Chapters 15 and 17 of Genesis present two perspectives on the Abrahamic Covenant. Chapter 15 mostly derives from the J source while Chapter 17 is exclusively P. Wedged between them in chapter 16 we have the tale of the conception and birth of Ishmael, Abram's "other son".
Following this Yahweh asks a very particular and pecular sacrifice of Abram (15:9-11). He demands a three year old heifer, a three year old goat, a three year old ram, a turtledove, and a pigeon be brought to him. Abram cuts the livestock in half, but not the birds. According to the notes of the Harper Collins Study Bible the splitting of animals was used to ritually seal oaths or covenants in West Semitic tradition. At this point the sun begins to set - yes, after Abram has already counted the stars in the sky the sun begins to set (the redactor of Genesis evidently wasn't all that concerned with continuity errors) - and as Abram falls asleep a terrifying darkness descends (15:12).
We then have Yahweh interrupt the ceremony to explicitly prophesy the Exodus in what appears to be an insertion on the part of the redactor (15:13-16). This prophesy includes polemic against the Amorites, which becomes ironic when placed immediately after the story of Lot's rescue in Chapter 14. After all, the Amorites were Abram's allies who helped him rescue his nephew and defeat the eastern kings (14:13). These sorts of conflicts of interest can easily arise when our final text contains stories from differing traditions.
The account of the ceremony (which may or may not be in a dream or vision, as Abram seems to be asleep for the rite) resumes with Yahweh causing a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch to pass between the animal halves (15:17). This ritual seems to seal the oath Yahweh has made to Abram (15:18-21). I think it is important to note that Abram himself does not pass between the animals. They say a relationship is a two-way street, but this is a one-way covenant. Yahweh asks nothing of Abram besides providing the animals for the sacrifice. Yahweh promises to make a nation of Abram and it is Yahweh's symbols which pass between the animals. Nothing is required of Abram to uphold his end of the deal. Yahweh has promised the land to he and his descendants in perpetuity, asking nothing in return.
Foreskin.
Other items of interest from the priestly covenant account:
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Well, that does it for this round. As always, feel free to leave comments or questions below.
A Supernatural Sacrifice
The balance of Chapter 15's narrative likely originates with the J source, though internal inconsistencies with the timing of the story indicate it is likely stitched together from at least two traditions. The story begins with Abram openly doubting Yahweh's fulfillment of his promise, citing his lack of offspring. Yahweh responds by taking him outside:And Abram said, "You have given me no offspring, so a slave born in my house is to be my heir." But the word of Yahweh came to him, "This man shall not be your heir; no one but your very own issue shall be your heir." He brought him outside and said, "Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your descendants be."
- Genesis 15:3-5
Illustration of Genesis 15 by Jim Padgett, courtesy of Sweet Publishing - 1984 CE
Following this Yahweh asks a very particular and pecular sacrifice of Abram (15:9-11). He demands a three year old heifer, a three year old goat, a three year old ram, a turtledove, and a pigeon be brought to him. Abram cuts the livestock in half, but not the birds. According to the notes of the Harper Collins Study Bible the splitting of animals was used to ritually seal oaths or covenants in West Semitic tradition. At this point the sun begins to set - yes, after Abram has already counted the stars in the sky the sun begins to set (the redactor of Genesis evidently wasn't all that concerned with continuity errors) - and as Abram falls asleep a terrifying darkness descends (15:12).
We then have Yahweh interrupt the ceremony to explicitly prophesy the Exodus in what appears to be an insertion on the part of the redactor (15:13-16). This prophesy includes polemic against the Amorites, which becomes ironic when placed immediately after the story of Lot's rescue in Chapter 14. After all, the Amorites were Abram's allies who helped him rescue his nephew and defeat the eastern kings (14:13). These sorts of conflicts of interest can easily arise when our final text contains stories from differing traditions.
The account of the ceremony (which may or may not be in a dream or vision, as Abram seems to be asleep for the rite) resumes with Yahweh causing a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch to pass between the animal halves (15:17). This ritual seems to seal the oath Yahweh has made to Abram (15:18-21). I think it is important to note that Abram himself does not pass between the animals. They say a relationship is a two-way street, but this is a one-way covenant. Yahweh asks nothing of Abram besides providing the animals for the sacrifice. Yahweh promises to make a nation of Abram and it is Yahweh's symbols which pass between the animals. Nothing is required of Abram to uphold his end of the deal. Yahweh has promised the land to he and his descendants in perpetuity, asking nothing in return.
