Engaging Hebrew Bible Exam 2

Numbers

Fourth book of the Hebrew Bible; Hebrew title Bemidbar means “in the wilderness.” It follows Israel from Sinai through the wilderness to the edge of the Promised Land. Its major themes include rebellion, punishment, preservation, tabernacle regulations, and preparation of a new generation to enter the land.

Wilderness

The setting of much of Numbers. It is the place between Sinai and the Promised Land where Israel repeatedly rebels and is punished, yet is preserved by YHWH.

Moses

Israel’s major leader and mediator of divine law. Deuteronomy is presented as Moses’ final speeches to the second generation before they enter the land; he dies before entering it himself.

Balaam

A foreign diviner in Numbers whose story occurs as Israel approaches the land. Instead of successfully cursing Israel, he ultimately pronounces blessings.

Sotah

The ritual of Numbers 5:11–31 for a husband who suspects his wife of adultery when there is no witness. A priest administers an oath, grain offering, and “water of bitterness”; the outcome is placed in divine hands.

Deuteronomy

Fifth/final book of the Torah; means something like “second law.” It gives the law again to the second generation preparing to enter the land. It contains speeches of Moses, legal material, blessings/curses, and Moses’ death.

Treaty

Formal agreement binding two parties. ANE treaties could be parity treaties between equals or suzerain-vassal treaties between a stronger ruler and weaker ruler. Deuteronomy resembles ANE treaty structure.

Curses

Negative consequences for violating a treaty/covenant. Deuteronomy 28 contains curses for disobedience and has similarities with Neo-Assyrian treaty curses.

Shema

Deuteronomy 6:4–9: “Hear, O Israel…” It commands complete loyalty and love toward YHWH and continual teaching/remembrance of these commandments.

“Other Gods”

Deuteronomy recognizes other divine beings but demands that Israel not worship them. Worship of other gods becomes one of the major sins used in DtrH to explain Israel’s punishment.

Monolatry

Worship of one deity exclusively without necessarily denying the existence of other deities. The lectures describe Deuteronomy as explicitly monolatrous.

Idolatry

Worship of other gods or improper divine images; a major violation of Israel’s covenant with YHWH. In DtrH it repeatedly leads to punishment, loss of land, and eventually exile.

Cult centralization

Deuteronomy’s demand that YHWH be worshiped and sacrificed to at the one place YHWH chooses, rather than at many local sanctuaries. Jerusalem eventually becomes that central location.

Legal revision

Deuteronomy does not simply repeat older laws; it sometimes reworks earlier legal traditions to fit its theology, especially cult centralization.

Land

The Promised Land is YHWH’s gift to Israel, but possession is tied to covenant obedience. Disobedience can result in removal/exile.

Leviticus

Third/middle book of the Torah. Its major concerns are cult, sacrifice, priests, purity, purgation, and holiness. Its goal is to create conditions in which YHWH can continue dwelling among Israel.

Priestly code/priestly texts

They focus especially on priests, tabernacle, cult, sacrifice, purity, boundaries, and holiness. Leviticus is at the heart of this priestly worldview.

Priest

Authorized cultic official with special access to the sanctuary who performs sacrifices and rituals. Biblical priests come from the tribe of Levi. All priests are Levites, but not all Levites are priests.

Levites

Members of the tribe of Levi who have responsibilities connected with the sanctuary. Numbers especially emphasizes their responsibility for transporting, assembling, guarding, and maintaining the tabernacle.

High priest

Special priest allowed to enter the Most Holy Place once each year on the Day of Atonement. Aaron is presented as the first high priest.

Cult

Not a modern “cult.” It means an organized system of worship/care for a deity, involving sanctuary, sacrifice, priests, offerings, and rituals.

Ritual

Carefully prescribed, repeatable acts that connect humans with the divine or fulfill religious duties: sacrifices, purity procedures, festivals, etc.

Tabernacle

Portable sanctuary carried by Israel through the wilderness. It contains an outer courtyard, Holy Place, and Most Holy Place and anticipates the later Jerusalem Temple.

Sacrifice

A ritual gift to a deity to procure divine favor, often involving food/animals. Sacrifice can also be understood as ritualized food preparation and communion between divine and human realms.

Ritual Impurity

Temporary condition making someone unfit to enter sacred space or eat sacred food. Causes include childbirth, bodily discharges, certain diseases, and contact with corpses. It is not automatically sinful.

Moral impurity

Pollution caused by deliberate serious wrongdoing such as bloodshed, idolatry, and prohibited sexual acts. Unlike ritual impurity, it is connected to sin.

Order/disorder

Important priestly idea: boundaries between holy/common and pure/impure preserve proper divine and social order. Violation of these distinctions threatens the sanctuary and YHWH’s presence.

Joshua

Moses’ successor and leader of Israel’s entrance into Canaan. Joshua is portrayed like a new Moses and as a prophet/leader whose success depends on obedience to Torah.

Conquest

Taking a people or territory by military force. Joshua presents Israel’s settlement of the land through divinely supported warfare.

Canaan

The land Israel enters and attempts to possess in Joshua; inhabited by peoples whom Israel encounters in conquest narratives.

Colonialism

Exercise of political, economic, and cultural power by a stronger people over a weaker people. Settler colonialism involves permanent settlement at the expense of indigenous populations.

Herem

Something “devoted to destruction” for a deity. Joshua uses the term for people, cities, and objects placed under divinely sanctioned destruction. Similar concepts occur outside Israel in ANE warfare.

