The Palms of God

The Palms of God The figure of speech condescensio * in “the palms of God,” is most beautifully used in Isaiah, as an Orientalism in all of its significance. Isaiah 49:15, 16: Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven [tattooed] thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls [hands] are continually before me. Motherhood is an unforgettable human experience. A mother nursing her new-born child has indescribable feelings of attachment and tender affection for the fruit of her womb. Yet, God says that a woman could forget her baby—which is most difficult and unlikely—but God will never forget one of His own. To emphasize God’s great ability to remember His children, this passage states that God’s remembrance is beyond that of a mother for her child. God’s memory is even deeper than the memory of a most intimate human relationship. God’s memory of us is beyond human comprehension. After this dramatic statement of God’s remembering His children, verse 16 of Isaiah 49 uses a graphic figure of speech attributing to God the human characteristic of palms: “I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands.” The Oriental way of expressing great love and continual remembrance is by engraving which we would call tattooing. The Oriental tradition was to tattoo on your body the names of those you dearly love while simply giving presents to those you love slightly. The process of tattooing is very unpleasant. Whenever a person is tattooed, it is usually on the arm, sometimes on the back or chest. But never do you see the palms of a man’s hand tattooed. Why? Because the palms of the hands are too sensitive. They are too delicate. The pain of tattooing on the palms is too great to bear. Yet God says, “Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands.” First of all, God is saying it takes too long to look on the arm or on the shoulders or across the chest, beca