Benjamin and the Anonymous Ten Tribes of Israel: A Holistic Approach to Tribal Confusions

This article weighs in on new debates about the affiliation of the tribe of Benjamin between Israel and Judah in the early monarchy. It points to two underappreciated aspects of the Hebrew Bible’s account of tribal realities in the books of Kings: the anonymity of the ten tribes attributed to Israel...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Vetus Testamentum
Main Author: Tobolowsky, Andrew 1985- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Brill 2023
In: Vetus Testamentum
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Jeroboam I Israel, King 926 BC-907 BC / Rehabeam, Juda, König / Benjamin, Biblical person / Tribes of Israel / Bible. Könige 1. 11-12
IxTheo Classification:HD Early Judaism
HH Archaeology
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Description
Summary:This article weighs in on new debates about the affiliation of the tribe of Benjamin between Israel and Judah in the early monarchy. It points to two underappreciated aspects of the Hebrew Bible’s account of tribal realities in the books of Kings: the anonymity of the ten tribes attributed to Israel in 1 Kgs 11–12, and how unusual the absence of a complete and detailed account of tribal arrangements in Kings is in the context of a Primary History as a whole. It argues that both of these realities reflect a deliberate effort to obscure Benjamin’s northern origins and that, in fact, it is impossible to come up with a plausible list of ten Israelite tribes without Benjamin.
ISSN:1568-5330
Contains:Enthalten in: Vetus Testamentum
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1163/15685330-bja10104