Joshua 6-8: Keeping a healthy relationship with God

Joshua 6-8: Keeping a healthy relationship with God

Joshua 6: Jericho Taken and Destroyed
Joshua 7: The Sin of Achan and Its Punishment
Joshua 8: Ai Captured by a Stratagem and Destroyed / Joshua Renews the Covenant

It would be a good idea to listen to what the Lord has said. Also, sit turns out Moses is the perfect role model for anyone who wishes to be a charismatic leader among the Israelites. After all, there was no one like him before and there will be no one like him after.

Jericho Taken and Destroyed: Joshua 6
The good news: the Israelites have holed the residents of Jericho within the fortified city. The bad news: the residents of Jericho are all behind an impenetrable wall. Fortunately, the Lord has handed Jericho over to the Israelites - and they will win it in a unique way. The Lord tells Joshya that the warriors should march the perimeter of the city once a day for six days, accompanied by priests bearing the ark and seven trumpets made of rams' horns. On the seventh day the priests will blast the horns and all the people will shout, causing the walls of the city to come down so that the people can attack.

The Israelites do this, and on the seventh day take all of the inhabitants of the city except for Rahab, who helped out the Israelite spies in Joshua 2. Before the trumpets are blown, however, Joshua commands the people to not take anything that shall go into the treasury of the Lord: silver, gold, and vessels of bronze and iron.

The people take the city, killing every living thing: "men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys. And of course, Rahab is spared by the very spies that she saved. The Israelites then burn the city, completely removing any trace of it. Joshua recites a short oath/poem cursing anyone who tries to rebuild the city.

The chapter ends on a high note: "So the Lord was with Joshua; and his fame was in all the land" (Josh. 6.27).

The Sin of Achan and Its Punishment Joshua 7
This first sentence of this chapter starts us off on a low note, in direct contrast to the last line of the previous chapter. The Israelites - all the Israelites - are said to have broken faith with the Lord in regard to devoted things. This breaking of faith can be traced back to one individual: Achan son of Carmi son of Zabdi son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah. He took some of the devoted things, and Israel suffers the anger of the Lord because of it. This information is privy to the reader only - and sets up a dramatic irony with the story that follows.

Joshua sends men to spy out the land of Ai. The men return with a report that Israel will need only two or three thousand to conquer the land. Three thousand men go, and are routed. Thirty-six Israelites are killed as they flee from the men of Ai. Now the Israelites' hearts melt and turn to water.

Joshua exhibits the traditional signs of mourning: he tears his clothes and falls on his face to the ground. He and the elders put dust on their heads. Then Joshua laments in a manner very similar to the Israelites as they complained in the wilderness:

Ah! Lord God! Why have you brought this people across the Jordan at all, to hand us over to the Amorites so as to destroy us? Would that we had been content to settle beyond the Jordan! O Lord, what can I say, now that Israel has turned their backs to their enemies! The Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it, and surround us, and cut off our name from the earth. Then what will you do for your great name?"
(Josh. 7-9)

...Joshua's a bit of a worrier, eh? He has lost 36 men in a battle that he should have won, but his thoughts turn to the utter destruction of the Israelites. His fear, in fact, is directed at God. Rather than wondering whether Israel has done any wrong, Joshua assumes God is inadequate in protecting his people - just as the generation in the wilderness assumed God was inadequate in providing for them.

The Lord command Joshua to stand up and informs him that Israel was defeated in battle because they have "transgressed my covenant that I imposed on them" by taking the things that were to be devoted to the Lord. This causes the Israelites to have great fear before their enemies. The Lord warns "I will be with you no more, unless you destroy the devoted things from among you." The Lord then instructs Joshua on how to rectify the situation. The people are to sanctify themselves and come forward tribe by tribe. The Lord will choose a tribe, and from that tribe a clan, and from that clan a household, and from that household an individual. That individual is to be burned with all his possessions for transgressing the covenant of the Lord.

Sure enough, the next day Achan son of Carmi (household) son of Zabdi (family) son of Zerah (clan) is chosen from among the people. Joshua admits his transgression, and reveals that he has buried in his tent a beautiful mantle, two hundred shekels of silver, and a fifty-shekel bar of gold. Joshua sends messengers to the tent to verify. When this is found to be true, Achan is stoned to death - perhaps along with his family; the bible is not specific. Achan is to bring out all his possessions, livestock, and family, and "all Israel stoned him to death; they burned them with fire, cast stones on them, and raised over him a great heap of stones that remains to this day. So who was it?

In any case, the stoning and burning is enough that the Lord turns away from his burning anger.

Ai Captured by a Stratagem and Destroyed: Joshua 8.1-29
The Israelites take Ai by a clever stratagem - but only after being told by the Lord that the city has been delivered into their hands. Israel breaks itself into groups: one croup (30,000 men in one tradition and 5,000 in another) waits in ambush to the west of Ai, while the other men along with Joshua remain in the valley to the north. The king of Ai attacks the group to the north, and when the Israelites make like they are being beaten and flee, the residents of Ai pour out of the city to pursue them. The Israelites that were waiting in ambush attack and burn the city while the men of Ai are fighting. Soon the men of Ai are surrounded by Israelites, and every one of them is killed, except for the king. The entire population of Ai - 12,000 people - dies that day. The king is hung on a tree and buried under a great heap of stones at the gates of the city.

Joshua Renews the Covenant: Joshua 8.30-35
Joshua builds on Mount Ebal the "altar of unhewn stones, on which no iron tool has been used" as the Lord had commanded Moses to write in the book of the law. Joshua is further connected with Moses in his next action: Joshua writes on stones a copy of the law of Moses. The people of Israel then stand in two formations between Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal, and the ark passes before them, carried by the priests, "as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded at the first, that they should bless the people of Israel.

Afterwards Joshua reads the book of the law to the entire congregation, which has been perfectly copied from Moses' commands. This too reveals the striking parallels between Joshua as leader and Moses as leader.

One exception though: whereas Moses had a staff (befitting of a shepherd) that was able to guide and perform miracles, Joshua's object of leadership is a sword.

Joshua 4-5: Dissecting scenes

Joshua 4: Twelve Stones Set Up at Gilgal
Joshua 5: The New Generation Circumcised / The Passover at Gilgal / Joshua's Vision

As we read of Israel's crossing the Jordan in yesterday's reading, the parallel with the previous generation's crossing of the Red Sea became apparent. Today the parallel continues, as Israel finds itself on the opposite bank and the water close back in.

Twelve Stones Set Up at Gilgal: Joshua 4
When the entire nation completes its crossing, the Lord commands Joshua to select 12 men, one from each tribe, and command them to each take a stone from the middle of the Jordan where the priests' feet stood, and lay them down in the camp. Joshua commands this, telling the men the reason for the action is as a remembrance for future generations of when the Lord cut off the waters. The stones will serve as a memorial. In an interesting twist, the language seems to indicate that the fetching of the rocks happens as the stream is crossed, not after. More on this later.

A strange (and seemingly contradictory) etiological note then informs the reader that Joshua set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan, where the priests stood. There seems here to be a mixing of traditions: one in which the stones are in the river and another in which they are in the camp. The two tales probably appear right next to each other because to the biblical author they represent a very similar idea within the same story - much as the Noah narrative mixes contradictory narratives to form a cohesive whole.

We then take a step back in time to again watch the people cross the Jordan "in haste." [Chronology and location within this passage are sketchy - likely the author is combining multiple traditions.] The priests, bearing the ark, are then said to have "crossed over in front of the people," which would be a pretty difficult taken literally. However, the biblical author takes a view of biblical narrative that all accounts are equally valid. Therefore there is nothing wrong with a mixing of traditions. In fact, it shows that multiple sources (each considered true) are backing the author up!

The account then shifts again to a militaristic crossing: "About forty thousand armed for war crossed over before the Lord to the plains of Jericho for battle" (Josh. 4.13).

A brief insertion then informs us that that same day the Lord exalts Joshua and the people stand in awe of him, as they stood in awe of Moses.

Once Israel has crossed (finally) the priests journey out with the ark, and when they touch dry ground the water resumes its normal flow.

The people crossed the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and camp in Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho.

We are left with a second reminder of the meaning of the twelve stones:

"For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you crossed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up for us until we crossed over."
(Josh. 4.23)

Have we heard this anywhere before? Maybe in the words of Rahab in Joshua 2?

"For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt."
(Josh. 1.10)

This clever device is known as "dialogue-bound" narration - akin to envelope structure (AKA pastrami sandwich structure). The narrative is bound by dialogue that expresses the same idea on either side. The narrative is clearly demarcated by the recalled Red Sea crossing. The fact that the author chooses this event to mark off the narrative indicates that the author understands the similarity and helps to tie the two evens together - both as miraculous acts of God delivering his people from a hostile land. Indeed, the people are delivered,

"So that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, and so that you may fear the Lord your God forever.
(Josh. 4.24)

The New Generation Circumcised: Joshua 5.1-9
It turns out boundary for the dialogue-bound narration is further explicated:

When all the kings of the Amorites beyond the Jordan to the west, and all the kings of the Canaanites by the sea, heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of the Jordan for the Israelites until they had crossed over, their hearts melted, and there was no longer any spirit in them, because of the Israelites.
(Josh. 5.1).

