absolute terms: “We shall abide.” The Deuteronomic Code, whose conditional
tone differed starkly from the earlier divine commands, reflects the style of an
Assyrian vassal treaty. On a more mundane level, foreign influence is reflected
in the names of biblical figures. Gideon the judge is known also by a Canaanite
name, Yeruba’al. Samson is linked to Delilah, a Philistine woman.
Third, the subjugation of the Israelites by more powerful empires implic-
itly cast the Israelites as physically and militarily inferior to their stronger
neighbors. Once the larger powers returned to prominence, Israelite indepen-
dence waned and eventually disappeared. Thus emerged the foundational
notion of Israelite and later Jewish servitude to a temporal sovereign, miti-
gated by a belief in Yahweh, an omnipotent sovereign of the universe, and a
manifest destiny that promised the ultimate conquest and inheritance of the
Land of Israel.
Biblical narratives counterbalanced this undeniable fact. The heroes of bib-
lical stories are often portrayed as conventionally lesser types defeating those
presumed to be their betters. Guile and ingenuity, for example, typically
defeated brute force, reminiscent of Odysseus being chosen over Ajax. The
more sedate Jacob repeatedly outwits his stronger brother Esau. Similarly,
two of the judges, Ehud and Gideon, outwit seemingly invincible opponents.
Ehud executes Eglon, the king of Moab, by smuggling a knife into his royal
chamber. Gideon misleads the Midianites into thinking that his army is far
larger than three-hundred men. Contrary to the entrenched notion of primo-
geniture, moreover, younger sons frequently overshadow their elder brothers.
Isaac, Jacob, Judah, Joseph, Ephraim, David, and Solomon were younger
brothers who wound up outshining their older siblings. In contrast, Jacob’s
eldest son, Reuben, is mentioned only as failing to rescue Joseph.
Most poignantly, perhaps, in an age when women were rarely active play-
ers, women in the Bible are periodically the agent through which divine will
is realized. Rebecca redeems Isaac’s failure to recognize and choose Jacob as
his successor. By helping Jacob trick Esau out of his birthright, Rebecca
ensures that the covenant continues through Jacob and not through Esau.
Judah’s daughter-in-law Tamar has a child by her father-in-law after his sons
fail to fulfill this responsibility. Though the product of a seemingly illicit
relationship, the child ultimately becomes the ancestor of King David. In
the Book of Judges, Ya’el the Kenite uses feminine guile to entrap and kill
Sisera, the commander of the Canaanite army. An unnamed woman kills
Abimelech, ending his illicit attempt to install himself as king over the
tribal confederation.
Fourth, biblical narratives reveal a tension between centralized and local-
ized worship of Yahweh. The Tabernacle and then Solomon’s Temple are
designated as the center and, eventually, as the only legitimate place to offer a
sacrifice. At the same time, each Israelite household is instructed to offer the
Passover sacrifice. Biblical narratives speak out periodically against local
altars and shrines as vehicles for foreign worship, and outlaw them entirely
8 The world of the Hebrew Bible