Prophets in Ancient Israel: A Comparative Study of Biblical and Mari Texts - Prof. C. Isbe, Study notes of World Religions

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**ISRAEL IS NORTH, JUDAH IS SOUTH. JERUSALEM IS IN JUDAH**
When Solomon died, between 926 and 922 BCE, the ten northern tribes refused to submit to his son, Rehoboam, and revolted.
From this point on, there would be two kingdoms of Hebrews: in the north - Israel, and in the south - Judah. The Israelites formed their capital in the city of Samaria, and the Judaeans kept their capital in Jerusalem. These kingdoms remained separate states for over two hundred years.

Topics:
Egypt
Canaan-Syria Prophecy
Mesopotamia

Readings:
1 Kings 22

Baal and his consort/sister Asherah – Baal’s prophets at Mt. Carmel vs. one prophet of YHWH
Baal is the chief god of canaan, but it is also a general term for “a god”
Mount Carmel
Ahab and Jezebel – last member of the purge
Zedekiah – last king of Judah before the Babylonian exile  Fall of Zedekiah = Fall of Judah
Nebuchadnezzar king of Chaldean, defeated Judah, destroyed the temple of Solomon.
Ue’b Hebrew term for Prophet, Egyptian religious figure in charge of animal sacrifices
Cherheb Egyptian religious figure in charge of temples that would bring back deceased gods to defend Egypt
Hemu neter the gods’ servant, oracle; interprets dreams
Thutmose IV Pharaoh during a period of Peace
Joseph son of Jacob, king of dreams
Cupbearer (mašqeh)
Baker (‘ôpheh)
Egyptian court “magicians”
King Cheops (Khufu) and the magician narrative of five micacle performed by ___ 1. revealed the number of rooms, reattached ehads of animals, wrestled with lions 2. 3. predicts looming end of dynasty
Dedji
Thoth
Rededjet
4th dynasty (26th century BCE)
12th dynasty (20th century BCE)
Hyksos era
Khnum
Khnum-Khufu god protected by khufu
The Admonitions of Ipuwer a 12th century copy of a middle kingdom composition that criticizes social concepts of Egyptian society
Old Kingdom: 27th – 24th centuries BCE  the movement and interrelationship of the stars
MARI a major town on the Euphrates river
Herbert Huffmon listed five characteristics of prophetic texts: 1. A communication from the divine world from a messenger or mediator to a third party. 2. Some form of “inspiration,” derived from ecstatic frenzy, dreams, or any other type of “inner illumination.” 3. A message that does not require a technical specialist to interpret its meaning. 4. A message that is usually unsolicited. 5. A message that exhorts to action or admonishes.
Divination examination of animal livers (heaviest organ, therefore thought to be most important)
[1] āpilu/āpiltu – “answerer” a term not normally given to a prophet, it includes oracles.
1 Kings 22
Ramot-Gilead
“Please seek (derash) first the word of YHWH” (22.5).
Micayehu ben Yimlah Ahab king from Samaria 2. assinnu – “cult functionary”Annunitum (Inanna) speaks f rom a state of ecstasy 3. muḫḫû/muḫḫûtu – “ecstatic”meḫû “to storm” implies someone is deformed. o le-hitnabbe Hebrew “to act like a prophet” implies craziness a. Elijah b. Amos (Amaziah), the priest who defended King Jeroboam II (7.10). c. One of the more famous incidents in the career of Isaiah depicts him as setting up a meeting with King Ahaz in a very public place to hear his opinion about the Syro-Israelite war (7.3). 4. nabû Akkadian, for
navi’ most common word for prophet, means “He announces”
Code of Hammurabi
Enuma Elish
When did the profession of “Prophet” Become a legitimate office in Israel? Almost exactly when the first king was chosen 11th – 10th century BC. Samuel the Prophet chose king Saul, whose first act was ____ to legitimize prophets and make it illegal to kill them?
* a minority did not want a king, so they compromised to have a king AND a prophet, whose function is to criticize the king and his decisions. Loudly.
* when the kings end, Ezra is prophet and decided they should have no more prophets without kings, just the Torah. Biblical Terminology 10/12/2013
Hebrew Terms
1. ‘eved YHWH
2. rô’eh
3. hôzeh
4. ’îš ha-’elôhîm
5. nâvi’

