After reading chapter 20:
*Here we are told which cities are assigned to be cities of refuge for those who kill by accident, as described back in Numbers 35. The person who is responsible for avenging the death cannot harm a person who has fled to one one of these cities. The designated cities were: Kadesh in the land of Naphtali, Shechem in the land of Ephraim, Hebron in the land of Judah, Bezer in the land of Reuben, Ramoth in the land of Gad, and Golan in the land of Manasseh.
After reading chapter 21:
*Now the tribe of Levites come to Joshua and ask for their allotted towns with pastureland, prime real estate, as promised by Moses. Yahweh, through Joshua, gave the Kohathite levites who were descended from Aaron 13 towns in the lands of Judah, Bejamin, and Simeon. The rest of the Kohathite Levites were given 10 towns in the lands of Ephraim, Dan, and Manasseh. The Gershon Levites were given 13 towns in the lands of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and Manasseh. The Merari Levites were given 12 towns from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun. So, all twelve non-Levite tribes had Levites living among them to keep an eye on things and make sure they, um Yahweh, was obeyed.
*The second half of the chapter seems to repeat the first half but with more detail. The Levites were apparently given the cities of refuge as part of their allotments. This could be very convenient. Imagine the opportunities for exploitation of the law and of those who were seeking refuge.
*Last we are told that Yahweh gave the Israelites rest and not one of their enemies withstood them. This is an odd statement, considering it was admitted in previous chapters that they could not control certain parts of the land. However, it is an opportunity to claim that all of Yahweh's promises have been fulfilled, if you overlook a few pesky details.
Showing posts with label Naphtali. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Naphtali. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 13, 2016
Tuesday, April 12, 2016
Joshua chapter 19
After reading chapter 19:
*Here we have more distribution of land by tribe. First the tribe of Simeon, which was given a portion of Judah's land, 17 towns and villages, because Judah had more land than they needed. Next, the tribe of Zebulun was given twelve towns and villages. The tribe of Issachar was given 16 towns and villages. The tribe of Asher was given 22 towns and villages. The tribe of Naphtali was given 19 towns and villages.
*The tribe of Dan was given was given a territory but had trouble taking posession. (Yahweh must have been taking a break.) So they attacked the city of Leshem, killed all the inhabitants and settled there, renaming the city Dan. The second largest tribe, according to Numbers, recieved one of the smallest portions of land.
*Lastly, the Israelites gave Joshua the town he asked for, Timnath Serah, in the territory of Ephraim. (Joshua was an Ephraimite.) This was done by Yahweh's command, and Yahweh conveniently spoke through Joshua. So, Joshua basically said,"God told me to tell you that I get this land." And all this was sanctioned by the high priest, who of course would not object, considering the benefits of his job.
I encourage you to read all the articles on the various tribes and towns. They contain some interesting bits of information and folklore.
*Here we have more distribution of land by tribe. First the tribe of Simeon, which was given a portion of Judah's land, 17 towns and villages, because Judah had more land than they needed. Next, the tribe of Zebulun was given twelve towns and villages. The tribe of Issachar was given 16 towns and villages. The tribe of Asher was given 22 towns and villages. The tribe of Naphtali was given 19 towns and villages.
*The tribe of Dan was given was given a territory but had trouble taking posession. (Yahweh must have been taking a break.) So they attacked the city of Leshem, killed all the inhabitants and settled there, renaming the city Dan. The second largest tribe, according to Numbers, recieved one of the smallest portions of land.
*Lastly, the Israelites gave Joshua the town he asked for, Timnath Serah, in the territory of Ephraim. (Joshua was an Ephraimite.) This was done by Yahweh's command, and Yahweh conveniently spoke through Joshua. So, Joshua basically said,"God told me to tell you that I get this land." And all this was sanctioned by the high priest, who of course would not object, considering the benefits of his job.
I encourage you to read all the articles on the various tribes and towns. They contain some interesting bits of information and folklore.
Saturday, August 15, 2015
Genesis chapter 49
After reading chapter 49:
*Jacob gathers his sons around to predict their futures, and the futures of their descendants. Reuben will not excel because he slept with his father's slave wife, Bilhah. Simeon and Levi, who killed all the men in Shechem, will be cursed and scattered in Israel. Judah will be a ruler, and is blessed. Zebulon will live by the sea. Issachar will be forced to labor. Dan will provide justice for the tribes of Israel. Gad will be attacked. Asher will be a gourmet. Naphtali will have beautiful offspring. Joseph is given many blessings and called the prince among his brothers. Benjamin is described as a ravenous wolf.
*Here is the first time we encounter symbolic references to the lion of Judah and God as a shepherd and a rock.
*For people, like me, who do not belive in being able to see the future, passages like this are assumed to have been written with hindsight, with knowledge of certain events having already happened. Therefore, it had to have been written some time after the first king of Israel in the lineage of Judah, David. That would be a good 700 years or so after these events.
