Post Ase0GSwue0wVTuKUEa by jakemiller@federate.social
(DIR) More posts by jakemiller@federate.social
(DIR) Post #AsdyazSzFuKADPzVSq by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-04-01T10:08:52Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
A rhetorical device in Proverbs that confuses me:"There are [n] things that are (weak adjective), [n+1] that are (stronger adjective)"Example: "There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him""There are three things that are stately in their stride, four that move with stately bearing"When a number is mentioned I perk up "Six Things" OK! But then it says it's seven things. Is this the point of this device? To stop you from getting hung up on the number?
(DIR) Post #AsdyhDwQLrE2qUjSwC by Nikolai_Kingsley@dobbs.town
2025-04-01T10:09:58Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird teaching people simple addition? 😀
(DIR) Post #AsdyoyPlxluR0W9gK8 by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-04-01T10:11:24Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
I feel like this is one of those things that might have made more sense when spoken and written down it's just confusing. Or there is some nuance of language that's not making it through time. Let me try it out:'There are two things that have always confused me about ancient texts, three that fully baffle me.'It's fun to say, I think it conveys that the numbers aren't important. eg. Yes, I'm making a list, but don't get hung up on that. Could that be it?
(DIR) Post #Asdz7o8oNsLae9Cd2u by jmax@mastodon.social
2025-04-01T10:14:47Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird (preface: I dunno. The rest of this is blather.) Maybe? Or bearing in mind oral transmission, maybe it's a mnemonic aid; count 'em off. Or maybe it's purely rhetorical; the original poetry scans better when structured as a count?
(DIR) Post #AsdzOiiVnvbikLxwBs by mansr@society.oftrolls.com
2025-04-01T10:17:50Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird "Three shall be the number of the counting and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, neither shalt thou count two, excepting that thou then proceedeth to three. Five is right out." -- Armaments 4:18
(DIR) Post #AsdzfRQdKqTQ3CZnnM by DamonWakes@mastodon.sdf.org
2025-04-01T10:20:50Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird "The LORD hates this one weird trick (and despises these two weird tricks)."
(DIR) Post #Ase07s7Rh5fWwE9s9Y by Phosphenes@mastodon.social
2025-04-01T10:25:59Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird Haha weirdly illogical.There are six guys in the room who are over 150 pounds, but SEVEN who are over 200 pounds.🤔 Sometimes I think the purpose of these pretzels is to make your frontal lobes segfault so the emotions are absorbed without filters.
(DIR) Post #Ase0GSwue0wVTuKUEa by jakemiller@federate.social
2025-04-01T10:27:32Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird Uninformed guess: they are two separate categories (hated vs detestable), and the increment makes them more memorable and impactful?
(DIR) Post #Ase1KNpRiwOUiHGjVw by adardis@fediphilosophy.org
2025-04-01T10:39:27Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird how about this: here are n good things but here are n+1 things are even betterthe device invites you to get on a slope that not only goes up but has more!
(DIR) Post #Ase1REKHS8zZGgxLRQ by mattmcirvin@mathstodon.xyz
2025-04-01T10:40:41Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird I'd guess so. To suggest that it's a number that could be even larger, a continuing sequence, that you could name more such things if you kept an eye out.
(DIR) Post #Ase2EtF67DKmMFDBKq by adardis@fediphilosophy.org
2025-04-01T10:49:42Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird how about this: here are n good things but here are n+1 things that are even betterthe device invites you to get on a slope that not only goes up but has more!
(DIR) Post #Ase2yj08Wa27uq4MaG by heybenji@social.coop
2025-04-01T10:57:56Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird buttressing learned helplessness so people just accept whatever they’re told?
(DIR) Post #Ase5CQTOPMyIPkPluy by djm62@beige.party
2025-04-01T11:22:49Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird Inflation was out of control?(Cf Victor Borge - Inflationary Language) https://youtu.be/BEuNb0nzyvI?si=zLyLsibOKHSJqx_M
(DIR) Post #Ase87kQb5YXEiZZHLE by thecrushedviolet@mstdn.games
2025-04-01T11:55:35Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
@futurebird It strikes me as that sort of Douglas Adams-style absurdist humor that I find funny but most people in my life seem to find irritating."The ships hung in the sky in much the same way that bricks don't."
(DIR) Post #AseEzZENXCm1LxtoAq by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-04-01T13:12:37Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
@thecrushedviolet That is what I suspect. Are there any jokes in the bible? There must be, if we are aware of them or not. There is always humor in stories people find the most compelling.And maybe different parts of the stories are humor from different times, layered and lost as the stiff nature of the written word shears away the human voice, that unknowable and totally lost intent. Someday someone will solomny recite “All of your base are belong to us. Make your time.”
