Nov 23, 2012 11:54
11 yrs ago
1 viewer *
English term
for what is man that he should live out
English
Art/Literary
Religion
Text from "Moby Dick"
And eternal delight and deliciousness will be his, who coming to lay him down, can say with his final breath—O Father!—chiefly known to me by Thy rod—mortal or immortal, here I die. I have striven to be Thine, more than to be this world's, or mine own. Yet this is nothing: I leave eternity to Thee; --------------------for what is man that he should live out the lifetime of his God?"-----------------------
He said no more, but slowly waving a benediction, covered his face with his hands, and so remained kneeling, till all the people had departed, and he was left alone in the place
Thank you! Come again!
He said no more, but slowly waving a benediction, covered his face with his hands, and so remained kneeling, till all the people had departed, and he was left alone in the place
Thank you! Come again!
Change log
Nov 23, 2012 11:54: changed "Kudoz queue" from "In queue" to "Public"
Nov 23, 2012 12:31: Colin Rowe changed "Field" from "Other" to "Art/Literary" , "Field (specific)" from "Poetry & Literature" to "Religion" , "Field (write-in)" from "(none)" to "Text from \"Moby Dick\""
Responses
+4
17 mins
Colin Rowe
Germany
Germany
Native in English
&
English
Specializes in field
Germany
Par Excellence Translations
Native in: English (Variant: British) 
Works in: German to English, French to English, Italian to English, and 3 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
35
Selected
who is man to think that he could outlive [the eternal] God?
God is immortal.
Man is mortal.
It would therefore be presumptuous in the extreme for (a) man to believe that he could outlive (live longer than) God.
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Note added at 28 mins (2012-11-23 12:22:58 GMT)
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The phrasing here adopts a formulation that occurs several times in the Bible. In all cases its reflects man's realization that he is as nothing before Almighty God, coupled with a sense of awe and gratitude that God nonetheless takes a personal interest in our lives.
Examples:
"What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?"
Psalm 8:4
"What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him? and that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him?"
Job 7:17
What is man, that he should be clean? and he which is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?
Job 15:14
Man is mortal.
It would therefore be presumptuous in the extreme for (a) man to believe that he could outlive (live longer than) God.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 28 mins (2012-11-23 12:22:58 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
The phrasing here adopts a formulation that occurs several times in the Bible. In all cases its reflects man's realization that he is as nothing before Almighty God, coupled with a sense of awe and gratitude that God nonetheless takes a personal interest in our lives.
Examples:
"What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?"
Psalm 8:4
"What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him? and that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him?"
Job 7:17
What is man, that he should be clean? and he which is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?
Job 15:14
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
PoveyTrans (X)
6 mins
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Thanks!
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| agree |
kmtext
49 mins
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Thanks!
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| agree |
Veronika McLaren
53 mins
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Thanks!
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| agree |
katsy
2 hrs
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Thanks!
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
16 mins
Yvonne Gallagher
Ireland
Ireland
Native in English
&
English
Works in field
Ireland
right word, right place. everytime
Native in: English (Variants: US, Canadian, Irish, UK) 
Works in: French to English, Spanish to English, English, and 1 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
108
Man is mortal and dependant on God for immortality
see these notes
Yet the ambiguity of “What is a man that he should live out the lifetime of his God?”--affirming God’s immortality & man’s limits, or suggesting an absent God or a dying faith?
http://www.swarthmore.edu/Humanities/pschmid1/engl52b/ahab.h...
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Note added at 29 mins (2012-11-23 12:23:30 GMT)
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"man's limits" =man must die yet religion promises eternal life to those who believe in God (who is immortal)
Yet the ambiguity of “What is a man that he should live out the lifetime of his God?”--affirming God’s immortality & man’s limits, or suggesting an absent God or a dying faith?
http://www.swarthmore.edu/Humanities/pschmid1/engl52b/ahab.h...
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Note added at 29 mins (2012-11-23 12:23:30 GMT)
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"man's limits" =man must die yet religion promises eternal life to those who believe in God (who is immortal)
Discussion
Still, a full-scale discussion of this point is rather beyond the scope of a KudoZ discussion box. :-)
there's nothing worse than losing your faith