Does the Bible Predict a Victory for the Cleveland Cavaliers?
The Good Book praises Blatt, LeBron
June 10, 2015
LeBron James in Phoenix, Arizona, January 13, 2015.Christian Petersen/Getty Images
The NBA Finals are well under way, and to the list of those predicting it will end with the triumph of the Cleveland Cavaliers you can now add the Holy Bible: as eagle-eyed observers in Israel—where support for the Cavs and its Israeli coach, David Blatt, is feverish—have noticed, the Good Book itself might’ve already foretold the victory.
In 1 Samuel 18:22, King Saul commands his attendants to speak to the young and rebellious David in secret and convince him to become the monarch’s son-in-law. Here’s the verse in English:
Then Saul ordered his attendants: “Speak to David privately and say, ‘Look, the king likes you, and his attendants all love you; now become his son-in-law.’”
It’s nothing out of the ordinary, but the Biblical Hebrew word for “in secret” just happens to be Blatt, which makes the sentence read as follows: “Speak to David Blatt and say, ‘Look, the King Likes You.’” The King. As in King James, number 23, the great LeBron. What more proof do you need?
Liel Leibovitz is editor-at-large for Tablet Magazine and a host of its weekly culture podcast Unorthodox and daily Talmud podcast Take One. He is the editor of Zionism: The Tablet Guide.