Readings
Numbers 11
I Kings 18
1 Samuel 10.10-11
Numbers 11

Topics
SORCERY AND DIVINATION
COMPARISON OF BIBLICAL TERMS
COMPARISON OF MARI & BIBLICAL PROPHETS

Interpreter (melitz)  Isaiah 43.27; Genesis 42.23  Isaiah 43:27 describes a prophet who has transgressed; does not use any normal words for prophet, instead uses the words for interpreter
Naioth in Ramah
1 Kings 18 – Elijah and the prophets of Baal and Asherah on Mount Carmel.  “The deity who responds with fire,that one is God” (18.24).  wild hopping around, loud praying, and self-mutilation  the ruah of God overpowered people, including the assassins who didn’t believe, and kept them from killing
Ecstasy and Prophecy
Jeremiah 14.14
Jeremiah 29.16
Ezekiel 13.17
Hosea 9.72
Kings 1.8 & Zechariah 13.41
Kings 20.35-43
Zechariah 13.6
Isaiah 20.3  [1] Ecstasy not equated with divine revelation, not the substance of biblical prophecy.  [2] while the preparatory state of ecstasy may be self-induced, the actual “revelation” that follows may not be so induced. o 2 Kings 3.15-16- Elisha asked for music to set the mood for prophecy. Illustrates the self-induced ecstasy. o Elisha, o King Mesha of Moab o King Ahab of Israel > Jehoram o King Yehoshaphat of Judah  [3] The ecstatic trance can at times serve as a method by which God Himself deliberately deceives its recipients.
“false prophets” – not liars, but those who have been tricked by God to announce false prophecies.
Sources of Fake prophecy forbidden in Israel by God. Note that God wouldn’t have bothered to forbid it if it wasn’t a problem among the people, who were influenced by their Canaanite neighbors  MAGIC deemed to be ineffectual because God is in control of all things. Trying to change His will would be bad  SORCERY punishable by death, but popular in the ___ area to counteract black magic  DIVINATION belief that notice of the future is imprinted in natural phenomenon  CASTING LOTS not a sin because God determines where the lots will fall (remember the apostles cast lots to determine who would replace Judas)  hydromancyoleomancyoinomancy  hepatoscopy common in Mesopotamia. Use of a sacrificed sheep’s liver to divine if the gods were favorably disposed to plans such as battles.  Teraphim small figurines of gods that were used for good luck and protection  Necromancy attempting to communicate with spirits of the dead o In 1 Samuel 28, Saul looks for a medium and gets in a shit ton of trouble with Samuel
Divination – false and its practitioners “liars”
Enemies of Israel (like Balaam) and foreigners (Canaanites, Philistines, Egyptians, Babylonians) used divination
Israel had available a source of divine truth without parallel.  This is why divination was wrong: it put a different source of truth above God’s ability and discretion to give truth.  Also, Israel’s refusal to practice these things should be a mark of their distinction from others.
The meaning of these three words changed between the story taking place and being written down, so the editor felt the need to add an explanation for the reader.
ḥôzeh visionary
rô’eh seer (1 Samuel 9)
navi’ prophet/spokesman  [1] The Mari prophet delivers a message from the gods only to the king and we possess no text describing a message delivered directly to the people.  [2] The messages given at Mari do not make social or ethical judgments or demands upon the king or the populace.  [3] The Mari king is free to reject the message of the prophets, as is the king of Israel or Judah, as we will see. The authenticity of the message can be challenged as well. But in Mari, the word of the prophet could be submitted to diviners who would seek to interpret various omens that could verify or falsify the word of the prophet.  [4] Divination was officially forbidden in Israel, despite the fact that it continued to be practiced in some quarters. Divination of various kinds at Mari were openly practiced and viewed as legitimate means of discerning information from the divine.

