אותיות יו"ד ה"י מד' אותיות אינן נמחקין מפני שיש שמות כיוצא בהן שי"ן דל"ת משדי צבא מצבאות א׳ ה׳ מאהי' הרי אלו נמחקין מפני שאין שמות כיוצא בהן:

**The Minor Tractates of the Talmud, trans. A. Cohen, London: Soncino Press, 1965:**
If one writes *Alef-lamed* of the four letters [of *Alef-lamed-waw-he*]¹¹ or *Yod-he* of the four letters [of *Yod-he-waw-he*]¹² they may not be erased, because there are divine names corresponding to them.¹³ *Shin-daleth* of *Shin-daleth-yod* (*Shaddai*) or *Ẓadi-beth-alef* of *Ẓadi-beth-alef-waw-taw* (*Ẓeba’oth*) or *Alef-he* of *Alef-he-yod-he* (*’Eheyeh*) may be erased, because there are no divine names corresponding to them.

footnotes:
¹¹ Meaning ‘God of’.
¹² The Tetragrammaton.
¹³ אל and יה.


###### Tractate Soferim 4:3
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כל האותיות המשמשות לשם בין מלפניו בין מלאחריו הרי אלו נמחקין בה׳ כה׳ לה׳ וה׳ בכל"ו הרי אלו נמחקין וכיוצא בהן ומלאחריו אלהינו אלהיכם אלהיהם נ"ו כ"ם ה"ם הרי אלו נמחקין וכיוצא בהן ויש אומרים כ"ם מאלהיכם אינו נמחק:

**The Minor Tractates of the Talmud, trans. A. Cohen, London: Soncino Press, 1965:**
All prefixes and suffixes connected with a divine name may be erased. [Prefixes such as] *in* the Lord, *like* the Lord, *to* the Lord, *and* the Lord [represented respectively by the letters] *beth, kaf, lamed, waw* and suffixes such as *our* God, *your* God, *their* God [represented respectively by the letters] *nun-waw, kaf-mem, he-mem* and others of the same kind, may be erased. Some Sages say: The *kaf-mem* of ‘your [God]’¹⁴ must not be erased.

footnotes:
¹⁴ And so also all other suffixes (cf. Y.D. 276, §9), because the divine name which precedes the suffix imparts sanctity to it (N.Y.).


###### Tractate Soferim 4:4
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וכל שמות הדיוטות שאותיותיהם אותיות השם הרי אלו נמחקין כי יודע אלהים כי ביום אכלכם ממנו ונפקחו עיניכם והייתם כאלהים (בראשית ג׳:ה׳) הראשון קודש והשני חול כי ה׳ אלהיכם הוא אלהי האלהים (דברים י׳:י״ז) הראשון קודש והשני חול:

**The Minor Tractates of the Talmud, trans. A. Cohen, London: Soncino Press, 1965:**
All ordinary nouns the letters of which are the same as those of a divine name may be erased.¹⁵ [For instance in] *For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as God*,¹⁶ the first [divine name] is sacred and the second¹⁷ according to the Targum it means ‘as angels.’ is secular; in *For the Lord your God, He is God of gods*,¹⁸ the first¹⁹. is sacred and the second²⁰, signifying judges or princes. is secular.

footnotes:
¹⁵ Since they possess no sanctity
¹⁶ Gen. 3, 5.
¹⁷ as God;
¹⁸ Deut. 10, 17.
¹⁹ i.e. the first two, your God, He is God
²⁰ of gods


###### Tractate Soferim 4:5
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ואדני האדנים (שם) הראשון קודש והשני חול אלהי אברהם (בראשית ל״א:נ״ג) קודש ואלהי נחור (שם) חול אלהי אביהם (שם) חול אלהים לא תקלל (שמות כ״ב:כ״ז) משמע קודש וחול ר"ש אומר קודש (שנאמר) (בראשית ל״ג:י׳) כי על כן ראיתי פניך כראות פני אלהים הרי זה חול מחנה אלהים (שם לב) הרי זה קודש:

**The Minor Tractates of the Talmud, trans. A. Cohen, London: Soncino Press, 1965:**
In *Lord of lords*,²¹ the first is sacred and the second is secular; in *the God of Abraham*²² it is sacred; in *the God of Nahor*²³ Nahor did not worship the true God. it is secular; in *the God of their father*²⁴ Terah (their father) was an idolater. it is secular. In *Thou shalt not revile God*²⁵ [the noun may bear] a sacred or secular meaning.²⁶ R. Simeon maintains that the noun is sacred.²⁷ In *Forasmuch as I have seen thy face, as one seeth the face of God*²⁸ the noun is secular;²⁹ in *God’s camp*³⁰ XXXII, 3. the noun is sacred.

footnotes:
²¹ Deut. 10, 17.
²² Gen. 31, 53.
²³ ibid.;
²⁴ ibid.;
²⁵ Ex. 22, 27.
²⁶ It may denote God or judges.
²⁷ V inserts ‘as it says’ within brackets, the words being redundant. [H omits and reads ‘Ishmael’ instead of ‘Simeon’.]
²⁸ Gen. 33, 10.
²⁹ Because it refers to an angel or prince.
³⁰ ibid.


