The Eschatological Significance of Leviticus 26 (original) (raw)
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An Exegetical and Canonical Analysis of Leviticus 26: Laws, Covenants, Promises, and Warnings
2009
The Introduction of this work provided background, historical, and textual information about Leviticus 26 as well as a detailed outline of this text. This Bible chapter revealed the corporate human responsibility of the chosen nation to obey Yahweh’s covenant and the plan of a Sovereign God in response to their obedience and disobedience. Chapter 1 provided an exegesis of Lev 26:1–3, 14–15, 34–35, 43, and 46. It also examined the usage of the Hebrew term for the “Sabbath(s)” and the four Hebrew legal terms found in Leviticus 26 throughout the Hebrew Bible. Chapter 2 presented an exegesis of Lev 26:9–13, 40–45. It also analyzed the conceptual usage of the Hebrew term for “covenant” in the Hebrew Bible. It concluded that covenants always formalize and deepen relationships. Chapter 3 offered an exegesis of Lev 26:3–13 which stated that the blessings promised to Israel for obedience to the Mosaic covenantal stipulations included life, vitality, fruitfulness, many descendants, a powerful national defense, and extremely prosperous agricultural endeavors. This chapter concluded by comparing the blessings promised in Leviticus 26 with those in Deuteronomy 28. Chapter 4 provided an exegesis of Lev 26:14–39 which delineated the coming chastisements for Israel’s disloyalty to Yahweh and their violations of the Mosaic covenant. These corrective measures are in five intensifying levels of curses designed to bring Israel to repentance. This chapter compared the curses listed in Leviticus 26 with those in Deuteronomy 28. Chapter 5 gave an exegesis of Lev 26:40–45 which revealed the future hope for the ethnic people of Israel. This chapter also compared the coming restoration promised in Leviticus 26 with the expanded promises of Deuteronomy 30. Chapter 6 discussed the use of Historical Theology and analyzed the Baptist tradition regarding the moral law. It also summarized the importance of familiarity with Leviticus 26 for exegeting other Old Testament canonical books. It outlined the dependence of the book of Amos on Leviticus 26. Leviticus 26 should be studies because it is a critical background text for many of the Former and Latter Prophets who used this text in their inspired writings as covenant enforcers. Therefore, effort should be made to be aware of this prior text when studying later biblical authors who are quoting or alluding to Leviticus 26.
SEBTS, 2008
The Introduction of this work provided background, historical, and textual information about Leviticus 26 as well as a detailed outline of this text. This section will show that this Bible chapter revealed the corporate human responsibility of the chosen nation to obey Yahweh’s covenant and the plan of a sovereign God in response to their obedience and disobedience. Chapter 1 provided an exegesis of Lev 26:1–3, 14–15, 34–35, 43, and 46. It also examined the usage of the Hebrew term for the “Sabbath(s)” and the four Hebrew legal terms found in Leviticus 26 throughout the Hebrew Bible. Chapter 2 presented an exegesis of Lev 26:9–13, 40–45. It also analyzed the conceptual usage of the Hebrew term for “covenant” in the Hebrew Bible. It concluded that covenants always formalize and deepen relationships. Chapter 3 offered an exegesis of Lev 26:3–13 which stated that the blessings promised to Israel for obedience to the Mosaic covenantal stipulations included life, vitality, fruitfulness, many descendants, a powerful national defense, and extremely prosperous agricultural endeavors. This chapter concluded by comparing the blessings promised in Leviticus 26 with those in Deuteronomy 28. Chapter 4 provided an exegesis of Lev 26:14–39 which delineated the coming chastisements for Israel’s disloyalty to Yahweh and their violations of the Mosaic Covenant. These corrective measures are in five intensifying levels of curses designed to bring Israel to repentance. This chapter compared the curses listed in Leviticus 26 with those in Deuteronomy 28. Chapter 5 gave an exegesis of Lev 26:40–45 which revealed the future hope for the ethnic people of Israel. This chapter also compared the coming restoration promised in Leviticus 26 with the expanded promises of Deuteronomy 30. Chapter 6 analyzed the Baptist tradition regarding the moral law and the Sabbath and discussed the use of Historical Theology. It also summarized the importance of familiarity with Leviticus 26 for exegeting other selected Old Testament canonical books. This was illustrated by portraying the dependence of the book of Amos on Leviticus 26. Leviticus 26 should be studies because it is a critical background text for many of the Former and Latter Prophets who used this text in their inspired writings as covenant enforcers. Therefore, effort should be made to be aware of this prior text when studying later biblical authors who are quoting or alluding to Leviticus 26.
A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Department of Hebrew and Jewish Studies, New York University, September 2018 [Advisor Lawrence H. Schiffman], 2018
This dissertation examines the use of Leviticus 26 in four Second Temple-era Jewish texts: Chronicles, Jubilees, Words of the Luminaries, and the Damascus Document. Prevailing scholarship will cite the fact that these texts review the history of how Israel’s disobedience provoked the covenant chastisements epitomized by exile as proof that Second Temple Jews believed that they had fallen under the curses. The Chronicler’s views on chastisement have been attributed to extreme (Deuteronomic) doctrines of immediate retribution and human initiated repentance. A contrasting belief that true repentance, bringing salvation, was only possible through a divinely initiated recreation of the human spirit has been increasingly imputed to the latter three texts. However, this dissertation argues that Chronicles, Jubilees, Words of the Luminaries, and the Damascus Document texts are all fundamentally oriented to the Leviticus 26 teleological paradigm of chastisement-induced repentance, more than the concept of tit-for-tat retributive cursing generally associated with Deuteronomy 28-29. All four texts read and reference Leviticus 26 for an optimistic, reassuring understanding that the covenant chastisements epitomized by exile are a God-guided experiential process whose telos is their repentance. Israel’s suffering serves a purpose, bringing about a reversal of deliberately-committed ancestral trespass (ma‘al; Lev 26:40-41). In conceptualizing repentance in these texts as a divinely initiated process of inner transformation, this study moves beyond the dichotomy of “human-initiated” and “divine-initiated” repentance assumed by earlier scholarship. The latter three texts draw overt—but by scholars unappreciated and/or actively denied—references to the simple meaning of Lev 26:44-45 promising that God will preserve the people and the covenant he struck with them at Sinai no matter what the people do.