On Sunday, Elon Musk posted on X (formally known as Twitter) a Hebrew verse from the Bible.
This post comes following his recent visit to Israel, where he met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu while touring the locations where the October 7 massacre took place.
Posts on X following the visit
The Hebrew verse that was posted on Sunday is a passage from Proverbs, translated as, "How much better to acquire wisdom than gold; to acquire understanding is preferable to silver (16:16).
קנה חכמה מה טוב מחרוץ וקנות בינה נבחר מכסף. https://t.co/YKStE06qtk
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 3, 2023
Musk's Bible quote comes in response to the post written by the prominent American-Israeli venture capitalist and author, Michael Eisenberg, who met with Musk in Israel.
Past criticism of Musk
The Bible verse chosen may reflect the reasoning behind Musk's recent visit to Israel, which followed accusations that he was antisemitic.
Musk was accused of being antisemitic after endorsing a post on X that falsely accused Jews of hating white people.
In an interview following that post, Musk rejected the claims of antisemitism, while defending his intention in endorsing the controversial post.
According to Eisenberg's post, "I know dozens of people who are friends with Musk and meet with him in various circles. A significant number of those people are Jewish. I didn't meet a single one who thought he was antisemitic."
אלון מאסק - למה הביקורת על ביקורו של מאסק היא לא במקום, מה עומד מאחורי הביקור החשוב שלו בישראל ומה זה מבשר על העתידמייקל אייזנברגהגעתו של אלון מאסק (@elonmusk) לארץ עוררה מטבע הדברים לא מעט הדים. היו מי שביקרו את ראש הממשלה (@netanyahu שהזמין את מאסק) וגם את יו"ר המחנה…
— Michael Eisenberg (@mikeeisenberg) November 28, 2023
In a past interview, Musk explained that in his view, “Jewish people have been persecuted for thousands of years,” and that “there is a natural affinity, therefore, for persecuted groups.”
Immediately after his Israel trip, Musk posted on X, "Trite as it may sound, I wish for world peace."