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DIVINITY SCHOOL
LIBRARY

THE LIBRARY OF THE
DIVINITY SCHOOL

HANDBOOKS OF
ETHICS AND RELIGION
EDITED BY
SHAILER MATHEWS

The series, "Handbooks of Ethics and
Religion," vnH include the following volumes
in addition to the present one:
The Psychology of ReUgion
By George A. Coe, Professor of Prac
tical Theology in Union Theological Seminary
The Rise of the New Testament Canon
By Edgar J. Goodspeed, Associate Pro
fessor of Biblical and Patristic Greek in the
University of Chicago
Christian Ethics
By Gerald B. Smith, Associate Profes
sor of Dogmatic Theology in the University
of Chicago
Introduction to Religious Education
By Theodore G. Scares, Professor ot
Homiletics and Religious Education in the
University of Chicago

THE ETHICS OF THE OLD
TESTAMENT

THE UNIVERSITY OF OHIOAGO PRESS
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

Ugcnte
THE BAKER & TAYLOR COMPANY
MEW TOBE
THE CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS
LONDON AND EDINBUBQH

THE
ETHICS OF THE OLD
TESTAMENT

B,

HINCKLEY G. MITCHELL
Professor of Hebreiu and Old Testament
Exegesis in Tufts College

THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO PRESS
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

D/

f^lk.

Copyright 1912 By
The University or Chicago

All Rights Reserved
Published October 191 2

Composed and Printed By
The University of Chicago Press
Chicaeo, Illinois, U.S.A.

PREFACE
There are at least two ways of treating such a sub
ject as the Ethics of the Old Testament. One might
take each of the branches or topics into which it is
divisible in their order and trace the ideas concerning
them held or taught at one time or another by the
Hebrews. The several topics could thus be given per
fect distinctness and the progress of thought with
reference to them could be made convincingly apparent.
There would, however, be this disadvantage, that the
ideas discussed would in the process detach themselves,
not only from one another, but from their exponents,
and thus lose more or less in reality and interest for the
average reader. In this book I have sought to prevent
such a result by adopting the method of discussing
the whole subject, with its various branches, in a suc
cession of stages and especiaUy as illustrated in the
conduct or teaching of representative Hebrews. Any
one who wishes a comprehensive view of a particular
topic, can obtain it by simply piecing together my
findings thereon in the successive chapters.
I leave it to the reader, also, to define for himself the
ethical significance of the Old Testament as a whole
in the light of these findings, suggesting only that while
it can evidently no longer be regarded as "peculiar"
for "the completeness and consistency of its morality,"
and therefore infalhble, its surpassing importance as a
record of the moral development of the Hebrews and a
means of stimulation to, and instruction in, right con
duct must always be recognized.

viii PREFACE
In the Introduction I discuss the sources, that is,
the books of the Old Testament, in the order in which
they appear in the Hebrew Bible. When I proceed to
use them for the purpose in hand, I take them, some
times in parts, as far as possible in chronological order.
There are cases in which I have found it impossible to
foUow this plan, the most exceptional being that of the
Book of Psalms, which, although it doubtless contains
some much earlier pieces, has others that are as late
as any other book in the Hebrew canon. I have there
fore discussed it by itself as a whole in the closing
chapter. A word should be said about the quotations from
the Scriptures. They will not always sound familiar.
The explanation is that, when I have quoted, I have
generally followed the American Revision, but I have
sometimes changed it where I found it unsatisfactory,
and sometimes made my own translation or adopted
one made by a recognized scholar. In no case have I
taken such Hberty without good authority for the
rendering preferred. The passages that seemed to require
correction are included in the list of those specially
discussed in the second index.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE
Introduction i
CHAPTER I. The Hebrew Point op View . . ii
II. The Legendary Period ... 19
III. The Patriarchal Period 26
IV. The Period or the Exodus 44
V. The Heroic Period 53
VI. The Period of David and Solomon . 63
VII. The First Century oe the Separate King
doms . . . .81
VIII. Amos and His Times . . 93
IX. The Ephraimite Source . 102
I. The Ephraimite Story of the Patriarchs 102
2. The Ephraimite Account of the Exodus 106
3. The Ephraimite Narrative in Joshua, Judges,
and Samuel  . . 119
X. Hosea and His Times . 125
XI. Isaiah and Micah, and Their Times 133
I. Isaiah . . 133
2. Micah . . . 142
XII. Secondary Elements in the Judean and
Ephraimite Narratives 147
I. The Second Yah wist Q^) in the Early Chap
ters of Genesis ... . .147
2. Later Judean and Ephraimite Additions
before and during Compilation . • 1 5°
XIII. The Deuteronomic Ethics 161
I. The Book of Deuteronomy 161
2. The Third Decalogue 174
3. The Secondary Element in Deuteronomy and
the Deuteronomic Additions to the Earlier
Narratives  178

TABLE OF CONTENTS

chapter XIV.

The Prophecies of Zephaniah, Habakkuk,

and Nahum .

189

I. Zephaniah

189
2. Habakkuk
191
3. Nahum
192
XV.
Jeremiah and His Times
194
XVI.
The Deuteronomic Element in the
Books
of Kings . . .
213
XVII.
Ezekiel and His Times
218
XVIII.
The Book of Lamentations
234
XIX.
Isaiah, Chaps. 40-55, and Related Prophecies
236
XX.
Haggai and Zechariah, and Their Times .
249
I. Haggai . .
249
2. Zechariah
250
XXI.
The Priestly Narrative
257
XXII.
The Prophecies of Isaiah, Chaps. 56-
66, AND
Related Passages in Isaiah and
Other
Prophetical Books
270
XXIII.
The Prophecies of Obadiah and Malachi .
284
I. Obadiah
284
2. Malachi
28s
XXIV.
The Book of Ruth
290
XXV.
The Book of Job .
292
XXVI.
The Books of Joel and Jonah .
313
I. Joel ...
313
2. Jonah . . .
314
XXVII.
The Book of Proverbs .
316
XXVIII.
The Song of Solomon . . .
345
XXIX.
The Books of Chronicles, Ezra, and Ne
hemiah .... . .
349
XXX.
The Book of Eccleslastes
362
XXXI.
The Books of Daniel and Esther
369
I. Daniel .
369
2. Esther ...
372
xxxn.
The Book of Psalms
375
Indexes
407
INTRODUCTION
The Ethics of the Old Testament has always been a
perplexing and formidable subject. It is still difficult,
but the difficulties that now present themselves are not
so serious as they once seemed. Thus, the thoughtful
reader of Genesis can explain the fact that in 9 : 20 ff .
Canaan is cursed for an offense of which, not he, but
his father, has been guilty; also how it is that in Josh.
7 : 24 f . the children of Achan have to suffer with him,
although, according to Deut. 24:16, Moses has just
ordained that "the fathers shall not be put to death for
the children, neither shall the children be put to death
for the fathers." In these and many other instances
criticism has shown that we have to do, not with a
homogeneous text, but with the work of two or more
authors writing at different times and from different
standpoints. The critics, however, although they have
solved many such difficulties and made a scientific
study of the Old Testament possible, have added to the
complexity of any general problem by showing that,
not only the Hexateuch, but various other books, are of
composite origin and that there are few in the coUection
that have not been revised and enlarged since they were
written. It wiU therefore be necessary briefly to review
their findings before entering upon the discussion of the
proper subject of this volume.
The critical analysis of the Old Testament naturaUy
began with the Pentateuch. Various hypotheses were
proposed and abandoned. The one that is now most

2 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
generaUy accepted is to the effect that the first five
books were compiled from four main sources, the earliest
being a Judean writing (J) of the reign of Jehoshaphat
(878-843 B.C.), and the next in age an Ephraimite work
(E) of the reign of Jeroboam II (785-745 B.C.). These
two were in process of time wrought into a composite
production; but not before 650 B.C., when both of them
had received considerable additions by later hands.
Meanwhile, in the reign of Manasseh (680-640 B.C.),
there had been produced a third work, a form of Deuter
onomy (D), which, when published in 621 B.C., became
the program for the reforms undertaken by the then
king Josiah. It was added to the previous compilation
early in the Exile (586-538 B.C.). Finally, during and
after the Exile a school of priestly writers (P), from
materials new and old, composed a fourth writing,
which Ezra in 458 B.C. brought with him from Babylon
and, with the help of Nehemiah, persuaded the Jews
to accept, either alone or as a part of the practicaUy
completed Pentateuch, in 444 B.C., as the Law of God.
If it was not then united with the earlier works, it
must have been incorporated with them before 400 B.C.
The bearing of this theory is evident. If the Penta
teuch is not the work of Moses, but the product of
a later process of development lasting until the middle
or end of the fifth century B.C., it loses some, at least,
of the value it has been supposed to have as a source
of knowledge concerning the patriarchal age. On the
other hand, however — and this should never be
forgotten — ^it acquires a new importance as a mirror
of thought and practice among the Hebrews of the
later centuries.

INTRODUCTION 3
The Jews treated the first five books of their Scrip
tures as a group by themselves. The second division
consisted of Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings, which
they caUed "The Former Prophets."
The Book of Joshua is largely composed of the same
elements as the Pentateuch, to which a form of it was
originaUy attached. The source D is the only one that
is not represented, and its place is suppUed by additions
and modifications in J and E by an exihc editor under
the influence of Deuteronomy.
The Priestly story closed with the occupation of
Canaan. Not so the Judean and Ephraimite narra
tives. They both went through the Heroic Period of
Hebrew history, and many hold that the Book of Judges
is largely composed of extracts from these two sources.
It was re-edited during the Exile, when i : i — 2 : 5,
9:1 — 10:5, 12:8-15, 17^21, and perhaps chap. 16, in
their original forms, were omitted; but these parts
were restored by a stiU later editor.
In the Books of Samuel, originally reckoned as one,
the hand of the Deuteronomic editor seldom appears, the
first part, and the first chapter of the second, being
mostly a compilation from J and E, and the rest of the
second part consisting almost entirely of extracts from
the former of these two sources. The psalms in I Sam.,
chap. 2, and II Sam., chap. 22, however, are late addi
tions. The Books of Kings, too, which were also originaUy
one, were compiled from various sources, among which
some find J and E as weU as the annals of Solomon
(I Kings 11:41) and the more frequently mentioned
chronicles of the kings of Judah (I Kings 14:29) and

4 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
Israel (I Kings 14:19).' In its present form it shows
traces of a twofold Deuteronomic redaction, one before,
and the other during, the Exile. There are also, as in
the case of the Books of Samuel, some later additions.
In the Hebrew Scriptures "The Former Prophets"
are foUowed by "The Later Prophets," that is, the
prophetical books, properly so caUed, the first of which
is Isaiah. The distinction between a first and a second Isaiah
is famiUar to students of the Old Testament. The
book that bears this name, however, has had a more
complex history than these titles would indicate, for
even in chaps. 1-39 there are not only briefer passages,
but whole chapters, that are not of Isaian authorship.
The most important are 2:2-4; 10:16-27; 11:10 —
12:6; 13:1—14:23; 15:1—16:12; 19; 21:1-15; 23-
27; 29:16-24; 30:18-26; 32:1-8, 15-20, and 33-39.
Some of these passages were added during the Exile,
but more are of a still later date. The second 'part of
the book can none of it be attributed to Isaiah, chaps.
40-55 having evidently been written toward the end of
the Exile, and much, if not all, of the rest after the
Restoration. The Book of Jeremiah teUs, in part, its own story.
In chap. 36 it reports that in 605 B.C. the prophet was
•In the Greek version the substance of I Kings 8:12 f. is inserted
after 8:53, and the quotation is followed by the statement, under the
form of a question, that the words quoted are "written in the Book of
Song." Wellhausen suggests that the Hebrew original of this state
ment had, not 11©, "song," but "ItD"', "Jashar"; in other words, that
here is another reference to the ancient collection of poems quoted by
J in Josh. 10: 13 and II Sam. i : 18. See Cornill, Introduction, 207 f.

INTRODUCTION 5
directed to put the words that he had thus far spoken
into writing, and that the next year, when the book
prepared by his disciple Baruch had been burned by the
king of Judah, he made a second copy, to which he
added "many like words." The substance of these
prophecies is doubtless contained in the book that bears
his name, but they constitute only a part of its contents.
In the first place, there are other prophecies of a later
date that can safely be attributed to him. Secondly,
there is a series of sections in which, not the discourses,
but the experiences of the prophet are narrated in the
third person. Finally, there are many brief passages,
and some whole sections, that were evidently not added
by Jeremiah himself or his disciple, but by later and, in
some cases, much later writers. The extent to which
this book has been enlarged in comparatively recent
times appears from the fact that, according to Cornill,
about an eighth of it is wanting in the Greek Version.
The Book of Ezekiel, unUke the two preceding,
although it has suffered at the hands of transcribers,
has not been enlarged except by occasional glosses, and
therefore is substantiaUy in the form given to it by its
author. The books of the Minor Prophets are not arranged
in the order of their origin. Nor have they been pre
served in their original forms. Hosea, one of the oldest,
is also one of those that have suffered most, in the opinion
of biblical critics, at the hands of revisers. Thus, in
its title the date has apparently been copied in part from
the first verse of Isaiah, and there are various other
additions, most of which were intended to reUeve the
severity of the prophet's original discourses.

6 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
The Book of Joel, on the other hand, the date of
which is not far from 400 B.C., seems to have been
transmitted almost as it was written.
In Amos (760 B.C.), the oldest of aU these shorter
prophetical productions, there are certain passages that
are regarded by many scholars as accretions. The
most important is 9:86-15, but the removal of all of
these verses only renders the teaching of the prophet
more consistent and forcible.
The Book of Obadiah, although it is the briefest
in the Old Testament, has not escaped the notice of the
reviser. Indeed, there are those who claim that only
about half of it can be attributed to the original author,
a prophet of the first half of the fifth century before
the Christian era.
The Book of Jonah is not properly a prophetical
work, but a parable in the historical form, later than
the time of Nehemiah, into which a still later psalm
of unknown origin, 2 : i-io, has been inserted.
Micah presents a problem to which, as yet, there
is no generaUy accepted solution. The first three
chapters, with the exception of three or four verses,
may safely be attributed to the traditional author, a
younger contemporary of Isaiah, and less confidently a
few verses of chaps. 4 and 5. If 6 : i — 7 : 6 is genuine, as
is stiU maintained, it must have been written at a
later date. Among the interpolated passages is a bril
liant picture of the messianic era, 4 : 1-4, which is found
in a briefer form in the second chapter of Isaiah. The
other additions are of the same encouraging character.
The prophecies of Nahum have been preserved in
substantially their original form, but the psahn, found

INTRODUCTION 7
in 1:2-8, 12 f., 15, and 2:2, which has been preiixed
to them must have been composed long after the fall
of Nineveh. The prophecies of Habakkuk, also, seem originally
to have been directed against Nineveh, but by the
removal of i : 5-1 1 from its proper place after 2:4 it
was made to appear that the Chaldeans were the offend
ing nation. At the end of the book is a later psalm,
taken from a collection otherwise unknown, extolUng
Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews.
The prophet Zephaniah preceded both Nahufti and
Habakkuk, but some parts of the book that bears his
name have been referred to a later date. The most
important are 2:8-11 and 3:14-20, neither of which
can have been written before the Exile.
The prophecies of Haggai, deUvered in 520 B.C.,
were intended to encourage his people. Hence it was
not necessary to revise or supplement them in order
to adapt them to the needs of later generations. In
point of fact, they have not undergone changes of any
importance. The same can be said of the first eight chapters of
the Book of Zechariah; but the last six chapters are
considerably later, having been written by at least
four different persons during the Greek period.
The Book of Malachi is entirely a product of the
critical period immediately preceding the introduction
of the Priestly legislation.
The fourth, and last, division in the Hebrew Scrip
tures is that of "The Writings," or, as the Greeks called
them, "The Hagiographa."

8 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
The first of these sacred writings is the Book of the
Psalms, which consists of five parts corresponding to
the five books of the Pentateuch. Many (73) of the
pieces composing the book are attributed to David,
but the titles are untrustworthy and lack the support
of either external or internal evidence. Indeed, such
evidence as there is indicates that most, if not all, of
the psalms are of post-exiUc origin and some of them
as late as the Maccabean period.
The Book of Proverbs, Uke that of the Psahns, is
evidently the product of a gradual compilation. It
contains two principal and four supplementary col
lections, with distinct titles, to which is prefixed a
dissertation on Wisdom. The general title, 1:1, makes
Solomon the author of the whole book, but it is con
tradicted by some of the subtitles; for, although 10: i — ¦
22:16, 25:1 — 29:27 are attributed to the great king,
22 : 17 — 24: 22 and 24: 23-34 are entitled "The Words of
the Wise," while chap. 30 contains "The Words of Agur
the son of Jakeh," and chap. 31, in part, "The Words
of King Lemuel." The internal evidence, the style of
thought and expression, warrants one in going farther
and questioning whether any part of the book was
actually written by Solomon. The tendency is to bring
the oldest down into the fourth century before Christ,
and the rest to various dates in the Greek period.
In the Book of Job there must be distinguished a
story of the patriarch, found in the framework, which
was current among the Hebrews before the Exile,' and
the great poem founded upon it. The date of the latter,
which can only be determined by internal evidence, is
' Ezek. 14:14, 20.

INTRODUCTION 9
plausibly fixed at about the middle of the fifth century
before the Christian era, but the speeches of Elihu in
chaps. 32-37 may be somewhat later.
The Song of Solomon is not, as has been supposed, a
Uterary unit, but a collection of songs such as were
sung by the Hebrews during the celebration of their
weddings, when the bridegroom was king, and the
bride queen, of the revels. Indeed, he was hailed as
Solomon,' while she, for the time being the fairest of
women, was caUed "the Shulamite,""" after the damsel
who ministered to David in his last days.^ The name
Solomon, therefore, is of no value as evidence of the date
of the book, which, since it shows traces of Greek as well
as Persian influence, can hardly have been composed
before the time of Alexander.
The Book of Ruth purports to be a story from the
period of the Judges, but it is without doubt a fictitious
narrative written, in protest against the exclusiveness
represented by Ezra, about 450 b.c.
The Book of Lamentations, though not written, as
was formerly beUeved, by Jeremiah, was composed, in
part at least, soon after the destruction of Jerusalem,
and completed before the end of the Exile.
Ecclesiastes, so far from being a work of Solomon,
is a pseudograph which is supposed to have been written
rather early in the Greek period, perhaps about 250
B.C. It therefore mirrors the result of a hospitable
attitude toward things foreign, while the Book of
Esther, the latest of the Hagiographa, voices the fanati
cal hatred and contempt with which the Jews regarded
'Cant.3:7ff. 3lKingsi:3f.
^Cant. 6:13.

lo THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
other peoples after they had achieved their independ
ence under the Maccabees.
The date of Daniel is 164 B.C., when the Jews,
although they had cleansed the sanctuary, were stiU
beset on all sides by enemies and were in dire need of
inspiration and encouragement.
The last four books of the Hebrew canon were
originally one work, the order then being. Chronicles,
Ezra, and Nehemiah. The date of the compiler is
about 300 B.C., but he copied freely from the books of
Samuel and Kings and sometimes made use of earUer
authorities. In that part of his narrative devoted to
the Restoration he seems to have copied largely from
the personal memoirs of the two leaders.
It is clear from the above analysis that the contents
of the Old Testament are not arranged in the order of
their origin. But it is equaUy clear that, if one would
get a comprehensive view of their teaching on any
subject, they must be studied in their chronological
relations. This, therefore, wiU be the method adopted
in the foUowing pages.

CHAPTER I
THE HEBREW POINT OF VIEW
The discussion of the contents of the Old Testa
ment in chronological order makes possible a connected
historical survey of their ethical teachings, but before
such a study is undertaken, it wiU be best to consider
briefly the attitude of the Hebrews with reference to
ethics in general.
In the first place, it is taken for granted by their
literary representatives that man is a moral being.
There is only one passage, and that a comparatively
early one, in which the subject is discussed, namely
Gen., chap. 3. This remarkable story teaches that man
was not originally endowed vnth the faculty for making
ethical distinctions. It is based on the idea that child
hood is the ideal state, and that, therefore, Yahweh,
although he was obUged to give the first human beings
fully developed bodies, withheld the gift that would
have made them independent, in a sense, and morally
responsible. They are reported to have acquired the
missing faculty, not as a subsequent divine endowment
or natural development, but through the magical
influence of a tree of which, although he had planted
it "in the midst of the garden," he had forbidden them
to eat the fruit. They were punished for disobeying
him by being made thenceforth subject to toil, pain, and
death; but he did not deprive them of the new power
that they had acquired, which thus, like the penalties
decreed, became the heritage of the human race.

12 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
There are no references or allusions to this story
by later writers in the Old Testament. They might
have cited it to justify God's severity toward peoples
other than the Hebrews, whom, these writers taught,
he held responsible for their conduct, in spite of the
fact that they had no direct and express revelation to
guide or warn them. The best iUustrations of this
doctrine are found in the prophecies of Amos, who, in
his first two chapters, arraigns the peoples surrounding
the Hebrews one after another and condemns them for
the violation, not of distinct divine commands, but of
the instinctive dictates of humanity. It is possible
that Amos, in 2:9ff., intended to accuse Israel also of
universaUy recognized offenses, but this is not his whole
meaning. The Hebrews claimed to stand in a pecuUar
relation to Yahweh, a relation so close that they were
not obliged to rely on their own wisdom, but, when
uncertain which course to foUow, might hear a voice
sajdng, "This is the way; walk ye in it.'" They believed
that he had often spoken to the fathers in this way, and
that, when their ears became duU, he had stiU continued
to speak to them through his prophets. In 2:11 Amos
reminds Israel of the prophets that have arisen among
them. When, therefore, he condemns them, it is for
disobeying the voice of Yahweh as well as their own
best impulses.
In view of what has just been said it is not surprising
that, in Isa. 30 : 20, Yahweh should be called his people's
"Teacher,"^ and in the same connection the words of
' Isa. 30:21.
2 The Hebrew word is plural in form, and is so rendered in the
English Version, but the construction shows that here, as in 54:5

THE HEBREW POINT OF VIEW 13
the prophets be denominated his "teaching," or, as the
English Version has it, his "law."' Nor is this aU. In
process of time not only the ethical precepts of the
prophets, but the legal precedents and the ceremonial
prescriptions inherited from the past, were brought
under the same category. Thus in II Kings 22:8 the
term "law" is applied to Deuteronomy, and in Neh.
8 : 2 ff . to the entire legislation of the Pentateuch. In
other words, the entire life of the Hebrews, personal
and social, was finally viewed and regulated from the
reUgious standpoint.
From this standpoint the law of good-will assumes
a pecuUar character and importance. It is a fundamen
tal principle of ethics that the quality of an act depends
upon the attitude of the will with reference to it. If
the given act is approved by the ethical judgment, the
will should at once require its performance; but, if,
on the other hand, it is condemned, the will should as
promptly forbid its further contemplation. When these
requirements are fulfiUed, the result in either case is a
certain satisfaction with one's self and expectation of
approval by one's fellows. Indeed, the wiU is recog
nized as so important a factor in such matters that one
is not generally given credit for doing right unless one
chooses the right as right and shuns the wrong as wrong;
and, on the other hand, one is not condemned, if,
choosing the right, one is led to do that which is wrong
through a mistake of judgment. The Hebrews recog
nized this principle, and their Scriptures furnish some
good examples of its appUcation. Thus, in the story
("thy Maker"), the descriptive participle really denotes a single indi
vidual, and that the Deity.
• Vs. 9.

14 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
of the seizure of Sarah by Abimelech,' when God warns
the king of the danger to which he has exposed himself
by appropriating Abraham's wife, Abimelech replies,
"Wilt thou slay even a righteous nation?"^ supporting
his protest by insisting that he has done what he has
done in integrity of heart, that is, with an upright
intention, and therefore with innocency of hands, that is,
without incurring real guilt; and God admits his conten
tion. There is another illustration of the principle in
question in the law touching homicide. The earUest legis
lation required that the wilful murderer be summarily
put to death, but prescribed that the man who killed
another by accident be protected from the resentment
of the relatives of his unintentional victim, and the
later laws on the subject reaffirmed this distinction.^
Thus far there seems to be nothing pecuUar in the
Hebrew idea and application of the law of good-will.
When, however, one recalls that the law concerning
murder is a part of a code that the Hebrews beUeved
to have been dictated by God himself, it becomes clear
that a violation of it could not but seem to them defiance
of the Deity; and what is true of this law applies to
every other least prescription referred to God in the
Old Testament. On the other hand, obedience to these
laws was interpreted as an expression of devotion and
loyalty, not to an ideal or to other human beings, but
to the divine Lawgiver.
' Gen., chap. 20.
"The word rendered "nation" might be dropped without injury
to the sense, which would then be, "Wilt thou slay even a. righteous
man ?"
3 Exod. 21:13 f.; Deut. 19:15.; Num. 35:10 ff.

THE HEBREW POINT OF VIE, V 15
The connection between ethics and religion among
the Hebrews was strengthened by their beUef in a
pecuUar relation between them and Yahweh. They
did not, after the manner of other peoples, represent
this relation as natural, but as voluntary, the result
of a covenant solemnly ratified by both parties. They
claimed that it was originally made with Abraham,'
and renewed with Isaac'' and Jacob,' and, finally, with
the fugitive people descended from these patriarchs,
at Sinai.'' By it they were bound to exclusive devotion
to Yahweh, and to certain observances which mani
fested and emphasized their adherence to him. These
requirements, which were probably ten in number, are
found in their earUest form in Exod., chap. 34. None
of them were in themselves ethical in character, but,
as the terms of a covenant, they acquired an ethical
significance; that is, the fulfilment of them argued
loyalty, and the disregard of them disloyalty, to an
express agreement. So profoundly did the prophets
feel this that they did not hesitate to speak of the wor
ship of other gods, which was forbidden by the first
article of the covenant, as adultery.^ Naturally the
neglect of any of the other articles was only less culpable.
Thus, while the Hebrews seldom distinguished between
ethics and religion, their reUgion, from an early date —
how early it may not be possible to determine — was
shot through with an ethical quaUty.
The form into which the Hebrews put the ideals by
which they were led, also, was influenced by their idea
'Gen. 15: iff. 3 Gen. 28:13.
' Gen. 26 : 24. < Exod. 34 : 27.
sHos. 1:2; Jer. 3:1; Ezek. 23: iff.

1 6 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
of God and his relation to them. This is illustrated in
the story of the migration of Abraham. One might
explain it as prompted by a spirit of adventure, or
occasioned by a political upheaval such as occurred
when the Kassites invaded Babylonia, but neither of
these is the Hebrew view of the matter. The Judean
narrative' says that it was suggested, or rather, com
manded, by Yahweh, and that the patriarch was induced
to undertake it by a promise from his God of a numerous
and fortunate posterity. This ideal is represented as
the lodestar, not only of Abraham, but of all the rest
of the patriarchs. In process of time, as wiU appear,
it was modified and enlarged, but it was always repre
sented, not as a human conception, developed by
experience and reflection, but as a divine plan and
purpose, more and more clearly unfolded by his suc
cessive spokesmen. Naturally the sanctions by which
these teachers sought to reinforce the influence of the
ideals presented took a corresponding form. The
good, submissive will, they assured their people, would
be rewarded by the fulfilment of the inherited promise,
but the evil, contrary will would be punished by mis
fortunes as dreadful as the blessings offered were attract
ive. The inducements to submission to the divine
direction are repeatedly set forth in the Hebrew Scrip
tures, at greatest length in Deut., chap. 28, where the
penalties for a contrary spirit are presented with even
greater particularity. It should, however, be noted,
that in only a few late passages'' is there any indication
that the rewards and penalties promised and threatened,
' Gen. 1 2 : 1 ff .
"Ps.49:i4f.; 73:26; Isa. 26:19; Dan. i2:2f.

THE HEBREW POINT OF VIEW 17
or any part of them, would be reserved for a future
life. The Hebrew ideas of God and duty, as above out-
Uned, at first sight seem unobjectionable; for the theist
must confess that, in the last analysis, the voice of
duty is the voice of God, and also that the good wiU
must inform and control the ideal Ufe; but anyone who
looks a Uttle closely into the matter will be constrained
to object that a system requiring that the good will
manifest itself in certain ways prescribed for every
phase of Ufe was mistaken and possibly mischievous.
The prophets early saw this and entered their protest.
Thus Amos, strongly as he insisted upon justice and
mercy and other moral quaUties, refused to recognize
the forms of reUgion practiced in his day as obUgatory,
and the greatest of his successors taught the same
doctrine.' In 8:8 Jeremiah boldly accuses the scribes
of wielding a "false pen," in other words, of insert
ing into the law requirements for which they had no
authority from Yahweh; a remonstrance that reminds
one of Peter's, when he said at the conference at Jeru
salem, "Why make ye trial of God, by putting upon
the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither our fathers
nor we were able to bear 7"^
It appears, then, that the Hebrews seldom distin
guished between ethics and reUgion, but that, by a
pecuUar view of their relation to Yahweh, some of them
gave an ethical significance to things indifferent. The
distinction in question, however, exists, and, as for
things indifi'erent, the great prophets warrant one in
'Isa. i:ioff.; Jer. 7:21 f.
"Acts 15:10.

1 8 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
treating them as such. In the following pages, there
fore, the attempt will be made to discuss the teaching
of the Hebrew Scriptures concerning man's duties to
himself and to his feUows, whether in the smaUer circle
of the family or the larger one of society. The material
for such a study is found in its purest form in the express
precepts and regulations for the conduct of Ufe in which
the Old Testament abounds. The exhortations and
denunciations of the prophets also contain a large
ethical element that is of great interest and importance.
The historical books, most of which were regarded as
prophetical by the Hebrews, reveal the moral standards
of their authors in the manner in which they treat the
persons and events therein described. FinaUy, the
so-called poetical books, as an expression of the inner
Ufe of their authors, furnish interesting data for the
periods to which they belong. When the material thus
gathered has been arranged in the order of its age,
it should show whether, and to what extent, the He
brews made progress, during the period covered by the
Old Testament, in their ethical ideas and requirements.

CHAPTER II
THE LEGENDARY PERIOD
The way has now been cleared for an intelligent
study of the ethical teaching of the Old Testament.
The method proposed, as already intimated, is the
historical one. In one period after another search is
to be made for data on the subject, and the stage of
progress of which these data give evidence determined.
The first period naturally extends from the origin
of the race to the Flood, as described in the Book of
Genesis. The chapters devoted to this period present
a dramatic picture, relating how mankind, having
acquired the capacity for knowing good from evil,
instead of employing it in the development of moral
character, neglected it to such an extent that they
graduaUy deteriorated and finaUy became moraUy so
offensive to their Maker that he destroyed them with
the exception of a single family. If, now, these chapters
were a homogeneous narrative, written in the period
with which they deal or based on well-authenticated
records or traditions, it would be a simple matter to
learn and show how far mankind had then progressed
in morals. This, however, is not the case. In the
first place, the narrative is evidently composite, con
sisting of extracts from three distinct sources, with
some editorial material; and, secondly, as has been
stated in another connection, none of these sources, as
a whole, can safely be dated earUer than the ninth
century before the Christian era. The oldest is the
19

20 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
Judean narrative, which doubtless contained much that
had existed in some form for an indefinite period.
From it were taken Gen. 2:4b-7, 8 f.*, i6, 17*, 18-25;
3:1-19, 21, 23*; 4:1, i6b, 17*, 18^24; 5:29; 6:1 f.,
4; 9:2of., 22*, 23-25, 26*, 27.' These chapters, when
read in their original order (with 9:20-27 after 5:29),
present a picture of the primitive world, not, indeed,
as it really was, but as the early Hebrews conceived it.
It is a very different picture from that which one gets
from the composite narrative. Cain, the great wrong
doer, has disappeared, and there is no deluge in it to
emphasize the justice of the divine government. Man
as a race is represented, not as being borne on a tide of
passion and violence to an early and almost total destruc
tion, but as boldly taking possession of the world in
which he finds himself and attacking the secret of its
adaptation to his comfort and advantage. Cain learns
how to make the soU furnish him sustenance, Enoch,
his son, how to protect himself with waUs and battle
ments f the three sons of Lemech open as many new
avenues for human endeavor by domesticating the most
useful animals, inventing instruments of music, and
fashioning the metals into useful implements; and,
finaUy, Noah adds wine as his contribution to the
resources of the expanding race. The author of this
story, although it is he to whom we are indebted for the
account of the origin of the moral faculty in chap. 3,
introduces these later incidents, not to point a moral,
' The asterisk (*) indicates that the verses thus marked have
undergone material changes.
"The natural subject of the verb "builded" in 4:17 is Enoch;
hence it must have been he who gave its name to the city, even "his
own name, Enoch."

THE LEGENDARY PERIOD 21
but, for their own sake, as items in the supposed history
of civiUzation. He gives them, therefore, as they
occur to him, almost without comment, letting the
people who figure in them speak for themselves, and
the reader draw his own conclusions. StiU, it is possible,
by carefully noting, not only what he says, but what he
omits to say, to gather some idea of what he thought
about the moral development of mankind before the
time of Abraham.
The first incident to be considered, because it
involves the question of personal moraUty, is that of
Noah and Canaan in 9:20-27. Now, there can be no
doubt that the author intended to represent the dis
covery of wine as beneficial to mankind. This is clear
from the fact that it is introduced in terms that relate
it to the achievements previously recorded; for 9:20
should be rendered, not as in the EngUsh Version,
"And Noah began to be an husbandman, and [he]
planted a vineyard," but "And Noah, the husbandman,
planted the first vineyard"; but it is placed beyond
question by 5 : 29, where the child Noah is hailed as the
comforter of his race. It is also clear that Noah is not
condemned for drinking to excess. The Judean writer
could not consistently censure him, since in 43:34 he
reports without a sign of disapproval that even Joseph
and his brothers drank to intoxication. He does,
however, condemn, and strongly, personal impurity;
for Canaan, who, according to the original of the story,
"saw the nakedness of his father," represents the
Canaanites, whom Yahweh, on account of their notorious
impurity, finally deUvered into the hands of the children
of Israel.' ' Judg. I : I ff.

2 2 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
There are two or three passages that should be
noted as bearing on the ethics of the family in primitive
times. The first is the account of the creation of woman,
especiaUy 2 : 24, which, at first sight, might be inter
preted as teaching monogamy and the equality, at
least, of the wife with her husband. This view, how
ever, can hardly be maintained. That monogamy is
not taught appears from the fact that the author does
not show any sign of disapproval of Lemech for taking
two wives, as he probably would have done, had he
wished to prevent his readers from foUowing the patri
arch's example. As for the equaUty of woman, that
would be inconsistent with the fact that he represents
her as an afterthought of the Creator. The story of
the sons of God and the daughters of men in 6 : i f .
and 4, if it originally had its present significance, would
have to be considered in this connection. It is evident,
however, that the author of it had nothing to say with
reference to the ethical character of the unions formed
between the two classes, simply taking for granted, as
most men did in ancient times, that such marriages had
actually taken place and finding in them an explanation
of the origin of the giants whose exploits were also
universally accepted as historical facts.
The Judean narrative, as already noted, traces the
organization of society to the time of Enoch, the builder
of the first city. The social tendency in this primitive
period, according to 11 : i ff., was so strong that Yahweh
was obUged to intervene and confuse the speech of
mankind to bring about their dispersion to the four
quarters of the earth. There is only one passage in
which reference is made to any law or custom by which

THE LEGENDARY PERIOD 23
men were then governed in their relations with one
another, namely, 4:3 f., where Lemech, in the first
bibUcal lyric, celebrates his abiUty to avenge himself
upon his enemies. His savage boast impUes a crude
sense of justice and the recognition of the law of retaUa-
tion, and the author seems not to have required or
expected anything better of the period that he was
describing. He does not object even to the ratio of
seventy and seven to one, if the avenger is strong
enough to exact it.
One point more deserves attention. It is matter of
common knowledge among students of the Old Testa
ment that the ideas of the early Hebrews on the subject
of truth and falsehood were rather embryonic. This
fact is recognized by translators and commentators,
but some of them, in their desire to make it appear,
do scant justice to the subtlety of either the serpent or
the Judean narrator. Thus the revisers of the EngUsh
Version have put into the mouth of the serpent the
half -assertive question, "Yea, hath God said, Ye shall
not eat of any tree of the garden?" This, however,
is certainly not the thought that the author intended to
express. What God said was that man might eat of
all the trees but one. To make the serpent flatly
contradict him at the outset would have been a very
clumsy expedient. It should be made to say, as the
Hebrew is most naturally translated, not "any tree,"
but "all the trees," "of the garden"; this change of
emphasis from the positive to the negative in the
divine utterance being a device to mislead without
lying that was worthy of "the most subtil of aU the
beasts of the field which Yahweh had made." The

24 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
same subtlety manifests itself in the serpent's reply to
the explanation attempted by the woman. The first
clause is translated, "Ye shall not surely die," as if it
were a direct and absolute contradiction of the warning
of 2:17. Here the translators have erred in that they
have given to an ambiguous expression the same sense
that it has in a different connection. The ambiguity
is due to the use of a verbal construction,' denoting
emphasis, for which there is no uniform rendering.
Thus, in Gen. 43:7, where it occurs twice, the transla
tion in the first instance is "asked straitly," and in the
second, "could we in any wise know ?" It is clear from
these examples that the words rendered "Thou shalt
surely die" might also mean "Thou shalt utterly die,"
"Thou shaU immediately die," or anything else that
might be expressed by the verb "die" with an appro
priate modifier. Now, it is evident from the sequel
that in 2:17 "die" means "become subject to death,"
and that, therefore, the phrase "in the day that" must
not be taken too literally. This being the case, a better
rendering for the whole clause would be, "If ever thou
eat thereof, thou shalt die," which is sufficiently ambigu
ous without being positively misleading. The serpent,
in its reply to the woman, takes advantage of the ambi
guity of the construction employed to contradict what
Yahweh did not assert, namely, that death would be
the immediate effect of partaking of the fruit of the
forbidden tree, cunningly calculating that she would
not detect the fallacy. These may seem trivial dis
tinctions, but they must not be overlooked, for they
have important bearings. The same is true, from the
¦ The finite verb preceded by the so-called infinitive absolute.

THE LEGENDARY PERIOD 25
literary standpoint, of the interpretation of vs. 10
according to which "the man hopes to escape complete
exposure by acknowledging part of the truth" (Skinner),
and the natural one, which is, that the man had been
so occupied with the new faculty that he had not had
time to reflect on the means by which he had acquired it.
The author of the inimitable story cannot have failed
to see that an artless reply was needed to give to this
passage the greatest dramatic interest.
The Judean narrative was a work of the ninth
century B.C. In the eighth century the section that
has just been examined was enlarged by the addition
of the story of Cain and Abel and the Yahwistic account
of the Deluge. Thus, as wiU appear, a romance touched
with genius was transformed into a sermon almost as
openly didactic as a chapter from the Book of Amos.
Still later, when the Priestly document was added to the
previous compilation, the old story was again expanded,
and thenceforth, in its framework of Jewish theology,
could stiU less justly be regarded as a trustworthy
record of the earUest period in human history.

CHAPTER III
THE PATRIARCHAL PERIOD
The second period in the history of the Hebrews, as
they related it, extends from the general dispersion to
the descent of Jacob and his family into Egypt. In
this, as in the preceding period, it is the Judean narra
tive to which one must go for the most ancient and
valuable data concerning it. This remarkable work is
the source from which the legend with reference to the
tower of Babel' was taken. The next extract from
it is an account of Terah and his family.^ It tells how
Abram, a son of Terah, at the command of Yahweh,
removed from Haran to Canaan, taking Lot with him,'
and how, after they had separated,'' Yahweh appeared
to him and promised him a numerous and prosperous
posterity, with Canaan for their inheritance.* Next,
if it is genuine, should come the story of Abram's visit
to Egypt,* foUowed by that of Hagar's ffight' and his
marriage with Keturah.* The visit of the angels to
Mamre' belongs to this narrative, also most of the
' Gen. 1 1 : 1-9.
" Gen. II : 28 f., except "in Ur of the Chaldees."
3 Gen. I2:i-4a, 5b-8.
¦I Gen. 13:2, 5, 6b6-7a, 8-iia (except "like the land of Egypt,"
in vs. 10), i2bJ-i3, 18.
5 Gen. is:3f.,6-ii (except"of Urof the Chaldees," in vs. 7), 17 f.
' Gen. 12 : 10-20, except " and she-asses and camels, " in vs. 16.
' Gen. i6:ib-2, 4-8, 11-14.
* Gen. 25 : i-3a, 4, and i8a, in their original form.
'Gen. 18:1-15. 26

THE PATRIARCHAL PERIOD 27
account of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah'
and the origin of the peoples of Moab and Ammon.''
The Ufe of Isaac is less fully and clearly portrayed;
but special attention is given to his birth,' his marriage
with Rebekah,'' his relations with Abimelech of Gerar,'
the birth of his sons,* and the transfer of the birthright
from Esau to Jacob.'
The rest of the Judean narrative, so far as it is
contained in Genesis, with the exception of the Ust of
the Kjngs of Edom in 36:32-39, is devoted to Jacob
and his family. It teUs how Jacob, fleeing to the
East to escape his angry brother, had a vision at Bethel'
and, on his arrival near Haran met Rachel,' and served
Laban twenty years for his two daughters and an interest
in his flocks,'" but finally became dissatisfied and secretly
'Gen. 18:16, 20-22a, 33b; 19:1-25 (except "two angels," for
"men," in vs. i; "even the men of Sodom," in vs. 4; "even Lot," in
vs. 9; "son in law and," and "them" in vs. 6; "them," for "him,"
and "he," for "they," in vs. 17), 27a, 28.
" Gen. 19:30-38. 3 Gen. 21:1a, 2a, 6b-7.
< Gen. 22:2oa6-24; 24 (except "brethren," for "brother," in 24:27,
and "Bethuel," in vs. 50; "days at least ten," for "a month of days,"
in vs. 55; "mother Sarah's," in vs. 67); 25:11.
s Gen. 26:iaa, b, 2 ("And . . . said"), 3a, 6-11; 21:34 (except
"Abraham" for "Isaac"); 26:12-14, 16 f., 19-33.
' Gen. 25: 2i-26a, except "red," in vs. 25.
'Gen. 25:27-34; 27:1 ("And .... son"), 2-10 (except "and
to bring it," for "for his father," in vs. 5), 14 f., 17, i8b6-2o, 24-3oao,
3ob-32, 35-38aa, 38b, 4i-44a (except "in his heart," in vs. 41), 45.
'Gen. 28:10, 13-16, 19. 'Gen. 29:2-14.
'° Gen. 29: 26, 31-35 (except "was his name called," for "she called
his name"); 3o:3b6-5, 7, 9-16, 2oa6, 21, 22b6-23a, 24, 25, 27, 29-43
(except "and keep it," in vs. 31, "I will," and "every speckled ....
one, and," in vs. 32, " ringstreaked," in vs. 35, "himself," for "them,"
in vs. 36, "in the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink,"
in vs. 38, "and the flocks conceived" and "ringstreaked," in vs. 39,
"and set ... . ringstreaked," in vs. 40).

28 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
took his departure for Canaan;' also how, as he was near-
ing that country, he contrived to placate his brother.''
Next should come the disappearance of Joseph,' then,
in succession, the seizure of Dinah,'' Jacob's return to
the South,5 and the story of Judah and Tamar.*
From this point onward Joseph is the dominant
figure. The author tells how he served as a slave in
Egypt,' was unjustly imprisoned,* but was released to
interpret the dreams of the king,' and become his
prime minister;'" next how he saved his family from
'Gen. 31:1, 3, 19a, 2i-23a, 25 (except "with his brethren"),
27, 31 (except "Because I was afraid"), 38-40, 43 f. (except "let it be
for," for "let there be," in vs. 44), 46 (except "Jacob," for "Laban"),
48, 5oao, 5i-53a (except "and behold the pillar," in 51, "and the pillar
be witness," and "and this pillar," in vs. 52, "the God of their father,"
in 53a). "Gen. 32:3 (except "the field of Edom"), 4-7a, i3b-22a, 23ai,
24-29 (except "and with men," in vs. 28), 31; 33:1-3, 4 (in part),
6-10, 12-17.
3 Gen. 37:3aa, 3b-4, I2-I3a, I4b-i8 (except "Hebron," for "Suc-
coth," in 14a), 21 (except "Reuben," for "Judah"), 23, 25-27, 28a6-b,
32 ("and they sent .... colors"), 33b, 35.
¦I Gen. 34:2b-3a, ^hb, 5, 7, ii-i3a (except "and gift," in vs. 12,
"and Hamor his father," in 13a), 14 (except "unto. them"), 19, 25
("that two .... his sword"), 26 (except "Hamor and" and "his
son"), 29b-3i.
5 Gen. 35:i6-22a (except "for she died," in vs. 18, "the same is
Bethlehem," in vs. 19).
' Gen., chap. 38 (except "he," for "she," in vs. 3, and "his name
was called," for "she called his name," in vss. 29 and 30).
'Gen. 39:1 (except "Potiphar .... guard"), 2 f ., 4 (except
"and he ministered to him"), 5, 6a6-b, 7a5-2oao (except "by her to
be," in vs. 10), 20b.
' Gen. 39:21-23; 4o:ia6-b, 3 ("into .... bound"), 5b, 15b.
'Gen. 41:9b, i4a6, 31, 34, 35 (except "and lay up ... . food").
"» Gen. 41:41. 43b-44, 46b-48, 53-S4a, 55.

THE PATRIARCHAL PERIOD 29
starvation,' bringing them to Egypt ;^ and finaUy how,
when Jacob, having made provision for his burial,'
adopted the sons of Joseph,'' and blessed his own sons.'
died, Joseph buried him* and returned to Egypt to
Uve and die in great honor.'
There can be Uttle doubt that the first section of
the Judean narrative is largely legendary. So, also,
it must be admitted, is the story of the tower of Babel.
The same has been, and is, asserted of those concerning
the patriarchs,' but there were Abrams in the days of
' Gen. 42:1a, 2, 4-7 (except "and spake roughly with them," in
vs. 7), iia, 27-28btt, 38; 43:1-11, i2b-23, 15-231, 24-34; 44:1a, 2-34
(except "and his corn money," in vs. 2, "I" and "my," for "we" and
"our," in vs. 30); 45:1, 4, 5 ("And now be not grieved" — "that
ye sold me hither"), 9-11, 13 f.
"Gen. 45:i9-2iao, 27a, 28; 46:1a, 28-34 (except "they," for
"he," in vs. 28, "presented himself to," for "saw," in vs. 29, "and to
his father's house," in vs. 31, "for .... cattle," in vs. 32); 47:1-4
(except "And .... Pharaoh," in vs. 4), 6b, i2-27a (except "and the
land of Canaan,'' in vss. 13 and 15, "and for food for the little ones,"
in vs. 24, "in the land of Eg}rpt," in vs. 27a).
3 Gen. 47:29-31.
4 Gen. 48:2b, 9b, i3-i4ba, 17-20 (except "In thee shall Israel
bless," for "In you shall Israel bless themselves" in vs. 20).
s Gen. 49:ib-9, 11-17 (except "upon Zidon," for "as far as Zidon,"
in vs. 13), 19-28 (except "out of," in vs. 20, "his bow abode in strength,''
for "their bows by might were broken," "the arms of his hands were
made strong," for "the sinews of their hands were benumbed," and
"from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel," for "by the name of
the shepherd of his father Israel," in vs. 24, "by the Almighty," for
" God Almighty" and "that coucheth," in vs. 25, "my progenitors . . . .
bound," for "the enduring mountains, the treasures," in vs. 26).
'Gen. 49:33 ("he gathered .... bed"); 50:1-11 (except " which
is beyond Jordan," in vss. 10 and 11).
' Gen. 50:14a, 18, 21 f.
8H. P. Smith, Old Testament History, 48, 50 f.; J. P. Peters, Early
Hebrew Story, 46, 94, 128.

30 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
the first Babylonian dynasty, and the conditions were
such as to tempt, or, finally, to drive them and others
to Canaan. Hebrew tradition says that one of the
name actually migrated in this direction; that he
traversed the western country from north to south;
that he pitched his tents at or near Beersheba; and
that his descendants, to at least the third generation,
fed their flocks in the same region. It says other things
about them, some of which are doubtless legendary, but
these seem credible, especially in view of the fact that,
even after the schism between the northern and the
southern tribes, the former still made pilgrimages to
the shrine at Beersheba.' If, however, it could be
shown that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were unreal
characters, such an admission would not render the
Judean account of them valueless; for the stories it
contains are evidently much older than the work in
which they have been preserved, and may supply
valuable data on ethical conditions in that early period.''
Indeed, one may be able to infer something with reference
to the still earUer period to which the patriarchs are
assigned. What, now, is the ethical teaching of the Judean
narrative concerning the patriarchs? It need not be
sought on the surface ; for, as has been noted, the author
in this narrative was not a preacher, but a raconteur,
who saw in these stories illustrations of human nature,
'Amos 5:5; 8:14.
" Gressmann {Zeitschrifl fUr die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft, 1910,
34), who holds the legendary view, says, "When one carefully weighs
all the circumstances that bear on the subject, one may regard the period
from 1300 to 1 100 B.C. as that of the origin of the great mass of the
separate stories in Genesis."

THE PATRIARCHAL PERIOD 31
and, if he sometimes took liberties with them, did so
only to bring out more clearly their original meaning.
There are two other points that must also be kept in
mind. The first is that the patriarchs all belong to one
walk of Ufe, for, although Joseph becomes vizier to the
king of Eg3^t, he never forgets his origin or denies his
pastoral father and brothers. These ancestors were
migrant shepherds, that is, they followed a vocation
that prevented them from Uving in houses, like some
of the other inhabitants of Palestine, but, at the same
time, prevented them from roaming at will, like the
bedawin of the desert. They will therefore have the
virtues and defects of the pastoral condition, except —
and this is the second consideration — as they may have
been influenced by their relations with the Egyptians,
the Babylonians, and the Canaanites, all of whom,
long before the period in which the patriarchs are
supposed to have Uved, had reached a high degree of
civilization. The attractions of Canaan are thus
described in the Story of Sanehat :
It was a goodly land; as was its name.
The fig and the vine were there;
Wine was more plentiful than water.
It was rich in honey and ohve trees;
All its trees bore fruit.
There was barley there, and wheat;
There was no end to its cattle.'
It had also made progress in the arts, as appears from
the completeness with which its people, according to
Sanehat, were equipped for war.
This is the background against which the patriarchs,
if they belong to the period to which they have been
' Records of the Past', VI, 131 ff.

32 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
assigned, must be seen and studied. It is now time to
inquire how these ancients, each of whom is in a sense
a hero in the stories told of him, appear in this environ
ment. It is in order first to consider their personal
characters. The vocation of the shepherd requires
that he be simple, or even abstemious, in his habits.
He naturaUy prides himself on his ability to forego
the luxuries that the husbandman enjoys. There is
good evidence that the Hebrews made a virtue of
this necessity. In later times, when they had mostly
become an agricultural people, there were always
certain of them who denied themselves the use of
wine, sometimes for Ufe. They were called nazirites,
and generally accorded a large measure of respect by
their countrymen.' The case of the Rechabites may
also be cited. They were a clan affiliated with the
Hebrews who not only eschewed wine, but refused
to live in houses or tiU the land on which they
pastured their flocks and herds." There are indications
that the patriarchs were originaUy represented as
genuine nomads; for, according to Gen. i8:8, when
the angels visited Abraham at Mamre, he gave them
only milk to drink, and it is probable that in 27:25
the -wine which Jacob serves his father was originally
wanting. Perhaps, however, the author here, as in
26:12, where Isaac sows and reaps, intended to convey
the impression that this patriarch was not a strict
nomad. See also the case of Lot.' Not that he regarded
the use of wine by other classes blamable, for, it will be
'Judg. 13:5 ff.; Num.6:i3ff.; cf.Amos2:ii.
'Jer. 35:6 f. 3 Gen. 19:32 ff.

THE PATRIARCHAL PERIOD 33
remembered, it is he who reckons Noah among the
benefactors of the race,' and in 27:28 and 49:iif.
mentions wine among the blessings that Isaac and
Jacob promise their descendants.
The patriarchs are represented as chaste and con
tinent, as compared with their neighbors. There is
only one of them, Judah, who is accused of unnatural
lust," and he is by no means a shameless Ubertine.
See especially vs. 23. The story of the destruction
of Sodom and Gomorrah' shows how the early Hebrews
felt on the subject. They would not allow adultery.
The Judean narrator pictures, not only Joseph,'' but even
Abimelech,' as horrified at such a suggestion. There
are cases, however, in which they condoned fornication,
and even what was later regarded as incest. Those
of the daughters of Lot and the Canaanitess Tamar
are two of them; a third is that of Dinah.* In neither
of them are the persons involved condemned as modern
standards require. In the last Jacob actuaUy reproaches
Levi and Simeon for avenging their sister.' The
explanation is found in the position of woman in early
times throughout the Orient. The married woman was
the property of her husband, against whom the viola
tion of her virtue was an irreparable injury. The
unmarried woman was the property of her father,
property, however, which had a certain more or less
definite value in money, and could be purchased at
that price. When, therefore, Shechem offered to make
'Gen. 5:29. 5 Gen. 26:10.
"Gen. 38:13 ff. « Gen. 34: iff.
3Gen. i9:iff. 'Gen. 34:30.
¦< Gen. 39:7 ff.

34 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
Dinah his wife, and pay any required sum for her, he
naturally felt that he had offered her relatives abundant
reparation. In later times such a settlement, though
not mandatory, was sanctioned by Hebrew law.' The
other two cases come under the same general head.
When one puts a price upon a thing, one advertises
one's willingness to part with it, especially if the con
sideration offered is something that is recognized as
more desirable. Now, Lot's daughters had a certain
value to him, but he placed so much higher his reputa
tion as a host, that, when his house was beset by a mob
demanding that his guests be deUvered to them, he
offered to sacrifice both of his daughters to save the
strangers from abuse."" What wonder, then, that these
same women, when their family was threatened with
extinction, parted with their own virtue in the emer
gency, or that Tamar, when denied a lawful husband,
took the same method to secure what she, and everyone
else in her day, esteemed a higher good? They were
all simply fulfiUing their duty and destiny, from the
standpoint of their times, and they were honored for
so doing in spite of the conventions.'
The faith of Abraham is proverbial. Now faith, of
course, is a reUgious sentiment; but it often induces
admirable moral quaUties, while the lack of it permits
the development of their opposites. Thus, the faith
of Abraham rendered him patient, steadfast, and
fearless to a degree in which these quaUties are seldom
'Exod. 22:16. "Gen. 19:7 f.
'Gen. 38:26. The story of Lot's daughters, whatever may have
been the interpretation afterward given to it, was certainly not originally
intended to cast reproach upon Moab and Ammon, the two peoples
whose descent is traced from them.

THE PATRIARCHAL PERIOD 35
exempUfied. In Gen. 12:10 he is reported to have
lost both his faith and his courage, and, in his confusion,
to have not only lied, but risked his wife's virtue to
protect himself. There is some doubt whether this
passage originally belonged to the Judean narrative,
but that, for the present, is of Uttle consequence, since
the Yahwist tells the same story, in 26:6 ff., of Isaac
and Rebekah. Nor is the falsehood or the exposure
of the woman in either case the thing of importance.
It is by no means strange that a man or woman in a
moment of weakness should give way to selfishness and
resort to deception. Many have done so for once
without losing the respect and confidence of their
feUows. The significant thing is, that, although in
both cases the falsehood is discovered, in neither is it
in itseU treated as a serious matter by the parties con
cerned. In other words, these stories betray the admira
tion for cunning as compared with courage, which is
one of the noticeable features of the oriental character.
There are other examples in plenty. Indeed, the
Judean account of Jacob is largely a series of tricks
by which the persons introduced, evidently to the
author's amusement, seek to overreach one another.
Thus it was by such a trick that Rebekah obtained
the blessing of the firstborn for Jacob;' that Laban
secured the services of Jacob for fourteen years;" that
Jacob transferred the best of Laban's cattle to his own
possession;' and that the same rid himself of his brother
Esau.'' See, also, the stories, how Tamar outwitted
her father-in-law,' and how Joseph entrapped his
' Gen. 27:15, 27. 3 Gen. 30:373. s Gen. 38:73.
Gen. 29:26. < Gen. 33:142.

36 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
brothers.' In some of these cases the end sought was
worthy, but in others both the end and the means used
to obtain it were ethically reprehensible.
In the preceding discussion it has been impossible
to keep personal entirely distinct from domestic ethics.
The second topic must now be more particularly
considered. In this period the family is especiaUy prominent.
Indeed, the development of the family is represented
as the ideal to the attainment of which every other
object must be subordinated. The sacrffices required
of the individual in its interest were sometimes, from
the modern standpoint, cruel and revolting. Thus,
because Sarah was denied offspring, she was obUged
to submit to the presence of a rival in the person of
Hagar in her household," and Rachel long suffered
almost beyond endurance from inward as weU as out
ward reproaches because she could not fulfil the func
tion of a desirable wife.' The cases of the daughters
of Lot and the Canaanitess Tamar have already been
noted, and their devotion in that they sacrificed their
virtue and involved a father and a father-in-law in
incest, that the famiUes which they represented might
not be extinguished.
The patriarchs, as they appear in the oldest narra
tive, show no lack of affection for their wives or children,
but they have the unconscious defects of oriental parents,
who are often unwisely indulgent, especiaUy toward
their sons, and, when there are more wives than one,
bUndly partial toward the child, or children, of the
favorite. Thus, Isaac indulged the careless Esau and
'Gen. 44:1. "Gen. i6: iff. ^ Gen. 30:14 f.

THE PATRIARCHAL PERIOD 37
ignored the plodding Jacob;' while Jacob, in his turn,
aUenated his other sons and brought upon himself a
bitter bereavement by his fooUsh fondness for Joseph."
The inferior position of woman has already been
noted. The earUest Hebrew traditions represent her
as the property of her father or her husband, and no
protest is made against a relation so unnatural and
degrading. The bride was actuaUy sold to the family
into which she married. This fact is not prominent
in the story of Rebekah's espousal,' but it is easily
inferred here as weU as in the cases of Rachel and Leah,''
and it is very clearly presented in the negotiations
between Jacob and Shechem concerning Dinah.' Of
course, as has already been observed, since daughters
had their price, the father might accept a compensation
for injury done one,* or even sacrifice her, as Lot was
wilUng to do,' for the sake of something that seemed to
him at the time of greater value or importance.
The treatment of woman as a chattel explains the
practice of polygamy among the early Hebrews. A
man of strong passions would naturaUy, if permitted
by pubUc opinion, have as many wives as he could
afford, while the man of only average means, if his
first choice for any reason proved unsatisfactory, would
be tempted to sacrifice her comfort or happiness that
he might attain his object in marriage, especially if it
were offspring. In early times Hebrew opinion sanc
tioned, not only polygamy, and that, too, when the
women were sisters, as in the case of Rachel and Leah,*
'Gen. 25:28. 4 Gen. 37:38. 'Gen. 19:8.
"Gen. 37:31. s Gen. 34:11 f. « Gen. 29:312.
3 Gen. 24:53. ^Ihid.

38 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
but concubinage, a relation in which the woman was a
slave wholly in the power of her owner. She might
belong to the husband. There are no cases of this
kind in the second section of the Judean narrative,
but there are those in which she belongs to the wife
and the wife gives her voluntarily to the husband.
Thus, Sarah gives her maid Hagar to Abraham,' and
Rachel and Leah give Bilhah and Zilpah to Jacob."
In such cases, according to the Code of Hammurabi,'
the husband was forbidden to take a second concubine,
but there is no mention of such a restriction among the
Hebrews.'' The concubines of which one reads in the earUest
narrative were slaves, but they were not the only class
of bondservants among the Hebrews. In the ancient
world slavery was a universal institution, and the
patriarchs bought and sold their fellow-men unrebuked.
Abraham had many slaves in his family besides Hagar,'
one of them being the wise and faithful steward whom
he sent to Mesopotamia to arrange the marriage between
Isaac and Rebekah.* Isaac, also, held men in bondage,'
and, as for Joseph, whose foresight prevented a -wide
spread famine, according to the correct reading in Gen.
47:21 he made the Egyptians pay for their lives with
their freedom, for "he caused them to serve as slaves
from one end of the border of Egypt to the other."
'Gen. 16:2. "Gen. 30:4, 9. 3 § 144.
••When Sarah dealt severely with Hagar, as narrated in Gen.
16:6, she followed exactly a provision of the Code of Hammurabi
(§ 146) according to which, if a maid who has borne children makes
herself the equal of her mistress, the mistress "may put a mark upon
her and count her among the maidservants.''
s Gen. 24:35. 'Gen. 24:2. ' Gen. 26:19, 25, 32.

THE PATRIARCHAL PERIOD 39
In this connection it is proper to inquire what the
early Hebrews, according to the Judean narrative,
thought about the duties of children toward their
parents and toward one another. It is easy to see that,
in view of the power lodged in the father, they would
naturaUy require reverence for him and obedience to
his commands. The Semites all early formulated these
requirements and severely punished any serious neglect
of them. Thus, the Code of Hammurabi' prescribed
that the man who struck his father should lose his
hands. The Hebrews, also, from the earUest times
doubtless had a severe penalty for such an offense,
which, however, would seldom have to be infficted,
or even recalled, to secure proper respect and obedience
for worthy parents. At any rate, there are, in the
earUest traditions of this period, touching examples
of fiUal affection. One of them is found in the part
played in the story of Joseph by Judah, who is repre
sented as at last so changed from his former mercenary
seU that, when Joseph threatened to detain Benjamin
in Egypt, he offered to take his brother's place rather
than witness the effect on his father of the loss of the
second son of the beloved Rachel." The tender reverence
of Joseph himself for his father is equally admirable and
affecting: witness his message to the old man,' the
reception he gave him on his arrival in Egypt,'' the
provision he made for his last days,' and the piety with
which he finally laid the patriarch to rest in his chosen
sepulcher.* Indeed, of all the noble quaUties of this
' § 195. '' Gen. 46:29.
"Gen. 44:303. s Gen. 47:12.
3 Gen. 45:9 f. 'Gen. 50:75.

40 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
remarkable character, there is none more worthy of
praise or imitation than his devotion to his father.
The constitution of the Hebrew family was not
conducive to fraternal kindness and affection. When
there was but one wife, the advantage given to the
firstborn naturally made him an object of envy and
hatred to his brothers. AVhen there were more wives
than one, it was even more difficult for the children to
"dwell together in unity." A case of the first kind is
that of Esau and Jacob, and one of the second that of
Joseph and his brothers. A state of discord was not,
however, regarded as normal. It is therefore with
evident approbation that tradition tells of the recon-
ciUation between Esau and Jacob, and Judah's atone
ment for his cruelty to Joseph by his wilUngness to save
Benjamin from slavery. Here, however, as in devotion
to his father, Joseph is the shining example; for he not
only manifests the utmost tenderness for Benjamin,'
but treats his half-brothers, all of them, as if he had
never known injury at their hands."
The range of the Judean Genesis is so narrow that
there is very little material on which to base an idea
of its teaching from the social standpoint, even if Lot
be reckoned outside the domestic zone.
The mention of Lot suggests a quaUty for which
some of the patriarchs were conspicuous; namely,
magnanimity. It showed itself in Abraham, when his
servants became embroiled with Lot's, and he gave the
latter his choice before himself deciding which direction
he would take;' in Isaac, also, when, in spite of the
'Gen. 43:29; 45:14. 3Gen.i3:7ff.
"Gen. 45:4-5a; 47:12; 50:21.

