Yossi says — Why "other gods"

Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael Mekhilta Tractate Bachodesh 6:9

Curated by The Jewish Mythology Team · Published January 8, 2025

R. Yossi says: Why "other gods"? Not to give a pretext to the nations of the world to say: If they were called by His name, they would be effectual. Behold, they were called by His name and they remained ineffectual! And when were they called by His name? In the days of Enosh the son of Sheth, viz. (Genesis 4:26) "Then (men and images) were called profanely in the name of the L–rd, (being rendered deities)"—whereupon Oceanus rose and flooded a third of the world, the L–rd, as it were, telling them: You did a new thing and "called"; I, too, shall do a new thing and I shall "call" (to the waters of the sea), as it is written (Amos 5:8) "He 'calls' the waters of the sea, etc."

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