The toledot of Adam (Gen 5:1–6:8) records Adam/humanity’s creation (5:1-3), a genealogy of the antediluvian patriarchs (5:4-32), and a single narrative (Gen 6:1-8) that focuses on the “sons of God.” This paper will argue that the inclusion of the “sons of God” pericope in the toledot of Adam (Gen 5:1), the emphasis of Adam being … Read more
Genesis 4:20–22 records the genealogy of Lamech’s three entrepreneurial sons. Like their forefather Cain, who founded the first city, Jabal, Jubal, and Tubal-Cain are inventors. Their innovations in the areas of agriculture, music, and metallurgy mark significant accomplishments for human culture. The text conditions the theological significance of Lamech’s industrious progeny by presenting their accomplishments … Read more
In the ancient world, people generally believed that those who died went to the “abode of the dead.” In the HB/OT, the most common term for this abode is “sheol” (שְׁאֹל). Although there is no description of it in the HB/OT, some passages seem to describe it as a vast, subdivided burial chamber (e.g., Ezek … Read more
The book of Malachi focuses a great amount of attention on the problem of the priesthood. As the book makes clear, the priests of Malachi’s day had failed miserably in their duties towards the LORD and towards their people. As a result, Israel’s priests failed to secure God’s favor on behalf of the nation; on … Read more
2 Samuel 11:1-5 provides an account of David’s sexual encounter with Bathsheba. The text records that the event occurred during the war, but David remained at his Jerusalem home. One evening, David sees Bathsheba from his balcony, asks about her identity, and discovers that she is Uriah’s wife. He has her brought to him and … Read more
The book of Exodus is the wellspring of many of the dominant themes of the Bible. Central among these is the construction of the Tabernacle as the place in which Yahweh would dwell with His people, giving the ultimate testimony to His personal relationship with this people. This paper works on the assumption that it … Read more
Ezekiel 28 is part of a series of oracles against the Phoenician kingdom of Tyre and its ruler, sometimes referred to as his Tyre cycle. Verses 11-19 constitute a dirge which has been widely considered challenging to interpret via the popular avenues of textual criticism, literary comparison, or later Christian theology. I suggest that a … Read more
After having received the two tablets of the covenant on Mt. Sinai, Moses was descending the mountain with them in his hand when he saw the golden calf and the people of Israel dancing around it. Exodus 32:19 states that his “anger burned hot, and he threw the tablets from his hands and broke them … Read more
The discipline of Old Testament textual criticism is foundational to biblical studies. To quote a famous book title, “Is There a Meaning in the Text?” presupposes a text to study and interpret. For western Bible scholars and Christians, that text is almost always the Masoretic Text. Despite this reliance on the Masoretic Text, there is … Read more
When Bible readers come to the book of Joshua in the Old Testament they find Israel’s newest military leader, Joshua, the son of Nun, is set to replace the greatest prophet in Israel’s history, Moses. He is to lead the battered and weak wilderness-wandering Israelites triumphantly against the Canaanites within the land promised to their … Read more