THE PATRIARCHAL PERIOD 41
annoyance he had suffered from the Gerarites, he con
sented to make a treaty with their king.'
There are more examples of the oriental virtue of
hospitaUty. The scene at Mamre in which Abraham
unwittingly entertains three angels" is classic. The
nature and exceUence of genuine hospitaUty could not
be more attractively exempUfied. Lot, also, appears
at his best as a host. He had so exalted an idea of his
responsibiUty in this relation that, as has already been
pointed out, he was wilUng to sacrifice his daughters
to the passions of a mob rather than permit his guests to
be debauched.' There is no hint that either Abraham or Lot ever
put any restrictions upon their hospitaUty. They
themselves were sojourners, and knew how to value
the sympathy and protection of aUen peoples. The
patriarchs, however, according to tradition, sometimes
in other respects discruninated against strangers:
Abraham, for example, when he sent his steward to the
land of his birth to get a wife for his son Isaac;" and
Jacob when, doubtless with the approval of his parents,
he chose his wives from his mother's famUy. This
poUcy, however, could not be maintained. Dinah
jdelded to the wooing of Shechem,' and Judah sought
his wife among the Canaanites.* Indeed, all the sons
of Jacob must have done the same, except Joseph,
whose wife was an Egyptian. These alUances were
the more readily formed, since the Hebrews and the
Canaanites spoke the same language — ^were, in fact,
'Gen. 26:26 ff. 4 Gen. 24: iff.
"Gen. 18: iff. 5 Gen. 34:2.
3 Gen. 19: iff. 'Gen. 38:2.

42 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
nearly related branches of the same race. Thus the
Hebrews acquired a claim on the land of Canaan that
furnished them with a warrant for invading the country
when they escaped from bondage in Egypt.
Reference has been made to the treaties made by
the patriarchs with their neighbors. There is nothing
to indicate that these covenants were not loyally ful
fiUed. This is explained by the fact that, although,
as has been seen, the Hebrews regarded deception for
the sake of personal advantage or protection as aUowable,
and the best of them sometimes resorted to falsehood,
they had the greatest respect for an oath. They there
fore, when anything of consequence was involved,
required such security. Thus, when Abraham sent
his servant to Mesopotamia, he put him under oath
faithfuUy to fulfil his mission,' and Jacob, when he was
dying, although he had not the sUghtest reason to
doubt the devotion of his distinguished son, required
him to take a similar oath." Such an oath, as Heb.
6:i6 puts it, was "final for confirmation." Therefore
Jacob and Laban, each of whom had abundant reason
for distrusting the other, when they had made the
covenant suggested by the latter,' went their opposite
ways satisfied;'' and Abimelech, although he had given
Isaac good ground for resentment, when the customary
rites had been performed, went home secure against
future retaUation.' It is in harmony with this hardly
creditable custom that, in Gen. 15:73., Yahweh him-
' Gen. 24:2 f. '•Gen. 31:46.
"Gen. 47:31. s Gen, 26:31.
3 Not, as in the received text, Jacob.

THE PATRIARCHAL PERIOD 43
self is represented as taking an oath to satisfy Abraham
that he and Sarah were really to have a son.
The survey of the Patriarchal Period, as described
in the Judean narrative, the best of the Hebrew authori
ties on the subject, is now complete. The result is
not entirely satisfactory, since, as has already more than
once been intimated, it is impossible to say how old or
how reUable were the sources from which the author
drew, or how freely he handled the materials at his
disposal. There are, however, limits to the uncertainty
thus produced. In the first place, it may be assumed
that the patriarchs, if they were real persons, were no
better than they are depicted. On the other hand,
when one reads the Code of Hammurabi, which is at
least as old as the time of Abraham, and may be from
one to two centuries older, and considers the ethical
progress it represents, these Hebrew worthies, who Uved
within the radius of its operation and influence, do
not seem to be much overdrawn.

CHAPTER IV
THE PERIOD OF THE EXODUS
It seems a formidable task to discuss the ethical
teaching of the period spent by the Hebrews on their
way from Egypt to the Promised Land, when one con
siders the amount of space given to it in the Pentateuch
— the whole of the last four books — and how much of
this space is devoted to ethical precepts. There are,
first, the commands and prohibitions of the Decalogue
in Exod., chap. 20, repeated, with some modifications,
in Deut., chap. 5. They are followed, in the first
instance, by the so-called Book of the Covenant, Exod.,
20 : 22 — 23 : 33. The contents of both the Decalogue and
the Book of the Covenant are largely repeated, with
variations and additions, in Lev., chaps. 17-26, a
section that is commonly designated as the Law of
HoUness. The first of these codes, according to Exod.
24:3 ff., was promulgated soon after the arrival of the
Hebrews at Sinai, and the second, according to Lev.
26:46, before their departure from that vicinity. The
latter is noticeably elaborate, as compared with the
other, yet it was not final, for, when Moses was on the
point of leaving his people in Moab, he gave them, we
are told, a third, including the second version of the
Decalogue, which has been preserved in Deuteronomy.
The three, with scattered passages of ethical significance,
furnish an amount of material that would be wel
come, if it were a homogeneous collection, but which,
in its present form, is simply confusing. Fortunately,
44

THE PERIOD OF THE EXODUS 45
the case is not so difficult as it seems. The critical
analysis of the Pentateuch has shown that these codes
were produced at intervals, not of months or years,
but of centuries, and that even the oldest of them, as
transmitted, does not belong to the period of the Exodus.
The Judean narrative has no place for it. Its account
of the stay at the sacred mount, in brief, is as follows :
The Hebrews came from the Red Sea by the way of
Meribah and encamped at the foot of the mountain;'
Yahweh summoned Moses and instructed him to pre
pare for a solemn interview on the foUowing day." The
next morning Moses again went up into the mountain,
where Yahweh met him and dictated to him the terms
of a covenant between himself and Israel;' Moses put
these terms into writing and afterward he and Aaron,
Nadab, and Abihu with seventy of the elders ate and
drank before Yahweh in the mount in confirmation of
the covenant based upon them.'' Then Yahweh com
manded that Moses and his people proceed to Canaan;
whereat the people were at first greatly disturbed.'
Before they started Hobab visited the camp, and Moses
persuaded him to cast his lot with the children of
Israel.* This account, to be sure, contains a series of com
mandments,' supposed to have constituted a Decalogue,
' Exod. 15:22a; 17:7; 19:2b. " Exod. 19:18, 20 f., 25; 34:2f.
3 Exod. 34:4 ("and Moses .... commanded him"), 5a, 8, 10
("And .... covenant"), 14 (except "for"), 17, 19a, 21 f., 25 f.
•• Exod. 34:27 f.; 24:1,9-11.
sExod. 33:1, 3a, 4 (except "these evil tidings").
'Exod. 18:7, 9-11 (except "Jethro" twice); Num. 10:29-32.
' Exod. 34:ioff.

46 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
all of which, however, are purely reUgious regulations.
Three of them agree with the first, second, and fourth
of the Decalogue in Exod., chap. 20, the rest having
to do with feasts, firstlings, and first-fruits, except the
last, which corresponds to Exod. 23: 19.'
The absence of ethical precepts in the Judean
narrative is not so strange as at first sight it appears.
The Hebrews had just escaped from bondage. They
attributed their success to the assistance of Yahweh.
Their first duty, therefore, was, not to construct an
elaborate code for the day when they expected to enter
Canaan, bu±J;Q_recogiize in a fitting manner the hand
of their God in their deUverance and renew their alle
giance to him; and that is what, according to this
narrative, they did, pledging themselves to worship
him alone and practice observances that would mark
them as his worshipers.
It should also be noted that the Hebrews, although
they had for a long time been oppressed, cannot have
been the barbarians they have sometimes been imagined.
They came from the same stock with one of the most
enlightened rulers of antiquity. Their fathers had Uved
and thriven under the laws that he had codified. Later
they had enjoyed the favor of the kings of Egypt. They
may have had written precepts or regulations; they
certainly had a traditional code, suited to their simple
Ufe, by which they were governed; and this was sufficient
when they were again free, so long as their mode of Ufe
remained unchanged, as it did in the desert.
This does not mean that the moral standards of
the Hebrews at the Exodus were ideal, or even as high
¦ See further pp. 109 f.

THE PERIOD OF THE EXODUS 47
as they had previously been. The people had been
oppressed, and tradition confesses that they were to a
serious degree demoralized; but they could not deny
their descent from Abraham, and some of them showed
themselves worthy of their Uneage. Nor is this all that
can safely be asserted. The Exodus was an event
calculated to produce a great moral upUft, and this
because it was more to those who were then deUvered
from slavery than a display of the power of Yahweh.
In the preceding chapter reference was made to the
promise of Yahweh to Abraham and the oath by which
it was confirmed.' It is not necessary to prove that
such a covenant was ever actually made. It is enough
that the descendants of the patriarch beUeved that
there had been such a transaction." When, therefore,
Moses returned to Egypt from Midian, he proclaimed
himself a messenger of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob,' and when at length he and his people found
themselves beyond the reach of their enemies, they
saw in the result a moral as weU as a physical triumph,
an iUustrious example of the faithfulness of Yahweh.
They were therefore wiUing and eager, when they were
out of danger, to enter into a covenant to serve their
Deliverer in any way that he was pleased to prescribe.''
Some of them afterward forgot this engagement, but
'Gen. 15:3 ff.
"Exod. 33:1; Num. 11:12.
3 Exod. 3:16; 4:29 f.
¦• The prevalence of the idea that the God of the Exodus was the
God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob militates against the view proposed
by Budde, that the Hebrews first became acquainted with Yahweh
through Moses' father-in-law, the priest of Midian. See, also, the
name Reuel, which is equaUy unfavorable.

48 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
they were punished by the severest penalties for their
disloyalty.' There is another moral attribute that is emphasized
in the Judean account of the Exodus, namely, com
passion. It was his compassion, Yahweh is repre
sented as saying in his first interview with Moses,"
that prompted him to undertake the deliverance of
his people from the cruelty of their oppressors; and
it was his sympathy for them that moved them to test
his faithfulness.' This sympathy was bestowed without
regard to the character of the recipients. There are
other passages in which Yahweh is represented as
exercising a similar tenderness toward his people in
spite of their unworthiness. Thus, in Exod. 34:6f.,
he is made to proclaim himself "a God full of com
passion and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in
kindness and faithfulness, keeping [showing continued]
kindness to thousands, forgiving iniquity, and trans
gression, and sin"; but these are later additions to the
original work.
The person most prominent in the history of the
Exodus, of course, is Moses. In Num. 12:3 he is
described by a later writer as "very meek above all the
men that were on the face of the earth." The Judean
narrator is not so extravagant, but he also pictures the
great leader as remarkably humble; for it is he who
represents him as shrinking from undertaking the
mission to Egypt because he feared that his people
would not recognize him as a messenger of Yahweh,
and that he was not sufficiently gifted in speech to
'Num. 25:4. 3 Exod. 3:16 f.; 4:31.
" Exod. 3 : 7 f .

THE PERIOD OF THE EXODUS 49
overcome their unbeUef.' The only other person who
deserves mention in this connection is Caleb, whose
courage the author records in Num. 13:30 with evident
approbation. The passages concerning Moses that have been
cited reveal only one side of his character. There are
others which describe him as giving way to anger or
even violence. Thus, it will be remembered that he
killed an Egyptian for smiting a Hebrew, and fled the
country because he was threatened with exposure."
Later, when some of his followers accused him of failure
as a leader and refused to obey him, he is said to have
become "very wroth" and to have called down upon
them a dreadful penalty from Yahweh.' The latter of
these two incidents illustrates a serious defect in the
Hebrews' idea of justice. They identified the interests
and responsibiUties of the individual so completely with
those of the family or other collective body that, when
one of the members offended, all had to share in the
penalty. Here, for example, neither Moses nor the
author seems to have thought it anything but just that,
not only the men who had been guilty of insubordina
tion, but "all that appertained to them," that is, as
appears from vs. 27, their wives and children, "went
down aUve into Sheol."" The same criticism may
justly be made with reference to the plagues inflicted
upon the Egyptians. According to Exod. 7:14 it was
Pharaoh who was responsible for the detention of the
Hebrews; yet the humblest and most innocent of his
subjects suffered equally with him when the water
'Exod. 4: iff. 3 Num. 16:15, 31, 33a.
"Exod. 2:11 ff. ¦'Num. 16:33; also 21:3.

50 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
of the Nile was poUuted and the fish that were in it
perished;' when the land was defiled with decaying
frogs;'' when the cattle throughout the country were
destroyed by a plague' and the crops by hail'' and
locusts;' and, finally, when the firstborn perished in a
night, "from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his
throne to the firstborn of the captive that was in the
dungeon."* It took the Hebrews a long time to learn
that such indiscriminate penalties were acts, not of
justice, but of cruelty.'
In the preceding chapter attention was caUed to
the carelessness of the early Hebrews in reference to
the truth unless they were under oath. It seems
strange that Moses should be represented as sharing
this defect, yet such is the fact. Indeed, Yahweh
himself is implicated, for, when he sent Moses to Egypt,
he put into his mouth the request, "Let us go, we pray
thee, three days' journey into the desert, that we may
sacrifice to Yahweh our God."* The language used
naturaUy impUes that the Hebrews intended to return
to Egypt after the proposed feast. Pharaoh so under
stood it, and Moses had to invent one excuse after
another for rejecting the king's concessions to prevent
him from discovering his mistake. Thus, when Pharaoh
suggested that the people sacrifice "in the land,"
Moses objected that they would thus offend the Egyp
tians.' When the king consented to let them go without
their cattle, the Hebrew leader insisted that they must
take their cattle with them because they should not
¦ E.xod. 7: 2ia. ^Exod. 9:25b. 'Deut. 24:16.
"Exod. 8:9f. s Exod. 10: 15b. 'Exod. 3:18.
3 Exod. 9:6. 'Exod. 10:29. 'Exod. 8:25 f.

THE PERIOD OF THE EXODUS 51
know which or how many of the animals Yahweh
would require until they reached the place of sacrifice.'
These excuses worked so weU that, when Pharaoh finally
yielded, he supposed he was granting only a brief
respite from labor. "Go," he said, "serve Yahweh,
as ye have said."" When, therefore he heard that
"the people were fled," he made haste to pursue them.'
It will be interesting, later on, to compare with this
unbiased version of the story of Moses' negotiations
with Pharaoh the parallel accounts in the other
narratives. It remains to notice the attitude of the Hebrews of
the period of the Exodus toward other peoples. They
would naturaUy feel hostile toward their oppressors —
which should perhaps be taken into account before
condemning too severely the display of cunning that
has just been discussed — but there is no indication of
any such feeling toward other foreigners. On the
contrary, they seem to have welcomed, as they naturally
would, any, of whatever kindred, who were prepared
to make common cause with them in their effort for
freedom. Thus, when they left Egypt, according to
Exod. 12:38, they were accompanied by "a mixed
multitude " of foreigners, who finally tired of the monoto
nous fare of the desert but complained no more bitterly
than did the children of Israel on the same occasion.''
Meanwhile Moses, whose wife was a Midianite, had
added to their number by persuading Hobab, his
father-in-law, to migrate to Canaan.' Finally Caleb, a
Kenizzite, whose family afterward became numerous and
' Exod. 10:24 f. 3Exod. i4:5f. 'Num. 10:293.
"Exod. 12:31. 'I Num. 11:4.

52 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
influential in southern Palestine, joined forces with him.'
It appears, then, that, when the Hebrews entered
Palestine, they were by no means a homogeneous people,
but included a considerable admixture of foreigners
to whom they gladly gave the privilege of sharing
their fortunes.
'Num. 13:30; also Judg. 1:12 3.

CHAPTER V
THE HEROIC PERIOD
The Hebrews — or some of them — probably migrated
to Egypt during the dominance of the Hyksos, that is,
before 1580 B.C., and escaped from bondage there in
the reign of Merenptah, that is, between 1225 and
1215 B.C. Meanwhile Palestine had undergone various
and interesting vicissitudes. After the Hyksos had
been expelled the Egyptians took possession of it and
held it, sometimes vnth difficulty, for about two cen
turies. Then the natives, assisted by other Semites,
taking advantage of the peaceable disposition of Amen-
hotep IV (1375-1350 B.C.), seem to have gained their
independence. When Seti I (13 13-1292 b.c), of the
XlXth Djmasty, came to the throne, he again invaded
the country, and Rameses II (1292-1225 B.C.), who is
commonly identified with the Pharaoh of the oppression,
so completely subjugated and defended it, that during
the rest of his reign it remained tranquil and the
relations between it and Egj^t became very intimate.'
The same state of things seems to have continued
for some time after the accession of Merenptah. At
any rate, in his eighth year Semites were still free to
enter the coimtry occupied by the Hebrews.- Later,
however, there was trouble in Palestine, and this king,
• Petrie, History of Egpyt, III, 71; Records of the Past', II, loi 3.
" A frontier oflBcial reports the admission of a tribe of nomads
into the region of Succoth to feed themselves and their cattle: Petrie,
op, oil,, III, 114 f. S3

54 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
if his own story is to be trusted, severely punished its
inhabitants, including a tribe called Israel,' Hebrews,
perhaps, who had not been in Egypt or had made an
earlier exodus." Later stiU the country was threatened
from the north by a coaUtion which was defeated by
Rameses III,' but by the time the Hebrews appeared
east of the Jordan (1175 B.C.), the PhiUstines (Purusatu),
who were a part of the defeated movement, and some
of their confederates had already gotten possession of
the sea-coast."
It appears, then, that when the Hebrews from Egypt
invaded Palestine the country was in more or less con
fusion, and they had powerful rivals for its possession.
This condition of things must be taken into account
in any study of the ethical development of the Chosen
People during this period. It is easy to perceive that
in such a period great importance would be given to
physical strength and prowess, also that the personal
quaUties most esteemed would be those which, if not
produced, are developed, by danger and hardship,
namely, courage and self-sacrifice. The heroes of the
period are men who never gave place to fear, but were
always ready to stake their lives for the defense of their
common country as well as their particular tribes or
famiUes. First in order comes Joshua. He is not mentioned
in the Judean account of the Exodus, so far as it has
' Breasted, History of Egypt, 466.
"Another possibility is that Israel represents a tribe into which
the Hebrews were afterward merged.
3 Petrie, op, cit., Ill, 150 f.; Breasted, op. oil., 477 3.
4 Petrie, op. cit., Ill, 148; Breasted, op. cit., 512.

THE HEROIC PERIOD 55
been preserved. When, therefore, he is introduced, he
appears to better advantage than in the Ephraimite
narrative, where he is at first overshadowed by his
master, Moses. It is also in his favor that the Judean
narrator does not represent the capture of Jericho as an
entirely miraculous affair, but in part the result of a
furious attack by the Hebrews led by Joshua in person.'
In this and all the rest of the affairs in which he figures
he is the ideal soldier of the period to which he belongs."
Caleb, also, is a favorite with the Judean author, and
for the same reason.' The Song of Deborah'' is largely
devoted to praise for Barak and other (nameless)
heroes who, whether great or small, "offered them
selves wilUngly" at the battle of the Kishon,' and
reproach for those who, for any reason, "came not to
the help of Yahweh .... among the mighty."* The
prophetess would have commended Ehud, in spite of his
treacherous method, for putting to death single-handed
the tyrant Eglon.' Indeed, she invokes upon the
Kenite Jael blessings above the lot of other women that
dwelt in tents for murdering a man who, exhausted by
his efforts to escape from the victorious Hebrews, had
'Josh. 6:iof., 14, 15 ("And .... manner"), i6b, 17 ("And
.... house"), 19, 20 ("So the people shouted" — "and they took
the city"), 21.
" There are those who reduce the Judean element in the Book of
Joshua to such an extent as to eliminate Joshua; but there is good
authority for maintaining that chaps. 7-9 are largely from this source.
See especially Moore in Encyclopaedia Biblica, art. "Joshua (Book),"
§§6 3.
3Num. 13:30; Josh. 15:143.; Judg. 1:10 ff.
¦• Judg., chap. 5. ' Vss. 16 f ., 23.
3 Vss. 2, 9, 13 ff., 18. 'Judg. 3:163.

56 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
thrown himself upon her mercy.' In Gideon is por
trayed a man as daring as he was resourceful; who also
had a sense of humor, as is shown in his rough and ready
treatment of the wits of Succoth and Penuel when he
returned from the overthrow of Zeba and Zalmunna."
Samson, to judge from the stories told of him, was almost
a buffoon, yet his wantonness in this and even more
serious respects did not quench the admiration felt for
his reckless devotion, to the very last of his brief Ufe, to
the deUverance of his people. There are two others
who must not be overlooked, Saul and Jonathan. The
Judean writer could hardly be expected to do justice
to the former; yet he could not conceal his admiration
for the king's early achievements, and the son is even
more favorably treated.' He tells the story of their
heroic death with evident sympathy, and quotes David's
lament as his warrant for numbering them among
Israel's greatest.''
In the preceding paragraph reference was made to
falsehood as one of the defects of some of the persons
named, as in the case of the Ue by which Ehud gained
a private audience with Eglon,' and the simulation of
hospitaUty by which Jael deceived Sisera.* This was
also one of Samson's faiUngs: witness the Ues he told
DeUlah when she asked him what was the secret of his
strength.' It was by a pretense of weariness that he
got the opportunity to puU down the building in which
he perished with his tormentors.*
'Judg. 5:24. s Judg. 3:19.
'Judg. 8:53. « Judg. 5:253.
3lSam.9:2; ii:6ff.; I4:iff. ' Judg. 16:7, 11, 13.
< II Sam. 1:193. ' Judg. 16 : 26.

THE HEROIC PERIOD 57
The weakness of Samson for women has also been
aUuded to. The casual way in which two instances are
introduced,' one after the other, shows that in this
heroic, as in the preceding periods, the harlot was
openly tolerated, and dealings with her, even by married
men, were not generally regarded as immoral. The
same point is illustrated in the case of the harlot Rahab,
who, because she saved the Hebrew spies from capture
by her nimble falsehoods, was counted worthy to survive,
with her family, the slaughter in which aU the rest of
the people of Jericho perished." It should, however,
be noted that sodomy was evidently condemned,' and,
although a husband might forgive wantonness in a wife
or concubine,'' the violation of a married woman was a
crime that could not be overlooked.'
The point just made properly comes under the head
of domestic ethics, on which this period furnishes
comparatively Uttle material. There is nothing to
indicate that the position of woman was generaUy any
higher than in earUer times. The husband still com
monly bought his wife of her father. If he was poor,
but otherwise desirable, a compensation of another kind
was arranged, as when Saul stipulated that David
should bring him the foreskins of a hundred PhiUstines.*
When the Benjamites had been reduced to six hundred
males, and the question arose how they were to be
suppUed with wives, the people, who had sworn not to
give their daughters to the survivors, allowed them
to supply themselves by kidnaping girls at the feast at
'Judg. 16:1, 4. "Judg. 19:3.
"Josh. 2:4b-sa; 6:25a. 'Judg. 20:8, 19, 44.
3judg. 19:22. 'ISam. 18:25.

58 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
Shiloh,' a proceeding that was entirely in accord with
the spirit and practice of the period. In this period,
too, men held women cheap, so cheap that the Levite
of this story surrendered his helpless concubine to a
mob to save himself from maltreatment." There was
one, however, whom those of her time were obliged to
respect and obey, the prophetess Deborah, who was
the soul of the movement that resulted in the over
throw of Sisera and opened the way for the union of
the tribes under Saul and David.
There were slaves in Israel in this as in the preceding
periods. From the Song of Deborah' one learns how
some of them were obtained. They were generally
treated as members of the family. Thus Saul makes
one of them his companion in the search for his father's
asses;'' and Abigail takes counsel with one of those
belonging to her husband Nabal.' Benziger uses these
passages to sustain the opinion that Hebrew slavery
was "a blessing for master and servant,"* but no amount
of patronage can atone to a human being for the lack
of his or her natural rights. Some of the female slaves
became the concubines of their masters. The one
whose cruel death at Gibeah aroused the indignation
of all the rest of Israel against the tribe of Benjamin
has already been mentioned. The only one mentioned
by name is Rizpah, a wife of Saul, whose devotion to
her sons is one of the most pathetic manifestations of
maternal love described in the Old Testament. It was
she who was the innocent occasion of the breach between
' Judg. 21:17 f-, 19 f- (in part). ¦• I Sam. 9:5 ff.
'Judg. 19:25. 3 1 Sam. 25; 14 ff.
3 Vs. 30. ' Hebrdische Archdologie, 159.

THE HEROIC PERIOD 59
Ishbaal, who, in accordance with the custom of the
time, expected to inherit her with the Kingdom, and
Abner, who had taken possession of her, and, because
Ishbaal asserted his claim, went over to David.'
Among the social virtues of this period hospitality
is prominent. Gideon was prompt to offer his unknown
visitor entertainment," and Manoah was equally hos
pitable.' The people of Succoth and Penuel refused
to supply Gideon with food for his weary warriors, and
he punished them severely for their churlishness, with
the evident approval of the narrator.'' The Levite
expected to be hospitably received at Gibeah. The old
man who finally gave him shelter regarded the attack
upon him as a violation of sacred rights and the
indignation aroused throughout Israel was doubtless
due to sympathy with the Levite rather than his unfor
tunate concubine.'
Here, again, it is necessary to call attention to the
inconsistency of the Hebrews in triffing with the truth
in the ordinary relations of life and insisting upon the
strictest observance of formal covenants. Thus Rahab
is represented as lying without the sUghtest hesitation
to the messengers of her king, but the Hebrews as
scrupulously redeeming their promise to protect her
when the city was taken.* More notable still is the
case of the Gibeonites. They obtained by fraud a
promise of exemption from the fate to which the Canaan
ites generally had been devoted; yet, when Joshua
discovered that he had been duped, he stood by the
'II Sam. 3:7 ff. "Judg. 8:4ff.
'Judg.6:8. 3 Judg. 19: II ff.
3 Judg. 13:15. 'Josh. 2:4b-5a; 6:25a.

6o THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
letter of his engagement and "deUvered them not
into the hands of the children of Israel.'" Saul would
have sacrificed his son Jonathan in fulfilment of a
hasty adjuration, had not the people intervened and
absolved him from it." Here belongs, also, the touching
story of Jonathan's loyalty to David in spite of the
knowledge that the popularity of the young Bethle-
hemite was hateful to his father and would inevitably
block his own way to the throne.' David did not
overstate the matter when he said in his lament over
his fallen friend, Thy love to me was wonderful.
Passing the love of women.i
This reverence for oaths and covenants was doubtless
fostered by the traditional doctrine of the relation
between Yahweh and Israel, of which the ark of the
covenant was a symbol and constant reminder.'
The sense of justice among the Hebrews was not
noticeably developed during this period. It is not
clear whether Josh: 7 : 24 f . should be cited or not in
this connection. This passage, in its present form,
recites that Joshua, for Achan's fault, destroyed, not
only Achan himself, but "the silver, and the mantle,
and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters,
and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent,
and all that he had"; but some of these particulars
are certainly, and all of them possibly, additions to the
original text. It is possible, however, that the phrase
in vs. 24, "all that he had," that is, all that belonged to
' Josh. 9:isb, 26. "II Sam. 1:26.
" I Sam. 14:24, 44 f. 5 Josh. 3:6, 11; 4:9 f.; 6:11.
3 1 Sam. 20:30 3.

THE HEROIC PERIOD 6i
him, may include his wife and children. See Num.
16:30, where it certainly has quite as comprehensive
a meaning. The treatment of Benjamin by the other
tribes on account of the injury done to the Levite was
not only unjust, because indiscriminate, but cruel in
the extreme, as the Israelites themselves finally con
fessed,' in that a tribe was made to pay for the life of a
single slave with the loss of eighteen thousand men."
A clearer moral vision manifests itself in the indigna
tion created by the inhuman demand of Nahash upon
the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead,' the protest of Jona
than against his father's insane jealousy of David,''
and the confession of Saul, who, in one of his saner
moments, acknowledged that he had treated his rival
unjustly.' The Hebrews, being almost constantly at war with
their neighbors during this period, could not be expected
to show much friendliness toward foreigners. It is not
strange, therefore, that Manoah and his wife objected
to an aUiance between their son and a PhiUstine.* It
does, however, shock the modern reader to learn that
they often kiUed Gentiles without provocation and
sometimes infficted upon their enemies the most revolt
ing cruelties. Thus we are told that, when they invaded
Canaan, they destroyed the entire population of the
cities they captured.' Later, a company of the Danites
migrated to the north, robbing Micah of his priest and
'Judg. 21:15. -I I Sam. 20:32.
' Judg. 20:44. ' I Sam. 24: 17.
31 Sam. 11:6. 'Judg. 14:2.
'Josh. 6:21; Judg. 1:17, 25. On the discrepancy between 1:17
and Num. 21 : 1-3, see Moore, Judges, 36.

62 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
his idols on the way,' and, when they found at Laish
"a people quiet and secure," "smote them with the
edge of the sword" and took possession of their country."
The great Danite, Samson, according to Judg. i5:i4f.,
on one occasion killed a thousand men in his own defense,
and, according to Judg. 16:30, "the dead he slew in his
death," when he pulled down the temple of Dagon at
Gaza, "were more than all they that he slew in his
life." For a case of mutilation, see Judg. i : 5 f. These
and other instances of cruelty, some of which are reported
to have been committed by the express direction of
Yahweh, have caused many devout readers of the Old
Testament no little perplexity. The question, however,
is not, as these good men and women have put it. How
could a just God ordain such things? but. How could
the Hebrews suppose that he had commanded them ?
and this is answered by saying that they were at the
time morally undeveloped.
¦Judg. 18:17 ff- "Judg. 18:27.

CHAPTER VI
THE PERIOD OF DAVID AND SOLOMON
The Heroic Period was one of constant stress and
danger. When Saul was anointed, Samuel thought
that he had found the man to put an end to the weari
some struggle and estabUsh permanent security; and
the new king's iirst acts went far toward justifying
this expectation. In process of time, however, the
burden of his office unsettled his mind, and, when he
fell in the desperate encounter with the PhiUstines at
Gilboa, it seemed as if the good work he had done had
come to naught. This, indeed, would have been the
case had there not been a man more versatile by nature,
and more thoroughly trained for leadership, to prevent
such a result. It was David, therefore, who really
estabUshed the monarchy and thus introduced a new
period. The dynasty he founded lasted more than
four centuries; but, since the kingdom retained its
original size and importance only during his reign and
that of his son, and the conditions then existing may be
supposed to have had a pecuUar influence on the ethics
of the time, the period next to be considered should
close with the death of Solomon. It was a period of
surpassing miUtary strength, industrial prosperity, and
poUtical influence; and it had the virtues and defects
corresponding to these conditions. The question now
is. How do the oldest records present these ethical
phenomena ?
The hero of this period, without controversy, was
63

64 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
David. A friend described him to Saul as not only a
skilful musician, but a sturdy fellow, tried in war,
prudent in speech, and withal comely in person.' Here
the young man's courage and prowess are especially
emphasized. It is therefore not strange that Saul at
once made him his adjutant," and a little later gave him
a command,' with the result that he became the idol
of the people.'' He was not spoiled by their plaudits,
but remained humble, protesting, when it was suggested
that he might have Saul's daughter, that he was not
worthy to be the son-in-law of the king.' These two
characteristics, courage and humiUty, appear elsewhere
in his career. To be sure, he fled before Saul, and
never would face him with weapons; but that was
because Saul was the anointed of Yahweh* and the
father of his devoted friend Jonathan.' He fled before
Absalom, also, not because he was afraid, but because
he could not bring himself to draw his sword against
his own son and initiate a civil war.* His subjects
thought him anything but a coward. Hushai, it wiU
be remembered, warned Absalom not to be in too much
haste to foUow his father, "for," he said, "all Israel
know that thy father is a mighty man";' and the young
man heeded the warning. David did, however, now
'ISam. i6:i8. 3 1 Sam. 18:5.
"ISam. 16:21. "ISam. 18:7.
5 1 Sam. 18:23; see also I Sam. 24:14, where David speaks of
himseU as "a dead dog'' and "a flea," that is, beneath the king's notice.
'The story that David was anointed to displace Saul before the
death of Samuel (I Sam. 16 : i 3.) belongs to a later date than the Judean
narrative. 'I Sam. 24:6; II Sam. 4:10.
' II Sam. 15:14. 'II Sam. 17:10.

THE PERIOD OF DAVID AND SOLOMON 65
and then show a lack of the sturdy moral fiber that
should characterize the genuine soldier, especially in
his treatment of Joab, whom he allowed to go unpum'shed
for the murder of Abner and Amasa.' He abhorred
these vengeful and brutal deeds, but he confessed him
self unable to reward the perpetrator of them as he
deserved. "I am this day weak," said he, on the
occasion of the death of Abner, "though anointed king,
and these men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too hard for
me." He could only leave the murderer in the hands
of Yahweh to punish "according to his wickedness.""
This confession is characteristic of him. He was
naturally passionate and impulsive, but, when brought
face to face with his errors or transgressions, he
acknowledged them and uncomplainingly took the
consequences. His conduct when Abigail appealed
to him not to give way to ignoble resentment toward
her churUsh husband was worthy of a candidate for
royalty,' and the humiUty with which he confessed his
crimes against Uriah and submitted to the loss of the
offspring of his adulterous passion made him the classic
example of penitence in the Old Testament.'' When
there occurred a plague among his people, and his
seer interpreted it as an indication of the divine disap
proval on account of a census that he had recently
taken, he made no protest, but quietly took upon him
self all the blame for the infliction.'
There is Uttle in the oldest stratum of the history
of Solomon, as given in l3ie first Book of Kings, that
'II Sam. 3:27; 20:10. " II Sam. 12:13, 22.
"II Sam. 3:39. 5 11 Sam. 24:13.
3 1 Sam. 25:32.

66 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
bears upon his private character, but the story of his
vision at Gibeon' is significant, and almost equally so
whether it is historical or legendary, since in either case
it shows what a Hebrew toward the beginning of the
monarchy thought should be the attitude of a king
toward his office. It is hardly necessary to say that
nothing could be more admirable or appropriate than
the childlike spirit in which Solomon is here represented
as approaching his high duties. Unfortunately he does
not seem to have retained the same disposition long
after his accession.
The ethical relations of the family do not seem to have
been improved by the establishment of the monarchy.
The position of woman was certainly no higher than it
had been. The husband generally obtained his wife by
a virtual purchase. The case of Michal, the daughter
of Saul, as has already been intimated, was really no
exception. David appears to have been strongly
attached to her, for, when Abner proposed to desert
Ishbaal and follow him, the king demanded that he
bring Michal, who had been given by Saul to a certain
Paltiel, with him " Yet he had other wives, some of
whom he added to his family after her return. Among
them were Abigail, with whom, after Nabal's death,
he must have received a considerable fortune, and
Maacah, a daughter of the chief of the Geshurites, to
the south of PhiUstia,' with whom he had once been
at war.'' He had seven wives, including Michal, before
' I Kings 3:53. "II Sam. 3:138.
3 According to II Sam. 15:8, Geshur was in Syria, but Josh. 13:2,
like I Sam. 27:8, clearly points to a southern tribe.
4 1 Sam. 27:8; II Sam. 3:3.

THE PERIOD OF DAVID AND SOLOMON 67
he left Hebron, and when he removed to Jerusalem
he took others, among them Bathsheba, besides at least
eleven concubines.' Solomon inherited a part of this
establishment and doubtless added to its numbers,
but the earUest narrative has nothing to say on the
subject. It may safely be taken for granted that the subjects
of David and Solomon were prompt to follow the royal
example, and, as their wealth increased under a stable
government, take to themselves wives as many as they
could afford, thus increasing the evils by which polygamy
is always accompanied. Some of these evils appear in
the story. Thus, Bathsheba persuaded David to promise
the succession to Solomon, her son, instead of Adonijah,
the natural heir. Thereupon the latter undertook to
usurp the throne. He failed, but his Ufe was spared
until he asked for one of his father's concubines, at
which Solomon promptly ordered his execution." David
was preparing these things for himself and his family
as he added wife to wife, but his biographer, so far from
noting the fact, seems to have regarded him as fortunate
and enviable in having so numerous a harem.
In this connection reference should be made to the
story of Tamar, from which it appears that marriage
between children of the same father, which is forbidden
in Lev. 20:17, was then permissible.' This story is
interesting, also, as showing that, in spite of polygamy,
the promiscuous indulgence of lust was not countenanced.
Indeed, the plea of Tamar for her own Adrtue strikes a
new note, and one that touches the reader as does not
'II Sam. 11:27; 15:16; I Kings 1:3.
^I Kings 2:13. 3 II Sam. 13:13.

68 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
the wrath of her father or the vengeance of her brother
Absalom. The same note is struck by Nathan when
he comes to David with his exquisite parable.' It
makes adultery not merely an injury to the property
of a neighbor, but a wound to his honor and his tenderest
affections, and stigmatizes the adulterer as a social
marauder who has "no pity" and therefore deserves
none. David had the faults of an oriental father, being
partial and indulgent beyond reason. He spoiled
Absalom, and, when he was dead, made Solomon
instead of Adonijah his favorite and successor. The
rebellion of Absalom was one of the consequences, but
so outrageous was the conduct of the son that he marred
his own prospects and incurred the censure of mankind,
while the weakness of the father was, and is, overlooked
or forgiven." The love of David for his children was
not altogether a virtue. On the other hand, what
could be more touching and admirable than the devo
tion of Rizpah, Saul's concubine, who, when the two
sons she bore the unhappy king and the five of his
daughter Merab were executed to placate the Gibeonites,
took her place under the gibbet and sat there day and
night the summer through to prevent the birds of heaven
and the beasts of the field from devouring their decaying
bodies.' ' II Sam. 12:1 3.
" In the valley of the Kidron, east of Jerusalem, there is a monu
ment erroneously called the "Tomb of Absalom." The base of it is
heaped with stones that have been thrown at it by passers-by, who have
thus sought to show their reprobation for a son who dishonored his
father. 3 II Sam. 2i:iof.

THE PERIOD OF DAVID AND SOLOMON 69
There is an interesting passage bearing on the sub
ject of slavery in this period, namely II Sam. 12:31.
It, Uke 8:2, which is late and doubtful, has been rendered
and interpreted as a description of cruelties inflicted by
order of David upon the prisoners taken at Rabbah;
but the better rendering is that "he set them at the
saws, and the picks, and the axes, and made them work
at the brick-molds," that is, reduced them to slavery
and employed them in various forms of hard labor.
Many, if not most, of the slaves of the time, owing to
the constant wars, were probably foreigners.
It is necessary, in passing to the social ethics of the
period, as in preceding chapters to call attention to the
disregard for truth that shows itself among all classes.
Persons bent on wickedness naturally Ue and deceive
without compunction: Amnon, for example, when he
was seeking his sister's ruin;' Absalom, when he was
planning to avenge Tamar," and when he was plotting
the overthrow of his father;' and Zeba, the faithless
steward of Meribbaal, when he saw an opportunity to
rob his master.** Sometimes, also, persons otherwise
reputable resorted to falsehood and deception when in
danger or difficulty. Thus, the woman of Tekoa
brought a fictitious complaint before David as a mask
for a plea for Absalom;' Hushai made a pretense of
devotion to Absalom for the purpose of defeating him;*
Ahimaaz denied any knowledge of the death of Absalom
through fear of the king;' and a woman at Bahurim
'II Sam. 13:6. 3 II Sam. 14:43.
"II Sam. 13:233. 'II Sam. 16:16 ff.
3 II Sam. 15:14. ' II Sam. 18:29.
"II Sam. 16:3.

70 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
saved David's emissaries by giving their pursuers false
information.' David himself was not above such
practices. He lied to Achish about his military move
ments;" he also made the king believe that he was eager
to follow him against Saul;' but, worst of all, he called
Uriah home on the pretense of wishing to hear from the
army,'' and, when the honest fellow, in spite of the wine
with which he was plied, refused to fall into the trap
laid for him, sent him back to Rabbah with what
amounted to an order for his own execution;' and all
this to cover the crime that he had committed against
his innocent victim. It was a despicable piece of
business, as the prophet Nathan saw and promptly
testified; yet this man David was a very pattern of
faithfulness to expressly accepted duties or obligations.
His covenant with Jonathan has already been mentioned.
He seems to have regarded it as comprehensive of the
whole family of Saul. At any rate, during his whole
career he treated all who belonged to it with the utmost
kindness and consideration. He served Saul loyally
while he was at court, and even in exile he did not
forget that his enemy was Jonathan's father as well
as the anointed of Yahweh. When Saul fell, and he
was caUed to the throne, he interpreted the call as a
divine commission, and acted accordingly; but when
Ishbaal was assassinated and the conspirators came to
David with the news of his death, expecting to be
praised and rewarded for what they had done, the new
king requited them with an immediate and ignominious
death.* When he had estabUshed himself in Jerusalem
'II Sam. 17:20. 3 1 Sam. 28:2; 29:8. s n Sam. 11:14 f.
'ISam. 27:10. "II Sam. 11:6 3. *IISam.4:9ff.

THE PERIOD OF DAVID AND SOLOMON 71
he made inquiry whether there were any of Saul's
family still remaining, and, when he learned that there
was a son of Jonathan, a cripple, he sent for the young
man, took him into his own family, and restored to
him the land that had belonged to his grandfather
Saul.' Later, when Zeba reported Meribbaal disloyal,
he gave the property to the informer, and, when he
discovered his mistake, because he had given his word
to both, divided it between them." There is one
passage that, at first sight, seems to contradict the
testimony of those already cited; namely, II Sam.
21:8 f., where David is reported to have deUvered
seven of the grandsons of Saul to the Gibeonites in
atonement for a breach of the covenant between them
and Israel. It must, however, be remembered that
this action was taken because there was a famine in the
land, which, according to the oracle, was "for Saul,
and for his bloody house, because he put to death the
Gibeonites"; so that the king could only have saved
the unfortunate young men by disregarding the ancient
law of retaUation backed by the alleged indorsement of
Yahweh. In this connection should be mentioned, also,
the fulfilment by David of his promise to Bathsheba to
make her son Solomon his heir,' and his attempt to show
his loyalty to Nahash the deceased king of Ammon by
sending a message of condolence to his son.'' In II
Sam. 8:2 he is reported to have smitten Moab, although
the king of that country had protected his parents while
he was pursued by Saul;' but the passage in question
"II Sam. 9:13. "II Sam. 10:25.
" II Sam. 16:3 f.; 19:243. siSam. 22:3f.
3 II Kings 1 : 28 ff.

72 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
is a Deuteronomic accretion of doubtful authenticity,
and II Sam. 8:iif., where Moab is reckoned among
the kingdoms subdued by David is still later. The
truth, then, seems to be that David spared Moab, as
he would have spared Ammon, because the king of the
country had befriended him when he was persecuted.'
The oldest sources represent David throughout as
the soul of good-wiU. This characteristic explains why,
when he was banished from court, the unfortunate of
every description flocked to him;" why his companions
in arms unhesitatingly risked their lives to protect,' or
even to pleasure him;^ and why, when he fled before
Absalom, his people in great numbers accompanied
him,' his foreign soldiers refused to desert him,* and
Hebrews and Gentiles aUke on the east of the Jordan
came to his assistance.'
The last citation suggests that David was not only
kind and generous, but rarely magnanimous. His
conduct toward Saul while the latter was seeking to
kill him was above praise. It brought tears to the
king's own eyes, and forced from him the confession,
"Thou art more righteous than I, for thou hast rendered
to me good, whereas I have rendered to thee evil 
For, if a man meet his enemy, will he let him go
unharmed?"* He overlooked, at Abigail's interces-
' Lest it should be thought that II Sam. 23 : 20 has been overlooked,
note that this passage is corrupt, and that the original reading was
not "he slew two sons of Ariel of Moab," but "he slew the two young
lions in their lair."
"ISam. 22:2. 'II Sam. 15:18 ff.
311 Sam. 18:3; 21:153. 'II Sam. 17:275.
"II Sam. 23:13s. 'ISam. 24:163.
3 11 Sam. 15:17.

THE PERIOD OF DAVID AND SOLOMON 73
sion, the insolence of Nabal,' ignored, in spite of his
attendants, the vituperation of Shimei," and mourned
for Absalom as tenderly as if the heartless young man
had been the best and most dutiful of sons.' This
phase of David's character would be somewhat marred
if I Kings 2 : i-i 2 were a part of the original story of
the king's Ufe. Such, however, is not the case. He
must therefore be acquitted of any share in the death
of Adonijah, Abiathar, Joab, or Shimei, and the responsi
biUty for their punishment placed upon Solomon, whom
the first three, and possibly the last, also, would have
kept from the throne.''
The spirit of David is shown in the way in which he
met the advances of Abner, when the latter proposed
to reunite the tribes,' and in his attempt to put Amasa,
who had led Absalom's troops, at the head of a united
army, for the sake of bringing the men of Judah back
to their aUegiance.* The same spirit manifests itself
in the laudatory terms used of Joseph in the so-caUed
"Blessing of Jacob," which is supposed to have taken
substantially its present form in the reign of David.'
It was the possession and exercise of this spirit that made
it possible for the aged king to return to Jerusalem and
finaUy die the recognized ruler of all Israel.
It is difficult to reconcile these attractive and highly
commendable traits in David with his miUtary record
and the slaughter he wrought in his operations, some
times showing no mercy even to women and children.
Thus, in his forays into the South, before he became
'I Sam. 25:35 s. "II Sam. 16:5 s. 3n Sam. 18:33.
" The Shimei of I Kings i : 8 is not the one of 2:8.
3II Sam. 3:12. 'II Sam. 19:13; 20:4 f. 'Gen. 49:223.

74 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
king, he is said to have "saved neither man nor woman
alive,'" and when he invaded Edom to have "cut off
every male."" It should, however, be remembered to
his credit that, as appears from the severity with which
he condemned Joab for avenging upon Abner the blood
of his reckless brother' and punished the shameless
murderers of his rival Ishbaal,'' he took no deUght in
blood, and that the wars in which he engaged were
mostly forced upon him either by the faUen house of
Saul or hereditary foreign enemies who threatened his
people with slavery or extinction. Joab is the typical
man of blood of the period; but, as already shown,
David had only criticism and condemnation for his
brutal methods.
Thus far David has been considered as a popular
hero, and not as the head of a state. He was, in fact,
owing to the sad fate of the son of Kish, the founder of
the Hebrew monarchy, and for many years bodied it
forth to the oriental world. It is unfortunate that
there is not a more complete record of his reign, showing
how he conducted the internal affairs of his kingdom,
and the result to his admiring subjects; but those who
compiled the Books of Samuel were more interested in
other matters, and one who desires such information
must seek it in occasional incidents and the conditions
that they imply. There are three or four such incidents
that are very instructive.
The Hebrew state was an absolute monarchy, and
the king had the reins of government entirely in his own
hands. He made laws and executed them. He was
'ISam. 27:9. 3nSam. 3:28f.
» II Sam. 8:13 f.; iKingsii:i5. "II Sam. 4:12.

THE PERIOD OF DAVID AND SOLOMON 75
also the final authority, both on the validity of the
laws and any alleged violation of them. There was one
quaUfication, therefore, that he needed above all others,
the one for which Solomon prayed at Gibeon, saying,
"Give thy servant an understanding heart, to judge
thy people, that I may discern between good and evil;
for who is able [otherwise] to judge this thy great
people?"' A later writer (D) in II Sam. 8:15 says that
David "executed justice and righteousness to all his
people." A Uttle further study will show whether this
estimate of him is well founded.
There is a significant incident, the first that will
be cited, in the account of the defeat and overthrow
by David of the Amalekites who had captured and
plundered Ziklag in his absence." He had six hundred
men with him when he returned and found the place
deserted. He at once started in pursuit, but the pace
he set was so rapid that, when he reached the brook
Besor, a third of his men were so nearly exhausted that
they could go no farther.' Leaving them there, he
pushed forward with the remainder. He finally over
took the marauders, and not only rescued the captives
and recovered the plunder taken at Ziklag, but secured
additional spoil in great abundance. A part of this
David reserved for himself, the rest being intended for
his followers. When, however, the victors returned
to the brook Besor, and a distribution was proposed,
some of them objected to sharing their winnings with
the two hundred who were there encamped. There
upon David intervened. "Who," he indignantly
inquired, "will hearken to you in this matter? for as
' I Kings 3:9. "I Sam., chap. 30. 3 Vss. 9 f .

76 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
is his share that went down to the battle, so shall be
his share that tarried by the baggage; they shaU share
alike." This is a remarkable deUverance, and the
author adds to its significance by saying, "And from
that day onward he made it a statute and an ordinance
for Israel. " It means that before he came to the throne
David estabUshed a principle among his men which,
when applied to civil affairs, would secure to every
loyal subject of his reahn equaUty of privilege before
the law.
When David finaUy succeeded Saul he followed the
immemorial practice of oriental rulers and sat as judge
to hear and decide any cases that might be brought
before him. The impression that one gets from II Sam.
15:1 ff. is that such appeals were frequent, and that
those who brought them came from aU parts of the
kingdom. Absalom is represented as saying that there
was no adequate provision for the administration of
justice at the capital; but a son who was plotting to
dethrone his own father can hardly be regarded as a
reUable witness to existing conditions. Besides, there
is evidence that David was approachable by the hum
blest suitor. There are two examples of his method
and insight, which, although the cases brought were
fictitious, are as instructive as if they had been genuine.
The first is the one embodied in Nathan's parable.'
The prophet complained that a rich man who had flocks
and herds very many, when he wanted a lamb to set
before a chance guest, instead of taking one of his own
took a pet animal, and an only one, belonging to a poor
neighbor and served it to the stranger. Hardly was
' II Sam. 12:1 5.

THE PERIOD OF DAVID AND SOLOMON 77
the case stated before the king, greatly enraged, cried,
"As Yahweh Uveth, the man that hath done this is
worthy to die; as for the lamb, he shaU restore it four
fold,' because he did this thing and because he had no
pity." This, too, is a remarkable decision. The
prophet could not have desired one more emphatic or
satisfactory. It not only establishes the indefeasible
right of property, but requires of the rich such an
attitude toward the poor as would eventually aboUsh
poverty in any community in which it was adopted.
Solomon ignored this great principle, but it had come
to stay, and it finaUy wrecked the arbitrary and oppres
sive system that he in his wisdom had elaborated.
The other example" is more compUcated. It deals
with the application of the lex talionis, the custom,
first alluded to in Gen. 4 : 14, which authorized the next
of kin to avenge the death of a relative by himself
kiUing the slayer. Joab took advantage of this law
when he stabbed Abner, who had recently, but unwill
ingly, killed Asahel, Joab's brother, in battle.' The
grief and indignation of the king, when he heard of the
matter, showed that he had no sympathy with this
barbarous custom. Joab, therefore, must have been
pretty sure of his case before the woman from Tekoa
presented it. She declared that she had had two sons,
that they had quarreled, and one of them had killed
the other; and that her relatives now demanded the
blood of the survivor, thus threatening to leave her
childless and her husband without an heir to perpetuate
his family. The problem was a perplexing one, and the
' The Greek Version reads "fivefold."
"II Sam. 14:45. 311 Sam. 2:193.

78 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
king at first hesitated to render a decision. An Oriental
does not Ughtly break with custom. The woman,
however, persisted and he finaUy gave her his oath
that her son should be protected. Later he appUed the
same principle, that justice should not defeat its own
object, to the case of Absalom, and ordered Joab to
bring the young man home from exile.'
These decisions are merely examples, but they dis
play an insight and sympathy that led the woman of
Tekoa to compare David with "the angel of God" in
his ability "to discern good and bad,"" and that move
the modern reader to only less extravagant admiration.
Compare the famous judgment of Solomon,' which is
not a lesson in ethics but an experiment in psychology.
The presence of foreigners in the Hebrew army has
more than once in the foregoing discussion received
passing notice. The subject deserves further attention.
The impression one gets from reading the Ufe of Saul
is that he was almost constantly at war with his neigh
bors. This is not the case with respect to David. He,
too, had some serious encounters with other peoples,
especially the Philistines, but, when the contents of
II Samuel are chronologically arranged, it will be found
that these all took place early in his reign.'' He was
' II Sam. 14: 21. " II Sam. 14: 17.
3 1 Kings, 3 : 16 5., a comparatively late passage.
"The order adopted by Budde for the extracts from the Judean
narrative is as follows: 1:1-4, 11 f., 17, i8b, i8a, 19-27; 2:1-9, lob,
i2-23a, 24-32; 3:1, 6b-29, 31-39; 4:1-3. 5-12; 5:1-3. 17-25; 21:15-
22; 23:8-12, i7b-22, 23b-39, i3-i7a; 6:1; 5 : 6 (except " thinking . . . .
hither"), 7a, 8a, 9-12; 6:2-23; 8:7-19, i3-i4a; 3:2-5; 5:13-16;
8:16-18; 24:ib-io, iib-i2, 13 ("Shall . . . pestilence in thy land").
iia, 13 ("So ... . unto him" — "now .... me"), 14!., 16 ("And ....

THE PERIOD OF DAVID AND SOLOMON 79
always on friendly terms with the Moabites, among
whom he left his parents when their safety was threat
ened by Saul;' also with the Ammonites, until their
king provoked him to war," and the Phoenicians.'
Even with those against whom he had fought he after
ward estabUshed peaceful relations. Thus, the king of
Geshur gave him his daughter, afterward the mother
of Absalom, in marriage" and Shobi of Ammon was
among those who furnished him with suppUes when he
was fleeing before Absalom.' As for the PhiUstines,
although, according to aU accounts, he fought and
subdued some or all of them, he did not disturb Achish,
with whom he once found refuge for more than a year,*
for this prince was stiU ruUng in Gath when Solomon
became king.' Moreover, he had many PhUistines in
his army, including six hundred from Gath under a
certain Ittai.* And they were not mere mercenaries.
Said Ittai, when David would have dismissed him on
leaving Jerusalem, "Wherever my lord the king is,
whether for death or for Ufe, even there also will thy
destroy it"), 17, 16 ("Yahweh .... Jebusite"), 18-25; 2i:i-2a, 3
("What .... Yahweh"), 4-6, 8, 9 (except "at .... harvest"),
10-14; 9:1-3; 4:4b; 9:4-13; 10; 11:1-20, 2ib-22a, 24a, 22b, 24b-
27; I2:i-7a, 9 ("thouhast .... Ammon"), 13-31; 13:1-17, i8b-36,
37b, 37a, 38b; 14:1-24,28-33; 15:1-23, 24 (except "and aU the Levites
with him" — "the covenant of" — "and Abiathar went up"), 25-37;
16; 17; 18; 19:1, 3-5, i!, 6-11, 12b, 12a, 13-44; 20:1-22. See Sacred
Books of The Old Testament, "Samuel."
'ISam. 22:3 f. sH Sam. 17:27.
"II Sam. io:i5. 'ISam. 27:25.
3II Sam. 5:11. 'I Kings 2:29.
"II Sam. 3:3.
' See II Sam. 15: 18, where the better reading is not "all the Git-
rites," but "all the men of Ittai the Gittite."

8o THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
servant be."' So these foreigners went with the king
across the Jordan and helped to win the battle by which
he saved his crown. There were others among his
mighty men, of whom Uriah the Gittite, whom he
betrayed," EUphelet of Maacah,' Igal of Zobah,'' and
Zelek the Ammonite' are mentioned by name. All
these items go to show that neither David nor the
Hebrews generally in his time had any appreciable
prejudice against foreigners. There is another that is
even more significant, namely, that when the accident
that prevented David from bringing the ark to Jerusalem
on the first attempt occurred, he left it on the way, and
the man who had the honor of caring for it was Obed-
edom, a Gittite.* Now, nothing could have shocked a
later Hebrew more than such a disposition of it. The
Chronicler would not beUeve the story. He therefore
made Obed-edom a Hebrew and bestowed upon him
the office of door-keeper to the sanctuary of Yahweh.'
The Hebrews of David's day, on the other hand, had
no such antipathy to friendly foreigners, but welcomed
them, as Moses did Hobab, to the blessings that they
enjoyed, or hoped to enjoy, from Yahweh.'
'H Sam. 15:21. sll Sam. 23:37.
" II Sam. 23 : 39. 'II Sam. 6:10.
311 Sam. 23:34. 'I Chron. 15:18.
" II Sam. 23 : 36. • II Sam. 6:11,

CHAPTER VII
THE FIRST CENTURY OF THE SEPARATE KINGDOMS
On the death of Solomon there was a great upheaval
the result of which was the separation of the northern
tribes from that of Judah. The Southern Kingdom
was still ruled by the house of David, but the Northern
Kingdom chose for its king Jeroboam, son of Nebat,
who had served as superintendent of forced labor in
Ephraim, but had been suspected of disloyalty by
Solomon and obUged to seek refuge in Egypt. The
Une of succession remained unbroken in Judah, but in
Israel, as the Northern Kingdom was caUed, after
only twenty-two years, the house of Jeroboam I was
overthrown by Baasha, and in twenty-sis more the
dynasty founded by the latter gave place to that of
Omri, which maintained itseU until 842 B.C., or the
close of the period.
The rupture that gave rise to the separate kingdoms
left them both too weak to cope with any other at aU
formidable power. Sheshonk I, king of Egypt (945-
924 B.C.), was prompt to take advantage of this fact
to invade and plunder the one after the other; and, as
if this were not enough, the resentment between them
more than once brought them into open hostiUty with
each other and increased their wretchedness. It was
only after the overthrow of the house of Baasha that
Jehoshaphat of Judah "made peace with the king of
Israel." Then, however, arose the reUgious conffict in
which Elijah and EUsha led the adherents of Yahweh
81

82 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
and finally succeeded in overthrowing the dynasty of
Omri and a Uttle later effecting almost as drastic reforms
in the kingdom of Judah.
This, in outline, is the poUtico-reUgious history of
the period. It remains to trace the Une of ethical
development, if there was any, whUe the events men
tioned were occurring. This is not so easy as might
be expected, the sources on which one has to depend
having been rewrought to such an extent that it is
difficult to distinguish fact from legend. The legendary
appears especially in the stories of the prophets. The
clearest case is in I Kings, chap. 13, where the mention
of Josiah by name at least a hundred and seventy
years before he was born,' and of Israel as Samaria
more than thirty-five before the city so called was
founded" shows that the story in its present form is a
late production. Yet it contains elements that must
have originated in the period of which it treats and may
be used for the purpose of obtaining an idea of ethical
conditions in those earUer times.
The most prominent figure of the period is, without
question, EUjah. He enters unannounced.' Perhaps
the original account of him had something to say with
reference to his parentage and earUer activities, but the
present text is silent on the subject. He is described
simply as coming from Tishbe,'' a place somewhere in
Gilead. His appearance was as impressive as it was
abrupt. He revealed himseU at once in his fuU stature,
the stature of a moral if not a physical giant. He
'Vs. i:. "Vs. 32. 3 1 Kings 17:1.
¦< The received text has "of the sojourners," the result of attaching
the wrong vowels to the consonants of the above name.

FIRST CENTURY OF SEPARATE KINGDOMS 83
appeared at an opportune moment. The Hebrew
reUgion needed a champion. He evidently felt called
to this high office. During his whole career he never
failed to respond in any emergency. His first duty
was a trial of his courage. He seems to have been a
peasant, with a figure whose uncouthness was empha
sized by the mantle of skins with which he was clothed.
Yet it was his to appear before a powerful king with a
very unwelcome message, and he did so without ffinch-
ing. "As Yahweh the God of Israel Uveth, before whom
I stand," he thundered, "there shall not be dew or
rain three years, except according to my word," then,
as suddenly as he came, he disappeared.
His next meeting with Ahab was equaUy dramatic.
The country was suffering severely from drought, and
the king was seeking everywhere for water, at the same
time making inquiry for the man whom he held respon
sible for the inffiction. Finally EUjah appeared and
aUowed Obadiah to announce him to Ahab. The king,
forgetting in his anger his anxiety for his people, greeted
him as the "troubler of Israel.'" The prophet, nothing
daunted, not only turned the reproach upon his assailant,
but boldly chaUenged him and Jezebel's prophets to a
test of the rival claims of Baal and Yahweh. The
detaUs of the contest may not be historical, but there
can be Uttle doubt that there was a serious one and that
EUjah emerged from it victorious. Then he disappeared
again, but only to reappear, when Ahab, at the instiga
tion of Jezebel, had murdered Naboth and appropriated
his vineyard, to denounce the outrage, and predict, as a
penalty, the speedy overthrow of the reigning dynasty.
'I Kings 18:16.

84 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
This portrait of EUjah is an inspiring one, but there
are good reasons for beUeving that it is not greatly
overdone; one of them being that it harmonizes with
what is known of the genuine prophets of Yahweh from
the most reUable sources. There were others in this
period who were only less admirable. The one whose
name first suggests itself is Elijah's disciple and successor,
EUsha. His character is revealed in the reply he made
when EUjah gave him permission to prefer a last request.
"I pray thee," said he, "let a double [the firstborn's]
portion of thy spirit be upon me.'" It is not necessary
to present in detail the evidence that his prayer was
answered. He also stood before kings and with no
less boldness than his master declared "the whole
counsel of God.""
There is another of like spirit who is easily overlooked,
namely, Micaiah, the son of Imlah. He it was whom
Ahab summoned, when he was trying to persuade
Jehoshaphat to join him in an expedition against Ramoth
Gilead,' although he hated the prophet, because, as he
naively explained, he did not prophesy good concerning
him and his kingdom, but evil. When Micaiah came
he repeated the offense, declaring that, if the expedition
were undertaken, the allies would be defeated and
scattered.'' This incident is especially interesting and
instructive because the false prophets are here intro
duced for the first time, and the fearless honesty of
Micaiah is contrasted with the timid serviUty of the
four hundred who, to please Ahab and fill their own
belUes, unanimously approved the enterprise.
' n Kings 2:9. 3 1 Kings 22 : i 5.
"H Kings 3: 135.; 6:325.; 8:7s.; 13:75. "I Kings 22:17.

FIRST CENTURY OF SEPARATE KINGDOMS 85
Such were the more intimate characteristics of these
men of God. Others wiU be mentioned, each in its
proper connection.
There is Uttle to be said on the ethics of the family
as viewed in this period. The position of woman seems
to have been about the same as in earUer times. It was
always possible for a peculiarly gifted woman to free
herself to a greater or less extent from the trammels of
custom and prejudice. This time it is one far different
in character from Deborah, namely Jezebel, the Phoeni
cian wife of Ahab. There are various indications that
the king was a man of abiUty and of naturaUy generous
impulses. In matters of reUgion, however, he seems
to have given the queen a free hand. Thus, she was
allowed to cut off many of the prophets of Yahweh,'
and drive even EUjah from the country." It was she,
also, who managed the case of Naboth, and, acting in
the king's name, brought about the stubborn vintner's
death. There were, however, probably few women as
able and influential as she in her day, or so crueUy
fanatical. There certainly is no evidence of any
sympathy with or for her in the sacred records.
The only other "great woman" who is mentioned is
the Shunamite who entertained Elisha when he passed
through her vUlage. She also is a commanding figure,
but her strength of character, in all its manifestations,
is so thoroughly womanly that it seems only manly in
her husband and chivalrous in the king to further her
wishes.' There are a couple of passages that throw some Ught
upon slavery as practiced among the Hebrews of this
'I Kings 18:4, 13. "I Kings 19:2 f. 3 H Kings 4:9 f; 8:1 3.

