Royal Priesthood: Literary and Intertextual Perspectives on an Image of Israel in Exodus 19:6 (Library of Hebrew Bible / Old Testament Studies | LHBOTS/JSOTS)
Overview
This book examines the portrayal of Israel as a royal-priestly nation within Exodus and against the background of biblical and ancient Near Eastern thought. Central to the work is a literary study of Exodus 19:4–6 and a demonstration of the pivotal role these verses and their main image have within Exodus. This elective and honorific designation of Yahweh’s cherished people has a particular focus on the privilege of access to him in his heavenly temple. The paradigm of the royal grant of privileged status has profound implications for our understanding of the Sinai covenant.
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- Includes detailed table of contents, indexes, and bibliographies to aid study
Top Highlights
“In such texts either the great king or the god grants the office of kingship to a specific mortal king or lesser deity who then exercises his rule under the aegis and protection of the deity or monarch. Israel, on this analogy, would be a corporate monarch, enjoying the grant of this status and the patronage of Yhwh. Because this grant is not to be seen in isolation from the corresponding grant of priesthood, and because this understanding of the nature of the Sinai covenant represents a departure from the prevailing understanding, it is proposed to defer further discussion of the covenant as a grant until Chapter 7.” (Page 85)
“The words of the declaration denote primarily how the nation is to relate to God, rather than how it is to relate to the other nations as is often supposed, though it is not denied that there may be implications for human relationships of what it means to be the chosen and treasured people of God.” (Page 238)
“In none of the Deuteronomy passages is the סגלה status of Israel made conditional on the requirement to obey. Rather the כי which introduces both Deut. 7:6 and 14:2 suggests the converse. Israel is to obey because they are the chosen treasure.” (Page 45)
“The priest belongs in two worlds. While his everyday life is among his fellow Israelites, when he dons his vestments and crosses the threshold he becomes a participant in the heavenly or ideal world.” (Page 164)
“The honorific designation of Israel in the apodosis is in force from that point on, not after sufficient time has elapsed for testing Israel’s level of obedience.” (Page 44)
- Title: Royal Priesthood: Literary and Intertextual Perspectives on an Image of Israel in Exodus 19:6
- Author: John Davies
- Publisher: Sheffield Academic Press
- Publication Date: 2004
- Pages: 264