Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Irene Riegner <iriegner AT concentric.net>]

Dear List People

Jonathan Safren wrote (an excerpt)

> Weinfeld and Hillers, I am
> sure, and perhaps Mc Carthy -I'm not sure - relate the form of the
> blessing-curse formulae in Deut. to the later Neo-Assyrian vassal
> treaties, and not those of the earlier 14th cent. BCE Hittite vassal
> treaties.
 
I agree and just want to add that Weinfeld in his ABD commentary on
Deut. 1-11 wrote that Deuteronomy is dependent on two, loyalty oath models: 
The 2nd mill. Hittite loyalty oaths to the king, and the 1st mill. neo-Assyrian
loyalty oaths of Essarhaddon.  The 2nd mill. Hittite oaths have an
historical prologue and a blessing section that is longer than the curse
section;   the 1st mill., neo-Assyrian treaties of Essarhaddon
lack the historical prologue but have an expanded list of cusrses with
few blessings.

According to Weinfeld, "the Hittite model pervaded the old biblical tradition which Deut used and reworked in accordance with the prevalent covenantal pattern reflected in the VTE [Vassel treaties of Essarhaddon--672 bce] (p, 9).  (This would put the beginning of the idea of covenant in the 2nd mill.)

Weinfeld mentions an interesting parallel between Dt 29 and a text from the time of Assurbanipal:

    Dt 29.21-4:  "And the generations to come...will ask:  Why did YHWH do
        this to this land?  and they will say: 'because they forsook the
        covenant of YHWH.' "

    Annals of Asurbanipal:  "the people of Arabia asked one another saying:
        why is it that such evil has befgallen Arabia?  and they will say 'because
        we did not observe the obligations sworn to the god Ashur.' "

best regards,
i. riegner