86 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
period and their neighbors. The first is II Kings 4 : i ff.,
where the story is told of a poor widow who came to
EUsha to tell him that a man whom she owed was on the
point of taking her two children in payment of the debt.
The prophet, it is said, sympathized with her, but
instead of protesting against enslavement for debt, he
wrought a miracle to satisfy the creditor; a solution
which reminds one of Paul's treatment of the case of
Onesimus.' The other passage is II Kings 5:425.,
where the interest of the Uttle Hebrew maid in the
recovery of her Syrian master, Naaman, indicates that
sometimes, at least, the relation between masters and
slaves was one of reciprocal kindness.
In the field of social ethics there is more abundant
and diversified material.
In the first place there are two interesting passages
bearing on the indifference of the Hebrews to the truth.
There are more cases of lying; for example, I Kings
20:39 f., and II Kings 5:20 ff. and 8:14; but these
two are especially significant because they might be
interpreted as justifjdng falsehood. The first is in
I Kings, chap. 13. The story here told says that a
prophet was sent from Judah to curse the altar at
Bethel, being instructed not to eat or drink in the place.
He therefore declined an invitation from the king; but
when a resident prophet professed to have received a
message revoking these instructions, he allowed himself
to be deceived, whereupon his deceiver sentenced him
to death for disobedience of Yahweh. This story
shocks the modern reader. He cannot conceive of one
prophet as tempting another to his death. The Hebrews,
' Philem. vss. 10 5.

FIRST CENTURY OF SEPARATE KINGDOMS 87
however, could. They did not, it will be remembered,
attribute actual guilt to the serpent for tempting Eve.'
Indeed, they went farther and represented Yahweh
himseU as sometimes authorizing falsehood. This is
perfectly clear from the second illustration. It is in
the story of Micaiah already cited." This prophet,
in explaining the unanimity of his opponents, said that
they approved the expedition to Ramoth Gilead because
Yahweh had put "a lying spirit" into all their mouths,
that they might "entice" the king to his destruction.
The idea seems to have been that it was not immoral
to misrepresent things so long as the tempter used
only his wits and the tempted remained free in his
choice of action; which was the Hebrew way of say
ing that temptation might explain, but did not excuse,
wrong-doing. This was the ancient and popular view, but it does
not seem to have been the teaching of Elijah and EUsha.
Indeed, one may fairly say that the latter condemned
lying when he rebuked and severely punished his
servant Gehazi for obtaining money and other valuables
from Naaman under false pretenses.' At any rate,
from this time onward the truth is treated with increas
ing reverence. A false oath, as has been shown, was
always abhorrent to the Hebrews. It is therefore not
strange to find the witnesses against Naboth charac
terized as "base fellows" and creatures of the infamous
Jezebel.'' At this point attention should be called to a phase of
the struggle in which Elijah and Elisha were engaged.
' Gen., chap. 3. 3 n Kings 5 : 24 fi.
" I Kings, chap. 22. " I Kings 21 : 9 f.

88 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
The struggle itself was only a continuation of the
irrepressible conffict between Yahwism and other
reUgions. It had been acute in the time of Saul, when
the enemies of the God of the Hebrews were an aUen
race, the PhiUstines. It was renewed with equal
virulence when Ahab took to wife the Phoenician
princess Jezebel and permitted her to practice and
propagate the worship of Baal among his people. The
struggle thus became an internal one, with Hebrews
in both parties.
There was another difference, namely, that, whereas
in the days of Saul the Hebrews admitted the reaUty
of other divinities than Yahweh, and the legitimacy of
the worship of these gods by other peoples, Elijah at
Carmel issued the challenge, "How long will ye go
limping between divided opinions? if Yahweh be God,
foUow him; but if Baal, follow him." In other words
he brought home to his people most forcibly the question
whether there was any other God than Yahweh. He,
of course, took the negative, and the assembled multi
tude in the end indorsed his contention, shouting,
"Yahweh, he is God; Yahweh, he is God.'" At the
same time, since EUjah was careful to identify this the
true and only God with the God of the patriarchs,"
they realized that the declaration they had made was
nothing short of a renewal of the covenant with their
fathers. Thus, the reUgious movement headed by
EUjah acquired an ethical character, which was imparted
to the zeal, sometimes more neurotic than either moral
or reUgious, of the rank and file of the prophets who
caUed themselves by the name of Yahweh. The story
'I Kings 18:21, 39. "I Kings 18:36.

FIRST CENTURY OF SEPARATE KINGDOMS 89
of Micaiah shows how imperfectly they represented the
God whose champions they professed to be. Still, it
was to their credit that they were loyal to the national
deity as compared with those who, forgetting the
covenant with the fathers, either deserted him entirely
or attempted to serve both him and Baal.
In a preceding chapter stress was laid on the principle
enunciated by David in the case brought before him by
the prophet Nathan, but the breadth of its appUcation
was only vaguely suggested. David, in whom generosity
was a prominent characteristic, seems generaUy to have
recognized it. Solomon, on the other hand, as already
intimated, ignored it. He greatly enlarged and beauti
fied his capital' and maintained a luxurious and extrava
gant court," but, in order to meet the expense of these
developments, he was obUged to introduce systematic
and onerous taxation, and even employ forced labor.'
He was able, sometimes by the use of arbitrary means,
to enforce this poUcy during his Ufetime, but the people
were restive under it, and, when he finaUy died, they
lost no time in giving unmistakable expression to their
dissatisfaction.'' They did so in the assembly called
to ratify the accession of Rehoboam at Shechem. At
the same time they asked Rehoboam to make the
"grievous service" they had done under his father
somewhat "Ughter." This was a very modest demand,
as the king's aged advisers told him, but he rejected
their advice and followed that of the reckless com
panions of his youth. "My Uttle finger," repUed the
heartless young braggart, "is thicker than my father's
'I Kings 6:155. 3 1 Kings 5 : 13 f.
"I Kings 5:22 f., 26. "IKingsi2:4.

90 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
loins.' My father made your yoke heavy, but I will
add to your yoke: my father chastened you with whips,
but I wiU chastise you with scorpions." Then arose
the old cry of the northern tribesmen, "To your tents,
0 Israel,"" and, as soon as a separate assembly could
be called, Jeroboam, who had been a thorn in the flesh
to Solomon, was chosen "king over aU Israel."'
The revolt of the northern tribes was a protest against
the abuse of royal authority. Since Jeroboam was
chosen as its head, he must have sympathized with the
principle involved and must have given his followers
reason to beUeve that he would not disregard it. The
length of his reign favors the supposition that he did
not disappoint them. To be sure, later authorities
accuse him of falUng short of the standard set by David,
but it will be found that the specific charges against
him relate only to his attitude toward the worship of
Yahweh, especially as practiced at Jerusalem, and not
to his treatment of his subjects. The same is true in
the cases of the other northern kings except Ahab.
He is not only accused by a late writer of having done
"more to provoke Yahweh, the God of Israel, than all
the kings of Israel that were before him," but by an
earUer, in the story to which reference has twice already
been made, of having violated the most sacred rights
of an innocent subject. This incident, however, must
not be misinterpreted. It is not the murder of Naboth
that is significant in this connection, but the attitude
' These words appear only in I Kings 12:10, but they should evi
dently be repeated in vs. 14. According to H. P. Smith, Old Testament
History, 178, they were all that the king used, the rest being editorial.
"II Sam. 20:1. 3 1 Kings 12:16, 18 5.

FIRST CENTURY OF SEPARATE KINGDOMS 91
of Ahab and others to the deed. In the first place, it
was not done by Ahab or at his suggestion, but by his
wife, because, much as he wanted the vineyard, he had
scruples about taking it by force.' Secondly, no sooner
was the death of Naboth known than EUjah appeared
on the scene and as boldly and severely arraigned
him as Nathan did David, and with a similar result."
Thirdly, it is evident that this crime aroused intense
popular indignation, and that the revolution which
speedily followed was hastened, if not occasioned, by it.'
These facts show that in the reign of Ahab there was no
lack of healthy moral reaction in Israel when the rights
of the individual were seriously violated.
In the story of Naboth EUjah appears in the r61e
of judge or censor. There are other passages more or
less legendary in which both he and EUsha are repre
sented as acting in a manner that the modern reader
cannot but condemn as cruel;'' yet the general impres
sion one gets from reading the traditions with reference
to them is that they were not only ardent patriots,
seeking the best interests of their people as a whole,
but centers of beneficence to those, especially the unfor
tunate, with whom they came into personal contact.'
The question concerning the attitude of the Hebrews
toward strangers and foreigners in this period is some
what compUcated. The almost constant strife between
the kingdoms of Israel and Syria would naturaUy induce
latent hostiUty toward foreigners of aU nations. It did
not, however, at first seriously disturb the hitherto
'I Kings 21:4. 3 II Kings 9:23 f., 35 f.
"I Kings 21:276. " H Kings 1:9 f.; 2:23 f.
3 1 Kings 17:85.; 2 Kings 2:195.; 4:16. , etc.

92 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
friendly relations between the Hebrews of both kingdoms
and the Phoenicians. Indeed, the marriage of Ahab
to a daughter of the king of the Sidonians,' and of
Jehoram of Judah to her daughteir," indicates that the
two peoples were never more intimate. It is one thing,
however, to tolerate a neighbor on his own ground and
quite another to admit him to a position of influence
and authority among one's own people. At any rate,
the prophets EUjah and EUsha were hostile to Jezebel,
because she did not obey the injunction to forget her
own people and her father's house,' but brought her
reUgion with her to plague the worshipers of Yahweh;
and there is evidence that the revolution under Jehu
was a reUgious as weU as a poUtical movement. This
is perfectly clear from the facts, that as soon as the
impetuous soldier had removed Joram and his mother,
he proceeded to extirpate Baalism at Samaria, and
that, on his way thither, he was joined by Jehonadab,
the son of Rechab, who represented the most fanatical
of the worshipers of Yahweh.'' Note, also, that it was
the priests, with the assistance, it is true, of the foreign
guard, who afterward deposed Athaliah and placed her
grandson on the throne of Judah.' In the former case
the revolution was attended with so much bloodshed
that the zeal of the participants is more than offset by
their cruelty.*
'I Kings 16:31. "II Kings 8: 18.
3 See Ps. 45 : 10, which has by some exegetes been supposed to refer
to Jezebel. " II Kings 10:15 ff.; Jer. 35:6 s.
5ll Kings 11:43. ' II Kings 10: 18 5.

CHAPTER VIII
AMOS AND HIS TIMES
The revolution in Israel in 843 B.C. had its echo in
Judah, but, for the time being, the party favorable to
foreigners, and their ideas and practices, triumphed;
for no sooner did AthaUah, the mother of Ahaziah the
king, hear that he as weU as Jehoram had died by the
hand of Jehu than, with a cruel energy worthy of her
mother Jezebel, she "destroyed aU the seed royal" on
whom she could lay her hands and herself took posses
sion of the government; and it was only after six years
that it was possible to dethrone her. Then there was a
counter revolution as the result of which Joash, the
only surviving son of Ahaziah, came into his inheritance.
From that time the succession was undisturbed in Judah,
the kings of this period being only three in number,
Joash, Amasiah, and Uzziah. Meanwhile the kings of
Israel, all of whom belonged to the same dynasty, were
Jehu himself, Jehoahaz, Jehoash, and Jeroboam II.
In the earlier part of the period the northern tribes
continued their struggle with the Syrians, with varying
fortunes. At one time, when Shalmaneser II, to whom
Jehu was paying tribute, was occupied elsewhere, the
Syrian usurper Hazael was able, not only to ravage
the country east of the Jordan, but to force his way down
the coast of the Mediterranean and threaten Jerusalem.'
Finally, however, the Assyrians under Ramman-nirari
III reappeared and made the Syrians, as weU as their
'II Kings 10:32 f,; 12:17 f.; Amos 1:3.
93

94 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
neighbors, tributary. From this time onward Israel,
first under Jehoash, and then under Jeroboam II,
prospered, until they could boast that they had recovered
all that they had previously lost.' Meanwhile Amasiah
of Judah had reconquered Edom," and then, on account
of an unsuccessful war with Jehoash, abdicated in
favor of his wiser and more fortunate son Uzziah.'
Thus, at the end of the period both kingdoms were in a
more prosperous condition than they had been since
they became separate.
There is very little in the Books of Kings that is of
importance in this connection, the compiler having
evidently taken greater interest in the poUtical and
strictly reUgious, than in the ethical, history of his
people. Fortunately, however, there is another source,
the Book of Amos, in which a contemporary has left a
speaking record of the moral condition of the Northern
Kingdom, and his own efforts to improve it about
760 B.C.
The importance of Amos in any discussion of the
ethics of the Old Testament is universally recognized.
He not only teaches moraUty and condemns its opposite,
but insists that one cannot please Yahweh without
observing the ethical requirements growing out of man's
nature and environment. This is more or less clearly
put in several passages. In one of these'' he makes
very effective use of irony. "Come," he says, "to
Bethel — to transgress! At Gilgal — ^multiply trans
gression! Yea; bring your sacrifices every morning,
your tithes every three days; and burn a thank-offering
'II Kings 14:25. 311 Kings 14:17.
" II Kings 14 : 7. " Amos 4 : 4 f .

AMOS AND HIS TIMES 95
of unleavened bread, and proclaim, pubUsh, free-wiU
offerings; for thus ye love to do, children of Israel,
saith the Lord Yahweh." It is clear that the prophet
here means to say that the zeal of Israel in making the
round of the popular sanctuaries and presenting there
their tithes and sacrifices was not only useless as a
reUgious practice, but positively offensive to the Deity.
The same thought is even more forcibly expressed in
5 : 21 ff., where, after asserting the worthlessness of feasts
and offerings, he gives his own idea of reUgion. Speak
ing for Yahweh, he says, "I hate, I despise, your feasts,
and I take no deUght in your festivals. For, when ye
offer to me your burnt offerings and vegetable offerings,
I am not pleased, and I regard not the fatlings, your
peace offerings. Away from me with the noise of thy
songs, and let me not hear the sound of thy psalteries;
but let justice roll Uke water, and righteousness Uke a
living stream." Then he adds an argument precisely
paraUel to that used by Paul in Rom. 4:ioff. : "Did
ye bring to me sacrifices in the desert forty years,
house of Israel ?" The question, of course, is equivalent
to a denial that the Hebrews observed such rites during
the Exodus, and by implication that, as popularly
believed, they were an essential element in reUgion.
His own conviction is expressed in the exhortation he
here inserts, "Let justice," etc., but he puts it more
broadly when he complains that they to whom he was
sent "know not how to do right,'" and again when he
exhorts them to "hate evil and love good," with the
hope that Yahweh may yet be "gracious to a remnant"
of their number.
' Amos 3 : 10.

96 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
Amos in his day had occasion to dweU on the subject
of personal moraUty. It was, as has been noted, a time
of prosperity for the Hebrews, especially of the Northern
Kingdom. Jeroboam II, who was then king, had
warred successfully, and in this and other ways added
greatly to the wealth of his people; and wealth had
brought with it the train of vices by which it is usually
accompanied. These the prophet by turns condemns
or ridicules. He was offended by the idle luxury that
prevailed, pronouncing a woe upon those "who Ue on
ivory couches, yea, stretched upon their divans, eating
lambs from the flock, and calves from the midst of the
staU; who twitter to the note of the psaltery, think
that for them, as for David, are instruments of music;
who drink wine from basins, and anoint themselves
with the choicest of oils, but are not grieved for the
affiiction of Joseph.'" He accuses these voluptuaries
of making their reUgious observances occasions for
drunkenness." He finds the women guilty of equally
objectionable excesses. He caUs them kine of Bashan,
and describes them as calling on their cruel and oppres
sive husbands to furnish their feasts from the proceeds
of extortion.' Finally, he charges that these wine-
bibbers, not content with degrading themselves, cor
rupt the nazirites by persuading them to break their
vow of abstinence.'' The last citation does not prove
that Amos himself was an ascetic, but it is pretty clear
from them all, taken in connection with the general
tone of the book, that he condemned any form of excess.
It is not surprising, therefore, to find in his indictment
'Amos6:3S; also3:i5. 'Amos 4:1.
"Amos 2:8. "Amos 2:12.

AMOS AND HIS TIMES 97
of Israel the charge that "a man and his father go unto
the maiden," that is, that the men of Israel, young and
old, practiced impurity.' "The maiden" is here, no
doubt, the reUgious prostitute of the Canaanite shrine,
but from the context it is evident that Amos meant to
teach that lust" in itself, Uke intemperance, was offensive
to Yahweh. The prophet says Uttle that can be interpreted as
applying to the family. Perhaps, however, the charges
against the Philistines" should be cited in this connec
tion. Hitherto slavery has been recognized as an
existing institution and tacitly permitted; but here
Gaza is severely condemned for leading captive a whole
population,' and the case of Moab'' warrants the beUef
that the prophet would have been equaUy severe if the
people enslaved had not been Hebrews.
In the field of social ethics, as wiU appear, Amos
marks a distinct advance. One wishes that he had
expressed himself on the subject of falsehood. If he
had, he would hardly have condoned it as did the earUer
Hebrews. He expresses himself clearly and strongly on the
kindred subject of honesty in business.' The Hebrews
of his time, it seems, at least in Israel, had the same
faults as tradesmen that are now common in the
Orient. He describes them as adepts in the famiUar
tricks for cheating unwary customers, selUng light
grain, measured in a scant ephah, at an unjust price,
'Amos 2:6. "Amos 1:6.
3 In vss. 19 f. a similar charge is brought against Tyre, but the
genuineness of this passage is questioned.
» Amos 2 : 1 5. 3 Amos 8:53.

98 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
weighed in false balances. Such rascaUty, he teUs
them plainly, cannot but bring upon them the direst
calamities and final destruction as a nation.
The quaUty on which Amos lays most stress is
justice. The wealth of the rich in Israel was evidently
not all gained in war or legitimate business. Nor did
those who were in pursuit of gain confine themselves
to the devices of tricky tradesmen. They employed
other means which the discourses of Amos are largely
devoted to exposing and denouncing. In the indict
ment already partially quoted he charges that "they
sell for money the guiltless, and the needy for a pair
of shoes"; that is, as magistrates they condemn an
innocent man for as little as would buy a pair of shoes.
Further, he says, "the wine of such as have been fined
they drink," spend the money collected from persons
unjustly fined for the wine they drink in their orgies.'
In 2 : 9 f . the PhiUstines and the Eg3^tians are summoned
to witness the oppression rampant in Samaria by which
its nobles have ffiled their palaces. In 5 : lo the prophet
inveighs against those who "take a present of grain
from the lowly," and in vs. 12 he calls the same persons
"takers of bribes," who thrust the needy aside in the
gate and refuse to hear their complaints. Indeed,
according to Amos, there was no such thing as justice
in Israel in his day, and any attempt to secure it always
brought disappointment, and sometimes more serious
consequences. On the other hand, the prophet beUeved in the
justice of Yahweh and, in the name of the national
God, demanded that the abuses of which he complained
' Amos 1:6, 8.

AMOS AND HIS TIMES 99
should cease. This demand is more than once repeated.
"Hate evil and love good," he pleads,' and again,"
"let justice roll Uke water, and righteousness like a
Uving stream." Then he threatens them with the
wrath of Yahweh, assuring them that omnipotence is
pledged against them, and that therefore it is folly for
them to dream of escaping punishment. "Can horses
run on a cliff ? or can one plow the sea with oxen ?"
he asks, meaning that, if these things were possible,
Israel might with impunity turn "justice to gall, and
the fruit of righteousness to wormwood."
The phrase, "the day of Yahweh," first appears in
the Book of Amos. Not that it was original with him.
Indeed, it is clear from the way in which he uses it
that it was not. It seems to have been a famiUar
expression to denote the time when, in the future,
Yahweh would reveal himseU to right the wrongs of
his people. The Hebrews, therefore, naturally longed
for it, and the more as their troubles multipUed. Amos
gives it a new interpretation. His idea is that, if
Israel loved good and hated evil, they would be justified
in their expectations, but since they themselves have
offended a righteous God, they have no right to expect
from him anything but adverse judgment. "Why
then," he asks, "would ye have the day of Yahweh ? It
is darkness, and not light; as if a man were fleeing from
a Uon, and a bear should meet him, and, when he came
home and rested his hand against the wall, a serpent
should bite him. Is not the day of Yahweh darkness
rather than Ught, yea, gloomy without any brightness ?"'
The importance of this declaration can hardly be over-
' Amos 5:15. "Amos 5: 24. 3 Amos 5:183.

lOO THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
estimated. It swept away the flimsy error behind
which those for whom it was made had taken refuge
and brought them face to face with the dread alter
natives of the moral law.'
Two or three times in this chapter it has been neces
sary for the sake of completeness to refer to utterances
of Amos concerning foreign peoples, but no attempt has
been made to define his attitude toward them. The
point is one on which it is only necessary to consult his
discourses. He beUeved, as did all the Hebrews of his
day, that his people had received remarkable tokens
of the divine favor. In 2 : 9 ff . he enumerates some of
them: Yahweh had brought them out of Egypt, led
them through the desert, given them the land of the
Amorites, and provided them with prophets and nazi
rites as teachers and exemplars of righteousness. Indeed,
he admits that the relation between their God and them
was in some respects unique, making the former say to
the latter in 3 : i, "You only have I known [chosen] of aU
the families of the earth." He does not, however,
claim or aUow that Yahweh is the God of the Hebrews
alone. Indeed, the choice aUeged impUes power over
the other peoples. It is more clearly impUed in 6 : 14,
where Amos threatens Israel with subjugation by the
Assyrians, who are thus made the creatures and instru
ments of Yahweh. FinaUy he distinctly teaches the
universal sovereignty of his God when, in reply to the
current doctrine, he says," "Are ye not Uke the children
' There are two passages in chap. 9, the last in vss. 8 and g, which
are less stem in character, but they, like vss. 11-15, are additions to
the original text, and therefore have no bearing in this connection.
" Amos 9:7.

AMOS AND HIS TIMES loi
of Cush unto me, children of Israel, saith Yahweh?
If I brought Israel up from the land of Egypt, did I
not also bring the PhiUstines from Caphtor and the
Syrians from Kir ?" In the Ught of these passages it is
not strange that Amos represents Yahweh as arraigning
the surrounding peoples, as well as Israel, for inhumanity,
whether toward one another or the Hebrews. He would
doubtless have condemned these latter for similar
treatment of foreigners, if there had been occasion for
so doing. See also 3:9, already once cited, where he
summons the PhiUstines and the Egyptians as a jury
in the case of the noisy oppressors of Samaria.

CHAPTER IX
THE EPHRAIMITE SOURCE
I. THE EPHRAIMITE STORY OF THE PATRIARCHS
The Ephraimite, or Elohistic, narrative is supposed
to have been written not far from the date of the prophe
cies of Amos, perhaps about 750 B.C. It seems to have
begun with the migration of Abraham and to have
followed the history of the Hebrews at least as far as
the reign of David. The extracts from it cannot always
be distinguished from passages on the same subjects
from the earlier Judean work, but they generally betray
their origin by pretty well-marked characteristics.
Two of these criteria may be mentioned in this connec
tion. In the first place, since, as the term Ephraimite
impUes, this narrative had its origin in the Northern
Kingdom, it now and then betrays a partiaUty for that
region, its people, its history, and its interests, as com
pared with Judah. Secondly, since its author (or
authors) lived and wrote after Amos as well as Elijah
and EUsha, he takes a didactic or apologetic tone that
was foreign to the nature and purpose of the earUer
writer, and when, as is sometimes the case, he cannot
accept the testimony of tradition, he takes such liberties
with his data as wiU make them better serve the purpose
of edification. His work, therefore, has less value than
the Judean as a mirror of more ancient times, but it
contains more that is useful to one seeking knowledge
of the period in which it was written. This feature
can be brought clearly to view only by going through

THE EPHRAIMITE SOURCE 103
it and noting, not only any additions it makes to the
genuinely ancient material available, but the ethical
variations from the older narrative. The following are
the results of such a study of the extracts from it found
in Genesis: It will be remembered that, in 1 2 : 11 ff . Abraham,
and in 26:6 ff. Isaac, represents his wife to be his sister,
thus exposing her to danger for his own protection. In
the Ephraimite narrative the story is told of Abraham
only,' and with a significant modification. This author
could not admit that the patriarch had ever been guilty
of falsehood. He therefore put into his mouth the
explanation, "She is indeed my sister, the daughter of
my father, but not the daughter of my mother.""
This is a striking proof of ethical development under the
influence of the early prophets. At the same time,
however, it illustrates the gradual character of that
development, since a marriage between half-bloods
would not now be tolerated, and even among the
Hebrews of later generations it was reckoned as incest.'
In Gen., chap. 22, the Ephraimite writer deals with
a custom, human sacrifice, common among the neigh
boring peoples," which was sometimes practiced by the
Hebrews. Thus, it appears from the story of Jephthah,
which is attributed to the same author, that it was toler
ated in the time of the Judges,' and there is abundant
evidence for a much later period;* but it was abhorrent
to the humane principles of the prophets and the story
here told was evidently intended to express disapproval
'Gen. 20:2 s. "II Kings 3:27.
"Vs. 12. 3 Judg. 11:31, 39.
3Lev. 20:1; Deut. 27:22. 'Jer. 7:31, etc.

I04 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
of it as well as commendation of the submissive disposi
tion of the father of the faithful.
There are several points to be noted in the story of
Jacob. In the first place, in the account of the decep
tion practiced on Isaac to obtain his blessing,' according
to the Elohist," Jacob hesitated about entering into his
mother's plan until she offered to take all the blame in
case of failure.' Moreover, in this version he is not
represented as lying outright respecting his identity,
as he does repeatedly in the other." The Ephraimite
narrative varies from the Judean, also, in its explana
tion of Jacob's rise to wealth. The latter describes him
as employing a device by which he controlled the color
of the young of the flock under his care, and thus suc
ceeded in getting possession of most of the increase for
several years in Ueu of wages.' The Ephraimite in his
day could not indorse any such method. His explana
tion is found in Gen. 31:4 ff., where Jacob, in an inter
view with his wives, protests his loyalty to their father
in spite of the latter's untrustworthiness, and declares
that the cattle were taken from Laban and transferred
to him by God as a reward for his faithfulness. It is
clear that this author thought it beneath a man to Ue
and deceive his fellows. He did not, however, expect
equal truthfulness from women. His opinion of them
appears in the character he gives Rebekah, but more
clearly in his portrayal of Rachel, whom he represents
as steaUng her father's teraphim* and outwitting him
in his efforts to find it.'
' Gen., chap. 27. "Vss. 11 f. 3 Vss. 13.
" Cf. vss. i8a, 21-23 with i8b-20, 24-27.
3 Gen. 30:375. 'Gen. 31:19. 'Vs. 27.

THE EPHRAIMITE SOURCE 105
The Ephraimite narrator had a rather poor opinion
of women, but he did not allow himself to go too far
in that direction. This appears in his version of the
story of Dinah.' The older writer had said distinctly
that Shechem had ravished the girl before he proposed
to marry her, and that Simeon and Levi killed him
to avenge the indignity put upon their sister."
According to this other no outrage was committed —
God forbid! — but the sons of Jacob, being offended
that Hamor had asked for their sister for his son
and proposed a general intermarriage between them
and his people, pretended to accept these overtures,
and, when the Shechemites had been circumcised and
thus, for the time being, rendered helpless, massacred
them without mercy.'
The story of Joseph is ethicaUy somewhat modified
in the Ephraimite, as compared with the Judean, form.
In the latter, for example, Judah heartlessly proposes
to seU the boy, and this method of disposing of him is
adopted;'' but in the former Reuben suggests that he
be thrown into a pit, intending to rescue him from his
brothers, and fails in this purpose only because the
Midianites have meanwhile found Joseph and taken him
with them on their way to Egypt.' Note, also, that
the later writer seems to have omitted entirely the
assault upon Joseph's virtue by Potiphar's wife.*
FinaUy, the same author disarms criticism of the
young man's brothers in a measure by putting into
his mouth the declaration that his removal to Egypt
¦ Gen., chap. 34. "Gen. 37:261.
" Vss. 2b, 7, 30 f. 3 Vss. 22, 28a.
3 Vss. 2a, 4, 8 f., 25 (in part). ' Gen. 39:7 5.

io6 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
was a providential arrangement for the preservation of
the family.'
The citations above given confirm the estimate of
the Ephraimite narrative now current among bibUcal
scholars. They show that its author regarded the
materials suppUed him, whether by tradition or written
documents, not from the Uterary or historical so much as
from the reUgious point of view, and that, Uving, as he
did, when the influence of the prophets had begun to
have its effect on the moral standards of his people, he
suppressed or modified such details in his sources as did
not seem to him to suit the then stage of ethical develop
ment. Thus the patriarchs took their place among the
moral and reUgious teachers of the Hebrews.
2. THE EPHRAIMITE ACCOUNT OF THE EXODUS
In the discussion of the Judean account of the Exodus
it was found necessary to rearrange some of the frag
ments of it that have been preserved in the Books of
Exodus and Numbers. There is need of similar treat
ment in the case of the Ephraimite narrative, with
which, indeed, the compilers took greater liberties than
with its predecessor. In this, as in the other instance,
it is chiefly the legislation that has been transposed.
For example, there is good ground for beUeving that
the Decalogue of Exod., chap. 20, which has generally
been attributed to the Elohist, is largely of a later date,
the last eight commands of the original series having
been separated from the other two and inserted in the
code called "The Book of the Covenant," which now
immediately follows Exod. 20:21. Secondly, the story
'Gen. 4s:6f.

THE EPHRAIMITE SOURCE 107
of the visit of Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, and the
estabUshment, at his suggestion, of a judicial system
among the Hebrews, probably, when it was written,
followed, rather than preceded,' the original Decalogue.
FinaUy, it seems plausible, as good authorities now main
tain, that the Book of the Covenant, in its original form,
came toward the end of the account of the Exodus,
whence it was removed, after the union of the two earUer
documents, to make room for the Book of Deuteronomy.
There are various reasons for these critical dicta, one
of which, that the narrative, when read in accordance
with them, becomes more intelUgible than it is in its
present arrangement, will justify their appUcation in
the present instance.
The Ephraimite narrative, outside the legislative
portions, contains little bearing on the subject under
investigation. There are, however, a few points that
require attention. Here, as in the Judean account,
of course, Moses is the principal figure, but he is not
the impulsive and almost violent character of that
source. In fact, he is represented as a pattern of meek
ness and moderation, and various incidents are narrated
in which he appears in this character. Thus, he ques
tions his own worthiness to act as the messenger of
Yahweh to Pharaoh;" his only response to the murmurs
of the people is an appeal to Yahweh;' at the suggestion of
Jethro he transfers his judicial authority in large measure
to others;'' and, finally, he requests, rather than demands,
of the Edomites and the Amorites a passage through
¦ Exod., chap. 18. " Exod. 3:11.
'Exod. 15:24 f.; i7:3f-; ii:if-; 12:1,13-
"Exod. i8:25f.

io8 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
their countries for Israel.' It is only on the occasion
of the discovery of the golden calf that he gives place
to anger, which, however, is speedily replaced by the
most unselfish anxiety for the offenders."
The Ephraimite author reveals his pecuUar views on
the subject of lying in this, as he did in the preceding
period; for while he puts into the mouth of Moses a
straightforward demand upon Pharaoh for the release
of his people from bondage,' he makes no attempt to
mend the story of the midwives, who resorted to false
hood to save themselves from punishment for omitting
to destroy the male children of the Hebrews at birth.''
His opinion of women appears also in 3:21 f., where the
Hebrew women, on the eve of the Exodus, are directed
to take advantage of the terror produced by the plague
to spoU the Egyptians.'
The passage just cited is interesting, not only
because it betrays a derogatory opinion of women, but
because here, as in the case of the transfer of Laban's
wealth to Jacob, the author seems to have thought of
God as above the ethical requirements to which human
beings are amenable. These passages, however, are
not so troublesome to the cursory reader as those from
the same hand in which God is represented as harden
ing Pharaoh's heart, lest the king should too readily
submit to the demand of Moses for the liberation of his
' Num. 2o:i4ff.; 2i:2if. " Exod. 32:19 f., 306.
- Exod. 5:1; cf. vs. 3 (J). In the present text this passage reads,
"Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the desert,"
but it is clear from 3 : 10 that the final clause is a harmonistic addition.
See also 3:21 f.
" Exod. 1 : 15 3. 3 See also 12:35.

THE EPHRAIMITE SOURCE 109
people.' Now, it is needless to deny that all of these
passages fall short of a worthy representation of the
Deity, but they appear less objectionable when one
considers that the fundamental thought in each of them
is really the divine justice, and that this idea cannot,
even now, be said to have been developed "unto
perfection." The mountain toward which the Hebrews directed
their march on leaving Egypt is called by the Ephraimite
narrator "Horeb." Here Yahweh revealed himself
amid thunderings and lightnings to the assembled
people, and gave them a decalogue corresponding to the
one found in Exod., chap. 34. This decalogue, as
already intimated, is now preserved, partly in the
Decalogue of Exod., chap. 20, and partly in the Book
of the Covenant (Exod., chaps. 21-23). How closely it
resembled the Judean will appear if these are set over
against one another, on the one hand, from J. Exod.
34:14, 17, 19, 21, 22a, 22b, 25a, 25b, 26a, and 26b, and
on the other from E. Exod. 20:3, 4, 24; 22:29a,
29b-3o; 23:iof., 12, 15, i6a, and i6b.
The first thing that strikes one on comparing these
two decalogues is their remarkable similarity, no fewer
than seven of the commands being common to both of
them. Next, one notes that the three pecuUar to the
later Ust are easily explained as the product of a natural
development. III being a legalization of the local sanc
tuaries of the Northern Kingdom, VI an extension of
VII, and VIII a recognition of the coalescence of the pass-
over with the feast of unleavened bread. Finally, it
' Exod. 10:20, 27.

no THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
occurs to one that in this second, as in the first deca
logue, the commands are all of a reUgious character, and
have ethical significance only as the basis of a covenant
between Yahweh and his people. See Exod. 24:3 ff.,
which originally appUed to the Decalogue, but has been
revised and made to refer to the Book of the Covenant,
which now immediately precedes.
The Ephraimite narrator, however, does not stop
here. He proceeds, in his account of the visit of Jethro,
which is now wrongly, as chap. 18, inserted before the
Decalogue as well as the Book of the Covenant, to
depict Moses as a judge,' sitting "from morning until
evening" to make known to those who had suits to
plead "the judgments of God," and finaUy, by the
urgent advice of his father-in-law, appointing subordi
nates of various grades to reUeve him of the decision
of all but the "hard causes." Note, however, that
although Moses is here at once prophet and judge,
the two spheres of his activity are kept distinct, showing
that, even after Amos, the Hebrews were slow to per
ceive how intimate is the relation between morals and
religion. A judicial system as elaborate as that said to have
been established by Moses would naturally, in time,
produce a body of decisions and precedents like the so-
caUed Book of the Covenant. The Ephraimite author,
however, does not look for the origin of the code in any
such process. He derives it directly from God. He
doubtless taught, in his narrative as originally written,
that it was given to Moses in Moab and by him com
municated to the children of Israel just before he died
' Vss. 14 S.

THE EPHRAIMITE SOURCE in
and they invaded Canaan. It consists of Exod. 21 : i —
23:19, except the passages already cited as parts of
the Elohistic Decalogue and certain others of a Deu
teronomic character inserted by later writers. Purged
of these foreign elements, it consists, according to
Baentsch, of Exod. 21:1-36; 22:i-2ia, 25a, 26-28;
23:1-3, 6-8.
This collection is not a haphazard one, but orderly
enough to be caUed a proper code. First, there is a
series of laws (21:1-16, 18-32) dealing with injuries to
the person. It is followed by another (21:33 — 22:17)
on damages to rights in property; then by seven items
(22: i8-2ia, 25a, 26, 28) forming a group of a somewhat
misceUaneous' character; and finally by another group
(22:21a, 23, 25, 26 f.; 23:1-3, 6-8) prohibiting various
abuses in the administration of justice. These two
groups betray the influence of the prophets, and were
therefore probably added when the code was incorpo
rated into the Ephraimite narrative.
The body of the code is older — how much older it is
difficult to determine. In discussing this question it
has been customary to call attention to some of the
"statutes," as the Hebrews called the component
enactments, which presuppose a settled agricultural
Ufe; for example, Exod. 22:5 f., where the background
consists of fields and vineyards. It was assumed that
such regulations would not be made untU they were
needed, and it was argued that they could not be older,
and probably were considerably later, than the date of
'Two of the verses in Baentsch's list (22:23, 27) are omitted as
accretions to the laws in vss. 21a and 26. Perhaps 21:17 should be
inserted before 22:18.

112 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
the arrival of the tribes in Canaan. This argument
assumed also that the code, whatever its age, originated
among the Hebrews. Such an assumption, however,
can now no longer go unchallenged; for the discovery
of the Code of Hammurabi has shown that similar
laws were in force in Babylonia centuries before
Moses, and, since Canaan was then and for generations
afterward a part of the Babylonian empire, doubtless in
that country also. This being the case it will be
worth while to compare Exod. 21:2 with Ham. 117;
Exod. 21:7-11 with Ham. 119; Exod. 21:15 with
Ham. 195; Exod. 21:16 with Ham. 14; Exod. 2i:i8f.
with Ham. 206; Exod. 21:22 with Ham. 209; Exod.
21:23-25 with Ham. 210; Exod. 21:28 with Ham. 250;
Exod. 2i:29f. with Ham. 251; Exod. 21:32 with
Ham. 252; Exod. 22:1, 3b, 4 with Ham. 8; Exod.
22:2-3a with Ham. 21; Exod. 22:5 with Ham. 57;
Exod. 22:6withHam. 55; Exod. 22:7 f. with Ham. 125;
Exod. 22:9 with Ham. 9-11; Exod. 22:iof. with
Ham. 266; Exod. 22:12 f. with Ham. 267; Exod. 22:14-
15a with Ham. 244; Exod. 22:18 with Ham. 2; and
Exod. 23 : 1 with Ham. 3 f .
The result of the comparison of these codes is instruct
ive, in the first place, on account of the number of
cases of more or less striking correspondence. The
main body of the Ephraimite code (Exod. 21:2-16,
18-36; 23:1-16) consists of twenty-seven more or less
distinct enactments. Of these there are no fewer than
nineteen for which there are corresponding statutes
in the Code of Hammurabi.
The degree of resemblance between the two codes,
too, is remarkable. The Hebrew laws are generaUy

THE EPHRAIMITE SOURCE 113
cast in the hypothetical form, with when or if as an
introductory particle; but there are a few (21:12,
15-17) that are introduced by the subject of the action
described; and this is precisely the case in the Baby
lonian code, where there are only four of the two hundred
and eighty-two paragraphs that do not begin with the
hypothetical particle. More remarkable than this is
another coincidence. In Exod. 22:7 f. it is provided
that, when property left by one person in the keeping
of another is reported to have been stolen, the guardian
of the property shall "come near to God to see whether
he have not put his hand to his neighbor's goods";
and the same provision is made, vs. 9, in the case of
property lost, when discovered in the hands of another
party. The expression used is pecuUar, yet it is the one
found in similar connections in the Code of Hammurabi.'
Other points of resemblance might be mentioned,
but these seem sufficient to indicate that the two codes
are related. The relation between them is perhaps
best explained by supposing that the Code of Ham
murabi, soon after its promulgation, became the law of
Canaan as well as of Babylonia, that the substance of
it remained as a part of the common law after the con
quest of the country by the Hebrews, and that when,
after the kingdom of David was divided, someone
undertook to provide the northern tribes with a code
of their own, it was naturaUy based on the common
law, and thus, in a sense, on its Babylonian predecessor.
When the Ephraimite author incorporated this code
'§§9, 126. In this case the correspondence is not exact, but
§ 126 is closely related to § 125, the one cited. For other cases in which
the Babylonian code requires appearance before God, see §§ 103, 106,
107, 120, 281.

114 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
into his narrative he put into concrete and practical
form the doctrine of the prophets, of whom he was one,
that domestic and social obUgations are, as reaUy as if
they were audible to the outer ear, commands of God.
It is plain that the Ephraimite code, through its
relation to that of Hammurabi, has acquired a new
importance. It will therefore be worth while to analyze
it and determine how great progress it registers.
This code has Uttle that bears on the subject of
personal ethics. In fact, the only passage that needs
to be cited in this connection is Exod. 22:19, where it
is ordained that "whosoever Ueth with a beast shaU
surely be put to death."
There is more touching the family. The father is
an absolute master. He can seU his wife' or his daughter"
into bondage, and, if anyone violates the latter, he can
force the offender to marry her or pay him adequate
damages.' The practice of polygamy is recognised,
but there are restrictions to be observed. A husband
may not seU a Hebrew concubine except for redemp
tion; nor may he neglect her when, for any reason, he
adds a second wife to his household.'' If he does, she
becomes entitled to her freedom.' Children are not
permitted to treat their parents with irreverence. He
that either strikes* or curses' his father or his mother
is to be put to death. The treatment of slaves is
carefully regulated. In the first place, it is forbidden,
on pain of death, to kidnap men and sell them into
slavery,* but a thief may be reduced to servitude, if he
'Exod. 21:3. "Exod. 21:10. 'Exod. 21:17.
"Exod. 21:7. sExod. 21:11. 'Exod. 21:16.
3 Exod. 22:16. 'Exod. 21:15.

THE EPHRAIMITE SOURCE 115
cannot pay his fine.' If a man seUs himself, he may be
held in bondage only six years," unless for love of a wife,
also a slave, and their children, he chooses to remain with
his master.' A female slave whom her master has
given to his son must be treated "after the manner of
daughters."'' The master may not treat his slaves with
cruelty. If he kiUs one of them outright he must be
punished as for killing any other person,' and, if he
seriously maims one of them, he must set the sufferer
free.* If a slave is injured by an ugly ox, his master
is entitled to damages to the amount of thirty shekels
of silver.' The last three enactments, which seem to
apply to foreign as weU as Hebrew slaves, must have
been very influential in protecting them from injury.
In the field of social ethics the right to Ufe takes
precedence of aU others. It is the first to receive pro
tection in this code. The penalty for the violation of
it is death. In earUer times, when the lex talionis was
in unrestricted operation, no one stopped to ask whether
the slayer did the deed by accident or with maUce
prepense. Joab took the Ufe of Abner, although he
knew that his rival had kiUed his brother in self-defense.*
In this code the difference between voluntary and
involuntary homicide is clearly recognized; the general
law being followed by the proviso that there shall be a
refuge, namely, the nearest sanctuary, where the slayer
may find safety until it is shown that he is guilty of
murder. If he is, he may be taken from the very altar
and executed.' There is one exception, if it is an
'Exod. 22:3. "Exod. 21:9. 'Exod. 21:32.
" Exod. 21:2-4. 3 Exod. 21:20 f. * II Sam. 2:18 ff.
3 Exod. 21:5 f. 'Exod. 21:26 f. ' Exod. 21:12-14.

ii6 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
exception, to the rule that homicide is murder only when
premeditated. It is the case in which a woman dies
as the result of a miscarriage caused by injuries received
from one of two or more men in a quarrel. Then the
penalty is Ufe for life;' but one must conclude from the
corresponding paragraph, 210, in the Code of Hammurabi,
that it is not the life of the man who did the injury that
is required, but that of his wife or daughter; the idea
apparently being that the sacrifice of a woman was in
the nature of a fine imposed upon her father or husband,
as her owner, like the damages for loss of time and the
doctor's bill in vss. 18 f.
These last verses deal with the first of a series of
injuries to the person. If a man in a brawl with another
hurts, but not mortaUy, his opponent, he must pay the
costs. If, on the other hand, a man injures his servant,
and the latter does not die "under his hand," that is,
immediately, the master is not punished, except in the
loss of his property." In the case of the pregnant
woman, if she suffers short of death, any harm that
accrues to her must be infficted upon the unfortunate
woman who has to atone for her husband's or father's
clumsy rage, "eye for eye."'
The Ephraimite Code protects not only the person
but the property of its ward: first against criminal
carelessness. Thus, if a man leaves a pit open, he must
pay for any animal that may be injured by faUing into
'Exod. 21:23. "Exod. 21:20 f.
^Exod. 21:24 f. Baentsch attaches vss. 23-25 to vs. 19, thus
making them refer to the first case of a. quarrel. This, however, can
hardly be correct, since vs. 22 requires such an alternative and vs. 19
does not need one, being itself the alternative to vs. 18.

THE EPHRAIMITE SOURCE 117
it.' If he knowingly keeps an ox that gores, he must be
prepared to pay for slaves, as above noted, or cattle
that it may have killed." If he lets his cattle roam into
a neighbor's field, he must indemnify the owner of that
field "from the best of his own field."' If he allows a
fire that he has kindled for any purpose to spread and
destroy a neighbor's crops, he must "make restitution."''
If he aUows an animal entrusted to him to be stolen, he
must make it good.'
The thief is more severely punished, since he, for
an ox, must make a fivefold, and for a sheep a fourfold,
recompense; unless the stolen animal is found aUve in
his possession, in which case the fine is only twofold
for either of the animals mentioned or an ass.* If the
thief be caught in the act by night, the owner of the
property jeopardized may even kiU him with impunity,
but, if by day, his person must be respected.' If a
man has anything in his possession that another claims
as stolen property, the case must come before God;
the one who wins it receiving from the other twofold
the value of the thing claimed.* This law would
naturally operate to prevent slanderous charges as well
as theft or the traffic in stolen goods.
There are carefuUy framed laws respecting property
committed to the keeping of one person by another.
If its guardian reports it stolen, but cannot name the
thief, the case must be brought before God, to see
whether he has not himself appropriated "his neigh
bor's goods."' So, also, when the property is an
' Exod. 21:33 f. "Exod. 22:6. 'Exod. 22:2f.
" Exod. 21:32, 35 f. 3 Exod. 22:12. 'Exod. 22:9.
3 Exod. 22:5. 'Exod. 22:1, 4. 'Exod. 22:7 f.

ii8 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
animal which dies, or is hurt or stolen, without anyone's
knowledge.' If he reports it torn by wild beasts, he
must bring the remains of it as proof, or make restitu
tion." When a man borrows an animal from another,
and it dies or is hurt while he is using it, he must replace
it, unless the owner was with it or received hire for the
use of it.'
There remain the two small groups of laws with
which the code ends. Most of them may be regarded
as specifications under the general requirement of truth
and loyalty. Thus, in Exod. 22:20 the IsraeUte is
forbidden to sacrifice to "any God save Yahweh only,"
and in vs. 28 to "revile God" or "curse the ruler" his
representative. In this connection should also, perhaps,
be cited 22:18, "Thou shalt not suffer a sorceress to
Uve." The acts prohibited are forms of disloyalty to
Yahweh. The rest of these laws deal with the various
ways by which justice is perverted. They prohibit
slander,"* perjury,' conspiracy,* partiaUty,' lawlessness,*
and bribery.'
A code of laws pubUshed about the middle of the
eighth century before the Christian era would have been
incomplete without a section on the treatment of the
unfortunate. It is not surprising, therefore, to find
' Exod. 22 : 10 f . " Exod. 22:13.
3 Exod. 22:14. There is another rendering for vs. 15b, namely,
"If he (the one responsible for the death or injury of the animal) is
a hireling, it (the price of the animal) comes out of his wages." So
Baentsch. "Exod. 23:1. sJbid. 'Exod. 23:2.
' Exod. 23:3, 6. In vs. 3, for "a poor man" read "a great man,"
thus producing an antithesis with vs. 6.
'Exod. 23:7. 'Exod. 23:8.

THE EPHRAIMITE SOURCE 119
that this one protects the poor debtor, forbidding any
one who loans him money to act the usurer toward him'
or keep the garment taken in pledge over night." Here
belongs, also, the law prohibiting the oppression of the
stranger in Israel.'
Such is the Ephraimite code, in the form in which it
was incorporated into the narrative of which it once
formed a part. It was a very simple instrument,
hardly adequate to the wants of the most primitive
community. Still, it furnished a standard of conduct,
and as such doubtless was useful in a pedagogic way.
Meanwhile the prophets taught, and so diligently, that,
at the end of a century, this code had to be rewritten
to represent the best ethical sentiment of the Judah of
that day. 3. THE EPHRAIMITE NARRATIVE IN JOSHUA,
JUDGES, AND SAMUEL
In the preceding books the Ephraimite narrative
has followed pretty closely the outUne of the Judean.
The same is the case in the Book of Joshua, where,
moreover, the extracts from the two works are some
times so skUfully wrought together that there are
scholars who do not attempt to separate them. In
Judges and Samuel they are more independent and
more easily distinguishable. One difference between
them is found in the characters that they portray, most
of those in the Ephraimite narrative being ethicaUy
more developed, but less real and interesting than their
' Exod. 22:25a. The latter half of this verse, forbidding discount,
that is, a percentage deducted beforehand from the face of the loan,
is an addition to the original text.
"Exod. 22:26. 3Exod. 22:21a.

120 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
Judean counterparts. Joshua is most changed. In
the older references to him he is a lusty warrior, per
fectly human, who is always at the front in battle.'
In the Ephraimite narrative he is less natural and heroic.
Thus, in his first battle, as described in Exod. 17:8 ff.,
it is not he who holds the attention of the reader or
reaUy defeats the Amalekites, but Moses sitting, with
hand and staff upraised, on a neighboring hilltop.
The Judean author represents him as taking Jericho by
storm," but according to the other, "the wall feU down
flat, so that the people went up into the city, every
man straight before him."' The battle at Ai, according
to the same authority, was but a repetition of the one at
Rephidim, except that Joshua, with his javeUn, takes
the place of his former master ;"* while at Beth-horon
Yahweh killed more with his hailstones than the children
of Israel slew with the sword.' In the battle of the
Kishon, another Rephidim, Barak gets his courage from
a woman, and Sisera is an easy victim for Jael's mallet.*
Gideon, too, is less robust and masterful in the later
than in the earUer version of his exploits. Compare
the mildness of his bearing toward the Ephraimites
in Judg. 8 : 1-3 (E) with the sternness of his treatment
of the people of Succoth and Penuel in vss. 4 ff . (J).
The case of Abimelech, also, is interesting. The Judean
account of him' leaves him master of the field. He
resides at Arumah; Gaal and his clan are banished
'Josh. 6:10; 8:5.
" Josh. 6: 20, the first and the last clause.
3 Josh. 6: 20, except the first and the last clause.
4 Josh. 8:18, 26. "Judg. 4:8, 19 ff.
3 Josh. 10:11. ' Judg. 9:26-41.

THE EPHRAIMITE SOURCE 121
from Shechem. There is no attempt to point a moral.
The Ephraimite version,' on the other hand, is a lesson
on the wickedness of fratricide and ingratitude, and the
inevitableness of fitting retribution. The intent of the
author is so evident that it was hardly necessary for
him, or someone Uke-minded, to add the reflection,
"Thus God requited the wickedness of Abimelech, which
he did to his father in slaying his seventy brethren.
All the wickedness of the men of Shechem, also, did
God requite upon their heads, in that upon them came
the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal."" It is Saul,
however, who suffers most at the hands of this author.
In the first place, the young king is dwarfed by Samuel,
in the Judean narrative a local seer, but here a majestic
prophet who pubUcly reproves him for not obeying
instructions and finally announces his rejection by
Yahweh.' When David appears he at once eclipses
the unfortunate monarch, who is finally obUged to
efface himseU and defraud his son to the extent of
acknowledging the victor over the PhUistine giant as
his legitimate successor.'' There are those who would
find in Jephthah an exception to the rule above stated.
It is hardly possible, however, to beUeve that Judg.
12:1-6 is by the same hand as 11:34-40. This being
admitted, the former must be attributed to the Judean,
the latter to the Ephraimite, author. In other words,
here again the later writer betrays his date and bias
by transforming the rough-and-ready soldier of earUer
tradition, who carries aU before him, into a pitiable
victim of his own rashness, and incidentaUy an example
' Vss. 1-25, 42-55. 3 I Sam. 15; 17 ff.
" Vss. 56 f. "ISam. I7:iff; 23:17; 26:25.

122 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
of the unnatural cruelty of human sacrifices.' The par
tiaUty of this author for David has already been noted.
But his David, partly, perhaps, because his account has
not been so fully preserved, does not make the impres
sion upon the reader that is made by the Judean's.
In the preceding paragraph attention was directed
especially to the personal characters of individuals
cited. The comparisons there made showed that the
Ephraimite author, in his accounts of them, was more
sensitive than his predecessor to ethical considerations.
The result is similar when one studies his references to
social conditions in the same period. In the first place,
although he recites without apparent disapproval the
treachery of Jael," as well as how Rabah deceived the
messengers of her king' and Michal Ued to protect
David," he represents Joshua as reproving the Gibeonites
for deceiving him,' and probably intended that Saul's
failure to give his daughter Merab to David according
to promise* should be reckoned to his discredit. The
last two cases support the supposition above broached,
that, according to the Ephraimite author, it was beneath
a man to lie. There is one instance that seems unrecon-
cilable with such a conclusion, namely, that of David
and the method by which he obtained food and a weapon
when he was fleeing from Saul.' It is probable, however,
that this is a case in which the author borrowed from
an earUer source and neglected to adapt the story as he
received it to his own conception of the character of
David. ' Gen. 22:1 ff. is from the same (E) source.
"Judg. 4:18 ff. "I Sam. 19:14 ff. ' I Sam. 18: 17 ff.
3 Josh. 2:5b. 3 Josh. 9:22a. 'ISam. 21:1 3.

THE EPHRAIMITE SOURCE 123
A growing regard for truth is certainly indicated by
the prominence given to the covenant between David
and Jonathan, and the loyalty of the young men to each
other.' The faithfulness of Jonathan appears in the
plea by which, for the time being, he quenched the
jealous anger of his father," and the wilUngness with
which, at their last meeting, he renounced his claim to
the succession in favor of David.'
The plea of Jonathan is further notable as an appeal
to Saul's gratitude. He begs his father not to sin
against his friend, for one reason, "because," as he says,
"his works have been to thee-ward very good: for he
took his Ufe in his hand, and smote the PhiUstine, and
Yahweh wrought a great victory for all Israel." This
passage recalls an earUer one from the Ephraimite
narrative in Judg. 9:i6ff., where Jotham, in his pro
test against the choice of Abimelech for their king by the
Shechemites, says, "Now, therefore, if ye have dealt
truly and uprightly, in that ye have made Abimelech
king, and if ye have dealt weU with Jerubbaal and his
house, and have done to him according to the deserving
of his hands (for my father fought for you, and adven
tured his Ufe, and deUvered you out of the hand of
Midian; and ye have risen up against my father's
house this day, and slain his sons, three score and ten
persons, on one stone, and made Abimelech, the son of
his maid-servant, king over the men of Shechem, because
he was your brother)," etc. The milder note here
harmonizes with the recognized date of the Ephraimite
narrative. 'ISam. 18:3. 3 1 Sam. 23:15s.
" I Sam. 19:4 3.

124 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
There was almost constant hostiUty, according to
the Ephraimite narrative, between the Hebrews and
their neighbors before the establishment of the monarchy
under David. The foreigners are generally represented
as being the aggressors. In such cases the author does
not feel called to explain or defend the wars that were
waged. When, however, he comes to the war with
Amelek, in which, according to I Sam. i5:4ff., the
Hebrews not only invaded the country of the enemy,
but "utterly destroyed aU the people with the edge
of the sword," he cannot let this barbarous proceeding
go unexplained. In the first place, he says that it
was commanded by Yahweh through Samuel, whom,
secondly, he represents as justifjdng his own severity
by recalUng the hostility of the Amelekites to his people
on their march from Egypt.' In other words, he teaches
that God is not an arbitrary ruler, but himself conforms
to the principles by which he requires that his creatures
shall be governed.
'ISam. 15:2 f.; Exod. 17:8 s.

CHAPTER X
HOSEA AND HIS TIMES
The prophet Hosea made his appearance in Israel
a few years after Amos, or not far from 750 B.C. At
that time Jeroboam II was stUl aUve, but he died about
745 B.C., and six months later his son and successor,
Zechariah, was assassinated and the dynasty of Jehu
came to an end. It was a certain Shallum the son of
Jabesh who overthrew it, but he did not long enjoy
the honor he had usurped; for it was only a month before
"Menahem the son of Gadi went up from Tirzah,"
the first capital of the Northern Eangdom,' "and came
to Samaria, and smote Shallum the son of Jabesh, and
slew him, and reigned in his stead."" He succeeded in
maintaining himseU on the throne for ten years, with
the aid of Tiglath-pileser, the king of Assyria, to whom,
however, in 738 B.C. he was obUged to pay "a thousand
talents of silver that his hand might be with him con
firming the kingdom in his hand." He raised the money
by a levy on the wealthy men of his kingdom, each of
whom was assessed fifty shekels for that purpose.'
This was not a large sum — only about $33.21 — but
the fact that there were six thousand men who could
be called wealthy shows that the country had not
suffered seriously during the revolution; in other
words, that conditions were much the same as they
were when Amos startled the grandees of Samaria
' I Kings 14:17. 3 11 Kings 15:19 f.
"II Kings 15:14. 125

126 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
from their luxurious dreams with threats of an Assyrian
invasion.' Conditions were much the same, but the two prophets
did not view them from the same standpoint, and there
fore did not deal with them in the same manner. Amos,
with his keen intellectuaUty, set himself to unmask
the errors and fallacies of his time, and picture the
logical and inevitable result of persistence in harboring
them. Hosea, being predominantly emotional, found
the source of aU the evils that he lamented in the heart,
and sought to cure them by appeals to the affections.
The fundamental thought in his prophecies has already
several times made its appearance. It is the idea of
a covenant between Yahweh and his people. This
prophet believed, with Amos and others who had pre
ceded him, that such a covenant had been made and
broken, but he gave to the unfaithfulness of Israel
more prominence than his predecessors, and clothed
it in imagery as striking as it was novel. He caUs it
harlotry, and finds it sjmiboUzed by the unfaithfulness
of his own wife.
The figure appears in the first chapter of his book,
where he says that at the beginning of his ministry he
received from Yahweh the command, "Go, take to
thee a wife of whoredom and children of whoredom;
for the land committeth whoredom from Yahweh;""
and that, in obedience to this command, he married
Gomer the daughter of Diblaim, who bore him three
children. This passage has had so many and such
mistaken interpretations that it deserves special atten
tion. There aze those who claim that the prophet
'Amos 5:27; 6:14; 7:i6f. "Hos. 1:2.

HOSEA AND HIS TIMES 127
must here be relating a dream, since God would not
command the act described, or Hosea obey if it were
commanded. So Aben Ezra. This explanation does
credit to the ethical judgment of those who adopt it,
but it is exegetically indefensible. A similar interpre
tation is that which represents the prophet as describ
ing a subjective rather than an objective experience.
So Marck. The objection to this is that throughout
the book harlotry is treated as a concrete symbol,
which it must be to be effective. Those who interpret
the statement cited objectively differ on some points.
Thus, of those who agree that Gomer was a harlot
when Hosea married her, some suppose that she then
became a virtuous woman (Rohling), while others insist
that she "must have manifoldly sinned," even after
marriage, since otherwise she could not "so shadow
forth the manifold defilement of the human race."
So Pusey. The former of these views is forbidden by
the fact that the woman of 3:2, who is described as
"an adultress," is none other than Gomer the daughter
of Diblaim, and must be to give that passage any
meaning. The latter destroys the fitness of the symbol
as here used, to say nothing of impeaching the sanity
of the prophet or the character of God. The only
interpretation that avoids aU the above objections is that
of WeUhausen, according to which Gomer was not
actuaUy a harlot when Hosea married her, but after
ward became unfaithful, and that, when the prophet
came to reflect on his experience and perceive its typical
value, he beUeved it to have been divinely ordained,
and therefore, as any other prophet would have done,
represents the impulse on which he had acted as a

128 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
command of God. The teaching of Hosea, then, on
this point is that, as Gomer, after she had become his
by the law and custom of his country, violated the cove
nant between them, so Israel, after Yahweh, with their
consent, had taken them for his people, and provided
them with a goodly land to dwell in, had wantonly
abandoned him for the worship and service of other
gods.' At this point there is need of further explanation.
The first impression made by the references of Hosea
to the unfaithfulness of Israel is that Baal was as
openly and generally worshiped in the reign of Jeroboam
II as in that of Ahab. This, however, as is clear from
the prophecies of Amos, was not the case. In fact, the
people whom Hosea arraigns claimed, and Amos did
not dispute it, that they were worshipers of Yahweh.
This was the actual situation: When the Hebrews took
possession of Palestine, or a part of it, they regarded
themselves as the people of Yahweh; but they knew
that the Canaanites worshiped Baal, and, not having
as yet grasped the doctrine taught by Amos, that their
God was the universal Lord, they were naturally led
to combine the worship of Baal with that of Yahweh,
thinking thus to insure a blessing upon the corn, wine,
and oil that they were cultivating." Later, when they
came to beUeve in only one God, they seem to have
identified Yahweh with Baal and sometimes to have
called him by the same name.' At any rate, they
incorporated into their worship idolatrous features —
when Jeroboam I set up the bulls at Bethel and Dan
'Hos. 4:12; 5:4; 6:10; 9:1.
"Hos. 2:8. 3 Hos. 2:16.

HOSEA AND HIS TIMES 129
he proclaimed them the God that brought Israel up
out of Egypt' — and, because these features had been
retained, Hosea insisted that their worship was not a
worship of Yahweh, but of Baal, and a constant viola
tion of their covenant with the God of their fathers."
Thus Hosea followed the earlier prophets in finding an
ethical basis for the Hebrew religion in a covenant
between Yahweh and his people, but he put the thought
into a new form which his successors, especially Jeremiah
and Ezekiel, further developed.'
The prophet Hosea had something to say on various
other ethical topics of a special character. He con
demned as severely as Amos the obscene and drunken
orgies that accompanied the corrupt worship of the
time." His teaching with reference to the family is
especially interesting. Not that he lays down any rules
on the proper conduct of its members one toward
another. He does nothing of the kind, but he teUs the
experience of a husband and father of the highest type,
himself, and thus most powerfuUy impresses the serious
reader. He probably procured his wife in the usual way,
by virtual purchase, but he must have loved her very
fondly from the first. Yet, when he discovered that
she was untrue to him, her conduct and character
seem to have been so revolting to him that he banished
her from his home. Finally, however, his affection
for her reasserted itself, and, although he had no proof
that she was even penitent, in defiance of custom and
pubUc opinion' he redeemed her from one of her lovers
' I Kings 12: 26 3. " Hos. 4: 10, 13 f.
" Hos. 2:13. 3 Hos. 3:1.
3 Jer. 3:1 5.; Ezek. i6:i3.

I30 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
and again took her under his protection.' In so doing
he set an example of conjugal charity in which he
himself could not but see the divine compassion
mirrored." The prophecies of Hosea also reveal the ideal father.
There is nothing to indicate what he did with the children
that Gomer had borne when he learned that they were
the offspring of adultery. His first impulse would be to
send them to their mother, but they seem to have found
a place in his heart from which, when the time came, he
could not eject them. "How then," he said, "can
Yahweh give up Ephraim, and cast off Israel?"' Thus
his own heart taught him to hope that Yahweh, having
found a way to save his people, would "heal their
backsUdings" and once more "love them freely.""
The unfaithfulness of Gomer was nothing rare or
strange in Israel. The prophet says that adultery was
as common as swearing, and both were universal;'
and naturally, since prostitution was a religious insti
tution and women were taught that there was no way
in which they could better please the gods for whom
they had forsaken Yahweh than by the sacrifice of
their virtue. It was these conditions that gave Hosea
a double warrant for calUng the popular reUgion
harlotry.* A prophet who laid so much stress upon faithful
ness to Yahweh would naturaUy require men to stand
by their engagements with one another. It is not
strange, therefore, to find him complaining that there
is no faithfulness in the land, but that the inhabitants
'Hos.3:if. 3Hos.ii:8f. 5Hos.4:2; 7:4.
"Hos. 2:19. "Hos. 14:4. 'Hos. 4:11 3.

