Two Inclinations: Early West-Semitic Understanding

What "inclination" means here

In the earliest West-Semitic stream (Proto-Canaanite / early West-Semitic letters without vowels), people spoke about the inner drive that shapes actions. Later traditions used terms like yetzer hatov and yetzer hara, but those are later labels. Here we stay with the older frame: two inner paths — toward order or toward breakdown — under the direct call of Yhwh.

The two paths (root clusters)

Toward Good / Function (Ṭ-B)

• Works with creation as intended — useful, fitting, whole.
• Loyalty to Yhwh alone; no intermediaries.
• Justice, truthful speech, protection of the weak.
• Repentance (teshuvah): turning back when off-path.
• Early inscriptions tie this idea to what is sound and working, not to temple systems.

Toward Dysfunction / Harm (R-ʿ)

• Breaks what should work; twists judgment; exploits people.
• Chases power through kings, priests, and blood-economies.
• Speaks lies, uses sacred names for control, not truth.
• Refuses to turn back when warned.
• Not a cosmic rival — this is a human drive that must be ruled.

The ancient choice

The early stream presents a clear, personal call: choose the path that aligns with Yhwh's Word — life, justice, and truth — or the path that unravels people and land. The choice is personal; no priest can choose for you. No king can save you. Your hands, your words, your turning back.

Key idea: "You must rule over it." The inner drive is mastered by obedience and turning back, not by ritual economies.

How to present this on your site

• Title the page as above. Add a short subtitle: "Early West-Semitic framing, no later overlays."
• Keep all references to Yhwh cased exactly like this.
• Do not use the word Torah; say "Yhwh's Word."
• Remove Rabbinic/Talmudic and Greek overlays; note them only as later developments when necessary.