Rahab had something to say about this in Joshua 2:

"As soon as we heard [of the crossing the Red Sea and the Israelites' might in battle], our hearts melted, and there was no courage left in any of us because of you."

My, that all ties up nicely, wouldn't you say?

In any case, the new generation must be circumcised, because the practice was put on hold in the wilderness. Joshua circumcises all the men, and they remain in camp until they are healed. This etiological story explains the naming of Gibeath-haaraloth, literally meaning "foreskin hill." It also explains the naming of Gilgal, a word related to "roll," because that is where the Lord tells Joshua, "Today I have rolled away from you the disgrace of Egypt."

The Passover at Gilgal: Joshua 5.10-12
The Israelites hold the passover in the plains of Jericho. After that day, the manna ceases to fall, and the Israelites officially begin to eat the produce of the land.

Joshua's Vision: Joshua 5.13-15
One day Joshua is by Jericho when he sees a man with a drawn sword in hand. Joshua asks, "Are you one of us, or one of our adversaries?" The man replies, "Neither; but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come."

Joshua falls to his face and worships, asking the man what he commands. The commander responds, "Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you stand is holy."

The sandal removal scene is a type scene intended to show the similarities between Moses and Joshua. Just as Moses led Israel across the Red Sea, so Joshua led Israel across the Jordan. Just as Moses removes his sandals when he encounters the burning bush, so Joshua removes his sandals when he encounters the commander of the Lord's army.

Joshua 2-3: More repetitions, entering the promised land

Joshua 2: Spies Sent to Jericho
Joshua 3: Israel Crosses the Jordan

As noted yesterday, the author of Joshua is fond of repetition, and particularly of invoking the crossing miraculous crossing of the Red Sea. The author of Deuteronomy was fond of invoking Israel's deliverance from Egypt as a way to emphasize God's power and dedication to the people. In the same way, the author of Joshua emphasizes the crossing of thresholds - in this case bodies of water - as a way of emphasizing a transition into a new way of life: that body of water once divided lives of oppression and wandering. Now it divides lives of wandering and settlement, the old covenant outside the promised land and the new one within.

Spies Sent to Jericho: Joshua 2
Joshua sends two spies to scope out the promised land, especially Jericho. They enter the house of a prostitute named Rahab and spend the night there. The scene shifts to the King of Jericho, who is told "Some Israelites have come here tonight to search out the land." What he is not told is where these Israelites are staying - but the biblical author is laconic in speech and the king seems to know that Rahab is harboring the spies. He sends orders for her to "Bring out the men who have come to you, who entered your house, for they have come only to search out the whole land." Rahab responds that the men did come to her, but she doesn't know where they came from and furthermore they left before the city gate was closed at dark. She urges the king's men to pursue the men who came to her house. As soon as the pursuers leave, the city gate is shut, ironically keeping the pursuers outside their town and the pursuers within.

[The bolded terms above? Let's just say that the biblical author makes good use of diction when speaking about a prostitute, especially because "come to" can also be rendered "come into."]

The biblical author then reveals another dramatic irony [a type of irony - not irony that is dramatic] to us: "She had, however, brought them up to the roof and hidden them with the stalks of flax she had laid out on the roof." But why is she helping them? And why is she drying stalks of flax if she is a prostitute?

Rahab tells the Israelites: "I know that the Lord has given you the land, and the dread of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt in fear before you" (Josh. 2.9). The people of the promised land recognize that the Lord is very powerful, drying up the read sea and causing Israel to defeat its enemies: "The Lord you God is indeed God in heaven above and on earth below" (Josh. 2.11). This is a great compliment to the Israelites coming from a "pagan" of the promised land. It justifies Israel's actions and reassures them of their future success.

Rahab then asks that her family be spared when the Israelites attack Jericho. The spies agree, on the condition that Rahab does not tell anyone about them.

Rahab lets the spies down by a rope through the window - apparently her house is located along the outside wall of the city [meaning that this is a fortified city and she is living in what is probably a storeroom]. Rahab advises the spies to flee to the hill country, where the pursuers will not find them. The spies respond with commands that if she does not tie a crimson cord in the window, and does not keep her family in her house, and reveals the mission of the spies, then they will be released from the oath.

The spies spend three days in the hills before returning to Joshua. Unlike the return of the spies under Moses, (of whom only Joshua and Caleb gave a positive report, the spies' report this time is positive:

"Truly the Lord has given all the land into our hands; moreover all the inhabitants of the land melt in fear before us."

Israel Crosses the Jordan: Joshua 3
The Israelites set out early in the morning for the Jordan, where they camp for three days. On the third day the officers go through the camp and command the people that they are to follow the ark of the covenant (carried by the levitical priests) across the Jordan, keeping a distance of 2,000 cubits (3,000 feet). In this symbolic act, the Israelites are literally following the commands of God as they enter the promised land - anticipating the adherence to God's commands that will hopefully typify Israelite religion in the promised land. Joshua commands that the Israelites sanctify themselves in preparation for the crossing the next day.

The Lord then speaks to Joshua, telling him that he will be treated by God as Moses was and that he will be exalted by the people. The Lord tells Joshua to tell the Levitical priests to stand still when they enter the Jordan.

The scene then cuts to Joshua speaking to the Israelites. He informs them there will be a sign of the "living God" that will drive out all of Israel's enemies from the promised land. Twelve men, one from each tribe, is to be selected. When the soles of the feet of the priests touch the water, "The waters of the Jordan flowing from above shall be cut off; they shall stand in a single heap" (Josh. 3.13). This is the sign of the living God.

The cutting off of water invokes the Red Sea crossing, and in fact this is the second mention of the event in two chapters. Israel must pass through certain phases in order to enter the promised land. They must literally cross boundaries with the help of God. Both boundaries in this instance are the same: a body of water from Egypt to the wilderness, a body of water from the wilderness to the promised land. Once that threshold is crossed, Israel becomes more liberated and steps into a different relationship with God.

When the feet of the priests do touch the Jordan, the waters dam themselves and the people are able to cross.

So begins the Israelites' residence in the promised land.

Joshua 1: Repetitions in Joshua

Joshua 1: God's Commission to Joshua / Preparations for the Invasion

It seems the biblical author of Joshua is very fond of repetition. There are a number of ways that repetition can be used as a literary device, different ways each having a different function. Today's reading contains two types of repetition. The first type is a building repetition (or "parallelism") in which a phrase gains new meaning and significance throughout the text to a climax. The second type is what I call pollination repetition, in which different characters pick up a repeated phrase and use it themselves, with the same meaning. The phrase is spread to others - sometimes through means that are not explicated by the author.

God's Commission to Joshua: Joshua 1.1-9
After Moses' death, the Lord speaks to Joshua, telling him to cross the Jordan and enter the promised land. The promised land extends from the wilderness and the Lebanon to the Euphrates, to the Great Sea in the west, all the land of the Hittites. God promises Joshua: "No one shall be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you." Israel is safe from God's wrath for at least for one more generation. God then uses a series of three building repetitions urging Joshua to:

• "Be strong and courageous." There is nothing to fear because God will put the Israelites in possession of the land God promised their ancestors.
• "Only be strong and courageous." Joshua will be successful if he acts in accordance with the law. The book of the law should always be in Joshua's mind to guide his actions. This will make Joshua successful.
• " I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous." Joshua should not be afraid because the Lord is with him wherever he goes.

Preparations for the Invasion Joshua 1.10-18
Joshua commands the officers to pass through the camp, telling the people they will cross the Jordan in three days and enter the land the Lord has given them. He then reminds the Reubenite, Gadite, and Mahassite males of their promise to help conquer the promised land, though they will eventually reside on the other (east) side of the Jordan - which is where their wives, children, and livestock will remain. The men agree to uphold their pledge, curiously using the words of God himself:

All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you.Only may the Lord your God be with you, as he was with Moses! Whoever rebels against your orders and disobeys your words, whatever you command, shall be put to death. Only be strong and courageous."

The emphasized portions denote echoes of God's commands to Joshua at the beginning of the chapter: Obedience is acknowledged (this time Israelite to Joshua, rather than Joshua to God), God's relationship with Joshua is likened to God's relationship with Moses, and the repeated climatic phrase "only be strong and courageous is echoed verbatim.

This echoing technique creates irony because the Israelites have no knowledge of God's conversation with Joshua. But at the same time it validates the ideas; now these ideas have two different sources that agree with each other. To the biblical author, this was an effective technique of backing up a key idea: just have someone else say it in addition to God.

The biblical author does not reveal how the Israelites picked up the phrase "Be strong and courageous." This is a phrase that was uttered to Joshua and not one that Joshua explicitly passed along to the Israelites. However, it makes sense within the story, because it supports the idea the author is trying to make: namely that the Israelites should remain strong and courageous. It would be considered something of a textual lapse by today's standards, but to the laconic biblical author, this might not have been a problem. This is why I call this method of repetition "pollination." We see the source of the idea and we see where it has spread, but how it has spread there (whether through animal or wind or what-have-you) is not revealed.

Tomorrow: Spies in Jericho.

Deuteronomy 34 / Wrap Up: Moses' death / looking back / looking ahead

Deuteronomy 34: Moses Dies and is Buried in the Land of Moab
Deuteronomy Wrap-up

Moses Dies and is Buried in the Land of Moab: Deuteronomy 34
The tale of the central character of four biblical books finally comes to an end in the last chapter of the last book of the Torah.

