The
final ordering and editing of the Old Testament canon was also done by prophets
The fact that the canon was being
developed as it was written verse by verse also helps to explain the inspired
editing of books by later prophets. Solomon not only wrote many proverbs, he
also edited the order of previously written proverbs. (Ecclesiastes 12:9 says
that “he pondered and sought out and set in order many proverbs.”) The inspired
prophet Hezekiah did further arranging of the book of Proverbs. (Proverbs 25:1
says, “These also are the proverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah king of
Judah copied . . . “ The Hebrew word for “copied” [עתק] can mean “collected” or
arranged.) Hezekiah not only composed an inspired Psalm (see Isaiah 38:9-21),
but was also one of three prophets who were involved in editing and arranging
the Psalter in its present canonical form. (Many scholars conclude that this
editing process was the work of David [1 Chron. 15:16], Hezekiah 2 Chron.
29:30; Prov. 25:1], and Ezra [Nehemiah 8]. This editing work may have included
the addition of inspired superscriptions as well as the notes of how a book of
Psalms has just ended [see Psalm 72:20]. Ezra also wrote the books of Ezra,
Chronicles, and Psalm 119) He also appears to have been responsible for the
initial use of the “tri-grammaton” symbol that prophets placed at the end of
every book except for the “Megilloth” (i.e., the Festival Scrolls: Song of
Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes and Esther). Those five scrolls were
given a special place in the temple liturgy by the prophet Ezra, but were placed
before 2 Chronicles. The significance of this is that 2 Chronicles has a longer
and stronger form of the “tri-grammaton” symbol, . . . Thus, no section of the
Old Testmaent is without prophetic signature. (Phillip Kayser, The Canon of
Scripture: A Presuppositional Study [Biblical Blueprints, 2021], 53, 54)
Elsewhere, Kayser notes the following:
Nathan Wells gives examples of
potential edits when he says,
Examples of possible modernization
include the use of “Chaldees” in regard to Ur (Gen. 11:28, 31), and an update
to the city name of Laish to Dan (Gen. 14:14). Possible explanatory glosses include
the addition of “Damascus” to clarify Eliezer’s place of origin (Gen. 15:2), and
the parenthetical comment that equates Israel’s dispossession of the land to
the people of Esau’s dispossession of land of the Horites (Deut. 2:10-12), a
fact that had yet to occur. Transitional updates include such as the death of
Moses (Deut. 34), the death of Joshua (Josh. 24:29-33), as well as the
arrangement and transitional verses between the books of the Psalms (Ps. 41:13;
72:19; 89:52; 106:48), including the phrase, “The prayers of David the son of
Jesse are ended” (ps. 72:20). Apologetic commentary is seen in the text where
an editor inserted information so as to prove the validity of the narrative or
the continuing impact of an event. Examples include the previously mentioned archaeological
explanation regarding Og (Deut. 3:11), as well as the plentiful occurrences of
the phrases, “until this day,” “to this day” and other variations (Gen. 32:32;
Deut. 3:14; 10:8; 29:28; Josh. 7:26; 8:28; 9:27; et al.) (From an unpublished
paper, A Defense of Textual Updating) I personally do not see the need for
such explanations, but neither do I see them as out of accord with the
prophetic crafting of the canon by God’s authorization. (Ibid., 54-55 n. 15)
Finally, on Deut 4:2 and 12:32 (cf. Rev 22:18-19), we read that
When Moses forbade anyone from
adding to the law in Deuteronomy 4:2 and 12:32, he was not saying that Scripture
could not be added to the canon. Otherwise he would have disobeyed his own
injunction when adding several chapters to the end of Deuteronomy. God was
forbidding any additions to the moral code laid down in the Pentateuch.
Thus Jews held that the Pentateuch was a complete moral code, and that the
Writings and Prophets merely applied that law rather than adding to
it. If Ezra did indeed add inspired notes to the Pentateuch (a point still in
question), it is clear that he did not add to the moral code of the Pentateuch,
since no new laws were given by Ezra. (Ibid., 55 n. 16, emphasis in original)
Further Reading
Biblical Prophets Changing their Words and the Words of Previous Prophets