From Noah to Israel: Realization of the Primaeval Blessing After the Flood (JSOT Supplement)

168 Pages·2005·9.5 MB·English

by  Carol M. Kaminski

JOURNAL FOR THE STUDY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
SUPPLEMENT SERIES
413
Editors
Claudia V. Camp, Texas Christian University
and
Andrew Mein, Westcott House, Cambridge
Founding Editors
David J. A. Clines, Philip R. Davies and David M. Gunn
Editorial Board
Richard J. Coggins, Alan Cooper, John Goldingay,
Robert P. Gordon, Norman K. Gottwald, John Jarick,
Andrew D. H. Mayes, Carol Meyers, Patrick D. Miller
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From Noah to Israel
Realization of the Primaeval Blessing
After the Flood
Carol M. Kaminski
T&.T CLARK INTERNATIONAL
A Continuum imprint
LONDON • NEW YORK
Copyright © 2004 T&T Clark International
A Continuum imprint
Published by T&T Clark International
The Tower Building, 11 York Road, London SE1 7NX
15 East 26th Street, Suite 1703, New York, NY 10010
www.tandtclark.com
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or
by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information
storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress
Typeset by ISB Typesetting, Sheffield
Printed on acid-free paper in Great Britain by Cromwell Press, Trowbridge, Wilts.
ISBN 0-567-08358-6 (hardback)
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CONTENTS
Preface vii
Abbreviations ix
INTRODUCTION 1
Chapter 1
Is THE DISPERSAL IN GENESIS 9.19 TO BE INTERPRETED POSITIVELY? 10
Chapter 2
ARE THE BABELITES REJECTING THE COMMAND TO FILL THE EARTH? 22
Chapter 3
DOES YHWH's SCATTERING NOAH'S DESCENDANTS FULFIL THE
PRIMAEVAL BLESSING? 30
Chapter 4
Is THE PRIMAEVAL BLESSING FULFILLED IN THE TABLE OF NATIONS? 43
Chapter 5
THE PRIMAEVAL BLESSING AND THE SHEMITE GENEALOGY 60
Chapter 6
DOES THE PRIMAEVAL HISTORY END ON A NOTE OF JUDGMENT? 80
Chapter 7
DOES THE PROMISE OF INCREASE TO THE PATRIARCHS CONTRIBUTE
TO THE REALIZATION OF THE PRIMAEVAL BLESSING AFTER THE FLOOD? 92
Chapter 8
REALIZATION OF THE PRIMAEVAL BLESSING THROUGH ISRAEL 111
Chapter 9
FULFILMENT OF THE PRIMAEVAL BLESSING IN EGYPT
(Exoous 1.1-7) 124
CONCLUSION 139
Bibliography and Further Reading 147
Index of References 154
Index of Authors 156
PREFACE
My interest in the book of Genesis began many years ago. Doctoral studies at St.
Catharine's College, Cambridge, provided me the opportunity to pursue this
interest in a way not possible previously. This book is essentially my doctoral
dissertation with minor revisions, submitted to Cambridge University in 2002.1
am keenly aware that this work would not have come to fruition without the
generous support of a number of institutions. I am grateful for the Cambridge
Commonwealth Trust Bursary, along with the ORS Scholarship awarded by the
Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals, which enabled me as an
international student to study abroad. The Australian College of Theology kindly
granted me a Faculty Research Scholarship while on study leave from the Bible
College of Victoria in Australia. Tyndale House in Cambridge provided a
welcoming and stimulating context in which to study. Even with the generous
support of these institutions, my research would not have been possible without
the love and encouragement of friends, family and Bulleen Baptist Church. I am
deeply thankful for my husband, Matthew, for his love and commitment to me
throughout this project. I also wish to acknowledge Michaela Eyl, for her helpful
comments with regard to German translation, and Elizabeth Robar, for her
assistance in preparing this manuscript for publication.
I am especially grateful to my doctoral supervisor, Regius Professor of Hebrew,
Robert Gordon, whose insightful and critical comments have been invaluable to
me. His patience, kindness and encouragement over the years enabled me to press
on, especially when the task at hand seemed overwhelming. While any faults in
this book are my own responsibility, the careful scrutiny and editing of my disser-
tation by Professor Gordon have, in no small measure, left an indelible mark
throughout the pages of my work.
In recognition that learning takes place in the context of community, I am
thankful to a number of scholars who have contributed to my understanding of
the biblical text. While I was studying at the Bible College of Victoria, Dr. Rikk
Watts, who first introduced me to biblical theology and exegesis, inspired me to
do graduate work in biblical studies. Other faculty members at the College,
notably Drs. David Price and Ted Woods, provided further encouragement along
the way. Subsequent study abroad at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary,
Massachusetts, contributed significantly to my understanding of the redemptive
story in the Old Testament and its fulfilment in the New. I would also like to
express my appreciation for conversations with Mary Fisher about how the Bible
fits together theologically and its implications for the church. Within the wider
academic community, the meticulous research of a number of Old Testament
viii From Noah to Israel
scholars with whom I interact in this book has helped me to clarify and develop
my understanding of the theology of Genesis. I have appreciated the dialogue
made possible by the quality of their scholarship and their commitment to the
study of the first book of the Pentateuch.
Lastly, I am grateful to the God of the Old Testament, YHWH, who has
revealed himself to me throughout the pages of Genesis, showing that his redemp-
tive purposes advance in and through sinful humanity. His gracious forbearance
leads me to worship and service - with a heart overflowing with thanks.
Carol M. Kaminski
ABBREVIATIONS
AB Anchor Bible
ABD David Noel Freedman (ed.), The Anchor Bible Dictionary (New York:
Doubleday, 1992)
ASV American Standard Version
AV Authorized Version
BDB Francis Brown, S.R. Driver and Charles A. Briggs, A Hebrew and
English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1907)
BHS Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia
Bib Biblica
BK Bibel und Kirche
BKAT Biblischer Kommentar: Altes Testament
BSac Bibliotheca Sacra
CBQ Catholic Biblical Quarterly
ESV English Standard Version
GKC Gesenius' Hebrew Grammar (ed. E. Kautzsch; revised and trans. A.E.
Cowley; Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1910)
IBC Interpretation Bible Commentary
ICC International Critical Commentary
Int Interpretation
JB Jerusalem Bible
JBL Journal of Biblical Literature
JETS Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society
Joiion Joiion, P., A Grammar of Biblical Hebrew (2 vols.; trans, and rev. by T.
Muraoka; Rome: Subsidia biblica, 1991)
JPS Jewish Publication Society
JSOT Journal for the Study of the Old Testament
JSOTSup Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, Supplement Series
KB3 Koehler, L. and W. Baumgartner, The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of
the Old Testament (5 vols.; revised by W. Baumgartner and J.J. Stamm;
trans, under the supervision of M.E.J. Richardson; Leiden: E.J. Brill,
1994-2000)
KD Kerygma und Dogma
KJV King James Version
LCL Loeb Classical Library
LXX Septuagint
MT Masoretic Text
NAC New American Commentary
NASB New American Standard Bible
NCBC New Century Bible Commentary
NEB New English Bible
NIBC New International Bible Commentary