Biblical Hebrew Forum

[LM Barre <l_barre AT yahoo.com>]

H.L. Ginsberg was the first to realize that this Psalm has been adapted from 
Canaanite thought.  He was followed by FM Cross.  Yahweh is presented like 
Baal, as a storm god whose manifestation leads to the establishment of a 
temple for him.  The following scene is celestial with Yahweh/Baal 
manifesting himself in a storm.
 
1 Ascribe to the Yahweh, O mighty ones,
 
The "might one" are the bene elim, with an enclitic mem, meaning "the sons of 
El."  Like Baal, Yahweh is pictured as a son of El among the council of the 
gods who are called upon to recognize Yahweh's preeminence.
 
       ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. 
 2 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; 
       worship the LORD in the splendor of his [a] holiness. 
 
 3 The voice of the LORD is over the waters; 
       the God of glory thunders, 
       the LORD thunders over the mighty waters. 
 4 The voice of the LORD is powerful; 
       the voice of the LORD is majestic.
 
The manifestation of Yahweh's glory is picture as his voice in the various 
aspects of the storm.
 
 5 The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; 
       the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon. 
 6 He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, 
       Sirion [b] like a young wild ox. 
 7 The voice of the LORD strikes 
       with flashes of lightning.
 
The above pictures Yahweh in the lightening.
 
 8 The voice of the LORD shakes the desert; 
       the LORD shakes the Desert of Kadesh. 
 9 The voice of the LORD twists the oaks [c] 
       and strips the forests bare.
 
Yahweh is the the winds of the storm
 
       And in his temple all cry, "Glory!" 
 10 The LORD sits [d] enthroned over the flood; 
       the LORD is enthroned as King forever.
 
The flood is the waters of chaos. 
 
 [11 The LORD gives strength to his people; 
       the LORD blesses his people with peace.]
 
As Cross recognized, this verse is a gloss.
 
 For the dedication of the temple.
 
This subscription has mistakenly been moved to be a superscription to Psalm 
30.  In ancient Near Eastern hymn, the subscription is used.
 
This Psalm thus appears to have been used for the dedication of Solomon's 
temple.  Solomon had strong ties with Hiram of Canaan.


