“If Christ is Preached as Raised from the Dead …”, 2025
This contribution addresses the “earthly” character of most of the blessings and curses in the He... more This contribution addresses the “earthly” character of most of the blessings and curses in the Hebrew Bible, in contrast to the belief that God’s blessings can be enjoyed in the life hereafter. The author substantiates his point with analyses of the concept of the lengthening of one’s days in the Hebrew Bible and in Phoenician, Aramaic, and Ugaritic texts.
This contribution concerns the background of a notable individual mentioned in the Hebrew Bible: ... more This contribution concerns the background of a notable individual mentioned in the Hebrew Bible: עֶבֶד מֶלֶךְ הַכּוּשִׁי, “Ebed-melech, the Kushite.” The book of Jeremiah describes in positive terms the role he played in Jerusalem briefly before the city fell into the hands of the Babylonians (587 or 586 BCE): Ebed-melech stood up for Jeremiah in front of King Zedekiah and saved this prophet from an imminent death (Jer 38:7–13). It is even told that he received a personal oracle of salvation from God himself (Jer 39:15–18).
In the preserved fragments of a famous Torah scroll from the seventh or eighth century CE no orth... more In the preserved fragments of a famous Torah scroll from the seventh or eighth century CE no orthographic differences occur with the text of the more recent Aleppo Codex, while there are orthographic differences with the other ancient Bible codices. The relationship between the scroll and the Aleppo Codex is looser as far as the division into sections is concerned, but the tradition according to which five specific lines must be written above Exodus 15:1–19 has this very scroll as its source.
The Dead Sea Scrolls are fragments of the oldest Hebrew Bible text, while the Aleppo Codex and th... more The Dead Sea Scrolls are fragments of the oldest Hebrew Bible text, while the Aleppo Codex and the Leningrad Codex are the oldest complete versions, written by the Masoretes in the 10th and 11th centuries, respectively. The Ashkar-Gilson Manuscript falls in between the early scrolls and the later codices. This article discusses the role the Ashkar-Gilson Manuscipt had in bridging the gap between the Dead Sea Scrolls and the later Aleppo Codex and Leningrad Codex.
This article addresses introductory issues concerning the origin, function, and relevance of the ... more This article addresses introductory issues concerning the origin, function, and relevance of the Masoretic accentuation. Initially, the accents were added neither to indicate the stressed syllable of words, nor the syntactical aspects of the text, nor to represent melodies. From their first occurrence, the recitative function of the accents was their true raison d’être. It is obvious that the musical (i.e. melodic) function was not a major concern for the Masoretes. The comprehensive Tiberian system of accentuation includes a subsystem for the Three Books (Psalms, Job 3:2–42:6, Proverbs) and another one for the Twenty-one Books (rest of the Hebrew Bible). The more equivocal and less adequate accentuation system of the Three Books is the oldest. The system of the Twenty-one Books is more transparent and adequate. It can be considered as the final product of an extended process.
According to their descriptions in the Hebrew Bible, the Urim and Thummim had a physical identity... more According to their descriptions in the Hebrew Bible, the Urim and Thummim had a physical identity. They are described as objects that played a crucial role in a legitimate oracular procedure that aimed at determining the will of God. The objects were entrusted to the high priest, who carried them in a square pouch. The high priest cast (or drew?) the Urim and Thummim at least once when the king or another important figure wanted to know the will of God. Unfortunately, a positive identification is impossible due to the paucity of the evidence. In view of the extra-biblical material, part of which came to light only recently, it seems legitimate to conceive the Urim and the Thummim as differently shaped lots, either two different objects, or two sets of different objects.
For this and other lexicographical articles, see https://sahd-online.com/
Present-day readers, including Jews and Christians, tend to be shocked by the account of the purp... more Present-day readers, including Jews and Christians, tend to be shocked by the account of the purposeful execution of seven descendants of Saul in 2 Samuel 21:1–14. Traditionally, the narrative was presumed to justify David’s decision to have them killed. Nowadays, the story is often read with suspicion. Does the homicide really serve a purpose, and is the way in which it is justified convincing? The elimination of Saul’s relatives may have served David well. A new analysis of three non-biblical texts from the ancient Near East demonstrates that the plot of the biblical episode largely fits a known conceptual pattern. This pattern indicates what a responsible king must do in times of misery. The comparison shows that some critical readings of 2 Samuel 21:1–14 lack a solid basis, while others have a point. Despite the elements that do not make sense to twenty-first-century readers, both the biblical and the non-biblical texts appear to exhibit positive aspects of ancient religious thinking.
For a long time, Qoh. 2:26 was regarded as a crux interpretum. First it was seen an addition by a... more For a long time, Qoh. 2:26 was regarded as a crux interpretum. First it was seen an addition by a pious redactor and later the words טוב “good” and חוטא “sinner” were supposed to have a non-moral sense. However, these interpretations are inconvincing. A related passage in the Babylonian composition Ludlul Bēl Nēmeqi suggests that in Qoh. 2:26 God’s assessment of human behaviour is supposed to differ from the assessment by humans themselves. God may see as wrong what humans regard as right and vice versa. In the Ugaritic legend of Aqhat, the goddess ʽAnat regards the rebellion of the prince Aqhat as sinful, although his conduct is beyond reproach. She reacts impulsively and kills him. Although this parallel casts some light on the interpretation of Qoh. 2:26, the idea that God’s judgment is arbitrary does not suit the theology of Qohelet. Qohelet cannot embrace God’s rule, but he cannot reject it either.
