Exodus Through the Centuries (Blackwell Bible Commentaries)

313 Pages·2006·2.28 MB·English

by  Scott M. Langston

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Blackwell Bible Commentaries
Through the Centuries
Series Editors: John Sawyer, Christopher Rowland, Judith Kovacs, David M. Gunn
John Judges
Mark Edwards David Gunn
Revelation Exodus Through the Centuries
Judith Kovacs & Christopher Rowland Scott M. Langston
Forthcoming:
Genesis 1–11 Through the Centuries Jeremiah Through the Centuries
Danna Nolan Fewell & Gary Philips Mary Chilton Callaway
Genesis 12–50 Through the Centuries Lamentations Through the Centuries
Danna Nolan Fewell & Gary Philips Paul Joyce
Leviticus Through the Centuries Ezekial Through the Centuries
Mark Elliott Andrew Main
1 & 2 Samuel Through the Centuries Jonah Through the Centuries
David Gunn Yvonne Sherwood
1 & 2 Kings Through the Centuries Mark Through the Centuries
Martin O’Kane Christine Joynes
Esther Through the Centuries Luke Through the Centuries
Jo Carruthers Larry Kreitzer
Job Through the Centuries Romans Through the Centuries
Anthony York Paul Fiddes
Psalms Through the Centuries Galatians Through the Centuries
Susan Gillingham John Riches
Ecclesiastes Through the Centuries Pastoral Epistles Through the Centuries
Eric Christianson Jay Twomey
Isaiah Through the Centuries 1 CorinthiansThrough the Centuries
John F. A. Sawyer Jorunn Okland
2 Corinthians Through the Centuries
Paula Gooder
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Scott M. Langston
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© 2006 by Scott M. Langston
BLACKWELL PUBLISHING
350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148-5020, USA
9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4 2DQ, UK
550 Swanston Street, Carlton, Victoria 3053, Australia
The right of Scott M. Langston to be identified as the Author of this Work has been
asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs, and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photo-
copying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by the UK Copyright, Designs,
and Patents Act 1988, without the prior permission of the publisher.
First published 2006 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd
1 2006
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Langston, Scott M.
Exodus through the centuries/ Scott M. Langston.
p. cm.—(Blackwell Bible commentaries)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-0-631-23523-1 (alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 0-631-23523-X (alk. paper)
ISBN-13: 978-0-631-23524-8 (pbk. : alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 0-631-23524-8 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Bible. O.T. Exodus—
Commentaries. I. Title. II. Series.
BS1245.53.L36 2006
222(cid:98).1207—dc22
2005012642
A catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.
Set in 10 on 12.5 pt Minion
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Printed and bound in India
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The publisher’s policy is to use permanent paper from mills that operate a sustainable
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text paper and cover board used have met acceptable environmental accreditation
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www.blackwellpublishing.com
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List of Illustrations viii
Series Editors’ Preface xi
Preface xiii
Introduction 1
Jewish and Christian Uses 2
Political and Social Uses 4
Oppressive and Contradictory Uses 6
Artistic Uses 8
Aim and Design 10
vi Contents
Exodus 1–2 13
1:1–14 The Israelites’ Suffering 14
1:15–22 Attempts to Kill Israel’s Male Infants 17
2:1–10 Moses’ Birth 21
2:11–25 Moses’ Early Life 35
Moses and Modern Biographies 38
Exodus 3–4 42
3:1–6 Moses Encounters YHWH 43
3:7–4:17 Moses and YHWH Negotiate 61
4:18–31 YHWH Attempts to Kill Moses 72
Exodus 5–10 78
5:1–7:7 Moses and Pharaoh Begin Negotiations 78
7:8–10:29 The Plagues 88
Exodus 11:1–13:16 105
12:1–13:16 The Passover 105
11:1–3; 12:33–6 The Plundering of the Egyptians 116
11:1–10; 12:29–32 The Death of the Firstborn 119
Exodus 13:17–15:21 126
13:17–14:31 The Exodus 126
15:1–21 Israel’s Celebration 159
Exodus 15:22–18:27 170
The Testing of Israel 171
Exodus 19–31 185
Chapters 19–24 The Ten Commandments and Other Laws 186
Chapters 25–31 The Tabernacle 221
Exodus 32–40 231
Chapters 32–34 The Golden Calf 232
Chapters 35–40 The Completed Tabernacle 250
Epilogue: A Personal Word 254
Bibliography 256
Ancient and Medieval 256
Early Modern and Modern 264
Contents vii
Biographies and Glossary 283
Name Index 289
Subject Index 292
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Plate 1 Jacopo Barozzi, TheFindingofMoses. 27
Plate 2 Gentileschi, FindingofMoses. 28
Plate 3 He Qi, FindingofMoses. 29
Plate 4 Alain Foehr, Slavery. 34
Plate 5 BurningBush,GoldenHaggadah. 51
Plate 6 William Blake, MosesandtheBurningBush. 53
Plate 7 Alain Foehr, Mandela,NewMoses. 69
ListofIllustrations ix
Plate 8 MosesandAaronbeforePharaoh. 98
Plate 9 William Blake, Pestilence:DeathoftheFirstborn. 122
Plate 10 The Crossing of the Red Sea. Ashburnham
Pentateuch, fol. 68r. 131
Plate 11 Proposal for the Great Seal of the United States by
Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. 142
Plate 12 Howard Cook, Exodus. 157
Plate 13 Alain Foehr, CrossingtheRedSea. 158
Plate 14 Valentin Bousch, MosesandtheLaw. 203
Plate 15 Demonstrators lie on the ground and pray in the plaza
of the Alabama Judicial Building in Montgomery, Alabama. 215
Plate 16 A moving crew uses a bar to lift one end of
the Ten Commandments monument in the Alabama Judicial
Building in Montgomery, Alabama, August 27, 2003. 216
Plate 17 The Tabernacle. Ashburnham Pentateuch, fol. 76r. 223
Plate 18 Sébastien Bourdon, TheIsraelitesDancingaround
theGoldenCalf. 246
Color plates fall between pages 98 and 99.
Color plate 1 Maja Lisa Engelhardt, BurningBush. 98
Color plate 2 Maja Lisa Engelhardt, PillarofaCloud. 99