Moses ascends Mount Nebo, as the Lord commanded. There he finally sees the promised land sworn to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob. Moses then dies, and is buried in Moab, "opposite Beth-peor, but no one knows his burial place to this day" (Deut. 34.6). Though Moses dies at age 120, the biblical author tells us he was still vigorous and had perfect vision - attributes befitting such a storied leader.

The Israelites mourn Moses 30 days, and are then led into the promised land by Joshua, who has been imbued with Moses' "spirit of wisdom."

The biblical author closes with a testament to Moses' greatness and importance.

Never since has there arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face. He was unequaled for all the signs and wonders that the Lord sent him to perform in the land of Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his servants and his entire land, and for all the mighty deeds and all the terrifying displays of power that Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.
(Deut. 34.10-12)

So ends the fifth book of the bible - and the fourth in which Moses was the protagonist. Moses receives the second-longest tale of all the characters of the Hebrew Scriptures. The longest? God. Then again, the entire book is about him.

Deuteronomy Wrap-up

The Story
The bible until this point has been very much concerned with the relationship between God and humankind. It is a strained relationship, and not one of equality. Inequality is in fact the basis for the relationship between God and Israel and gives the story its plot and curious nuances. God is always faithful to his chosen people of the Israelite line. The relationship began with Adam and continued through his son Seth to Noah, and eventually to Abraham. It was the covenant between God and Abraham that established his descendants as God's people. From that point forward, God would be ever-faithful to the covenant, promising land and progeny to the patriarchs.

The covenant changes as Israel prepares to enter the promised land. Here the covenant is not a promise of anything, for the promise of progeny has been fulfilled and the promise of land nearly-so. Now the covenant is based on the behavior of the people. God demands that the people obey him, and if they do, all will be well for them. Whereas the covenant with Abraham required only the action of God, the covenant with the people requires action from both God and his people. And yet God will never break the contract. If the Israelites break the contract by making false idols, God will punish them with the curses listed in the Torah. However, the covenant will always stand. The curses in a very real way define the covenant; their existence proves that the bond between God and his people is unbreakable, no matter how badly the Israelites screw up. God is always willing to again support his people once they begin again to follow his ways.

Fiction and History
The bible so far is a work of historicized fiction. It is a work of fiction that appears to be real with all of the place and character names, dates, and locations. These elements serve to add realism to the story. But in reality, many of these things probably never happened. The story is therefore a fiction that is historicized with realistic elements. Historicized fiction lacks a factual basis - all the facts are made up. However, it would be unfair to call historicized fiction "untrue." While the tales may not have hard facts, they do reveal "truths" about life or "the human condition." In fact, these "truths" may be the most effective way of making a point.

I would argue that some of the greatest historicized fiction written today falls under the genre of science fiction. In this case, the "history" is in fact the future, but the level of creativity the author must employ in creating this fiction is astounding. Names, dates, places must be created in order to set the fiction in time and place - to historicize it. This is exactly what the biblical authors did, albeit it was a number of people over a very long period of time.

The counterpart to historicized fiction is fictionalized history. This is pretty similar to historical fiction but has more of a poetic license in changing and creating names and numbers. Fictionalized history is concerned with actual events, and applies to them fictional people, numbers, names, etc. This method was used by the biblical authors to in effect flesh out the biblical narrative and give it a point of view. Because the authors are concerned with story-telling, the chronicle "X people died at the battle of Y" is expanded upon to yield a richer story. Little if no fictionalized history has cropped up yet, but it will become more and more common as the biblical story moves through the years toward modern day.

My Journey
I started this blog the day after my college graduation - the day I entered to so-called "real world" of living with my parents while searching for a job. It has been a long journey so far - but the majority of the text lies ahead.. I first posted to this blog Sunday, May 23, 2010. 127 posts and 486 page views later, i'm still writing, but much has changed.

Four months later I landed a full-time job as a staff writer in the Provost Office of Stevens Institute of Technology, which means that most of my day is spent writing or otherwise communicating in one way or another, whether it is through text, video, images, or web development. I blog every morning on the train ride into Hoboken and if my eyes do not fail me by the end of the day I try to blog a little more on the way home.

One of my original goals was to present a non-gender specific image of God, which I see now imposes my own view on the bible. In fact, the God of the Hebrew bible is portrayed as male. I adopted the language of the bible, referring to God as "he" in order to better represent the language and ideas of the biblical authors. A number of other changes to style and content have been made. This blog will surely evolve as I write more and learn more about the bible.

This was my first time reading completely through the rules and regulation, and I am sure at times that the tedious nature of some of these passages seeps into my writing. I don't expect everyone to find the bible fascinating. However, if there is something you like or do not like, please let me know in the comments below. I would love to hear what you think of the blog, and am open to suggestions for improvement.

Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoy this blog as it continues to grow.

Deuteronomy 33: Moses' final blessing on Israel

Deuteronomy 32 (part II): Moses' Death Foretold
Deuteronomy 33: Moses' Final Blessing on Israel

Moses' Death Foretold: Deuteronomy 33.48-52
As promised, God allows Moses to see the promised land before he dies. Moses is told to ascend Mount Nebo in Moab to view Canaan. Moses will die there on the mountain. Neither he nor Aaron will enter the promised land because of the incident a Meribath-kadesh, an apparent breach of faith with the Lord.

Moses' Final Blessing on Israel: Deuteronomy 33.1-29-
The blessings are all in verse, and as such exhibit all the classic characteristics of biblical poetry. Note that Simeon does not appear here. There are only ten blessings; Zebulun and Issachar are lumped together.

Introduction
As a literary convention, an invocation calls on a divine being for help in composition. Moses' final blessing begins with something that is not quite an invocation. It presents an image of the Lord first and foremost, but the Lord is not called upon to help the biblical author compose this work.

The Lord is presented coming down from Sinai with "myriads of holy ones...a host of his own" that aid the Israelites in battle. This is how the Lord wins in battle; a heavenly militia that accompanies him and therefore attacks with his chosen people, Israel.

With the codification and revelation of the law, says the verses, the "united tribes of Israel" forms as well.

Then begin the blessings. I paraphrase:

Reuben
The continuance of the tribe, though its members are hew.

Judah
Strengthen his hands, and help him against adversaries.

Levi
The Levites obey the Lord and should be blessed for this. The Lord is called upon to "crush the loins of his adversaries....so that they do not rise again." [It is quite clear that the bible associates genitalia with power.]

Benjamin
The beloved of the Lord is completely wrapped up in God.

Joseph
Blessed and bountiful land is called for. Joseph was the favored child of not only Jacob but God as well, and therefore his section of the poem is longest, while Levi, whose family comprises the servants of the Lord, receives the second-longest section.

Zebulun and Issachar
These tribes live in the mountains, where they offer proper sacrifice. Also, "they suck the affluence of the seas / and the hidden treasures of the sand."

Gad
Gad's tribe will be enlarged. Gad is like a lion, and takes the best portion for himself.

Dan
Dan's blessing is the shortest: "Dan is a Lion's whelp / that leaps forth from Bashan."

Naphtali
Blessed by the Lord, Naphtali possesses the west and south

Asher
The Asherites are well-protected and strong, the favorite of their brothers.

Conclusion
The blessing concludes with an image of YHWH Sabaoth protecting the people, acting as sword and shield to deliver Jacob's descendants to "a land of grain and wine, / where the heavens drop down dew."

Deuteronomy 32: The Song of Moses

Deuteronomy 32: The Song of Moses

Yesterday's reading speaks of a song that the Lord gives to Moses to teach the people. It is a song to remind the Israelites of their broken covenant when they turn away from God. Today we will analyze the song, whose poetic verses comprise most of Deuteronomy 32. I would recommend following the link above to read the song in its entirety. It is a beautiful piece of literature. However, the narrator shifts a few times throughout the song, so when reading it be careful to discern who is saying what.

The Song of Moses: Deuteronomy 32.1-47

You might remember from Deuteronomy 30 that the Lord's new covenant with Israel calls on the heavens and earth as witnesses. These witnesses are invoked in the very first line of the song:

Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak;
let the earth hear the words of my mouth

The heavens and earth comprise the universe; there is nothing that is not a witness to this contract. The witnesses of the covenant are omnipresent in order to ensure that God is eternally in his people's hearts and on their lips.

Next we are to consider God's speech/teaching in four different forms of water droplets: rain, dew, gentle rain, and showers. These are all synonymous in the sense that they come down upon the earth and yield growth.

Next we are presented with the Lord as Rock, a motif that will appear throughout the rest of the poem. The rock is perfect and just and faithful and upright. His "degenerate children," on the other hand, are perverse and crooked, foolish and senseless. This generation of Israelites is rebuked, and asked to remember their creation and protection by the hands of God.

Then comes a primeval image of the Most High (Elyon) apportioning nations and fixing boundaries "according to the number of the gods." The Israelites are kept by God as his own portion. This seems to suggest monolatry - the belief that there is more than one god but worshipping one only. This version of monolatry even suggests a hierarchy, with Elyon as the most high God, capable of assigning other gods to other peoples. From the Israelite point of view (in this verse at least), the Israelites are a protected people of the High God, and are justified in maintaining their convictions in the face of foreign peoples. [God, of course, just wants the Israelites to obey God.]