HOSEA AND HIS TIMES 131
generaUy give their oaths only to break them.' He
accuses his people, too, of fraud and deception. Like
their wily ancestor, Jacob, they practice dishonesty
in business and boast of the success of their devices."
Naturally, they are as deceitful and treacherous in
public as in private affairs. Hence the frequent and
sudden changes in their rulers.' Nor is this aU. Not
content with cheating one another in trade, they actually
steal from one another, sneaking into private houses or
more boldly attacking one another on the street or the
highway." Their leaders are their teachers in these
outrages, their princes being "Uke them that remove
the landmark";' and their priests not scrupling to
murder whom they would plunder.* Hosea condemns
this or any other kind of violence. In this respect he
differs from some of his predecessors. The difference
appears in 1:4. This verse contains a reference to the
revolution wrought by Jehu. That movement, it will
be remembered, was ordered by Yahweh,' foretold,
with aU its horrors, by EUjah,* and initiated when Jehu
was anointed by a disciple of EUsha.' It also, as has
been shown, had the approval of Jehonadab the son of
' Hos. 4:1.
"Hos. 12:4, 8f.
3 Hos. 7:33. In vs. 3 the original reading, according to Wellhausen,
was, "They anoint a king in their wickedness, and princes by their
deceptions." " Hos. 4:2; 7:1.
3 Hos. 5:10. Here and in vss. 12, 13, and 14 for "Judah" read
"Israel," and in vs. 11 "Ephraim oppresseth and crusheth justice."
See the Greek Version.
'Hos. 6:9. ' I Kings 21:21 3.
' I Kings 19 : 16. ' II Kings 9 : i 5.

132 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
Rechab and his zealots.' Hosea, however, evidently
regarded it as contrary to the divine will, in fact a
crime, making Yahweh say that he will "avenge the
blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu."" There could
not be a better example of ethical development.
Thus far the teaching of Hosea has been mostly
negative. He does not, however, always deal in pro
hibitions. There are two passages in which he makes
positive demands. In Hos. 6:6 he represents Yahweh
as saying, "I desire goodness, and not sacrifice, and the
knowledge of God more than burnt offerings." The
word here rendered "goodness" by the American
Revisers should be translated "kindness," as in the
margin, since it is intended to denote, not personal
excellence, but a benevolent and beneficent demeanor.
This appears more clearly in the second of the passages
mentioned, lo: 12, where the prophet exhorts his people,
"Sow to yourselves righteousness and reap kindness."
The parallel word, here rendered "righteousness," is
one that is constantly used of benevolent activity,
especially on the part of the Deity. See Ps. 36:10 and
103:17, where both words evidently have the same
sense, but especially Ps. 24:6, where righteousness is a
synonym of "blessing" and "salvation."' The gist
of the passage, therefore, is that the fundamental
requirement of social ethics is a good-will that reveals
itself in a corresponding activity for the common well-
being. ' II Kings 10:15 5. "Hos. 1:4.
3 In modern Hebrew the word for "righteousness" is used in the
plural to denote alms.

CHAPTER XI
ISAIAH AND MICAH, AND THEIR TIMES
I . ISAIAH
It was in the year of Uzziah's death, probably
735 B.C., that Isaiah received his caU to the office of
prophet.' Jotham had then for about fifteen years
been regent of Judah, his father, who was a leper,
being incapacitated for public affairs." He reigned
only a year in his own right, then, in 734 B.C., he was
followed by his son Ahaz. The latter is said to have
reigned only sixteen years,' but since, according to
II Kings 18:13, Hezekiah cannot have come to the
throne before 714 B.C., he must have ruled until that
time, or about twenty-one years. The reign of Hezekiah
lasted twenty-nine years, or until 688 b.c, when he was
succeeded by Manasseh, under whom, says tradition,
Isaiah suffered martyrdom.
These were eventful years for both of the Hebrew
kingdoms. That of Israel had for some time been
paying tribute to Assyria, but in 735 there was a revolu
tion in which Pekah, an officer in the army, overthrew
Pekahiah the son of Menahem and took possession of
the vacant throne. This Pekah was a Gileadite, and
probably represented a patriotic party opposed to the
policy of submission to Assyria. At any rate, Pekah
at once refused to pay tribute, and entered into an
aUiance with Resin of Syria and other neighboring
rulers for the purpose of maintaining their independence.
'Isa. 6: 1 3. " II Kings 15:5. 3 n Kings 16:1.
133

134 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
Ahaz seems to have refused to join the coaUtion. Pekah
and Resin, therefore, undertook to force him into it.
Thereupon he appealed to Tiglath-pileser, who, before
the end of 734 B.C., invaded Palestine and, after wasting
parts of the kingdom of Israel, drove Hanno the king
of Gaza into exile in Egypt. At the end of three years
he had conquered Syria and compelled all the rest of
the rebellious states to acknowledge his sovereignty.'
When, in 727 B.C., Tiglath-pileser died, there was
another revolt in the West, but when Shalmaneser IV,
his successor, appeared on the scene, Hoshea, the then
king of Israel, promptly submitted." The next year,
however, he rebelled again, and this time, relying on the
help of Egj^t, he persisted until he was defeated and
captured,' and his capital, Samaria, invested by an
Assyrian army. Then suddenly Shalmaneser IV died;
but Sargon II took his place and pressed the siege so
successfuUy that in 722 b.c. he took the city and carried
into captivity thousands of its inhabitants." This
seemed to be the end of the Northern Kingdom, but
in 720 B.C. the survivors joined a league headed by the
king of Hamath, and Sargon had to make another
expedition to the shore of the Mediterranean, where he
first subdued the northern peoples, and then, moving
southward, met the PhiUstines and the Egyptians at
Raphia and so thoroughly defeated them that they made
no further resistance.
There is nothing to show that Judah took any part
in these uprisings. Indeed, so long as Ahaz Uved he
and his people seem faithfully to have kept the pledges
' II Kings 16:9. 3 II Kings 17:4.
" II Kings 17:3. " II Kings 17:5 f.

ISAL\H AND MICAH, AND THEIR TIMES 135
made at the beginning of his reign to obtain Assjrian
assistance. When, however, in 714 B.C., Hezekiah
came to the throne, he adopted a different poUcy.
In 711 he took part in a movement started by the king
of Ashdod, and it was only by promptly withdravfing
from the coalition that he escaped the punishment
which Sargon II infficted upon his confederates.
The revolt of 711 B.C. ought to have taught Hezekiah
wisdom, but it did not prevent him from taking advan
tage of the confusion into which the death of Sargon in
705 threw the Assyrian empire to assert his independence.
He was encouraged so to do by the king of Egypt, and
at first he seemed to have succeeded; but in 701 Sen
nacherib, the son and successor of Sargon, having
estabUshed his authority in other quarters, turned his
attention to the West. He invaded Phoenicia and
reduced its cities so rapidly that many of the neighbor
ing peoples voluntarUy returned to their allegiance.
Hezekiah and some of the PhiUstines, relying on the
promises of the Egyptians, continued in rebeUion.
When the Assyrian king was ready to move southward
he first attacked and captured Ashkelon. Then, as
he was besieging Ekron, the Egyptians made their
appearance; but Sennacherib met and defeated them
at Eltekeh, and then, returning, took the PhiUstine
city and severely punished its inhabitants for their
stubbornness. Finally, he sent a part of his army to
ravage Judah, while he himseU, with the main body,
proceeded to Lachish. When Hezekiah saw his country
wasted, and the Assyrian soldiery at the very gates of
Jerusalem, he made haste to beg for mercy, pay a
heavy indemnity, and bind himseU thenceforth to

136 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
render a corresponding annual tribute. Later, as
Sennacherib was moving upon Egypt, his army was
overtaken by a mysterious disaster, and he returned to
Assyria; but he retained his hold on Palestine, and the
Judean king remained his vassal.
These events were watched by the prophet Isaiah
with the deepest interest and made the occasion for
warning, encouragement, or instruction, whichever he
at any time felt impelled to utter. Thus, he warned
Ahaz not to appeal to Tiglath-pileser against Pekah
and Resin, assuring him that, if he had the faith to
wait, he would see his enemies overthrown without
taking upon himseU the Assyrian yoke.' He took
account of the growing corruption and disorder in
Israel, and foretold the speedy destruction of that
kingdom." He perceived, as few, if any, others did,
the unreUability of the Egyptians, and warned the
PhiUstines, as well as his own people, not to trust in
such an aUy.' To the end he insisted that, if the Jews
put their trust in Yahweh alone, they would need no
other defense. Hence, when Sennacherib threatened
Jerusalem, his counsel was, "By sitting" still shaU
ye be saved; in quiet and confidence shall be your
strength."' Meanwhile, like Amos, with whose prophe
cies he was evidently famiUar, he sought to dispel the
errors and banish the corruption that prevailed in his
day, and prepare his people for the acme of happiness
and prosperity under an ideal ruler, the mirror and
' Isa. 7:45. "Isa. 9:75.
3lsa. 20:36.; 3o:i5.; 3i:i5.
" The reading of the received text, "returning'' is a palpable error
due to the close similarity of two Hebrew verbs elsewhere, also, mis
taken for each other. See Isa. 1:27.
3 Isa. 30:15.

ISAIAH AND MICAH, AND THEIR TIMES 137
instrument of the divine wiU, for whose advent in the
near future he taught them to look and labor.'
Isaiah was keenly sensitive to ethical values. This
appears in his account of his call, 6 : i ff . That passage,
however, has often been misunderstood. The word
"holy" as there appUed to Yahweh does not mean
moraUy perfect, but absolutely transcendent with
reference to everything finite, and therefore worthy of
universal reverence and adoration. Hence, "the Holy
One of Israel," a phrase that seems to have originated
with Isaiah, is equivalent to "the God of Israel."
The result of the manifestation of this holiness, or, as
Paul puts it, "his eternal power and divinity," is the
"glory" with which, Isaiah declares, "the whole earth
is full." When the prophet saw it he was overwhelmed
and condemned himseU, a mere man, with the imper
fections of a man, for taking upon his lips, as in the act
of worship he had just done, the name of so exalted a
being. "Woe is me," he says, "for I am undone,
because I am a man of unclean Ups."
A man thus sensitive would naturally insist upon
personal moraUty in other worshipers of Yahweh.
It is not strange, therefore, to find him, in the fifth
chapter of his prophecies, where he catalogues the
crying evils of his day, making especially prominent
the abuse of wine and other means of intoxication.
"Woe," he exclaims, "to them that rise early in the
morning to pursue strong drink; and tarry late in the
evening until wine inflames them."" A Uttle later,
' Isa. 9:1s.; 11:16.
"Isa. 5:11. The word here rendered "inflame" sometimes has
the sense of "chase" (Gen. 31:36), a fact that the prophet must have
had in mind when he selected it for this connection.

138 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
namely, in vs. 22, he pronounces a second "woe"
upon drunkards, or, as he describes them, those who
are "mighty — to drink wine" and "men of strength —
to mingle strong drink." In chap. 28 he returns to
the subject in one of the most scathing utterances to
be found in his prophecies. He first recalls a passage
in which he has described Samaria as "the proud
crown of the drunkards of Ephraim,'" and then
pictures the dissolute habits of the priests and prophets
of Judah." Isaiah was doubtless as severe in his condemnation
of unchastity as of drunkenness, but there is nowhere
in his extant prophecies a direct reference to this evU;
for, in 1:10, the rulers of Sodom and Gomorrah are
the leaders in a city threatened with a destruction as
complete as that of the cities of the Plain; and in 1:21,
as appears from the context, Jerusalem is caUed a harlot,
as an abode, not of impurity, but of injustice.' The
absence of such references can hardly mean that the
prophet had no occasion for them, but must be explained
as due to the incompleteness of the record of his
utterances. In his ethical teaching Isaiah concerns himseU chiefly
with social conditions. In his day they were much the
same in Judah as they had been in Israel when Amos
prophesied. There had been so great an increase in
wealth that the land seemed to be "full of silver and
gold,"" but this wealth was so unevenly distributed that
the poor were about as numerous and miserable as ever.
Moreover, matters were growing worse rather than
' Vs. I. 3 See also vss. 26 f,
" Vss. 7 f. " Isa. 2 : 7.

ISAIAH AND MICAH, AND THEIR TIMES 139
better, through the fault, as Isaiah believed, of the upper
classes. In the first place, prosperity, instead of bringing
contentment, had only whetted their appetite for gain,
and they were adding "house to house and field to field"
so rapidly that it seemed as if they would soon "dweU
alone in the midst of the land"; in other words, having
dispossessed the smaU owners, they covered the country
with their large estates.' Isaiah justly condemned such
a poUcy. The prophet also charges the rulers of his people
with adding to their wealth by robbing the poor. In
the name of Yahweh he declares, "It is ye who have
cropped the vineyard," that is, robbed those whom they
should have protected; "the spoU of the poor is in your
houses. What mean ye, that ye crush my people, and
grind the faces of the poor ? saith Yahweh of Hosts.""
A favorite method with the robbers in Isaiah's, as in
Amos' day, was to bring suit against the intended
victim and bribe the judge with a share in the proceeds
of their joint knavery. Cases of this sort were so
frequent in Judah in the time of Isaiah that justice
became a by-word. Addressing Jerusalem, he says, "Thy
princes are unprincipled. They all love a bribe, chase
after fees; and, as for the cause of the widow, it doth
not reach them."' One of his woes is directed against
those that "acquit the gmlty for a bribe, while the
innocent they rob of his innocence."" In another he
describes the same class as those who "record iniquitous
judgments, and the writers that engross trouble; turn
ing the lowly from judgment and robbing the afflicted
' Isa. 5:8. 3 Isa. 1 : 23.
"Isa. 3:i4f. "Isa. 5:23.

I40 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
among my people of justice; so that widows are their
prey, and orphans their plunder.'" This was the great
evil of the times. When, therefore, Isaiah imdertook
to define reUgion, his formula was, not a tariff of sacri
fices, but the exhortation, "Seek justice, correct the
oppressor, judge the orphan, defend the widow";" and,
when he was required to propose a remedy for the iUs
that had befallen his people, he declared that Zion must
be "redeemed by justice, and they that dweU therein
through righteousness."' He insisted that there was
nothing but trouble in store for those who called "evU
good, and good evil," reversing the dictates of ordinary
moraUty. It was as fooUsh and disastrous, he said, as
to put "darkness for Ught, and Ught for darkness,"
or "bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter.""
The ideal that Isaiah set before his generation, and
bequeathed to those that followed, involved the same
doctrine. This ideal is presented in the messianic
passages properly attributed to him. The prophecy in
7 : 14, to which a messianic interpretation is given by a
later writer in Mic. 5:3, as well as Matt. 1:23, is not
such a passage; for the woman there mentioned is not
a virgin, but any young woman who may bear a son
at the end of the usual period, while the child has no
definite character and no function except by his name
to register the passage of the Syrian crisis. The famous
utterance in 9:5 f., on the other hand, is genuinely
messianic in character, that is to say, it forecasts a new
era and describes a person whom, when the time comes,
Yahweh can use for the accompUshment of his purpose
' Isa. 10:1. 3 Isa. 1:27.
" Isa. 1:17. "Isa. 5:20.

ISAIAH AND MICAH, AND THEIR TIMES 141
concerning his people. He will have great power and
achieve wonderful success, but the aim and glory of his
administration will be, not his own aggrandizement, but
the estabUshment "by justice and righteousness" of the
kingdom of David for all time to come.
The same ideal is more fuUy set forth in 1 1 : i ff .
Here, again, the hope of the Chosen People is in a scion
of the house of David, whose union and communion
with Yahweh vnll be so intimate that he wiU have the
resources of divinity at his command, and here, again,
his chief function is the administration of justice.
"In righteousness shaU he judge the lowly, and with
equity decide for the humble of the land; and he shaU
smite the violent with the rod of his mouth, and with
the breath of his lips he shall slay the godless. Yea,
righteousness shaU be the girdle of his loins, and faith
fulness the cincture of his reins." The great command
ment, then, in Isaiah's eyes is justice, impartial and
unfailing. Thus it appears that the teaching of Isaiah
was practicaUy that of Amos, except that, while Amos
despaired of Israel, Isaiah beUeved that the condition on
which alone Yahweh would or could bless Judah would
one day be fulfilled.
The acquaintance of Isaiah with the prophecies of
Amos has been mentioned. The truth is, that the
former, in his earlier utterances, so clearly follows the
latter in style as well as in content that he may fairly
be caUed a disciple of the shepherd of Tekoa. Nor
does he, on the points on which it is possible to compare
the two, go much, if any, beyond his predecessor. It is
strange that this should be true of their attitude toward
foreigners. Amos recognized them as creatures of

142 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
Yahweh, guided by him in their history, and responsible
to him for their conduct toward one another, as well
as toward the Hebrews. He did not have occasion to
express himself with reference to their future. If he
had, he could hardly have shown less interest in their
fate than does Isaiah. Indeed, the latter, although,
like Amos, he represents the Assyrians as instruments
of Yahweh,' when he comes to portray the future in
9:2 ff. and n:i ff.," assigns them no share in the bless
ings his people wiU enjoy under the beneficent rule of
the Prince of Peace.' 2. MICAH
The book of Micah begins with an oracle against
Israel, and 3:12, according to Jer. 26:18, was uttered
in the reign of Hezekiah. This prophet, therefore, was
a contemporary of Isaiah and had practicaUy the same
conditions as a background for his prophecies. There
was, however, this difference in their points of view, that,
whereas Isaiah seems to have been a native, or, at least,
a resident, of Jerusalem, Micah's home was in the
country, and his training, Uke that of Amos, outside
the immediate influence of the capital. It would have
been strange, therefore, if he had not condemned the
evils of his time, when he came to reaUze their serious
ness, even more severely than Isaiah, and expressed
himseU less optimistically with reference to the future
of their common race and country.
' Isa. 10:5 f.
" It is taken for granted that these passages were written by Isaiah,
although, as is well known, there are scholars who deny their genuineness.
3 In Isa. 11:4, for "earth'' read "land" in both cases.

ISAIAH AND MICAH, AND THEIR TIMES 143
Micah does not undertake to picture, as did Isaiah,
the disgusting excesses of his people, but he clearly
enough intimates that drunkenness was very prevalent
and that he had as Uttle patience with it as his colleague;
for, in replying to an attempt to sUence him, he says,
"If one came to them whom a false spirit had misled,
saying, I wUl prophesy to thee of wine and strong
drink, he would be the prophet of this people.'" So
largely was their Ufe occupied and dominated by their
unnatural appetites.
Micah reminds Samaria of its unfaithfulness," but
in the social world the evU above aU others was the
prostitution of justice, the result of insatiable lust for
gain. The prophet accuses the rulers of an utter dis
regard for right and wrong in their relations with their
less wealthy or powerful neighbors. "Is it not," he
indignantly demands, "yours to know justice? ye
who hate good and love evil, who tear their skins off
them, and their flesh off their bones."' The injustice
practiced is not the result of caprice or passion, but a
deUberate poUcy. These recreant rulers "devise iniquity
on their beds," and, "when morning breaks, practice
it, because it is within their power." Thus, "they
covet fields and seize them; and houses, and take them
away" from their proper owners; "and they oppress
a man and his house, yea, a man and his heritage.""
They treat their own people worse than foreigners and
enemies, robbing them without provocation, separating
the women from their tender children, and finaUy
depriving the children themselves of their heritage in
'Mic. 2:11. 3 Mic. 3:1 f.
"Mic. 1:5. "Mic. 2:1 f.

144 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
Yahweh by selUng them as slaves into foreign countries.'
In 3 : 9 ff . he couples the priests and the prophets with
the rulers in a scathing indictment: "Hear this, I pray
you, ye chiefs of the house of Jacob, and rulers of the
house of Israel; who abhor justice, and pervert all
equity; who buUd Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with
iniquity. Its chiefs decide for a bribe, and its priests
teach for a price, and its prophets divine for money."
These last say, because they are hired so to do, "Is
not Yahweh in the midst of us? There shaU no evil
come upon us." They are the special objects of the
prophet's contempt and sarcasm. It is theirs above all
others to discern between right and wrong, clearly to
commend the one and condemn the other, and in case
of need to defend any who are denied their rights against
their oppressors. Yet they, too, close their eyes to
obvious wrongs and the consequences — for a considera
tion, or, to put it with aU Micah's bluntness, "when they
have something to bite with their teeth they cry. Peace;
but against him who putteth not into their mouths
they declare war.""
These are the false prophets, over against whom
Micah places the genuine man of Gk)d, taking himself
for an illustration. "But I," he says, "am fuU of
strength, and justice, and courage to declare to Jacob
his transgression, and to Israel his sin."' Only a man
conscious of rectitude could thus have invited scrutiny
and criticism; but he boldly hurls this challenge to his
adversaries, firm in his moral integrity, keen in his moral
vision, and brave enought to accept, proclaim, and
defend his moral judgments, an ideal prophet of the
Old Testament.
¦Mic. 2:8 f. "Mic. 3:5. 3 Mic. 3:8.

ISALVH AND MICAH, AND THEIR TIMES 145
Thus far references have been made only to the
first three chapters of the book that bears the name of
Micah, the reason being that some modern critics
doubt or deny the genuineness of the remaining four.
The question need not be discussed in this connection,
since it is only 6 : i — 7 : 6 that contains anything material
to the present purpose, and there is nothing of ethical
significance in this section that has not already been
found current with other prophets. The passage will
best be understood as a representation of the condition
of northern Palestine just before, or after, the over
throw of Samaria, or, as 6:13 puts it, when Yahweh
had "begun to smite" the offender. The chastisement
aheady infficted has not borne fruit. This the nation
personified confesses in 7:1 ff., saying that "the pious
man hath vanished from the land (not "earth"), and
there is not an upright one among men." The ties of
nature are no longer respected. Indeed, so demoraUzed
has the family become that "a man's" most dangerous
"enemies are those of his own house.'" There is just
as Uttle confidence to be placed in the solemn pledges
of friendship." As for business, it is stiU, as in the time
of Amos, but a transparent mask for robbery.' Thus
every man's hand is against every other, and it is war
to the death." The rich are the chief offenders, because
they always have it in their power to do evil, if not
directly, by means of the forms of law, bribing the
judges to sanction their iniquities.'
All this is more obnoxious to Yahweh than to the
moral sense of mankind. What then does he require?
This question finds as complete an answer in 6:6-8 as
'Mic. 7:6. 3 Mic. 6:11 f. 3 Mic. 7:3.
"Mic. 7:5. "Mic. 7:2.

146 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
anywhere in the Hebrew Scriptures. The author of
this passage, Uke Amos and Hosea, had to combat the
notion that reUgion was a matter of offerings, and that
one who was rich enough could bribe God as he could
an earthly judge. There were those who were willing
to pay pretty dearly for the divine favor, as when
Mesha sacrificed his eldest son to Moloch.' This idea is
dramatically presented in the question, "Wherewithal
shaU I approach Yahweh, bow before God on high?
ShaU I approach him with burnt offerings, with calves
a year old? WiU Yahweh be pleased with thousands
of rams, with myriads of rivers of oU ? ShaU I give my
first-born for my transgressions, the fruit of my body for
the sin of my soul?" The answer puts the earthly,
human side of religion first: "He hath told thee, man,
what is good; and what doth Yahweh require of thee
but to do justly, and love kindness, and walk humbly
with thy God?""
'II Kings 3:27.
"Amos 5:21 5.; Isa. 1:10 ff.

CHAPTER XII
SECONDARY ELEMENTS IN THE JUDEAN AND
EPHRAIMITE NARRATIVES
I. THE SECOND YAHWIST (j") IN THE EARLY CHAPTERS
OF GENESIS
In a previous chapter attention was caUed to the
significance of the Ephraimite version of the story of
Abimelech the son of Gideon,' in which the doctrine of
divine retribution taught by Amos is distinctly incul
cated. It is the early chapters of Genesis, however,
in, which this doctrine is set forth most clearly and
impressively. This is done, in the first place, partly
by a rearrangement of the original text of the Judean
narrative, and partly by additions to this work from
a later one by a writer of the same school.
The form of the stories with which the Judean
narrative originaUy began, and the purpose of the author
in his use of them, have already been discussed. They
were simply current stories of primeval times, selected
for their literary availabiUty, and put together for the
amusement or instruction of those who had a Uterary
or patriotic interest in the traditional lore of the Hebrews.
It is difficult to determine the precise order in which
they were originaUy arranged, but it is clear that 9 : 20 ff .
belongs with 4:17-24 and 5:29. When the Judean
account of the Flood was inserted, and Noah the son
of Lemech identified with the hero of that event, the
order was changed, since otherwise the favor shown the
'Judg. 9:1-23, 42-57. 147

148 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
family of Noah, including Shem, Japheth, and Canaan,
would have seemed without justification. At the same
time, by the insertion of the story of Cain and Abel,
there was produced a series of events that could be
interpreted as manifestations of the deterioration of
human nature. Thus, the third chapter became a
record of "man's first disobedience"; the story of
Cain and Abel' marked the advent of hatred and violence
into the world; the Cainite genealogy, with the song
of Lemech," iUustrated the growing neglect, and final
repudiation, of God; and the story of the sons of God
and the daughters of men' registered the triumph of
lust among mankind. To such a history, on the sup
position that there is a holy, righteous, and omnipotent
God, as Amos taught, the only fitting sequel was a
universal catastrophe, and the editor who made the
changes noted saw in an early deluge, of which the
Hebrews, as well as the Babylonians, had preserved a
traditional account, the instrumentaUty by which the
race as a whole was obUterated. This seems rather
high-handed and, in a modern writer, would justly be
condemned as unwarrantable license. The author in
question, however, must not be judged by the same
canons as modern historians. The modern historian
goes about his work as a scientist pursues his investi
gations. He first gathers his materials and carefully
sifts them, aUowing no fact to escape him, but vigorously
rejecting any alleged event that does not at least square
with probabUity. Then he arranges his data in chrono
logical order, and establishes the connection, if there
is any, among them. FinaUy, he deduces from this
¦Gen. 4:16. "Gen. 4:175. 3 Gen. 6:1 f., 4.

SECONDARY ELEMENTS IN J AND E 149
sequence of events any principles which they illustrate,
and the lessons which they contain for his own or future
generations. The prophet — for the author of the revised
Judean narrative was a prophet as truly as was Amos —
did not go about his task in that way. He began at the
other end of the process. He began with a truth, or
something that he beUeved to be true, and, having be
come convinced, not only of its truth, but of its practical
importance, proceeded to iUustrate and enforce it. He
naturaUy sought his illustrations within the limits of the
knowledge of those whom he wished to influence. If they
had a story that would serve his purpose, he used it, un
disturbed by the question whether it had ever before
been similarly interpreted or, indeed, whether the inci
dent described was real or fictitious. It was enough
for him that by means of it he could bring his thought
vividly to the attention of his readers. When he had
done so he felt that he could trust it, with the help of the
divine Spirit, to take care of itseU. In the present instance
the important truth to be taught was the central doctrine
of the Book of Amos, that there is a supreme Power,
and that he "works for righteousness," or, as the
Psahnist more picturesquely puts it, "righteousness
and judgment are the foundation of his throne.'"
This being his message, how could he have brought it
more forcibly home to a violent and voluptuous genera
tion than by the (to him) godless pride of Lemech and the
unbridled Ucense of faUen sons of God ? And how could
he more effectively have presented the terrible conse
quences of the existing corruption than by rehearsing
the terrors of a catastrophe that was recognized as
'Ps. 97:2.

150 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
marking the close of an era in the early history of man
kind? There can be no doubt that the Judean narra
tive in the revised form, though less interesting from the
Uterary point of view, was, in its day, a more useful
vehicle of moral and reUgious instruction than the
original work.
It is not necessary to go into a more detaUed analysis
of the later Judean elements in the early chapters of
Genesis, but there is one point that should not be
overlooked, an inconsistency that is both curious and
instructive. In the story of Cain and Abel the murderer
complains that the sentence pronounced upon him is
too severe, and Yahweh sets a sign upon him to prevent
anyone from putting him to death. It has always been
a question whom Cain feared, but this is not the only
difficulty. In the earUest times there was a so-called
"lex talionis" according to which it was the duty of the
next of kin to avenge the victim of a murder upon the
murderer. Had this law been foUowed, Cain must
have died for his crime; but Yahweh intervened, just
as David did in the case of the son of the widow of
Tekoa,' and the hand of justice was stayed, so to speak,
by the exercise of "executive clemency." The author
of the story would probably have explained that, had
Cain been put to death, the increase and development
of mankind would have been too seriously retarded.
2. LATER JUDEAN AND EPHRAIMITE ADDITIONS BEFORE
AND DURING COMPILATION
The additions to the Judean narrative in the first
eleven chapters of Genesis, as explained in the preceding
section, are supposed to have been taken mostly from
'II Sam. i4:iof.

SECONDARY ELEMENTS IN J AND E 151
another continuous work. There are other passages in
this narrative that seem to be of a still later date, and
rather redactional in character, having been inserted
from time to time while it had a separate existence.
The Ephraimite narrative had a similar history. Finally,
when the two were united, the compiler took upon him
seU, not only to omit from the one or the other in certain
places, but to adapt and enlarge to suit his own ideas or
convictions. Thus there are three classes of supple
mentary matter, but, since they are all comparatively
late and have a certain resemblance, making it difficult
in some cases to classify passages with respect to author
ship, they may all be discussed under one general head.
First, there are some passages of which it may pretty
safely be asserted that they belonged to the Judean
narrative in its final form. Perhaps the most interesting
among them is Gen. i8:23b-33a. These verses, which
are a part of the story of the destruction of Sodom and
Gomorrah, describe how Abraham undertook to inter
cede for the threatened cities, especially Sodom, plead
ing that there might be a number of righteous persons
among its inhabitants, and it would be unjust to destroy
them. Yahweh admits the plea and agrees to spare the
city if fifty such persons can be found there to furnish
an excuse for his clemency. The patriarch, having
gained so much, presses his case, gradually reducing
the required number, until Yahweh has promised to
abandon his purpose if there can be found even ten who
deserve preservation. The passage seems to be an
attempt to justify the divine severity, as pictured in the
original story; but as such it is very unsatisfactory,
since, in the first place, Yahweh was not restricted to

152 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
the alternatives presented, and, secondly, there would
have been as little justice in letting the unrepentant
multitude go unpunished as in destroying with them a
handful who did not deserve such a fate. The under
lying doctrine is that of vicarious righteousness, which
finaUy became a favorite one with the Jews,' but which
is expressly repudiated by Ezekiel in 14:13 f., where he
makes Yahweh say, "When a land sinneth against me
by committing a trespass, and I stretch out my hand
upon it, ... . though these three men, Noah, Daniel,
and Job were in it, they should deUver but their own
souls by their righteousness." In the sequel of the story
of the cities of the Plain, according to the original author,
Yahweh is represented as solving the problem of Sodom's
fate by simply separating the righteous from the wicked
and rescuing the former before he destroyed the latter.
This passage betrays, to be sure, a certain degree
of ethical uneasiness, but it also indicates that the
author lacked the moral insight that characterized the
great prophets who preceded him. The same is true
of Exod. 33: 18 f., if, with Paul," one interprets it natu
rally as a general declaration to the effect that the grace
of God is conditioned only by his sovereign will. See
also Exod. 34:6 f., where a stiU later hand has added
the qualifying statement, "and that doth by no means
clear," or, better, "doth not let go entirely unpunished,"
"visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children
and upon the children's children, upon the third and
upon the fourth generation." It would seem, therefore,
as if the old prophets had done their work too weU,
creating a sense of indesert so deep that those who came
¦ Weber, 4Pr, 280 3. "Rom. 9:15.

SECONDARY ELEMENTS IN J AND E 153
after them could find reUef from it only in a doctrine
of arbitrary and unconditional grace.
One of the things that the Hebrews seem to have had
on their coUective conscience was the transfer of the
royal office from Saul to his rival David. The earUer
records make clear that it was a poUtical necessity,
and that it was brought about with as Uttle rancour
and bloodshed as could have been expected; but later
writers sought excuses for it. The author of I Sam.
i3:7b-i5 is one of them. He says that Saul was
rejected because, when he had mustered a force at
Gilgal, he proceeded with his preparations for war and
offered a presumably customary sacrffice without wait
ing for Samuel; but the weakness of this explanation
appears when one considers that in Saul's time it was
perfectly proper for him to perform such a rite; that,
if one was necessary before beginning the campaign,
it was high time to perform it, since the PhiUstines
were preparing an attack, while Saul's army was daUy
dwindling before his eyes in anticipation of it; and,
finaUy, that Samuel, who had promised to come to
Gilgal by a certain date, had failed to fulfil his engage
ment. There is some doubt about these alleged facts,
but the author takes them for granted, and, in so doing,
chaUenges the judgment of the reader, who wUl hardly
find the king guilty of anything deserving the severity
with which the prophet is reported to have treated him.
The secondary matter in the Ephraimite narrative
is not all germane to the present discussion, but there
are various passages that are, and these should not be
neglected. The first passage that demands special

154 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
attention is the story of the elders in Num. ii:i6f.
and 24b-30. It is remarkable for the humiUty and
UberaUty therein attributed to Moses, who, when it
was reported that two of the men who had been sum
moned to the tabernacle, but had not appeared, had
received the spirit in the camp, and Joshua proposed to
sUence them, replied, "Art thou jealous for my sake ?
0 that all Yahweh's people were prophets ; that Yahweh
would put his spirit upon them!" The following chap
ter' has another story illustrating the humiUty of the law
giver, whom it describes as "very meek, above all the
men that were on the face of the earth."" In this
case he is also very magnanimous, for, although Miriam
had been justly punished for attacking him, at Aaron's
request he interceded for her and procured her release
from the malady with which she had been smitten.
The second Ephraimite has his own version of the
story of Samuel and his relations with Saul. Accord
ing to him Samuel was an Ephraimite, but, being
devoted to Yahweh, he was reared as a priest at Shiloh.'
While he was yet a child Yahweh appeared to him and
revealed to him the impending fall of the house of EU."
He finally became a great prophet, also ruling Israel as
judge for many years.' When he became old, because
his sons did not walk in his steps, the people asked him
to give them a king; which, after a serious warning
and protest, he finally consented to do.* The election
took place at Mizpah, where Samuel gave an account
of his stewardship and adjured both the king and the
¦Num., chap. 12. 3 1 Sam., chap. 1. si Sam. 7:25.
"Vs.3. "ISam.3:i5. 'ISam.8:i5.

SECONDARY ELEMENTS IN J AND E 155
people to remain faithful to Yahweh.' FinaUy, however,
he broke with Saul and recaUed his approval of the
election, declaring that the young man had been rejected
by Yahweh." This story can hardly be regarded as historical,
but it has value as reflecting the ethical ideas of the
Hebrews of the first half of the seventh century B.C.
In the first place it breathes strong condemnation of the
vice of drunkenness : witness Eli's sternness with Hannah
while he thought her under the influence of wine, and
the good woman's own horror at the idea of being in
such a condition.'
The same chapter presents an interesting and
instructive picture of the domestic Ufe of the Hebrews,
their passion for children, the jealousy and consequent
unhappiness of rival wives, and the sympathy and ten
derness of which the Hebrew husband was capable."
These later Ephraimite additions are most proUfic
on the subject of official morality. The author describes
the conduct of the priests, the sons of EU, in their
office. They were not content, he says, with the
definite share in a sacrifice assigned to them, but,
when the flesh was being cooked for the sacrificial meal,
they came with a three-tined fork and took all that they
could lift from the pot and carry away on it. Some
times, indeed, before the flesh had been placed over the
fire, or the fat burned to Yahweh, they sent a demand
¦ I Sam., chap. 12. " I Sam. 15:24 S.
3 1 Sam. i:iiS. In 2:22 the sons of Eli are accused of illicit
intercourse with the women who served in the sanctuary, but the
latter half of this verse is an interpolation borrowed from Exod. 38:8.
" I Sam. I : I 3.

156 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
for raw flesh, and took it by force if anyone objected.'
There were similar abuses in the administration of
justice. Not, however, in the case of Samuel. He was
so faithful that, when, toward the close of his life, the
people demanded a king, he could safely challenge them
to find a blot on his record." "Here I am," he says;
"witness against me before Yahweh and before his
anointed : whose ox have I taken ? or whose ass have
I taken ? or whom have I defrauded ? whom have I
oppressed ? or from whose hand have I taken a bribe,
to bUnd therewith my eyes ? and I will restore it to
you"; and they were obliged to confess that he had not
been guilty of any of these wrongs. His sons, however,
Uke those of Eli, so far from imitating his example,
"turned aside after lucre, took bribes, and perverted
justice";' and this is given as the reason for the popular
movement in favor of a monarchy." At this point is
introduced the remarkable sketch of the future king
by which the prophet sought to turn his people from
their purpose. It is not historical in the sense of repro
ducing what Samuel said on a given occasion, since it
clearly presupposes the reign of Solomon, but it is
trustworthy as an expression of the sentiment among
the prophets of the end of the eighth, and the beginning
of the seventh, century B.C. concerning the monarchy.
Hosea, it wiU be remembered, regarded its estabUsh
ment as a revolt from Yahweh which had provoked the
divine wrath and brought nothing but calamities.'
The author of the description cited is of the same
opinion. These are the words he puts into the mouth
'ISam. 2:126. 3 1 Sam. 8:3. 3 Hos. 10:9; i3:iof.
=1 Sam. 12:3 f. "ISam. 8:5.

SECONDARY ELEMENTS IN J AND E 157
of Yahweh: "Hearken to the voice of the people in aU
that they say to thee; for they have not rejected thee,
but they have rejected me, that I should not be king
over them." Then comes the picture, suggested, as
has been observed, by reminiscences of Solomon, but
realized to a greater or less extent in the best of his
successors in both kingdoms. For, it should be noted,
the king here described is not a tyrant in the abnormal
sense of the word, but simply an autocrat, and the evils
are those that naturally, and, to the author's mind,
inevitably, accompany the exercise of irresponsible
power. If the author had been writing from the stand
point of his own time, instead of that of the heroic age,
he might have cited, not only Solomon, but David and
Ahab and their capricious violations of recognized rights.
There is one more passage that should be cited in
this connection, because it iUustrates another phase of
the tendency that showed itseU in I Sam. i3:7b-i5.
There the author sought to justify the rejection of
Saul, and thus by impUcation reUeve David of any
suspicion of usurpation. The passage in question,
II Sam. 7 : i-i 2 and 14-29, marks a further step in the
same direction; for, although its author does not, Uke
the Chronicler,' give David the credit of having "pre
pared abundantly" for the temple built by his son, he
pictures the old king as a pattern of piety who would
himself have built a house for Yahweh, had he not, on
expressing such an intention, received through Nathan
divine instructions to the contrary. It is this idealized
David who became the t)Tpe of the king of the Hebrews'
golden future.
'I Chron. 22:2 3.

158 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
When the Judean and Ephraimite narratives were
united, the compiler made some additions by way of
adjustment or ampUfication, and there were doubtless
later accretions of a similar character. Some of these
passages have no ethical significance, but there are
others that should here receive attention. In the first
place, there are several in which the blessings promised
to the fathers are brought to prominent notice. The
first is Gen. 13: 14-17, where Yahweh says to Abraham,
among other things, "I wiU make thy seed as the dust
of the earth; so that, if a man can number the dust of
the earth, then shall thy seed be numbered." See
also Gen. 22:14-18, where a similar comparison is
made with "the stars of heaven" and "the sand that
is on the seashore"; and finally the renewal of this
promise to Isaac' and Jacob." The bearing of these
passages on the subject in hand is found in the fact
that the promise therein contained, or its equivalent,
is elsewhere cited in cases in which ethical considera
tions are involved. Thus, in Exod. 32:7-14, where
Yahweh, in his indignation because his people have
broken their covenant with him, exclaims, "Let me
alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and I
may consume them," Moses finally overcomes the divine
resentment by pleading this promise. "Remember,"
he says (vs. 13), "Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy
servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self,
saying, I wiU multiply your seed as the stars of heaven,
and all this land that I have spoken of will I give to
your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever." The
story concludes with the statement that "Yahweh
' Gen. 26:3b-5. " Gen. 32:9-12.

SECONDARY ELEMENTS IN J AND E 159
repented of the evil that he said he would do to his
people." It wiU be observed that there is here no
reference to repentance or amendment on the part of
the people as a ground for the desired change in the
attitude of Yahweh toward them; so that what Moses
reaUy asks Yahweh to do is to fulfil his part in a cove
nant that his people show no disposition to observe, in
other words, to make them the objects of the arbitrary
and unconditional grace of 33:18 f. It amounts to the
same thing when, in Num. 14:11-16, Yahweh having
threatened to smite the IsraeUtes "with the pestUence
and disinherit them," because they refused to invade
Canaan from Kadesh, Moses enters the subtle plea,
"If thou shalt kiU this people as one man, then the
nations that have heard report of thee wiU speak,
saying. Because Yahweh was not able to bring his
people to the land that he swore to them, therefore
hath he slain them in the desert.'" Mention should
also be made of Exod. 32 : 30-34. Here, however, Moses
succeeds in persuading Yahweh only to postpone the
punishment he was on the point of infficting.
In the passages thus far cited there is evidence of the
disturbance of the ethical development of the Hebrews
by theological influences. In Judges and Samuel the
editorial additions, like those from the second Judean
and Ephraimite writers, are of an apologetic character.
Thus, Judg. n : 1 2-28 is an elaborate attempt to establish
the claim of the Hebrews to the country between the
Arnon and the Jabbok, and justify the war in which
Jephthah won it from the invading Ammonites. In
Samuel the object of the author of them seems to have
' Exod. 32:12.

i6o THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
been to protect David from a charge of having betrayed
Saul or deprived his son of the succession. Thus, to
cite the last first, II Sam. 21 : 2b dweUs upon the breach
of faith of which Saul was guilty in his treatment of the
Gibeonites. In I Sam. 28:i7f. Samuel is represented
as reminding the unfortunate king of his faUure to
execute the "fierce wrath" of Yahweh upon the Amalek
ites, and the decree by which at that time Yahweh
"rent the kingdom" from him and gave it to David.
Moreover, both Saul and Jonathan are made to renounce
any claim to the throne in favor of the son of Jesse.
This is the declaration that is put into the mouth of
Saul at En-gedi, "I know that thou shalt surely be
king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established
in thy hand." All he asks is that David will not rob
him of a posterity, and this request the young man,
although the ethics of the time hardly required him to
cherish possible rivals, he readily took an oath to fulffi.
According to I Sam. 20:4-17 and 40-42, Jonathan had
some time before this foreseen the faU of his own house,
and acquiesced in the will of Yahweh, only pledging his
friend not to neglect to be kind to the survivors, when
Yahweh had "cut off the enemies of David every one
from the face of the earth," that is, when David had
come to undisputed possession of the royal authority.

CHAPTER XIII
THE DEUTERONOMIC ETHICS
I. THE BOOK OF DEUTERONOMY
The Book of Deuteronomy in its present form, it is
generally admitted, is a composite production. In the
first place, there are portions of it that have evidently
been added or edited to adapt them to the place they
now occupy at the end of the Pentateuch. But, when
these are removed, there stiU remains evidence pointing
to two or more authors. The most striking proof of
its composite authorship is the alternation of the plural
with the singular of the second person in the parts in
which Moses is represented as addressing his people.
Thus, in chap. 12, vss. i, 5, 7, 9, and 16 have both
forms, the rest of vss. 1-12 only the plural, and vss.
13-15 and 17-31 only the singular. Moreover, it wiU
be found that vss. 2-12 duplicate vss. 13-15 and 17-31,
but that, while the latter passage gives prominence to
the centralization of worship, the former emphasizes the
destruction of the native cults of Canaan. The simplest
of the theories based on these and related facts is to the
effect that Deuteronomy originally had a briefer form
in which the pronoun used by Moses in his addresses
was always singular, and that this book was later revised
and enlarged by a second writer who sometimes imitated
the style of the original, but naturally, and therefore
generaUy, employed the plural. The dates at which
these two authors wrote must Ue between 722 and 621
B.C., since it is clear that there would hardly have been
161

i62 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
an attempt to maintain that the law of Moses required
all Israel to worship at one sanctuary until after the
Northern Kingdom had been overthrown; and it is
more than probable, from the description of Josiah's
reforms, that the book on which those reforms were
based was Deuteronomy in a revised and expanded
form. On the whole it may safely be concluded that
the original work was compiled early in the reign of
Manasseh (686-639 B.C.), and that the second edition
was prepared toward the end of the same reign.' It
must, however, be observed, that the original of Deu
teronomy was itself a compilation, and that, as wiU
appear when it is studied more in detaU, the parts of
it that are ethicaUy most productive are largely based
on the Ephraimite code of Exod., chaps. 21-23. The
method of treating it must therefore be that of compari
son, first of the older parts with their Ephraimite or
other original, and then of the differing strata in it with
one another.
The Deuteronomic Code is emphatic with reference
to impurity. Sodomy and prostitution are expressly
forbidden in Israel, and, lest these forms of vice should
be permitted in the Hebrew temple, as they were at the
Canaanite sanctuaries, for the sake of the revenue
derived from them, the people are prohibited from
bringing to the house of Yahweh "the hire of a harlot
or the wages of a dog," the latter being another name
¦ Steuemagel, in his commentary on Deuteronomy and Joshua
(vif.), supposes that there were originally two independent works, in
one of which, compiled about 690 B.C., the singular was used, and in
the other, twenty years younger, the plural, and that they were united
by an editor about 650 b.c.

THE DEUTERONOMIC ETHICS 163
for the male hierodule.' This is an addition to the
Ephraimite Code, but more significant is the specifica
tion of two forms of indecency, immodest seizure of a
man by a woman, punished by the loss of the offending
hand," and the interchange of garments between the
sexes,' which was a feature of Canaanite worship and
in itself morally objectionable.
The new law does not radicaUy change domestic
custom and usage, but it introduces some just and
humane safeguards. Thus, polygamy is retained, but
it is ordained that, if a man have two wives, both of
whom have borne him children, the eldest son shall
have the rights and the portion of the first-born, even
if he is the chQd of the less favored wife."
The law concerning divorce makes provision only
for cases in which the wife is at fault, stipulating that,
if a woman who has been dismissed by her husband
marries again, she cannot, if freed by death or divorce
from her second husband, return to the first.' Compare
the Code of Hammurabi,* according to which a woman
unjustly disliked by her husband could leave him and
take her marriage portion with her.
The most radical law on the subject of marriage
is that abolishing the custom according to which a son
inherited his father's wife or wives.' The child of such
a union, or any other incestuous relation, was forbidden
admission to the assembly.
' Deut. 23 : 1 7 f . 3 Deut. 24 : 1-4.
"Deut. 25:11 f. ' § 142.
3Deut. 22:5. 'Deut. 22:30.
"Deut. 21:15-17.

i64 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
The subject of adultery is dealt with in detail.
The man who falsely accuses his wife of not having
been a virgin when he married her must pay a fine of
a hundred shekels and "may not put her away all
his days." If, however, the charge proves true, she
is to be stoned.' Both parties in a case of illicit inter
course are to be put to death if the woman is married;"
also when she is only betrothed, unless she is a victim
of violence.' In the latter case only the man has to
suffer." These paragraphs on adultery are new, but
the one on seduction' is a variation on that of Exod.
22:16 f., the Ephraimite Code prescribing that the se
ducer shaU purchase the girl if her father will give her
to him in marriage, or pay a fine "according to the dowry
of virgins," while this one requires that he shall marry
her, paying her father fifty shekels, without the right
to divorce her as he might another woman. The size
of the bride-price is noticeable, as evidently calculated
to discourage this species of lawlessness. The same
effect would naturally be produced by the exclusion of
bastards from the assembly.*
The Ephraimite Code directed that a son who
smote his father or his mother should be put to death;'
this one* prescribes the same penalty for obstinate
disobedience, making the execution a solemn ceremony
so that "aU Israel may hear and fear."
Besides the children belonging to his proper family
a Hebrew might have a son reckoned as the offspring
of a deceased brother, in accordance with the so-called
' Deut. 22: 13-21. "Deut. 22:25-27. 'Exod. 21:15.
"Deut. 22:22. 3 Deut. 22:28 f. ' Deut. 21:18-21.
3 Deut. 22:23 f. 'Deut. 23:2.

THE DEUTERONOMIC ETHICS 165
levirate law. This law was in force among the Hebrews
from the earUest times.' The object of it is evident,
namely, to prevent the extinction of the families of those
whom death might overtake before they had sons to
represent them. In Deuteronomy" this law is modified
and restricted, that it may not work the hardship which
must sometimes have followed the original custom. In
the first place, the operation of it is confined to cases in
which two brothers "dweU together," either on the same
estate or in the same neighborhood. Secondly, it is
here only the first-born of such a marriage who is to be
reckoned to the deceased husband. FinaUy, a way is
left by which the surviving brother may escape the
obUgation imposed upon him, if he is wilUng to bear
the reproach of refusing to perform a generaUy recognized
duty. This seems a rather severe alternative, but it is
probable that in process of time, as one after another
from necessity adopted it, the ceremony prescribed
ceased to be a serious matter.'
The new code is more generous toward slaves than
the old one. In the first place, the master is exhorted,
when, at the end of six years, he releases a Hebrew
servant, not to let him go "empty," but to "furnish
him UberaUy" from the stores with which Yahweh has
blessed him." Moreover, the female slave, as well as
the male, is to be treated in this Uberal fashion. This is
a noteworthy modification of Exod. 21:7-11, where it
is expressly ordained that a Hebrew maid-servant
"shall not go out as the men-servants do." The change
seems to have grown out of the fact that, whereas, in
' Gen., chap. 38. 3 Cf. Ruth 4:16.
" Deut. 25 : 5-10. " Deut. 15:1 2-14.

1 66 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
earUer days among the Hebrews concubines were com
monly slaves of their own race, as time passed foreign
women took their places. This view is favored by the
circumstance that in Deut. 21 : 10-14 there is introduced
a law relative to female captives according to which, if
a master, having made one his concubine, finds "no
delight in her," he must set her free, just as, according
to Exod. 21:11, the Hebrew concubine became entitled
to her freedom if her master and husband neglected his
marital duties.'
The condition of slaves among the Hebrews, as has
already been observed, seems generally to have been
very tolerable. Yet, there were doubtless exceptions,
else the laws in Exodus," prescribing penalties for killing
or injuring them, would not have been adopted. The
Deuteronomic Code undertakes entirely to prevent such
abuses. To this end it requires the admission of slaves
to the most sacred privilege of the family, namely, par
ticipation in the annual feasts at the central sanctuary.
It is taken for granted that such treatment will make
those whose lot is service content and faithful. At any
rate, it is the only means prescribed, for this code
omits any reference to damages for injuries received
and substitutes for them a single article forbidding the
return by a third party of a bondman who has fled from
his master,' the idea evidently being that the slave would
' Note the way in which the law respecting Hebrew slaves is adapted
to the general requirement of the centralization of worship. In Exodus
the slave who elected to remain with his master was taken to the nearest
sanctuary to have his ear pierced. It would have been too much to
require that this ceremony be transferred to the temple at Jerusalem;
hence permission is given for its performance at the door of the master's
house (Deut. 15:17).
" Exod. 21 :20 f., 26 f. 3 Deut. 23:15.

THE DEUTERONOMIC ETHICS 167
not have run away if he had been properly treated, and
that the master deserves the loss he has sustained for
his inhumanity.
The social ethics of the Deuteronomic Code, also,
manifests a fervent good-will, especiaUy toward the
unfortunate. The brief law in Exod. 21:12-14 with reference to
homicide is here greatly expanded, to the end that the
innocent manslayer may be protected from the thought
less resentment of the relatives of his victim, but the
wiUul murderer publicly condemned and executed.
First, it was necessary, on account of the aboUtion of
the local sanctuaries, where manslayers had previously
found refuge,' and the injustice of substituting for them
a single central asylum, to set apart a number of cities
conveniently located for this purpose. The number first
given is three," but, in harmony with the fiction that
the law originated with Moses, he is represented as
making provision for the appointment of three more,
"that innocent blood be not shed," when the whole of
the Promised Land shall have been conquered.' The
second important development in this law provides that
the judges in a given case shall be the elders of the city
to which the accused belongs. It is interesting, also,
to note the pains taken to illustrate the possibility of
accidents and stimulate sympathy for the innocent
instrument of such a misfortune.
An increased respect for human Ufe is shown, espe
cially in the law respecting murder by an unknown
hand." In such a case the elders of the city nearest
' Exod. 21:14. ' Deut. 19 : 8 f .
"Deut. 19:2. " Deut. 21:1-3, 5-9.

1 68 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
the scene of the crime are required to disavow it, and
perform a ceremony setting forth the innocence of the
community.' So, also, in that which requires the owner
of a house to provide the flat roof with a battlement,
lest anyone faU from it and thus bring blood upon the
house." In this connection mention should be made of two
or three other laws affecting the person. The first is
of great importance, since it abolishes the ancient rule
that the family or community must suffer with the
guilty individual, and clearly ordains that "fathers
shall not be put to death for children, neither shaU
children be put to death for fathers; every man shall
be put to death for his own sin";' a law to which
Jeremiah and Ezekiel give the express sanction of their
great authority. The second of these laws forbids
cruelty even toward criminals. The Umit of corporal
punishment is fixed at "forty stripes," the reason —
and one worthy of the most humane and enUghtened
of modern penologists — ^being, "lest, if he (the judge)
should punish him with many more stripes than these,
thy brother be degraded in thine eyes."" The same
reason might have been given for the law of Deut.
2i:22f. At any rate, when one recaUs the practice of
exposing malefactors after death on the gibbet, as illus
trated in the horrible story of Rizpah and her sons,' one
' The Code of Hammurabi (§ 23) ordains that, when a robbery
has been committed by an unknown person, "the man who has been
despoiled shall recount before God what he has lost, and the city and
governor in whose land and district the robbery took place shall render
back to him whatever of his was lost.''
"Deut. 22:8. "Deut. 25:3.
3Deut. 24:16. siiSam. 2i:85.

THE DEUTERONOMIC ETHICS 169
appreciates the ethical significance of the command, "If
a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he
be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree, his body
shaU not remain aU night on the tree, but thou shalt
surely bury him the same day." FinaUy it is forbidden'
to kidnap an IsraeUte and hold or seU him as a slave.
This seems a narrower form of Exod. 21:16; but it is
probable that in this passage " a man " means an IsraeUte
¦ — which is actuaUy the reading of the Greek Version —
and that therefore the later is merely a repetition of the
earUer statute.
The Deuteronomic Code lays proper stress on the
requirements of common honesty. Thus, when a man
has made a vow, it insists that he shaU pay it, lest he be
found lying to Yahweh." The tricks in business stiU
prevalent in the Orient, such as false weights and
measures, are prohibited under penalty of divine
retribution.' FinaUy, it demands that the ancient
landmarks fixing the Umits of adjoining estates be
held sacred and inviolate."
In Exod. i8:i3ff. the Ephraimite narrator reports
that Moses, at the suggestion of his father-in-law,
appointed a corps of judges to hear causes of ordinary
occurrence, reserving to himseU the decision in those of
greater importance. At the end of his code he takes
occasion to warn those whom it concerns not to use
the forms of law to defeat the ends of justice.' The
new code, ignoring the previous provision, directs the
appointment of judges for the various places through
the tribes,* and gives instruction concerning the adminis-
'Deut. 24:7. 3 Deut. 25 : 13-16. s Exod. 21:1-3, 6-9.
" Deut. 23 : 2 1-23. " Deut. 19 : 14. ' Deut. 16 : 18.

I70 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
tration of justice. There must be at least two witnesses
against the accused to justify conviction.' A false
witness is to be punished as the accused would have been,
had the charge proved true." Those cases that are
beyond the local authorities are to be carried to the
priests at the central sanctuary or the ruUng judge,
whose decision shaU be final.' The judges are exhorted
not to wrest justice by favoring any person or class of
persons, or by selUng their decisions for money," and
to be especiaUy careful not to discriminate against the
sojourner, the orphan, or the widow.'
The Deuteronomic far surpasses the Ephraimite
Code in its attention to the dependent classes. A
notable iUustration of this statement is found in the
section concerning laborers,* where the employer is not
only forbidden to oppress a hired servant, whether native
or foreign, but required to pay him every night for the
work of the preceding day, because he is poor and
dependent on his wages.
The regulations concerning loans testify to the
deepest sympathy with the debtor. The Hebrews did
not then borrow from one another for purposes of trade,
but to meet pressing necessities. A loan therefore was
a charitable, and not a commercial, transaction. This
is the reason why, in Exod. 22:25, it was forbidden to
the Hebrew to act the usurer with his neighbor. The
' Deut. 17:6; 19:15.
"Deut. 19:15-21. In vs. 17 of this passage the words "before
Yahweh, before the priests, and" are an interpolation. Note also that
the Code of Hammurabi (§§ 1-4) prescribes the same penalty for giving
false testimony.
3 Deut. 17:8-13. sDeut. 24:17.
"Deut. 16:19. 'Deut. 24:14 f.

THE DEUTERONOMIC ETHICS 171
prohibition is repeated in Deut. 23:19, and extended
to victuals, or anything else on which others took
discount. Moreover, the Hebrews were not allowed
to embarrass one another in the matter of security.
The lender might not enter the borrower's house to
obtain a pledge,' or keep the poor man's garment from
him over night;" or take a mill, or any part of it,' or a
widow's garment," in pawn. FinaUy, Deuteronomy
applies the principle of release to debts as weU as slaves,
and provides' that every seven years "every creditor
shaU release that which he hath lent to his neighbor;
he shaU not exact it of his neighbor and his brother."
At the same time he appeals to those who have means
not to be moved by the prospect of losing their money,
as the year of release draws near, to refuse help to those
who are destitute. "Thou shalt not," he pleads,
"harden thy heart, or shut thy hand from thy poor
brother, but thou shalt surely open thy hand to him,
and shalt surely lend to him enough for his need."
The lot of the poor is further ameUorated by a
number of purely charitable provisions. One of these
is that which permits the wayfarer in passing to pluck
grain or grapes from a field or vineyard to satisfy his
hunger.* A second requires that a sheaf left in the
field, and the gleanings of the orchard and the vine
yard, be given to "the sojourner, the orphan, and the
widow."' Finally, the same classes, with the Levites,
may share in the sacrificial feasts at the sanctuary,*
and the tithe of the third year must be laid up in
' Deut. 24:10 f. <Deut. 24:17. ' Deut. 24: 19-22.
"Deut. 24:12 f. sDeut. I5:if. ' Deut. 16:11, 14.
3Deut. 24:6. 'Deut. 23:24.

172 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
convenient places and distributed to them, that they
may "eat and be satisfied."'
This abundant good-wiU does not exhaust itself upon
the poor and destitute. It seeks out the young husband
and bids him remain at home for a year after marriage
to "cheer his wife whom he hath taken."" It concerns
itseU with cattle that have gone astray or faUen in
the way, and anything else with the loss of which a
neighbor is threatened,' even with the ox toiUng on
the threshing-floor" and the bird brooding over its
young,' asking no reward but the pleasure of being
kind and helpful.
The foreigner seems not to have been treated as
generously by the Deuteronomist as might have been
expected. In the first place, it must be observed that
this writer makes a distinction between persons, whether
Hebrews from other tribes or members of other races,
who live in a given Hebrew community, and utter
strangers to his race and that community. The former
are caUed sojourners, and, as has been noted, although
they are hardly recognized as the equals of native
Hebrews, are treated with the utmost consideration.
The latter are caUed "foreigners," and are expressly
denied certain rights granted to Hebrews. Thus, the
foreigner cannot claim reUef from discount on anything
borrowed,* or take advantage of the year of release to
rid himself of burdensome debts,' or aspire to rule over
the Chosen People.*
'Deut. 14:28 f.; 26:i2f. sDeut. 22:6f.
"Deut. 24:5. 'Deut. 23:20.
3Deut. 22:1-4. 'Deut. 15:3.
"Deut. 25:4. 'Deut. 17:15.

THE DEUTERONOMIC ETHICS 173
Thus far the foreigner has been an individual aUen
temporarUy resident in a Hebrew commumty, and the
statutes cited have indicated no positive hostiUty to
such persons. There is Uttle in the code proper, ih
its original form, of a different character. The most
important passage is 20:10-14, where it is ordained
that, when the Hebrews are about to attack a city, they
shall "proclaim peace," that is, offer to spare the inhabi
tants if they wiU submit to "become tributary"; and
that, even if the offer is rejected, when the city is finaUy
taken the women and the chUdren shaU be preserved
aUve. This law is now followed by a supplementary
paragraph explaining that it appUes only to cities
outside Canaan, but it is doubtful if such was its original
intent. StiU, in 19:1 Moses alludes to the time when
Yahweh wiU have "cut off the nations" in whose land
and in whose cities he purposed that Israel should dwell,
and, in 7:2 f., which seems to have come from the same
hand, they are commanded, not only not to make
treaties or marriages with the Canaanites, but to
destroy them thoroughly and without mercy.'
The law excluding Ammonites and Moabites from
the assembly" cannot be cited as an indication of hostiUty
to foreigners as such, for, as appears from the context,
the reason for their exclusion is not because they are
of foreign extraction, but because, according to Gen.
19:30 ff., they were the offspring of incest. See 23:2,
where "bastard" means such a child. The admission
of Edomites and Egyptians to the assembly in the third
generation points in the other direction.
' See also Deut. 7: 16, 24; 9:4a.
" Deut. 23:3.

174 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
The attitude of the Deuteronomist toward foreigners
is, at first sight, disappointing, but it is perfectly expli
cable. AVhen he wrote Judah had long been subject to
Assyria, and Manasseh had made it his poUcy to patron
ize foreign cults. He had even "built altars for aU the
host of heaven in the two courts of the house of Yah
weh.'" Thus, the religion of Yahweh was threatened
with extinction, and the author of this book could see
no salvation for it and his people except in the total
suppression of alien power and influence."
2. THE THIRD DECALOGUE
Thus far there have been only passing references to the
decalogue found in Exod., chap. 20, and in a somewhat
different version in the fifth chapter of Deuteronomy.
It is, of course, impossible to regard these ten command
ments as, in any strict sense of the term, Mosaic. It
has been shown that each of the two oldest documents
underlying the Pentateuch, designated as the Judean,
or Yahwistic, and the Ephraimite, or Elohistic, had a
decalogue. If, therefore, there is a Mosaic decalogue,
it cannot be the one heretofore so distinguished, but
that of Exod., chap. 34 (J), of which the Ephraimite,
now incorporated in the so-called Book of the Covenant,
was a later modification.
The actual age and authorship of the decalogue of
Exod., chap. 20, and Deut., chap. 5, is a question on
which there is difference of opinion, some attributing
it to a late writer of the Ephraimite school, and others
to a Deuteronomic author. The former of these views
seems the more defensible. In the first place, this
¦II Kings 21:5. II Kings 17:2 3.