This article discusses some of the few reconstructions of Ugaritic texts in KTU2 that were not re... more This article discusses some of the few reconstructions of Ugaritic texts in KTU2 that were not repeated in KTU3. Some illuminating examples of the withdrawal of older reconstructions and the introduction of new ones are described, with the aim of showing when the inclusion of textual reconstruction in a text edition can be justifiable and when not. It is demonstrated that a text edition should not include hypothetical reconstructions in the main text. Footnotes are a better means to show which reconstructions have been proposed. They can also be used to specify which interpretations of damaged letters are possible.
Semantics of Ancient Hebrew Database 2021 –
The interpretation of Hebrew פֶּלֶךְ as a spindle is... more Semantics of Ancient Hebrew Database 2021 –
The interpretation of Hebrew פֶּלֶךְ as a spindle is beyond doubt in Proverbs 31:19. In 2 Samuel 3:29, the interpretation of פֶּלֶךְ as a spindle is also the most convincing option. This interpretation is confirmed by most of the ancient translations and the cognates in other Semitic languages. The interpretation as a walking stick (see Septuagint) lacks a lexicographical basis. For this and other lexicographical articles, see https://sahd-online.com/
Semantics of Ancient Hebrew Database 2021 –
In Biblical Hebrew, the verb טוה means ‘to spin’. It... more Semantics of Ancient Hebrew Database 2021 –
In Biblical Hebrew, the verb טוה means ‘to spin’. It designates the production of threads from fibres, especially wool and flax, but apparently also the plying together of two or more thin threads to form a stronger yarn. These activities were usually carried out by women with a ‘spindle’. For this and other lexicographical articles, see https://sahd-online.com/
Semantics of Ancient Hebrew Database, 2017 -
The Hebrew word מחרשׁה/מחרשׁת occurs three times ... more Semantics of Ancient Hebrew Database, 2017 -
The Hebrew word מחרשׁה/מחרשׁת occurs three times in 1 Samuel 13:20-21. Especially the twofold occurrence in the same list of agricultural implements in 13:20 raises questions. The word has cognates in other Semitic languages and occurs also in the Mishnah. Apparently, however, part of the earliest translators were confused about its meaning. One of the occurrences refers to a traditional scratch plough or to its metal plough-point. The other occurrence may represent a hoe, a mattock, an adze, or another agricultural implement. For this and other lexicographical articles, see https://sahd-online.com/
In the Hebrew Bible we find the self-imprecation “So may God do to me and more also!” (2 Sam 3,35... more In the Hebrew Bible we find the self-imprecation “So may God do to me and more also!” (2 Sam 3,35, 1 Kgs 2,23, etc.). In many cases, the phrase is immediately conditioned: “So may God do to me and more also, if you will not be the commander of the army” (2 Sam 19,14). God may punish the speaker, if the latter fails his promise. Ancient Mesopotamian sources suggest that the word “So” in the Hebrew expression originally referred to a gesture in use when taking an oath: the touching of the throat. The biblical passages where the expression occurs do not display any resistance to the use of the formula as such, even though it was often pronounced inconsiderately. However, the textual alteration in 1 Sam 25,22 shows that there was opposition to the idea that the pious king David failed a promise that he had reinforced using the self-imprecatory phrase.
This well-known phrase consciously interprets the defeat of the Armada (1588) as a mighty act of ... more This well-known phrase consciously interprets the defeat of the Armada (1588) as a mighty act of God. The phrase has a biblical background, but there are also parallels in other literature from the ancient Near East, for instance in the Hittite annals of Mursili II.
This well-known phrase consciously interprets the defeat of the Armada (1588) as a mighty act of ... more This well-known phrase consciously interprets the defeat of the Armada (1588) as a mighty act of God. The phrase has a biblical background, but there are also parallels in other literature from the ancient Near East, for instance in the Hittite annals of Mursili II.
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For this and other lexicographical articles, see https://sahd-online.com/
The interpretation of Hebrew פֶּלֶךְ as a spindle is beyond doubt in Proverbs 31:19. In 2 Samuel 3:29, the interpretation of פֶּלֶךְ as a spindle is also the most convincing option. This interpretation is confirmed by most of the ancient translations and the cognates in other Semitic languages. The interpretation as a walking stick (see Septuagint) lacks a lexicographical basis. For this and other lexicographical articles, see https://sahd-online.com/
In Biblical Hebrew, the verb טוה means ‘to spin’. It designates the production of threads from fibres, especially wool and flax, but apparently also the plying together of two or more thin threads to form a stronger yarn. These activities were usually carried out by women with a ‘spindle’. For this and other lexicographical articles, see https://sahd-online.com/
The Hebrew word מחרשׁה/מחרשׁת occurs three times in 1 Samuel 13:20-21. Especially the twofold occurrence in the same list of agricultural implements in 13:20 raises questions. The word has cognates in other Semitic languages and occurs also in the Mishnah. Apparently, however, part of the earliest translators were confused about its meaning. One of the occurrences refers to a traditional scratch plough or to its metal plough-point. The other occurrence may represent a hoe, a mattock, an adze, or another agricultural implement. For this and other lexicographical articles, see https://sahd-online.com/