When reading or studying the Holy Scriptures the placement of certain verses in the text is often not considered as to whether or not it is in correct chronological sequence. Usually a passage is read as though it naturally flows effortlessly from one theme to another in an unbroken divine ordering, but is this necessarily the case? The chapters, verses, captions, and subject titles in the TANAKH [Jewish Bible] are placed there by the redactors, translators, scribes, scholars and editors for convenience; and the choices are quite arbitrary, although not without some very good or nearly brilliant reasoning, considering that these editions vary from one version to another. The original Torah scroll had no punctuation marks, vowels, paragraph breaks, notes or vertical columns. The following citations will be commented upon as far as where they fit within the context or body (“corpus”) of their respective narratives.
The Book of DEUTERONOMY
*29: 27*
Therefore, the anger of the LORD burned against that land [Judah or Israel??], to bring upon it every curse which is written in this book; and the LORD uprooted them from their land in anger and in fury and in great wrath, and cast them into another land, as it is this day.
NOTE: Very significant because the TORAH [GENESIS-DEUTERONOMY] is considered to be contemporary during the time of Moses, but this particular passage seems to suggest a later period for the writing during or after the Babylonian captivity [KEY: “As it is this day”] (SEE BELOW).
2 Kings 23: 26-27
Nevertheless, the LORD did not turn from His great wrath, with which his anger was aroused against Judah, because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked Him. And the LORD said, “I will also remove Judah from My sight, as I have removed Israel, and will cast off this city Jerusalem which I have chosen, and the house [Temple] of which I said, ‘My Name shall be there.’ ”
24: 2-4b, 20a
And the LORD sent against him raiding bands of Chaldeans, bands of Syrians, bands of Moabites, and bands of the people of Ammon; He sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the LORD which He had spoken by His servants the prophets. Surely at the command of the LORD this came upon Judah, to remove them from His sight because of the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done; for he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, which the LORD would not pardon [forgive]. For because of the anger of the LORD this happened in Jerusalem and Judah, that He finally cast them from His presence (Cp. Deuteronomy 29: 27).
The Book of JUDGES
*1: 8*
Now the children of Judah fought against Jerusalem [the Jebusites??] and took it; they struck it with the edge of the sword and set the city on fire.
1: 21
But the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites who inhabited Jerusalem; so the Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day (Cp. Joshua 15: 63).
NOTE: But the children of Judah defeated them [the Jebusites] and set the city on fire (verse 8), so did the tribe of Judah later vacate Jerusalem and the Jebusites repopulated Jerusalem and became too entrenched for the Benjamites to rout them, and so the Jebusites became assimilated into the tribe of Benjamin, or at the very least, some of their practices were introduced into the Hebrew social and religious culture. It would seem that a lot must have happened during these intervening thirteen verses.
*1: 16a* {FREEBIE}
The descendants of the Kenite, Moses’ father [‘brother’]-in-law (??).
NOTE: Moses’ father-in-law was Midianite (Cp. Exodus 2: 16, 18; 3: 1; Numbers 10: 29). Reuel or Jethro supposedly didn’t have a son, only 7 daughters (Cp. Exodus 2: 16, 20). Numbers 10: 29, states that Hobab was the son of Reuel. In Judges 4: 11, it says that Heber the Kenite, of the children of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses.
The Book of 1 SAMUEL
*10: 25a*
Then Samuel explained to the people the behavior of royalty, and wrote it in a book and laid it before the LORD.
NOTE: It would seem that Moses had already done this previously, according to Deuteronomy 17: 14-20.
*27: 6, 8, 10*
So Achish gave him Ziklag that day. Therefore Ziklag [a small settlement on the southern frontier of Philistia between Gaza and Beersheba] has belonged to the kings of Judah to this day. And David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites (a tribe bordering the Philistines on the South; Cp. Joshua 13: 2), the Girzrites [an unknown people living between the Philistines and Egypt], and the Amalekites. For those nations [Geshurites, Girzites, and Amalekites] were the inhabitants of the land [Canaan??] from of old (ancient times), as you go to Shur, even as far as the land of Egypt. Then Achish would say, “Where have you made a raid today?” And David would say, “Against the southern area of Judah, or against the southern area of Jerahmeelites, or against the southern area of the Kenites.” (Cp. 1 Samuel 30: 29b)
NOTE: Ziklag already belonging to a succession of Judean Kings [KEY: “To this day”] would pinpoint this writing to a later time period than what this passage introduces with King David, since he was the first King of Judah.
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
June 15, 2010
pbks@hotmail.com