Philistines - Beginning of Iron Age they established themselves
as the century closed, they tried to expand into the hill country b/c they had a technological advantage: iron weapons
1 Samuel 1-3
Ephraimites:
Elkanah
Peninah and Hannah - wives, Hannah was barren but the favorite. she became Samuel's mother.
Shiloh - town where the ark of the covenant and the tabernacle used during the wilderness wanderings were housed
also contained a shrine to which people often made pilgrimages. its religious significance waned as Jerusalem was established
Hannah prayed for a son at the shrine in Shiloh where Eli overheard her praying and thought she was drunk. She did have Samuel and sent him to Eli.
Samuel is always a seer roeh
Hophni and Pinhas - Eli's sons who were scoundrels "did not listen to the voice of their father, so YHWH was reolved to kill them" (2:25b)

Samuel and Saul
1 Samuel 3:19-21 God was with Samuel navi
The first chosen king was Saul
Yabesh Gilead Nahash
a threat to the Israelites that prompted Saul to do his first act as king.
he compelled them to act in defense of the tribe threatened
 Samuel outranked Saul – the person who has the power to choose the king outranks the king.  Samuel had close connections to Shiloh, an important cultic site.
cult - an organized system of rituals and rites that are followed.
 political progressives - want a king  political conservatives – believe that kings are bad news (ex. Pharaoh)
Amos and Amaziah - refuse to conform to the will of the king if they felt he was against YHWHs will for the people

Jeremiah - said that God would defend the City for his own sake and for David's sake, the rest of the prophets had him flogged
20:9
he was so upset that he accused YHWH of decieving him by calling him to the prophet

Gad and David
when David was a fugitive, Gad advised him,
Ahiyah of Shiloh and Jeroboam 1 Kings 11:26-40
Solomon reorganized the country into 12 equal tribes to pay for his excessive lifestyle. This is the act that damned him. Jeroboam was one of the leaders of a district. Solomon ordered his death because ____ . So when solomon dies, Ahiyah splits a mantle and ____
Jeroboam became the first king of the divided monarchy.
the unnamed "man of God" in 1 Kings 13 condemns jeroboam.
the prophets hate northern kings for 3 reasons:
not Davidites
their capital is Samaria not Jerusalem
they don't worship at the temple

Hosea 12:14 –
Numbers 11 – familiar longing for Egypt & food
Instructions from God:  First, gather the 70 elders, then the solution to the problem regarding Moses’ leadership will be resolved  Second, address the specific complint of the people
Moses is the principal figure  He is the role model for all subsequent prophets (esp. Elijah)  The function of prophecy is linked with serving the group as a whole  No “predictions” happen in this narrative o Eldad & Medad – they prophesied independent of Moses but Moses approved of them o Miriam & Aaron – also prophesied but they questioned the authority of Moses  “Has YHWH spoken only through Moses?”
1. Moses is most humble.
2. ?
3. God speaks with Moses “plainly” peh ‘el peh (mouth to mouth)
4. Only Moses can intercede for Miriam when she gets leprosy

