Divine Corporeality in the Hebrew Bible

Throughout the Hebrew Bible, divine corporeality is simply assumed. God not only has a body, but occasionally deigns to reveal his body or its parts to various high-profile figures. In this article, I explore some of the biblical traditions dealing with the divine body and argue that divine corporeality is essential to divine sociality: God’s body enables social relationships between the deity and his worshippers. Contrary to later interpretations, the biblical ban on divine images does not reflect a theological rejection of divine corporeality, but affirms instead the socio-religious importance of God’s body.