 
Lloyd Barré
http://freewebs.com/lmbarre
 



>From l_barre AT yahoo.com  Sat Jan 31 12:56:54 2009
Return-Path: <l_barre AT yahoo.com>
X-Original-To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
Delivered-To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
Received: by lists.ibiblio.org (Postfix, from userid 3002)
        id D454C4C01B; Sat, 31 Jan 2009 12:56:54 -0500 (EST)
X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.2.3 (2007-08-08) on malecky
X-Spam-Level:
X-Spam-Status: No, score=0.0 required=5.0 tests=HTML_MESSAGE
        autolearn=disabled version=3.2.3
Received: from n70.bullet.mail.sp1.yahoo.com (n70.bullet.mail.sp1.yahoo.com
        [98.136.44.38])
        by lists.ibiblio.org (Postfix) with SMTP id DC4CB4C014
        for <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>; Sat, 31 Jan 2009 12:56:47 -0500 
(EST)
Received: from [216.252.122.216] by n70.bullet.mail.sp1.yahoo.com with NNFMP;
        31 Jan 2009 17:43:34 -0000
Received: from [67.195.9.83] by t1.bullet.sp1.yahoo.com with NNFMP;
        31 Jan 2009 17:56:47 -0000
Received: from [67.195.9.109] by t3.bullet.mail.gq1.yahoo.com with NNFMP;
        31 Jan 2009 17:56:47 -0000
Received: from [127.0.0.1] by omp113.mail.gq1.yahoo.com with NNFMP;
        31 Jan 2009 17:56:47 -0000
X-Yahoo-Newman-Property: ymail-3
X-Yahoo-Newman-Id: 243789.61377.bm AT omp113.mail.gq1.yahoo.com
Received: (qmail 7706 invoked by uid 60001); 31 Jan 2009 17:56:47 -0000
X-YMail-OSG: 
DdAaYRAVM1lLGaSNeljbuxqdeELAyrR0bBcarzr5Jpvr0Z2k3XpWE4DntUNh5qb3RKCRNHazxFiUWucjjzmtuUAb6W2vBcriK55K5xXX8Q23cX5YEdvNERvwFGuX7GRpbphy6tsED90_0D8XRRWn_0NJ3LGSHAqhlgxHnMXMahwG1lWC5FsT0o8IKebL.75bHVq4EYwfNV37ss84S1uF
Received: from [98.173.36.135] by web110005.mail.gq1.yahoo.com via HTTP;
        Sat, 31 Jan 2009 09:56:47 PST
X-Mailer: YahooMailWebService/0.7.260.1
Date: Sat, 31 Jan 2009 09:56:47 -0800 (PST)
From: LM Barre <l_barre AT yahoo.com>
To: Ancient Bible History <AncientBibleHistory AT yahoogroups.com>,
        b-Hebrew <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Message-ID: <102828.7604.qm AT web110005.mail.gq1.yahoo.com>
X-Mailman-Approved-At: Sat, 31 Jan 2009 14:31:08 -0500
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
X-Content-Filtered-By: Mailman/MimeDel 2.1.9
Subject: [b-hebrew] Modern exegetical methods sythesized.
X-BeenThere: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.9
Precedence: list
Reply-To: l_barre AT yahoo.com
List-Id: Biblical Hebrew Forum <b-hebrew.lists.ibiblio.org>
List-Unsubscribe: <http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/b-hebrew>,
        <mailto:b-hebrew-request AT lists.ibiblio.org?subject=unsubscribe>
List-Archive: <https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/b-hebrew>
List-Post: <mailto:b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
List-Help: <mailto:sympa AT lists.ibiblio.org?subject=HELP>
List-Subscribe: <http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/b-hebrew>,
        <mailto:b-hebrew-request AT lists.ibiblio.org?subject=subscribe>
X-List-Received-Date: Sat, 31 Jan 2009 17:56:55 -0000

In my dissertation, The Rhetoric of Poltical Persuasion: The Narrative 
Artristy and Political Intentions of 2 Kings 9-11, published in the Catholic 
Biblical Monograph Series, #20, I synthesize certain exegetical methods.  
This include Composition Criticism, Form Criticism, Rhetorical Criticism and 
Redaction Criticism and Tradition History.