An eagle simile appears after to convey how God shields and cared for God's people in the wilderness. God protects and cares for the Israelites as an eagle protects its young. The Lord covers, bears, guides Israel, sets the nation "atop the heights of the land" (the location of eagle nests), feeds it, nurses it "with honey form the crags."

The Israelites grow fat, bloated, gorged, and then abandon God. This is a recurrent motif throughout the bible; when the Israelites get full access to food, they stuff themselves, grow complacent, and turn against the Lord. They follow strange gods, sacrifice to demons, forget the Rock that bore them.

The Lord sees this and "hides his face" from his people - meaning he will no longer support them. Just as the Israelites turned to another god, the Lord will support another people temporarily in order to seek revenge on the Israelites a la "eye for an eye."

The anger of the Lord is fiery like a volcano. It burns to the depths of Sheol [a shady place where souls go after death, though not a place where souls are tortured, like Hell) and "sets on fire the foundations of the mountains." The Lord will wage war against the Israelites with arrows, hunger, disease, and deadly animals. Young and old alike will die, their names blotted out.

Israel's enemies will not understand that they are successful because the Lord has given Israel into their hands:

They are a nation void of sense;
there is no understanding in them.
If they were wise, they would understand this;
they would discern what the end would be.
How could one have routed a thousand,
and two put a myriad to flight,
unless their Rock had sold them,
the Lord had given them up?
Indeed their rock is not like our Rock;
our enemies are fools.
(Deut. 32.28-32)

Even when the Lord turns his face from the Israelites, he is still their one and only God. There will always be that connection between them. Other people have other false gods, but YHWH is the one true God that can make armies win and lose as YHWH Sabaoth. And so the Lord will vindicate his people, and their enemies will realize that their gods are naught.

God then declares monotheism:

See now that I, even I, am he;
there is no god beside me.

God kills and makes alive, wounds and heals. God is omnipotent and will take vengeance on those who hate him. Those arrows that were before aimed at the Israelites will now be used against their enemies:

I will make my arrows drunk with blood,
and my sword shall devour flesh.

The people are told to worship God, as are the false "gods" of the foreign people. This is not meant to acknowledge that these gods exist, but rather is a rhetorical device to demonstrate YHWH's power. Even false gods would bow down to YHWH. And God will take vengeance and cleanse the land for his people.

These are the words that Moses recites for the people to remember after they have crossed the Jordan.

Deuteronomy 31: Confronting Moses' death

Deuteronomy 31: Joshua Becomes Moses' Successor / The Law to be Read Every Seventh Year / Moses and Joshua Receive God's Charge

Soon the 120-year-old Moses is to die. Before he does, there is some business to take care of.

Joshua Becomes Moses' Successor: Deuteronomy 31.1-8
Moses, if you recall, has been dictating God's law to Israel for the entire book of Deuteronomy. Here he finishes an old man - not old because he spoke so long, but because he is blessed by the Lord with a long life. Yet because of the iniquity of the people he will not enter the promised land. It is God that will lead the Israelites across the Jordan and God that will ensure the Israelites destroy the people living there, just as God did to Sihon and Og. Moses urges his audience to have no fear, because the Lord is with them and will not forsake them.

Moses the charges Joshua to be strong and bold, because he will lead the people into the Land. [Joshua will take the place of Moses as the mouthpiece of God to th Israelites.] The Lord is with him and will not forsake him.

The Law to be Read Every Seventh Year: Deuteronomy 31.9-13
Moses then writes down the law he dictated to the Israelites. he gives it to the Levites, who carry it to the ark of the covenant and the elders of Israel.

Moses commands that the book of the law should be read every seventh year at the festival of booths, when all of Israel appears before God in the place of consolidated worship.

[The reading of the law every seven years is an attempt to ensure that the commandments are all fresh in the minds of the Israelites, and obeyed. Of course, seven years is a long time...]

Moses and Joshua Receive God's Charge: Deuteronomy 31.14-29
The Lord tells Moses that Moses will soon die, and that Joshua should be brought to the tent of meeting, so that he may be commissioned [as Moses was]. The Lord appears at the tent in a pillar of cloud, the traditional representation of God throughout Israel's journey through the wilderness.

God tells Moses that after his death, the people will begin to fall away from God. They will eat their fill and grow fat and complacent. They will turn to other Gods. In that time, the Lord will turn away from the people. The Lord therefore gives Moses a song to teach the people, that will be passed down through the generations. When the people sing this song, they will remember their broken covenant with the Lord.

The Lord then commissions Joshua son of Nun: "Be strong and bold, for you shall bring the Israelites into the land that I promised them; I will be with you" (Deut. 31.23). This seems to stand in contrast to what God just said, and perhaps God realizes this. A leader can only do so much, after all, in leading the people. The people themselves must want to follow God and there is only so much that God can do to sustain their fidelity.

When Moses finishes the writing of the law, he gives it to the Levites to put beside the ark of the covenant. But you know this already. Why does the bible repeat itself? In this instance it is to clarify something. The first time this story is told the phrasing goes: "Then Moses wrote down this law" (Deut. 31.9). The second time the phrasing goes: "When Moses had finished writing down in a book the words of this law to the very end" (Deut. 31.24). In the second verse the emphasis is on the fact that Moses wrote down these words to the very end. If we assume that what he wrote comprises the book of Deuteronomy, then Moses would have had to write the story of his own death. And indeed, there is a tradition that champions this idea, and also that Moses wrote the entire Torah by himself. Nowhere does the bible explicitly state this. Nevertheless, the idea commanded quite a following until very recently.

The reason the book is to be placed beside the ark of the covenant is that it is to remain as a witness. Moses calls the people out on being rebellious - and imagines how much more rebellious they will be after he is gone. Moses then calls for the elders and officials to be assembled, that he may recite the words of the law to them, as a way to guard against corruption. The witness Moses calls for this is the heaven and the earth, which just so happens to be the witness called to witness the covenant that closed in yesterday's post.

Funny how things work out like that.

Deuteronomy 30: A gentler part of the covenant

- or -
Covenant at Moab, part II of II

Deuteronomy 30: God's Fidelity Assured / Exhortation to Choose Life

View the first part of this covenant in yesterday's post. This is to be the last covenant before the Israelites enter the promised land.

God's Fidelity Assured: Deuteronomy 30.1-10
If the people disobey God and are cursed by him and are driven out among foreign nations, there is still hope. The people simply need to remember the blessings and curses that God has set before them and return to the Lord. When the people return to the Lord with all their hear, the Lord will restore them and once again have compassion on them. Such is the devotion of the Lord to his people - as long as they are obedient, the Lord will love them.

That is, God maintains fidelity to God's people, even through the times when the people do not reciprocate.

After returning to God in their hearts, the people will physically return to the land of their ancestors and be more numerous and prosperous than their ancestors were. The Lord will circumcise Israel's hearts so they will follow him. The Lord will curse their enemies and those that took advantage of them.

Exhortation to Choose Life: Deuteronomy 30.11-20
One of the distinguishing features of God's covenant with God's people is that it is accessible. It is not difficult to follow because the people have all the terms. The biblical author writing the Lord's speech puts this sentiment about the covenant in beautiful prose:

It is not in heaven, that you should say, "Who will go up to heaven for us, and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?" Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, "Who will cross to the other side of the sea for us, and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?" No, the word is very near to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart for you to observe.
(Deut. 30.12-14)

The choice, God says, is up to you. You can obey the commandments of the Lord and be blessed, or disobey and be cursed. The terms of the contract are quite explicit, and most importantly, are present. God will not act on a whim, but rather only as he is required to act by the choices God's chosen people make. And it is a requirement that God acts on. This is a contract that God must keep.

And so the covenant closes, with heaven and earth as witness to a contract that began with the patriarchs as an unconditional promise of land and progeny:

I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him; for that means life to you and length of days, so that you may live in the land that the Lord swore to give to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
(Deut. 30.19-20)

Deuteronomy 29: A new covenant / textual unity

- or -
Covenant at Moab, part I of II

Deuteronomy 29: The Covenant Renewed in Moab

Note: Occam's Razor refers to the theory of William of Ockam that the most likely answer to a given problem is the simplest one. Keep that in mind for today's reading.

The Covenant Renewed in Moab: Deuteronomy 29

Something weird happens here. See if you can catch what it is.

(2) Moses summoned all Israel and said to them: You have seen all that the Lord did before your eyes in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, (3) the great trials that your eyes saw, the signs, and those great wonders. (4) But to this day the Lord has not given you a mind to understand, or eyes to see, or ears to hear. (5) I have led you forty years in the wilderness. The clothes on your back have not worn out, and the sandals on your feet have not worn out; (6) you have not eaten bread, and you have not drunk wine or strong drink - so that you may know that I am the Lord your God. (7) When you came to this place, King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan came out against us for battle, but we defeated them....