THE DEUTERONOMIC ETHICS 175
decalogue cannot have belonged to the original of the
Book of Deuteronomy, for that work was evidently a
revised edition of the Ephraimite legislation, and, as can
be shown, when it was wrritten the Ephraimite decalogue
stUl preceded the Book of the Covenant, in other words,
was recognized as the decalogue given to Moses at
Sinai. On the other hand, it can hardly be attributed
to a second Deuteronomist, since, in that case, it would
have had one form in both Exodus and Deuteronomy,
or the form in which it appeared in the latter book
would have shown marks of its originaUty; whereas,
the form actually found in Deuteronomy differs from
that in Exodus, and, when they are compared, the latter
appears the more original. It is probable, therefore,
that this third decalogue was substituted for the second
in the compilation made from the Judean and Ephraim
narratives (JE) about 650 B.C., and that it was copied
thence, with modifications, by the author or authors
who revised and enlarged Deuteronomy. This, there
fore, is the proper place to discuss its significance in
the history of Hebrew ethics.
The difference between the first two decalogues and
the third is striking and important. The earUer ones,
as has been shown, consisted entirely of commands and
prohibitions of a purely reUgious character. The last,
on the other hand, has only four such, the other six
having to do with ethical relations. This fact, when
one gives it thought, is not surprising. It has more than
once been noted that the Hebrews, when first they
became a people, were ethicaUy undeveloped, but that,
as the generations succeeded one another, and especially
in the prophetic period, they made conspicuous progress.

176 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
It was therefore natural that in time they should come
to reaUze that the fathers had given too great prominence
to the outward forms of reUgion and that their decalogues
did not represent the wiU of the ethical Being whom
they were worshiping. Jeremiah was very confident
on the subject. His declaration with reference to
it' is classic. He introduces it with the ironical
exhortation, "Add your burnt offerings to your sacri
fices and eat flesh." Then, in the name of Yahweh,
he hurls at his auditors the abrupt and startUng state
ment, "I did not speak to your fathers, or command
them, in the day that I brought them forth from the land
of Egypt, concerning a burnt offering and sacrifice;
but this thing I commanded them, saying: Hearken
to my voice, and I wiU be your God, and ye shaU be
my people; and walk ye in aU the way that I command
you, that it may be weU with you." This is the con
viction which, when it had taken hold of the leading
spirits among the Jews toward the end of the seventh
century before the Christian era, bore fruit in a new
decalogue in which the ethical requirements of their
reUgion found fitting representation, and to which was
finaUy given the place of honor in the history of Hebrew
legislation. The significance of this decalogue, then, is not in
its Mosaic origin, for either of the others has a better
claim to such a distinction. Nor is it so much in any
novelty of its commandments, for they are all but one
found in the earUer legislation, and half of them had
been put into writing by the Babylonians long before
there was a Hebrew people. The tenth commandment
'Jer. 7:21 3.

THE DEUTERONOMIC ETHICS 177
is not entirely new, since it simply shifts the prohibition
from overt acts to the disposition, from which, as
Baentsch puts it, "as from a root, most sins by men
against one another proceed." No; the significance
of this decalogue is not in any such peculiarity, but in
the fact that it registered the triumph of the prophets
and their ideas over formalism and established the
fundamental importance of moraUty in the Hebrew
reUgion, for in it man's duties to man are put upon
the same level with his obUgations to his Maker.
The original form and content of this decalogue
accorded with its fundamental character. Note the
quaUfier, "original." It means that these command
ments are not now in the form that they must have
had when they were first brought together; that, as
can easily be shown, some of them have been greatly
expanded. It is probable that they aU then had the
brief, concise form that some of them have preserved,
and read about as foUows:
I. Thou shalt have no other gods besides me.
2. Thou shalt not make thyself a graven image.
3. Thou shalt not take the name of Yahweh thy God
in vain. 4. Remember to keep the Sabbath day holy.
5. Honor thy father and thy mother.
6. Thou shalt not kiU.
7. Thou shalt not commit adultery.
8. Thou shalt not steal.
9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy
neighbor. 10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house.

178 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
It wUl be observed that the number of the command
ments, though restricted, as in the case of the other two
decalogues, is adequate. It may originally have been
suggested by the sum of the fingers of the two hands,
and intended to symboUze completeness. In any case
the commandments themselves must be regarded as
symbolical or representative. Thus, the last six, with
which alone the present discussion is concerned, cover the
entire field of the relations of men to one another;
the fifth laying the foundation for human government;
the sixth to the ninth, protecting respectively the per
son, the home, property, and reputation; and the tenth
strengthening the four preceding by rearing, as it were,
an outwork against the violation of human rights. The
symbolical character of this decalogue fitted it for the
place it occupies before the Ephraimite Code, which
is, in a sense, an expansion of its content. From the
historical standpoint, however, one must remember,
the decalogue reaUy completed the development that
produced the Book of the Covenant.
3. THE SECONDARY ELEMENT IN DEUTERONOMY AND
THE DEUTERONOMIC ADDITIONS TO THE
EARLIER NARRATIVES
The date given for the original of Deuteronomy was
650 B.C. In 621, when it was discovered in the temple,
it had been revised and enlarged, and the most important
addition that had been made was the third decalogue,
which had meanwhile been inserted into the compila
tion made from the Judean and Ephraimite narratives,
as already described, and was borrowed thence by the
reviser. At the same time it was somewhat modified.

THE DEUTERONOMIC ETHICS 179
The changes made, though not very important, deserve
passing attention. In the fourth and fifth command
ments the reviser inserts the clause, "as Yahweh thy
God commanded thee," to remind the reader that he
was copying. In the fifth he adds, among other things,
as a reason for observing the Sabbath, "that thy man
servant and thy maid-servant may rest as weU as thou,"
a purpose perfectly in line with the humane tendency
observed in the Deuteronomic legislation.' FinaUy, in
the last commandment, he transposes "house" and
"wife," so that "house," which, in Exod., chap. 20,
is a general term including the items that foUow, becomes
a designation for a mere dwelling, whUe the primacy of a
man's wife among his possessions is made more expUcit.
There is a considerable secondary element in Deu
teronomy outside the Decalogue and the narrative that
forms its setting, and there are a number of passages
having a bearing on the ethical history of the Hebrews.
It is by no means probable that aU of these passages
are from the same hand, but they have so much in
common that any difference in authorship may, for
the time being, be ignored.
There is one passage of a general character, which
first invites attention. It is supplementary to the law
concerning the king. This law originaUy required only
that the future ruler refrain from "multiplying" horses,
women, or gold and sUver." A later hand inserted the
requirement that he provide himself with a private copy
of the law then under revision and "read therein aU the
days of his Ufe."' In other words, the author of this
'Deut. 16:11, 14, etc. 3 Deut. 17:181.
"Deut. 17:14-17.

x8o THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
supplementary clause demanded for the revised code the
recognition as the law of the land which it received
from Josiah and his people on its promulgation in
621 B.C.
The sanction thus given by the later writer to the
work of his predecessor forbids one to expect any
serious divergence between them. In point of fact,
the difference, where there is any, is mainly a matter
of emphasis or development. Thus, they agree in
explaining the goodness of Yahweh to Israel as a display
of unmerited grace, prompted by his regard for the
fathers,' but the ethical value of the doctrine as taught
by them is not the same, or nearly the same, in both
cases. The elder writer puts his teaching most suc
cinctly in 9:5, where he makes Moses say, "Not for
thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thy heart,
dost thou go in to possess their (the Canaanites') land;
but for the wickedness of these nations Yahweh thy
God doth drive them out from before thee, and that
he may estabUsh the word which Yahweh swore to thy
fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob." Here,
the unworthiness of Israel is clearly taught, and boasting
on their part "excluded"; but the emphasis is placed
upon the positive offenses of the Canaanites, in view of
which their expulsion becomes a notable iUustration of
the moral character of the divine government. Com
pare, now, vss. 6 ff., where the reviser repeats the denial
of merit just made, but, instead of dismissing the matter
in these negative and general terms, adds, first a positive
indictment, and then a biU of particulars in which he
recaUs the various occasions during the Exodus when
'Deut. 7:12b, 7-8a.

THE DEUTERONOMIC ETHICS i8i
they offended their God and Savior and at the end of
which he makes the scathing declaration, "Ye have been
rebeUious against Yahweh from the day that I knew
you." Finally he reminds them that they would more
than once have been destroyed, in spite of the covenant
with the fathers, if he had not personaUy interceded for
them.' It is clear, especiaUy when one notes that one
of the motives to which Moses says he appealed was
Yahweh's jealousy for his reputation," that here, as in
some passages from an earUer reviser (Rje), the grace
of Yahweh is magnified at the expense of his moral
character.' The tendency to extravagance brought to Ught by
the above comparison has other manifestations; for
example, in the relative prominence of the motives to
which the later writer appeals. The author of the origi
nal work made his first appeal to gratitude. There is
such an appeal in 8 : 2-6, which is immediately followed
by one to the universal desire of weU-being; and in
this instance no alternative is suggested. When, as
in chap. 28, he is obUged to face the possibiUty, if not
the probabiUty, that his exhortations will be disre
garded, he knows how to picture the consequences of
incorrigibiUty, but even there he does not dweU on the
"terrors of the Lord" or present the one alternative
without again repeating the other." The reviser, on
the other hand, naturaUy appeals to fear. It is he who
recaUs that, when Yahweh spoke to his people at Horeb,
"the mountain burned with fire to the heart of heaven,"
that they might "learn to fear" their God and transmit
'Deut.9:i9; io:iof. 3Seepp. i52f.
' Deut. 9:28. " Deut. 28 : 1-2 5a, 43-45-

i82 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
the feeling to their children,' and how deep was the
impression made upon the terrified beholders." He
also brings to remembrance the awful miracles by
which Yahweh rid himself of his enemies during the
Exodus, the plagues of Egypt, the overthrow of Pharaoh's
army in the Red Sea, and the disappearance of Dathan
and Abiram and their foUowers in the bowels of the
earth.' It is not strange, therefore, to find that he, or
someone else who was Uke-minded, has added a warning
at the end of chap. 8," greatly expanded the list of
curses in chap. 28, and attached to the formal renewal
of the covenant with Yahweh in chap. 29 still another
warning in the form of a portrayal of the Promised
Land smitten by a destruction as complete as that
which overtook Sodom and Gomorrah.' In chap. 28,
which from vs. 25b onward, except vss. 43-45, is almost
entirely secondary, this writer displays an almost
fiendish ingenuity in inventing horrors with which to
frighten his readers into obedience to the preceding
"statutes and ordinances." The result is that he has
overshot his mark, the thoughtful reader being obUged
either to reject his message or beUeve that the God of
the Hebrews, so far from being just, is cruel and
vindictive. There is one passage in which the tendency to
extravagance shows itself in specific legislation. In
24:5, it will be remembered, the original law provided
that a man who had taken a wife should "not go out
in the host" or "be charged with any business," but
"be at home one year." In chap. 20 the reviser intro-
' Deut. 4:10 f. 3 Deut. 11:2-7. sVss. loS.
" Deut. 5 : 22-27. " Vss. 19 f .

THE DEUTERONOMIC ETHICS 183
duces an extension of the principle involved so broad
that it becomes impracticable, for he would exempt
from military service, just before a battle, not only
the newly married, but everyone that "hath betrothed
a wife, and hath not taken her"; or "built a new
house, and hath not dedicated it"; or "planted a vine
yard, and hath not used the fruit thereof"; and, finally,
anyone that is "fearful and fainthearted.'" There is
only one recorded instance of the appUcation of this
law, namely, by Judas Maccabaeus on the eve of the
battle of Emmaus." The result was what might have
been expected. According to II Mace. 8:13, "they
that were cowardly and they that had no faith in the
justice of God fled and betook themselves from the
place," leaving the Jewish army so reduced in numbers
that no one but Judas would have thought of risking
a battle. It remains to notice the attitude of the later writer
or writers in Deuteronomy toward the unfortunate and
aUens. In io:i8f. Moses declares that Yahweh
defends the orphan and the widow; also that he loves
the sojourner, and for this reason, and because they
themselves were once sojourners in Egypt, his people
must be kind and helpful to this class of persons. The
consideration shown sojourners is in strong contrast
with the lack of sympathy or positive hostility dis
played by the reviser or supplementer toward those
who are called foreigners. An instance of distinct
discrimination is found in 14:21a, where the Hebrew
is instructed that he may dispose of the flesh of an
animal that dies of itself to the sojourner or the foreigner,
' Vss. 2-9. " I Mace. 3 : 56.

i84 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
but may take pay for it only from the latter. The
indications of positive hostility to foreigners are more
numerous. Thus, in 2:34 and 3:6 the author reports
with evident satisfaction the destruction of the Amorites
east of the Jordan, together with "the women and the
little ones"; and, in 20:15-18 he directs that the
peoples of Canaan be not treated as humanely as other
foreigners, but that, when their cities are attacked,
there be left alive "nothing that breatheth. " To the
secondary stratum of the book belong also, 23 : 4-6 and
25:17-19, where the disposition to keep alive the
hatred for foreigners is only too much in evidence.
When the original of Deuteronomy was under
discussion there was frequent occasion to notice ethical
progress made since the Ephraimite Code was written.
It was natural to expect that the additions made to
Deuteronomy by later writers of the same school would
be of the same relative character. It must, however,
be confessed that such is not the case; that the passages
just examined, so far from indicating further develop
ment in the right direction, betray, at least in the
author or authors, a degree of ethical retrogression.
This state of things must have had its cause or causes.
One of them, if there were several, may have been the
doctrine of election, to which the second Deuteronomist
gives special prominence. Thus, in 26:16-19 ^^ repre
sents Moses as promising that Yahweh will not only
make Israel his pecuUar people, but exalt them "high
above all (the other) nations that he hath made, for
praise, and for fame, and for glory."' It was natural
that such a doctrine should in time make the Hebrews
¦ See also Exod. 19:5 f.

THE DEUTERONOMIC ETHICS 185
forget the ethical requirements of their reUgion and
assume an attitude of contempt or cruelty, according
to circumstances, toward other peoples. It is doubtful,
however, whether the passages in question reflect a
widespread popular opinion or sentiment. There seems
to be a more plausible explanation of their tone and
content. The Deuteronomic Code was originally the
result of an attempt to adjust a body of older laws to
the requirements of a new set of conditions, and the
person or persons who prepared it were practical in their
views and methods. The additions to this Code were
evidently made by a man or men of a different stamp.
They, if there were more than one, appear to have been
men, learned in their way, but without experience of
actual Ufe and every-day affairs. When such persons
write history they are apt to mingle fact and fiction,
and, when they frame legislation, to betray strange
notions of justice. The author of Deut. 2 : 26 ff. seems
to have been one of these scribes. If so, it is easy to
picture him transforming the defeat of Sihon at Jahaz
and the occupation of his country by the Hebrews, as
described in Num. 21:21-24, into a campaign of havoc,
and slaughter, and pillage in which a nation perished;
also supplying a corresponding account of the conquest
of Bashan, of which there is no trace in the earlier
Uterature.' The recognition of the academic character
of the secondary element in Deuteronomy explains aU
the instances of extravagance cited, but it is especially
helpful in studying the twenty-eighth chapter. This
'Deut. 3:1-7. See Num. 22:2 and Josh. 24:8, where it should
have been mentioned. The brief account in Num. 21 : 33-35 is supposed
to have been derived from Deuteronomy.

i86 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
long discourse, as has already been observed, bristles
with terrors, the effect of which, in their extravagance,
is to benumb or offend the reader's ethical judgment.
If, however, they are largely the literary fantasies of a
Jewish scribe, this fact should be taken into account,
and any such unfortunate experience avoided.
When Deuteronomy was added to the composite
work that preceded it, not only it but the work into which
it was incorporated was revised by the new compiler
from the later Deuteronomic standpoint. Some of
these additions are of a harmonistic character. The
secondary account of the conquest of Bashan in Num.
21:33-35 has already been cited. There are three such
passages in Exodus, namely, 22:25, forbidding discount,
like Deut. 23:19, and 22:22 and 23:9, which have their
parallel in Deut. 24: 17 f. There is only one that marks
an advance beyond the Deuteronomic Code, Exod.
23:4 f., where Deut. 22:1-4 is so modified as to require
that a stray animal be returned, or a fallen one assisted,
even when the owner is known to be a personal enemy.
The change here made, however, means, not that the
Hebrews, when it was made, had learned to hate their
enemies less, but that they had come to love animals
more and would not permit them to suffer to spite the
owners. There are two passages in which there is an emphasis
on the idea of retribution, such as one would expect of
a Deuteronomic writer. These are: Exod. 34:7b,
where the words from "and that wiU by no means,"
or "altogether," "acquit," etc., seem to be an accretion;
and II Sam. 12:10-12, where Nathan's arraignment
and David's confession are separated by a prediction

THE DEUTERONOMIC ETHICS 187
of Absalom's rebeUion as a penalty for the wrongs the
king had committed against Uriah.
The rest of the passages that deserve notice in this
connection, almost all of them, have to do with the
relations of the Hebrews with foreigners. The first two,
Exod. 23:3ib-33 and 34:12 f., 15 f., reproduce the
prohibition of treaties or marriages with the Canaanites
and the injunction to destroy the native population
without mercy, the originals of which are found in
Deut. 7 : 2 f . Here belong considerable portions of the
Book of Joshua. There is some difference of opinion
concerning their extent, but there can be Uttle doubt
that they include 10: 28-43, ^^ • 10-23, ^.nd the whole of
chap. 12. These passages must be read with the same
reserve and allowance as the later parts of Deuteronomy,
for they exempUfy the same tendency to extravagance
that was there discovered. This time, however, the
object of the author is not so much to enforce the doc
trine of retribution as to increase the renown of Joshua.
Thus, in 10:28 ff. he ascribes to Joshua the conquest of
the whole of southern Palestine, whereas the older
authorities give him credit only for the defeat of the
coalition against Gibeon and the execution of the five
kings who belonged to it,' the Judean narrative, frag
ments of which are preserved in the first chapter of
Judges, sajdng distinctly that southern Palestine, so
far as it was conquered, was conquered and occupied by
the tribes of Judah and Simeon, and that it was Caleb
who actually took Hebron, and his son-in-law who
captured Debir." This, however, is not so objectionable
' Josh. 10:5 in part; vs. 10 in part; vss. 16-18, 24, 26.
'Judg. 1:3, 5 f., 19, 21 (where "Judah" should be substituted for
"Benjamin"), 20, the three names from vs. 10, 11-15, 17.

i88 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
as the statement, which occurs in some form no fewer
than eleven times in chapters lo and ii, that, as often
as Joshua took a city, he put to death the entire popula
tion, and, finally, that Yahweh instigated the Canaanites
"to come against Israel in battle, for the purpose of
destroying them."'
It is a relief not to be obliged to beUeve the Hebrew
leader to have been such a monster; also to be able
to acquit David of similar atrocities, for, according to
the critics, II Sam. 8:2, where the king is said to put
to death two-thirds of his Moabite prisoners, and vs. 4,
where he is reported to have hocked all but a hundred
of the horses taken from the king of Zobah, are Deutero
nomic interpolations. The same is true of I Kings
2:5ff., where David is represented as laying upon
Solomon the dying injunction not to let the hoary heads
of Joab and Shimei "go down in peace to Sheol," as
if the writer were trying to save the credit of the son
at the expense of the father's honor.
'Josh. 11:20; also Exod. 10: lb.

CHAPTER XIV
THE PROPHECIES OF ZEPHANIAH, HABAKKUK, AND
NAHUM
It seemed necessary to foUow the Deuteronomic Une
of development nearly to the close of the seventh
century. Otherwise it would have been difficult to
appreciate its importance to the study of Hebrew ethics.
Meanwhile some of the prophets had to be neglected.
Three of these, because they aU belonged to the latter
part of the century and naturaUy had more or less in
common, as well as because they were among the
minor contributors to the prophetical literature, may
be grouped together in this chapter.
I. ZEPHANIAH
The Book of Zephaniah is dated in the reign of
Josiah, but, since the king is not mentioned, except in
the title, while the Scythian invasion seems to be fore
shadowed, it is probable that the prophecies it contains
were uttered or written before Josiah became of age,
perhaps about 628 B.C. They are directed, first,
against Jerusalem, or its ruling classes, but also against
PhiUstia, Ethiopia, and Assyria.
The prophet sees and hears a great crisis approaching.
The great day of Yahweh, he says, "is near and hasteth
greatly."' There is to be a general and inevitable
catastrophe. All alike must suffer. "Neither their
silver nor their gold will be able to deliver them in the
' Zeph. 1 : 14. 189

igo THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
day of Yahweh's wrath; but the whole earth (not
"land") will be devoured by the fire of his jealousy;
for he will make an end, yea, a terrible end, of aU them
that dweU in the earth.'" He does not make clear just
what the other nations have done to deserve the punish
ment threatened, but with reference to his own people
he is more specific. It is the old story, a repUca, as
far as it goes, of the indictment brought against Israel
by Amos and Hosea, and appUed to Judah by Isaiah
and Micah. The first count is unfaithfulness to Yahweh,
shown, not only in deserting him for other deities, but
in foUowing the syncretic tendency of the day and
paying a divided aUegiance to him and the gods of the
neighboring nations." It was natural that those who
had proved disloyal to Yahweh should be found unfaith
ful in their relations with their feUows. As usual, the
ruling classes are the chief offenders. In Zeph. i : 8 f .
the princes and the courtiers are expressly mentioned
as guilty of "violence and deception." In 3:3 f. they
are associated with the judicial and the reUgious authori
ties. The princes of Jerusalem, the prophet declares,
are "roaring Uons; her judges are evening wolves;
they leave nothing tiU the morrow. Her prophets are
reckless and treacherous persons; her priests have
profaned the sanctuary, they have done violence to
instruction."' The whole spirit and conduct of these
leaders is contrary to the will and character of Yahweh.
He is "righteous; he doeth not injustice. Every
morning, without fail bringeth he his justice to light.""
There are some, the humble of the land, who have
'Zeph. 1:18.
"II Kings 21: 1 5., 19 5.; 23:56.
3 Hos. 4:6. 'Zeph. 3:5.

ZEPHANIAH, HABAKKUK, AND NAHUM 191
wrought righteousness before Yahweh. They are en
couraged to continue, not forgetting to preserve their
attitude of humiUty toward their God, for thus only can
they hope to receive protection "in the day of Yahweh's
anger.'" The prophet expects that a remnant wiU sur
vive the coming visitation. Indeed, he promises that
there shaU remain a people chastened and weakened, who
shall take refuge in the name of Yahweh, and that this
"remnant of Israel shall not do injustice or speak Ues.""
The attitude of Zephaniah toward foreigners is much
like that of the second Deuteronomist, and for the same
reasons. Thus, he condemns, not only the foreign
custom of leaping over the threshold, but also the
foreign garments in which those who surrounded the
king clothed themselves. He foresees the devastation
of PhiUstia,' the punishment of Ethiopia, and the over
throw and destruction of Assyria."
2. HABAKKUK
The Book of Habakkuk — or the first two chapters
of it — as appears when i : 5-1 1 is removed from its
present connection and inserted after 2:4, has for its
subject the overthrow of Assyria. That great nation is
here arraigned for getting other nations into its power
by treachery,' for robbing them, even to the poorest,*
for treating them with violence and cruelty,' and for
'Zeph. 2:3. 3 Zeph. 2:4 f., 7a. 3Hab. 1:13.
" Zeph. 3:13. " Zeph. 2:12-14. ' Hab. 2:6,9.
'Hab. 1:26., 136.; 2:15. In 1:14 it is clear that "makest"
is an error for "maketh." See vss. 15 S. In 2: 15 read "Woe to him that
giveth his neighbor to drink from the cup of his wrath, and even maketh
them drunken, that he may look upon their nakedness." See Jer.
25:153.; Nah. 3:11. The reference to intoxicating drink is purely
figurative.

192 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
destroying them without mercy.' In this case the
agent that Yahweh purposes to use in punishing the
guilty nation is the Chaldeans.
In this book the ethical standing of the Jews as
compared with the Assyrians is clearly represented as
superior; for it is probably the writer's own people
who are the righteous of 1:4, and more than probable
that this is the case in 2:4, where the sufferers are
assured that "the just shaU Uve by his faithfulness,"
that is, survive the present distress if, and because, he
remains faithful to Yahweh." 3. NAHUM
The last two chapters of the Book of Nahum, which
alone can safely be attributed to the prophet of that
name, are wholly directed against Nineveh. They
must, therefore, have been written before 606 B.C.,
the date of its fall, and, indeed, not long before that
event. In other words, Nahum, like Habakkuk, was
a younger contemporary of Jeremiah.
The significance of the prophecies of Nahum, from
the ethical standpoint, is not at once apparent, but, on
closer study, they will be found to be in Une with the
results already obtained. Indeed, Nahum, like Amos,
takes for granted a universal moral responsibiUty, and
condemns the Assyrians for the same inhuman practices,
bloodshed, robbery, and intrigue,' of which the earUer
neighbors of the Hebrews were found guilty." So just,
' Hab. 1:17; 2:12, 17.
"The psalm in the third chapter is generally assigned to a later
date than the rest of the book.
3 Nah. 3:1,4. "Amos 1:33.

ZEPHANIAH, HABAKKUK, AND NAHUM 193
therefore, seem the penalties he pronounces against
them, that he confidently expects all who hear of their
execution to "clap their hands" in approval.'
It should be noted that in this book there is no
indication of the ethical or religious condition of the
Jews. It seems to be assumed that they are suffering,
not through their own fault, but from the unprovoked
cruelty of their heathen masters. See Habakkuk.
' Nah. 3:19.

CHAPTER XV
JEREMIAH AND HIS TIMES
Jeremiah began his prophetic activity in the thir
teenth year of Josiah (626 B.C.), which was some time
after the original of Deuteronomy was written, but
five years before the book was made public. He was
naturally acquainted with this work, and influenced
by it. This influence, however, is more apparent in
his language' than in his ideas; for he was too great a
man to be Umited in his thinking by any code or move
ment of the period in which he Uved.
Jeremiah was a unique and soUtary character. He
reaUzed this from the start. In the first of his prophe
cies, where he teUs the story of his call, he represents
Yahweh as concluding the revelation then made with
these personal words: "Do thou, therefore, gird thy
loins, and arise and speak to them all that I command
thee. Be not dismayed on account of them, lest I dis
may thee before them. As for me, lo, I have this day
made thee a fortified city, and an iron pillar, and bronze
walls to the kings of Judah, its princes, its priests, and
the people of the land; and they shaU war against thee,
but they shaU not overpower thee, for I am with thee,
saith Yahweh, to rescue thee.""
While he was yet at Anathoth he had experience of
opposition and isolation. There are no details, except
' Colenso was led by the similarity in language between the two
books to ascribe them both to Jeremiah. See The Pentateuch, III,
618; VII, 225 5.; App., 85 3.
"Jer. 1:17 5. 194

JEREMIAH AND HIS TIMES 195
the statement that his neighbors forbade him on pain
of death to prophesy further in the name of Yahweh.'
When he went to Jerusalem he very soon incurred the
enmity of both the priests and the prophets, whom he
describes as plotting against him, saying, "Come and
let us devise devices against Jeremiah."" The reason
they gave for their hostiUty was, "for instruction shaU
not be wanting to the priest, or counsel to the wise, or a
message to the prophet"; which, being interpreted,
means that he had questioned their authority. They
did not then propose very severe measures against him,
only to "smite him with the tongue," and "not give
heed to any of his words." They did not, however,
long pursue this mild course. "In the beginning of the
reign of Jehoiakim," when he predicted the destruction
of the temple, "they laid hold on him," and he was
rescued from death only by the firmness of the princes
and the finesse of his friend Ahikam.' He now began
to feel himself so much "alone" that he nearly lost his
faith in Yahweh, and had to be rebuked for his weak
ness and strengthened by a repetition of the promise he
had received at the beginning of his ministry." When
Nebuchadrezzar appeared in Palestine, the prophet
became increasingly unpopular, until he heard his
former friends urging one another to entrap him that
they might denounce him to the authorities and wreak
vengeance on him.' FinaUy, as he was leaving the city
to go to Anathoth, he was arrested as a deserter and
imprisoned by the same princes who had previously
defended him,* and he remained a prisoner, alternately
'Jer. 11:21. 3jer. 26:16. sjer. 20:106.
"Jer. 18:18. 4 Jer. 15:156. 'Jer. 37:116.

196 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
abused and consulted, until the city fell into the hands
of the Chaldeans.'
The conduct of Jeremiah under the conditions to
which he was subjected is one of the noblest examples of
moral heroism in the history of mankind. It is almost
impossible to realize the number and power of the forces
arrayed against him. At the outset his incessant war
fare upon idolatry naturally offended those who wor
shiped other gods than Yahweh. The emphasis he
placed upon ethics stirred to the most determined
opposition, on one side, the priests, and, on the other,
the immoral rabble. When he foretold, as he felt he
must, the capture of Jerusalem, the overthrow of the
Davidic dynasty, and the devastation of the country,
he unmasked the false prophets, touched the pride of
the ruUng classes, and provoked a storm of patriotic
frenzy. Now, it is easy to see that a man as sensitive
as Jeremiah would suffer sorely under so severe and
so universal condemnation, but even more acutely
because his people had incurred the divine displeasure
and he himself must not only act as the mouthpiece of
Yahweh, but witness the distressful fulfilment of his
own predictions. It is not strange that, facing such a
situation, he cursed the day he was born, and demanded,
"Wherefore should I have come forth out of the womb,
to see labor and sorrow, I whose days have been spent
in shame ?"" Yet he could not but hear the fateful
message, and, when he had heard, he could not with
hold it. "If," he explains, "I should say, I wiU not
make mention of him, or speak again in his name, there
would be in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up
'Jer. 38:16. "Jer. 20:146.

JEREMIAH AND HIS TIMES 197
in my bones, and I should weary of restraining myself,
and should not be able to endure it. '" Therefore, however
fiercely he might be beset by enemies, honest or corrupt,
and however deeply he might be pained by his own
message, he never, as far as appears, held his peace for
any length of time, or thought of refusing to declare
to those to whom he was commissioned "the whole
counsel of (iod."
The isolation of Jeremiah had a notable effect upon
him and his teaching. In the first place, it threw him
back upon himself to a greater extent than was the
case with any of the other prophets, and forced him
to seek in himself, and God as revealed to his conscious
ness, the approval and appreciation that were denied
him by those for whom he lived and labored. The
result was an ethical and reUgious experience of a
singularly intimate and personal character, which now
and then shows itself in his prophecies. The central
thought in Jeremiah's discourses is that God is just.
It was because he beUeved this with all his heart, and
saw that his people deserved the severest punishment,
that he predicted as confidently as he did their disper
sion. He never had any doubt on this subject; but,
when he attempted to apply the same doctrine in his
own personal affairs, he was sometimes tempted to
question the divine justice, and he was too honest to
conceal his weakness. One of the passages in which
he opens his heart to Yahweh and the reader is Jer.
12:1 ff. It is a confession made when he found that
his neighbors in Anathoth were seeking his Ufe. He was
profoundly conscious of his own rectitude. "Thou,
' Jer. 20 : 9.

198 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
O Yahweh," he exclaims, "knowest me; thou seest me,
and triest my heart toward thee." It seemed to him
that those who plotted the death of such a man as he
should be punished, and that severely. When he saw
that they were not hurried away "like sheep for slaugh
ter" he could not understand it. Still, he dared not
say that Yahweh was not just. This is the way he
put the matter: "Righteous art thou, 0 Yahweh,
when I contend with thee"; that is, I know that thou
must be righteous; "yet would I reason the cause with
thee," cite a case for decision. "Wherefore doth the
way of the wicked prosper? Wherefore are they all
at ease that deal very treacherously?" The reply to
his appeal shows that he was reaUy telUng his own
experience. It is not an explanation, but a rebuke:
"If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have
wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses ?"
which means. If thy faith is not strong enough to support
thee in thy present trials, what wilt thou do when
greater ones overtake thee? In i5:i5ff. the story is
repeated. "0 Yahweh," he cries, "thou knowest 
WUt thou indeed be to me as a deceitful brook, as
waters that fail ?" This time, after a deserved rebuke,
he receives the assurance, "I am with thee, to save
and deliver thee." There was a third struggle, of
which there is a record in Jer. 20 : 7 ff . This passage,
however, according to CorniU, should be rearranged,
so that vss. 14-18 wiU precede vss. 7-12. Thus read,
it describes the prophet's experience when he was put
into the stocks by Pashur. It was then that he cursed
the day he was born, as already narrated. Then he
appealed to Yahweh, "0 Yahweh, thou hast beguiled

JEREMIAH AND HIS TIMES 199
me, and I have been beguiled. Thou hast laid hold
of me and hast prevailed. I am become a laughing
stock all the day; every one mocketh me." Finally he
overcomes his doubts and fears and exclaims, "But
Yahweh is with me as a terrible warrior: therefore my
persecutors shall stumble, and not prevail; they shall be
greatly ashamed, because they have not succeeded, with
an everlasting dishonor that shall never be forgotten."
Thus he preserved to the end a faith in God's justice in
spite of the persecution to which he was subjected.
The personal experience of Jeremiah was calculated
to make him an individualist in ethics as in reUgion.
This was not the prevalent attitude. The Hebrews,
like other ancient peoples, thought of themselves
coUectively. The individual was lost in the family,
the tribe, and the nation. If, therefore, he acted
worthily, the whole of which he was a part shared the
credit of his conduct, and, on the other hand, if he
offended, the same body shared his accountabiUty.
There had been dissent from this requirement before
Jeremiah. It had crystalUzed into the law found in
Deut. 24:16 according to which "the fathers shall not
be put to death for the children, neither shall the
children be put to death for the fathers; every man shall
be put to death for his own sin." Jeremiah insisted
that this was the law of the divine government. He
repudiated, therefore, the proverb that embodied the
traditional error, "The fathers have eaten sour grapes,
and the children's teeth are set on edge," and announced,
"Every one shall die for his own iniquity; the man that
eateth the sour grapes, his teeth shall be set on edge.'"
'Jer. 31:291.

200 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
The prophet went beyond Deuteronomy, for he
applied the principle of individuaUsm, not only to
successive generations, but to contemporaries, and that
in the same connection.' The passage is a remarkable
one. It reads, "Lo, the days come, saith Yahweh,
when I will make a new covenant with the house of
Israel, and with the house of Judah; not according to
the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day
that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the
land of Egypt (which covenant they brake, although
I was a husband to them); but this is the covenant
that I will make with the house of Israel in those later
days, saith Yahweh: I will put my law within them,
yea, in their hearts wiU I write it." The Hebrew reads,
UteraUy, "their heart," and the phrase is so rendered
into EngUsh, but this is the Hebrew idiom for "their
hearts," that is, the individual hearts of the people
composing the nation. Naturally, therefore, the prophet
proceeds to say, "And they shaU teach no more every
man his brother, saying. Know Yahweh; for they shall
all know me from the least to the greatest of them,
saith Yahweh."
The importance of this doctrine cannot be over
estimated, since it enabled the Jews, when their temple
was destroyed, and their people scattered, to maintain,
each for himself, an ethical and reUgious Ufe, wherever
he might wander.
Jeremiah was a "fortress" and an "iron tower"
in more than one sense. He was as conspicuous as he
was invincible. His Ufe, therefore, was a constant
sermon on courage and fideUty to conviction. This
'Jer. 31:31-34.

JEREMIAH AND HIS TIMES 201
being the case, he did not need in so many words to
commend these virtues to his people. He did, however,
have occasion to deal with various phases of domestic
and social ethics. In so doing he did not fail to empha
size the relation of ethics to reUgion. He was thoroughly
in accord with the movement that resulted in the sub
stitution of the decalogue of Exod., chap. 20, for those
of the earUer narratives. His position is clear from
Jer. 6:20, where he represents Yahweh as saying,
"To what purpose cometh there to me frankincense
from Sheba and calamus from a far country? Your
burnt offerings are not acceptable, or your sacrifices
pleasing to me"; because his people had rejected his
instruction. In 7 : 8 ff . Yahweh serves notice on the
immoral as well as the disloyal that they must not
appear as worshipers in his sanctuary.' The strongest
utterance in the Book of Jeremiah on this subject is
7:21 ff., where Yahweh is made to say, "Add your
burnt offerings to your sacrifices and eat flesh. For
I spake not to your fathers, nor did I command them
in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt,
concerning a burnt offering and a sacrifice: but this
thing I commanded them, saying. Hearken to my voice,
and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people, and
walk ye in the way that I command you, that it may be
well with you.""
Jeremiah found the family as an institution
threatened by the prevalence of adultery. This state
of things was doubtless due to the reaction under
Manasseh, who "did that which was evil in the sight
of Yahweh after the abominations of the nations that
¦ See also Jer. 11:15. " See also Jer. 11:16.

202 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
Yahweh cast out before the children of Israel," and
under Amon, who "walked in the way that his father
walked in, and served the idols that his father served,
and worshiped them.'" When Josiah came to the
throne there was at first, a tendency to syncretism,
against which Jeremiah protested. "Will ye ... .
commit adultery .... and burn incense to Baal,
and walk after other gods that ye have not known, and
come and stand before me, in the house that is caUed
by my name, and say. We are deUvered; that ye may
do all these abominations?" In another passage he
says that the land is "fuU of adulterers."" Among the
offenders against marital virtue in his time were some,
at least, of the prophets. The nature of the offense is
clear enough from 23 : 13 ff . In vs. 13 the prophet
recaUs the folly of Samaria. The prophets of that
kingdom, now destroyed, "prophesied by Baal," he
says, and caused the people "to stray" from Yahweh,
that is, commit adultery in the figurative sense of the
expression. But he adds, vs. 14, "In the prophets of
Jerusalem also I have seen what is horrible, committing
adultery, and walking in falsehood, and strengthening
the hands of evil-doers not to turn each from his wicked
ness. They have all become to me as Sodom, and
its inhabitants as Gomorrah." Here it is manifestly
literal adultery that he has in mind, as appears from the
association of the sin in question with falsehood, and
especially from the reference to the cities of the Plain.
See also 9: 23, where the prophet, in a letter to the Jews
in Babylonia, says of Ahab and Zedekiah, who were
predicting their speedy restoration, that "they have
' II Kings 21:2, 20. "Jer. 23:10.

JEREMIAH AND HIS TIMES 203
wrought folly in Israel and committed adultery with
their neighbor's wives." In view of this expose of the
condition of morals among those who should have been
Jeremiah's allies, it is no wonder that his efforts to
reform and rescue his people ended in failure.
Jeremiah, Uke Hosea, uses the marital relation to
illustrate the moral character of that between God and
Israel. Thus, he recalls the earliest and, according to
him, the happiest, period of Israel's history, making
Yahweh say in Jer. 2:1 f., "I remember for thee the
kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals;
how thou wentest after me in the desert, in a land
that was not sown"; and, in 31:32 (according to the
present text), "my covenant they brake, although I
was a husband to them." See also 2:20; 3:20; 11:15;
13:27, where the unfaithfulness of Israel is vividly
portrayed. There is a passage in which is described how the
prophet made use of another domestic relation to illus
trate a reUgious lesson. It is the story of his interview
with the Rechabites. He invited them to the temple
and offered them wine to drink. Now, their ancestor
Jonadab had forbidden them to drink wine. They
therefore refused it. The prophet commended them
for so doing, and took occasion to contrast their obedi
ence with the disregard by his people of the commands
of Yahweh. This incident is a favorite with the advo
cates of total abstinence, who find in it support for
their cause. The prophet, however, who himself
probably drank wine, as did most of the people in his
day, had no such thought. He employed the wine
simply as a test of the loyalty of the Rechabites to their

204 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
ancestor. He might have chosen either of several
others, for this Jonadab, as a nomad, also forbade his
descendants to build houses, sow seed, or plant vine
yards. If he had done so, the result would have been
the same. Yet, no one would have thought of quoting
Jeremiah against the custom, for example, of building
houses instead of Uving in tents.
There was a humane provision in the Ephraimite
Code Umiting the term for which a Hebrew could be
held in slavery to six years.' When the code was recast
this particular law was retained and the master exhorted
to deal generously with the released bondman." The
law, however, had apparently not been observed.
In the reign of Zedekiah, therefore, there were many
Hebrews who had been held to service beyond the term
specified. When Jerusalem was besieged by the Baby
lonians, the king, hoping to propitiate Yahweh, or
prevent an internal disturbance, persuaded the people
to release their slaves; but later, probably when there
seemed to be a prospect of help from the Egyptians,'
they repented of their humanity and "caused the
servants and the handmaids whom they had let go
free, to return, and brought them (again) into subjection
for servants and handmaids."" This they did in viola
tion of a solemn covenant made in the temple at Jerusa
lem. Jeremiah was, of course, indignant, and in the
name of Yahweh announced that as a penalty for this
act of perfidy the Chaldeans should return, the capital
be taken and burned, and the entire kingdom of Judah
be reduced to "a desolation, without an inhabitant."'
'Exod. 21:2. 3 Jer. 37:56. 3 Jer. 34:176.
"Deut. 15:128. "Jer. 34:86.

JEREMIAH AND HIS TIMES 205
When one inquires what Jeremiah taught on the
subject of social ethics, one is struck with the elementary
character of that teaching. Indeed, when one consid
ers the decalogue of Exod., chap. 20, and Deut., chap. 5,
and remembers that the offenses there forbidden, so far
as they were social, had been forbidden among the
Hebrews for centuries, one cannot but ask if there
was any other reason than the one already given, the
growing recognition of the relation of ethics to reUgion,
for such a decalogue. The prophecies of Jeremiah
throw some Ught upon this question; for it wiU be
found that, in spite of the heroic endeavors of preceding
prophets, the Jews of his time were so indifferent to
one another's rights that aU the forbidden offenses were
of common occurrence. If one goes deeper and inquires
why this was the case, a probable answer will be found
in the disturbed condition of Palestine as a whole and
the weakness of the Jewish government.
It was a period of decadence, and Jeremiah was trying
to turn back the tide of corruption. He was very clear
in his ideas concerning the requirements of the social
relation. The prime demand, to his mind, was justice
tempered with mercy between man and man. This is
finely put in Jer. 9:23, where Yahweh says, "Let not
the wise man glory in his wisdom, or the mighty man in
his might, or the rich man in his riches; but let him
that glorieth glory in this, that he hath understanding
and knoweth me, that I am Yahweh, who do kindness,
and justice, and righteousness in the earth; for in
these I delight, saith Yahweh."
The ideal king will naturaUy be one who conforms
to this requirement. This is Jeremiah's description of

2o6 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
him: "Lo, the days are coming when I will raise up to
David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king,
and deal wisely, and do justice and righteousness in the
land. In his days Judah shall be saved and Israel shall
dwell safely; and this shaU be the name whereby he
shall be called, Yahweh our righteousness.'" Jeremiah
would gladly have helped the four weakUngs who, one
after another, ascended the throne during his career,
to attain some likeness to this picture. In Jer. 21:12
he urges Zedekiah to "execute prompt (UteraUy, "in the
morning") justice, and deUver him that is robbed out of
the hand of the oppressor." To the last he continued
to exhort the king and his subjects to the same effect,
citing Josiah as an example of the result of such con
duct." He searched Jerusalem to find a man who did
justly and sought truth,' but found none who pleaded
the cause of the fatherless, or helped the needy to
secure their rights." He offered them in the name of
Yahweh deliverance from the impending catastrophe,
if they would "thoroughly execute justice between man
and man,"' but they went their stubborn, reckless way
unheeding. A man's Ufe, especially that of a poor man, was not
safe in those days. Jeremiah repeatedly accuses his
people of murder. What made their guilt the greater
was that they felt no compunctions for their violent
proceedings, probably because they shed innocent
blood under the forms of law, and therefore in the name
of the God they were offending. In 2 :34 f. the prophet
represents them as protesting their innocence when
'Jer. 23:5!. 3jer. 5:1. sJer. 7:5.
"Jer. 22:3, 15. "Jer. 5:28.

JEREMIAH AND HIS TIMES 207
caught red-handed, and in 7 : 10 as even claiming the
protection of Yahweh in their criminal practices.'
In the same connection Jeremiah accuses his people
of oppression, including the minor forms of violence by
which the rich and powerful made the Uves of those who
were poorer and weaker, and, indeed, of the prophet
himself, a burden to them."
Those who do not respect their neighbors' persons
cannot be expected to have scruples about stealing.
The Jews of Jeremiah's time did not; but he did not
permit them to steal unrebuked. He mentions theft
first in the list of offenses of which he finds them guilty
in 7:9. Later he warns those who get riches "and not
by right" that they cannot hope to retain their ill-gotten
gains,' and finally pronounces a woe upon "him that
buildeth his house by unrighteousness, and his chambers
by injustice; that useth his neighbor's service without
wages, and giveth him not his hire; that saith, I will
build me a wide house and spacious chambers, and
cutteth him out windows; and it is ceiled with cedar
and painted with vermiUon.""
The English Version makes the impression that
Jeremiah followed robbery to its source in illegitimate
desire. The original does not warrant such a rendering.
The word rendered " covetousness " in Jer. 6:13 is more
nearly "plunder," that is, gain gotten by violence or
dishonesty. So, also, in 8:10. In both of these cases
the parallel term is "falsehood," but in 22:17 it is
associated with three other words denoting violence.
These passages should therefore be added to those
¦ See also Jer. 22:3, 17. 3jer. 17:11.
'Jer. 7:6; 22:3. 4 Jer. 22:13 f.

2o8 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
previously cited in condemnation of theft and robbery.
Not that the prophet would not have condemned
covetousness, properly so called. It would find no
place under the new covenant, with the law of God
written in the hearts of his people.'
A second general requirement in social matters,
according to Jeremiah, is truth in the broad sense that
includes trustworthiness. This also is pleasing to
Yahweh. His eyes, therefore, according to 5:3, "look
for" (E.V., "upon") it. It was, however, sadly lack
ing in any sense in Jeremiah's day. He sought it in
Jerusalem in vain." In 7:28 he declares that "truth
is perished." In this last passage he refers more par
ticularly to the prevalence of falsehood, which he
describes as veritably epidemic among his people.
"They bend their tongues," he says, "like a bow for
falsehood,"' and again, "They deceive every one his
neighbor, and do not speak the truth; they have taught
their tongues to speak Ues; they weary themselves with
dishonesty."" He charges that they cannot be trusted,
"although they say, As Yahweh Uveth,"' that is, even
when they take oath to their assertions. An example
of this sort is found in chaps. 42 f., where the story is
told how the survivors from the massacre at Mizpah
came to Jeremiah, promising, "Yahweh be a true and
faithful witness against us, if we do not according to all
the word wherewith Yahweh thy God shall send to us,
whether it be good or whether it be evil"; and how,
when the prophet in the name of Yahweh urged them
to stay in their own country and submit to the king of
'Jer. 31:33. 3 Jer. 9:3. s Jer. 5:2.
"Jer. 5:1. "Jer. 9:5.

JEREMIAH AND HIS TIMES 209
Babylonia, they accused him of falsehood, and migrated
to Egypt, taking him with them in spite of his protest.
The falsity of Jeremiah's time showed itself, not
only in wanton statements, but in treacherous con
spiracies. Thus, the prophet early in his career received
the inner warning, "Thy brethren, and the house of thy
father (Anathoth), even they have dealt treacherously
with thee; even they have cried aloud after thee;
believe them not, although they speak fair words to
thee.'" A little later he could say of his people generaUy
that they were "an assembly of treacherous men,""
and issue the warning, "Take ye heed every one of his
neighbor, and trust ye not in any brother, for every
brother will surely supplant, and every neighbor will
go about slandering."' There were some who resorted
to cunning and deception to get wealth. Jeremiah
says of them: "They watch as fowlers lie in wait; they
set a trap, they catch men. Like a cage fuU of birds,
so are their houses fuU of (the fruits of) deception:
therefore are they become great, and have waxed rich.""
The passages thus far quoted apply to the people as
a whole, or to a large, but indefinite, proportion among
them. There are others in which the prophet is more
specific. One of the most interesting and important
is Jer. 8:8. The persons here addressed are the people,
whom the prophet has just accused of ignorance of the
government of Yahweh. He anticipates their answer.
It is, "We are wise, and the law of Yahweh is with us";
or, more freely rendered, "Nay, rather, we are famiUar
with it. Have we not the law of Yahweh with us?"
'Jer. 12:6. 3 Jer. 9:4.
"Jer. 9:2. 4 Jer. 5:261.

2IO THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
To this he retorts, "But the false pen of the scribe hath
wrought falsely." This passage must be interpreted in
the Ught of 7:21 ff. There, it will be remembered,
Jeremiah repudiates offerings and sacrifices as essentials
of reUgion, and denies that Yahweh gave command
ment concerning them when he brought Israel out of
Egypt. This being the case, the false scribes here men
tioned must be the priests who, two verses later, as well
as in 6 : 13, are accused of dealing falsely, and whose false
work probably consisted in changes and additions bear
ing on religious observances in the law with which the
people claimed to be famiUar. It appears, therefore,
that already in Jeremiah's day the priests had begim
to put into writing ceremonial requirements which they
represented as divinely ordained, but which he refused
to recognize as original or essential elements of the
national religion and binding upon its adherents.
It is possible that some of the prescriptions of the
Levitical law now found in the Pentateuch were put
into written form about this time, but it would be
difficult to identify them. There is, however, in the
Book of Jeremiah itself a sacerdotal interpolation which,
although, of course, it is later, fairly iUustrates the
tendency that the prophet was combating. It is 33 : 14,
a more elaborate version of 23:5-8, the well-known
messianic prophecy in the first two verses of which
Yahweh promises to "raise up to David a righteous
Branch" whose name shall be called "Yahweh our
righteousness." The interpolator transfers this name
from the Branch to Jerusalem and adds, vss. 17 f.,
"For thus saith Yahweh, David shaU never want a man
to sit on the throne of the house of Israel; neither shall

JEREMIAH AND HIS TIMES 211
the priests the Levites want a man before me to offer
burnt offerings and to do sacrifice continually." Then,
to strengthen this amendment, he says further, vss. 19-22,
in the name of Yahweh and Jeremiah: "If ye can break
my covenant of the day and my covenant of the night,
so that there shall not be day and night in their season,
then may also my covenant be broken with David my
servant, that he shall not have a son to reign on his
throne, and with the Levites, the priests, my ministers.
As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, or the sand
of the sea measured, so will I multiply the seed of David
my servant, and the Levites that minister to me."
The prophet is very severe on the priests, but more
so on the prophets of his time. He constantly couples
the two orders, both of which were bitterly hostile to
him, but he gives most prominence to the latter, because,
as he says, the priests are controUed by them.' The
prophets whom Jeremiah so severely criticized and so
strenuously opposed were not false in the sense of being
prophets of Baal or any other false god or gods. They
claimed to be mouthpieces of Yahweh." To be sure,
they generaUy received, or professed to receive, their
messages in dreams, but this had always been a per
fectly legitimate means of communication between God
and man.' The prophet's complaint is that they are
steeped in the prevalent dishonesty," that they not
only presume to prophesy without Yahweh's authority,'
'Jer. 5:31.
'Jer. 14:14 f.; 23:17, 25, 30; etc. In 2:8, 26; 23:13, and 32:32
the prophet is not referring to his own time, but to the past, and especially
that of the kingdom of Israel.
3 Num. 12:6; Deut. 13:1s. "Jer. 6:13; 8:10.
3jer. i4:i4f.; 23:14; 27:15; 29:8^,23,31.

212 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
but to issue Ues in his name,' and that they thus cause
his people to trust in falsehood." The last passage cited
indicates what was the nature of the Ues in which these
prophets dealt. They were optimistic messages for
which Jeremiah could find no warrant. Sometimes
they were attempts to quiet the fear of retribution in
their authors or others equally wicked,' but sometimes
the authors of them must have been misled, for example,
by national pride, or the mistaken interpretation of the
messages of former prophets. The latter suggestion
explains such passages as 7 : 4, where the reference to the
temple as a pledge of divine protection is probably an
echo, but a belated one, of the teaching of Isaiah.
Jeremiah had no occasion for personal hostiUty to
foreigners, but the contrary. When he was seized by
the princes and imprisoned, it was an Ethiopian eunuch
who rescued him from the cistern into which they had
thrown him," and when Jerusalem was taken the Baby
lonians not only spared him but treated him with the
greatest consideration.' His previous attitude toward
them warranted such treatment, for, although he knew
that they were to conquer and devastate his country,
he was so clear about their commission from Yahweh
that he showed no resentment toward them. As for
the surrounding peoples, he could not help seeing that
they, like Judah, must go down before Nebuchadrezzar,
but he makes no specific charges against them and
manifests no pleasure in the prediction of their downfall.
See 25:15 ff.
¦Jer. 14:14; 23:251.; 27:9 f., 14; 29:21,23.
"Jer. 28:15. "Jer. 38:13.
3 Jer. 23:i4f.; 29:23. 3 Jer. 39:113.

CHAPTER XVI
THE DEUTERONOMIC ELEMENT IN THE BOOKS
OF KINGS
There is a Deuteronomic element in the Books of
Kings as weU as in those that precede them, with this
difference, that, whereas, in Samuel, for example, it
consists of additions to a previously existing work, in
Kings the framework throughout is Deuteronomic as
well as some other and later portions. In other words,
the history of Israel from the accession of Solomon
onward is presented from the Deuteronomic, and, indeed,
the later Deuteronomic standpoint. When, therefore,
reference is made to the law of Yahweh,' or the law of
Moses," or the commandments, statutes, and judgments
of Yahweh,' it is Deuteronomy in substantially its
completed form that is intended, especiaUy those portions
of it that deal with exclusive devotion to Yahweh and the
centralization of his worship at Jerusalem.
NaturaUy the author has Uttle that is favorable to
say about the kingdom of Israel. In fact, he condemns
its rulers, one after another, without exception. Jero
boam, he says, started them on a heretical course when
he "made two calves of gold" and "set the one in
Bethel and put the other in Dan."" "This thing,"
'II Kings 10:31; 17:13,34,37; 21:8.
"H Kings 14:6; 21:8; 23:25.
3 1 Kings 2:3; 3:14; 5:12; 8:58,61; 9:46; 11:33 f., 38; II King
17:13, 16, 19, 34, 37; 18:6; 23:3.
" I Kings 12 f. 213

214 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
he declares, "became a sin,'" and thereby he "caused
Israel to sin."" The all but uniform statement is that
the given ruler "did that which was evil in the sight
of Yahweh, and walked in the way of Jeroboam, and
in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin."' This is
for some reason modified in the case of Hoshea, who is
said to have done "that which was evil in the sight of
Yahweh, yet not as the kings of Israel that were before
him."" There is not a word from this writer to indicate
how well or ill any of them performed his duties to his
subjects, even in the general review in which he gives
the reasons for the overthrow and dispersion of the
northern tribes.' It was because they had "feared
other gods," "built them high places in their cities,"
and "served idols," that "Yahweh was very angry with
Israel, and removed them out of his sight."
The kings of Judah are measured by the same
standard. The result in their cases is more favorable,
yet the best of them, like Asa, faU short in that, however
loyal they may otherwise have been, the author is
obUged to admit that in their reigns "the high places
were not taken away."* Of the worst he can say
nothing more severe than that they "walked in the way
of the kings of Israel."'
It is clear that one cannot expect much specific
teaching of a strictly ethical character from this writer.
There are, however, a few passages in which one gets
gUmpses of his attitude toward certain practices.
Thus, in I Kings 14:24 he refers to the presence of
¦ I Kings 12:30. " II Kings 17:2. ' I Kings 15:14, etc.
"I Kings 14:16. 3 II Kings 17:7 5. ' II Kings 16:3.
3 1 Kings 15:34.

DEUTERONOMIC ELEMENT IN KINGS 215
sodomites in the land, and in 15:12 mentions with
approval the banishment of them by Asa. It is a
Deuteronomic passage' in which the number of Solomon's
wives and concubines is recorded, but it is evident that
the writer objected less to the size of the harem than
to the foreign women of whom it was largely composed
and by whom the king was led away from Yahweh.
There is a passage that would indicate greater sensi
tiveness to purely ethical considerations. It is I Kings
15:5, where the commendation bestowed upon David
to the effect that he always did "that which was right
in the eyes of Yahweh" is quaUfied by the addition of
the words, " save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite."
Since, however, these additional words are wanting in
the Greek Version, it is probable that the compiler of
the Books of Kings, like the Chronicler, simply ignored
a sad blot on the virtue and honor of the national hero."
The Book of the Covenant, in Exod. 21:6 and 22 : 8 f .,
requires that in certain cases an oath be administered
"before God," that is, at the nearest local sanctuary.
The original Deuteronomist so modified the law that,
in the case of a servant who refused to leave his master,
the ceremony making him a perpetual bondman should
be performed at the home of the master.' It was also
ordained in the Deuteronomic Code that matters which
could not be settled by the local authorities should be
brought to the place that Yahweh had chosen for
adjudication." There, according to the original text
of the passages cited, they were to be laid before the
¦I Kings ii:i S.
" Cf. II Sam. 10:12 and I Chron. 19:1 3.
-Deut. 15:17. "Deut. 17:83.; I9:i7f.

2i6 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
civil judge, or judges, then in office, but the present
reading makes "the priests" joint arbiters in the cases
in question.' The Deuteronomic author of I Kings
8:31 f. seems to ignore the civil magistrates, making
Solomon in his prayer aUude only to the settlement
of disputes at the altar of the new sanctuary. This
does not, however, argue any lack of interest in justice,
for he puts into the mouth of the king a petition that
Yahweh may guide the proceedings, "condemning the
wdcked, by bringing his way upon his own head, and
justifying the righteous, by giving him according to his
righteousness." There are one or two exceptions to the rule that
in the Books of Kings the Deuteronomic standard is
reUgious rather than ethical. One of them is found in
II Kings 14:6, where it is related, with evident approval,
that, when Amaziah came to the throne, he slew the
men who had assassinated his father, but refrained from
putting to death their children, in accordance with the
law of Deut. 24:16, where it is forbidden to put to
death fathers for children or children for fathers. Of
course, it is doubtful if the law quoted had been formu
lated in Amaziah's day, but that is a question which is
not of consequence in this connection. The point is
that the author recognized the principle involved and
commended its alleged adoption by Amaziah.
Here should be cited, also, II Kings 21 : 16 and 24:4,
where one of the charges against Manasseh and
Jehoiakim is that they "fiUed Jerusalem with innocent
blood." ¦ In the Greek of Deut. 17:9 the words rendered "unto the priests
the Levites and" are wanting.

DEUTERONOMIC ELEMENT IN KINGS 217
The attitude of the compiler of the Books of Kings
toward foreigners has already been noted in connection
with the reference to Solomon's harem.' It was hostile
because the king's foreign wives led their common
husband away from the national God. It would
naturaUy have been different had they, forgetting
their own peoples and the houses of their fathers,"
made his people their people and his God their God.'
It is not strange, therefore, to find that, in I Kings
8:41 ff., Solomon is represented as commending to the
favor of Yahweh the foreigner who comes from a far
country to worship in the temple at Jerusalem.
In this connection mention should be made of an
interesting inconsistency in the first Book of Kings.
In 5:13 it is distinctly stated that Solomon made the
levy of laborers sent to Lebanon "out of all Israel";
but a later writer, jealous for the reputation of the
king, inserted 9 : 20-22, where the reader is informed that
it was not Hebrews who were impressed into this service,
but "the people that were left of the Amorites, the
Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites,
who were not of the children of Israel," who then
became "bondservants unto this day."
'I Kings 11: 1 3. "Ps. 45:10. 3 Ruth 1:16.

CHAPTER XVII
EZEKIEL AND HIS TIMES
Ezekiel, like Jeremiah, was a priest, but there is
Uttle else in which they resembled each other. Thus,
Ezekiel seems to have been younger than Jeremiah
and to have survived the latter some years. It was
also Ezekiel's fortune to be carried into captivity with
Jehoiachin (597 B.C.), and thenceforth to be associated
with the better class of his people, while Jeremiah went
to Egypt with the dregs of the population. Again,
it was Ezekiel's mission to foster and develop the hope
of restoration which Jeremiah had been permitted only
to kindle. Finally, Ezekiel was so constituted that he
saw in reUgious institutions and observances more
value and importance than Jeremiah had ever attributed
to them. Not that he neglects ethical considerations.
Indeed, he gives to the relation between Yahweh and his
people a distinctly ethical character, using for this
purpose the figure employed by Hosea and Jeremiah,
and developing it more fuUy than either of them.
Thus, in Ezek., chap. 16, Yahweh is represented as
recalUng the history of Judah as the career of an unfaith
ful wife. The same figure is employed in chap. 23,
but in a somewhat different form. Here, also, Israel
and Judah are sisters, called respectively Oholah and
Oholibah, but this time they are both wives of Yahweh
and both play the harlot.
The use made of the above illustration shows that
Ezekiel reckoned idolatiy, without reference to its
218

EZEKIEL AND HIS TIMES 219
pecuUar observances, an offense against moraUty, Uke
murder or adultery. He classes it with such offenses
in chap. 18, where he describes the just man as one who
"hath not eaten on the mountains, or lifted up his eyes
to the idols of the house of Israel, or defiled his neigh
bor's wife," etc. This chapter is noteworthy, further,
because in it Ezekiel adopts the individualistic stand
point of Jeremiah.' Indeed, he quotes the proverb to
which his predecessor objected, and devotes the greater
part of the chapter to the development of the contrary
doctrine. He starts with the general proposition, put
into the mouth of Yahweh, "All souls are mine; as the
soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine."
That is, every human being has an immediate relation
to his Maker, to whom he is directly responsible for
his personal conduct, and by whom he will eventuaUy
be rewarded or punished according to his deserts. He
declares that "the soul that sinneth, it shall die," but
that "the just man shall surely live." The just man
is described in terms partly positive and partly negative.
There is, first, the inclusive positive definition, "just,
and doeth justice and righteousness," then a series of
distinctions which may be arranged in a decalogue, as
follows :
I. "Hath not eaten on the mountains, or lifted up
his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel."
2. "Hath not deffied his neighbor's wife."
3. "Doth not come near to a woman in her
impurity." 4. "Doth not oppress any."
5. "Restoreth to the debtor his pledge."
'Jer. 3i:29f.

220 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
6. "Doth not take aught by robbery."
7. "Giveth his bread to the hungry, and covereth
the naked with a garment."
8. "Doth not lend on discount or take interest."
9. "Withdraweth his hand from iniquity."
10. '/Doeth true justice between man and man."
FinaUy the various items are summed up in the
general requirement, "In my statutes he walketh, and
he is careful to do my judgments."
This is the just man. He shall Uve. But not his
son, unless he follows in the footsteps of his father.
Otherwise he must surely die. On the other hand, if
this son has a son who follows the example of his grand
father, he will not be punished for the sins of his father,
but rewarded according to his righteousness in the
sight of Yahweh. In fine, "the righteousness of the
righteous," he says, "shaU be upon him, and the wicked
ness of the wicked shall be upon him."
There seem to have been those in Ezekiel's day who
refused to accept this teaching, claiming that it argued
instabiUty in God, so mechanical and demoralizing had
become their idea of the doctrine of election. The
prophet insists that it is required by the very nature of
Yahweh; that, being himself a just being, he cannot
punish a good man or reward a bad one. Indeed, he
goes farther and appUes the same doctrine to the same
man in different attitudes to the divine will and law.
"If the wicked," says Yahweh, "turn from all his sins
that he hath committed, and keep aU my statutes,
and do that which is lawful and right, he shaU surely
live. None of his transgressions that he hath com
mitted shaU be remembered against him ; in his righteous
ness that he hath wrought he shall live. Have I any

EZEKIEL AND HIS TIMES 221
pleasure in the death of the wicked? saith the Lord
Yahweh, and not rather that he should return from his
way and live ? But, when the righteous turneth away
from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and
doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked
man doeth, shall he live ? None of his righteous deeds
that he hath done shaU be remembered; in his trespass
that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath
sinned, in them shall he die.'" Thus the attitude of
God to every man at any given moment is consistent
with, and an expression of, his moral character. His
way is always "equal."
These words, when they were first uttered, gave
offense; but there came a time when the Jews in cap
tivity began to reaUze their condition and "pine away"
in their sins." Then the prophet repeated them in a
form that made them not so much a warning as an
evangel to his anxious brethren.
Attention should here be called to i4:i2ff., where
Ezekiel combats another form of the doctrine of vicarious
righteousness. In this passage Yahweh declares that,
if a land sinned against him, and he undertook, by any
of the various means he employs, to punish it, "although
Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it," their righteousness
would not avail to protect even their own children;
they would thereby deUver only "their own souls."'
'Ezek. 18:21-24. " Ezek. 33 : 10 S.
3 The doctrine here taught seems to be contradicted by Ezek. 21 : 3,
where Yahweh threatens in destroying Jerusalem to cut o3 "the
righteous and the wicked." The fact that the Greek Version reads
"the unjust and the wicked" suggests that the text is corrupt, but it is
possible that, as Kraetzschmar explains, the passage, being an early
one, reflects a temporary mood and not the prophet's settled conviction.