###### Tractate Soferim 4:6
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כל השמות האמורים באברהם קודש חוץ מאחד שהוא חול שנא׳ (שם יח) ויאמר אדני אם נא מצאתי חן בעיניך וי"א [קודש] (שם כ) ויהי כאשר התעו אותי אלהים ר׳ חנינא אחיו של ר׳ יהושע אומר קודש שאלולי אלהים כבר התעו אותי:

**The Minor Tractates of the Talmud, trans. A. Cohen, London: Soncino Press, 1965:**
All the names [signifying God] mentioned in connection with Abraham are sacred, except one which is secular, viz. where it is stated, *And he said: My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight*.¹ XVIII, 3. *My lord* was addressed to the leader of the three angels. Others say that it is sacred.³¹ was addressed to God. In *And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander*³² XX, 13. the name is secular.³³ R. Ḥanina the brother³⁴, I, p. 385.] of R. Joshua maintains that it is sacred [since the verse means] that, had it not been for God,³⁵ they³⁶ would long ago have *caused me to wander*.³⁷ (the wicked men) *caused me to wander, God of my father’s house was with me* (to help me). [For various interpretations of the verse, cf. Midrash Rabbah, Genesis, LII, §11 (Sonc. ed., I, p. 457).]

footnotes:
¹ (30a) ibid.
³¹ My Lord
³² ibid.
³³ So GRA. By ‘God’ is meant princes or rulers who were the cause of Abraham’s wanderings.
³⁴ [He reads ‘nephew’ in agreement with Shebu. 33b (Sonc. ed., p. 205). The correct form of the name is Ḥananiah, Bacher, Ag. d. Tannaiten
³⁵ Who protected him.
³⁶ The wicked rulers.
³⁷ The verse will accordingly bear the following interpretation: And it came to pass, when they


###### Tractate Soferim 4:7
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כל השמות האמורים בלוט חול חוץ מהאחרון (שם יט) ויאמר לוט אליהם אל נא אדני. כל השמות האמורים במיכה חול ר׳ יוסי אומר ביו"ד ה"י קודש באל"ף למ"ד חול חוץ מבית האלהים (אשר) בשילה (שופטים י״ח:ל״א) וכל השמות האמורים בנבות קודש חוץ מברך נבות אלהים ומלך (מלכים כא) וכל השמות האמורים בגבעת בנימין ר׳ אליעזר אומר חול ר׳ יהושע אומר קודש אמר לו רבי אליעזר וכי היאך (יכול) אפשר שהמקום מבטיח ואינו עושה אמר לו ר׳ יהושע המקום (כבר) מבטיח ועושה :

**The Minor Tractates of the Talmud, trans. A. Cohen, London: Soncino Press, 1965:**
All [divine] names mentioned in connection with Lot are secular³⁸ except the last, viz. *And Lot said unto them: Oh, not so my Lord*.³⁹, and then his petition to God begins, *My Lord, behold*, etc. [So the Targum and Shebu. 35b (Sonc. ed., pp. 205f).] All [divine] names mentioned in the story of Micah⁴⁰ are secular. R. Jose says: When they begin with *Yod-he*⁴¹ they are sacred, but when with *Alef-lamed*⁴² they are secular except in the phrase *the house of God was in Shiloh*.⁴³ XVIII, 31. All the [divine] names which occur in the story of Naboth are sacred except in the sentence *Naboth did curse god*⁴⁴. *and king*.⁴⁵ All the [divine] names which occur in the narrative of Gibeah of Benjamin⁴⁶ are secular according to R. Eliezer, but R. Joshua says: They are sacred. R. Eliezer said to him, ‘Is it possible that the Omnipresent would promise [victory]⁴⁷ and not fulfil?’⁴⁸ 21, 25). R. Joshua replied, ‘The Omnipresent promises and fulfils’.⁴⁹ XX, 28). [37*a*]

footnotes:
³⁸ There is only one secular name in the Lot passages. The Tetragrammaton, which is of course sacred, occurs twice. The word ‘all’ is not intended to be taken literally (cf. N.Y.).
³⁹ Gen. 19, 18. Lot’s address to the angels is taken to end at not so
⁴⁰ Judg. 17f.
⁴¹ The Tetragrammaton.
⁴² The word for ‘God’.
⁴³ ibid.
⁴⁴ Referring to one of the strange gods introduced by Jezebel. E.V. God
⁴⁵ 1 Kings 21, 13.
⁴⁶ Judg. 20f.
⁴⁷ According to Judg. 20, 18, 23 God told Israel to wage war against Benjamin, which implied that they would be victorious.
⁴⁸ Israel was defeated on both occasions (ibid.
⁴⁹ The Israelites did not appreciate that on the first two occasions God only told them that they may go to war but promised no victory. Only on the third occasion were they assured that Benjamin would be delivered into their hands (ibid.