Notice anything peculiar about the above section? The narrator shifts from Moses to God! Verse 2 sets Moses as the speaker, and as for the actual speech part of the verses 2 through 3, the voice is ambiguous. It is just as easy to imagine God speaking those words as Moses. Applying Occam's Razor, we should assume this actually was spoken by Moses. Verse 4 is most likely spoken by Moses as well because the reference to the Lord would otherwise be in the third person. The Lord speaking of himself as the Lord is not unprecedented, but again for the sake of simplicity we should assume that Moses is speaking these words because there is no reason not to believe he spoke all the previous ones. Let us then apply Occam's Razor to verse 5. Verse 6 gets a little weird. The speaker in this verse is clearly YHWH: "I am the Lord your God." Why is this? Moses is not God. So why does the narrator shift? The answer is probably a mixing of traditions - a speech of Moses with a speech of God. But the problem could also be solved by assuming that the biblical author really wasn't paying attention and just threw in the clause "so that you may know that I am the Lord your God." If that is removed, the rest of the passage appears as a unified whole. With it, though, there are many questions about the composition of this section - questions we do not have the answer to. What is clear is that for the rest of the speech the speaker is Moses - the Lord never again appears to refer to himself.

The Lord makes another covenant with the Israel at Moab, though the people gathered include aliens, so probably they are part of the covenant too. It is a very inclusive covenant, including even the unborn. Now you don't even have to agree to a covenant to be held to it - you may simply be born into it.

Israel is told not to worship idols as the foreign nations did in Egypt. Anyone who doubts the command of the Lord - who thinks "we are safe even though we go stubborn in our ways" will suffer the wrath of the Lord. The curses written in Deuteronomy will fall upon them and their names will be blotted out from under heaven. All the curses promised yesterday will befall Israel if they are not faithful to the Lord. Those that come upon the promised land will see the destruction and understand that the Lord's people turned away from the Lord.

The warning section of the covenant ends with a maxim that calls for obedience by assuring Israel that there are things the Lord knows that they do not, and all they need to do is to obey:

The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the revealed things belong to use and to our children forever, to observe all the words of this law.

We are not yet through with the covenant's renewal. Tomorrow we will examine the more positive aspect of the covenant: the assurance of God's fidelity, and the exhortation to choose life. Thus will end the re-establishment of the covenant.

Deuteronomy 28: A long list of blessings and curses

- or -
"You don't want to eat a placenta, do you?"

Deuteronomy 28: Blessings for Obedience / Warnings Against Disobedience

Yesterday the twelve tribes of Israel stood on two separate mountains - six on each - and agreed to twelve curses. Today there will be more curses applied to the Israelites, but blessings will also be given as well.

In the bible, a blessings and curses are contracts, of sorts. In yesterday's reading, individual terms of the contract were revealed, and then these terms were assented to by the Israelites:
"Cursed be anyone who dishonors father or mother." "Amen."

Today the contracts will be long sections of conditional rewards and punishments. The contract requires obedience of the Lord through diligent and faithful observation of the Lord's commands. If the contract is fulfilled, the Israelites will be blessed. If the contract is not fulfilled, the Israelites will be cursed. Clearly the biblical author favors negative over positive reinforcement. And who can blame him? There is something to be said for a good old (un)healthy fear of God.

Blessings for Obedience: Deuteronomy 28.1-14
As stated above, obedience to the Lord is rewarded by blessings, and the Lord will set the Israelites "high above all the nations of the earth."

"Blessed shall be" blessings (Deut. 28.3-6)
Four specific blessings are offered in exchange for obedience (Deut. 28.3-6):

• "Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field" [a blessing that suggests the Israelites will be blessed everywhere]
• "Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb, the fruit of your ground, and the fruit of your livestock, both the increase of your cattle and the issue of your flock" [a blessing of prosperity, and "nature's" bounty]
• "Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl" [a blessing of material goods]
• "Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out" [a temporal blessing that likewise suggests ubiquitous coverage]

"The Lord will" blessings (Deut. 28.7-14)
These blessings are succeeded by a second, more general section of blessings. These terms are not written in the same blessing formula. Here the formula is "The Lord will..." The terms of the contract are now related in a different way. The repetitions and different style indicates that these blessings may come from a different source than the ones that precede them.

• Israel's enemies will be defeated by the Lord: "They shall come out against you one way, and flee before you seven ways."
• Barns and manual tasks, are blessed. The people will be blessed.
• The Lord will establish the Israelites as his "holy" separate people, but only if they obey him.
• All the people of the earth, seeing Israel's relationship with the Lord, will fear the people.
• A second blessing of prosperity is bestowed on the fruits of womb, livestock, ground.
• A metaphor: "The Lord will open for you his rich storehouse, the heavens, to give the rain of your land in its season and to bless all your undertakings. You will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow."
• Israel will be the head, not the tail; the top, not the bottom.

All this will come only if the Israelites obey the commandments of the Lord their God.

Warnings Against DisobedienceDeuteronomy 28.15-29.1
If Israel does not heed God, it will be cursed.

"Cursed shall be" curses (Deut. 28.15-19)
The first set of curses (Deut. 28.16-19) is written in a negative form of the first set of blessings (Deut. 28.3-6) [e.g. Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the field]. The point-counterpoint style indicates that these two are very highly probably part of some tradition that includes parallel blessings and curses. The matching of blessing and curse offers an aesthetic symmetry to the Lord's commands - and keeps them easy to remember.

"The Lord will" curses (Deut. 28.20-28)
The next section of curses serves as a negative rewriting of the second section of blessings above. As with that section, these terms are parallel in form, all beginning with the same formula: "The Lord will." Though some passages are scattered throughout, this section is not a term-by-term parallel with the blessing section.

The Lord will send disaster, panic, and frustration on everything the Israelites try to do, until they are destroyed. They will be afflicted by pestilence, illness, mildew. "The sky over your head shall be bronze, and the earth under you iron" - suggesting the Lord's wrath is hard, impenetrable, impersonal, militant. Rain will turn to dust. The Israelites will be defeated, and the Israelites will be an object of horror, their corpses food for birds and animals, with no one to frighten them away. The Lord will actively afflict the Israelites with physical and mental illness.

Curses of helplessness (Deut. 28.29-34)
Next comes a section of curses that do not employ the formula "the Lord will." All are concerned with a feeling of utter helplessness that will result if the Israelites do not obey the Lord.

The Israelites will grope about, unable to find their way. They will be abused and robbed, without anyone to help. They shall be married, but their wife will be raped; build a house, but not live in it; plant a vineyard, but not enjoy its fruit. Their ox will be butchered and they will not receive food, their donkey stolen and not returned, their sheep given to their enemies. Their sons and daughters will be taken. Foreign people will eat the fruit of their labors.

More "The Lord will" curses (Deut. 28.35-37)
This is just more of the same.

More curses of helplessness (Deut. 28.38-46)
This is also more of the same.

The Lord retaliates (Deut. 28.47-52)
This section demonstrates the retaliation of the Lord on Israel, and the reversal of Israel's fortune.

The Israelites will serve their enemies with an iron yoke [metaphorical] the Lord puts on them. The Lord will sponsor another, completely different nation to destroy the Israelites, one that speaks a different language, does not respect the old or favor the young.

And then things will become desperate and the people will begin to starve.

Desperate straits (Deut. 28.53-57)
The situation gets so bad in the siege of this foreign people that "you will eat the fruit of your womb, the sons and daughters whom the Lord your God has given you" (Deut. 28.53). This phrasing makes a grotesque image even more revolting. Not only will the Israelites eat their children, they will eat their children that the Lord has given them. They have fallen so far from the Lord that they take away the most physical representation of what the Lord has granted them.

The biblical author goes into greater detail. Even the most refined man will begrudge the flesh of his son to his closest brother. Even the woman will begrudge even the afterbirth of her newborn children to her husband and son and daughter. The Israelites will be reduced to eating placentas - and will be in such desperate straits that they will not share it.

And then... (Deut. 28.58-29.1)
The Lord will reverse the fortunes of the Israelites. The diseases of Egypt will return. The promise of progeny will be reversed. Just as the Lord took delight in helping the people prosper, he will take delight in taking that prosperity away. The people will be scattered and serve other gods. Their eyes trembling, eyes failing, spirit languishing, they will never rest.

In the morning they will wish it was evening. In the evening they will wish it was morning.

Finally, "The Lord will bring you back in ships to Egypt, by a route that I promised you would never see again; and there you shall offer yourselves for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, but there will be no buyer" (Deut. 28.68). The reversal of fortune is not only complete, but the situation is made even more dire. The Israelites will again be slaves, but this time they will be slaves that no one even wants.

As for the "ships" part of the curse, the reference is vague, and might or might not point to a (probably pretty epic) tradition in which the Israelites escaped Egypt by ship. ("Hey Dan Brown, I have a new book for you.")

In any case, these are the words of the covenant, an additional covenant besides the one the Lord made with Israel at Horeb.

Sounds like a good thing to obey.

Deuteronomy 27: Cursed are those

Deuteronomy 27: The Inscribed Stones and the Altar on Mount Ebal / Twelve Curses

Moses has wrapped up the regulations that the Lord has given to the Israelites from Mount Horeb. Now it is time for some blessings and curses, and maybe some narrative if we're lucky. The key theme will still be "follow the Lord," but the mode of this communication will change.

The Inscribed Stones and the Altar on Mount Ebal: Deuteronomy 27.1-10

Moses and the elders of Israel - people that will not enter the promised land because of God's destruction of the wandering generation - give the people a commandment. When they enter the promised land, they are to set up large stones on Mount Ebal and cover them with plaster. An altar is to be built there of stone - one which iron tools have not touched. The words of God's commandments are to be inscribed there. This is were the Israelites shall make sacrifices.