 
Lloyd Barré
http://freewebs.com/lmbarre
 



>From l_barre AT yahoo.com  Sat Jan 31 13:05:57 2009
Return-Path: <l_barre AT yahoo.com>
X-Original-To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
Delivered-To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
Received: by lists.ibiblio.org (Postfix, from userid 3002)
        id 4F23C4C00F; Sat, 31 Jan 2009 13:05:57 -0500 (EST)
X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.2.3 (2007-08-08) on malecky
X-Spam-Level:
X-Spam-Status: No, score=0.0 required=5.0 tests=HTML_MESSAGE
        autolearn=disabled version=3.2.3
Received: from n70.bullet.mail.sp1.yahoo.com (n70.bullet.mail.sp1.yahoo.com
        [98.136.44.38])
        by lists.ibiblio.org (Postfix) with SMTP id 6B2FE4C010
        for <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>; Sat, 31 Jan 2009 13:05:47 -0500 
(EST)
Received: from [69.147.84.145] by n70.bullet.mail.sp1.yahoo.com with NNFMP;
        31 Jan 2009 17:52:33 -0000
Received: from [67.195.9.82] by t8.bullet.mail.sp1.yahoo.com with NNFMP;
        31 Jan 2009 18:05:46 -0000
Received: from [67.195.9.103] by t2.bullet.mail.gq1.yahoo.com with NNFMP;
        31 Jan 2009 18:05:46 -0000
Received: from [127.0.0.1] by omp107.mail.gq1.yahoo.com with NNFMP;
        31 Jan 2009 18:05:46 -0000
X-Yahoo-Newman-Property: ymail-3
X-Yahoo-Newman-Id: 726526.11529.bm AT omp107.mail.gq1.yahoo.com
Received: (qmail 75807 invoked by uid 60001); 31 Jan 2009 18:05:46 -0000
X-YMail-OSG: 
1eUGRa0VM1m1N_I4Oq9l8zNMkRbzzekDXzRZvVSo41PkJ1hzGCnUqWp63vU24dOKvdlOwSctNxGi8kBGr6kua6s0c9FpEKdybGnRv43Dm_jxQKLVi692NkyaHCfqaUqMbU9xzZ0bpHPTtMWBYNsm.fi_hSuEqiJIsh0PH6ZtW0WycgkzOA0iCxIp_ecoeyKA6OIBuPOJAfO7XHiF80KP
Received: from [98.173.36.135] by web110007.mail.gq1.yahoo.com via HTTP;
        Sat, 31 Jan 2009 10:05:46 PST
X-Mailer: YahooMailWebService/0.7.260.1
Date: Sat, 31 Jan 2009 10:05:46 -0800 (PST)
From: LM Barre <l_barre AT yahoo.com>
To: Ancient Bible History <AncientBibleHistory AT yahoogroups.com>,
        b-Hebrew <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Message-ID: <513041.74491.qm AT web110007.mail.gq1.yahoo.com>
X-Mailman-Approved-At: Sat, 31 Jan 2009 14:31:08 -0500
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
X-Content-Filtered-By: Mailman/MimeDel 2.1.9
Subject: [b-hebrew] Deuteronomy and the Deuteronomic Tradition.
X-BeenThere: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.9
Precedence: list
Reply-To: l_barre AT yahoo.com
List-Id: Biblical Hebrew Forum <b-hebrew.lists.ibiblio.org>
List-Unsubscribe: <http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/b-hebrew>,
        <mailto:b-hebrew-request AT lists.ibiblio.org?subject=unsubscribe>
List-Archive: <https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/b-hebrew>
List-Post: <mailto:b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
List-Help: <mailto:sympa AT lists.ibiblio.org?subject=HELP>
List-Subscribe: <http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/b-hebrew>,
        <mailto:b-hebrew-request AT lists.ibiblio.org?subject=subscribe>
X-List-Received-Date: Sat, 31 Jan 2009 18:05:57 -0000

The main portion of Deuteronomy (5-28) was written during the time of 
Hezekiah by royal scribes (See M. Weinfeld, Deuteronomy and the Deuteronomic 
School).  Because of the fall of Samaria, the unconditional promise of 
David's eternal dynasty was made conditional.  The school was ferocious on 
obedience to the covenant, so much so that rebellious teens were executed.  A 
colllection of Proverbs was also made at this time with a  first edition of 
Proverbs 1-9.  Hezekiah's Deuteronomy was discovered during the time of 
Josiah, and Dtr1 was produced.  But when Josiah died in battle, Dtr2 was 
produced during the exile which again made the covenant unconditional.

