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b-hebrew - Re: [b-hebrew] 2 Samuel 8:18 “khmym”

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  • From: Yigal Levin <Yigal.Levin AT biu.ac.il>
  • To: b-hebrew <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] 2 Samuel 8:18 “khmym”
  • Date: Fri, 16 Sep 2011 16:34:28 +0300

While it is true that according to the Priestly lay in the Pentateuch only
Levites descended from Aaron can be priests, this does not seem to have been
the historical reality of the pre-exilic period. Nowhere is there a genealogy
that ties Eli to Aaron, and Zadok, who becomes priest in Jerusalem in David's
day and is favored over Abiathar by Solomon, is only listed as a Levitical
Aaronide in the post-exilic books of Ezra and Chronicles (and implicitly by
Ezekiel as well). And of course, there is 2 Samuel 8:18, but even more so Ex.
19:22, in which "the priests who approach the Lord" are told to sanctify
themselves in preparation for the Mount Sinai revelation, whereas Aaron and
his sons are only told that they are going to be appointed as priests in
chapter 28. So what priests?

There are several possible approaches, not all mutually exclusive. One is to
assume that "Kohen" has a wider semantic range than "priest", and can also be
used for "official", "elder" or "leader". This is certainly true in modern
Hebrew, in which while a Jewish "Kohen" is always a descendent of Aaron,
non-Jewish clergy are often referred to by the same term (although there are
specific terms for specific religions as well), but the term "Kehunah" and
the verb "lekhahen" mean "to hold office", for secular officials as well.

Another approach is to assume that while Mosaic Law proscribes that only
Aaronide Levites can be priests, many non-Aronides "usurped" the position.
For example, since Jeroboam I expelled the Levites from his kingdom, all
northern priest must have been non-Aaronides. Eli and Zadok "must have been"
Aaronides, even if the text does not mention the fact. Of course then one
would ask why the book of Samuel has no negative comment about David making
his sons priests. And a third approach is that the Mosaic Law was actually
written in the post-exilic period, when all Jewish priests were considered to
be Aaronides. This, of course, depends on one's general approach to critical
scholarship, which we will not discuss here.

I'm not sure exactly what "David's sons were priests" means. The preceding 3
verses list David's chief officials, and the list is very specific and
personal: Joab was over the army, Jehoshaphat was the recorder, Zadok and
Ahimelech were Priests, Seraiah was the scribe, Benaiah was over the
Cheretites and Peletites. And then, "David's sons were priests". Which sons?
All of them? Permanently? Once? There's a lot the text does not tell us.


As has been pointed out, in the 2 Chron. 18:17 parallel version, David's sons
were "first at the hand of the king". The post-exilic Chronicler simply could
not imagine that David's sons were actually priests, so he "reinterpreted"
the text.


Yigal Levin



-----Original Message-----
From: b-hebrew-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:b-hebrew-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of K Randolph
Sent: Thursday, September 15, 2011 9:32 PM
To: B-Hebrew
Subject: [b-hebrew] 2 Samuel 8:18 “khmym”

B-Hebrew haburim:

This phrase, ובני דוד כהנים היו has always puzzled me. At first blush, it
looks as if it is saying that David’s sons became priests. The problem is
that in Israel’s religion, only the descendants of Aaron may become priests,
so on the surface that seems to be an unlikely reading.

Possible resolutions:

כהנים had a broader meaning than just priest as we understand it, the
position taken by the LXX which translated it as αυλαρχαι or palace
officials.

Another possibility is copyist error.

Any other ideas?

What do you all think?

Karl W. Randolph.
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