###### Tractate Soferim 4:8
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אספרה אל חוק (תהילים ב׳:ז׳) הרי זה (קודש וחכ"א הרי [זה]) חול אל אלהים בציון (שם פד) הראשון חול והשני קודש להלוך אל אל במשפט (איוב ל״ד:כ״ג) הראשון חול והשני קודש עמנואל (ישעיה ז) ועמנו אל (שם ח) הראשון (נחלק) [חול] והשני קודש הראשון [אינו] נחלק והשני (אינו) נחלק:

**The Minor Tractates of the Talmud, trans. A. Cohen, London: Soncino Press, 1965:**
In *I will tell* [*’El*] *of the decree*⁵⁰ the word *’El*⁵¹ is sacred;⁵² but the Sages maintain that it is secular.⁵³. In *’el God in Ẓion*⁵⁴ the first is secular⁵⁵ meaning *before* (E.V.). and the second is sacred. In *When he should go ’el God in judgment*⁵⁶ the first is secular and the second [*’Elohim*] is sacred. In the case of *Immanuel*⁵⁷ and *Immanu’el*⁵⁸ VIII, 8. the first is secular⁵⁹ and the second⁶⁰ is sacred. The first must not be divided⁶¹ but the second is divided.⁶²

footnotes:
⁵⁰ Ps. 2, 7.
⁵¹ Heb. אל with a difference of vowels may mean ‘God’ or ‘to’.
⁵² The sense of the text being ‘I will tell God of the decree’.
⁵³ The text means, as in E.V., I will tell of the decree
⁵⁴ Ps. 84, 8.
⁵⁵ ’El
⁵⁶ Job 34, 23.
⁵⁷ Isa. 7, 14.
⁵⁸ ibid.
⁵⁹ Being the name of a child.
⁶⁰ Meaning ‘God is with us’.
⁶¹ Into two words, since it forms a single name.
⁶² Because it consists of two separate words, עמנו (with us) אל (God). The reading adopted here is that of H and N.Y.


###### Tractate Soferim 4:9
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ויהי כאשר התעו אותי אלהים (בראשית כ׳:י״ג) ומי אל כמוך (מיכה ז) הראשון חול והאחרון קודש תאשם שומרון כי מרתה באלהיה (הושע י״ד:א׳) הרי זה קודש רבי נתן אומר בבית אלהיו (שם ט) הרי זה קודש ואתה באלהיך תשוב (שם יב) הרי זה קודש אלהים נצב בעדת אל בקרב אלהים ישפט (תהלים פב) משמש קודש וחול יסגירני אל אל עויל (איוב ט״ז:י״א) הראשון קודש והשני חול כי אל אל (העמוד) [האמר] נשאתי (שם לד) הראשון חול והשני קודש ואמר ר"א בנו של ר"י הגלילי ואל יהי מקום (לשועתי) [לזעקתי] (שם טז) יש לאל ידי (בראשית ל״א:כ״ט) ואין לאל ידך (דברים כ״ח:ל״ב-ל״ג) בהיות לאל ידך (משלי ג׳:כ״ז) אל (מותי) [מות] (שם ב) כולם חול ואלהים אמר לבהלני (דברי הימים ב ל״ה:כ״א) קודש חדל לך מאלהים אשר (עמדי) [עמי] (שם) קודש כדברי ר' יוסי בר יהודה אלוהים זדים קמו עלי (תהלים פו) קודש אלא שהקורא צריך שיהא מפסיק בקריאתו אלהים. זדים קמו עלי. אבל רחום וחנון ארך אפים ורב חסד מלך מלכים מרומם גדול עליון צדיק וישר חסיד תמים גבור הרי אלו נמחקין והמקלל בהן עצמו וחבירו חייב גוים ומתים אחד חייב דיין ונשיא חייב שתים וי"א על הנשיא חייב שלש המקלל (בהן) אביו [ואמו] בשם המיוחד הרי זה טעון סקילה ועל הכינויים הרי הוא באזהרה:

**The Minor Tractates of the Talmud, trans. A. Cohen, London: Soncino Press, 1965:**
[In the verses] *And it came to pass when they*⁶³. *caused me to wander, God*, etc.,⁶⁴ and *Which god*⁶⁵. *is like unto Thee*⁶⁶ the first⁶⁷ in Micah 7, 18. are sacred and the second⁶⁸ in Gen. and *Thee* in Micah. are secular. [The divine name in] *Samaria shall bear her guilt, for she hath rebelled against her God*⁶⁹ is sacred. R. Nathan says: [In the phrase] *in the house of his God*⁷⁰ IX, 8. it is sacred. In *therefore turn thou to thy God*⁷¹ XII, 7. it is sacred. In *God standeth in the congregation of God; in the midst of the judges*⁷² *He judgeth*⁷³ it is used as sacred⁷⁴. and secular.⁷⁵ In *God delivereth me to*⁷⁶ *the ungodly*⁷⁷ the first is sacred and the second⁷⁸ in the sense of ‘to’. is secular. In *For hath any said unto God: I have borne*⁷⁹ XXXIV, 31. the first [*’el*] is secular and the second sacred.
R. Eleazar the son of R. Jose the Galilean said:⁸⁰ [In the verses] *And let my cry have no*⁸¹, the same consonants as for the name of God. *resting-place;*⁸² *It is in the power*⁸³ (*’el*) equals the divine name. *of my hand; And there shall be nought in the power of thy hand;*⁸⁴ *When it is in the power of thy hand;*⁸⁵ *Unto death*,⁸⁶ II, 18; *unto* is *’el* in Heb. all [the words whose consonants are the same as those for God] are secular. In *God hath given command to speed me*⁸⁷ it is sacred. In *Forbear thee from meddling with God, who is with me*⁸⁸ it is sacred according to R. Jose b. Judah. In *O God, the proud are risen up against me*⁸⁹ it is sacred but the reader must pause in reading [after *God*]:⁹⁰ might erroneously be taken as qualifying God. *God, the proud are risen up against me*.
[The terms] merciful and gracious, long-suffering and abounding in lovingkindness, king, kings, exalted, great, Most High, righteous and upright, pious, perfect, mighty, may be erased.⁹¹ He who curses himself or his neighbour by [any of] these⁹² incurs guilt. [If he curses] heathens or the dead no guilt⁹³ is incurred. [If he curses] a judge or a prince he incurs twofold guilt;⁹⁴ according to others he incurs threefold guilt for cursing a prince.⁹⁵ If a person curses his father or mother with the Tetragrammaton⁹⁶ he is liable to the penalty of stoning,⁹⁷ but if only with the attributes he is liable to a warning.⁹⁸

footnotes:
⁶³ Foreign princes or rulers. E.V. God
⁶⁴ Gen. 20, 13. Cf. Rule 6 above.
⁶⁵ E.V. who is a God
⁶⁶ Micah 7, 18.
⁶⁷ The pronoun ‘they’ in Gen. 20, 13 and god
⁶⁸ God
⁶⁹ Hos. 14, 1.
⁷⁰ ibid.
⁷¹ ibid.
⁷² The Heb. has the divine name.
⁷³ Ps. 82, 1.
⁷⁴ In God standeth
⁷⁵ In the sense of ‘judges’.
⁷⁶ Heb. אל (to) which has the same consonants as the word for ‘God’.
⁷⁷ Job 16, 11.
⁷⁸ ’el
⁷⁹ ibid.
⁸⁰ So M. V and H read ‘and R. Eleazar … said’.
⁸¹ Heb. ’al
⁸² Job 16, 18.
⁸³ Gen. 31, 29. The Heb. for power
⁸⁴ Deut. 28, 32.
⁸⁵ Prov. 3, 27.
⁸⁶ ibid.
⁸⁷ 2 Chron. 35, 21.
⁸⁸ ibid.
⁸⁹ Ps. 86, 14.
⁹⁰ In the absence of the pause, the adjective proud
⁹¹ Although attributed to God, they do not possess the sanctity of the divine name.
⁹² Using any of these attributes instead of the divine name.
⁹³ So M and N.Y. V and H read ‘guilty of one [offence]’.
⁹⁴ Since a judge or prince must not be cursed as any other person, and as men holding offices of responsibility.
⁹⁵ The two mentioned in the preceding note, and a third because the Heb. word for ‘judge’ in the text is identical with the divine name.
⁹⁶ lit. ‘the distinguished name’.
⁹⁷ Cf. Lev. 24, 14. Stoning is one of the major penalties imposed by a court.
⁹⁸ i.e. he is guilty of transgressing a negative commandment, the penalty of which is scourging with thirty-nine stripes.