Moses and the levitical priests then inform Israel: "This very day you have become the people of the Lord your God" (Deut. 27.9). Through following God's commandments the ancient covenant with their ancestors has been reestablished in them.

On Metaphor.

The fact that no tools are used in construction of the altar jells with the commandment that no false idol is to be made. That is, a sacred space of the Lord is not to be constructed by humans' tools, just as humans' tools are incapable of properly constructing an image of God. Also, to mark the stones with tools would desecrate them, bestowing a profane mark on a holy object. The stones of the altar are to be separate - just as Israel is a separate people.

Twelve Curses: Deuteronomy 27.11-26

Moses further charges the people that when they enter the promised land they should split the tribes in half. Six tribes will stand on Mount Gerizim to receive the blessing of the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, Benjamin. Six tribes will stand on Mount Ebal to receive the curse: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, Naphtali. Then the Levites will warn the Israelites of twelve curses to which they will respond "Amen."

"Cursed be anyone who..."

1. Makes an idol
2. Dishonors father or mother
3. Moves a neighbor's boundary marker
4. Misleads a blind person on the road,
5. Deprives an alien, orphan, or widow of justice
6. Lies with his father's wife
7. Lies with an animal
8. Lies with his sister (or sister-in-law)
9. Lies with his mother-in-law
10. Kills a neighbor in secret
11. Takes a bribe to shed innocent blood
12. Anyone who does not observe these laws

Of these, 4 are concerned with family life, 3 with social justice, 2 with worship/proper practice before the Lord, 2 with murder, and 1 with having sex with animals. For that matter, 4 are concerned with sex.

Priorities.

Deuteronomy 26: Ubiquity

Deuteronomy 26: First Fruits and Tithes / Concluding Exhortation

Today's reading serves as a wonderful example of the biblical plot: the relationship between God and Israel. God's presence is to be all-encompassing. And as long as the people obey the Lord, it will be well for them.

First Fruits and Tithes: Deuteronomy 26.1-15
Moses gives instructions from the Lord regarding the harvest of the first fruits when the Israelites enter the promised land. The ritual is described in a manner that emphasizes the Lord's all-encompassing presence in the lives of the Israelites. The phase "the Lord your God" appears 9 times from verse 1 through verse 11. The word "Lord," (YHWH) separate from this phrase, appears 5 additional times. Therefore the divine name YHWH is invoked 14 times in 11 verses. God's presence is interspersed throughout the verses in imitation of the ubiquitous reminders of God's presence in daily Israelite life.

The Israelites are to take some of the harvest of the first fruit to a priest at the dwelling-plce that the Lord designates for himself. They will make a declaration to the Lord acknowledging that they have entered the land promised to their ancestors. The priest will take the basket and the Israelites will make another declaration. The second declaration acknowledges the Israelite history in Egypt, their affliction, imprisonment, and deliverance through the Lord's terrifying displays of power and wonders into the promised land flowing with milk and honey. The gift of first fruit, they will swear, has been given ultimately by the Lord.

The gift of first fruits is to be placed before the Lord and the Israelites and their Levites and resident aliens "shall celebrate with all the bounty that the Lord your God has given to you and to your house" (Deut. 26.11).

In the third year the Israelites will pay a tithe to the Levites, the aliens, the orphans, and the widows, as discussed earlier in Deuteronomy 14.28-29. Again the divine presence is acknowledge: the Israelites will make a declaration to the Lord that this is done in accordance with the Lord's commandment. The closing portion of the prayer offers a glimpse at the conception of the divine: "Look down from your holy habitation, from heaven, and bless your people Israel and the ground that you have given us, as you swore our ancestors - a land flowing with milk and honey" (Deut. 26.15). God resides in a place holy separate place physically above the Israelites.

Concluding Exhortation: Deuteronomy 26.16-19
This legal section concludes with a reminder that the commandments of the Lord should be followed diligently. An agreement has been reached: YHWH will be the god of the Israelites, and the Israelites will follow God only and obey all his commands in order to keep his favor. In this way God will set the Israelites above all nations he has created, and the Israelites will become a people wholly devoted to God.

Deuteronomy 24-25: More commands and laws.

Deuteronomy 24: Laws Concerning Marriage and Divorce / Miscellaneous Laws
Deuteronomy 25: Levirate Marriage / Various Commands

Laws Concerning Marriage and Divorce: Deuteronomy 24.1-4
A refresher on the sex-marriage economy: The sex-marriage economy is the system wherein women are commodities that exchange hands through rape, marriage, and divorce. The "economy" is not limited to the bible or ancient history. It is a useful tool to analyze many societies, as I learned from an English professor who used it to analyze literature of the Restoration and beyond. In these examples cash and land are being thrown all over the place, and the system gets really messy.

This regulation presents the following scenario: a man marries a woman but finds he does not please her, so he hands her a certificate of divorce and sends her out of his house. The woman marries a second man who also dislikes her, divorces her, and kicks her out. Or, perhaps, the second man simply dies. In any case, the first man "is not permitted to take her again to be his wife after she has been defiled; for that would be abhorrent to the Lord."

Clearly we can see the woman as a piece of property. Her presence in the house is dependent on her husband's approval, and she may be discarded at will. Not only that, but the woman comes with a seal of sorts.

[Thanks, Wikipedia!]

Not that kind of seal - a "do not open" sort of seal. And once the seal is opened the product irrevocably changes. The first man has consecrated the marriage, thereby "defiling" the woman, and cannot take her back because he has already opened the seal and found the product was not to his liking.

Miscellaneous Laws: Deuteronomy 24.5-25.4
Some of these have humanitarian concerns, but the thread that best unites these is that each has nothing to do with the others.

A newly-married man is exempt from serving in the army one year, so that he may be happy with his wife.

You may not take a mill or upper mill-stone in a pledge, "for that would be taking a life in pledge." [This regulation depends on the precept that a mill is essential for milling grain, which is essential for making bread, which is essential for sustaining life. Without a mill, a person cannot survive, so to require a mill in a pledge is to sentence a person to death.]

Those caught kidnapping, enslaving, or selling an Israel shall die.

Guard against skin diseases by obeying the priests and the Lord's commands. "Remember what the Lord your God did to Miriam on your journey out of Egypt." This last command serves to associate disease with improper practice. In disobeying the Lord, as Miriam did, an Israelite might bring the wrath of the Lord upon him/her.

"When you make your neighbor a loan of any kind, you shall not go into the house to take the pledge. You shall wait outside, while the person to whom you are making the loan brings the pledge out to you. If the person is poor, you shall not sleep in the garment given you as the pledge. You shall give the pledge back by sunset, so that your neighbor may sleep in the cloak and bless you; and it will be to your credit before the Lord your God."
(Deut. 24.10-13)

Likewise, you shall not withhold the wages of needy laborers, whether Israelite or alien. Those that depend on your daily wage might cry out against you, which would cause you to incur guilt. Interestingly, you will only incur guilt for this offense if the person you owe cries out against you to the Lord. The Lord is just in this case, but only when his justice is called upon.

In executions for crimes, children must not be substituted for parents or parents for children. The one who commits the crime must suffer the consequences.

Do not deny justice to the resident alien or orphan, and do not take a widow's garment in pledge. The memory of the Lord bringing the Israelites out of Egypt is invoked for this command, bringing to mind that the Israelites too were disadvantaged not too long ago.

Aliens, orphans, and widows have the right to the leftovers of harvest: the forgotten sheafs of grain, the remaining olives on the tree, the last grapes of the vineyard. Again Israel's plight in Egypt is invoked.

Flogging as punishment for an offense shall not exceed forty lashes.

Oxen should be treated humanely; you shall not muzzle them when they are working.

Levarite Marriage: Deuteronomy 25.5-10
If two brothers live together and one dies, leaving a wife but no son, the living brother should marry the widow, and their firstborn child shall be named after the deceased brother. This is a method of perpetuating land holdings in Israel, passing down a name and wealth through generations. If a man does not wish to marry his brother's widow, it is a great disrespect to his dead brother. The woman should complain to the town elders, who will consult with the living brother. If he still refuses, the widow shall pull the sandal off his foot and spit in his face, declaring that he has disrespected his brother's house. Thenceforth his family shall be known as "the house of him whose sandal was pulled off," which is really a great insult, despite how trivial it might sound to modern readers.

Various Commands: Deuteronomy 25.11-19
What is the difference between "Miscellaneous Laws" and "Various Commands"? Besides phrasing, I have no idea. In any case, here are what the HarperCollins Study Bible refers to as "Various Commands."

If two men get in a fight and the wife attempts to rescue her husband by grabbing his opponents genitals, you shall cut off her hand. [The phallus is a source of power, and to touch another man's source of power - and possibly endanger its potency - is a grave error indeed.]

Keep fair and honest weights and measures.

Kill the Amalekites in vengeance for their attach on you as you journeyed from Egypt. He did not fear God, and deserves what is coming for him.

Deuteronomy 23: More (more) grab-bag regulations

Deuteronomy 23: Those Excluded from the Assembly / Sanitary, Ritual, and Humanitarian Precepts

More grab-bag regulations. These get kind of gruesome. Enjoy?

