Biblical Hebrew Forum

[jimstinehart AT aol.com]

George Athas wrote:  “Genesis definitely reflects the monarchic era at the 
earliest (cf. Gen 36.31).”
 
Attempting to date the Patriarchal narratives on the basis of Genesis 36: 31 
makes no sense, since most scholars recognize that Genesis 36: 9-43 was added 
into the Patriarchal narratives at a much later time.  An analysis of Genesis 
36: 31 may tell us that Genesis 36: 9-43 dates to the monarchic era, but it 
says nothing about the dating of the vast bulk of the Patriarchal narratives.
 
Here’s the leading scholar’s discussion of this topic:  “[I]t does look as 
though [Genesis] 36: 9-43 is an insertion into a discrete section (36: 1-8; 
37: 1), for 37: 1, ‘Jacob settled in the land to which his father had 
migrated in the land of Canaan’, matches and echoes 36: 7-8 so clearly.  Thus 
almost all commentators conclude that at an earlier stage in the history of 
the book, 37: 1 followed immediately after 36: 8.  That 36: 9-43 is a 
secondary insertion into the book seems to be confirmed by the second title, 
‘This is the family history of Esau’, which is without analogy in the rest of 
the book.  Each of the other nine formulae, ‘This is the family history of’, 
occurs but once, suggesting that the reduplication here represents an 
addition to the book, which once had only ten such titles.  In this case, 36: 
9-43 would represent the last part of Genesis to be written.”  Gordon J. 
Wenham, “World Biblical Commentary:  Genesis 16-50” (1994), at p. 335.
 
The proper way to date the vast bulk of the Patriarchal narratives, rather, 
is to look at the proper names, which are vintage Late Bronze Age, and the 
substantive content, which likewise is vintage Late Bronze Age.  5th century 
BCE writings in Aramaic by non-orthodox post-exilic Jews at Elephantine in 
southern Egypt have no relevance to anything in the received text of the 
Patriarchal narratives.  By sharp contrast, the close match of the world of 
the Patriarchal narratives to the mid-14th century BCE Amarna Letters is very 
relevant.  Subject to the last ¾ of chapter 36 of Genesis and a tiny handful 
of other 1st millennium BCE additions, the vast majority of the Patriarchal 
narratives is Late Bronze Age all the way, in every way, both as to its date 
of composition, and as to its content.
 
Jim Stinehart
Evanston, Illinois