A Deep Sleep Fell Upon Abram and a Horror Seized Him by Gerard Hoet and Others - 1728 CE
Why do the Arabs Act Like Such Bastards?
Chapter 16 focuses on a new character, that of Hagar. Hagar is Sarai's Egyptian slave girl who she must have acquired through a dowry for an illegitimate marriage back in Chapter 12. Having not yet produced an heir for Abram, Sarai concocts a plan for Abram to get a child by Hagar instead (16:2).
Sarah Leading Hagar to Abraham by Matthias Stom - 1638 CE
Upon the plan succeeding however, Hagar gets uppity, incurring the wrath of Sarai (16:4-5). Hagar flees in fear of her mistress, but an angel of Yahweh convinces her to return and endure Sarai's degradation by promising her that from her child will arise a great multitude (16:6-10).
And the angel of Yahweh said to her,
"Now you have conceived and shall bear a son;
you shall call him Ishmael,
for Yahweh has given heed to your affliction.
He shall be a wild ass of a man,
with his hand against everyone,
and everyone's hand against him;
and he shall live at odds with all his kin."
- Genesis 16:11-12
Hagar in the Wilderness by Giovanni Lanfranco - c. first half of 17th century CE
This tale serves as etiological myth for the origins of the Arabs, who tradition identified as the descendants of Ishmael. While the text acknowledges their relatedness to the Semitic peoples, it explains why they are outsiders with which the Hebrews would have been in conflict with through various periods of history. Why do the Arabs act like such bastards? Because they are.
A Bodily Sacrifice
Chapter 17 presents an alternative view of the Abrahamic covenant on the part of the priestly writer(s). Yahweh's part of the deal is the same: he will give Abram countless descendants (17:4). But unlike J's version of the covenant, here Yahweh has demands of Abram. Well, really it's just one demand:Foreskin.
This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. You shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you.Yeah, Yahweh's kind of a weird dude. So Abram does as commanded of him, sealing his covenant with Yahweh with the circumcision of every male of his house (17:23-27).
- Genesis 17:10-11
Circumcision Knife - Europe, late 18th century CE
Other items of interest from the priestly covenant account:
- The name "Yahweh" first appears in the P source here. But importantly it is not revealed to Abram. The name appearing here lets the reader in on the secret, but keeps Abram in the dark, as he presents himself as "El Shaddai" (17:1). This is the first time Abram has any interaction with the deity in the P narrative, and Yahweh never reveals his name to Abram in this source. In P Yahweh will not reveal his holy name until the time of Moses, a narrative which assuredly helped syncretize Yahweh with El, the high god of the Canaanite divine council. "Shaddai" is usually translated as "Almighty" in English, though its original meaning remains uncertain. Hypothesized translations include "of the wilderness", "of the mountain(s)", and "destroyer". Or alternatively Shaddai could even just be a place name.
- Speaking of names, Yahweh gives Abram and Sarai new ones, both through the addition of the Hebrew letter hey or "h" (17:5, 17:15). Abram and Sarai will be known as Abraham and Sarah from here on out. Friedman speculates that the redactor modified the names in all sources before and after this event to align with the priestly account. Since they both are renamed in the same manner it is possible that the letter hey possessed a certain symbolic quality which might now be lost to us. Or it could simply be a matter of merging parallel national origin myths surrounding a character whose name had evolved to be pronounced differently in different regions of the ancient Levant.
- As in the J narrative, Abraham doubts Yahweh's promise of a son, as he and Sarah are one hundred years old and ninety years old, respectively (17:17). As he doubts that the promised son will ever come to be, he asks Yahweh to bless Ishmael instead (17:18). Yahweh promises that Sarah will conceive and give birth to Isaac in one year, then proceeds to bless both Isaac and Ishmael as fathers of nations (17:19-20). But Yahweh reiterates that his covenant will be with Isaac and his descendants, the legitimate heirs of Abraham, alone (17:21).
Psalm 16
Here the psalmist thanks Yahweh for his protection and revels in his good fortune to be one of Yahweh's apportioned people. This aligns well with a monolatrist or henotheistic theology in which one's god depended on the boundaries of one's polity:
Yahweh is my chosen portion and my cup;The psalm closes with thanks to Yahweh for preserving the life of the psalmist, keeping him from Sheol.
you hold my lot.
The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
I have a goodly heritage.
- Psalm 16:5-6
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Well, that does it for this round. As always, feel free to leave comments or questions below.
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