Those Excluded from the Assembly: Deuteronomy 23.1-8
The assembly of the Lord is a group of adult male Israelites that served various government functions. This section covers those that are excluded. Note that Israelite religion cannot be separated from Israelite government. More on that later.

Freud would love this first one. Your genitals must not be crushed or your penis cut off if you wish to be admitted to the assembly of the Lord. Your sexual potency, though concealed, directly affects your ability to hold power within this assembly.

Bastard (those born of an illicit union) may not enter the assembly of God. In addition, descendants to the tenth generation may not be admitted.

Ammonites or Moabites (even to the tenth generation) may not be admitted to the assembly of the Lord. The justification given is that these peoples did not give food or water to the Israelites as they wandered in the wilderness, and furthermore because they hired Balaam to curse the Israelites (even though it did not work). In fact, the Israelites are never to promote the welfare or prosperity of the Amonites or Moabites.

Sanitary, Ritual, and Humanitarian Precepts: Deuteronomy 23.9-25
When encamped near your enemies, guard against impropriety. [Like my crew coach used to tell me: "When you're on the road, you're representing Ithaca College. Don't do anything to make the school look bad."]

One who has a nocturnal emission is ritually unclean and must exit the camp. He should wash himself and may reenter the camp at nightfall the next day.

The Lord travels with you when you are encamped. Therefore, keep the camp holy by doing your business in a hole you dig outside the camp, and fill it when you are finished.

Escaped slaves from other peoples should not be retuned to their original owners. They will be free among the Israelites to live where they choose.

Israelites may not be prostitutes. Any money gained through prostitution or the money that will be used to pay a prostitute may not be brought into the house of the Lord.

Interest may not be charged on anything one Israelite lends to another. However, a foreigner my be charged interest.

Don't postpone fulfilling vows to the Lord. If you do so (or do not fulfill them at all), you will incur guilt. An exit strategy is proposed: don't make vows.

Two hospitality regulations demonstrate that to a degree, you are to provide for the hungry that come to you: Israelites may eat their fill of grapes from a neighbor's vineyard, but are not allowed to put any in a container. Likewise, you may pluck your neighbor's grain by hand but may not employ a sickle to make the work easier.

Deuteronomy 21-22: More grab-bag regulations

Deuteronomy 21: The Right of the Firstborn / Rebellious Children
Deuteronomy 22: Miscellaneous Laws / Laws Concerning Sexual Relations

Day two of grab bag regulations, ending with some good, old-fashioned sex.

The Right of the Firstborn: Deuteronomy 21.15-17
This commandment states that the firstborn son is to receive 2/3 of his father's inheritance, even if the second-born son is loved more by the father. The reasoning is somewhat circular, but was probably convincing enough for the people reading it: the firstborn is "the first issue" of the father's "virility" and therefore the right of the firstborn is his.

The topic of the firstborn is of great interest to the biblical authors and is a great concern to the biblical narrative as a whole. Frequently societies favor the first born in terms of inheritance and importance within the family. This section states as much. In the Torah, however, we constantly find this idea being undermined.

Rebellious Children: Deuteronomy 21.18-21
A rebellious son is to be stoned to death as a warning to all Israel [that the xth commandment shall be obeyed].
Stubbornness and rebelliousness, the marks of a rebellious son, are apparently manifested in gluttony and drinking. The parents are to tell the elders of the town, "This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious. He will not obey us. He is a glutton and a drunkard."

Miscellaneous Laws: Deuteronomy 21.22-22.12
What follows is a list of miscellaneous laws, abbreviated for the sake of brevity.

Bodies hanged as punishment for a crime must be not remain overnight on the tree. They shall be buried the same day because the person is under God's curse, so leaving the corpse defiles the land.

If you see your neighbor's ox or sheep straying, return them to him. If you don't know who it belong to, keep it until your neighbor claims it. The same goes for anything a neighbor loses that you find. [Help in Israel is to be an active, rather than a passive, activity.]

If you see your neighbor's livestock fallen on the road, help it up; don't ignore it. [Again, you are to help your neighbor.]

Cross-dressers are abhorrent to the Lord.

If you come upon a bird's nest and see a mother with eggs or hatchlings, let the mother go but take the young, "in order that it may go well with you and you may live long." [The juxtaposition of the mother's spared life and "your" own long life is no coincidence. This law betrays a favoritism for old over young, established over new.]

Houses should have parapets along their [flat] roofs [that functioned as domestic spaces], lest someone fall off and you incur bloodguilt.

A vineyard should be sown with only one type of seed, or you the crop and the entire yield will be forfeited. [This is a law of holiness: what goes in a field must remain uniform. The introduction of a new seed would corrupt the land, much as the introduction of a new god would corrupt Israel.]

An ox and a donkey should not be yoked together for plowing. [Another regulation concerned with holiness.]

You shall not wear clothes made of wool and linen woven together. [The third consecutive holiness regulation.]

Cloaks are to have four tassels.

The Virginity Trick: Deuteronomy 22.13-21
Here a clear example is given of a plausible situation.

A man marries a woman, but after having sex decides he dislikes her. He therefore states that the woman was not a virgin, and in doing so gains cause for divorce and slanders the woman terribly. So how do you prove exactly what happened on the wedding night? The woman's father and mother can fight the case by spreading the bloody bedsheet before the elders of the town. The man will then be fined 100 shekels for slander, to be given to the woman's father. As punishment to the husband [and to the wife, though to the biblical author women are frequently of little concern] he will not be permitted to divorce his wife.

If the charge is true, however, the woman shall be brought to the entrance of her father's house (which, in classic biblical metonymy, the very one she disgraced).

Other Laws Concerning Sexual Relations: Deuteronomy 22.22-30
If a man is caught lying with the wife of another man, the woman and the man who was caught lying with her shall both die.

If a man rapes a virgin woman engaged to be married while in a town, they shall both be stoned at the gate of the town, the woman because she did not cry for help and the man because he violated another man's wife-to-be.

If a man rapes an engaged virgin woman in the open country, only the man shall die. Because there was no one there to rescue the woman, she will not die.

If a man rapes a virgin that is not engaged, and they are caught in the act, the man shall give 50 shekels to the woman's father and the woman will become the man's wife. Because the man violated the woman, he may not divorce her. [The dynamic behind this one is rather chauvinistic. The sex-marriege economy ensures that the woman is only a piece of property that may be traded between father and husband. By raping the woman and paying the bride price, the man in effect buys the daughter. In this instance, the rape could conceivably be committed with intention to buy, as it were. The divorce clause is set up as a punishment, but the only person who it would punish every time would seem to be the raped woman.]

A man shall not marry his father's wife. [In the sex-marriage economy, you may not steal your father's property.]

Deuteronomy 20-21: Laws regarding warfare and murder

Deuteronomy 20: Rules of Warfare
Deuteronomy 21: Law Concerning Murder by Persons Unknown / Female Captives

Warfare and murder. Today will be a bloody interesting day.

There is a lot of speech in the first section, which sets it apart from many other commandments. The more notable laws feature either an example or speech, rather than simply stating the commandment that is to be followed (which may or may not be followed by a reason such as "for the Lord your God brought you up out of the land of Egypt"). I call these "notable" because they are uncommon and might seem peculiar in comparison to modern legislation. In our legal system crimes are judged based on a set of laws that are shaped by past crimes. Lawyers use these past crimes to argue a case, but the laws themselves do not tell a story. Here laws do tell a story - in fact are told by a story. Let's listen in

Rules of Warfare: Deuteronomy 20
Moses, speaking on behalf of God, informs the congregation regarding warfare. The Israelites are told not to be afraid of armies larger than their own, with horses and chariots. After all, God brought them up out of Egypt against Pharaoh's forces. YHWH Sabaoth, the God fashioned for war, defends them.

Then a scene is painted for us. A priest appears before troops prepared for battle. He says,

"Hear, O Israel! Today you are drawing near to do battle against your enemies. Do not lose heart, or be afraid, or panic, or be in dread of them; for it is the Lord your God who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to give you victory."
(Deut. 20.3-4)

The official will then attempt to weed out those who should not fight, asking questions of the gathered men: "Has anyone built a new house but not dedicated it? He should go back to his house, or he might die in the battle and another dedicate it." Anyone with unfinished business should return home to finish the business. It is not good to die in battle with things left to do. Similarly, men should return home who have planted a vineyard but not yet enjoyed its fruits, or have become engaged but are not yet married. Men who are afraid, the officials urge, should return home because "he might cause the heart of his comrades to melt like his own."

Heart metaphors are common throughout the bible. They may be hardened, as was Pharaoh's, or they may be softened or melted as they are here. A hardened heart does not seem to necessarily be a bad thing. Rather, a hard heart indicates assuredness and strength in one's convictions. The opposite of a melted heart is a hard one, so the Israelites will need a hardened heart in battle.

The biblical author then shifts topics.

When drawing near to fight a town, the Israelites should first offer it peace terms. Under these terms the foreign people will become slaves. If the foreign people do not accept these terms, the Israelites will conquer them, with the aid of YHWH Sabaoth. All the men shall be killed and the women, children, livestock, and spoil of the town taken as booty. This is portrayed as a gift from God, which it does seem to be.

