The Gibeonite Deception: Reflections on the Interplay between Law and Narrative in Josh 9
The paper relates the redaction history of Josh 9 to the development of legal concepts in Deuteronomy and beyond. It shows that the earliest version of the text provided an impartial portrayal of a peace treaty between Gibeon and Israel, which prepared for the events recounted in Josh 10. After the...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic/Print Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
[2017]
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| In: |
Scandinavian journal of the Old Testament
Year: 2017, Volume: 31, Issue: 2, Pages: 254-274 |
| IxTheo Classification: | HB Old Testament |
| Further subjects: | B
law and narrative
B Covenant B Bible. Josua 9 B Herem B Josh 9 B Gibeonites |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (doi) |
| Summary: | The paper relates the redaction history of Josh 9 to the development of legal concepts in Deuteronomy and beyond. It shows that the earliest version of the text provided an impartial portrayal of a peace treaty between Gibeon and Israel, which prepared for the events recounted in Josh 10. After the emergence of the law of ḥērem (Deut 20,15-18), this original version of Josh 9 implied an open contradiction to Deuteronomy’s warfare legislation. As a result, a first Deuteronomistic editor (D 1) introduced the idea that the Gibeonites had tricked the Israelites into making a covenant and thus saved their lives with deceit. At this stage of the literary development, the prohibition of making a covenant with the inhabitants of the land (e.g. Deut 7,2) was not in view yet. Compared to the ḥērem, the respective prohibition represents a later stage in the development of the legal material (perhaps triggered by the D 1 version of Josh 9). It is only reflected in a second Deuteronomistic layer (D 2) of the chapter, which should afterwards receive one more major editorial reworking by a priestly hand. |
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| ISSN: | 0901-8328 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Scandinavian journal of the Old Testament
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1080/09018328.2017.1333766 |