ANE Warfare

Ancient Near Eastern battle descriptions often use hyperbolic/totalizing rhetoric such as “destroyed everyone” or “left no survivors.” Joshua itself later acknowledges that substantial land remained unconquered, which complicates a completely literal reading of total destruction.

Archaeology

Material evidence used to compare biblical accounts with ancient history. The lectures emphasize that biblical narratives do not always match the archaeological record and therefore should not be treated as modern objective history.

Judges

Book covering the period after Joshua and before monarchy. Its “judges” are mainly tribal/military deliverers, not modern courtroom judges. The book depicts a downward spiral of religious, moral, and political corruption.

Deborah

Female judge/prophetic figure associated with Barak in Judges 4–5.

Jael

Woman in the Deborah/Barak narrative who kills the enemy commander Sisera and plays a decisive role in Israel’s victory.

Ashtray

Associated with non-Yahwistic worship in the lectures; worship connected with Asherah/Asherahs represents the type of religious practice criticized by the Deuteronomistic perspective.

Nevi’im

“Prophets,” the second major section of the Hebrew Bible/Tanakh. It includes Former Prophets and Latter Prophets.

Former prophets

Joshua, Judges, 1–2 Samuel, 1–2 Kings. These are narrative books in the Jewish canon. They are essentially coextensive with DtrH except that Noth’s DtrH also begins with Deuteronomy.

Prophet

A person who speaks on behalf of a deity. Samuel, for example, speaks YHWH’s message to kings and can function as a “king maker” and “king breaker.”

Prophecy

Communication of a divine message through a prophet, including judgment, guidance, warning, or announcement concerning kings/nations.

Prophetic book

Not separately defined in these lectures. Important distinction: the Former Prophets are largely narrative, even though prophets appear prominently in them.

DtrH/Deuteronomistic History

Scholarly theory associated with Martin Noth (1943). Noth argued Deuteronomy–2 Kings formed one major literary history compiled after the 586 BCE exile to explain the catastrophe as the result of Israel/Judah’s covenant disobedience.

Primary History

Continuous narrative from Genesis through 2 Kings, beginning with creation and ending with exile. It is larger than DtrH.

Monarchy

Government by a king. Samuel presents its establishment with some ambivalence: Israel demands a king, but kingship becomes crucial to Israel’s political and theological story.

Kingship

In the ANE, the dominant form of government. Kings exercised sovereignty and were understood as essential for maintaining divine and social order.

Sacral Kingship

Idea that kingship is inherently sacred: the king mediates between divine and human realms and serves as the gods’ representative on earth.

Warrior

One major role of a king. The king leads armies and protects society from external threats/chaos. Warfare was often understood as performed on behalf of the deity.

Lion Hunting

ANE royal imagery associated with kings conquering dangerous/chaotic forces. It symbolizes the ruler’s strength and ability to establish order.

Son of God

Royal ideology describing the king’s special relationship with the deity. It does not necessarily mean physical/divine parentage; it communicates divine adoption, favor, and authorization of the king.

Saul

Israel’s first king. Chosen initially but ultimately rejected by YHWH; his decline occurs alongside David’s rise.

David

Israel’s chosen king and founder of the dynasty favored in Samuel/DtrH. He captures Jerusalem and makes it the capital. Although idealized as king, his story also contains serious abuses of royal power.

2 Samuel 7

YHWH’s covenant/promises to David: David’s dynasty will continue, his descendant will rule after him, and the future temple is connected with David’s line. Essential for Davidic kingship.

Jerusalem

Captured and made the capital by David. Becomes the chosen location of the Temple and, within DtrH, the divinely elected central cult site.

1-2 Samuel

Narrates Samuel, Saul, David, and especially the origins of monarchy. Major purpose: support the legitimacy of David and his dynasty.

United monarchy

Period when Israel is portrayed as one kingdom, especially under David and Solomon, before splitting into northern Israel and southern Judah.

Solomon

David’s successor; famed for wisdom, prosperity, international power, and building the Jerusalem Temple. His later worship of other gods contributes to the kingdom’s division.

Temple

Permanent sanctuary of YHWH in Jerusalem built by Solomon. It replaces the portable tabernacle as the primary cult center.

Philistines

Group settled along Canaan’s southern coastal region; major enemies of Israel in Samuel. Goliath is the most famous Philistine opponent.

1-2 Kings

Narrates Solomon, division of the kingdom, northern and southern kings, Elijah/Elisha, and eventual destruction/exile of both kingdoms. Its major message is that royal infidelity contributes to national downfall.

Northern Kingdom

Israel. Separates from Judah after Solomon. Its royal line begins with Jeroboam.

Southern Kingdom

Judah. Contains Jerusalem, the Temple, and Davidic dynasty. (Favored kingdom)

Jeroboam

First major king of the northern line after the split. Establishes rival cult sites at Dan and Bethel, making him extremely negative from the DtrH perspective.

Elijah

Yahwistic prophet active during the monarchy who challenges kings and rival worship.

Elisha

Prophet who succeeds Elijah; another important prophetic figure within Kings.

722 BCE

Fall of the Northern Kingdom/Israel to Assyria.

Assyria

Empire responsible for conquest/exile of the Northern Kingdom.

586 BCE

Fall of Judah/Jerusalem to Babylon, destruction connected with the Babylonian exile. This catastrophe is central to understanding DtrH.

Babylon

Empire responsible for destruction of Jerusalem and exile of Judah in 586 BCE.