 
Lloyd Barré
http://freewebs.com/lmbarre
 



>From l_barre AT yahoo.com  Sat Jan 31 13:19:23 2009
Return-Path: <l_barre AT yahoo.com>
X-Original-To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
Delivered-To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
Received: by lists.ibiblio.org (Postfix, from userid 3002)
        id 371124C014; Sat, 31 Jan 2009 13:19:23 -0500 (EST)
X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.2.3 (2007-08-08) on malecky
X-Spam-Level: *
X-Spam-Status: No, score=1.8 required=5.0 tests=HTML_MESSAGE, 
MIME_QP_LONG_LINE
        autolearn=disabled version=3.2.3
Received: from n63.bullet.mail.sp1.yahoo.com (n63.bullet.mail.sp1.yahoo.com
        [98.136.44.33])
        by lists.ibiblio.org (Postfix) with SMTP id 650E74C010
        for <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>; Sat, 31 Jan 2009 13:19:09 -0500 
(EST)
Received: from [216.252.122.217] by n63.bullet.mail.sp1.yahoo.com with NNFMP;
        31 Jan 2009 18:19:08 -0000
Received: from [68.142.237.88] by t2.bullet.sp1.yahoo.com with NNFMP;
        31 Jan 2009 18:19:08 -0000
Received: from [67.195.9.81] by t4.bullet.re3.yahoo.com with NNFMP;
        31 Jan 2009 18:19:08 -0000
Received: from [67.195.9.104] by t1.bullet.mail.gq1.yahoo.com with NNFMP;
        31 Jan 2009 18:19:07 -0000
Received: from [127.0.0.1] by omp108.mail.gq1.yahoo.com with NNFMP;
        31 Jan 2009 18:19:07 -0000
X-Yahoo-Newman-Property: ymail-3
X-Yahoo-Newman-Id: 710492.44152.bm AT omp108.mail.gq1.yahoo.com
Received: (qmail 85015 invoked by uid 60001); 31 Jan 2009 18:19:04 -0000
X-YMail-OSG: 
mD4a5YsVM1nP.X5D49o9bq3MX6FA3yRAgkRGCu8FmzqK5v28QL8URejVNQpEaMALxXhIhQVMku8zLR8oRVTAMjfj4SiUhYCGfN2XGduVid_4cF3sxQwnXfM0ob8Y8sJV0nTJiBfi8DuUilzWFE6MgPMqPDlqiJKwadlZQy5CWToPiSj8bz0DMFsi8vaAzt1gyPZrmA--
Received: from [98.173.36.135] by web110014.mail.gq1.yahoo.com via HTTP;
        Sat, 31 Jan 2009 10:19:03 PST
X-Mailer: YahooMailWebService/0.7.260.1
Date: Sat, 31 Jan 2009 10:19:03 -0800 (PST)
From: LM Barre <l_barre AT yahoo.com>
To: Ancient Bible History <AncientBibleHistory AT yahoogroups.com>,
        b-Hebrew <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Message-ID: <367530.84556.qm AT web110014.mail.gq1.yahoo.com>
X-Mailman-Approved-At: Sat, 31 Jan 2009 14:31:08 -0500
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
X-Content-Filtered-By: Mailman/MimeDel 2.1.9
Subject: [b-hebrew] The sources of the flood story (J and P)
X-BeenThere: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.9
Precedence: list
Reply-To: l_barre AT yahoo.com
List-Id: Biblical Hebrew Forum <b-hebrew.lists.ibiblio.org>
List-Unsubscribe: <http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/b-hebrew>,
        <mailto:b-hebrew-request AT lists.ibiblio.org?subject=unsubscribe>
List-Archive: <https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/b-hebrew>
List-Post: <mailto:b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
List-Help: <mailto:sympa AT lists.ibiblio.org?subject=HELP>
List-Subscribe: <http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/b-hebrew>,
        <mailto:b-hebrew-request AT lists.ibiblio.org?subject=subscribe>
X-List-Received-Date: Sat, 31 Jan 2009 18:19:23 -0000

One of the best analysis of J and P is Richard Friedman, Who Wrote the Bible. 
 My analysis differs somewhat.  Details of the chronologies may be found in 
my article, "The Riddle of the Flood Chronology," JSOT
J:
5 The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that 
every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. 6 
The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was 
filled with pain. 7 So the LORD said, "I will wipe mankind, whom I have 
created, from the face of the earth—men and animals, and creatures that move 
along the ground, and birds of the air—for I am grieved that I have made 
them." 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. 
 9 This is the account of Noah. 
 
