an essay on the hebrew bible

7/30/2019 An Essay on the Hebrew Bible

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Kaitlin AndersonThe Flood

Religion 110 Fall 2012Dr. Starbuck

Word Count = 724

In the Hebrew Bible, stories may seem to flow seamlessly together, but can actually have

different authors and be written in completely different time periods. The story of The Flood is a

prime example, as the narrative switches between the Yahwist and Priestly sources. The fusing

of the two stories, their connections with their respective creation stories, and their historical

placement all help us to understand their intended meaning.

While the Flood story can be read as just one narrative, there are actually two very

separate accounts of what happened. Bandstra writes that The difference here is that these two

versions are interwoven with some sentences attributable to the Yahwist writer and others to the

Priestly writer. The sentence structure and vocabulary of the flood story varies from time to

timethis is the changing between the Yahwist writer and the Priestly writer. These two authors

write very similar accounts of the flood story, but there are also specific differences between the

two. Perhaps most obviously, Their respective contributions can still be identified by their

characteristic style and vocabulary. While both versions are essentially saying the same thing,

they are identifiable by their differences in syntax and details. For example, where the Priestly

version writes In the six hundredth year of Noahs life, in the second month, in the seventeenth

day of the month, on this day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the

windows of the Heavens were opened, the Yahwist version writes And seven days later the

waters of the flood were on the earth.And there was rain on the earth, forty days and forty

nights. A general trait of the Priestly source is more attention to detail. Bandstra also argues that

In the YHWH version, humanity is at fault and humanity along with all other living things

becomes the focus of YHWHs wrath. In the Elohim version, the earth is the focus and how flesh


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Word Count = 724

had corrupted it. This shows that there are more than just differing details in the two accounts;

there are differing themes as well. The difference of themes can be explained by the difference in

writer, background, and historical time period. Another prime example of differences in

vocabulary, the Elohim version can be identified by characteristic toledot notice, these are the

generations of. Identifiers such as these can be extremely helpful in noticing the difference

between different authors. Every author has their own unique style, which can be used to

understand when a certain passage in the bible was written. The Yahwist source tells nothing of

the building of the Ark, says the rain lasted for 40 days, and involves animals being gathered in

groups of seven. The Priestly writer says that there was only one pair of each type of animal, and

omits Noahs sacrifice. One key identifier for the Priestly writer is that they found ritual details

extremely important, especially when it comes to the chronology of Israels religion. They would

have left out the sacrifice because sacrifice rules had not been established yet. However, the

Yahwist source would have more animals on the ark, because the clean animals would be used

later on for sacrifice. This is yet another example about how these stories can be so similar, yet

have so many differences.

The historical placement is very helpful in understanding the intended meaning of the

flood story, and both stories have strong ties to their respective creation stories. The Priestly

source was written in 550 BCE, between the fall of Jerusalem and the return from exile. This was

the last of the four sources, and also has themes that both identify the source and tie in very

closely with the flood story. These themes include divine blessings that are tied to population

growth, covenants, genealogies, and connections among individuals and peoples. The priestly

source emphasizes all of these in the flood story. The Yahwist narrative was written around 950


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Word Count = 724

BCE. This would put it between the emergence of the kingship and the division of the kingdoms

of Northern Israel and Judah. This is the oldest written source of the Torah, and its story line

frames the entire Torah. All the other sources build upon the Yahwist narrative, whose themes

include divine promises, covenants, and human sin. All of these play major roles in the Yahwist

account of the flood. As for the connection between the Flood story and the Creation story,

Bandstra writes that The language and imagery of the Flood narrative echo the Elohim Creation

story at too many strategic points tobe coincidental. The main theme of the flood story implies

that God had a desire to bring the earth back to its pre-creation state a chaotic mess, and a clean

slate for man. He wanted to start over, and decided to do so by wiping the face of the earth clean.

The Flood story is just one of many examples of a bible passage switching between two

sources, but it is by far one of the most notable and important. The difference in vocabulary and

details clue the reader in to the backgrounds and lives of the authors of each of these sources. By

analyzing these sources, the passage itself, and the historical background, it is easier to

understand the intended meaning.

Bandstra, Barry. Reading the Old Testament. 4th Edition.

Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 2009. Print.

The Harper Collins Study Bible. Student Edition.

San Francisco, CA: HarperCollins Publishers, 2006. Print.

an essay on the hebrew bible

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