222 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
The prophet Ezekiel has less to say than some of the
others about the personal habits and dispositions of
those to whom he addressed himself. He refers to the
"iniquity" of Sodom, but, strangely enough, specifies
only pride, luxury, security, and neglect of the unfortu
nate.' The positive instruction he gives is confined
to 44:21, where he forbids the priests to drink wine,
"when they enter," that is, before they enter "the
inner chamber," the object of this prohibition evidently
being to prevent mistakes, or worse, in the conduct of
the ritual. See Lev. 10:9 f.
In the same connection Ezekiel restricts the priests
in the matter of marriage. One of their number may
not take to wife the widow of a layman, a woman who
has been divorced, or a foreigner; but must take a
virgin "of the seed of the house of Israel, or a widow
that is the widow of a priest."" The prophet evidently
permitted polygamy, otherwise he would not, in chap. 23,
have represented Israel and Judah figuratively as the
wives of Yahweh. The fact that he pictured the unfaith
fulness of his people toward Yahweh as adultery shows
what he thought of conjugal infideUty. He includes
it in his indictment of the princes of Judah,' as well as
in the decalogue above given." In 22 : 10 f. he mentions
three different forms of incest as prevalent in his day;
also, as a second count,' as if it were only less atrocious
than "the shedding of blood," contempt for parents.
The schedules just cited also give one a pretty good
idea of Ezekiel's views on the subject of social ethics.
' Ezek. 16:49 f. "Ezek.44:22. 3Ezek. 22:11.
"Ezek. 18:6, II, 15; also 33:26.
3 Ezek. 22:7.

EZEKIEL AND HIS TIMES 223
Indeed, there is no more complete survey of the duty
of man to man outside the recogmzed codes. The
prophet naturaUy lays stress upon justice in general as
a requirement in social life: justice in the conduct of
every member of the community toward every other,'
as weU as in the official action of those whose duty it is
to settle controversies between man and man." The
contrary practice is elsewhere as vigorously condemned
by Ezekiel as by any of his predecessors in the pro
phetical office.' The "ordinances" of Yahweh are
the norm in accordance with which justice must be
administered." The prophet takes repeated occasion throughout
his book to inculcate respect for the person,' or to arraign
his people or their rulers for the contrary. For some
time before the overthrow of the Jewish monarchy the
country was in a condition bordering on anarchy. There
was, to be sure, a semblance of government, but the
kings, being the creatures of Egypt or Babylonia, felt
no responsibiUty to or for their subjects. They were
therefore cruel and arbitrary. The prophet, in chap. 34,
compares them to shepherds who look only after their
own interests. "Ye eat the milk," he says, "and
clothe yourselves with the wool, and kill the fatUngs;
but ye feed not the sheep." Their example was natu
rally followed by their underUngs, who also, in their
smaUer spheres, ruled "with force and harshness."*
FinaUy the land was fiUed with violence,' and even the
sojourner, the widow, and the orphan, whose weakness
' Ezek. 18 : 5. " Ezek. 44 : 24. ' Ezek. 34 : 4.
"Ezek. 18:8. 3 Ezek. 18:7, 16, 18. ' Ezek. 7:23; 8:17.
3 Ezek. 9:9; 45:9.

2 24 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
ought to have been their protection, were oppressed
without mercy.' Nor did the oppressors stop short of
bloodshed. This is clear from 22 : 25, where the prophet
charges that the "leaders"" in Jerusalem are "like a
roaring lion, rending prey: they have devoured souls;
.... her widows have they multipUed in her midst."
See also vs. 27, where there is a similar charge against
the "princes," who, "like wolves rending prey, while
they pour out blood, destroy souls." There can be
littie doubt that in both of these passages the offense
charged is nothing short of wholesale murder. There
are several other passages that have been given the
same interpretation, because, Uke the latter of the two
quoted, they contain a reference to bloodshed. Thus,
in 7:23, where the prophet declares that "the land is
fuU of bloodshed,' and the city is full of violence," he
is supposed to have intended to accuse his people of
two distinct crimes, murder and violence. The word
"blood," however, does not always denote or imply
death, or even serious physical suffering, from violence.
A good Ulustration of a different, but perfectly natural,
usage is found in Isa. 1:15, where the prophet introduces
an exhortation by the accusation, "Your hands are full
of blood." The meaning of the word "blood" in this
' Ezek. 22:7, 29.
"The text has "prophets," but it is better, with the Greek Version
and the best modern authorities, to adopt the above reading, since
otherwise this verse would anticipate vs. 28, where the prophets come
in their proper order.
3 The text has, literally, "judgment of blood," for which the English
Version has "bloody crimes"; but the word rendered "judgment"
is evidently a copyist's error for the very similar one meaning "out
pouring," wrongly translated "oppression" in Isa. 5:7.

EZEKIEL AND HIS TIMES 225
connection appears from what follows. It denotes the
guilt incurred by the evU deeds of the persons addressed.
But these deeds, according to vs. 17, must have been
the contraries of those there recommended, namely,
injustice, oppression, and the neglect of the unfortunate.
The term "bloodshed," therefore, seems to have been
used typicaUy for any or aU of the more serious offenses,
especially of men against men, known among the Hebrews,
as weU as for murder. This being conceded, it at once
becomes a question whether, in Ezek. 7:23, one should
not render the latter half of the verse, "for the land is
fuU of crime (blood), and the city is fuU of violence."
A clearer case is that of 18:10 ff., where the hypo
thetical son is described, UteraUy, vs. 10, as "violent"
and "a shedder of blood," but actual bloodshed is not
mentioned among the offenses by which he is represented
as justifying this characterization.'
Among the other passages in which "bloodshed"
has a typical meaning are two, 22:2 ff. and 24:6 ff., in
which Jerusalem is caUed "the city of blood,"" that is,
the city guUty of the most grievous offenses. What
these offenses were may be learned from 22:6 ff.,
where, after the princes have been described as shedding
blood, each according to his ability, they and their
people are accused of contempt of parents, oppression
of the unfortunate, disregard of holy rites and seasons,
slander, idolatry, incest, impurity, adultery, bribery,
' The latter half of vs. 10 being a gloss, the first two lines of the
passage may be translated.
loa. "If he beget a violent, lawless son,
iia. Who hath not done any of these things.''
" E. v., "the bloody city."

226 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
usury, and robbery. In the cases of slander and bribery
the addition of the final clause, "for the purpose of
shedding blood," may imply a conspiracy against the
Ufe of a third party. In 33:25 and 36:18 bloodshed
probably covers all forms of lawlessness, as distinguished
from idolatry,' but in 23:45, since the offenders are the
sisters representing Israel and Judah, and they are to
be arraigned as adulteresses, it must be interpreted as
including disloyalty to Yahweh.
In the number of the offenses of which the princes of
Judah were accused was robbery. There is none that
seems to have been more prevalent toward the close of
the regal period in Judah, or to have been more severely
condemned by Ezekiel." It is one of the marks by
which he distinguishes the wicked from the righteous.'
No one who has been guilty of it, he teaches, can ex
pect to enjoy the favor of Yahweh without restoring to
its rightful owners whatever he may have acquired
by injustice or violence." The leaders were the chief
offenders, and they sometimes put people out of the
way to get "dishonest gain."'
The practices just described would naturaUy first
attract the prophet's attention, but he did not over
look the less violent methods by which his contem
poraries reUeved one another of their possessions. He
requires of the princes of Israel, not only that they "do
away with violence and spoil," but that they "have
' These passages are both, for the most important part, wanting
in the Greek Version, in the case of 33:25 perhaps through the over
sight of a copyist.
"Ezek. 22:13, 29. "Ezek. 33:15; 45:9.
3 Ezek. 18:12, 16, 18. 3 Ezek. 22:25, 27.

EZEKIEL AND HIS TIMES 227
just balances, and a just ephah, and a just bath," and
he fixes for the future the relation of the common
weights and measures to one another. See 45 : 9 ff . ;
also the prophecy, 28:18, in which he threatens Tyre
with destruction on account of the dishonesty of her
traffic. In the matter of loans Ezekiel marks a new stage
of development. The Book of the Covenant simply
forbade the oppression of the poor debtor.' In Deut.
23:i9f. the Hebrews are permitted to take a discount
from foreigners, but not from one another, either on
money or produce. The prophet makes no reference
to this distinction, but it is possible that he expected
it to be continued. He does, however, modify the
Deuteronomic law in one direction, namely, in that he
forbids, not only discounts," the subtraction of a certain
part or percentage in advance from the face of the loan,
but "increase" or interest, properly so caUed, an addi
tion for the use of the same to the amount loaned.' It
is one of the counts in his indictment against "the
bloody city" that its princes and others have "taken
discount and interest" from their neighbors."
There are four passages in which pledges for debt
find mention. In three of these' the practice of requir
ing such pledges is recognized ; also the proviso made in
the earUest legislation,* that a garment must be restored
to its owner at nightfall. In the fourth' the just man
'Exod. 22:25. The last clause of the verse is a Deuteronomic
addition. "A. v., "usury"; R.V., "interest." 3 Ezek. 18:7, 12; 33:15.
3 See Ezek. 18:8, 13, 17. 'Exod. 22:26 f.
"Ezek. 22:2. 'Ezek. 18:16.

228 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
is described as one who "hath not taken aught to
pledge," as if the prophet would have liked to abolish
the practice.
The reason why discount and interest were for
bidden among the Hebrews is that, as has already
been explained, loans were generaUy made to the unfor
tunate, to enable them to meet an emergency, and were
regarded as expressions of charity. The same spirit
prompted those who had possessions to give of their
substance to those who were in want. The prophet
commends this practice.' He evidently regarded it as
a duty, not only of Jews, but of universal humanity.
Hence he condemns Sodom because "she did not
strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.""
Ezekiel did not have so frequent occasion as Jeremiah
to dwell on truthfulness in human relations, yet there
are several passages in which he shows that he was
anything but lax in the matter. He also knew false
prophets, and rebuked them as sternly as his predecessor.
He arraigns them in 22:28 among the classes that have
incurred the wrath of Yahweh, because they "white
wash" with false visions, saying, "Thus saith the Lord
Yahweh, when Yahweh hath not spoken." He deals
with them at length in 13:1 ff . He first compares
them to foxes, because they do not build, but under
mine, by encouraging their people to hope when there
is no ground for encouragement. In vs. 10 he introduces
for the first time the figure to which there was a reference
in the passage just cited from chap. 22. This verse,
in the Revised Version, reads, "They have seduced
my people, saying. Peace, and there is no peace: and
¦ Ezek. 18:7, 16. "Ezek. 16:49.

EZEKIEL AND HIS TIMES 229
when one buUdeth up a wall, behold, they daub it
with untempered mortar": a translation that is in
more tl^an one respect unsatisfactory. In the first
place, it is ambiguous, for, although it is clear that
the seducers are the false prophets, one cannot teU
whether the buUder of the wall is Yahweh, a prophet,
or one of the people. In point of fact it is neither,
but the people as a whole, and the waU is the baseless
plans and hopes by which they are trying to fend the
fear of Nebuchadrezzar and his army. This wall the
prophets "whitewash" (R.V., margin), which, being
interpreted, means that they mislead the people and
expose them to additional danger by encouraging them
in their dreams of deUverance and concealing from them
the insecurity of the grounds of their confidence.
It would be better, therefore, to render vss. 10-12 as
follows: "They have misled my people, saying, Peace,
when there was no peace; and, when these built a
waU, lo, they daubed it with whitewash. Say to those
that daub with whitewash,' There shall be a flood of
rain, and hailstones shall fall, and a storm-wind shall
break loose; and lo, when the wall hath fallen, shall
it not be said to you. Where is the coating wherewith
ye daubed it ?"
Ezekiel takes occasion to testify his condemnation
of faithlessness in a passage on the revolt of the Jews
under Zedekiah. He says" that, when Nebuchadrezzar
took Jerusalem the first time and replaced Jehoiachin
by Zedekiah, he put the latter under oath, his object
'The clause "and (not "that") it shall fall," which immediately
follows, is a gloss.
" Ezek. 17 : 13 S.

230 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
being " that the kingdom might be humble, .... keep
the covenant with him, and so endure"; but that
Zedekiah soon broke his oath and instituted a revolt
by sending to Egypt for men and horses. The prophet,
making no account of the circumstance that the oath
was given to a foreigner, exclaims, "Shall he prosper?
shall he escape that doeth these things? break a cove
nant and escape! ?" Finally, it appears that the reason
why he is so indignant is that an oath by a Hebrew to
whomsoever given is an appeal to Yahweh and the
breaking of it dishonors him as the national Deity.'
The Book of Ezekiel is interesting for the evidence
it presents of a changed attitude toward foreigners.
In early times, as has been shown, the Hebrews were
very hospitable toward the peoples that dwelt among
or about them. Witness the story of Judah and Tamar,"
the adoption of the Calebites,' the employment by
David of Philistines and other foreigners, especiaUy
about his own person." These foreign guards performed
an important part in the revolution in which AthaUah
was deposed and Joash, the rightful heir to the throne,
made king.' There were at that time foreigners serving
in the temple, as the Gibeonites are said to have been
condemned to do.* It was perhaps such servants who,
according to I Sam. 2:15, waited upon the officiating
priests in EU's time at Shiloh. They were caUed
Nethinites (given), according to Ezra 8:20, because
"David and the princes had given them for the service
of the Levites." Now, Ezekiel objected to the employ-
'Ezek. 13:19; Exod. 20:7. ''ISam.8:i8; 15:18.
" Gen., chap. 38. s H Kings 11:43.
3 Josh. 15 : 13 3. 'Josh.9:27.

EZEKIEL AND HIS TIMES 231
ment of foreigners in any capacity in the temple. He
reckoned it among the "abominations" of which the
house of Israel had been guilty, that they had brought
"foreigners, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised
in flesh," into the sanctuary "to profane it" when they
offered their sacrifices to Yahweh.' He therefore
represents Yahweh as ordaining, "No foreigner, uncir
cumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, shall
enter my sanctuary, of any foreigners that are among
the children of Israel." Their places he ingeniously
proposes to supply from the Levites who departed from
Yahweh "when Israel went astray," that is, from the
priests of the local sanctuaries that were abolished by
the Deuteronomic law. The Book of Deuteronomy
itself made provision for them. It says: "If a Levite
come from any of thy gates out of all Israel, where he
sojourneth, and come with all the desire of his soul to
the place that Yahweh shaU choose; then he shaU
minister in the name of Yahweh his God, as all his
brethren the Levites do, who stand before Yahweh.""
When, however, in 621 B.C., Josiah introduced his
reforms, although the priests of the high places came to
Jerusalem, and "ate bread among their brethren,"
"they came not up to the altar of Yahweh."' Ezekiel
indorses this reservation. Speaking for Yahweh, he
says: "They shaU not come near to me, to execute the
office of priest to me, or to come near to any of my holy
things, and to the things that are most holy; but they
shall bear their reproach for their abominations that
they have committed. Yet will I make them keepers
in charge of the house, for aU the service thereof and
' Ezek. 44 : 6 3. " Deut. 18 : 6 f . 3 n Kings 23 : 9.

232 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
for all that is done therein.'" This proposal was made
during the Exile. It could not, therefore, at once be
carried into effect. In point of fact, it was never
wholly adopted; for, although the rest of the priests
were degraded, and called Levites in distinction from
the sons of Zadok," when the temple was rebuilt, and
worship was resumed at Jerusalem, the Nethinites
returned to their duties at the sanctuary, and continued
to perform these duties until they were absorbed by the
order of Levites.'
The prophet, strongly as he objected to the employ
ment of foreigners about the temple, did not propose to
banish the sojourners among the Jews from the country.
Indeed, he makes more Uberal provision for them than
any of his predecessors. In 47:2iff. he directs that,
when the land is redivided, the sojourners who have
lived long enough among the Jews to beget children — he
seems to take for granted that they will be circumcised —
shall be "as the home-born among the children of
Israel" and receive their portions, each in the tribe
in which he chances to sojourn.
Ezekiel devotes several chapters in different parts
of his book to foreign peoples. His attitude toward
them is generally hostile; not, however, because they
are aliens, but because by their conduct they have
given him and his people cause for resentment. Thus,
in 25:1 ff. he condemns the Ammonites because "they
said Aha!" that is, rejoiced, "against the land of Israel,
when it was made desolate, and against the house of
Judah, when they went into captivity"; and in the
¦ Ezek. 44: 13 f. " Ezek. 44: 15 3.
3 Ezra 2:58; Neh. 7:60; 10:286.

EZEKIEL AND HIS TIMES 233
same connection he brings a similar charge against
Moab, Edom, PhiUstia, and Phoenicia.' Yahweh, he
declares, has decreed their humiUation, that there may
be "no more for the house of Israel a pricking brier or
a hurting thorn among aU about them that treat them
despitefuUy." See also 35:1 ff. In chaps. 29-32 there
is a succession of oracles in which the Egyptians are
threatened with invasion and subjugation by Nebuchad
rezzar, because, according to 29:6, when Jerusalem was
besieged, the Egyptians, although they made a demon
stration against the Babylonians, proved but "a staff
of reed to the house of Israel." In chaps. 38 f. Gog
represents the hostUe gentUe world, by the destruction
of which, the prophet teaches, Yahweh wiU rescue his
people and vindicate his godhead in the eyes of aU
mankind." ¦ Ezek. 25:8, 12, 15; 26:2. " Ezek. 38:196.

CHAPTER XVIII
THE BOOK OF LAMENTATIONS
This Uttle book is traditionally ascribed to Jeremiah.
The tradition is as old as the beginning of the third
century before the Christian era, being found in II
Chron. 35:25. When, however, one studies the book
carefuUy, one finds that it cannot be attributed to
Jeremiah or any other single writer. That the prophet
did not write the whole of it is clear from 5:7. In
this passage the author complains.
Our fathers sinned, and are not,
And we have borne their iniquities.
But Jeremiah expressly repudiates such teaching, his own
being that "every one shaU die for his own iniquity.'"
If, however, as is claimed, none of the poems of which
the book is composed can be dated earUer than Ezekiel,
because they betray his influence, they were probably
aU written before the end of the Exile. They appear
to fit this period, aU of them. Moreover, they all
agree in one feature that should be noted in this con
nection, namely, that they recognize the moral character
of the divine government" and humbly accept the
chastisement inflicted as none too severe in view of the
multitude and seriousness of the offenses of which the
suffering people have been guilty. See Lam. 1:5;
4:6; 5:16; also 2:14 and 4:13, where the priests and
the prophets receive especial mention as transgressors,
'Jer,3i:29f. " Lam. 1:18; 3:33 6.
234

THE BOOK OF LAMENTATIONS 235
In so far as the instruments that Yahweh has chosen
have gone beyond his instructions, they are guilty and
must in their turn pay the penalty of their presumption.'
The moral tone of the book comes out most strongly
in Lam. 4:22, where the author announces to Zion the
termination of her suffering, and to Edom the approach
of a similar visitation, because the former has satisfied
the demands of the divine justice while the latter has
not yet atoned for her offenses."
'Lam. 1:22; 3:646.; 4:22; also Isa. 10:5 ff.
"Isa. 40:2.

CHAPTER XIX
ISAIAH, CHAPS. 40-ss, AND RELATED PROPHECIES
The doctrine of the moral character of the divine
government was prominent in the Book of Lamenta
tions. It is more noticeably so in Isa., chaps. 40-55.
There is not so much stress laid upon the offenses of
the Chosen People in the past. StiU they are not
forgotten. Thus, in 43:26 Yahweh chaUenges Israel:
"Put me in remembrance; let us implead each other.
Set forth the case that thou mayst be justified." Then,
without waiting for an answer, he proceeds with the
accusation: "Thy first father (Jacob) sinned, and thy
teachers have transgressed against me  There
fore I gave Jacob to the ban, and Israel to revUings."
The same thought is figuratively expressed in 50:1,
"Lo, for your iniquities were ye sold, and for your
transgressions was your mother put away.'" The
great prophet of the ExUe, however, claimed that these
offenses of whatever kind and degree had been expiated
by the sufferings of the Jews in captivity." He begins
his prophecies, therefore, with the announcement,
"Speak ye comfortingly to Jerusalem, and cry to her
that her service is fulfiUed, that her iniquity is pardoned;
that she hath received from Yahweh double for all her
sins."' This does not mean that the Jews are abso
lutely irreproachable, but that, having atoned for their
past misdeeds, they are, relatively to other peoples,
' See also Isa. 42 : 24a. 3 isa. 40: 2.
" Isa. 47:6. 236

ISA., CHAPS. 40-55, AND RELATED PROPHECIES 237
sufficiently acceptable to Yahweh to warrant him in
giving them a new trial; and it is from this point of
view that the ethics of these chapters must be considered.
The author teaches that justice is inherent in the
divine nature. He says of Yahweh in 40:14, "With
whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and
taught him the path of justice ?" The path of justice
is here the proper treatment, according to their desert,
of men and nations, and the teaching is that Yahweh
is able immediately and infaUibly to discern this path.
Yahweh also, according to 45: 19, 23, speaks "righteous
ness" and declares "things that are right." FinaUy,
his righteous nature requires him to foUow "the path
of justice" in his administration. Hence the Servant,
in 49:4, in spite of seeming failure, declares, "Surely
the justice due me is with Yahweh, and my reward with
my God"; and, in 50:8, "he is near that justifieth me."
It is only when men are bUnded by their misfortunes
that they are tempted to say, as some said during the
ExUe, "My way is hid from Yahweh, and the justice
due me is passed beyond my God."' In 46:12 the
term used is not "justice," but "righteousness," which,
in these chapters, as in the Psalms, often has about the
sense of "deliverance," and therefore is found in paral-
leUsm with a word having this signification. So in
45:21 ff., where Yahweh proclaims himself "a righteous
God and a Savior," and invites "aU the ends of the
earth" to look to him and be saved, because "only in
Yahweh is righteousness and strength," that is, deUver-
' Isa. 40:27; see also 46:12. In this passage the original reading,
as appears from the Greek Version, was not ^^ iTi^S "stout-hearted,"
but 2b in3S "faint-hearted."

238 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
ance and security; also in 51:1, where to "follow after
righteousness" is equivalent to seeking Yahweh for
deliverance. The righteousness of Yahweh reveals itself in all
his ways. It was "for his righteousness' sake," to
make known his righteousness, that he provided the
"great and glorious law" that he gave to his people,'
a law which, according to 5i:7f., should teach those
who know it that the righteousness of the God whom
it reveals "shaU be forever," and his salvation "to aU
generations." The power by which he enforces his
will is caUed his "righteous right hand,"" whUe the
instruments he employs he summons "in righteousness"
and rewards in accordance therewith.' The author of
these chapters believed that not only the Servant of
Yahweh, but also Cyrus, was such an instrument."
He therefore exhorted his brethren in captivity, some
of whom could not believe that Yahweh would intrust
such a mission to a gentile,' to prepare for their release.
"I have brought near my righteousness," he declares
in the name of Yahweh, "it is not far off, and my
deUverance shall not tarry; yea, I wiU grant deUverance
in Zion for Israel my glory."* See also 51:5 f., where
Yahweh concludes with the assurance, "The heavens
may vanish like smoke, and the earth wax old Uke a
garment, while they that dweU thereon die Uke gnats;
but my deUverance shall be for ever, and my righteous
ness shaU not be aboUshed." In 45:8 there is a twofold
usage. The verse reads, "Distil, ye heavens, from
'Isa. 42:21. "Isa. 42:6; 45:13.
"Isa. 41:10. 3lsa. 45:9f.
3 Isa. 41:2; 49:4; 51:8. 'Isa. 46:13.

ISA., CHAPS. 40-55, AND RELATED PROPHECIES 239
above, and let the clouds drip with righteousness;
let the earth open, and be fruitful in deUverance, and
let it send forth righteousness also; I, Yahweh, have
created it." The key to this passage seems to be
found in 55 : 10 f ., where the word of Yahweh is compared
to the falling rain or snow, "that watereth the earth,
and maketh it bring forth and bud, and giveth seed to
the sower and bread to the eater." If so, righteousness
in the first instance denotes the law and its precepts,
as an expression of the divine wiU and character, and,
in the second, the results in man and nature of con
formity to that law. This interpretation is confirmed
by 54:14, where the righteousness in which the Chosen
People are to be established is explained as freedom
from oppression and anxiety. "This," says vs. 7,
"is the heritage of the servants of Yahweh, and their
righteousness from me."
The ethical character of Yahweh, as portrayed in
these chapters, and of his relations with his people, is
apparent. There are only two or three passages that
produce a different impression. One of them is 43 : 25,
where Yahweh is made to say, "I, even I, am he that
blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and
I will not remember thy sins." Here, however, the
phrase "for mine own sake," according to Duhm and
others, is an interpolation. When it is removed, this
passage, like 44:22, gives no reason for the purpose
expressed, and one may infer from vs. 28, properly
translated, "Therefore I profaned," etc., that it was
because the Jews had already been sufficiently punished.
It remains to consider 48:9-11. Here, again, any
discrepancy aUeged might be explained by adopting

240 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
the view of Duhm and others, that vss. 9 f . are an inter
polation. The next might then be rendered, "For mine
own sake, for mine own sake, will I act," etc., the act
proposed being the introduction of Cyrus.' If vss. 9 f.
are retained, it should be noted that in vs. 10 Yahweh
reminds his people that although he has chosen them,
he has chosen them "in the furnace of affiiction"; in
other words, that he has chosen them in the expectation
that they wiU profit by the chastisement to which they
have been subjected during the Exile.
The Exile not only brought the Jews to realize as
never before the ethical character of the divine govern
ment; it also gave them new ideas on the subject of
human exceUence. In early times David was their
ideal, other and later men being measured by this brave,
impulsive, resourceful, and masterful warrior and ruler.
During the Exile, with their wonderful abiUty to adapt
themselves to existing conditions, they abandoned this
ideal and chose another clothed in the virtues that
bondage and suffering had developed in their best and
noblest. He is the central figure of Isa., chaps. 40-55,
the so-caUed Servant of Yahweh. He is described in
one way or another in 42:1-4; 49:1-7; 50:4-9; and
52:13 — 53:12. In the first of these passages it is said
of him that "he wiU not cry, or Uft up his voice, or
cause it to be heard in the streets."" And in the second
he is described as "a servant of rulers";' that is, he is
meek or humble." He is gentle, also, says 42:3, and
sympathetic. "A bruised reed wiU he not break, a
dimly burning wick wUl he not quench."' Further,
Isa. 48:116. "Isa. 42:2. 3 Isa. 49:7.
" See also Isa. 50:5. 3 See also Isa. 50:4; 53:9.

ISA., CHAPS. 40-55, AND RELATED PROPHECIES 241
he is patient, first in the sense of being constant. "He
wiU not fail or be discouraged,"' trusting that, however
long he may have to toil and wait, Yahweh wiU finaUy
grant him the desire of his heart." He is patient, also,
in the sense that he accepts a cruel lot without murmur
ing. "I gave my back," he says, "to the smiters, and
my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair. I hid
not my face from shame and spitting."' This feature
is especiaUy emphasized in 53:3, 7, 10. Finally the
labor to which he devotes himself he does, not for his
own advantage, but for the benefit of others," and the
suffering to which he is subjected is not on his own
account, but he bears the griefs and carries the sorrows
of others, and he is bruised for their iniquities, that
through his stripes they may be healed.' He is himself
assigned a portion "with the great," not because he
has procured for himself wealth or power at the expense
of others, but because "he poured out himself" in the
completest self-sacrifice.* Such is the Servant of
Yahweh of Isa., chaps. 40-55. In 55:3-5 the great
prophet of the Exile caUs upon his people to substitute
this new ideal for the future David. Speaking for
Yahweh, he says, "I wiU make an everlasting covenant
with you, even the sure mercies of David." Then he
explains what he means by the "mercies of David":
"Lo, I gave him for a witness to the peoples, a leader
and commander to the peoples," and adds, "Lo, thou
shalt caU a nation thou knowest not, and a nation
that knew not thee shall run unto thee," thus trans
ferring the promise made to David to the nation as
-Isa. 42:4. 3 Isa. 50:6. 3 Isa. 53:41.
"Isa. 49:4; 50:7. "Isa. 42:3 f.; 49:6. 'Isa. 53:12.

242 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
the servants of Yahweh and the bearers of his salvation
to the world.
The last sentence suggests a third respect in which
the Jews greatly changed during the Exile, namely, in
their attitude toward foreigners. They had previously
been in close contact only with the smaU tribes and
peoples in and about Palestine, some of which they had
conquered and held for a longer or shorter time in sub
jection. While they remained a nation, although they
no longer wielded the power they once possessed, they
stiU retained their national pride and found frequent
occasion to show their contempt for their neighbors.
The overthrow of the house of David and the destruc
tion of Jerusalem showed them not only their weakness,
but, as has been noted, their unworthiness of the dis
tinction of which they had boasted. Moreover, it
brought those who were carried into captivity into
intimate relations with a great people and a much more
complex civilization than that to which they themselves
had attained. Under these circumstances the more
thoughtful among them could hardly fail to realize
that they were but a smaU fraction of the world of
mankind, and that it was impossible for their God, if
he was indeed the true God, not to have a purpose with
reference to other nations larger than that of using
them to chastise his chosen people. This broader view
appears in Isa., chaps. 40-55. Not everywhere, or
always in the same breadth; for there are passages that
betray more or less narrowness and bitterness. In the
first place, although the prophet recognizes the hand of
Yahweh in the banishment of his people from their
country, he cannot altogether acquit the Babylonians

ISA., CHAPS. 40-55, AND RELATED PROPHECIES 243
of guilt in the matter. This is the way in which he
represents Yahweh as arraigning their proud city: "I
was wroth with my people, I profaned my inheritance,
and gave them into thy hand. Thou didst show them
no mercy. Upon the aged hast thou very heavily laid
thy yoke.'" "Therefore," he says, " shall evil come upon
thee; thou shalt not know the dawning thereof: and
mischief shall fall upon thee; thou shalt not be able to
put it away: and desolation shall come upon thee sud
denly, which thou knowest not."" The most cruel of
these passages is the next to the last, where Yahweh
threatens to feed the Babylonian oppressors of his people
with their own flesh and blood.
There are also a few passages in which the writer
in one way or another represents the Jews as superior
to other peoples. Thus, in 43:3 Yahweh is made to
say that he wiU give Egjrpt, Ethiopia, and Seba to
Cyrus as a ransom for the exiles, while in 45 : 14 f . the
same nations are pictured as bringing tribute and doing
homage to the Jews as the people of the only true
God. The same thought is put even more strongly in
49:22-24. See also 55: 5. These passages are all marred
by national conceit. At his best the prophet rises above
such limitations. He does so in the passages in which he
manifests his readiness to recognize Cyrus as the agent
of Yahweh. The most flattering terms are appUed to
to him. He is "called," like the Servant.' He is
"anointed" of Yahweh," his "shepherd,"' and Yahweh
' Isa. 47:6.
"Isa. 47:11. See also Isa. 41:15!.; 43:14; 45:14!.; 48:14!.;
49:246.; 51:9 f.
3lsa.4i:2; 42:6; also 41:25; 45:3> 13; 46:11.
"Isa. 45:1. 3 Isa. 44:28.

244 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
loves him.' Some of the prophet's contemporaries, as
has already been noted, objected to the use of such
terms of a gentile, but he warns them not to presume
to criticize the chosen of their Maker." The same
breadth of view is seen in 51 :4 f., where Yahweh makes
the announcement, "Instruction shall go forth from
me, and my decree for a light to the peoples." The
Servant of Yahweh is the instrument for carrying into
effect this purpose. In 42:1 ff. it is declared that "he
wiU bring forth justice to the gentiles," "set justice in
the earth," and himself serve as "a light to the gentUes";
and in 49 : 6 that his mission is to " the ends of the earth."
In 45:2off. Yahweh himseU summons "the remnant
of the nations," proclaims his unique Godhead, and
invites them to share his salvation. "Look unto me,"
he pleads, "and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth;
for I am God, and there is none else. By myseU have
I sworn, the word hath gone forth from my mouth in
righteousness, and shall not return, that to me every
knee shaU bow, every tongue shaU swear." On this
passage Duhm says, "This splendid sentence can only
be the expression of the faith of the Second Isaiah in
the unique Godhead of Yahweh, and its generous
promise of the spread of the beneficent reUgion of
Yahweh over the whole world rises far above the selfish
and haughty monotheism of the later Jews." Yet this
chapter is not so remarkable as chap. 53, if, as Marti
and others hold, the speakers in vss. i-ioa are
the gentiles, brought, through the ministry of the
Servant, to a knowledge of Yahweh and the essence
of true reUgion.
'Isa. 48:14. "Isa. 45:91.

ISA., CHAPS. 40-55, AND RELATED PROPHECIES 245
It is not possible, even with the help of Isa., chaps.
40-55, to identify all the passages, large and small,
that were added to the earUer prophetical books during
the Exile; but there are certain prophecies against
Babylon which evidently belong to this period. These
are Isa., chaps. 13 f., and 21 : i-io, and Jer., chaps. 50 f.,
and perhaps parts of Isa., chap. 10. They are all
naturally hostile, as the two chapters from Jeremiah
would not have been had they been written by the
prophet to whom they are attributed. The ethical
note is constantly emphasized. The great offender is,
of course, Babylon,' but Israel is not held guiltless.
This is strongly put in Jer. 51:5, which should be
translated, "Israel is not forsaken, or Judah, of his
God, Yahweh of Hosts, but" their land was full of guilt
against the Holy One of Israel." In other words,
Yahweh here contends, as he does in Isa. 50: i, that it is
not his fault, but his people's, that they have suffered.
In 50 : 7 he quotes their adversaries as defending them
selves by saying, "We are not guilty, because they have
sinned against Yahweh, the abode of righteousness, the
hope of their fathers."' Yahweh himself recognizes the
Babylonians as his instruments. Thus, in 51 : 7 he says,
using a figure first found in 25:15 ff., "Babylon, in the
hand of Yahweh, hath been a golden cup that made aU
the earth drunken." In 51 : 20 ff. he uses another figure,
"A war-club art thou to me, a weapon of battle; and
with thee wUl I break in pieces nations, and with thee
wiU I destroy kingdoms," etc.
' In Isa., chap. 10, perhaps under the disguise of Assyria.
"E.V., "though."
3Cf. Isa. 31:23.

246 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
There is not in these prophecies any distinct state
ment to the effect that the Babylonians have exceeded
their instructions, but it seems to be taken for granted.
Hence they are accused of various forms of inhumanity.
The author of Isa. 14:17 says they "made the world a
desert and overthrew its cities," and 21:2 caUs them
"destroyers." One of their greatest crimes was the
destruction of the temple at Jerusalem.' They were
oppressors, too, of the cruelest type. They "smote the
peoples in wrath with a continual smiting," and "trod
down the nations in anger with an unsparing trampling " ;"
so that the Jews were like "the 3deld of the threshing-
floor."' In Isa. 21:2 the Babylonians are accused of
dealing treacherously with other nations, and in 13:11
they are reckoned among the proud and haughty of the
world, and threatened, Uke the rest, with retribution.
See also Jer. 50:56. The teaching of Jer., chaps. 50 f.,
is that their time has already come," that new instru
ments of Yahweh have been commissioned to do to
them as they have done to their victims.' "As Baby
lon," says 51:49, "hath caused the slain of Israel to
faU, so at Babylon shaU faU the slain of aU the earth."
Thus wiU Yahweh avenge the destruction of his temple,*
and deUver his long suffering people.' "In those days,
and in that time .... the iniquity of Israel shall be
sought for, and there shaU be none; and the sins of
Judah, and they shaU not be found " ; because they have
aU been forgiven.*
'Jer. 50:28; 51:11. 3 Jer. 50:15, 29.
"Isa. 14:6. 'Jer.5o:28; 51:11.
3 Isa. 21:10; also Jer. 50:33. 'Jer. 51:91.
"Jer. 51:6, 33. » Jer. 50:20.

ISA., CHAPS. 40-55, AND RELATED PROPHECIES 247
Thus far there has been no trace of sympathy or
fellowship with those of other races. Something of the
sort is found in Isa. 14:1, where it is foretold that,
when the Jews are restored to their own country, "the
sojourner among them shaU join himself with them and
shaU cleave to the house of Jacob." This passage,
however, according to Duhm and others, is post-exiUc,
and therefore need not be considered further in this
connection. The tone and spirit of these prophecies is much
Uke those of the later Deuteronomic Uterature, and per
haps for the reason that their authors also were scribes,
and not genuine prophets. They seem to gloat over
the most horrible details. Thus, Isa. 13 : 7 f ., describ
ing the terror produced by the day of Yahweh, says,
"AU hands shall be feeble, and every human heart shaU
melt: and they shall be dismayed; pangs and sorrows
shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman
in travail: they shall look in amazement one at another;
their faces shall be faces of flame.'" The cruelty of the
invaders is thus described in Isa. 13:15 f. : "Every one
that is found shaU be thrust through; and every one
that is caught shall fall by the sword. Their infants also
shaU be dashed in pieces before their eyes; their houses
shaU be rifled, and their wives ravished."" The deso
lation wrought is compared to that "when God destroyed
Sodom and Gomorrah,"' and further described with the
most gloomy and dreadful details." In Isa. 21:3 f.
the writer professes anguish at the vision revealed, but
this is no doubt a Uterary artifice to heighten the interest
¦ See also Jer. 51:3!. ' Isa. 13 : 19.
" See also Jer. 50:35 6. " See also Jer. 50:39 !.

248 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
of the reader. He cannot have seen or imagined any
thing more revolting than some of the cruelties described
in the passages quoted. Cf. Isa., chap. 47, and the
reserve with which its author treats the same subject.

CHAPTER XX
HAGGAI AND ZECHARIAH, AND THEIR TIMES
A few years after the conquest of Babylonia by
C3rrus — in 520 B.C., to be exact — there arose in Judea
two prophets who worked together for the restoration
of the Jewish community, and especiaUy for the re-
estabUshment of the worship of Yahweh at Jerusalem.
I. HAGGAI
Haggai, who seems to have been the elder, began the
agitation for a new temple, and persevered until he
persuaded Zerubbabel the governor and Joshua the
high priest, and finaUy the people, to undertake the
work. He kept them to their task by picturing to them
the wealth and honor he saw in store for the new sanc
tuary. He predicted that its glory would be even
greater than that of the famous temple built by Solomon.
It was in connection with this thought that Haggai
made a prediction which should not be overlooked.
In the Authorized Version it is rendered, "I wUl shake
aU nations, and the desire of aU nations shaU come;
and I will fiU this house with glory, saith the Lord of
hosts";' and the whole has been interpreted as a
prophecy concerning the Messiah. This interpretation,
however, has now been pretty generally abandoned,
since it is clear to anyone famiUar with Hebrew that the
word translated "desire," and often written "Desire,"
is plural, and that therefore the prophet must have had
' Hag. 2 : 7. 249

250 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
in mind, not a person on whom the nations had fixed
their expectations, but the desirable things in which
the riches of the peoples of his time consisted. When,
however, he says that these things will come, he means
that those to whom they belong will bring them as
presents; in other words, that the new temple will be
enriched by pilgrims from foreign nations who wiU
come thither to worship Yahweh. This prediction
betrays the influence of the Second Isaiah. It does not,
however, present the worthier side of universalism.
Haggai was evidentiy a practical man, and had to deal
with a generation struggling against material obstacles
for physical existence, and he doubtless pictured the
future of the house he wished to build in the way that
would appeal to them most strongly. The fact that
he succeeded — ^for the house "was finished on the third
day of the month Adar, which was in the sixth year of
Darius the king'" — shows that the Jews of his day were
by no means averse to the admission of foreigners to
the privileges and benefits of their religion.
2. ZECHARIAH
In the same year, 520 B.C., and only two months
after Haggai, Zechariah gave utterance to the first of
the prophecies attributed to him. He also was interested
in the new temple, but he did not confine himself to that
project. Consequently, in the eight chapters of his
genuine prophecies — chaps. 9-14 of the book that bears
his name being by other and later authors — there is
considerable material for an estimate of his ethical
position. Indeed, of aU the later prophets he is the
'Ezra 6:15.

HAGGAI AND ZECHARIAH, AND THEIR TIMES 251
one whose teaching in this respect most nearly resembles
that of the great "former prophets," to whom he more
than once refers.'
This prophet confines himself entirely to social
ethics. He evidently beUeved that all necessary
instruction on the subject was contained in the "words"
and "statutes" that Yahweh had directed his servants
the prophets to deUver to his people." In Zech. 7:9 f.
he is specific with reference to the instruction thus given.
It required, first of all, "true justice," absolute and
invariable impartiaUty between man and man, without
which society is always in a state of unstable equilibrium.
It went farther and inculcated the principle that every
man show "kindness and compassion" toward his
neighbor, thus fusing the members of the community
together in spite of their individual interests. The
widow, the orphan, the sojourner, and the needy, he
says — -and the most casual reader of the earlier prophets
cannot but have noted the fact — were especiaUy com
mended to the sympathy of their more fortunate fellows.
Finally, he names a third requirement which, in its
searching character, reminds one of the last command
ment of the Decalogue, namely, "Let none of you
devise evil against his brother in his heart." This is
the Golden Rule, negatively stated, and, as such, the
fundamental demand of social moraUty. The three
requirements, in themselves considered, are a remark
able epitome of social ethics. They acquire additional
significance when one considers the setting in which
they are found. The people of Bethel, it appears, had
sent a delegation to Jerusalem to inquire of the priests
¦ 'Zech. 1:4; 7:7,12. "Zech. 1:6.

252 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
whether, now that the Exile was ended, they should
longer "weep in the fifth month,'" that is, observe the
fast commemorating the destruction of Jerusalem by the
Babylonians. The prophets, too, according to the
present text, were consulted. At any rate, Zechariah,
following the example of his predecessors, took occasion
from the incident to revive the teaching of Amos,
Isaiah, and Jeremiah on the relative value of ceremonial
observances. He makes Yahweh say distinctly that
the fasts observed during the Exile had no religious
value, being as selfishly personal as were the feasts at
which they gorged themselves." Then he introduces
his resum6 of the teaching of "the former prophets."'
It is clear that, with Micah, he intended to teach that
the observance of these precepts, as representing the
wiU of Yahweh, was true reUgion as well as genuine
moraUty." "Therefore," when the fathers persistently
neglected them, he says, "there came great wrath"
upon them "from Yahweh of Hosts."'
The quotations already made indicate clearly enough
Zechariah's general position. There are other passages
by which it is more closely defined. In the first place,
there is his vision of the flying roll.* In this vision the
prophet sees a roU passing through the air and carrying
a curse over the face of the whole land. He learns that
it is for the thief and the perjurer. Now, the prophet
cannot have intended to give the reader to understand
that there were only these two classes of offenders
against morality among his people. They are merely
representative ; but they would not have been specified,
' Zech. 7:2 f. 3 Zech. 7:9 f. 3 Zech. 7:12.
"Zech.7:5f. "Mic.6:8. ' See Zech. 5 : i 5.

HAGGAI AND ZECHARLVH, AND THEIR TIMES 253
if steaUng and false swearing had not been common in
the prophet's day. That the latter was prevalent is
further evident by the fact that in 8:17 he exhorts his
people to "love no false oath." The vision as a whole
signifies the banishment of offenses of every kind
against reUgion and moraUty from the restored Jewish
community.' There are two virtues that Zechariah emphasizes in
his eighth and last chapter. The whole chapter, by the
way, although it was doubtless written by Zechariah,
has a more subdued tone than the other seven. The
explanation of this fact is doubtless to be found in the
poUtical history of the times. Haggai, it will be remem
bered, closed his book with a very enthusiastic indorse
ment of Zerubbabel as the heir to the promises made
to David. It runs, "In that day, saith Yahweh of
Hosts, wiU I take thee, Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel,
and I will make thee as a signet; for I have chosen
thee, saith Yahweh." Zechariah at first followed
Haggai. In the vision of the lamp" he is one of
"the two anointed ones that stand by the Lord of the
whole earth." He is the Branch of 3:8 and 6:12 f.,
of whom the prophet says in the latter passage, as
originally written, "He shall build the temple of Yahweh;
and he shall receive majesty, and sit and rule on his
throne ; and there shall be a priest (Joshua) on his right
hand, and there shaU be peaceful counsel between
the two." Now, it is probable that, while Darius the
'The next vision, that of the woman named "Wickedness,'' at
first sight seems to contradict this interpretation; but there is no con
flict if, as is probably the case, wickedness there denotes idolatry.
"Zech. 4:16.

254 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
king of Persia was engaged in subduing the provinces
that revolted on the death of his predecessor Cambyses,
he gave little heed to the pretensions of the Jewish
prince, but that, when his hands were free, he in some
way checked the movement for independence. The
eighth chapter sounds as if its author had awoke as
from a dream, and seen that the mission of his people
could best be fulffiled, not under the leadership of a petty
prince of his own race, but under the protection of the
king of Persia. He therefore has nothing further to say
about Zerubbabel, but pictures a quiet and prosperity for
which there was no warrant except in dependence on the
dominant oriental power. The advice he has to offer
harmonizes with such an attitude. He insists, as did
"the former prophets," on the practice of justice; but he
characterizes the thing required as "peaceful justice,'"
a justice that leaves both parties without an excuse for
further contention, and repeats — ^how could he have
omitted it? — the injunction of 7:10, "Let none of you
devise evil in his heart against his neighbor."" The
rule forbidding the neglect of the unfortunate is omitted,
but it is practically involved in those already cited.
In its stead there are two on the subject of reUability.
In one of them Yahweh commands that every man
"speak truth with his neighbor." This seemed to
Zechariah of so great importance that he placed it first
in his Ust, adding at the end the related injunction,
already quoted, "Love no false oath." Now, it is
possible that the prophet, when he wrote these words, did
' Zech. 8:16. The original has "truth and peaceful justice," but the
first word is a gloss. For "peaceful" some read "perfect."
"Zech. 8:i6f.

HAGGAI AND ZECHARIAH, AND THEIR TIMES 255
not have any thought of the relation between Judah
and Persia ; but he must have known that the overthrow
of the Davidic djmasty was occasioned by the faithless
ness of Zedekiah,' and he would certainly have said
that the relation to Persia which the Jews were obUged
to accept when Zerubbabel was eliminated furnished a
case in point. When, therefore, he predicted that
Jerusalem would one day be famed as "The city of
truth,"" that is, the faithful city, he may well have
included in the virtues of its citizens loyalty to the
Great King.'
There is another touch that harmonizes with the
spirit of submission displayed in these last two chapters.
It has already been noted that the justice recommended
by Zechariah is described as "peaceful." The intro
duction of this modifier indicates only less clearly than
does the picture of the old men and women sitting in
the streets, with troops of boys and girls playing about
them," how highly the prophet valued the security that
the triumph of Darius brought to all parts of his immense
empire. It is not strange, therefore, that, in 8:19, his
final injunction is, "Love truth (faithfulness) and peace,"
that is. Be loyal to Yahweh and all your divinely
ordained relations, for the sake of peace and its attendant
prosperity. In view of what has been said it is not difficult
to imagine the attitude that Zechariah took with
reference to foreigners in general; yet some explanation
is necessary. This is due to the fact that, in his first
two visions, the prophet is deaUng, not with the future,
' Ezek. 17:11s. 3 Isa. 1:21, 26.
"Zech. 8:3. "Zech. 8:4 f.

256 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
but with the past, and borrowing from "the former
prophets." Thus in 1:15 he represents Yahweh as
"sorely displeased with the nations," because, when he
was only "a Uttle displeased" with his people, "they
helped forward the affliction." This is the idea of
Isa. 10:6 f. and 40:2. See also the "smiths" of 1:21.
In both of these passages it is Babylonia, and not Persia,
that is the offender, just as in 2 : 7 it is Babylonia from
which the Jews are summoned to escape. The prophet
feels the same resentment toward this power that those
before him expressed, and dooms to overthrow all the
nations that attempt to plunder his people; but he looks
for a time when the nations, having ceased from their
rapacity, will not only make pilgrimages and bring
offerings to Jerusalem, as Haggai predicted, but wiU
"join themselves to Yahweh" and be incorporated with
his people. The same thought is expressed in a different
way at the very close of Zechariah's book,' where he
predicts that the days will come when "ten men will
take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying. We
will go with you, for we have heard that God is with
you." The recognition of the brotherhood of mankind in
these two passages is all but complete, but, in the first,
as in Mic. 4: iff.," Jerusalem remains the reUgious
center of the world, and in the second the Jew retains
the pre-eminence.
'Zech.8:23. Isa. 2:23.

CHAPTER XXI
THE PRIESTLY NARRATIVE
The attitude of the Hebrews with reference to the
records of their past has already been considered. It
appeared in the Ephraimite narrative, which proved
to be a version of their history wnritten from a more
advanced ethical standpoint than the Judean, probably
with the idea of making it a more valuable means of
instruction in morals and reUgion. In like manner,
after the destruction of the kingdom of Israel, they
revamped the code of laws that had served them until
that time and adapted it to the new demand for the
centralization of the worship of Yahweh at Jerusalem.
There came a time when these later works also failed to
satisfy some, at least, of the Jews of the period, especially
the priests. It was among these last that there finally
originated a new and carefully pruned outUne of the
history from Creation to the Exodus, with a fuUer
account of the latter and the invasion of Canaan, into
which was wrought a mass of legislation consisting in
part of laws, more or less modified, from the earUer
codes, but more largely of new ones, that is, laws not
previously presented in such a historical setting, bearing
on the Hebrew cultus. This work, commonly called the
Priestly narrative (P), or the Priests' Code (PC), must
be studied in the Ught of its origin. It may contain
valuable information concerning the ethical develop
ment of the Hebrews for the period which it covers, but,
from the nature of the case, it will be of far more value
257

258 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
for the one in which it was compiled. It cannot be
regarded as, in the modern sense, a historical work,
since it is perfectly evident that the material at the
disposal of its author or authors has been handled with
the utmost freedom, much that was valuable having
been discarded because it did not suit the plan or the
views that had been adopted, and the rest arranged
without much regard to its actual origin in a chrono
logical framework that appears to be entirely artificial.
Nevertheless the work has ethical significance. Indeed,
one must admit that it reflects a development in some
respects more advanced than either of the other
narratives. The ethical character of this narrative appears in
its outUne of the earUest period; and first, in its omis
sions, such as the story of the sons of God,' and that of
the drunkenness of Noah," both of which were doubtless
expunged because they were regarded as immoral.
There are other similar indications. One of them is
found in the genealogy of Gen., chap. 5, in its original
form, as preserved in the Samaritan text, in which the
figures decrease with greater regularity than in the
Massoretic, and according to which, not one (Methu
selah), but three (Jered, Methuselah, and Lemech)
of the antediluvian patriarchs perished in the Deluge:
so that the gradual deterioration of the race and its
summary destruction is taught by these figures as well
as in the Priestly story of the Flood, where the only
offense mentioned is violence.'
The Priestly account of the patriarchal period, so
far as it has been preserved, is almost entirely without
'Gen. 6:1 S. "Gen. 9:203. 'Gen. 6:11, 13.

THE PRIESTLY NARRATIVE 259
positive ethical material. The incidents that give to
the Judean narrative its interest and importance, and
which, as modified by the Ephraimite narrator, furnish
a measure of the progress made from 850 to 750 B.C.,
are either entirely omitted or reduced to insignificance.
Thus, there is no reference to Abraham's (or Isaac's)
attempt to protect himseU at the risk of his wife's
honor, since to a late priest marriage to a half-sister
was more abominable than outright falsehood.' The
reason given for the separation between Abraham and
Lot is not that their herdsmen quarreled, but that
"the land was not able to bear them."" The Priestly
version of the story of Hagar ignores the trouble between
her and her mistress and represents Ishmael as growing
to manhood in his father's family on the best terms vrith
his half-brother.' The falsehood told by Sarah, when
the angel accused her of laughing, is suppressed, as
also the treachery by which Jacob robbed Esau of his
birthright and Laban of his property, and the quarrels
that resulted. Thus the patriarchs are stripped of their
individuality and become Uttle more than so many
names in a genealogy; but the suppression of these
distinctive incidents in itself shows that the author
condemned lying and cheating and that he had the
support of the decent people of his day in so doing.
On the other hand, when he wrote, there was no sen
timent against polygamy, concubinage, or slavery.
Consequently he does not attempt to conceal or excuse
the fact that, according to tradition, Jacob, as weU as
Esau, was a polygamist," and that Sarah, Leah, and
'Lev. 20:1; Deut. 27:22. 3Gen. 17:20; 25:9.
"Gen. 13:6. 1 Gen. 35:23s.; 26:34; 28:9.

26o THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
Rachel aU had slaves whom they gave to their respective
husbands as concubines.'
This is all that can be said to any purpose on the
patriarchal period, as outUned by the Priestly narrator.
When, however, one consults him on the period of the
Exodus, one is overwhelmed with the abundance of the
material he has to offer. Most of it is contained in the
so-called Law of HoUness, Lev., chaps. 17-26, where
many of the laws of the Ephraimite and Deuteronomic
codes are reproduced, sometimes without change, but
sometimes, also, with important modifications. This
Priestly legislation must now be examined and its
ethical significance duly considered.
When the legislation of the Priests' Code is compared
with the previous attempts to regulate the morals of
the Hebrews many differences present themselves.
The prohibition of intercourse with a woman during
menstruation, which appears first in Lev. 18:19 ^.nd
20:18, but must be older than 500 B.C., was doubtless
prompted in great measure by superstition, but the
effect would be to check unbridled sensuality."
There is no general restriction on the use of intoxi
cating drinks, but Lev. 10:9, foUowing Ezek. 44:21,
forbids the priests to partake of them when they go to
the tabernacle. Here, too, although the motive was a
mixed one, the law must have had some influence in
promoting general sobriety.
It was required of a priest that he be physically
sound. The law was, "No man of the seed of Aaron
the priest that hath a blemish shall come nigh to offer
' Gen. 16:3; 29:24, 29.
" See also Num. 25:63.

THE PRIESTLY NARRATIVE 261
the offerings of Yahweh made by fire.'" It is not
strange, therefore, that he was restricted in his choice
of a wife, being forbidden to marry either a "profane"
woman, that is, a devotee from one of the Canaanite
shrines, or one who had been divorced. The high
priest could marry only a virgin."
The stress laid upon conjugal loyalty is shown in
Num. 5:iiff., where a test pecuUar to this code is
ordained for cases in which a husband suspects his wife,
but can prove nothing against her. It bears some
resemblance to two laws on the same subject, §§ 131
and 132, in the Code of Hammurabi. Theyread: (§131)
"If the wife of a man, her husband has accused her,
and she has not been caught in lying with another
male, she shaU swear by God and shall return to her
husband." (§ 132) "If a wife of a man on account of
another male has had the finger pointed at her, and has
not been caught in lying with another male, for her
husband she shall plunge into the holy river." The
cruel injustice of the second paragraph is evident;
but it is no more cruel or unjust than the appUcation
of the test of the water of jealousy. If the woman
were innocent, she would suffer as keenly in her mind
as if she were guilty, and be quite as likely to have the
spasms suggested by the ceremony prescribed. This
would be the result until it was discovered that the
water had no real virtue, and then the use of it would
become a farce and anything but a hindrance to con
jugal infideUty. In fact, this test is said to have been
discontinued toward the end of the first Christian century
"because there were too many adulterers." Still, the
'Lev. 21:21. "Lev. 21:7, 13 f.

262 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
law must be regarded as a well-meant, if futile, protest
against a great evil.
The law against marriage with near relatives' has
already been cited. It is interesting, in the first place,
as above suggested, as an indication of ethical develop
ment among the Hebrews. The Ephraimite narrator,
in his version of Abraham's attempt to protect himself
by conceaUng his relation to Sarah, makes him excuse
himself by saying that she was his half-sister. When,
however, the Priests' Code was compiled, marriage
between near relatives was considered incestuous.
Hence it was necessary to omit this story. This law
also illustrates the academic character of much of the
later legislation. It enumerates, expressly or by
inference, no fewer than seventeen forms of incest.
There is one notable omission: a man is not forbidden
to marry his own daughter. Benzinger thinks this
must originaUy have been prohibited, but perhaps,
owing to the fact that among the Hebrews, as among
other oriental peoples, daughters had pecuniary value,
there was Uttie or no danger that this form of incest
would become prevalent. A less important oversight
is that of the case of the mother's brother's wife, although
the father's brother's wife is expressly mentioned."
It should be noted that marriage with a niece or a
cousin is not forbidden, also that a Jew might marry
his deceased wife's sister.' On the other hand, when
the Priests' Code was compiled, the opposition to
levirate marriage, which appears in the Book of Ruth,"
had become so strong that it was thought best to aboUsh
¦Lev. 18:6-18. 3Lev. 18:18.
"Lev. 18:14. "Ruth 4:6.

THE PRIESTLY NARRATIVE 263
this ancient custom.' In harmony with this innovation
provision was made by which, in case a man died without
male issue, his daughter or daughters, if he had one or
more, might inherit." It was stipulated, however, that
these female heirs must marry within their own tribe
to prevent the transfer of land from one tribe to another.
One of the most important changes introduced by
the Priests' Code concerns slaves. Both of the earUer
codes required that a Hebrew slave be released after six
years of service. The Priestly writer, on the other
hand, who is careful to prescribe that the bondman be
humanely treated, aUows him to be held until the year
of jubUee, that is, in extreme cases, practically for Ufe.
At first sight, this seems retrogressive, but it is not
entirely so; since the effect of such a law would naturally
be to put an end to the enslavement of Hebrews for
debt, and this is evidently its intent, the idea being
that only aUens should be bought and sold and serve
without wages in the community.' It should be added
that slaves of the latter class were treated as members of
the family, being permitted, if circumcised, to partake
of the passover, and, when their masters were priests,
of the holy things of the sanctuary."
The treatment of cases involving damages in the
Priests' Code is peculiar. It appears in Lev. 19:20-22,
where the penalty to be laid upon a man for lying with
another's concubine is left indefinite, but the offender is
required to "bring his trespass offering to Yahweh, ....
even a ram for a trespass offering." A number of other
cases of a similar kind are enumerated in Lev. 6:2-7,
'Lev. 18:16; 20:21. 3Lev. 35:45f.
'Num. 27:8; 36:6. "Exod. 12:44; Lev. 22:11.

264 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
where it is provided, not only that the injury done be
made good, and a ram be brought for a trespass offering,
but that the guilty party pay a fine of "the fifth part"
of the value of the thing or things with reference to
which loss or damage has been infficted. The size of
the fine, as compared with that imposed for theft in
the Ephraimite Code — two for one in the case of animals
found alive in the possession of the thief, and four or five
for one in that of a sheep or an ox killed or sold' — is
noticeable; but it should also be noted that, in some
cases, the fine as well as the flesh of the ram offered
went to the priests."
The prophet Zechariah laid down the principle,
"Let none of you devise evil in his heart against his
neighbor."' If this principle were followed, the most
serious ills from which society suffers would of course,
be prevented. This principle, however, has never been
generally adopted. It is therefore necessary for those
who have the good wiU to ask themselves what should
be their attitude toward those of a contrary disposition.
The earUer Hebrews were inclined to meet injury with
resentment, and, when they were strong enough so to
do, with retaUation. The discourses of the prophets
are sometimes marred by passages that betray the
cruelest hatred. Some of them, Uke Ezek. 25:12-14,
are directed against surrounding nations, who had
attacked or opposed the Chosen People, others, Uke
Jer. 20: n f., against the writer's own personal enemies.
The author of Lev. i9:i7f. saw the danger in this
spirit, and urged its avoidance. First comes the
' Exod. 22:1, 4. 3 Zech. 8:17.
"Lev. 5:14-16; II Kings 12:17.

THE PRIESTLY NARRATIVE 265
prohibition, "Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy
heart." The terms used give no clue to the circum
stances under which they were chosen. The next
clause, however, is "Thou shalt surely rebuke thy
neighbor"; which indicates that, when the author
forbids hatred, he refers to the resentment kindled by
injurious treatment. This becomes still clearer in
vs. 18, where he adds, "Thou shalt not take vengeance
or bear any grudge against the children of thy people."
Finally, he lays down the positive precept, "Thou shalt
love thy neighbor as thyself," in which he anticipates
the teaching of Jesus, where he says, "Ye have heard
that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor,
and hate thine enemy, but I say to you, Love your
enemies and pray for them that persecute you"'; and
this is the supreme test of the good will which is the
fundamental principle of moraUty.
In the Ephraimite Code the Hebrew is forbidden
to treat another, who has borrowed money of him, as
a debtor was usuaUy treated," and in Deuteronomy
one is forbidden to take discount on money or produce,
that is, to withhold a certain part or percentage of the
amount borrowed for the use of the remainder. In
Lev. 25:36f. both discount and interest proper are
prohibited as unworthy of the people of Yahweh.
The Priests' Code forbids any charge on loans, but
it does not indorse the Deuteronomic provision for the
release of Hebrew debtors once in seven years. It has,
however, in the year of jubilee, an institution that to
some extent serves the same purpose. The law with
' Matt. 5 : 43 f . 3 Deut. 23 : 19.
" Exod. 22:25.

266 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
reference to it provides that land which a man for any
reason is obUged to sell shall not be totally aUenated,'
but practically leased, and that, when the year of
jubilee arrives, if it is not sooner redeemed, it shall
revert to its original owner." So, also, houses in open
viUages,' and those of the Levites in cities of refuge."
The theory underljdng this law is, that the land belongs
to Yahweh,' which, being interpreted in terms of modern
usage, would mean that it is the property of the tribe or
the community. It is clear that the effect of this law,
which, so far as can be learned, was never actually put into
operation, would have been to prevent one of the most
serious evils with which governments in aU ages have had
to deal, the development of a permanent proletariat.
The law with reference to inheritance in Num.
27:6-11, to which attention has already been caUed,
was distinctly favorable to women, but that concern
ing vows emphasized their dependence either on their
fathers or their husbands. The latter was based on the
idea that the daughter was the property of her father
and the wife the property of her husband, and that
neither of them had a right to enter into any engage
ment affecting herseU, or anything else belonging to her
natural protector, against his wishes.
All the codes condemn false oaths, but the Priests' is
the only one that expressly forbids lying and deception.*
Note, also, that in Exod. 6:11 (P) Yahweh directs
Moses straightforwardly to demand that Pharaoh
"let the children of Israel go out of his land."'
'Lev. 25:13-17. " Lev. 25 : 24-28. sLev. 25:31.
"Lev.25:32f. In vs. 33 read "redeem not.'' 'Lev. 25:23.
«Lev. 19:11b. 'Cf. Exod. 3:18; 5:3 (J).