P:
      Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and 
he walked with God. 10 Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth. 
 11 Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight and was full of violence. 12 God 
saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had 
corrupted their ways. 13 So God said to Noah, "I am going to put an end to 
all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am 
surely going to destroy both them and the earth. 14 So make yourself an ark 
of cypress [c] wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. 
15 This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be 450 feet long, 75 feet 
wide and 45 feet high. [d] 16 Make a roof for it and finish [e] the ark to 
within 18 inches [f] of the top. Put a door in the side of the ark and make 
lower, middle and upper decks. 17 I am going to bring floodwaters on the 
earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the 
breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish. 18 But I will 
establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your
 sons and your wife and your sons' wives with you. 
 
J:
19 You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and 
female, to keep them alive with you. 20 Two of every kind of bird, of every 
kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will 
come to you to be kept alive. 21 You are to take every kind of food that is 
to be eaten and store it away as food for you and for them." 
P:
 22 Noah did everything just as God commanded him.
J:1 The LORD then said to Noah, "Go into the ark, you and your whole family, 
because I have found you righteous in this generation. 2 Take with you seven 
[a] of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and two of every kind 
of unclean animal, a male and its mate, 3 and also seven of every kind of 
bird, male and female, to keep their various kinds alive throughout the 
earth. 4 Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and 
forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living 
creature I have made." 
 5 And Noah did all that the LORD commanded him.
P: 
 6 Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters came on the earth. 7 
And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives entered the ark to 
escape the waters of the flood. 8 Pairs of clean and unclean animals, of 
birds and of all creatures that move along the ground, 9 male and female, 
came to Noah and entered the ark, as God had commanded Noah. 
 
J:
10 And after the seven days the floodwaters came on the earth. 
P:
 11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, on the seventeenth day of the 
second month—on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and 
the floodgates of the heavens were opened. 
 
J:
12 And rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights.
P: 
 13 On that very day Noah and his sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth, together with 
his wife and the wives of his three sons, entered the ark. 14 They had with 
them every wild animal according to its kind, all livestock according to 
their kinds, every creature that moves along the ground according to its kind 
and every bird according to its kind, everything with wings. 15 Pairs of all 
creatures that have the breath of life in them came to Noah and entered the 
ark. 16 The animals going in were male and female of every living thing, as 
God had commanded Noah. 
 
J:
Then the LORD shut him in.
P: 
 17 For forty days the flood kept coming on the earth, and as the waters 
increased they lifted the ark high above the earth. 18 The waters rose and 
increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the 
water. 19 They rose greatly on the earth, and all the high mountains under 
the entire heavens were covered. 20 The waters rose and covered the mountains 
to a depth of more than twenty feet. [b] , [c] 
 
J:
21 Every living thing that moved on the earth perished—birds, livestock, wild 
animals, all the creatures that swarm over the earth, and all mankind. 22 
Everything on dry land that had the breath of life in its nostrils died.. 23 
Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; men and animals 
and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds of the air were 
wiped from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark.
P: 
 24 The waters flooded the earth for a hundred and fifty days.
1 But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that 
were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters 
receded. 2 Now the springs of the deep and the floodgates of the heavens had 
been closed, and the rain had stopped falling from the sky. 3 The water 
receded steadily from the earth. At the end of the hundred and fifty days the 
water had gone down, 4 and on the seventeenth day of the seventh month the 
ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. 5 The waters continued to recede 
until the tenth month, and on the first day of the tenth month the tops of 
the mountains became visible. 
J:
 6 After forty days Noah opened the window he had made in the ark 7 and sent 
out a raven, and it kept flying back and forth until the water had dried up 
from the earth. 
 
P:
8 Then he sent out a dove to see if the water had receded from the surface of 
the ground. 9 But the dove could find no place to set its feet because there 
was water over all the surface of the earth; so it returned to Noah in the 
ark. He reached out his hand and took the dove and brought it back to himself 
in the ark. 10 He waited seven more days and again sent out the dove from the 
ark. 11 When the dove returned to him in the evening, there in its beak was a 
freshly plucked olive leaf! Then Noah knew that the water had receded from 
the earth. 12 He waited seven more days and sent the dove out again, but this 
time it did not return to him. 
 13 By the first day of the first month of Noah's six hundred and first year, 
the water had dried up from the earth. Noah then removed the covering from 
the ark and saw that the surface of the ground was dry. 
 
