The close relationship between the “watcher traditions” of Jubilees 5:1–12 and 1 Enoch 6–11 on the one hand and the sons of God narrative of Genesis 6:1–4 on the other is well documented. Early in the modern study of Jubilees, Charles observed the affinity of the watchers’ punishment in Jubilees 5 with that in 1 … Read more
The stone tablets given to Moses on Mount Sinai were emblematic of the covenant relationship between YHWH and the Israelites. As such, they were placed within the ark of the covenant, which resided within the inner sanctum of the sanctuary. An alternative view of the tablets has gained particular prominence in recent years, which contests … Read more
Despite the theological consensus that the narrative and legal texts of the Book of Exodus deify chosen individuals, this paper demystifies their supposed deification. Discoveries in biblical theology, the ancient Near East, and the history of biblical interpretation warrant serious theological reconsideration of the divine status ascribed to humans in Exodus. This paper presents a … Read more
Deuteronomy 23:3 states, “No Ammonite or Moabite may enter the assembly of the LORD. Even to the tenth generation, none of them may enter the assembly of the LORD forever.” This paper will explore how this law was understood and applied at various times in Israel’s history. A key moment where this law influenced Israel’s … Read more
The central thrust of this paper is that the biographies of the patriarchs in Genesis 12-50 establish a typological template for Israel’s national history from the exodus to the eschaton. Already in Talmudic times, rabbinical commentators coined the phrase, “Whatever happened to the ancestors is a sign to the descendants.” Several modern scholars have also … Read more
Theological interpreters frequently retrieve the multiple senses of biblical texts. However, beyond the Reformation’s ambiguous stance on allegory, another crucial aspect of its exegetical heritage remains underexplored: the distinction between history and doctrine. For John Calvin, who applied this distinction in his Mosaic Harmony, his exegesis of narratives allows for engagement with the central figures, … Read more
One of the most perplexing aspects of the golden calf narrative in Exodus is the capital punishment enacted by Moses and the Levites in the Israelite camp (32:25–29). It confounds because previously Yhwh appears to tell Moses that Yhwh will not kill the Israelites because of the calf (vv. 9–14). How might these passages cohere? … Read more
Debate continues over the identity of the blasphemous son in Leviticus 24:10–23. Notable scholars Jacob Milgrom and Bryan Bibb (and some noteworthy evangelicals) identify the son as a foreigner, and thus advance that Leviticus 24:10–23 functionally establishes that non-Israelites also must act holy. Other scholars Simeon Chavel and M.C. Westcott consider the son to be … Read more
The present discussion advances the following thesis: exegetes through the centuries have recognized that Genesis functions as the narrative prologue to the Mosaic covenant, yet commentators and translators often look only to usage within the covenant materials of Exodus through Deuteronomy in order to define the technical use of key terms such as כפר. This … Read more
The description of Ham as Noah’s “youngest son” (בנו הקטן) in Gen 9:24 has long puzzled readers, since he appears to be depicted as the middle son in 9:18 (i.e., “Shem, Ham, and Japheth”). Discussions surrounding this verse often have centered around source- and redaction-critical issues, with interpreters arguing that this phrase is a vestige … Read more