*Jacob asks his sons to have him buried in the same place as Abrahaham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, and Leah, in the cave on land bought from the Hittites. Then he dies.
*Jacob gathers his sons around to predict their futures, and the futures of their descendants. Reuben will not excel because he slept with his father's slave wife, Bilhah. Simeon and Levi, who killed all the men in Shechem, will be cursed and scattered in Israel. Judah will be a ruler, and is blessed. Zebulon will live by the sea. Issachar will be forced to labor. Dan will provide justice for the tribes of Israel. Gad will be attacked. Asher will be a gourmet. Naphtali will have beautiful offspring. Joseph is given many blessings and called the prince among his brothers. Benjamin is described as a ravenous wolf.
*Here is the first time we encounter symbolic references to the lion of Judah and God as a shepherd and a rock.
*For people, like me, who do not belive in being able to see the future, passages like this are assumed to have been written with hindsight, with knowledge of certain events having already happened. Therefore, it had to have been written some time after the first king of Israel in the lineage of Judah, David. That would be a good 700 years or so after these events.
*Jacob asks his sons to have him buried in the same place as Abrahaham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, and Leah, in the cave on land bought from the Hittites. Then he dies.
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
Genesis chapter 30, part 1
After reading chapter 30:
*Rachel, unable to have children, becomes jealous of her sister. Who saw that coming? She demands Jacob give her a child. To our modern eyes, Rachel is probably the one with the fertility problem, because Jacob is obviously doing his part to increase the population. Jacob says it's god's fault, not his. I'm sure this way of looking at the problem works better for everyone than blaming Rachel.
*Just like Sarah, Rachel gives her maidservant (read "Slave" here) Bilhah to Jacob as a wife. Now Bilhah becomes a different kind of slave. Of course no one asks her if that's what she wants. Jacob has no problem with this and promptly proves again that he is not the one with fertility issues. Rachel claims Bilhah's child as her own and names him Dan. Bilhah has no right to her offspring. Jacob gets busy and Bilhah produces another child for Rachel to possess. He is named Naphtali. Rachel gloats that she is winning the baby contest with her sister.
*Meanwhile, Leah, whose body is taking a break from baby making, is worried about falling behind. So, she gives her servant (slave) Zilpah to Jacob as a wife. Of corse, Zilpah is not consulted. She bears Jacob two children, Gad and Asher. Leah considers them her own.
*Reuben, Leah's oldest son, was working in the fields and found some mandrakes which were thought to have the power to increase or produce fertility. Today we know better. Reuben brought the mandrakes to his mother, but Rachel wanted them. She sold Jacob's services to Leah for the night, in return for the mandrakes. That didn't work out so well for Rachel. Leah got pregnant and had a fifth son, Issachar. She had the nerve to say that it just showed God was pleased that she gave her slave Zilpah to Jacob. Then she had a sixth son, Zebulun, and was sure this would make Jacob love her. After that she had a daughter, Dinah, who we will encounter later.
*Finally, Rachel gets pregnant and has a son, Joseph. She gives God all the credit for what her own body did, but she doesn't let him off the hook. She's already wanting another son.
*Rachel, unable to have children, becomes jealous of her sister. Who saw that coming? She demands Jacob give her a child. To our modern eyes, Rachel is probably the one with the fertility problem, because Jacob is obviously doing his part to increase the population. Jacob says it's god's fault, not his. I'm sure this way of looking at the problem works better for everyone than blaming Rachel.
*Just like Sarah, Rachel gives her maidservant (read "Slave" here) Bilhah to Jacob as a wife. Now Bilhah becomes a different kind of slave. Of course no one asks her if that's what she wants. Jacob has no problem with this and promptly proves again that he is not the one with fertility issues. Rachel claims Bilhah's child as her own and names him Dan. Bilhah has no right to her offspring. Jacob gets busy and Bilhah produces another child for Rachel to possess. He is named Naphtali. Rachel gloats that she is winning the baby contest with her sister.
*Meanwhile, Leah, whose body is taking a break from baby making, is worried about falling behind. So, she gives her servant (slave) Zilpah to Jacob as a wife. Of corse, Zilpah is not consulted. She bears Jacob two children, Gad and Asher. Leah considers them her own.
*Reuben, Leah's oldest son, was working in the fields and found some mandrakes which were thought to have the power to increase or produce fertility. Today we know better. Reuben brought the mandrakes to his mother, but Rachel wanted them. She sold Jacob's services to Leah for the night, in return for the mandrakes. That didn't work out so well for Rachel. Leah got pregnant and had a fifth son, Issachar. She had the nerve to say that it just showed God was pleased that she gave her slave Zilpah to Jacob. Then she had a sixth son, Zebulun, and was sure this would make Jacob love her. After that she had a daughter, Dinah, who we will encounter later.
*Finally, Rachel gets pregnant and has a son, Joseph. She gives God all the credit for what her own body did, but she doesn't let him off the hook. She's already wanting another son.
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