J:
14 By the twenty-seventh day of the second month the earth was completely 
dry. 
 15 Then God said to Noah, 16 "Come out of the ark, you and your wife and 
your sons and their wives. 17 Bring out every kind of living creature that is 
with you—the birds, the animals, and all the creatures that move along the 
ground—so they can multiply on the earth and be fruitful and increase in 
number upon it." 
 18 So Noah came out, together with his sons and his wife and his sons' 
wives. 19 All the animals and all the creatures that move along the ground 
and all the birds—everything that moves on the earth—came out of the ark, one 
kind after another. 
 20 Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and, taking some of all the clean 
animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it. 21 The LORD 
smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: "Never again will I curse 
the ground because of man, even though [a] every inclination of his heart is 
evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as 
I have done. 
 22 "As long as the earth endures, 
       seedtime and harvest, 
       cold and heat, 
       summer and winter, 
       day and night 
       will never cease."
P:1 Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, "Be fruitful and 
increase in number and fill the earth. 2 The fear and dread of you will fall 
upon all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air, upon every 
creature that moves along the ground, and upon all the fish of the sea; they 
are given into your hands. 3 Everything that lives and moves will be food for 
you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything. 
 4 "But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it. 5 And for 
your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an 
accounting from every animal. And from each man, too, I will demand an 
accounting for the life of his fellow man. 
 6 "Whoever sheds the blood of man, 
       by man shall his blood be shed; 
       for in the image of God 
       [has God made man.] 
P:
 7 As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and 
increase upon it." 
 8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: 9 "I now establish my 
covenant with you and with your descendants after you 10 and with every 
living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock and all the wild 
animals, all those that came out of the ark with you—every living creature on 
earth. 11 I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut 
off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy 
the earth." 
 12 And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me 
and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to 
come: 13 I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the 
covenant between me and the earth. 14 Whenever I bring clouds over the earth 
and the rainbow appears in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant between 
me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the 
waters become a flood to destroy all life. 16 Whenever the rainbow appears in 
the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God 
and all living creatures of every kind on the earth." 
 17 So God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant I have established 
between me and all life on the earth." 


 
Lloyd Barré
http://freewebs.com/lmbarre
 



>From gabe AT cascadeaccess.com  Sat Jan 31 14:38:44 2009
Return-Path: <gabe AT cascadeaccess.com>
X-Original-To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
Delivered-To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
Received: by lists.ibiblio.org (Postfix, from userid 3002)
        id A41574C014; Sat, 31 Jan 2009 14:38:44 -0500 (EST)
X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.2.3 (2007-08-08) on malecky
X-Spam-Level:
X-Spam-Status: No, score=0.0 required=5.0 tests=none autolearn=disabled
        version=3.2.3
Received: from mail1.cascadeaccess.com (mail1.cascadeaccess.com
        [64.233.104.23])
        by lists.ibiblio.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id E30414C010
        for <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>; Sat, 31 Jan 2009 14:38:43 -0500 
(EST)
Received: from localhost (localhost [127.0.0.1])
        by mail1.cascadeaccess.com (Postfix) with ESMTP id 5128C35829
        for <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>; Sat, 31 Jan 2009 11:38:43 -0800 
(PST)
X-Virus-Scanned: by amavisd-new using ClamAV at cascadeaccess.com
Received: from mail1.cascadeaccess.com ([127.0.0.1])
        by localhost (mail1.cascadeaccess.com [127.0.0.1]) (amavisd-new,
        port 10024)
        with ESMTP id WWn52aY4VCb6 for <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>;
        Sat, 31 Jan 2009 11:38:43 -0800 (PST)
Received: from gabe-eisensteins-computer-1663.local
        (dsl-216-155-214-007.cascadeaccess.com [216.155.214.7])
        by mail1.cascadeaccess.com (Postfix) with ESMTP id 16E7435826
        for <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>; Sat, 31 Jan 2009 11:38:42 -0800 
(PST)
Message-ID: <4984A8C2.4060400 AT cascadeaccess.com>
Date: Sat, 31 Jan 2009 11:38:42 -0800
From: Gabe Eisenstein <gabe AT cascadeaccess.com>
User-Agent: Thunderbird 2.0.0.19 (Macintosh/20081209)
MIME-Version: 1.0
To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Subject: [b-hebrew] Samaritans
X-BeenThere: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.9
Precedence: list
List-Id: Biblical Hebrew Forum <b-hebrew.lists.ibiblio.org>
List-Unsubscribe: <http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/b-hebrew>,
        <mailto:b-hebrew-request AT lists.ibiblio.org?subject=unsubscribe>
List-Archive: <https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/b-hebrew>
List-Post: <mailto:b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
List-Help: <mailto:sympa AT lists.ibiblio.org?subject=HELP>
List-Subscribe: <http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/b-hebrew>,
        <mailto:b-hebrew-request AT lists.ibiblio.org?subject=subscribe>
X-List-Received-Date: Sat, 31 Jan 2009 19:38:44 -0000

