Journal for the Study of the Old Testament

Providing a rationale for the composition of Numbers 1–10 continues to pose a formidable challenge to Old Testament scholarship. Most studies in Numbers seek to discern its structure by connecting keywords to concepts, moving immediately from a basic verbal to a high conceptual level of literary structure. With attention to narrative technique, the present study analyses an intermediate level by investigating the demarcation of direct speech, recurring chronological indicators and the dynamic between law and narrative. Accordingly, correspondence of patterns on different levels of literary structure suggests a main break in Numbers 1–10. The Passover command in Numbers 9 inaugurates Israel’s departure from Sinai. The calling and dedication of the Levites in Numbers 3 and 8 form an inclusion of direct divine speeches consisting of four triads around a central command to purify the camp. These observations offer a coherent interpretation of the included legal materials.

This introductory article aims to explicate certain aspects of Josephus’ recounting of the biblical story of the Solomonic Temple’s construction, attempting to understand the messages the author wanted to convey to his Roman audience and how the audience may have comprehended them. I will show that Josephus weaves a compelling story by making changes and adding details to the biblical account to further his intention to convince his readership of the antiquity of the Jerusalem Temple. He presents the opulence of the building, with its sumptuous furnishings and personnel designed to draw attention to the greatness of the Judean God and his worldwide dominion. Josephus also underlines the centrality and relevance of the Temple, not only for Judeans but for all nations, hoping thereby to generate sympathy in the Roman readers for the idea that the now-destroyed Temple should be rebuilt.

This study seeks to explain Haman’s reference to Jewish law (דָּת) in Masoretic Esther 3.8, given the lack of any obvious manifestation of the law in the book, or even of religious practice. The question of Jewish law in the book of Esther is closely related to the much more widely discussed question of God’s absence. This paper suggests that the book of Esther uses Haman’s accusation to invite its readers to question whether Jewish דָּת exists, and if so, whether it conflicts with Persian (or royal) law. This question persists with the reader throughout the whole book. Ultimately, we argue that the (Masoretic) book of Esther paints Jewish identity as fundamentally compatible with Persian law.

Exodus 17.8–16 contains a number of exegetical puzzles, including the placement of Moses upon an anonymous hill, the cryptic gesture of Moses, the gesture’s direct influence on the battle, the appearance of two assistants (i.e., Aaron and Hur), the function of מטה האלהים, the number of Moses’ raised hands, the name of the altar (i.e., יהוה נסי), and the depiction of Amalek as a perpetual enemy of YHWH and Israel. To account for these puzzles, scholars have searched for traditions that could have influenced the Israelite author when composing the text. Unlike previous attempts, this article approaches the text in light of the Egyptian Heliopolitan cosmogony. This methodology coherently accounts for almost all the elements that appear in the Amalek narrative.

The identity of the enemies in psalms has been a perennial focus in scholarship. The pervasive language and shifting perspectives of psalms has led to a variety of proposals, though only a handful of scholars have focused on the positive function of the role of enemies for the development of identity. The language of enmity and function of enemy images in Ps. 74 are explained by means of social identity theory, focusing on the way the description of the enemies emphasizes important aspects of Judean corporate identity in the aftermath of the destruction of the Temple in 586 BCE.

The significance of the fear of YHWH for the theology of Proverbs 1–9 is incontrovertible. In the present essay it is argued firstly that, in light of numerous parallels between Proverbs 1–9 and Deuteronomy, the fear of YHWH in the former should be understood in light of the latter, denoting a response of exclusive allegiance to YHWH. This prompts a reconsideration of how Proverbs 1–9 presents the relationship between the fear of YHWH and wisdom. The scholarly consensus has been that wisdom follows from the fear of YHWH; in the present essay, this consensus is challenged. Following the pattern set out in Deuteronomy, where the fear of YHWH follows from YHWH’s instruction, it is argued that Proverbs 1–9 presents the fear of YHWH as the result, rather than the source of, wisdom. This would have been especially pertinent in the early post-exilic setting in which Proverbs 1–9 was most likely written.

When focusing on the scriptures themselves, the horizontal context of a given text refers to the surrounding verses, paragraphs, chapters, and book. Vertical context refers to an exegetical allusion to an earlier scriptural tradition within the text itself. In spite of intense, ongoing study of Lev. 19.18b within its horizontal contexts, the vertical context within this verse has been ignored. The present study defines vertical context and how it functions as a basis to interpret Lev. 19.18b. After investigating how vertical context bears on Lev. 19.18b, the passage is explained in relation to the intersection of its vertical and horizontal contexts.