THE PRIESTLY NARRATIVE 267
All the codes also inculcate respect for parents, but
this last goes beyond the others in requiring reverence
for the aged.' It is pecuUar, also, in that it forbids the
indignities that thoughtless persons, especially children,
are apt to inffict upon the unfortunate. An example
in point is that of the boys who annoyed EUsha as he
went up from Jericho." The offenses here mentioned
are cursing the deaf and putting stumbling-blocks in
the way of the bUnd.'
The attitude of this code toward sojourners and
foreigners assorts with the circumstances under which
it was compiled. These classes are not only protected
by it from wrong and violence, but commended to the
positive kindness of the Hebrew community. "The
stranger that sojourneth with you," it says, "shall be
to you as the home-born among you, and thou shalt
love him as thyself."" If he is needy, it gives him
the same claim upon the charity of his neighbors as the
native Hebrew, and if he at any time wishes to enjoy
fuU reUgious privileges, he has only to submit to cir
cumcision, when he becomes to all intents and purposes
a Hebrew. Intermarriage with these proselytes would, of
course, he permitted. Indeed, there is no express
prohibition in this code to prevent Jews from taking as
wives or husbands foreigners not resident among them.
This being the case, it seems strange that Ezra, who,
according to Neh., chap. 8, was chiefly instrumental
in procuring the adoption of the Priests' Code, and
Nehemiah, his co-worker, should be represented as
'Lev. 19:32. 3Lev. 19:14.
" II Kings 2 : 23 S. "Lev. 19:34.

268 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
uncompromisingly opposed to such marriages. The
discrepancy can be removed by supposing, as many
do, that the law promulgated by Ezra and Nehemiah
in 444 B.C. was not the Priests' Code alone, but the
Pentateuch in substantiaUy its present form, includ
ing Deuteronomy, in which marriages with Canaanites
are distinctly prohibited, and to which Ezra 9:11 f.
has evident reference.'
The Priests' Code, or rather, the Law of HoUness,
marks a new stage in the development of ethics among
the Hebrews. There had, for a long time, been an open
breach between the priests and the prophets, the former
naturally laying stress upon ceremonial observances,
while the latter insisted that Yahweh required, first
of all, exclusive devotion to himself, and next, habitual
acquiescence in the demands of the ideal human Ufe.
The overthrow, one after the other, of both Hebrew
kingdoms taught the survivors to acknowledge the
importance of the ethical in reUgion. The priests them
selves admitted it, but they could not sacrifice the
reUgious observances that they had inherited from the
past. The Law of HoUness is an attempt to combine
the ethical with the ceremonial in reUgion, doing justice
to both elements. Yahweh is holy, and he requires
that man also, in his sphere, be holy. What this
means appears from the various passages in which
the requirement is reiterated. According to Lev.
19:2 ff. it forbids marriages between near relatives;
according to 20 : 2-6, the sacrifice of children to Moloch,
or the patronage of aUen diviners; and, according to
20:25 f., the neglect of the distinction between clean
'Deut. 7:1,3; 11:8; 23:7.

THE PRIESTLY NARRATIVE 269
and unclean animals. The first of these passages
represents the precepts among which, as has been shown,
are some of the most lofty to be found in the Old Testa
ment. Indeed, when Jesus, on being asked which was
the first of the commandments, cited Deut. 6:4 f., he
immediately added that the second was the compre
hensive moral precept in Lev. 19:18b, "Thou shalt
love thy neighbor as thyself.'" Jesus, however, would
not have indorsed the Law of HoUness as a whole, in
spite of the excellence of its moraUty; nor would any of
the great prophets, because the priests, who, in Jer.
33:i4ff., attached to a messianic passage a prediction
of the perpetuity of their order, in this case placed the
externals of reUgion on an equality with moraUty, thus
producing a system, later supplemented by the new
requirements of the completed Priests' Code, which,
as Peter said, proved "a yoke" that the Jews were
never "able to bear.""
'Mark 12:28 s. "Acts 15:10.

CHAPTER XXII
THE PROPHECIES OF ISAIAH CHAPS. 56-66, AND
RELATEDI PASSAGES IN ISAIAH AND
OTHER PROPHETICAL BOOKS
The righteousness of Yahweh is as prominent in
these as in the preceding sixteen chapters. In Isa. 61 : 8
he declares that he loves justice. The term, however,
here as in chaps. 40-55, generaUy has reference to the
intervention of Yahweh in behalf of his people. Thus,
in 56:1 he announces, that his "salvation is near to
come," and his "righteousness to be revealed." It
did not come as soon as the more hopeful expected.
Indeed, it was so long delayed that one could say,
"Justice is far from us, neither doth righteousness
overtake us";' "We look for justice, but there is
none, for salvation, but it is far from us";" and "Justice
is turned away backward, and righteousness standeth
afar off."' The author of these passages, however,
did not lose hope. He sees Yahweh preparing to come
with retribution. "Yahweh saw it," he says, "and
it displeased him that there was no justice; ....
therefore his own arm brought salvation to them, and
his righteousness upheld him. And he put on righteous
ness as a breastplate, and a hehnet of salvation upon
his head; and he put on garments of vengeance, and
was clad with zeal as with a mantle."" When his
retributive work is ended those "that mourn in Zion"
'Isa. 59:9. 3 Isa. 59:14.
"Isa. 59:11. " Isa. 59:i5b-i7; cf. 66:16.
270

ISA., CHAPS. 56-66, AND RELATED PROPHECIES 271
will be called "trees of righteousness," in whom he will
be glorified.' They will be clothed with "the garments
of salvation," and covered with "the robe of righteous
ness." "So will the Lord Yahweh cause righteousness
and praise to spring forth before all nations."" In
62:11 there is another prediction of the approach of
the great day, and in 63 : i ff . a still more vivid vision
of the appearance of Yahweh, who speaks "in righteous
ness, mighty to save."
In all this there is nothing new; but one has only
to read these chapters as a whole to find that the
righteousness of Yahweh here has a different back
ground from that of chaps. 40-55. In chaps. 40-55
the Jews are in exile, and, because they have suffered
enough and more than enough, Yahweh in his righteous
ness purposes to punish those who have overdone the
task of chastising them and restore the sufferers to
their heritage. Here the case is different. The scene
is laid in Jerusalem. The good that the people desire
is therefore, not deUverance from bondage, but the
restoration of prosperity. The prophet, however, tells
them in the very first verse that they can claim this
blessing only on condition that they "keep justice"
and "work righteousness."' In chap. 59 he declares
that the delay in the return of prosperity is due to their
failure to fulfil this condition. He says of them, "The
way of peace they know not, and there is no justice in
their goings";" and further, "Truth is faUen in the
street, and righteousness cannot enter."' Meanwhile
"the righteous perisheth";* that is, some who are
'Isa. 61:3. 3 Isa. 56:1. 3 Vs. 14.
"Isa. 6i:iof. " Vs. 9. 'Isa. 57:1.

272 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
really worthy of the divine favor have to suffer with
their unworthy fellows. The latter affect surprise that
they should not be recognized as righteous. Thereupon
the prophet holds the mirror of the moral law up to
them and their Uves. In the first place, according to
57:3 ff., some of them have been guilty of disloyalty
to Yahweh in pajdng homage to other gods. This
sort of "righteousness," he tells them,' cannot profit.
There is another kind in which many are inclined to
boast, but in which Yahweh takes no deUght. It is
the righteousness of those that seek God daily in the
service of the temple and ask "righteous judgments,"
that is, go to the priests, as did the people of Bethel,"
or to the Law in search of knowledge concerning
reUgious observances. Being so zealous, they consider
themselves a people characterized by righteousness, and
wonder that Yahweh takes no knowledge of them.'
The prophet answers their complaint substantially as
did Zechariah the question of the BetheUtes." The
passage puts the relative value of the ceremonial and
the ethical in reUgion so clearly and strongly that it
deserves to be quoted almost entire: "Behold," it
makes Yahweh say, "ye fast for strife and contention,
and to smite with the fist of wickedness  Is
such the fast that I have chosen ? a day for a man to
afiUct his soul? .... Wilt thou caU this a fast, and
a day acceptable to Yahweh ? Is not this the fast that
I have chosen, to loose the bonds of wickedness, to
undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed
go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to
' Isa. 57:12. 3 Isa. 58:2 f.
"Zech. 7:15. "Isa. 58:43.

ISA., CHAPS. 56-66, AND RELATED PROPHECIES 273
deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the
poor that are cast out to thy house ? when thou seest
the naked that thou cover him, and that thou hide
not thyself from thine own flesh?" When they learn
to observe this form of seU-denial, the prophet assures
them, their righteousness wiU go before them and the
glory of Yahweh will be their rearward. He looks
forward to the time when tyrants and oppressors wUl
become patrons of righteousness,' and aU the people
foUow their direction." Having thus shown his people
their real condition in the eyes of Yahweh, it is natural
that, in the prayer in which he voices their longings,'
the prophet should entreat Yahweh to "meet those
who work righteousness,"" yet confess that such
righteousness as they have is "as a poUuted garment."'
The justice, or righteousness, required by Yahweh,
which in 59:i4f. is called truth, or loyalty, according
to the author, or authors, of these chapters, forbids aU
abusive speech and oppressive action and requires all
forms of charity.* He, or they, would doubtless have
said that it excluded anything else that is elsewhere
condemned like intemperance,' covetousness,* and false
hood,' and included everything that is approved,
as, for example, humiUty.'" It would not, however,
apparently, have been thought inconsistent with intense
satisfaction in the prospect of seeing those who were
accounted enemies or persecutors overtaken by the
'Isa. 60:17. 3 Isa. 63:15 — 64:12. 3 Isa. 64:6.
"Isa. 60:21. "Isa. 64:5.
'Isa. 58:6 f., 9 f.; see also 57:1; 59:3,6,13; 60:18; 61:1,8.
'Isa. 56:12. 9 Isa. 59:31., 13.
'Isa. 56:11; 57:17. "Isa. 57:15; 61:1; 66:2.

274 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
most speedy and violent destruction.' Some of these
are foreigners, but they are not condemned on that
account. Indeed, these chapters are more favorable
to foreigners than almost any other part of the Old
Testament. Thus, in 56:3 the foreigner is assured that
there is no reason why he should say to himself, " Yahweh
wiU entirely separate me from his people," and in vs. 8
the promise there impUed is put into more positive
and definite language. These foreigners, however,
must "join themselves to Yahweh," become proselytes
to the Jewish reUgion; "serve" him," worship him as
they have opportunity and observe his commandments;
and "love the name of Yahweh," openly profess devotion
to him. There are two special requirements: observance
of the Sabbath and loyalty to the covenant of Yahweh.
"Them," says Yahweh, "wiU I bring to my holy moun
tain," the site of the temple, "and grant them to
rejoice in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings
and their sacrifices wiU be accepted on my altar."
Then follows the general announcement and invitation,
"My house shall be called a house of prayer for all
nations." In the passages thus far cited foreigners are recog
nized as equals entitled to the same regard and the same
privileges as Hebrews. It seems, however, to have
been difficult for the author, or authors, of these chapters
to maintain this liberal attitude. At any rate, in some
places foreigners take an inferior relation. Thus, in
60: 10 ff., they come from aU directions, bringing "their
silver and their gold with them." They buUd up the
'Isa. 57:20; 59:18; 63:16.; 65:iiL; 66:156., 24.
" English, "minister to."

ISA., CHAPS. 56-66, AND RELATED PROPHECIES 275
waUs of Zion, whose gates remain "open continually,"
"that men may bring .... the wealth of the nations
and their kings led captive." Those that have hitherto
afflicted her wiU "come bending" to her, and those
that have despised her will "bow themselves down at
the soles of her feet." The climax is reached in 61 : 5 f.,
where the prophet predicts that "stringers shall stand
and feed" the flocks of the Jews, and foreigners be
their "plowmen and vinedressers." "But ye," he
says, "shaU be named the priests of Yahweh; men shall
caU you the ministers of our God : ye shall eat the wealth
of the nations, and in their riches shall ye glory."
NaturaUy, "that nation and that kingdom that wiU
not serve" the Chosen People must "perish."' The
first verses of chap. 63 give a vivid apocalyptic picture
of the destruction of these rebelUous gentiles, "Edom,"
if this is the correct reading," representing the hostile
foreign world.' The national pride of the Jews is here
strongly in evidence; but the discrepancy between
these passages and 56:6-8 is not greater than that
between 49:22f. and the passages that deal with the
Servant in chaps. 40-55. It must also be remembered
that at the time when chaps. 56-66 were written there
were doubtiess some who would not have admitted
foreigners even to a subordinate place among them.
It remains to caU attention to another indication
of UberaUty in the author, or authors, of these chapters.
In Deut. 23:1, it will be remembered, the eunuch is
'Isa. 60:12.
" Lagarde and others render vs. 1, "Who is this that cometh all red,
with garments redder than the vintner's?"
3 Ezek. 38 f.; Zech. 14:1 6.

276 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
denied admission to the assembly of Yahweh.' In
Isa. 56:3-5 there is a special message for this class.
The eunuch is not to think of himseU as "a dry tree,"
which, in most cases, he was in a physical sense, since
Yahweh wiU give him in his (Yahweh's) house "a
memorial and a name better than" the possession of
any number of "sons and daughters," the only con
ditions being those imposed upon other worshipers,
observance of the Sabbath, obedience to the wiU of
Yahweh, and loyalty to his covenant. This concession
may not have been prompted by unmixed charity,
since some of the eunuchs with whom the author was
acquainted must have been men of wealth and influence.
The righteousness of Yahweh is among the doctrines
taught in the briefer additions made to the prophetical
books in the course of their history. Thus, in Isa. 30: 18
he is in so many words declared to be "a God of justice."
In Isa. 3 : 10 f . the righteousness of his government is
put into the form of a proverb :
Blessed is the righteous, for it shall be well with him;
For the fruit of his deeds shall he eat.
Woe to the godless! it shall be iU with him;
For what his hands have wrought shall be repaid him."
The pious Jew took refuge in this doctrine when hard
pressed by circumstances. Thus, in Mic. 7:9, an
unknown glossator, who evidently spoke for his people
as weU as himself, says: "I will bear the indignation
of Yahweh, because I have sinned against him; until
he plead my cause, and execute judgment for me.
He will bring me forth to the Ught, I shaU behold his
' See also Lev. 21 : 20. " Similarly Isa. 26:71.

ISA., CHAPS. 56-66, AND RELATED PROPHECIES 277
righteousness." In this passage there is a hint of the
pedagogic value of affliction. This idea is more clearly
brought out in two or three others. Thus, in Isa. 26:9
it is put into the proverbial form, "When thy judgments
are in the earth the inhabitants of the world learn
righteousness." In Isa. 19:22 an example is given,
"Yahweh wUl smite Egypt, smiting and heaUng."
In Jer. 30:11, one of the passages by the addition of
which later readers sought to mitigate the sternness
of the prophet's denunciations, Yahweh is made to say,
"I wUl not make a full end of thee; but I will correct
thee in justice, and not leave thee wholly unpunished."
The moral sovereignty of Yahweh, as the later
Jews conceived it, is most frequently presented in
apocalyptic predictions of the deliverance of the remnant
of Israel by the overthrow and subjugation of the gentile
world. For example, in Isa. io:22f. one reads of a
destruction "determined, overflowing with righteous
ness," which "Yahweh wiU make in the midst of
aU the earth." In like manner it is predicted in Isa.
29:17 ff. that "the terrible one" wUl be "brought to
nought," and "the scoffer" cease, and "aU they that
watch for iniquity" be cut off.' The apocal3^tic idea
is more fuUy developed in Isa., chaps. 24-27. The
author of these chapters begins with a description of
the desolation wrought in the earth by Yahweh, who
"maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and
scattereth its inhabitants,"" "because they have trans
gressed the laws, violated the statutes, broken the
everlasting covenant."' In all this there is "glory to
' See also Jer. 30: 23 f.; Mic. 5:15.
"Isa. 24:1. 3 Isa. 24:5.

278 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
the righteous,'" but punishment for "the host of the
high ones on high, and the kings of the earth on the
earth."" In Isa., chaps. 34 f. there is an even more
terrible picture of the "day of vengeance," the "year of
recompense for the cause of Zion, "' in prospect of which
God's people are exhorted to "be strong, fear not."
"Behold," says the prophet, "your God wiU come with
vengeance, wdth the recompense of God; he will come
to save you."" In Jer., chap. 10, Yahweh, who is
caUed "King of the nations,"' is entreated to "pour
out his wrath upon the nations" that know him not,
"because they have devoured Jacob, and consumed
him, and laid waste his habitation."
The later chapters of Zechariah contain vivid
descriptions of the intervention of Yahweh in behalf
of his people. Thus, 9: 14 f. assures them that Yahweh
"wdU appear above them, and his arrow go forth Uke
lightning," as he comes wdth resounding triumph "in
the tempests of the South" to protect them; and 12:4
that he "will smite every horse with terror, and its
rider with madness"; whUe 14:12-15 describes with
horrible detail the plague by which he will punish
"aU the peoples that have served against Jerusalem."
These apocalyptic pieces remind one of the later
Deuteronomic Uterature. There is the same narrow
ness and the same tenderness in certain directions,
with the most implacable hostiUty toward all outside
given Umits. What could be more comforting and
inspiring than Isa. 35:8-10? Yet the author is pre
sumably the same who, in chap. 34, describes the havoc
'Isa. 24:6. 3 Isa. 34:8. 3 Jer. 10:7.
" Isa. 24:21. " Isa. 35:4.

ISA., CHAPS. 56-66, AND RELATED PROPHECIES 279
made by the divine wrath with a gusto that is revolting.
Of the offending nations he says, vs. 3, "Their slain,
also, shall be cast out, and the stench of their corpses
shall arise, and the mountains shall flow with their
blood." He is particularly severe on Edom, of which
he predicts, vss. 9 f., that "the streams thereof shall be
turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone;
and the land thereof shaU become pitch, burning day
and night; it shaU not be quenched for ever; the smoke
thereof shall go up from generation to generation:
it shaU Ue waste for ever; none shall pass through it."
These are only samples of the horrors depicted. They
can only have been invented and described by someone
so bigoted that he had become blind to moral distinc
tions, or so isolated in his experience that he did not
know the meaning of his own language.
The ethical as well as the religious standpoint in
these prophecies is naturaUy the law of Yahweh. Thus,
as already noted, the earth is cursed because its inhabit
ants "have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes,
broken the everlasting covenant." The ideal condition
for the Holy Land and its people, therefore, is one in
which "the deaf shaU hear the words of the book, and
the eyes of the blind shall see without obscurity and
without darkness,'" or better, when the "Teacher will
not be hidden any more," but the eyes of his people
wiU see him, and their ears "hear a voice behind them,
saying. This is the way, walk ye in it," if they are in
danger of going astray."
In the good time coming the greatest of the virtues
will be justice based on the diAdne law. It is one of the
'Isa. 29:18. "Isa. 30:20!.

28o THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
three by which the Ideal King will be characterized,
for his throne is to be "established in kindness," and
he is to "sit thereon in truth (faithfulness) in the tent
of David, judging and seeking justice, and swift to
work righteousness." See Isa. 16:5; also 32:1. "Then
justice shall dwell in the desert, and righteousness in the
fruitful field; and the result of righteousness shall be
peace, and the effect of righteousness quiet and con
fidence for ever.'"
The capital will, naturally, be prominent, for
"Yahweh will fill Zion with justice and righteousness,""
so that it wiU again, and justly, be caUed a "habitation
of righteousness."' The citizen of the new Jerusalem
will, in his measure, represent the righteousness of the
city. He is described in Isa. 33 : 15 as "he that walketh
righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth
the gain of oppression, that shaketh his hand from
taking a tribe, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of
blood, and shutteth his eyes from looking upon evil."
Here, perhaps, belongs Hos. 12:6, where justice is one
of the conditions of the divine favor.
In one of the passages just cited, Isa. 33:15, there
is impUed condemnation of a class of persons who do
the things that they ought to despise and eschew, and
in 32:6 ff. the author names two classes, fools and
knaves, from whom nothing but evil can be expected;
but there is in these pieces little of the criticism of
Jewish morals that abounds in the genuine portions of
the books to which they have been added. Indeed, the
tendency is to idealize Israel, as in Isa. 26: 2, where they
' Isa. 32:16 !.; Zech. 9:9!. 3 Jer. 31:23.
"Isa. 33:5.

ISA., CHAPS. 56-66, AND RELATED PROPHECIES 281
are described as "the righteous nation that keepeth
faith," and in 26:7 whence it appears that they are
individually just and upright. The unrighteous, as
compared with them, are, of course, the foreign peoples
that have oppressed them.
The second of the cardinal virtues recommended by
the prophetic pieces now under consideration is kind
ness. It, also, is one of the characteristics of the Ideal
King of Isa. 16:5.' The fool, or knave, of Isa. 32:5 is
condemned for lack of kindness to the hungry and
thirsty, that is, to the unfortunate of aU classes.
FinaUy, the ethics of these pieces requires truth,
both in the sense of adherence to fact and reality and
in that of fideUty to obUgation. In Isa. 33: 15 the man
who passes the test of "everlasting burnings" must
speak uprightly. The coming king will sit on his
throne "in truth," that is, display in his administration
perfect loyalty to the law of God, in accordance with
which it is his duty to govern; and his people will
be known and honored as the "nation that knoweth
truth." Cf. Isa. 24:16 and 33:1, where the foreign
oppressor is accused of treachery.
In the preceding survey it has not been possible
to discuss the ideas of the Hebrews concerning their
relations with one another without reference to their
attitude toward foreigners. That attitude, so far as
it has shown itself, seems to have been consistently
hostile. There are other passages that strengthen this
impression, especially the repeated denunciations of
Edom in Amos i:nf.; Isa. 11:14; 34:sff- (to parts
of which references have already been made); Jer.
' See also Hos. 12:6.

282 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
49 : 7 ff . The other peoples against which more or less
unfriendly oracles have been inserted into older col
lections are Sidon,' Egypt," Moab,' Ammon," Damascus,'
Kedar,* and Elam.'
Over against these hostile passages must be placed
a series similar to some that were found in Isa., chaps.
40-66. The first to be cited is Isa. 2:2-4, 01 the more
complete version of the prophecy in Mic. 4:1-4. Here
Jerusalem is the universal shrine, to which the nations
gladly repair, that they may learn of Yahweh and obey
his precepts. He thus becomes an arbiter among them,
and, since they can trust him to do them all justice,
they beat their arms into implements of husbandry
and "learn war no more."* In Isa. 19:18 ff. there is a
remarkable departure from the teaching of Mic. 4:1 ff.;
for this passage, instead of requiring all nations to
recognize Jerusalem as their reUgious capital, authorizes
the erection of "an altar to Yahweh in the midst of the
land of Egypt,"' not only for the convenience of the
Jews there settied, but as a place of worship and sacrifice
for the Eg3^tians.'° This temple, however, was not to
interfere with the divine purpose to bring about the
union of the nations. The author foresaw a time when
Yahweh could say, "Blessed be Egypt, my people, and
Assyria, the work of my hands, and Israel, my inherit
ance."" The extreme of UberaUty seems to have been
reached in a passage attached to the oracle on Sidon
'Tyre, Isa. 23. " Jer. 49 : 1-6. 'Jer. 49:28-33.
" Jer., chap. 46. s Jer. 49 : 23-27. ' Jer. 49 : 34-39.
3 Jer., chap. 48.
* See also Isa. 18:7; Jer.3:i7; Mic.5:io-i4; Zech.9:7; 14:166.
'Isa. 19:19. '"Isa. 19:21. "Isa. 19:25.

ISA., CHAPS. 56-66, AND RELATED PROPHECIES 283
(Tyre) in 23:15-18. Here Tyre is promised a restora
tion after seventy years, with permission again to "play
the harlot with all the kingdoms of the world," but her
"hire" is to be dedicated to Yahweh, that his priests
may "eat sufficientiy" and wear "elegant clothing."
These words cannot, of course, be taken in their most
obvious sense, but harlotry must here be interpreted
as a figure for commerce and the whole as a prediction
that Tyre will one day contribute, and liberally, to the
maintenance of the temple at Jerusalem and the priestiy
nation ordained to serve at that sanctuary.

CHAPTER XXIII
THE PROPHECIES OF OBADIAH AND MALACHI
These two books were written about the same time,
between 475 and 450 B.C., but there is little similarity
between them. I. OBADIAH
The brief prophecy of Obadiah has for its subject
punishment of the Edomites for their conduct when
Jerusalem was captured and the Jews carried into
captivity by the Babylonians. At that time the
Edomites not only rejoiced over the misfortunes of their
neighbors, but, according to vss. 10 and 13 f., actually
added to them by looting the city and putting to death
those who had escaped from it. These unneighborly
acts were long remembered by the Jews, and always with
the bitterest resentment.' Obadiah finds in a similar
calamity that has overtaken Edom, or is impending,
a penalty for its former ruthlessness. "As thou hast
done," he says, "it shall be done unto thee; thy recom
pense shall return upon thy head."" This would, no
doubt, be but justice under ordinary circumstances; but,
in judging the Edomites, one must take into account the
suffering that they endured in earUer times from the
hands of the Hebrews.'
¦Amos 1:116.; Isa. 34:56.; Jer. 49:76.; Ezek. 35:13.; Mic.
1:2s. " Vs. 15b.
3II Sam. 8:14; I Kings 22:47; II Kings 8:21.
284

PROPHECIES OF OBADIAH AND MALACHI 285
2. MALACHI
When the books of Obadiah and Malachi were
written the temple had long been rebuilt and the wor
ship of Yahweh therein restored, but the moral and
religious condition of the Jews was far from satisfactory.
The requirements of morality were widely disregarded,
and many good people were in danger of losing their
faith in the righteousness of the divine government.
They said openly: "Every one that doeth evil is good
in the sight of Yahweh, and he deUghteth in them" —
that is, it seems to make no difference whether one does
good or evil; "where, then, is the God of justice?'"
The same complaint is put into other words in Mai.
3:i4f., where those who fear Yahweh are represented
as saying: "It is vain to serve God; and what profit is
it that we have walked mournfully before Yahweh of
Hosts? And now we caU the proud happy; yea, they
that work wickedness have been prospered, they have
even tempted God and escaped." The prophet does
not share this skepticism. Whatever others may say,
he knows that Yahweh takes note of the ways of men,
and keeps "a book of remembrance,"" and that, when
the day comes for him to claim his own, he will see that
no one fails to "discern between the righteous and the
wicked, between him that serveth God and him that
serveth him not."' To those that fear his name "shall
the sun of righteousness arise with heaUng in its wings.""
Meanwhile they are exhorted to "remember the law of
Moses," and observe its "statutes and ordinances";'
this law, as can easily be shown, being that of Deuter-
1 Mai. 2:17. 3 Mai. 3:18. 3 Mai. 4:4.
"Mai. 3:16. "Mai. 4:2.

286 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
onomy, although the teaching of the prophet himself is
not always in harmony with it.
There is, for example, a noticeable discrepancy
between the law and this prophet on the subject of
marriage. They both, of course, condemn adultery
without reservation; but they differ with reference to
divorce. In Deuteronomy, it wUl be remembered, a
man is permitted to put away his wife "if she find no
favor in his eyes, because he hath found some unseemly
thing in her," provided he gives her "a bUl of divorce
ment.'" It seems to have been a common practice,
when the Book of Malachi was written, for men to
take advantage of this law, and dismiss their wives
when they became old and no longer attractive. The
prophet protests against this practice, warning his
people lest any "deal treacherously against the wife
of his youth," because Yahweh hates "putting away.""
There is a new note in this passage. In the references
to marriage it has thus far been viewed as a commercial
transaction. The husband bought his wife of her father
and she became his property, to keep or discard, as he
was moved by passion or interest. Here marriage
suddenly becomes a covenant, with Yahweh himself
as a witness, and divorce the violation of a covenant
with an equal, even a "companion" from youth. This
is a great step, reaUy anticipating the verdict of Jesus
when he was approached on the subject, "What God
hath joined let not man put asunder."'
In the field of social ethics the author of this book
had to face some of the evils that had been condemned
by the earUer prophets. In Mai. 3:5 he enumerates
'Deut. 24:1s. "Mai. 2:i5L 3Matt. 19:6.

PROPHECIES OF OBADIAH AND MALACHI 287
the most flagrant offenses of his time. Besides sorcery
and adultery there are false swearing and the oppression
of the unfortunate, the hireUng, the widow, and the
orphan, for any of which those who are guilty of it may
expect at any moment to be overtaken by retribution.
The prophet does not set social duties over against
ceremonial observances, as do some of his predecessors,
but he criticizes very severely both the priests and the
people for the way in which they treat the requirements
of their religion. The priests in the temple offer poUuted
bread and animals that are blind, lame, or sick, thinking
to win the favor of their God with offerings that their
earthly ruler would reject with contempt.' The people
also attempt to cheat Yahweh by paying their vows in
blemished animals," or rob him by withholding their
tithes and offerings.' The priests are also accused of
having faUen so far below the standard of truth and
righteousness set by their fathers that they have not
only themselves "turned aside out of the way," but
"caused many" others "to stumble in the law," and
thus "violated the covenant of Levi."" The particular
offense laid to their charge is that they "have had
respect of persons in the law," that is, have shown
partiality in the administration of justice, an abuse
that is expressly forbidden in the Deuteronomic Code.'
Thus they have not only wrought injustice toward
those who had a right to expect from them the contrary,
but broken a covenant with him by whom they were
intrusted with their judicial functions.
'Mai. 1:71.; also vs. 13. "Mai. 2:8; Deut. 33:10.
"Mai. 1:14. sDeut. 16:19; 24:17.
3 Mat 3:8.

288 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
It remains to examine the attitude of the author of
Malachi toward foreigners. This topic seems, at first
sight, to be covered, and in a most satisfactory way,
by 2:10. "Have we not," says the prophet, "all one
father ? hath not one God created us ?" but when one
takes this passage with its context one finds that the
prophet is speaking of the relation, not of one man, but
of one Jew, to another. He does, however, in an
earUer passage (i : 10 f .) make quite as notable a declara
tion as this would be if it could be given a universal inter
pretation. It follows his criticism of the priests for the
character of their offerings, concerning which he makes
Yahweh say, " I have no pleasure in you, .... neither
will I accept an offering at your hands." Then comes
a statement that loses much of its significance in the
EngUsh Version. It should read, "For from the rising
of the sun to the setting thereof my name is (not "shall
be") great among the gentiles, and in every place is
offered to my name a pure offering; for my name is
great among the gentiles, saith Yahweh of Hosts."
This cannot be interpreted as referring to the worship
of Jews in various parts of the earth, but must be
understood as a declaration that Yahweh sees in the
bUnd reUgious gropings of foreign peoples attempts to
reach him that are more acceptable than the half
hearted or hypocritical service of his own people.
There is nothing finer than this, in its sympathy for,
and recognition of, the gentUe world, in the Old Testa
ment; for even the great prophet of the Exile seems not
to have been able to see any salvation for other peoples
except in the acceptance of the Jewish reUgion.' Indeed,
'Isa. 49:22.

PROPHECIES OF OBADIAH AND MALACHI 289
it was some time before the disciples of Jesus were able
to say with Peter, "Of a truth I perceive that God is
no respecter of persons, but in every nation he that
worketh righteousness is accepted of him."'
There are two passages in the Book of Malachi that
have been cited as confficting with the teaching of the
one just quoted. One of them is i:2ff., where the
prophet describes Edom as "the people against whom
Yahweh hath indignation for ever." It is clear, how
ever, that resentment against a given people for injuries
received is not inconsistent with the most fraternal
attitude toward foreigners as such, especially the
sincerely devout among them.
The second passage, 2:iif., admits of no such
explanation ; for it cannot be denied that the statement
that Judah "hath married the daughter of a foreign
God" carries with it condemnation of intermarriage
between Jews and gentiles, and that this sentiment is
contrary to that of i:ii. Such being the case, it is
necessary to admit that the prophet was, after all,
not a thoroughgoing universaUst, or suppose, with
Marti, that the troublesome passage is an interpolation.
' Acts 10:34 f.

CHAPTER XXIV
THE BOOK OF RUTH
If the author of the Book of Malachi, in spite of the
revelation vouchsafed him, shrank from subjecting the
reUgion of Yahweh to the test of intimate intercourse
with other peoples, there were those in his day who
were more consistently liberal in their attitude, doubt
less, for one reason, because they saw in some foreigners
as fine examples of manhood and womanhood as Judaism
was producing. Among them was the author of the
Book of Ruth. At any rate, this book has the force of a
protest against an exclusiveness which sometimes shows
itself in the earlier Uterature, but becomes noticeable in
Deuteronomy and seems to have become more pro
nounced in the two following centuries.
The story, which is too familiar to require rehearsal,
incidentaUy aUudes to the subject of levirate marriage.
This custom is first mentioned in Gen. 38:8 ff., from
which it appears that the brother, or the next relative,
of a man who had died leaving a widow, but no chUdren,
was expected to marry the woman and "raise up seed"
to the deceased. In Deut. 25:5 ff. this obligation is
somewhat restricted and a ceremony prescribed in case
the surviving relative wished to be released from ful
filling it. In the Book of Ruth the object made promi
nent in the Deuteronomic law is overshadowed by the
desire of Naomi to provide a home for her daughter-
in-law. Then, too, in the sequel, the child born to
Ruth is reckoned a son, not of ChUion, but of Boaz,
290

THE BOOK OF RUTH 291
her second husband. All this, however, is of secondary
importance. The lesson of the book is found in the
fact that Ruth is not of Hebrew but of Moabite origin;
that she is represented as in every respect an admirable
character; and that, by her marriage with Boaz she
becomes an ancestress, great-grandmother, of the
national hero, David. It should also be noted that the
author takes pains in 4:12 to refer to Tamar, the
Canaanite mother of the tribe of Judah. He could
hardly have testified more clearly to the total absence
in him of prejudice against foreigners.
There are two minor points that should not be
overlooked. The first has reference to a feature of the
character of Ruth, her loyalty to her mother-in-law
as expressed in the classic passage: "Entreat me not
to leave thee, and return from following after thee ; for
whither thou goest I wiU go, and where thou lodgest
I will lodge; thy people shaU be my people and thy God
my God; where thou diest I will die, and there will I
be buried; Yahweh do so to me, and more also, if
aught but death shall part thee and me.'" The second
point relates to the character of Boaz. He is an ideal
Hebrew: dignified, but genial; honorable and con
siderate in his dealings even with the lowliest; and
generous toward all who need his sympathy or assistance.
' Ruth 1 : 16 f.

CHAPTER XXV
THE BOOK OF JOB
The importance of the Book of Job in any discussion
of the ethics of the Old Testament cannot be over
estimated, since, as will appear, it shows how deeply
the Hebrews thought on the subject of moral obligation,
and how high, at the highest, was their standard of virtue.
The book, however, as already intimated, is not
strictly a unit. In the first place, one must distinguish
between the framework, in simple prose, and the poetical
interchange in which the theme suggested by the pro
logue is discussed. The most plausible theory with
reference to the former is that it was based on a folk
tale to which there are references in Ezek. 14 : 14, 20. On
this supposition the ethical teaching of the framework
should be comparatively simple; and so it is. Thus,
Job is introduced as "perfect and upright,"' and the
reader is allowed to infer that his prosperity is due to
the exceUence of his character. This is assumed when
Yahweh commends him to the attention of the Adver
sary, and the latter declares that he practices the
virtues attributed to him only for the sake of the reward
that Yahweh has attached to them." Job, by his con
duct under affliction, refutes this accusation. He makes
no claim upon Yahweh, but regards the blessings he has
enjoyed, even after they have been withdrawn, as divine
favors for which he cannot but be thankful.' "In aU
this," says the narrator, "Job sinned not; nor did he
'Job 1:1. "Job 1 : 10 f. 3 Job 1:21; 2:10.
292

THE BOOK OF JOB 293
ascribe to God anything unseemly."' It does not
appear just what, according to the original story, his
friends said to him or what he replied; but it is clear
from 42:7 that, although they unintentionaUy played
into the hands of the Adversary, he did not change his
position. The Adversary, therefore, was disappointed
and his victim vindicated. Finally, Yahweh testified
his approval of Job, not only by rebuking his friends
for their attempts to instruct him," but by reversing
his fortunes and blessing his "latter end" "more than
his beginning."' The teaching of the story, therefore,
is that, while men should not serve God and practice
virtue for the sake of personal advantage, the good may,
except when God for some wise reason ordains otherwise,
expect to enjoy a richer portion of the things that make
for happiness than the bad in the present life.
The poetical part of the book consists of a disputa
tion between Job and four others," followed by three
speeches by Yahweh and two very brief sections in
which Job makes his submission.' The unity of these
chapters is a subject on which there is difference of
opinion, the majority of recent critics denying the
genuineness of the Elihu speeches, while some, Uke
Duhm, claim to have discovered other more or less
extended interpolations. The most important, from
the ethical point of view, of these suspected passages
is chap. 24; but the omission of both this and chaps.
32-37 will but sUghtly affect the result of the present
investigation. For a more detailed statement, see the
end of this chapter.
'Job 1:22. 3 Job 42:10, 12. 3 Job 38: 1 — 42:6.
" Job 42 : 7. < Job, chaps. 3-37.

294 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
The discussion in chaps. 3-31 is brought on by
Job, who, according to the author, instead of accepting
his misfortunes in sUence, or, as in the original legend,
defending Yahweh against his wife, breaks into an
impassioned lament in which he curses the day of his
birth, declares that the dead alone are happy, and
complains that he himself cannot "find the grave.'"
He does not, however, here seek a reason for his suffer
ings; much less does he accuse God of injustice for
permitting him to be afflicted. It is his friends who
undertake to explain why he suffers; also how, and
how only, he can find relief.
Their first spokesman is EUphaz, the Temanite.
He begins by giving Job credit for fear of God" and
suggesting that, as a man of integrity, he has a right
in due time to expect again to enjoy the divine favor.'
He finds ground for this comforting suggestion in human
experience, the result of which he puts into a rhetorical
question. Who that was innocent hath perished ?
And where have the upright been destroyed ?"
This is precisely the teaching of the earUer books of the
Old Testament, according to which the righteous are re
warded for their righteousness in time. They also teach
that the wicked are punished for their wickedness this
side the grave ; which EUphaz puts into the words,
They that plow iniquity,
And sow trouble, reap it;
By the breath of God they perish.
And by the blast of his anger are they consumed.^
'Job 3:16. 3 Job 4:6. 3 Job 4:81.
"Job 4: 2. "Job 4: 7.

THE BOOK OF JOB 295
There are, he admits, apparent exceptions, a "fooUsh"
person who prospers or a righteous who suffers; but
he finds no difficulty in explaining such cases. The
prosperity of the wicked is but temporary. Again he
appeals to experience: I have seen the foolish taking root;
But his dwelling suddenly mouldered.'
As for the righteous who suffer, they should regard their
sufferings as discipUnary, and comfort themselves with
the reflection that he who "maketh sore" "bindeth up,""
and that finally they will come to their graves
in vigor,
As a shock of grain is brought home in its season.'
Job finds no comfort in the speech of EUphaz.
Indeed, he declares that his friends have disappointed
him, like the brook that overflows in winter, when no
one is looking for water, but runs dry in summer, when
the thirsty seek it for refreshment." He invites them,
instead of reproving him for complaining at his lot,
to show him wherein he has deserved it.' This does
not imply that he thinks himself wdthout fault. He
more than once, in the course of his successive speeches,
admits that he is not perfect. He does not, however,
admit that he has intentionally neglected any known
duty to God or man. This passage, therefore, is
naturaUy interpreted as one of those in which he asserts
his integrity over against the inferences of his friends.
It is the evident intention of the poet to represent his
hero as holding that loyalty to every known obUgation
'Job 5:3. 3 Job 5: 26. 3 Job 6: 24 6,
"Job 5:25. "Job 6:15 5.

296 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
ought, if God is really a moral governor, to wdn his
favor. But what of the involuntary trespasses which
the best of men are liable to commit ? The Law made
provision for such cases, prescribing a sacrifice by which
the priest should make atonement for the offender;'
and Job himself, according to 1:5, was accustomed
to make similar offerings for his children after their
feasts, lest they should have "sinned and blasphemed
God in their hearts." It is not strange, therefore, to
find that he here objects to being watched like "a
dragon"" and examined "every moment,"' as his friends
would have him beUeve, and having to suffer as he is
suffering for unavoidable lapses from the divine standard.
He protests, If I have sinned, ....
Why dost thou not pardon my transgression,
And remove my iniquity ?
He adds what shows that, thus far at least, he has had
no thought of reward or penalty in a future life.
For now I shall lie down in the dust.
And, if thou seek me, I shall be gone."
Which means that, unless God speedUy intervenes to
rescue him, it will be too late.
Bildad, the Shuhite, when he comes to speak,
adds nothing material to the discussion. He rebukes
Job for questioning the justice of God, but assures
him that, although his children have been destroyed
for their transgressions, he may, by "suppUcation to
the Almighty," if he is reaUy "pure and upright,"
'Num. 15:276. 3 Job 7:18.
'Job 7:12. " Job 7:20 f.

THE BOOK OF JOB 297
again rejoice in prosperity.' He closes with the con
trasted statement,
Lo, God will not reject a perfect man;
Neither will he lay hold upon the hands of (support) evil
doers."
BUdad did not contribute anything to the solution
of Job's difficulties, but he furnished him with a text
for a continuation of the complaint of chap. 7. "God
wiU not reject a perfect man," said the sage. "True,"
retorts Job, "but how can one be just (defend his integ
rity) before God?" Then he proceeds to show that
it is impossible, at least for him, for one reason because
God wUl not meet him face to face. He says :
Lo, he passeth by me, and I see him not.
He moveth onward, and I perceive him not;'
and again, If I called, he would not answer me;
I should not believe that he gave ear to my voice."
He doubts whether it would avaU him anything to
meet the Almighty, because, secondly, God is so "mighty
in strength," that he (Job) would be forced to take the
tone, not of a plaintiff, but of a suppliant;' or, if he
undertook to maintain his innocence, his own mouth
would betray him;* so great would be the awe and
terror inspired by the divine presence. Even under
the most favorable circumstances there would be no
chance of vindication, because, thirdly, God is so
"wise of heart" that, "if he should be pleased to con
tend" with Job, the poor man could not meet "one in

¦Job 8:3 5.

3 Job 9: II.

3 Job 9:15.

"Job 8: 20.

"Job 9:16 (Gr.).

'Job 9:20.

298 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
a thousand" of his requirements.' In 9:30 he puts it
more picturesquely :
If I should wash myself in snow-water,
And cleanse my hands in lye,
Then thou wouldst dip me in offal.
So that my friends would abhor me.
Therefore he says,
It is all one; ....

He destroyeth the perfect with the wicked;"

and.

If I be wicked, woe to me;
And if I be righteous, I shall not lift up my head.3
In the face of these equally cruel alternatives he cries
to the God whom he seems unable either to please or
to escape:
Wherefore, then, hast thou brought me forth from the womb ?"
Let me alone, that I may brighten a little.
Before I go whence I shall not return.'
The most saUent feature of chaps. 9 f . is the stub
bornness with which Job insists on his integrity. In
9:21 he declares in so many words that he is "perfect,"
that is, innocent of any conscious departure from
rectitude, and in 10:7 that God knows that he is "not
wicked." Nothing could more profoundly shock such
men as his friends. When, therefore, Zophar, the
Naamathite, speaks, he begins by rebuking Job as a
blasphemous boaster for saying.

My walk is clean.

And I am pure in his eyes,'

Job 9:2.
3 Job 10:15.
3 Job 10:20 !,
Job 9:22.
"Job io:i8.
°ii:4(Gr.).
THE BOOK OF JOB 299
and by telling him plainly that he is suffering, not more,
but less, severely than his presumption deserves. Then,
in the same superior tone, he assures the sufferer that
if he will appeal to God and put away his iniquity,
he may yet Uft up his face "without spot" and make his
life "clearer than noonday";' but he reminds him
that the only refuge of the wicked is death.
Hitherto, although Job has refused to accept the
diagnosis by which his friends have attempted to
explain his unhappy condition, and frankly confessed
his disappointment in them, he has treated them with
ordinary courtesy. Now, however, irritated beyond
endurance by the "continual dropping" of their shallow
and monotonous reflections, he begins with the ironical
remark, No doubt ye are the people,
And wisdom will die with you!"
and follows it with the impatient assertion,
I have understanding as well as ye :
Yea, who knoweth not such things as these ?'
which is strengthened by the addition of the rhetorical
questions, Doth not the ear try words.
As the palate tasteth the food ?
Is there wisdom in years,
And in length of days understanding ?"
See, also, 13:2, where he repeats in substance the
assertion of 11:3.
This declaration of independence is not a mere
outburst of impatience. By it Job serves notice on his
'Job 11:136. 3job 12:3.
"Job 12:2. "Job 12:11 f.

300 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
friends of a changed attitude, not only toward them,
but toward his Maker, and at once proceeds to show
that a new spirit has taken possession of him. In the
first place, not content with simply rebuking them, he
now takes the aggressive against them. They have
accused him of blasphemy because, on the supposition
that (jod rewarded and punished according to conduct,
he could not see the justice of the misfortunes that had
befaUen him. He now accuses them of blindly accepting
the principle that whatever is, is right, and thus virtually
den}dng the moral character of the divine government.
He says: Will ye speak injustice for God,
And pour forth deception for him ?
Will ye favor the Almighty,
Or wUl ye strive for God ?'
He warns them that, if they do, so far from winning
his favor, they wiU only incur his displeasure:
He wiU sternly rebuke you,
If ye secretly favor him."
He wonders that they dare persist in their ignorant
and gratuitous apologetic :
Doth not an uprising by him aflfright you,
And the dread of him fall upon you ?'
The verses quoted have a humorous suggestion.
It is sometimes very amusing to see the mingled surprise
and mortification that shows itself when such men as
Job's friends find themselves the accused instead of
the accusers. There is, however, a more serious side
to the matter. The attack by which Job puts his
¦Job 13:7!. "Job 13:10. 3job 13:11.

THE BOOK OF JOB 301
tormentors on the defensive puts him into a new attitude,
or, better, reveals his real attitude, toward God; namely,
that of a defender, instead of a denier of the moral
character of the divine government. It is the thorough
ness of his conviction on this point that makes him
assert his integrity. It is his only remaining asset, and at
the same time, he believes, the only possession by which he
can ever hope to obtain acceptance with God. He says,
Yet I will maintain my way before him;
It is also my salvation
That a godless man cometh not before him.'
He is determined to stand by his own conscience, even
if he dies without being vindicated." He cannot deny
the possibiUty of such an outcome, since he knows that
one cannot "bring a clean thing out of an unclean,"'
that is, that he is human, and that therefore he cannot
satisfy the divine standard ; but he is not without hope,
if God wUl grant him an untrammeled hearing. He
pleads for one: Only do not two things to me;
Then will I not hide myself from thee:
Withdraw thy hand far from me,
And let no dread of thee affright me;
Then call thou, and I wUl answer,
Or I wUl speak, and do thou reply to me."
In this way he hopes to learn the extent of his iniquity,
if he has unconsciously sinned, and to make atonement
for his transgressions.'
This appeal remains unanswered. God gives no
sign, and Job faUs into gloomy reflections on the brevity
¦Job 13:151. 3 Job 14:4. sjob 13:23.
"Job 13:1, 15a. <Job 13:20-22.

302 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
and uncertainty of human existence. In the midst of
them a comparison in which he indulges suggests the
thought that, if man lived a second time, as the tree
that is felled sprouts and grows again, he could afford
to suffer to the end of the first stage. This is his way
of putting it :
All the days of my service would I wait.
Till my release came.
Thou wouldst call, and I should answer;
Thou wouldst long for the work of thy hands.'
Here, however, when he seems on the point of finding
a solace for his sufferings, he drops the new thought
and relapses into pessimism. He concludes by saying
of man. But his flesh giveth him only pain,
And his soiU bringeth him only sorrow."
The three friends have now, one after another,
spoken, and Job still remains unconvinced. EUphaz
makes a second attempt,' but there is nothing new in
his speech, except the tartness with which he repays
Job's disrespect for him and his colleagues, and the
significant omission of any reference to the rewards
of the righteous, while the misfortunes in store for the
wicked are depicted with a haunting vividness.
Job is quick to catch the speaker's meaning. He
sees in it a verdict against him. Naturally, he is
disappointed. He puts his disappointment into the
familiar paradox, "Troublesome comforters are ye
¦Job 14:14 f.
"Job 14:23. This verse is usually interpreted as a description of
the condition of man in Sheol, but vs. 12 hardly permits such an inter
pretation. 3 Chap. 15.

THE BOOK OF JOB 303
all."' Then, as he looks about him for a real friend
and sees nothing but hostiUty, he breaks into a new
complaint in the course of which he again protests his
innocence : My eyes are red with weeping,
And on my eyelids is darkness;
Although there is no violence in my hands,
And my prayer is pure."
The contrast thus presented prompts him to an out
burst in which the growing conviction that he will
one day be vindicated again seeks expression :
O earth, cover not my blood.
And let there be no rest for my cry!
Lo, even now is my witness in heaven,
And my voucher on high.'
Realizing how completely his earthly friends have
deserted him, he appeals once more to the heavenly
both to act as his judge and be surety for him at his
own tribunal;" but he fears that, unless he is speedily
reUeved, he will not Uve to hear the verdict.'
Bildad, in his second speech,* takes his cue from
EUphaz, and, after rebuking Job for his impatience,
treats him to another description of the fate of the
wicked. In reply Job insists that it is not he, but God, who
has done injustice,' and, in support of his contention,
recites the wrongs that he has suffered. Having thus
given vent to his misery, he appeals to his friends for
sympathy, but, as if suddenly reminded that his only

¦Job 16:2.

"Job 17:3.

' Chap. 18.

'Job i6:i6f.

3 Job 17:11.

' Job 19 : 6.

3 Job i6:i8f.

304 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
hope is in God, he cheers himself with the triumphant
confession :
But I myself know that my redeemer liveth,
And one will later arise over the dust ;

And without my flesh I shall see God:
Whom I shall see for myself,
And my eyes shall behold, and not a stranger.
He is so wrought upon by the vision that he exclaims,
My reins are consumed within me !'
He concludes with a warning to his critics not to persist
in their attempts to correct him, lest his avenger, on
his appearance, bring them to judgment."
Zophar, so far from heeding this warning, also takes
for granted Job's guilt, and ventures to suggest some
of the ways in which he has offended:' namely, by
neglecting, or even robbing and oppressing, his poor
neighbors. Job, having, in his last speech, reached a tolerable
position with reference to his personal experience,
ignores the insinuations of the last speaker and attacks
the general proposition on which his friends have been
ringing the changes, that the wicked suffer for their
offenses, either in their own lives or in those of their
children. He objects, in the first place, that
They finish their days in prosperity.
And go down in peace to Sheol;"
and, secondly, on the supposition that the fathers are
punished in their children :
¦ Job 19: 25-27. 3 Chap. 20.
'Job 19:28!. "Job 21:13.

THE BOOK OF JOB 305
God layeth up his iniquity for his children!
Let him repay him that he may feel it.
Let his own eyes see his destruction;
And let him drink of the wrath of the Almighty.
For what careth he for his house after him,
When the number of his months is ended ?'
His experience is that
One dieth in his full strength.
Being wholly at ease and quiet;
And another dieth in bitterness of soul,
And never tasteth good.
They lie down alike in the dust,
And the worm covereth them."
In his third speech' EUphaz, ignoring the invitation
to a more general discussion, confines himself almost
entirely to the case of Job, and accuses him more openly
than he or either of his coUeagues has hitherto done of
"great wickedness," specifying various forms of cruelty
to the unfortunate. He does not stop with these
accusations, but adds an exhortation to come to terms
of peace with God, assuring him that
He dehvereth the innocent,
Yea, he is delivered through the cleanness of his hands."
In reply Job gives expression to an earnest desire
to meet his Judge, to "come even to his seat,"' and at
the same time to a firm conviction that, if he could have
such an opportunity, God would "give heed" to him,*
and he (Job) would "come forth as gold."' He cannot.

Job 21:19-21.

" Job 22:30.

' Vs. 6.

Job 21:23, 25 f-

3 Job 23:3.

' Vs. 10.

Chap. 22.

3o6 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
however, persuade himself that his desire will be fulfilled,
God having apparentiy, by an arbitrary exercise of his
sovereignty, decreed his destruction:
He hath willed, and who will reverse it ?
And what his soul desired he hath done.'
Bildad, in his third speech, a part of which, chap. 26,
is attributed to Job," dwells on the greatness of God, in
view of which he asks,
How, then, can man be just before God ?
Or how can he be clean that is born of a woman ?'
adding, Lo, even the moon hath no brightness,
And the stars are not pure in his sight;
How much less man that is a worm,
And the son of man that is a grub!"
The thought of man's weakness and imperfection
as compared with God was very clearly presented by
Job himself earlier in the discussion, but he did not
then admit that inability to reach the divine standard
was an unpardonable fault in his character. He still
maintains that, although he is not in favor with the
Almighty, he has not consciously offended. He says,
My righteousness will I hold fast, and not let it go.
My heart reproacheth me not for my days.'
The rest of chap. 27, from vs. 8 onward, which is
also attributed to Job, should probably, as Duhm
' Job 23 : 13. Chap. 24 is included in the received text o! Job's
speech, but it is entirely out o! character, and therelore must be Irom
another hand than that of the original poet, except perhaps vs. 25.
"According to Duhm, 26:1 should be canceled, and vss. 2-4
inserted between 25:1 and 2.
3 Job 25:4. "Job 25:5 L 'Job 27:6.

THE BOOK OF JOB 307
suggests, be put into the mouth of Zophar. He is thus
permitted to make a third speech, like the other friends,
and repeat in substance what he said in chap. 20 about
the fate of the wicked.
The answer to this speech is found in chaps. 29, 30,
except vss. 1-8, and 31. In chap. 29 Job describes the
happiness of his earUer condition, when the Almighty
was yet with him,' and he enjoyed, not only abundant
prosperity, but the gratitude and reverence of his
fellows, and expected to multiply his days "as the sand,"
because he punished injustice and deUvered all that
suffered from their misfortunes. In chap. 30 he pic
tures the change in his fortunes, exposed, as he now is,
to indignities from the lowest of his kind," and tortured
by incessant physical suffering,' "a brother to jackals
and a companion of ostriches.""
This vivid and realistic picture furnishes a new occa
sion for the question why Job is so severely afflicted.
The poet, if he had allowed Job's friends to speak a
fourth time, could only have put into their mouths
the shallow reflections on his character with which they
have already wearied him. To avoid such "vain
repetitions," he allows Job in chap. 31 to anticipate
their explanation and refute it by the most detaUed
and effective defense that he has attempted. It is in
the form of a recital wherein he defines his attitude
toward his fellows and describes his past conduct in
his various domestic and social relations. It is a
remarkable showing. The object of the author was,
no doubt, to clothe his hero with the finest moral
¦ Vs. 5. 3 Vss. 16-23,
' Vs. 9-15. " Vs. 29.

3o8 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
qualities and make him a pattern and example to those
for whom he was writing; and he succeeded to such a
degree that Duhm declares that this chapter "marks
the climax of Old Testament ethics, surpassing in this
respect, not only anything that the original story had
to offer, but the Decalogue and even the prophets."
The foUowing are the virtues that Job is here represented
as exemplifying:' I. Honesty in word and deed; vss. 5 f.
2. Respect for others' rights and possessions; vss. 7 f.
3. Loyalty in the marital relation; vss. 9-12.
4. Consideration for servants; vss. 13-15.
5. Charity toward the unfortunate ; vss. 16-20.
6. Scorn of injustice; vss. 21-23."
7. Freedom from avarice; vss. 24 f.
8. Devotion to God on high; vss. 26-28.
9. Superiority to resentment; vss. 29 f.
10. Generosity toward dependents and strangers;
vss. 31 f.
II. Courage backed by a good conscience; vss. 33 f.
This is a noble array, and one of which anyone in any
age might be proud. Job finds so great comfort in it
that he well-nigh forgets the losses and sufferings that
he has endured. It gives him boldness, too. He feels
that, having searched himself, his motives and his
conduct, and found nothing, he need not fear the eye
of the Almighty. Indeed, he is eager for such an
examination. He exclaims:
' The first four verses are neglected because they anticipate vss. 9-
12 and do not fit into the general scheme o! the chapter; vss. 38-40,
also, because they are apparently an alterthought.
" In vs. 21 for "the fatherless" read "the innocent."

THE BOOK OF JOB 309
O that I had one to hear me.
And the bill my opponent hath written!
Surely I would carry it on my shoulder,
I would bind it upon me like a crown;
The number of my steps would I declare.
As a prince would I receive him.'
In the Book of Job as originally written this challenge
was immediately foUowed, not by the long and tedious
speech of EUhu, in chaps. 32-37, but by Yahweh's
answer "out of the whirlwind," which now begins
with chap. 38. In it there is no attempt to meet Job's
complaint by explaining his sufferings or the apparent
confusion in the distribution of happiness and unhappi
ness in the world. It is almost entirely devoted to a
panorama of the wonders of the material universe in
iUustration of the wisdom and the power of the Creator
as compared with his human creatures. Toward the
end, however, there is a couplet that has profound
ethical significance, namely, the double question,
Wilt thou destroy my rectitude ?
Wilt thou condemn me for the sake of being justified ?"
The pecuUar phraseology of the second Une impUes
that, as Job himself has more than once made very
apparent, the consciousness of his rectitude was dear
to him above everything else; while the whole couplet
is the strongest possible expression of God's jealousy
for his own righteousness.
The words with which God closes must be read in
the light of this outburst. God now, in his turn,
challenges Job, saying:
'Job 31:35-37. "Job 40:8.

3IO THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
Deck now thyself with pride and grandeur.
Yea, clothe thyself with splendor and glory.
Pour out the fury of thy anger;
Every one that is proud abase.
Every one that is haughty humble;
And tread down the wicked where they stand.
Tread them in the dust together;
Their faces shroud in darkness.
Then will I also praise thee.
When thy right hand giveth thee victory.'
Job is deeply impressed. The necessity of defending
himself against his officious friends had given him an
exaggerated importance in his own eyes. He now sees
that he is reaUy but a small part of the scheme of things
to which he belongs, and he feels a new reverence for,
and confidence in, the Power that presides over it.
He replies, therefore :
I know that thou canst do all things.
And that nothing is too diflScult for thee.
Therefore have I declared what I understood not.
Things too wonderful for me to comprehend.
I had heard of thee by the hearing of the ear.
But now my eye hath seen thee;
Therefore am I utterly subdued.
And I repent in dust and ashes."
It remains to consider the passages in the Book of
Job that are later than the original poem, so far as they
have ethical significance.
The first of these passages is 1 2 : 4-10, which, however,
is noticeable, not so much for any substantial divergence
from the rest of the speech of which it is a part, as for
' Job 40:10-14. "Job 42:2 f., 5 f.

THE BOOK OF JOB 311
an exaggeration of the condition described, for example,
in the contrasted statements,
A laughing-stock is the just, the perfect man;'
and Peaceful are the tents of robbers,
And safety have they that provoke God."
The same quality appears in chap. 24, where the
background is evidently a state of lawlessness of which
the Book of Job elsewhere gives no intimation. It is a
time when The wicked remove landmarks;
They seize flocks and feed them;
They drive off the ass of orphans;
They take the widow's ox as a pledge;
They turn the needy from the way;
The poor of the land all hide themselves.'
Murder and adultery, also, according to vss. 14-17, are
common. Nor is this the only indication of ungenuine-
ness. In vss. 18-24 Job is represented as abandoning
his contention that the wicked do not receive their just
deserts, for that of his opponents and declaring that
Their portion is cursed in the land.
It is clear that, if this chapter belongs to the original
poem, it should be put into the mouth, not of Job, but
of one of his ineffectual comforters.
There are two passages in chap. 31 whose origin is
doubtful, namely, vss. 2-4 and vss. 38-40, because, as
already noted, the first has a peculiar form and antici
pates vss. 9-12, and the second, unless it has been mis
placed, is evidently an afterthought.
' Job 12:4. ' Job 12:6. 3 Job 24 : 2-4.

312 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
The speeches of Elihu, chaps. 32-37, which, accord
ing to many of the best scholars, are of secondary
origin, teach the same doctrines as those of the three
original friends, but in a rather more developed form.
EUhu follows most closely EUphaz, who, it will be
remembered, in his first speech,' tried to comfort Job
by dwelling on the disciplinary value of suffering.
When one is suffering, he says.
He prayeth to God, and he is gracious to him.
And he seeth his face with rejoicing."
He takes occasion, however, to warn Job that God is just :
For the work of a man will he render to him.
And cause every man to meet what his ways deserve;'
and that, although
He withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous,"
and pardons and restores to favor those who submit
and promise amendment,'
If they hearken not, they pass into Sheol,
And die without knowledge.'
It is not necessary to dwell at greater length on
these passages, since it is clear from what has already
been said with reference to them that their author or
authors sympathized with Job's critics; in other words,
he or they entirely missed the lesson that the original
author wished to teach.
'Job 5:173. 'Job 34:11. s Job 34:32.
'Job 33: 26. "Job 36:7. 'Job 36:12.

CHAPTER XXVI
THE BOOKS OF JOEL AND JONAH
I. JOEL
The Book of Joel registers the Umit of development
in the direction of national particularism. There is not
the sUghest tendency on the part of the author to find
fault with the moral condition of his people, even in
the face of the plague of locusts and the devastation
wrought by them, as described in the first two chapters.
The nearest approach to criticism is found in 1:5,
where, according to the English Version, he caUs on
the "drunkards" to weep over the calamity that has
befaUen the land. In this case, however, the word
rendered "drunkards," as appears from the paraUel
expression "drinkers of wine," means those who are
fond of wine and therefore especially interested in the
prospect of a vintage, just as the priests, who appear in
vss. 9 f., are interested, not only in this, but in the other
crops. They mourn because "the grain is destroyed,
the must is dried up (ashamed), the oil languisheth.'"
The writer, having no fault to find with his people,
does not seek the cause of the visitation, as an older
prophet would have done, in their disloyalty to Yahweh,
or their unfaithfulness to one another; but, accepting
it as inexplicable, calls for a fast and a solemn festival"
and a unanimous appeal to Yahweh for assistance, in
the hope that, since "he is gracious and merciful, slow
¦Isa. 24:7. "Joel 1:14.
313

314 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
to anger, and abundant in kindness, and repenteth of
evil, perhaps (who knoweth) he will turn and repent
and leave a blessing behind him, even a meal offering
and a drink offering," for his own service.' His faith
grows as he proceeds, until he is prepared to predict,
not only that Yahweh wUl put an end to the present
distress and never again put his people to shame," but
will pour his spirit upon them in such measure that
even their slaves, male and female, because they belong
to Jews, will share the blessing.'
The day that witnesses this great miracle, however,
will be a calamitous one for all but the Jews and their
dependents; for at that time Yahweh "will gather aU
nations .... into the vaUey of Jehoshaphat" and
"inflict judgment upon them." Thus wiU he avenge
the injuries done to his people by the other nations."
Thereafter "Jerusalem will be holy; no stranger (except
as a slave) will pass through it any more."' This is
Judaism at its narrowest — and barrenest.
2. JONAH
The Book of Jonah is the antidote for that of Joel.
The central figure is a typical Jew of the fifth century
B.C., narrow and exclusive, proud of his own race, but
devoid of sympathy for any other. So cruel is he in
his exclusiveness that he refuses to carry a warning to
the inhabitants of Nineveh and thus make it possible
for them to escape threatened destruction. The excuse
he finally gives is a classic example of religious con
ceit,* for no one not convinced of his own impeccabiUty

Joel 2:13!.

