(לו) וַֽיי נָתַ֨ן אֶת־חֵ֥ן הָעָ֛ם בְּעֵינֵ֥י מִצְרַ֖יִם וַיַּשְׁאִל֑וּם וַֽיְנַצְּל֖וּ אֶת־מִצְרָֽיִם׃ (פ) (לז) וַיִּסְע֧וּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל מֵרַעְמְסֵ֖ס סֻכֹּ֑תָה כְּשֵׁשׁ־מֵא֨וֹת אֶ֧לֶף רַגְלִ֛י הַגְּבָרִ֖ים לְבַ֥ד מִטָּֽף׃
What is strange about this passage from Joshua? Does the fact that circumcision is attested in Egypt but not in Canaan illuminate what might be going on?
Song of Deborah (12th - 11th Century BCE):
Celebrates the battle in which the tribes of Israel united and triumphed over the Canaanite army led by the powerful king of Hazor and his general Sisera, likely the battle that first established Israel's hegemony as a country, with Deborah as its leader.
Questions: Which tribes are not mentioned? How does this compare to the third great ancient poem, the blessing of Moses?
(14) From Ephraim came they whose roots are in Amalek; After you, your kin Benjamin; From Machir came down leaders, From Zebulun such as hold the marshal’s staff. (15) And Issachar’s chiefs were with Deborah; As Barak, so was Issachar— Rushing after him into the valley. Among the clans of Reuben Were great decisions of heart. (16) Why then did you stay among the sheepfolds And listen as they pipe for the flocks? Among the clans of Reuben Were great searchings of heart! (17) Gilead tarried beyond the Jordan; And Dan—why did he linger by the ships? Asher remained at the seacoast And tarried at his landings. (18) Zebulun is a people that mocked at death, Naphtali—on the open heights.
The Song of the Sea (Exodus 15:1b-18)
Transl. Richard Elliot Friedman. Date: 12th-9th c. BCE (acc. to David Noel Freedman)
Let me sing to Y'', for He triumphed! Horse and its rider He cast in the sea.
My strength and song are Yah, and He Became a salvation for me.
This is my God, and I'll praise Him, my father's God, and I'll hail Him.
Y'' is a warrior. Y” is His name.
Pharaoh's chariots and his army He plunged in the sea, and the choice of his troops drowned in the Red Sea. The deeps covered them. They sank in the depths like a stone.
Your right hand, Y”, awesome in power, your right hand, Y”, crushed the foe. And in your triumph's greatness you threw down your adversaries. You let go your fury: it consumed them like straw.
And by wind from your nostrils water was massed, surf piled up like a heap,
the deeps congealed in the heart of the sea.
The enemy said, “I'll purse! I'll catch up! I'll divide spoil! My soul will be sated! I'll unsheathe my sword! My hand will deprive them!”
You blew with your wind. Sea covered them. They sank like lead in the awesome water.
Who is like you among the gods, Y”! Who is like you: awesome in holiness!
Fearsome with splendors! Making miracles!
You reached your right hand: earth swallowed them. You led, in your kindness, the people you saved; you ushered, in your strength, to your holy abode.
Peoples heard –they shuddered. Shaking seized Philistia's residents. Then Edom's chiefs were terrified. Moab's chieftains: trembling seized them. All Canaan's residents melted. Terror and fear came over them. At the power of your arm they hushed like a stone.
'Til your people passed, Y”, 'til the people you created passed.
You'll bring them, and you'll plant them in your legacy's mountain, your throne's platform, that you made, Y”;
a sanctuary, Lord, that your hands built. Y” will reign forever and ever!
Questions:
How large is this group? Who makes up this group? What is their destination?
Additional Questions:
What do Hophni, Hur, Pinchas, Merari, Mushi, Pashhur, and Moshe all have in common?
What do a bark and an ark have in common?
Which tribe seems a bit violent? (e.g. Exodus 32:26-28, Pinchas, etc.)
Which one of these doesn't belong with the others according to some ancient cultures? The Widow, The Orphan, The Sojourner/Alien? Which one is mentioned 52 times in the Torah as requiring protections?
Answer Key for Instructors:
The Levite Hypothesis is that the exodus from Egypt was comprised of Hebrews who came to be called Levites. When they arrived at the Land (in the Canaan area), they formed a complex integration with the Hebrews already there, whom we know as the Israelite tribes. So when we see huge numbers of Israelites listed by tribe in the Torah, these listings are comprised from or related to Israelites who never were in Egypt, but were already in Canaan. Therefore, we shouldn't expect historical accounts of a massive Hebrew tribal exodus from Egypt; rather, we should expect that the exodus was smaller than we think of it, but it was real nonetheless. When the exodus reached the Land, they encountered the Israelite tribal confederation around the time of its unifier, the Mother of Israel, Deborah. The Israelites under Deborah did not have Torah, revelation, the Levite worship system, etc. Rather than being given Land, which was already apportioned delicately among the tribes, the Levites were made by law to own no land, to be dispersed among the tribes, and to given the roles of teachers and worship leaders of the Torah they had brought with them that focused on justice, especially for the resident alien. This was the symbiotic relationship formed.
Circumcision piece: Answer: Circumcision was known in Egypt --and so is essential to Levite but not Israelite sources-- but was not a common practice in the Canaanite region. The piece from Joshua is about the fact that the Levites would have insisted on circumcision, so we have a story that "covers" for the fact that the adult Israelites who needed and were circumcised were already in Canaan by adding a cover story (itself not credible) that the first generation just kinda' forgot to circumcise their children in the wilderness.
Song of Deborah does not mention the tribe of Levi. Why? They were not in the Land.
Song of Moses: Levi is assigned the tasks of Teacher and all functions of altar sites. Yes, this was the accommodation agreement between those arriving from the exodus and those already in the Land.
Song of the Sea: No mention of how large the exodus was. Could have been a smaller group than the later-added inflation of numbers. Who is the group? No mention of Israelites. They are just called an "Am" (people) of Adonai. So maybe the Levites earlier name was just Am Adonai, the people who worship Ya'. What is their destination? It's not Mount Sinai, it's an altar site in Canaan, where all the Canaanites are shuddering when they hear their tale upon their arrival. This would have been an ancient altar site ballad/text, again, the Levites running the altar site(s), singing their tale of leaving Egypt and coming to Canaan to bring Torah and worship.
All those names? They are all of the Egyptian names of Hebrews in the Torah. All happen to Levites. Again: evidence that the exodus were the Levites.
The shape of the ark mirrors the shape of Egyptian land-barks. Again, evidence that the Levites, who care for the ark, have that Egyptian connection, unlike the rest or the Israelites.
Which tribe has a reputation for some violence? The Levites. Why is this important? The Levites were not to be trifled with. Perhaps this may have been important if they claimed inclusion with their Hebrew cousins in the Land, and if the tribes had been reluctant to integrate them (e.g. they don't get any land).
Burning Bush. So the Am-Adonai, the Levites, call God by the tetragrammaton. The name for God among Israelites in Canaan was El or Elohim. So read the Burning Bush story again by thinking of it as an explanation of why these are two different names FOR THE SAME GOD OF ABRAHAM ISAAC AND JACOB the common Hebrew ancestors. The Levite "Ya" is the same as the Deborah/Israelite "El" and so God should henceforth be called "Ya' El'."