The biblical author then amends the commandment. The peace treaty is to be offered only to towns that are "very far away" from the Israelites. The towns that the Lord is giving as an inheritance must be utterly annihilated: Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, Jebusites alike. This is so that the Israelites will not pick up any bad habits from them, like worshipping foreign gods. At least, that is the reason given. The annihilation of anything that breathes keeps the promised land holy, separate to God. There will be none there that worship other gods. The regulation may indicate that worship of other gods by foreigners was okay - they only had to become slaves. The promised land, however, was holy and not to be contaminated by improper practices.

One final regulation is given regarding warfare. The Israelites may not cut down fruit-bearing trees when besieging a town: "Are trees in the field human beings that they should come under siege from you?" (Deut. 20.19). This is not animism, but rather a rhetorical question that might speak to the importance of keeping food sources in the land. Perhaps it could even be considered applied environmentalism. In any case, the reasoning behind this regulation will become clear in 2 Kings.

Law Concerning Murder by Persons Unknown: Deuteronomy 21.1-9
This law describes a ceremony akin to the scapegoat ceremony, both of which use animals as vessels that are capable of bearing human guilt.

If a dead body is found in open country, and it is unknown who killed the victim, the elders are to measure to the nearest town. [Presumably it is then assumed that this town is "guilty" in a symbolic sense, since nothing can be proved.] The elders in that town will sacrifice a heifer that has never done work by breaking its neck down in a wadi with running water. The priests shall then pronounce blessings for the victim. The elders of the town nearest the body should wash their hands over the heifer and declare, "Our hands did not shed this blood, nor were we witnesses to it. Absolve, O Lord, your people Israel, whom you redeemed; do not let the guilt of innocent blood remain in the midst of your people Israel" (Deut. 21.8). This absolves them of blood guilt.

The ceremony serves as a wonderful metaphor cleansing the death from the people. The transitory water of the wadi draws the blood away from the heifer and the hands of the people, just as the ceremony itself draws the guilt away from the town and the people within it.

Female Captives: Deuteronomy 21.10-14
Instructions are given regarding war brides. A woman captured in war is to be brought into the capturing man's house, where she will undergo a month-long ritual of mourning for her father and mother. She will also remove all traces of her previous life: shave her head, pare her nails, discard her clothing. Once the previous life has been symbolically removed and a moth has passed, a man may take her as his wife. If the man is not pleased with her, he should not sell her as a slave, but rather let her go free, since he has "dishonored her." The word "dishonor" carries with it a sexual connotation, probably indicating sexual coercion. All's not fair in love and war.

Deuteronomy 18-19: The beginning of grab bag regulations

Deuteronomy 18: Privileges of Priests and Levites / Avoiding Pagan Practices / A New Prophet
Deuteronomy 19: Laws Concerning Cities of Refuge / Property Boundaries / Laws Concerning Witnesses

Laws continue. Today's reading is something of a grab bag of regulations, spoken by Moses to the congregation.

Privileges of Priests and Levites: Deuteronomy 18.1-8
The priests receive no inheritance of land because they are dedicated to the service of the Lord. As such, they receive special privileges, such as the right to eat a portion of any sacrificed animal, consisting of the shoulder, the jowls, and the stomach. Priests also receive the first fruits of grain, wine, oil, and fleece of the sheep (presumably so that they may make clothing).

As they have no home, a Levite is allowed to wander to a town the Lord designates for him, where he will minister like his fellow Levites in the town.

Avoiding Pagan Practices: Deuteronomy 18.9-14
The Lord has said that he will cast out the peoples of Canaan because they act wickedly. Why then should the Israelites pick up their practices? The Israelites are therefore prohibited from practicing divination, augury, and sorcery, child sacrifice, casting spells, and consulting the dead. Thereby the Israelites will remain completely faithful to God.

A New Prophet: Deuteronomy 18.15-22
At some point a new prophet, like Moses, will arise to deliver the words of the Lord to the people. This person is to be trusted unless he either speaks the words of another god or speaks commands contrary to the Lord's commandments. In this case, the person is to die in a manner unspecified. Whether it is the congregation's or God's duty to execute this justice is likewise unstated.

Laws Concerning Cities of Refuge: Deuteronomy 19.1-13
Numbers speaks of designating six cities of refuge where one who accidently kills another may flee. In Deuteronomy six cities will be established as well, but they will be created in two phases of three cities each.

Three equidistant cities are to be established to which an accidental killer may flee. The example of two people chopping down a tree is given: if one is chopping a tree and the ax head flies off the handle and strikes the other so that he dies, the accidental killer is allowed to flee to one of the cities of refuge because the killing was not intentional.

An additional command is to set up three more cities when the Lord enlarges the territory of the israelites.

If an intentional murder is committed, and the murderer flees to a city of refuge, the elders of that killer's city will send for the culprit to be handed over so that he may be put to death. No pity is to be shown in purging the guilt of innocent blood from Israel.

Property Boundaries: Deuteronomy 19.14
Land boundaries that go back generations are not to be changed.

Laws Concerning Witnesses: Deuteronomy 19.15-21
As stated yesterday, for a crime, two or more witnesses are needed in order for a charge to be sustained. If a witness makes a false claim, a thorough inquiry will be made. If the witness turns out to be a false witness (that is, he is lying) he is to receive the punishment that was wished upon the alleged criminal. No pity is to be shown when exacting justice:

Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
(Deut. 19.21)

Deuteronomy 16-17: Festivals and Government

Deuteronomy 16: The Passover Reviewed / The Festival of Weeks Reviewed / The Festival of Booths Reviewed / Municipal Judges and Officers
Deuteronomy 17: Forbidden Forms of Worship / Legal Decisions by Priests and Judges / Limitations of Royal Authority

Festival Day! Also, Governance Day! Miscellaneous rules and regulations are given regarding the celebration of festivals and the governance of the Israelites.

The Passover Reviewed: Deuteronomy 16.1-8
The passover commemorates the Israelites' departure from Egypt, during which time there was not enough time to bake leavened bread, so it was left unleavened. The holiday is meant to invoke the story by requiring the Israelites eat unleavened bread for seven days. On the first day, the Israelites are to make an animal sacrifice in the place of worship that God designates, and eat it there with their families. This is to be done "in the evening at sunset, the time of day when you departed from Egypt" (Deut. 16.6). Previous to this statement, the time of day that the Israelites departed is unclear. This addition fleshes out the passover story while giving an etiological reason for the practice.

The Festival of Weeks Reviewed: Deuteronomy 16.9-12
The festival of weeks is to be observed by everyone in Israel at the place of centralized worship the Lord designates. It consists of a freewill offering to the Lord in proportion to the blessing received from the Lord - a way of saying "thank you" in proportion for the help given. The date of the festival is seven weeks beginning from the time of the harvest [a summer festival].

The Festival of Booths Reviewed: Deuteronomy 16.13-17
The autumn festival of booths is a seven-day festival at the end of the harvest season. It will be celebrated by everyone in Israel at the place of centralized worship the Lord designates.

Throughout all these festivals, the males are to appear before the Lord and make an offering:

"They shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed; all shall give as they are able, according to the blessing of the Lord your God that he has given you."
(Deut. 16.16-17)

Sounds a little like Karl Marx, no?

Municipal Judges and Officers: Deuteronomy 16.18-20
The Israelites are to appoint judges and officials to keep a just society. Fairness is a very important component of Israelite life:

You must not distort justice; you must not show partiality; and you must not accept bribes, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the cause of those who are in the right. Justice, and only justice, you shall pursue, so that you may live and occupy the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
(Deut. 16.19-20)

Forbidden Forms of Worship: Deuteronomy 16.21-17.7
The Israelites are forbidden from practices that resemble pagan worship: planting trees as sacred poles, erecting stone pillars, sacrificing to the Lord impure (or unholy; not-separate) animals (those deemed "defective").

In addition, anyone that subverts worship of the Lord is to be stoned to death if there are two or more witnesses. This law promotes justice by attempting to prevent unwarranted accusations.

Legal Decisions by Priests and Judges: Deuteronomy 17.8-13
Any case that is too difficult to decide by a judge or official within a town is to be brought to the levitical priests and a judge at the place God has designated for worship. The verdict shall stand and the punishment should be carried out. Anyone who disobeys the word of the priest or judge shall die. Word shall be spread of the decision in order to prevent future crimes.

Limitations of Royal Authority: Deuteronomy 17.14-20
Here the book of Deuteronomy gets a bit prophetic. Moses, who has been speaking on behalf of God, tells the congregation that eventually the Israelites will want a king. This is true. The king must be an Israelite. However, he may not abuse his power or sell people to Egypt (in order to buy more things, here "horses") and thereby abuse his power. Israel is never again to return to Egypt. He must not marry many women or else he will lose faith in God. He must not acquire great riches. He is to know the law - in fact, it is to be written out before him when he takes the throne. He is to keep this law with him at all times so that he will fear the Lord and not exalt himself above the Lord.

How is this prophetic? Well, it predicts a king, which in fact the Israelites will plead for. It also predicts a specific king: King Solomon, who pretty much disobeyed all the commandments listed here. But prophecy in the bible is a funny thing because it is generally written after what is predicted has come to pass and set in a time before the event. Therefore King Solomon's reign is "predicted" in a text that is written after his reign but set in a time before it.