This post addresses issues that have come up in three recent threads:

1. The assertion that the northern Israelites were all exiled in 722
BC,"never to return", and that the Yahwism of Samaria was a re-creation
rather than direct inheritance.
2. The argument over whether Jerusalem was devoid of all humans and
livestock for 70 years.
3. The idea that the Biblical text was fixed by 300 or 200 BC.

All three assertions are belied by the reality of the Samaritans, who
are the actual descendants of the northern Israelites, and who preserve
an ancient Torah text that differs from the Masoretic. There is by now a
large body of scholarship (and DNA evidence!) authenticating the basic
claims of the Samaritans as against the Jews.

With regard to both (1) and (2) we need to appreciate  the ancient
practice of hyperbole with regard to claims of annihilation. Assyrian
monuments often speak of  the same enemy being annihilated ...
repeatedly on multiple occasions! The same hyperbole is used by Biblical
writers with regard to both Israel  and Judah. We know that Israel was
not completely evacuated in 722 because
a) The Assyrian records indicate the deportation of 27,000 Israelites,
whereas archaeology shows that the population was about 300,000. (In any
case the Assyrian practice was to deport the elite classes only,
anything else being logistically infeasible.)
b) The Bible reports subsequent dealings between Jerusalemites and
northern Yahwists, in which the former regard the latter as true Israelites.
Therefore it is reasonable to assume that the same hyperbole was applied
with regard to Judah, and that many Yahwists remained there in the 6th
century. (The hyperbole may also be influenced by conflicts between
Babylonian returnees and the peasantry that Ezra wanted to exclude from
the new community.)
(And by the way, the "never to return" bit about the Israelites is also
Biblically incorrect, since Jeremiah and Ezekiel assure us that Judah
and Israel will be reunited.)

With regard to (3): As George Athas has implied, the scholarly textual
studies (by Tov and others) find multiple families of text-types
existing in the period from 200 BC to 100 AD -- one of these being the
Samaritan Torah. It has both similarities and differences with the other
families (DSS, LXX, Masoretic Text, Targums). When it agrees with other
sources but not MT, there are often good reasons to prefer its reading.
(On the other hand there is a layer of the Samaritan Torah that contains
ideological emendations which are surely late.)
(And on a side note, the assertion of fixity by 200 BC also ignores the
fact that the Talmud contains many Torah variants indicating that they
did not have our MT.)
One implication of Tov's work is that the proto-MT was probably brought
to Jerusalem from Babylonia around the time of Hillel, and that the
Samaritan version is closer to what had been the dominant text-type in
the previous period.


Gabe Eisenstein