(DIR) Post #AseFJfRa91gcPjewk4 by JordiGH@mathstodon.xyz
2025-04-01T13:16:10Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird @thecrushedviolet There's that famous pun of Jesus saying to Peter, "on this rock I will build my church", because Peter/piedra/pierre/stone are the same word.
(DIR) Post #AseFtetNfmXn80p9JQ by JordiGH@mathstodon.xyz
2025-04-01T13:22:41Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird Btw, on the topic of numbers in the bible...the book of revelation is weird https://mathstodon.xyz/@JordiGH/114127378316798142
(DIR) Post #AseGNhPgrckxdQGFBQ by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-04-01T13:28:10Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@JordiGH “the book of revelation is weird” talk about understatement— I will read it someday but I have a very literal mind and need to understand each thing I read before I can move on. So I have been avoiding that one. I get the sense it’s dense with references lost to time and those drive me nuts.
(DIR) Post #AseGlMK4vgvvApuybg by BilldeWorde7a@toot.garden
2025-04-01T13:32:23Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird the line about removing the beam from your own eye before removing the mote from your neighbor’s, if not an outright joke, is at least intentionally absurd.
(DIR) Post #AseGmKeMdOoKH7s1YW by JordiGH@mathstodon.xyz
2025-04-01T13:29:16Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird It REALLY hates fractions.
(DIR) Post #AseIAOCtA5OID83QYK by michael_w_busch@mastodon.online
2025-04-01T13:48:07Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
@futurebird @thecrushedviolet Going the other direction; some jokes do remain understandable and funny for several thousand years.There is an old Babylonian tablet that includes this line:"The dog understands "Take it!", but it does not understand "Put it down!" "https://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/proverbs/t.6.1.05.html
(DIR) Post #AseImxNArdJCHQFu2S by sophieschmieg@infosec.exchange
2025-04-01T13:52:36Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
@michael_w_busch @futurebird @thecrushedviolet til the Babylonians already had the "no take, only throw" meme.
(DIR) Post #AseJlG8wCmZLs1LpS4 by BoysenberryCider@mastodon.social
2025-04-01T14:05:57Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird a few things that might make sense of it (sources cited, none, reader beware)Parallelism is a big part of ancient Hebrew poetry. This is probably a formalised kind.Remember you're reading a translation.Poetry is pretty important in ancient texts as mnemonic and structure. For example, Chinese classics were largely written without punctuation in contexts where that could change meaning. Scholars were expected to know where to add marks, and poetic rhythm was a major aid.
(DIR) Post #AseJrILGwUeyQZzxbM by BoysenberryCider@mastodon.social
2025-04-01T14:07:05Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird Also, English has poetic cliches, different ones. The punchline or the question-response you might be expecting are two of them.
(DIR) Post #AseKjzgS11TQUEzFtw by thierna@mastodon.green
2025-04-01T14:16:58Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird @thecrushedviolet that's an amusing thought to me. Like imagine some people around a fire going, put in more of theses "angels" they are the most fun. And people burst out laughing. And only now people believe in it's every word. (Those people know nothing of the transformation of translations...)
(DIR) Post #AseKzIY69nfhL9NU8W by thierna@mastodon.green
2025-04-01T14:19:45Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird this sounds a lot like "I have 99 problems and *something * is not one of them
(DIR) Post #AseNCRIr7WoSACdsOG by twipped@twipped.social
2025-04-01T14:44:30Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird @thecrushedviolet dunno if you’d call them jokes, but there’s a SHITLOAD of sexual innuendos. You know what they say about men’s feet
(DIR) Post #AseOPIYx1oHwm4rlJI by plsik@mastodon.social
2025-04-01T14:58:03Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird Od kohosi jsem slyšel, že Bible (Nový zákon) byla původně z většiny napsána v lidové řeči. Obsahovala tedy spíš hovorovou řeč a taky nějaké vulgarismy. Jako příklad - v původním textu, když ďábel svádí Krista, tak mu neřekl "odstup ode mne". Řekl mu "sežer svoje hovno".
(DIR) Post #AseOwlREgs2tt2DOro by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-04-01T15:04:08Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@plsik I’ve never heard that and now want to chase down the source.
(DIR) Post #AseQ4CZEK9Oc0U44Vk by plsik@mastodon.social
2025-04-01T15:16:39Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird Také například když Kristus nazývá Farizeje "obílené hroby" tedy něco na povrchu pěkné, ale uvnitř nic moc, jde v kontextu rituální nečistoty o extrémně silnou urážku, což nám až tak nepřipadá. Hroby byly naprosto nečisté.
(DIR) Post #AseQF6QPV80a8t8ZcG by plsik@mastodon.social
2025-04-01T15:18:35Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird I'm afraid verification would require an expert in Aramaic.
(DIR) Post #AseQdioGRHoO8m2Aeu by sbourne@mastodon.social
2025-04-01T15:23:03Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird We have this odd family thing we do. We say, "Two things [I'm about to say]" and hold up three fingers. (Or 3 and 4, etc.) I think it started when we had those "and one more thing" moments. It's also funny. It seems similar somehow.
