Saturday, June 4, 2022

Eshel, Eshel, and Lange on the Shema

  

Deut 6:4 is one of the most extensively discussed lines of the Hebrew Bible. While most interpreters agree that the first line of the Shema’ Israel is not monotheistic statement, the meaning of the word אחד in Deut 6:4 remains controversial. In our opinion, Deut 6:4 should be translated as “Hear, O Israel The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.” J. Tigay describes the henotheistic intent of אחד as follows: “this is not a declaration of monotheism . . . though other peoples worship various beings and things they consider divine . . . Israel is to recognize YHVH alone” (Deuteronomy [The JPS Torah Commentary; Philadelphian and Jerusalem: Jewish Publication Society, 1996], 76). While early inscriptions from Kuntillet ‘Ajrud could suggest that Deut 6:4 argued originally against multiple local version of YHWH such as יהוה תימן (“YHWH of Teman”) and יהוה שמרן (“YHWH of Samaria), it needs to be emphasized that these local forms of YHWH are attested only in relatively few early inscriptions. It seems more probable that Deut 6:4 argues in a positive way against Israelite polytheism, which is criticized by many Deuteronomistic texts. Deut 6:4 would thus be a monolatric statement that emphasizes Israel’s exclusive relationship with God while not denying the existence of other deities. (Esther Eshel, Hanan Eshel, and Armin Lange, "'Hear, O Israel' in Gold An Ancient Amulet from Halbturn in Austria," Journal of Ancient Judaism 1 [2010]: 44-45, emphasis in bold added)

 

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