The Structure and Function of the Prologue of Judges: A Literary-Rhetorical Study of Judges 1:1-3:6

by Yohannes Tesfaye Sahile

Overview

In this book, Yohannes Sahile tackles the problem of Judges’ prologue, proposing that it is a single introduction with a narrative trajectory that begins with the death of Joshua. The prologue captures how, during the period of testing, the generation after Joshua’s death failed in their commission to take possession of the land allocated to them. Instead they lived with and made a covenant with the pre-existing inhabitants of the land promised to Israel. Judges 1:1–3:6 is often understood as a double introduction to the book, but here Dr Sahile presents a well-argued alternative. He thoroughly dissects the passage in question, adding to ongoing scholarship of Judges and bringing new insight to our understanding of the development of the nation of Israel in the Promised Land.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781783683086
Publisher:	Langham Creative Projects
Publication date:	11/14/2017
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	220
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

YOHANNES TESFAYE SAHILE holds a PhD in Old Testament Studies from Dallas Theological Seminary, Dallas, Texas, USA. Currently he is an Old Testament lecturer in the School of Theology at Africa International University, Nairobi, Kenya, where he gained his MDiv with an emphasis in Biblical Studies. Whilst in Ethiopia he was also involved in teaching at different bible schools and training church leaders in non-formal settings, including with Kera Meserte Kristos Church, of which he is still a part. Dr Sahile is married to Betelhem and together they have three children.

Table of Contents

Abstract

Acknowledgments

Abbreviations

Chapter 1 – Introduction

Need for Study

Issues

Survey of Scholarship

Scope of the Prologue

Organization of the Prologue

Thesis

Method

Overview

Chapter 2 – Structure of the Prologue

Exposition: Israel at the Beginning of the Test (1:1–2)

Complication: Israel in the Middle of the Test (1:3–36)

Simeon

Judah

House of Joseph

Summary

Change: Warning for Israel’s Failure (2:1–10)

Unraveling: Israel’s Failure and Its Consequence (2:11–3:4)

Structure of 2:11–21

The New Generation (2:11–14a)

The New and Subsequent Generations (2:14b–19)

The New Generation (2:20–21)

Ending: Israel at the End of the Test (3:5–6)

Chapter 3 – Flashback in the Prologue

Temporally Overlaid Wayyiqtol Clauses in Biblical Hebrew

Clarification of Terms

Survey of Scholarship

Identifying Temporally Overlaid Wayyiqtol Clauses

Examples of Temporally Overlaid Wayyiqtol Clauses

Flashbacks in Judges 1:1–3:6

Evaluation of Judah’s Success (Judg 1:8–16, 20)

Comparison between Two Generations (Judg 2:6–10)

Comment on the Period of Testing (Judg 2:23–3:4)

Summary

Chapter 4 – Function of the Prologue – Part One

Joshua as a Prequel to Judges

Joshua 21:43–24:33

Joshua 22

Judges as Sequel to Joshua

Success of a Judahite Family

Failure of the Tribes

Summary

Chapter 5 – Function of the Prologue – Part Two

The Prologue versus the Central Section

Chronological Relationship

Logical Relationship

Summary

The Prologue versus the Epilogue

The Epilogue as a Unit

Allusion to Joshua 22

Summary

Chapter 6 – Conclusion and Implication

Appendix 1 – A Translation and a Syntactical Analysis of Judges 1:1–3:6

Wayyiqtol Clauses

Non-Wayyiqtol Clauses

Exposition (1:1–2)

Complication 1:3–36

The Tribe of Simeon (v. 3)

Judah (with Simeon) (vv. 4–7)

Flashback (vv. 8–16)

Judah with Simeon (vv. 17–19)

Flashback (v. 20)

The Tribe of Benjamin (v. 21)

The Tribes of Joseph (vv. 22–29)

The Tribe of Zebulun (v. 30)

The Tribe of Asher (vv. 31–32)

The Tribe of Naphtali (v. 33)

The Tribe of Dan (vv. 34–36)

Change (2:1–5)

Flashback (2:6–10)

Unraveling (2:11–21)

Comment on the Period of Testing (2:22–3:4)

Author’s Intrusion (2:22)

Flashback (2:23–3:4)

Ending (3:5–6)

Appendix 2 – Examples of Temporally Overlaid wayyiqtol Clauses

Genesis 12:1

Joshua 4:12

1 Samuel 17:13

1 Kings 13:12

Jonah 4:5 (JPS)

Genesis 5:6

Appendix 3 – Outline of the Book of Joshua

Bibliography

Editorial Reviews

Interpreters of the prologue to Judges have wrestled with its structure. The book opens with a notice of Joshua’s death, but in chapter 2 verse 6, Joshua is in the land of the living, dismissing the people to take their allotted territory. Verse 8 then records his death. Obviously, there is a chronological flashback at some point. Many see it occurring at 2:6 and, consequently, propose a two-part prologue: 1:1–2:5; 2:6–3:4. There are variations on this, with some seeing the flashback at 2:1 or even earlier. Still others eliminate the need for a flashback by reading “Moses,” rather than “Joshua” in 1:1, albeit with no textual support.

Yohannes Sahile has proposed an insightful new solution to the problem of the Prologue’s structure. He argues for a single prologue that has four flashback units (1:8–16, 20; 2:6–10; 2:22–3:4) embedded within the main narrative. The purpose of this structure, he argues, is to contrast the faithfulness and success of an earlier generation (Joshua’s) with the disobedience and failure of a later generation (post-Joshua). In three cases, wayyiqtol-initiated clauses appear at the beginning of the flashback unit. This is potentially problematic, since normally wayyiqtol indicates pure sequence. But Sahile offers a plausible explanation in each case, arguing there are contextual indicators that signal the flashback. Though this proposal is novel, it deserves consideration by the scholarly guild.

Robert B. Chisholm, Jr., PhD

Chair and Senior Professor of Old Testament Studies,

Dallas Theological Seminary, USA

From the Publisher