In the Ancient Near East, the term "arm" came to be a powerful symbol that represented the idea of "might" and "power." During the period in which the sons of Israel were slaves in Egypt, the Egyptians were extremely fond of the imagery, using it to represent a number of important religious and political concepts. The most significant examples of "arm" imagery include: 1) An epitaph for deity, 2) A cultic symbol that signified the restoration of a mummy's vitality, 3) A symbol of Pharaoh's might; 4) A way to depict Pharaoh as an extension of the gods; and 5) A military slogan that represented victory and the subjugation of opponents.
The first instance of biblical arm imagery occurs in Exodus 6:6. In Exodus 6:1-8, God declared to Moses that He would liberate the sons of Israel from Egypt by means of His "outstretched arm." Both Pharaoh and the Israelite slaves immediately would have grasped the implications of this statement. Essentially, the LORD claimed that He was more powerful that Pharaoh and all of the Egyptian gods. Because of the LORD's decisive victory against Egypt, the phrase Zeroa' YHWH (i.e. "the Arm of the LORD") became a popular expression after the Exodus.
Later Old Testament authors described the "Arm of the LORD" as: 1) Creator (Jer. 32:17); 2) Deliverer (Isa. 52:10; 53:1); 3) Divine Warrior (Isa. 51:9-11); 4) King (Isa. 40:10-11); and 5) Judge (Isa. 51:5). Because many of these passages appear in the context of messianic passages, and John explained that Jesus fulfilled an "Arm of the LORD" passage (John 12:38), it is no surprise that the "Arm of the LORD" is a title for the Messiah.
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