(DIR) Post #AseR75l2CMEbi5WnwW by mansr@society.oftrolls.com
2025-04-01T15:28:19Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird Repetition for emphasis is very very common. Perhaps repetition with exaggeration is used for extra strength. More modern English has the "thing is [adjective], nay, [stronger adjective]" construct that looks similar but lacks the counting aspect.
(DIR) Post #AseTcU1SERitqrIx4S by paelse@mastodon.online
2025-04-01T15:56:19Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird @thecrushedviolet A Google search gives this reddit thread:https://www.reddit.com/r/NoStupidQuestions/comments/fp3v00/are_there_any_jokes_in_the_bible_as_in_humor_that/And I've always considered the "give to the emperor what is his" parable as a joke played on the Pharisees. Jesus sets them up just to shoot them down
(DIR) Post #AsedKg6hYuJnf0uKmm by MishaVanMollusq@sfba.social
2025-04-01T17:45:09Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird which version of the OT are you using? i read two different ones last year, on translated from second templeHebrew the other translated from Alexandrian Greek . I want to read study the modern Tanakh sometime this year.The Prophet /Judge Samuel says Adonai is funny
(DIR) Post #AseoF8gzT7MO4gRW52 by kludgekml@sunbeam.city
2025-04-01T19:47:32Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird what a shame that Heath Ledger couldn't reprise his role in the sequel: "11 things are detestable to me about you"
(DIR) Post #AseuhGVOc4Z68hoYDo by syderiaos@piaille.fr
2025-04-01T20:59:50Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
@futurebird in the french version I just checked, your first example is "...six things..., *even* seven ..."And the list underneath had sevenIt is a rhetorical device, most likely, which makes me think of "on the one hand, on the other hand, on yet a third hand that I don't have" - it creates verisimilitude for the verbal discourse of a father to his son
(DIR) Post #Asf1abLvP8r2Rq9bO4 by dogfox@kpop.social
2025-04-01T22:17:05Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
I find that bit Ezekiel 4 where God tells Ezekiel to eat bread cooked with human poop and Ezekial interrupts God to remind Him that he has kept kosher his whole life (and implying that that bread would NOT be kosher) and God says he can use cow dung instead VERY funny.@futurebird @thecrushedviolet
(DIR) Post #Asf4BRu5hLN7lWph6O by dragonfrog@mastodon.sdf.org
2025-04-01T22:46:00Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
@futurebird There have to be so many things like that, just lost forever.One example I like - how are future historians to figure out the difference in meaning between a "butt dial" and a "booty call"? The languages people spoke at all times and places were probably just as full of things like that.
(DIR) Post #Asf6sOxAk7DgyYsoU4 by xris@ecoevo.social
2025-04-01T23:16:19Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@jmagi828 As mentioned.@futurebird
(DIR) Post #Asf6zQ6Qrs62ZFYqoK by superflippy@mastodon.xyz
2025-04-01T23:17:35Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird I know someone who probably actually knows the answer to this. Now I’m wondering if I should risk bothering him about it. BRB.
(DIR) Post #AsfOnGv6ytITmvcgNc by cshlan@dawdling.net
2025-04-02T02:36:45Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird @thecrushedviolet Jonah is really funny if you read it through. All the way through the story he's trying to get out of telling people how God wants them to live and running into trouble after trouble while turning people to belief in God all their while. Then he finally does the original thing and it's easier than he expected so he gets mad at God.
(DIR) Post #AsfZAqC502LVODR8yW by lePetomaneAncien@fosstodon.org
2025-04-02T04:33:25Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird @thecrushedviolet I always get a chuckle out of Exodus 33:18-20 where God tells Moses that showing His face would cause Moses to die but He'll gladly (and safely) show Moses His glorious backside.I also suspect that many of Jesus' confrontations with the Pharisees intentionally made the audience smile and snort into their tunics.
(DIR) Post #Asg2Bh4BJlbm2eV9Gq by DamonWakes@mastodon.sdf.org
2025-04-02T09:58:27Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
@futurebird @thecrushedviolet Ten years ago I came up with a story that (at the risk of spoiling the ending) involves something very much like that.
(DIR) Post #Asg92XlVEJ1oGdLfhg by asakiyume@wandering.shop
2025-04-02T11:15:08Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird It reminds me of the thing you get in ballads:"They hadn't been sailing but about two weeksI'm sure it was not three" and then later"They hadn't been sailing but about three weeksI'm sure it was not four" ("The House Carpenter, "Joni Mitchell version)or from "Sir Patrick Spens""They hadnae sailt a league, a leagueA league but barely three"... In those it seems to be what you're saying, a kind of phrasing for giving both an estimate and a way out of your estimate.