1 Kings 17.1  [1] Drought from YHWH vs. Baal,the god of storm, rain, and fertility.  [2] Miraculous provision of food near the Kerit Wadi (17.2-7).  [3] Journey to Zarephat, town in Phoenician that worshipped Baal.  [4] Resurrection of the young boy.“Now I know that you are a man of God and the davar of YHWH is truly in your mouth (17.24.)
Mount Carmel1 Kings 18
all or nothing struggle between Yahwism and Baalism
Elijah is a trouble maker (‘ôkher) Ahab has troubled (‘akhar) the nation
condemnation of religious syncretism
bi-polar opposites 850 vs. 1methods of prayer
the people “saw”witnessed
Elijah “sacrifices” the prophets of Baal
1 KINGS 19
very strong windearthquakefire - literally,“sound of crushed silence”  [a] The assignment including the responsibility of an Israelite prophet to anoint a future king of Syria underscores the power of YHWH over all nations. [b] The reference to Yehu identifies the ruler soon to end the Omride Dynasty amidst widespread slaughter.  [c] The reference to Elisha forms the same kind of cryptic introduction of a hitherto unknown prophet that we saw in 17 with respect to Elijah himself.
1 Kings 20  [1] prophetic interpretation of political events  [2] anonymous prophet from nowhere influences the king
Ben Hadad of Syria
1 Kings 21 Vineyard of Nabot  Baal, the god who covets and thus acquires.  “Because you have sold out to doing evil in the eyes of YHWH, I will bring disaster upon you. I will burn away your future and I will cut off from Ahab [even] the one who pisses on the wall, bond or free in Israel. I will make your dynasty like the dynasty of Jeroboam ben Nebat and the dynasty of Baasha ben Ahiyah, because of the provocation you have brought about by leading Israel into sin. YHWH has also spoken about Jezebel: ‘the dogs will devour Jezebel in the open spaces of Jezreel. The dogs will devour everyone in the line of Ahab who dies in town. Everyone who dies in the country, the birds of heaven will devour” (21.21- 24).
Micayehu ben Yimlah1 Kings 22Micaiah ben Imlah (Eng)
Ahab-Israel & Yehoshaphat-JudahRamot-Gilead
Baasha and Ben-Hadad I  400 prophets on kings’ payrollvs.one prophet not on the payroll  Micayehu not in palace with the 400recognized/accredited by his king“hated” by his king
Begged not to dissent from the group opinion. Responds as Balaam had:“All that YHWH will speak, that I will do” (Num 23.26).“What YHWH will speak, that I will speak” (Num 24.13).“What YHWH will say to me, that I will speak” (1 Kings 22.14).
Two human kings vs. YHWH
The heavenly r aȗaḥ ḥ
Deuteronomy 18.18 notes that if a prophet was obligated to speak the davar that YHWH placed in his mouth, Zedekiah and his cohorts had no say in the matter.
Jeremiah doesn’t want to preach:  “I said, ‘I will not mention Him, I will speak no more in His name.’ But [His davar] was like a burning fire in my heart, shut up in my bones. I could not hold it in. I was helpless” (Jeremiah 20.9).
False Prophets:  Jeremiah also accuses some prophets of speaking a vision that derives from their own minds.  God says: “If a prophet is deceived and speaks a davar, I YHWH, have deceived him” (Ezek 14.9).  Micah (8th century) views a false prophet as one who changes his messages depending upon his economic situation (3.5).
Disguise:
“The king died and was brought to Samaria. They flushed out the chariot in the pool of Samaria. So the dogs lapped up his blood and the whores bathed in it exactly as the davar of YHWH had said” (22.37-38).
The final public act of Elijah2 Kings 1
Ahazyah, son of Ahab and JezebelEkron“The Lord of the Flies”
ELISHA BEN SHAPHAT 2 Kings 2-13
Gilgal-Bethel-Jericho-Jordan River
“sons of the prophets”  [1] divides the Jordan River  [2] place of burial unknown
[3] possesses the divine r aȗaḥ ḥ
[4] chooses his own successor
“double portion”
The “mantle” of Elijah  [1] Arranges a military hoax against Moab (3.1-27).  [2] Helped the widow of a member of the prophet guild pay her debts (4.1-7).  [3] Promised the birth and then resurrected a son to a woman in Shunem (4.8-37).  [4] Nullified poisonous gourds planted accidentally (4.38-41).  [5] Feeds 100 men with 20 loaves & some fresh grain (4.42-44).  [6] Healed a Syrian command (Naaman) from leprosy (5.1-19).  [7] Transferred the leprosy to Gehazi, a disobedient, greedy servant (5.20-27). [8] Made an iron axe-head float so it could be retrieved (6.1-7).  [9] Blinded a Syrian raiding party/led them to Samaria (6.8-23).  [10] His bones revived a corpse (13.20-21).
social and political activist
Elisha died sometime late in the reign of Yehoash (2 Kings 13.20), the immediate predecessor of Jeroboam II (786-746 BCE)