Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Peter Kirk <peter AT qaya.org>]

On 07/07/2006 06:42, tladatsi AT charter.net wrote:
> Hello Hebrew Listers,
>
> I have an question.  Aaron is traditionally regarded as the first "High Priest"  - 
>
> Godowl Kohen, an office which then is then passed down long the male line to 
>
> Eleazer, Phineas, and so on to Abiathar and Zadok.  However, none of these men 
>
> is actually called Godowl Kohen, they are simple Ha-Kohen.  No one is addressed 
>
> with the title of Godowl Kohen until Hilkiah in 2 Kings 22:4.  
>
> Are there any thoughts on this issue?
>
>   
See http://www.ktbh-team.org/Sample%20Entries/KHN-kohen-kehunna.pdf 
(sorry about some formatting errors) for a draft analysis I did a couple 
of years ago of all Hebrew Bible occurrences of this word group, for the 
KTBH project, http://www.ktbh-team.org/.

I note there that HAKKOHEN HAGGADOL or similar is used generically in 
Leviticus 21:10; Numbers 35:25,28,28; Joshua 20:6, and of an unnamed 
person (perhaps Jehoiada, but this is not made explicit) in 2 Kings 
12:11, but indeed not of named individuals before Hilkiah in 2 Kings 
22:4. The similar KOHEN HARO'SH is used in 2 Chronicles 19:11; 26:20, 
31:10 of Amariah in the time of Jehoshaphat, Azariah in the time of 
Uzziah, and another Azariah in the time of Hezekiah; also in 24:11 of an 
unnamed person in parallel with 2 Kings 12:11, thus showing that this is 
the Chronicler's equivalent of HAKKOHEN HAGGADOL.

--
Peter Kirk
E-mail:  peter AT qaya.org
Blog:    http://speakertruth.blogspot.com/
Website: http://www.qaya.org/