3 Joel 2 : 28 6.

3 Joel 3:17.

Joel 2:236.

" Joel 3:4 (Gr.), 19, 21.

' Jonah 4: 2,

THE BOOKS OF JOEL AND JONAH 315
would insist upon unmitigated justice for all offenders.
The doctrine of the author, on the other hand, is by no
means sentimentalism. God does not withdraw his
decree untU the people of Nineveh, from the least to
the greatest, have not only assumed the garb and posture
of penitents but, in response to a royal proclamation,
turned "every one from his evil way, and from the
violence that is in his hands.'" But, when he "saw
their works," he "repented of the evil that he said
he would do to them, and did it not."" Finally he
rebukes the blind cruelty of his messenger, because,
although he cannot endure the sUghtest personal
inconvenience, he is perfectly wiUing to witness the
destruction of a "great city, wherein are more than
sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between
their right hands and their left hands, and also many
cattle."' The book is evidently a protest against the formality
and exclusiveness that took possession of the mass of
the Jews after the adoption of the Priestly legislation;
and it must have had its effect, for it teaches clearly,
not only that morality is an essential element in reUgion,
but that " God is no respecter of persons, but in every
nation he that feareth him and worketh righteousness
is acceptable to him."" These lessons have always been
largely overlooked, because the readers of the book
have too often been of the same narrow t3^e as the
principal character.
¦Jonah 3:8. ¦ 3 Jonah 4:11.
" Jonah 3 : 10. " Acts 10:34 f-

CHAPTER XXVII
THE BOOK OF PROVERBS
The Book of Proverbs, as already explained, is of
composite origin, the component parts being the
Prologue, chaps. 1-9, the main coUections, 10:1 — 22:16
and 25:1 — 29:27, and the supplementary sections,
22:17—24:22; 24:23-34; 30:1-33; 31:1-9; and 31:10-
31. The various divisions of the book, however, have
so much in common that it is not necessary to discuss
them separately in this connection.
The key to the book and its several parts, as 4:7
leads one to expect, is "wisdom." It is throughout
emphatically "the principal thing." Indeed, one may
say that it is the one thing "needful," since it impUes
or involves everything the contributors to the book
thought admirable, and secures to its possessor every
thing that they deemed most worthy of pursuit or
attainment. In the first place, the wisdom of the Proverbs has a
reUgious connotation. This is clear from the start,
the title being immediately followed by the statement,
as a motto, that
The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of knowledge,^
the first thing to be learned by one who wishes to be,
and to be esteemed, wise. The fear of Yahweh, how
ever, here means, not mere dread of the Almighty, but
a humble recognition of his authority and a cheerful
' Prov. 1 : 7. 316

THE BOOK OF PROVERBS 317
readiness to do his will so far as it can be ascertained by
human endeavor. Lest the reader forget the impor
tance of this principle, it is repeated in 9:10, where it
takes the expanded form of
The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom,
And knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
Both passages are based on 15:33,
The fear of Yahweh is the instruction of wisdom,
And before honor is humility.
The author of the last passage was familiar with the
reUgious observances of his people, and, Uke him of the
Prologue,' doubtless appreciated their significance;
but he was also acquainted with the prophets and
thoroughly in sympathy with those who insisted that
Yahweh was a moral being and that, therefore, religion
without morality was an intolerable contradiction. He
expresses himself to this effect in 21:3, which reads,
To do righteousness and justice
Is more acceptable to Yahweh than sacrifice;
and more strongly in vs. 27 of the same chapter, where
he declares, The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination.
How much more when he bringeth it with a wicked heart."
It is not strange, therefore, that in 1:2 ff., where the
purpose of the compiler is stated in detail, he says it is
to enable the reader
To gain wisdom and training,
To understand instructive words,
To get training in wise conduct.
Righteousness, and justice, and equity;
' Prov. 3:9. " See also Prov. 15:8.

3i8 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
and that in 8: 13 wisdom personified is made to say,
Pride, and arrogance, and an evil way,
And a perverse mouth I hate;
or that the book is largely composed of moral precepts,
waymarks for a virtuous and successful Ufe. They are
mostly thrown together without regard to any relation
to one another, but there are some instances in the
later portions of the book in which some of the more
odious evils of the period are grouped for condemnation,
the most notable example being 6:16-19, where there
are enumerated seven things especially abominable to
Yahweh, namely, (i) haughty eyes; (2) a lying tongue;
(3) hands that shed innocent blood; (4) a heart that
deviseth wicked schemes; (5) feet that make haste to
do harm; (6) a false witness that uttereth Ues; and
(7) one that soweth discord among' brethren.
This index prohibitorius can hardly be called com
plete, but the banishment of the offenses here enumerated
would doubtless greatiy improve the moral condition
of any community.
In the introductory passage already cited the purpose
of the coUector was, not only to impart instruction in
"righteousness, and justice, and equity," but also
To give prudence to the simple.
To the young man knowledge and discretion.'
In other words, the wisdom of the book includes training
in the art of so adapting one's self and one's ideas, powers,
and resources to one's environment, as most surely
and readily to attain the end or ends that one holds
most desirable. Many of its precepts, therefore, are
simply the dicta of common prudence with reference
' Prov. 1:4.

THE BOOK OF PROVERBS 319
to everyday affairs. Among the acquirements recom
mended are prudence in the narrower sense,' discretion,"
deUberation,' caution," efficiency, especially in women,'
diligence,* contentment,' reticence,* cheerfulness,' and
affability.'" All these, in so far as one possesses them,
help one to success in life, if — and this is the test of
their relative values and importance — at the same time
one fears God and works righteousness. Otherwise they
can only delay to some extent the failure and ruin that
result from the neglect of the moral and reUgious ele
ments of character." Those who thus make shipwreck
of their Uves, in contrast with the wise, are called "the
simple," also "scoffers," but most frequently "fools."'"
This brief sketch will, perhaps, suffice to indicate
the general character of the Book of Proverbs and the
relation of the ethical element to its remaining content.
It is now necessary to consider more at length its purely
ethical teaching and the ethical status that its teaching
presupposes. In the first place, although in this book moral
perfection is not so directly ascribed to Yahweh as in
some others, the reader is never allowed to forget that
the world was brought into being and is governed by
"a power that makes for righteousness." Thus in 15:3
it is asserted that
The eyes of Yahweh are everywhere.
Keeping watch upon the evil and the good;
'Prov. 13:16; 24:27; etc. 'Prov. 14:30; 23:4^; etc.
"Prov. 11:22; 15:23; etc. 'Prov. 12:23; 17:27!.; etc.
3 Prov. 15:22; 19:2; etc. 'Prov. 15:13; 17:22; etc.
"Prov. 14:6; 28:14; etc. '"Prov. 15:1; 16:24; Etc.
3Prov. 14:1; 31:106.; etc. "Prov.5:3; 11:18; 17:28; etc.
'Prov. 6:6-11; 12:24; etc. '"Prov. 1:22.

320 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
and elsewhere he is described as not only concerned
about the ethical condition of his creatures, but able
to discern whether they are good or evil :
All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes.
But Yahweh weigheth the spirits.'
He does his work thoroughly:
The fining-pot is for silver and the furnace for gold;
But Yahweh is a tester of hearts."
He has so made man that the offender himself becomes
his own accuser, for
The spirit of man is the lamp of God,
Searching all the chambers of the soul.'
If he is disposed to defend himself, he is met with the
reminder. Doth not he that weigheth hearts perceive ?
And doth not he that watcheth thy soul know ?
and the warning,
Yea, he will requite men according as they act."
There are two general classes, the righteous and the
wicked, and his attitude toward them respectively re
flects his own moral character. The foUowing are some
of the ways in which it is described :
The curse of Yahweh is on the house of the wicked.
But he blesseth the abode of the righteous.'
Yahweh will not suffer the soul of the righteous to perish,
But the desire of the wicked he rejecteth.'
'Prov. 16:2; 21:2. "Prov. 24:12.
" Prov. 17:3. 3 Prov. 3 : 33.
3 Prov. 20:27. 'Prov. 10:3.

THE BOOK OF PROVERBS 321
The fear of Yahweh prolongeth days.
But the years of the wicked shall be shortened.'
The perverse in heart are an abomination to Yahweh,
But the perfect in their way are his delight."
A stronghold is Yahweh to a man of integrity,
But destruction to workers of iniquity.'
The way of the wicked is an abomination to Yahweh,
But he loveth him that pursueth righteousness."
A good man wiU obtain favor of Yahweh,
But a man of wicked devices will he condemn.'
Yahweh is far from the wicked,
But he heareth the prayer of the righteous.'
He cannot tolerate any other attitude among men.
Says 17:15, He that acquitteth the wicked and he that con-
demneth the righteous
Are both an abomination to Yahweh.
These are the passages in which Yahweh is brought
into express relations with the classes named. There
are others in which the harmony of the righteous, and
the dissonance of the vricked, with the world is quite
as clearly taught, but without tracing the result in
either case directly to the Creator. Such are 2:21 f.;
4:i8f.; 10:2, 6, 7, 9, 16, 24, 25, 28, 30; 11:3, 4,' 6, 8,
10, 18, 19, 21, 27, 31; 12:3, 7, 13, 21; 13:2,6,9,
21, 22, 25; 14:11, 14, 19, 32,« 34; 15:6; 21:12, 18;
¦Prov. 10:27. 'Prov. 10:29. sProv. 12:2.
"Prov. 11:20. "Prov. 15:9. 'Prov. 15:29.
' Read "In a man's integrity is his hope," etc.
' In the Greek like 11:7, emended.

32 2 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
24:16; 28:18; 29:6,16. To these must be added the
passages in which the righteous or the wicked alone
are mentioned. In some of them' Yahweh personally
rewards or punishes, while in others the impersonal form
is employed." The passages cited being all of a general character,
the rewards promised and the penalties threatened are
naturally correspondingly indefinite.' There are, how
ever, instances in which certain forms of good are
specified: the favor of Yahweh," wealth,' long Ufe,*
relief from trouble and danger,' comfort and happiness,*
and praise and honor.'
It wiU have been noted that aU the rewards mentioned
are individual and, so far as they are definite, temporal.'"
One of the passages cited teaches in so many words that
The righteous shall be recompensed in the earth.
How much more the wicked and the sinner ;¦¦
and the disciple is warned not to give place to doubt on
the subject: Let not thy heart envy sinners.
But fear thou Yahweh always;
For there is a reward for thee,
And thy hope shall not fail;'"
¦Prov. 2:7!.; 3:8; 16:4; 19:23; 23:17!.
"Prov. 11:7; 12:28; 20:7; 21:21; 22:8; 24:19!.
3 Prov. 3:33; 10:6; etc. 'Prov. 2:21; 10:27; 11:19; etc.
"Prov. 12:2; 15:9; etc. 'Prov. 11:5, 8; 12:21; etc.
sProv. 13:22; 15:6; etc. 'Prov. 3:8; 13:9; etc.
'Prov. 14:19; 21:21; etc.
¦" On Prov. II :7 and 14:32, see p. 321.
'¦ Prov. 11:31.
'" Prov. 23: 17 f.

THE BOOK OF PROVERBS 323
and
Fret not thyself because of evil-doers,
Neither envy thou the wicked;
For there is no reward for the bad man.
The light of the wicked shall go out.^
At first sight the absence of criticism or apology on
this important subject seems to indicate that the book,
if it was not written by Solomon, belongs to a com
paratively early period in the history of the Hebrews.
There is, however, another and, in view of all the facts,
a more plausible explanation. The book is not a col
lection of popular saws, but a studied Uterary product
in aphoristic form intended for popular instruction.
Now, the form chosen, in its very nature, permits
only rather superficial generalizations, and it is often
better, as the authors of these proverbs surely were wise
enough to know, in dealing with simple people to give
the rule, in the first instance, without the exceptions.
From this point of view the doctrine in question loses
its significance as an indication of the age of the book
or any part of it.
There is another point with reference to the rewards
offered in the Proverbs that deserves attention. In the
passages cited, as has been shown, they are of several
kinds. Thus far nothing has been adduced to show
that the Jewish sages did not rate them all of equal
value. This, however, is not the case. They made
distinctions. Thus, although they two or three times
present material wealth as a blessing, elsewhere in the
book they directly or indirectly teach that it is by
no means of the greatest importance. A hint to this
¦ Prov. 24:19 f. See also 3:31; 24:1.

324 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
effect is found in the encomium on wisdom, which, as
has been explained, includes righteousness:
Happy the man that findeth wisdom.
And the man that getteth understanding:
For the gain thereof is richer than silver,
And the income therefrom than gold.
It is more precious than coral.
And no treasures compare with it.
Length of days is in its right hand,
In its left hand are riches and honor.
Its ways are pleasant ways.
And all its paths peaceful.
It is a tree of hfe to them that lay hold thereof,
Yea, happy are they that hold it fast.'
Here belong also certain passages in which wealth is
compared with other recognized goods; for example,
Better is a Uttle, with the fear of Yahweh,
Than great treasure and trouble therewith ;"
A good name is rather to be chosen than great wealth,
Approval than sflver and gold;'
Better is a little, with righteousness.
Than an abundant revenue without justice."
Be it observed that, in all these passages, the sages,
unlike Job's friends, admit the possibiUty of exceptions
to the traditional doctrine of retribution; or, perhaps,
treat the poverty of the wise and righteous as only a
temporary or probational condition. See 3:11 f ., where
the disciplinary view of the suffering of the righteous
is distinctly stated. Cf. Toy.
¦Prov.3:i36. See also 8:io !., i8 !.; i6:i6.
"Prov. 15:16. -Prov. 22:1.
"Prov. 16:8. See also 15:17; 16:19; 19:1 (28:6), 22; 28:11.

THE BOOK OF PROVERBS 325
The starting-point for a detailed examination of the
ethical field covered by the Book of Proverbs is deter
mined by the prominence given to wisdom. Wisdom
in man is an acquirement. It sometimes costs long
and painful effort. Its foundation is laid in the fear of
Yahweh. But the fear of Yahweh is a form of humiUty.
It is not strange, therefore, that humility in its various
manifestations is strongly commended and its opposites
as vigorously condemned. The good man is one who
not only fears Yahweh, but takes the docUe attitude
toward all who can help him to lead a successful life.
The unseen monitor who calls herself Wisdom has his
constant attention. She says to him:
Hear instruction, and become wise,
And reject it not.
Happy the man that listeneth to me,
Watching always at my gate.
Waiting at the posts of my doors.
For whoso findeth me findeth life.
And obtaineth favor from Yahweh;
But he that misseth me wrongeth himself;
All that hate me love death.'
He Ustens also to the sages, those who have given
special thought to the problems of Ufe, and whose
vocation it is to teach their fellows how to get the most
out of existence." He is submissive to the constituted
authorities,' and particularly respectful toward his
natural instructors, his father and mother." Indeed,
he gladly takes counsel with any who are willing to
'Prov. 8:336.
"Prov. 2:16.; 18:15; 19:20, etc.
3 Prov. 10:8. "Prov. 1:8; 13:1, etc.

326 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
advise him,' and being never too old to learn," welcomes
even reproof from those who are competent to administer
it.' He carries the same spirit into all his relations with
men, being more anxious to deserve honor than to obtain
it." On the folly of conceit, see 12:15; 26:12, etc.;
on indociUty, 12:1; 13:18, etc. Pride, which, it wiU
be remembered, is one of the seven things that "Yahweh
hateth,"' is repeatedly denounced as not only intoler
able but exceedingly dangerous.* The humiUty of the
Proverbs is a noble and admirable quality, as Jesus
testified when he borrowed from 25:6f. the substance
of the rebuke he administered to the scribes and pharisees
for crowding into the best seats at a feast to which he
was invited.
The sages of this book also emphasized the impor
tance of self-control. A choleric man, they urge, is in
constant danger, not only of saying or doing things
prejudicial to his own interests, but of provoking
others to wicked speech or action. As 29: 22 puts it,
An irascible man stirreth up strife.
And a passionate man is a great transgressor.'
He that is slow to anger, on the other hand, not only
holds himself in check,* but prevents the strife that he
might easily have excited.' The practice of such self-
control is sometimes very difficult, but even then
'Prov. 12:15; 15:22, etc. "Prov. 15:33; 25:6f.,etc.
' Prov. 1:5. 3 Prov. 6:i6 6.
'Prov. 12:1; 17:10, etc.
'Prov. 8:13; 11:2; 15:25; 16:5,18,19; 21:4, 24; 29:23; 30:13.
' See also Prov. 19:19; 22:24!.; 27:4.
'Prov. 29:15. 'Prov. 15:18.

THE BOOK OF PROVERBS 327
It is wisdom in a man to be slow to anger,
And his glory to overlook transgression.'
Indeed, according to 16:32, such cases offer the best of
opportunities for the display of moral character, since
He that is slow to anger is better than a warrior.
And he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.
It is easy to see that any person or class of persons
who so highly extoUed self-control would naturaUy give
temperance in aU things an important place in personal
ethics. The truth is that in the book of Proverbs is
found the most deUberate and effective protest against
the dominance of appetite there is in the Old Testament.
The first passage to be quoted should be 25 : 16. It reads,
Hast thou found honey ? eat but enough for thee;
Lest thou be sated therewith and vomit it up;
which, of course, means that anything, however good,
if abused, becomes distasteful or even injurious.
This principle is appUed to both eating and drinking
in 21 : 17, where the disciple is warned that
He that loveth pleasure wiU come to want.
And he that loveth wine and oil will not be rich;
and in 23 : 20 f ., where it is expanded into
Be not among winebibbers.
Among gluttonous eaters of flesh;
For the drunkard and the glutton come to poverty
And sleepiness clotheth with rags.
Finally, in 23 : 29 ff . the drunkard is depicted with such
vivid reaUsm as powerfuUy to reinforce the accompany
ing declaration concerning wine, that
At the last it biteth like a serpent,
And stingeth like an adder;
' Prov. ig : n. See also 14: 17 (Toy).

328 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
and influence the thoughtful to avoid at least the abuse
of it. "The abuse of it," be it observed; for, strongly
as the Proverbs condemn excess, they do not require
anyone who is not a slave to his appetite to abstain
entirely from the use of intoxicants. This is clear from
3:10, where an abundant jdeld of wine is one of the
rewards promised those who obey the injunction to
honor Yahweh with "their substance" and "the first
fruits of aU their increase"; and additionaUy so from
3i:4ff., wrhere, although kings and princes are warned
against them. Lest they drink and forget the Law,
And pervert the justice due all the afflicted,
the author recommends their use in certain cases, saying,
Give strong drink to him that is ready to perish,
And wine to him that is in bitter distress;
Let him drink and forget his poverty.
And remember his trouble no more.'
These citations indicate that in the period to which
the Proverbs belong intemperance was a serious evil.
There was another, sexual Ucense, which was even more
degrading, and which, doubtless owing in part to its
prevalence and in part to a reaction against it, receives
more attention in the Proverbs than in any other book
of the Old Testament. It seems to have taken three
forms, two of which may be noticed in this connection.
The first is incontinence, if, as seems probable, in 31:3
the women are the wives and concubines of the king
addressed. The second is fornication or the patron
age of the professional prostitutes whose existence in
Palestine can be traced to the earUest times. In this
' See also Prov. 9:5.

THE BOOK OF PROVERBS 329
book they are mentioned but three times,' and then
only in connection with a class of married women who
are represented as much more offensive and dangerous
to the community. See especiaUy 6:26. The former,
however, in 23:27 are compared to "a deep pit," that
is, a pitfaU for unwary feet.
When one inquires concerning the teaching of the
Proverbs on the ethics of the family, one finds in them a
new appreciation of women. Not that they are repre
sented as aU aUke admirable. The most common fault
found in them seems to have been a disposition to
quarrel and complain." There were some, too, and
these among the fairest, whose beauty was
Like a gold ring in a swine's snout,
so lacking were they in sense;' but the judgment of the
sages is, on the whole, much more favorable to the sex
than that of earUer writers. There is a handsome
compliment paid them, if the text is correct, in 11:16.
It reads, A gracious woman obtaineth honor,
And violent men obtain riches;
which seems to mean that a woman with gentie manners
is as sure to win esteem as an unprincipled man by
violent methods to secure wealth, the object of his
ambition. This, however, was perhaps not intended
to be more flattering than 14:1, where there is attributed
to woman a capacity for wisdom, or 3i:ioff., where
the ideal woman is described in the multipUcity of her
domestic activities. She has hands deft in household
arts, a mind alert and practical for business, and a
'Prov. 6:26; 7:10; 23:27. 3 Prov. 11:22.
"Prov. 19:13; 21:9,19; 27:15.

330 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
heart abounding in good-wiU toward all who have
occasion to test its goodness. Such a woman, says
31:10, has a value "above corals." It is not strange,
therefore, that, in 18:22, where an adjective is to be
suppUed or imderstood, it should be said that
He that hath found a [good] wife hath found a blessing,
And hath obtained favor from Yahweh;
or, as 19: 14 puts it,
Houses and riches are an inheritance from fathers.
But a capable wife is from Yahweh.'
One should not, of course, read too much into these
proverbs, but they surely indicate that to the sage or
sages with whom they originated, marriage was not a
whoUy commercial transaction. There is other evidence
pointing in the same direction. In 2 : 17 the husband is
caUed the "friend" of the wife's youth, and the wife
who has proved false to her husband is charged with
having forgotten "a covenant," not merely with him,
but "with God." See also 12:4, where the capable
wife is described as "a crown to her husband," and
31:23, where she is credited with enhancing his dignity
and reputation among his townsmen. FinaUy, note
that in vs. 31 of the same chapter the book closes with
a demand that she be given credit for her abiUty and
pubUcly commended for her individual attainments.
The recognition of the wife as a gift of Yahweh would
naturaUy have important consequences. It would bring
a wedded pair closer together, and the more closely they
were united the less the husband would be incUned,
even under favoring circumstances, to take a rival to his
' Cf. Prov. 12:4; 14:1.

THE BOOK OF PROVERBS 331
first wife into the famUy. At any rate, in this book,
unless, as has been suggested, 31:3 is an exception,
marriage seems to mean the union of one man with one
woman to the end of their common Uves. See 5:18, but
especially 31 : 29, where the fortunate husband of the ideal
wife is made to say,
Many women have done worthily,
But thou hast outdone them all.
The idea of marriage taught in the above passages
was not universaUy accepted when they were written.
Indeed, there is reason to believe that at that time dis
loyalty to nuptial duties was alarmingly prevalent.
The chief offenders were a class of women, already
mentioned, who, although they were married, more or
less openly practiced harlotry. One meets them for the
first time in 2: 16 ff., where the coUective name applied
to them is "the strange woman." It is not clear just
how the name is to be explained : whether these women
were actuaUy aU foreigners, or were so caUed because
the earUest harlots knowm to the Hebrews were foreigners
and in process of time the name was appUed to aU
women, without regard to nationaUty, who led a wanton
life; but the latter is the more probable theory. That
they were married is clear from 2:17, 6:29, and 7:19,
where the husband in each case is mentioned. It is
not necessary to quote the extended passages where
the arts by which they decoyed, and the fate to which
they allured, their victims are described. It wiU
suffice to cite 6:26, where these harpies are compared
with the ordinary harlots:
The price of a harlot is a loaf of bread.
But the adulteress hunts the precious Ufe;

332 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
and the warning in 7 : 25 ff. :
Let not thy heart turn aside to her ways.
Stray not into her paths;
For many are the dead that she hath brought low.
And very numerous her slain.
Her house is on the roads to Sheol,
The descents to the chambers of death.'
There are various proverbs concerning chUdren and
the relation between them and their parents. Here, as
elsewhere in the Old Testament, children are required
to honor their fathers and mothers, and those who act
otherwise are threatened with the direst consequences."
It is taken for granted that the normal child wiU
wish to please his parents, and the possibiUty of so
doing is several times presented as a motive for pursuing
or avoiding a given course,' while the earnest disciple
is repeatedly exhorted not to neglect the instruction
which their experience fits them to give him."
It is, of course, impUed in the just-dted exhortations
that the parents wUl give aU diUgence to the instruction
of their children in the things that concern their weU-
being, especiaUy since, according to the famiUar proverb
of 22:6, if one
Train up a child in the way he should go,
Even when he becometh old he wiU not depart from it.
In addition it is made the duty, apparently of the father,
if he finds that
Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child,
'See further Prov. 5:15s.; 9:136.; 22:14; 23:27^; 30:20.
"Prov. 15:5; 19:26; 20:20; 28:24; 30:11,17.
3Prov. 10:1; 15:20; 23:15; 27:11; 28:7; 29:3.
"Prov. 1:8; 4:1; 6:20; 13:1; 23:22; 31:26.

THE BOOK OF PROVERBS 333
to see to it that
The rod of correction shall drive it from him;'
the inducement to this stern course being that
He that spareth the rod hateth his son,
But he that loveth him giveth him timely chastisement."
One gets but here and there a gUmpse through the
Proverbs into the condition of the slaves of the period.
They had their place in every family that enjoyed
average prosperity, as well as at the courts of kings.'
Some of them were persons who had been brought to
servitude by laziness, extravagance, or dissipation."
On the other hand it was possible for a slave, not only
to gain his freedom, but to acquire wealth and attain
great honor.' The author of 30 : 22 f. evidently felt that,
sometimes at least, it would be better for a slave to
remain in bondage, while, according to 29:19, the
general character of servants made the use of the rod
as necessary as in the education of children.
The form of social organization reflected in the Book
of Proverbs is the monarchical. The whole duty of the
loyal subject is comprehended in the single sentence,
Fear Yahweh, my son, and the king.'
This might be interpreted as requiring obedience to a
given sovereign; but it is more probably a general
precept implying that the king is a representative of the
Deity, and, as such, fulfils the requirements of an ideal
' Prov. 22:15.
"Prov. 13:24. See also 19:18; 23:131.; 29:15,17.
'Prov. 12:9; 14:35; 30:10. 'Prov. 17:2; 19:10; 3o:22f.
"Prov. 11:29; 12:24; 29:21. 'Prov. 24:21.

334 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
administration. At any rate, it is the ideal ruler who
is meant in 8: 15, where Wisdom declares,
By me kings nfle.
And princes decree justice;
and in 16: 10, which reads,
The lips of the king are an oracle,
His mouth doth not transgress in judgment.'
In all these passages that which distinguishes the
ideal king above everything else is his justice. There
is another series of proverbs which agree in teaching
that no ruler can be caUed a genuine king, unless he is
just. Thus, 20:26 says,
A wise king winnoweth the wicked,
And passeth the wheel over them;
and 29:4, The king by justice establisheth the land,
But he that exacteth gifts overthroweth it."
Indeed, the same demand is laid upon all who have any
share in the government of their feUows, for, according
to 18:5, To favor the guilty is not good,
Also to deny the innocent justice.'
Naturally the Proverbs condemn any attempt by
bribery to "pervert the course of justice."" Here,
also, belongs 28:17, if, as seems probable, it forbids one
to assist a murderer to escape the penalty of the crime
that he has committed.
' See also Prov. 16:12 f.; 20:8.
" See also Prov. 20:28 (Gr.); 29:14; 31:5, 8.
3 See also Prov. 17:21; 21:15; 24:231.; 28:5,21.
"Prov. 15:27; 27:23; 28:21.

THE BOOK OF PROVERBS 335
There is not much evidence in the Proverbs of
familiarity with the grosser forms of injustice, and such
as exists is in the later parts of the book. For example,
the most important passage bearing on the subject of
violence is i : 10 ff., where the allurements by which the
thoughtless are led into crime are more briefly, but
quite as vividly, described as the wiles of the strange
woman in the seventh chapter.' The end, too, is as
strongly depicted :
They lie in wait for their own blood,
They lurk privily for their own lives."
The teaching of 21 : 7 is to the same effect. It says,
The violence of the wicked shall sweep them away,
Because they refuse to do justice.'
The oppression of the weak by the powerful is
represented as not only wicked but disastrous. A
king who offends in this respect" is "lacking in intelU-
gence": For Yahweh wUl plead theu- cause,
And despoU of life their despoilers.'
In general the Proverbs condemn those who enter
tain the thought of injuring their feUows in any respect.
Thus, in 6 : 16 ff . among other things that Yahweh
especiaUy hates is
A heart that deviseth wicked schemes.*
' See also Prov. 16:29. ' See further Prov. 3:31; 6:17.
" Prov. 1:18. " Prov. 28:3, 15.
sProv. 28:16; 22:22 f.; also 14:31; 22:16; 28:3; 30:14. In
14:31 the term "slave" is probably not to be taken literally.
' See also Prov. 12:2; 14:22; 15:26; 21:10; 24:8.

336 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
The rule laid down for the wise and good man is,
Devise not evil against thy neighbor,
Seeing he dweUeth securely by thee.'
He is warned that
Whoso rewardeth evil for good.
Evil shaU not depart from his house;"
and exhorted, not only not to harbor resentment
against those who have injured him,' but even to seek
to overcome evil with good. Says 25:21 f.,
If thy enemy be hungry, give him to eat,
If he be thirsty, give him to drink;
Thus shalt thou heap coals of fire on his head,
And Yahweh wUl reward thee.
This is a remarkable passage, but not so remarkable
as 10:12, for the love that is there recommended is a
sentiment unmixed with prudence that "covereth all
transgressions."" In the proverb last cited love is the preventive for
strife, which seemed to the sages a great evil.' The
causes they assign for it are greed,* pride,' irascibility,*
pugnacity,' malevolence,'" talebearing," and insolence.'"
The fool, being what he is, is forever quarreUng," but
the wise man, if he cannot find a way of composing
differences, as, for example, by lot,'" considers it, not a
'Prov.3:29. 'Prov. 15:18; 29:22.
"Prov. 17:13. 'Prov. 26:21; 30:33.
'Prov. 20:22; 24:17,29. '» Prov. 10:12.
"I Pet. 4:8. "Prov. 16:28; 26:20.
3 Prov. 17: 14, 19. '" Prov. 22: 10.
'Prov. 28:25. "Prov. 18:6.
'Prov. 13:10; 17:19. '" Prov. 18:18.

THE BOOK OF PROVERBS 337
reproach, but an honor "to pass over a transgression."'
Naturally, it is as reprehensible to sow discord as to
take part in the resulting quarrel."
There are in the Proverbs only a few references to
the rights of property. One passage,' in which robbery
of the poor is forbidden, has already been cited in another
connection. There are others showing that, when they
were written, theft was considered disgraceful. According
to 6:30 f., even when a man stole to satisfy hunger, he
was obUged to "return sevenfold," if it took "aU the
substance of his house."" The partner of a thief, even
if he succeeds in hiding his complicity, is warned that
he "hateth his own soul," that is, tempts God to
destroy him.
Here belongs the prohibition of the removal of
landmarks,' especiaUy those of orphans,* borrowed from
the Deuteronomic Code.' In that code, also, it is
forbidden to use the diverse weights and measures* of
which this book, no fewer than three times,' declares that
they are "an abomination to Yahweh." The sages,
however, go farther and condemn the buyer who depre
ciates the goods he is trying to purchase, saying,
It is bad, it is bad, ....
But, when he is gone his way, he boasteth
of his bargain.'"
The social duties thus far discussed may be viewed
as so many manifestations of the cardinal virtue of
'Prov. 19:11; also 3:30; 20:3. 'Prov. 23:10.
"Prov. 6:14, 19; 11:9. 'Deut. 19:14.
'Prov. 22:22. 'Deut. 25:13 6.
" See also Prov. 30:9. 'Prov. ii:i; 20:10,23.
s Prov. 22 : 28. '° Prov. 20: 14.

338 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
righteousness. There is another class that are phases
of a second quaUty, equaUy prominent in the Proverbs,
the Hebrew word for which is generally rendered
' 'truth," but which often, as has elsewhere been shown,
has the broader meaning of "trustworthiness." It has
various synon}mis, one of which occurs in 30:5 f.,
where the word of God is described as "refined," that
is, pure. There are a number in 8 : 6-9, where Wisdom
says of her instruction:
Hear, for I speak verities,
And my open Ups things that are correct.
For my mouth uttereth truth.
And wicked Ups are an abomination to me.
All the words of my mouth are just,
There is nothing in them wrong or awry.
They are aU right to him that understandeth,
And correct to those that find knowledge.'
Trustworthiness is one of the three virtues by which
kings attain and retain their power," and it is equally
necessary in the lowliest subject who would find favor
with God or man.' Hence the disciple is advised to
"buy the truth," that is, in the language of Paul,
"whatsoever things are true,"" assured that they will
endure, while aU that is false must speedily perish.'
He is also exhorted to cherish genuine friendships,
remembering that, although
There are friends for companionship,
There is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.'
' See also Prov. 22:21. ' Prov. 3:33; 16:6.
" Prov. 20: 28. " Prov. 23 : 23.
3 Prov. 12:19, 22.
'Prov. 18:24. See also 17:17; 27:10.

THE BOOK OF PROVERBS 339
These passages are clear and convincing, but they
by no means measure the importance given to trust
worthiness by the Hebrew sages. An adequate idea on
the subject can only be obtained by considering how
much space is given in the Proverbs to the exposure
and condemnation of falsehood or untrustworthiness
in its various manifestations.
First of aU, there are the deception that seals the
Ups of the wicked while they are planning the dis
comfiture of the righteous,' and the treachery which,
"like a bad tooth or a weak foot,"" hides itself until
confidence wUl be most disastrous. In 23:28 "the
strange woman" is charged with multiplying traitors.
Here the word "traitor" may mean an unfaithful
husband, but, since it is repeatedly used of a wicked
man, it is probable that in this case it denotes one
who has repudiated the claims of reUgion and mor
aUty. This distinction, however, is not important,
since the traitors of the general type are consigned to
destruction.' The untrustworthy of the Book of Proverbs are
mostly such as have sinned with their mouths. There
is, first, the simple Uar. Now, as has repeatedly been
noted, the earUer Hebrews did not condemn simple
falsehood. The later Uterature, however, reveals a
growing sensitiveness on the subject. This book is
especiaUy emphatic in condemnation of "a lying
tongue," which, according to 6:17 is another of the
seven things "that Yahweh hateth."" Good men also
' Prov. 12:5, 20. " Prov. 25:19.
'Prov. 2:22; 11:3,6; 13:2,15; 21:18; 22:12.
" See also Prov. 12: 22.

340 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
hate a Ue,' and shrink from the thought of telling one,"
knowing that it brings its own punishment,' and that
therefore the truthful man, though poor, has no occasion
to envy the rich Uar."
A false witness, as has been shown, was always an
abomination to the Hebrews. It is not strange, there
fore, to find him also among the things especiaUy offen
sive to Yahweh.' He is the more severely condemned
because by his testimony he seeks to, and often actually
does, defeat the ends of justice.* He is therefore a
menace to the community in which he lives,' and wiU
certainly in the end receive his deserts.*
Flattery, which is sometimes regarded as a harmless
form of deception, is forbidden because it is seldom
profitable to the one who employs it' and often very
injurious to a susceptible object.'"
On h3^ocrisy one cannot do better than to let the
book speak for itself by quoting in extenso 26:23-26.
It reads : Like drossy silver laid upon pottery
Are flattering lips and a bad heart.
With his lips an enemy dissembleth,
Whfle within him he holdeth deceit.
When he speaketh graciously, trust him not;
For there are seven abominations in his heart.
Whoso covereth hatred with guile.
His wickedness shaU be exposed.
Last, but not least, among oral offenses are two that
are not clearly distinguished, namely, tale-bearing and
'Prov. 13:5; 17:7. 'Prov. 12:17; 14:25; 19:18.
" Prov. 30:8. ' Prov. 25:18.
'Prov. 12:19. 'Prov. 19:5, 9; 21:28; also 24:28.
" Prov. 19:22. 9 Prov. 28:23.
'Prov. 6:19. » Prov. 26:28b; 27:14; 29:5.

THE BOOK OF PROVERBS 341
slander. On the former may be cited certain passages
of which 25 : 7b-8 is a good example. It reads:
What thy eyes have seen
Make not hastily public.
What wilt thou do in the end
When thy neighbor putteth thee to shame ?
Here the motive for refraining from telUng stories,
even true ones, prejudicial to a neighbor, is the would-
be tattler's regard for his own reputation.' There is
another series of passages in which the offense is clearly
slander. One of them is 16: 27, which declares that
With his mouth the godless destroyeth his neighbor.
In all these, except 18:8 (26:22), where the natural
appetite for slander is depicted, it is the harm to the
slandered to which attention is directed."
The third of the great social virtues by which the
ideal king,' and, indeed, the ideal man, is characterized
is kindness." By it, as by trustworthiness or faithful
ness, one finds "favor wdth God and man."'
In the passages cited the proper objects of the virtue
in question are not specified. This fact does not warrant
the inference that the sages had in mind a mere senti
ment toward men in general. The usage with reference
to the word rendered "kindness" forbids such a supposi
tion. The word impUes a need which, whether it is
put into words or remains mute, appeals to those who
' See also Prov. 17:9; 25:9, 23; 30:10.
" See also Prov. 1 1 : 13 ; 16:27,28,30; 26:20,28; 29:12.
3 Prov. 20:28.
" Prov. 3:3; 31:26.
'Prov. 3:4; also 2:8; 11:17; i6;6; 19:22; 21:21.

342 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
have the benevolent disposition and, when they have
a corresponding abiUty, receives a response in the form
of sympathetic activity. Hence it is used, especiaUy
in the Psalms, of the intervention of Yahweh for the
benefit of his creatures,' and throughout the Old Testa
ment of the readiness of human beings, whatever their
station, to lend a hand in an emergency." In the Prov
erbs it has the latter meaning, which appears very
clearly in 11:17, where the antithesis of "kind" is
"cruel." If, however, active s3Tnpathy is required in
the temporary disturbances to which human happiness
is subject, it certainly is a more imperative duty toward
the unfortunate classes. This is the teaching of the
Proverbs. In the first place, the well-to-do are expressly
forbidden to take advantage of those who are more or
less dependent by oppressing them,' robbing them of
their scant possessions," or charging them discount or
interest on money and other things that they are com
pelled to borrow.'
The poor are also especiaUy commended to the
charity of those who are able to reUeve their wants.
The ultimate ground for the sjonpathy required is that
The rich and the poor meet together,
Yahweh is the maker of them all.'
The moral standing of a man may be determined by his
treatment of this obUgation. Says 29:7,
The righteous regardeth the cause of the poor,
The wicked hath no mind to regard it.
'Ps. 33:4!. "Prov. 22:22.
"I Sam. 20:8, 14 f.;II Sam. 10:2. s Prov. 28:8.
3Prov. 14:31. 'Prov. 22:2. Seealso 29:13.

THE BOOK OF PROVERBS 343
The disciple is warned not to imitate the latter in 3 : 27 f . :
Withhold not help from him that deserve th it(?).
When it is in thy power to act.
Say not to thy neighbor. Go, and come again.
And tomorrow I will give, when thou hast aught by thee.'
On the other hand, he is encouraged in an opposite
course by repeated assurances of the divine favor.
One of the most famiUar of the passages bearing on
this point is 19:17,
He that hath pity on the poor lendeth to Yahweh,
And a due reward wiU he pay him."
The same end is sought in the description of the ideal
man' and the ideal woman" as givers; also in the com
parison, Clouds and wind, but no rain —
Such is he that boasteth of gifts ungiven.'
Little is said in the Proverbs concerning the widow
and the orphan, but according to 15:25 and 23:iof.,
their property is under the special protection of Yahweh.
Here, no doubt, belong 24:11 f., where he whom it
concerns is exhorted to
Deliver those that are being haled to death.
And rescue those that are staggering to be slain,
and, in case he is inclined to excuse himseU from inter
fering, is warned that he cannot thus easily escape
responsibiUty: If thou sayest, I knew naught thereof,
WiU not he that weigheth hearts perceive ?
Nay, he that keepeth watch on thy soul wiU know,
And he wiU render to every man according as he acteth.
' See also Prov. 17:5; 21:13.
" See also Prov. 11:24, 25, 26; 14:21,31; 22:9; 28:27.
' Prov. 21 : 26. " Prov. 31 : 20. s Prov. 25 : 14.

344 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
The situation is not clear. There are some who main
tain that those who are to be rescued are persons who
have been tried and found guilty, and interpret the
exhortation as a protest against capital punishment.
So DeUtzsch. But it is more probable that they are
the intended victims of violence, and that, therefore,
the passage, like Exod. 23:2, is a demand for law and
order, and protection under them for the humblest
member of the community.
FinaUy the sages taught that the righteous could be
distinguished from the wicked by their treatment of
dumb animals, for
The righteous man regardeth the life of his beast.
But the mercy of the wicked is cruel.'
The absence in the Proverbs of any reference to the
foreigner is noteworthy, but easily explained : Wisdom's
appeal is to "the sons of men" and not to or for any
nationaUty." » Prov. 12:10. " Prov. 8:4.

CHAPTER XXVIII
THE SONG OF SOLOMON
There is no book in the Old Testament about which
and its value there have been more widely different
opinions than "the Song of Songs, which is Solomon's."
It doubtless owes its place in the Canon to the beUef
that it was written by Solomon, and that it was the
intention of the royal author thereby to depict the
bUssfuUy intimate relation between Yahweh and his
people. This is the thought that the Jews found in
it when they read it on the eighth day of the feast of
the Passover.
The aUegorical interpretation was adopted by the
early Christians, and it continued for many centuries
to be the almost unchaUenged opinion in aU branches of
the church. Indeed, it is only within recent times that
its correctness has been widely questioned or rejected.
The Song of Songs, taken as an aUegory, becomes
an almost purely reUgious production, with an ethical
element showing itseU in the faithfulness of the sym-
boUcal pair to the covenant between them. The ethi
cal element is brought into prominence by a modern
interpretation according to which, in its most developed
form, the book is a dramatic poem picturing the futUe
efforts of the historical Solomon to win a humble but
beautiful maiden from an equaUy humble lover; and
those who adopt this or any similar interpretation
contend that this ethical quaUty justifies the retention
of the book in the Hebrew Scriptures.
345

346 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
The latest view is that the Song of Solomon is not a
dramatic unit, but a coUection of lyrics such as are
still sung during the festive week that follows a wedding
in some parts of Syria, where the newly wedded pair
are crowned and treated as king and queen by their
friends and neighbors. If this is correct, it is clear,
in the first place, that the severity with which the book
has sometimes been criticized must be considerably
mitigated, since language and relations that would be
immoral between mere lovers become permissible when
the parties concerned have been united in marriage.
On the other hand, it can hardly be said that the book
was intended to teach an ethical or religious lesson or
lessons. The compiler of it seems to have been actuated
by a desire to preserve and recommend to others the
pieces of which it is composed, chiefly for their Uterary
exceUence and their influence toward the perpetuation
of an immemorial custom. If, therefore, these songs
have any ethical significance, it is only incidental and
naturally confined to the subjects of woman and
marriage. The first thing that strikes one, when reading the
book, is the absence of any allusion to the virtual sale
of girls by their fathers to their prospective husbands
among the Hebrews. In fact, the whole tone of the
book is such as almost to suggest a question whether,
when the songs originated, this custom stUl prevailed.
It is an intense desire for each other that binds the young
couple together, and, according to 2 : 10-14, this mutual
affection existed before they were united in marriage.
See also the dream of 3:1-4, but especiaUy that of
5 : 2 ff ., in which he teUs of wandering at night sleepless

THE SONG OF SOLOMON 347
from love and she confesses herself "sick" with an
answering longing. Doubtless, when a young man and
a young woman were found to have chosen each other,
their relatives usually indorsed their choice, realizing
that, as the bride in 8 : 6 declares.
Love is strong as death,
A passion as resistless as Sheol.
The passage just partly quoted is significant as
an indication, not only of the influence of personal
preference in marriages among the Hebrews, but also
of the character of the "love" by which men and women
were sometimes, at least, brought together. There
is so much said in other parts of the book about the
physical charms of both of the principal personages,
and their sensuous deUght in each other, that often
the term seems to mean Uttle more than sexual attrac
tion. Here, however, it is clearly something higher and
nobler; for it is only love in its highest manifestations
of which it can be said that
Water cannot quench it.
Nor do rivers drown it;
If one offer aU the wealth of one's house
For love, they wiU utterly reject it.'
It is easy to imagine the effect of a genuine affection
between husbands and wives. In the first place, the
existence of such a bond would naturaUy prevent men
from taking more than one wife, except when the first
was barren; and even then there would be some who
would "go childless" rather than introduce a rival to the
imfortunate woman into the family. There are passages
'Song of Sol. 8:7.

348 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
in these songs that point to such an effect. One of
them is the Une by the bride,
My beloved is mine, and I am his,
in 2:16, repeated with variations in 6:3 and 7:10;
but the most pointed is 6:8 f., where, according to
Budde, one should read,
Solomon had sixty queens,
And eighty concubines,
And maidens numberless;
My dove, the faultless, is one.
A sentiment of this sort leaves no room for polygamy.
A second effect of love of the higher quaUty would be
to Uft women as a class toward man's level. It is not
strange, therefore, that in this book there is found no
trace of inequality between the sexes. The bridegroom
is as extravagant in praise of the bride as she is in
describing his perfections. He is "altogether lovely,"'
and she is not only always the "fairest among women,""
but, in her power over him, "terrible as an army with
banners."' The duration of mutual admiration in any
given case would, of course, depend upon the possession
by the parties concerned of internal quaUties correspond
ing to their external attractions.
' Song of Sol. 5 : 16. ' Song of Sol. 6:4.
" Song of Sol. 1 : 8.

CHAPTER XXIX
THE BOOKS OF CHRONICLES, EZRA, AND
NEHEMIAH
In the Hebrew Bible Ezra and Nehemiah precede
the Books of Chronicles; but this order should be
reversed, as it is in the English Version, since it is
perfectly plain, not only that all these books came from
the same source, but that they once formed a continuous
history. The date to which they are assigned is toward
the beginning of the Greek period, or about three hun
dred years before the Christian era. There was then
an abundance of material of one kind and another for a
history of the Hebrews, for the succession of historical
books from Genesis to KLings inclusive had long been
completed, and there were other lesser works of a
similar character, to say nothing of the prophetical
books with their vivid pictures of contemporary affairs
and conditions. The Chronicler, however, did not
draw upon all the sources avaUable or treat the material
he used as a modern historian would have treated it.
He was a Levite, and his object was to glorify Jerusalem
and its temple, but especially to magnify the importance
of the guild that furnished the music in the ritual of the
sanctuary. It is the narrowness of his purpose which
accounts for the fact that the first nine chapters of his
work consist of a series of genealogies and it is only
when he comes to the end of Saul's unhappy reign that
he begins the narrative proper. It also explains why,
at every opportunity, he introduces the Levites, and
349

350 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
often, so far as can be determined, without warrant
from earUer authorities. The foUowing is a Ust of the
more important examples of this practice, with the
passages in the books of Samuel and Kings to which the
Chronicler was indebted for the main points in his
narrative: I Chron., chaps. 15 f. (II Sam. 6:12 ff.);
chaps. 23-29 (I Kings 2 : i ff .) ; II Chron., chaps. 5 f .
(I Kings 8) ; 20 : 1-30 (II Kings 3) ; chap. 23 (II Kings
11:4-20); 24:4-14 (II Kings 12:4-16); 29:3 — ^31:21
(II Kings 18:4); 34:8-13 (II Kings 22:3-7); 35:i-i9
(II Kings 23:21-23); Neh. 9.
One cannot study the passages cited and their
parallels without suspecting the Chronicler's reliability
as a historian. There are other indications that are
equally damaging. In the first place, there are many
passages in which he is guilty of evident exaggeration.
The most notable are the following:
I Chron. 19:6 f., where the Ammonites are reported
to have hired 32,000 chariots at an expense of 1,000
talents of silver, or about $1,952,000.
I Chron. 21:5, where the number of warriors in
Judah and Israel, exclusive of Levi and Benjamin, is
given as 1,500,000, representing a population of perhaps
6,000,000. I Chron. 22 : 14, where David is said to have provided
for the ornamentation of the temple 100,000 talents of
gold and 1,000,000 of silver, the value of which would
be about $4,910,000,000.
I Chron. 29:4, where David's private contribution
to the fund for the temple is reported to have been
3,000 talents of gold and 7,000 of sflver, or about
$101,504,000.

CHRONICLES, EZRA, AND NEHEMIAH 351
I Chron. 29 : 7, where the sum of the offerings of the
notables for the same fund is 5,000 talents and 10,000
darics of gold and 10,000 talents of silver, or about
$165,973,680. II Chron. 13:3, 17, where the army of Abijah is
said to have consisted of 400,000, and that of Jeroboam I
of 800,000 men, the number of Israel's slain being no
less than 500,000.
II Chron. 14 : 8 f ., where Asa's army numbers 580,000,
and that of the invading Ethiopians 1,000,000 men.
II Chron. 17:143., where the strength of Jehosha-
phat's army is reported to have been 1,120,000 men.
II Chron. 28 : 6 ff ., where Pekah, when he invaded
Judah, is said to have slain "in Judah 120,000, all of
them vaUant men, in one day," and carried away
captive 200,000 women and children.
It is evident, too, that the Chronicler has suppressed
much that confficted with his idea of the history of his
people. The most notable of these omissions occurs
in his account of the reign of David. Thus, although
he copies from II Sam., chaps. 10 ff., the main features
of the siege and capture of Rabbath Ammon, with
only sUght modifications, except with reference to the
number of Syrians who came to the support of the
Ammonites, he omits any reference to the double crime
of the Hebrew king against Uriah the Hittite recorded
in II Sam. 11:2 ff. He is equally silent concerning
the story of Rizpah,' the rebelUon of Absalom,
together with the troubles that immediately preceded
and followed it," and the unseemly rivalry between
Solomon and Adonijah by which David's last days
'II Sam. 21:1 3. "H Sam. 13:1 — 20:22.

352 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
were clouded.' The same is true of the account of
Solomon's removal of Joab, Adonijah, and Shimei,"
the apostasy of Solomon and the adversaries that
plagued his later years.'
FinaUy there are cases in which the Chronicler has
intentionaUy changed statements of earUer writers.
Thus, while II Sam. 21:19 says that it was a Bethle-
hemite by the name of Elhanan who slew GoUath of
Gath, the Chronicler in I Chron. 20:5, evidently for the
purpose of harmonizing this statement with I Sam.,
chap. 17, says that the man slain by Elhanan was
Lahmi a brother of the PhiUstine champion. See also
I Chron. 21:1, where it is Satan, and not, as in II Sam.
24: 1, Yahweh, who incites David to number his people;
II Chron. 8:2, where the cities which, according to I
Kings 9:12 f., Solomon gave to Hiram of Tyre are
described as "the cities which Huram had given to
Solomon"; II Chron., chap. 13, where Abijah, who,
in I Kings 15:3 f., is accused of walking "in all the sins
of his father," is represented as an especial favorite
of Yahweh; II Chron. 21:20, where the statement of
II Kings 8:24, that Jehoram of Judah "was buried
with his fathers in the city of David," is directly con
tradicted; II Chron. 20:36, where the Chronicler, to
account for the shipwreck of Jehoshaphat's fleet, says
that he accepted the invitation of Ahaziah of Israel,
which I Kings 22:41 says that he declined; and Ezra
4:7 ff., where a story relating to the restoration of the
waU of Jerusalem is incorporated into an account of
the erection of the second temple.
' I Kings, chap. i. ' I Kings ii ; 1-40.
" I Kings, chap. 3.

CHRONICLES, EZRA, AND NEHEMIAH 353
Other instances of violence done by the Chronicler to
his sources might be cited, and other forms of evidence
presented, but enough has been adduced to show that
his methods were such as no genuine historian would
either employ or countenance, and that, consequently,
the books attributed to him cannot, in themselves, be
regarded as trustworthy sources of information on the
history of the Chosen People. This fact has, of course,
a bearing on the subject of the ethical development of
the Hebrews, but its real significance may easily be
misunderstood. It is true that one cannot go to these
books expecting always to find reUable data for deter
mining the degree of ethical progress made by the
Hebrews at any time during the long period covered
by the narrative, since, as has been shown, it has
comparatively Uttle material of this kind to offer, and
such as it has is Uable to be worthless for the given
purpose; but the case is different when the work is
viewed simply as a product of the Greek period and
studied as a mirror of the ethical ideas of the author,
and doubtless of many of his Jewish contemporaries.
Treating it thus the reader wiU at once begin to see
that the author, in spite of his lawless methods, regarded
himself as an ethical teacher, and that, although his
ideas are sometimes mistaken, his pretensions are not
without foundation.
In the fijst place, he beUeved with aU his heart in
a moral order. He was utterly impervious to the doubts
on the subject that show themselves in Jeremiah's
confessions, and burst into unrestiatned expression
in the Book of Job. Moreover, he inferred, as did Job's
friends, that suffering impUed sin, and undertook to

354 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
show how the principal figures in his narrative incurred
the misfortunes from which they suffered. Thus, in
I Chron. 5 : i he explains the transfer of the birthright
from Reuben to Joseph by recalUng Gen. 35:22, where
the former is reported to have "defiled his father's
couch." In his treatment of the Hebrew, more pre
cisely the Judean, monarchy he goes beyond the compiler
of the Books of Kings, who is generaUy content with
passing judgment on each of the kings of Judah and
Israel, leaving the reader to connect the events narrated
with the conduct of the characters involved. The
following list of instances will abundantly illustrate his
method :
Shishak, the king of Egypt "came up against Jeru
salem, because they (Rehoboam and his people) had
trespassed against Yahweh"; II Chron. 12:1 f.; cf.
I Kings 14:22 ff.
Asa had repeated wars and suffered greatly from
disease, because he appealed to human helpers rather
than Yahweh; II Chron. 16:7 ff.; cf. I Kings i5:i6ff.
Jehoshaphat's fleet was destroyed to punish him for
joining himseU with Ahaziah, king of Israel, in a com
mercial enterprise; II Chron. 20:35 ff.; cf. I Kings
22:48 f.
Jehoram was afflicted in various ways, because he
was disloyal to Yahweh and slew his brethren and others
with the sword; II Chron. 21:12 ff.; cf. II Kings
8:18 ff.
Ahaziah fell in the revolution at Jezreel, because
"he went to Joram" of Israel; II Chron. 22:7 ff.;
cf. II Kings 8:25 ff.; 9:27 f.
Jehoash was assassinated, after an invasion by the

CHRONICLES, EZRA, AND NEHEMIAH 355
Syrians, "for the blood of the son of Jehoiada"; II
Chron. 24 : 20 ff . ; cf . II Kings 1 2 : 1 7 ff .
Amaziah was assassinated, because he "turned away
from foUowing Yahweh"; II Chron. 25:14-16, 27;
cf. II Kings 14:7, 19.
Uzziah was smitten with leprosy, because he under
took to usurp the office of a priest; II Chron. 26: 16 ff.;
cf. II Kings 15:5 ff.
Ahaz was delivered into the hands of the neighboring
peoples, because he "trespassed sore against Yahweh";
II Chron. 28:1 ff.; cf. II Kings 16:1 ff.
The wrath of Yahweh was upon Hezekiah, because
"his heart was lifted up," and "he rendered not again
according to the benefit done him"; II Chron. 32 : 24 f. ;
cf . II Kings 20:12 ff .
Manasseh was deUvered into the hands of the
Assyrians, because he served other gods; II Chron.;
33:iof.; cf. II Kings 21:10-15.
Amon, who did not repent of his misdeeds, met a
violent death; II Chron. 33:21 ff.; cf. II Kings 2i:i9ff.
Josiah was kUled in battle, because he would not
Usten to a warning against interfering with Necho, the
king of Eg3^t, on his march against Carchemish;
II Chron. 35:2off.; cf. II Kings 23:29f.
Jehoiakim, who "did that which was evil in the
sight of Yahweh," was dethroned and carried into
captivity; II Chron. 36:5-8; cf. II Kings 23:36ff.;
Jehoiachin, who followed his father's example,
suffered the same fate; II Chron. 36:9 f.; cf. II Kings
24:8 ff.
Zedekiah, also, was dethroned and deported, because
he did evil in the sight of Yahweh and broke faith with

3S6 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
the king of Babylon; II Chron. 36:11 ff.; II Kings
24:i8f. If the parallel passages above cited be examined,
it will be found that the Chronicler finds occasion for
criticism in five more cases than the Deuteronomist,
namely, those of Asa, Jehoash, Amaziah, Uzziah, and
Josiah, in four of which misfortune is expressly connected
with the act or acts condemned; that there are six
other cases, namely, those of Rehoboam, Jehoshaphat,
Jehoram, Ahaziah, Ahaz, and Josiah, in which, although
the Deuteronomist does not connect misfortunes that
are related with the conduct of these kings, the Chroni
cler makes such a connection; and that there are only
three cases, namely, those of Amon, Jehoiakim, and
Jehoiachin, in which the older narrative is not modified
in this respect.
It wdll also be found that, in the passages cited from
the Books of Chronicles, the author judges the persons
involved according to the Priests' Code, which, it wUl
be remembered, teaches that its ritual as weU as its
moral precepts were promulgated at Sinai, and that
both aUke are binding on all Hebrews. Thus, he is
just as severe on Uzziah for swinging a censer as on
Manasseh for worshiping idols or Jehoram for murdering
his own brothers.
The Chronicler betrays his ethical position, not only
in his modifications of, but in his omissions from, the
earlier narratives. Reference has aheady been made
to the liberties he takes with the accepted accounts of
the reigns of David and Solomon. The explanation is
easy. David had long been the national hero. The
story of his life and exploits had more than once been

CHRONICLES, EZRA, AND NEHEMIAH 357
rewritten, and deeds that he had done suppressed,
while some that he had not done were attributed to him.
The Chronicler followed the same method, and for the
same reason, as his predecessors. He was interested
in the temple at Jerusalem and all that pertained to it;
so deeply interested that he could not beUeve David,
the national idol, to have left the honor of at least mak
ing aU possible preparation for the erection of the sanc
tuary and the maintenance of worship therein to his
son Solomon. He therefore gave the king credit, not
only for collecting the vast amounts of gold and sUver
and other metals above noted, but for organizing the
various guilds into which the Levites in his own time
were divided. On the other hand, because the ethics
of the time condemned some of the things that the great
king had done or permitted, the Chronicler omitted,
not only the faults of which he stood accused, but the
misfortunes which would naturally be interpreted as
penalties for unrecorded transgressions. He made one
exception, the story of the census and the pestilence
that followed, I Chron. 21: iff. This passage was
doubtless preserved because it belonged to the story
of the temple, and the compiler thought he could pre
vent the reader from misusing it by introducing, as the
tempter, instead of Yahweh, Satan, who had now
become a definite personaUty hostile to God and his
purposes. It required a twofold violence to transform David
from a very real man into a very unreal saint. The
process was simpler in the case of his successor. He
had always enjoyed the honor of having built the
temple as weU as having possessed extraordinary

358 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
wisdom. It was therefore only necessary for the
Chronicler to suppress the record of his weakness for
foreign women, their influence over him, and the
adversaries that Yahweh "raised up" against him,
to secure for him also recognition as a saint among
those for whom the Books of Chronicles were written.
Thus far the object has been to present the Chroni
cler's general position as a teacher of morals among the
Jews in the early part of the third century B.C. It
remains to discuss some special points on which his
work furnishes further information.
The subject of slavery is one of them. From the
earUest times, it will be remembered, there were native
as well as foreign slaves among the Hebrews, the former
being persons who were held in bondage for a limited
period for debts that they could pay only by personal
service;' but there was a tendency to make the lot
of all such unfortunates as tolerable as possible under
the circumstances." Jeremiah went so far as to demand
that aU the Hebrews in bondage in his day be liberated
and that thereafter "no Jew should make a bondman
of his brother," and for a time the people allowed him
to have his way; but they repented of their humanity
and "caused the servants and the handmaids whom
they had let. go free to return" to subjection;' and it
remained for Nehemiah effectually to protest against
the enslavement of Hebrews for debt." To the Chroni
cler, also, the idea of compulsory service for Hebrews
was abhorrent. Therefore in his account of the reign
of Solomon, instead of adopting the statement of I
'Exod. 21:25. 3jer. 34:83.
"Deut. 15:125.; Lev. 25:355. "Neh. 5:63.

CHRONICLES, EZRA, AND NEHEMIAH 359
Kings 5:13 to the effect that the men by whom the
wood and stone required for the temple were prepared
and transported were raised by "a levy out of aU
Israel," he takes pains to inform his readers that the
153,600 men so employed were "the sojourners that
were in the land of Israek" See II Chron. 2:17 f.;
also 8:9, where he copies from I Kings 9:22 the decla
ration that "of the children of Israel Solomon made no
servants for his work." There is another passage that
is interesting in this connection, namely, II Chron.
28:8 ff., which tells how, when Pekah carried away
captive from Judah 200,000 women and children,
whom he would have sold into slavery, the prophet
Oded protested and "certain of the heads of the chUdren
of Ephraim" forbade him to bring them into their
country for that purpose, lest Yahweh's wrath toward
Israel be increased. Here the Chronicler is simply
carrying back more than four centuries the opposition
to Hebrew slavery that prevaUed in the Greek period.
In this connection it should be noted that in the
passage cited from Nehemiah's memoirs the governor
appeals to the Jews, not only to restore the security they
have taken from one another for debts, but to cancel
the debts themselves, as they were required to do in the
year of release.'
The only other topic that requires particular atten
tion is the attitude of the Chronicler toward foreigners.
The passages, II Chron. 2:i7f. and 8:9, in which,
following I Kings 9:22, he teaches that the levy raised
by Solomon was among the remnant of the tribes
'Neh. 5:93.; Deut. 15:16. In Neh. 5:11, for "the hundredth
part" read, with Geiger, "the loan." See Deut. 24:10.

360 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
subdued by the Hebrews when they invaded Canaan,
have already been cited. They betray an attitude
toward Gentiles that becomes more pronounced in the
Books of Ezra and Nehemiah. In these books, to be
sure, some of the references to other peoples are put
into the mouths of the principal characters, and one of
them, at least, must have come from some source not
the Chronicler, but the passage of most importance
seems to be from his pen. It is the tenth chapter of
Ezra. In the ninth, as in the eighth, the scribe is
represented as speaking in his own person, a fact which
favors the supposition that the sentiments there
expressed are properly attributed to him. There are
those, however, who insist that the Uterary form of
these chapters is only a mask behind which the com
piler is freely drawing upon his imagination. There
is even greater reason for suspecting something of the
kind in chap. 10, where the form of the memoir is
abandoned and the narrative proceeds as usual. It is
probable, therefore, that the Jews in the time of Ezra
had not taken foreign wives in such numbers as the
Chronicler would have one beUeve, or, if they had,
that the scribe did not adopt the drastic and inhuman
policy of dissolving all such marriages and condemning
hundreds of women and chUdren to want and misery,
especially since, according to Neh. 13 : 23, the governor
in a precisely similar case was content with handling
some of the men rather roughly, banishing the most
prominent offenders, and requiring the rest to promise
under oath that they would not thenceforth permit
intermarriage with the surrounding peoples. This
being the case, it is the Chronicler, and not Ezra, who

CHRONICLES, EZRA, AND NEHEMIAH 361
is to be blamed; and the sensitive reader wiU condemn
him pretty severely, unless he stops to consider that
this Chronicler was a closet historian, who, Uke the
Deuteronomic reviser of the Book of Joshua, could
calmly describe the destruction of human beings by
the thousand, but might have shrunk from harming
one of them, except with his pen. For further indi
cations of his (Uterary) attitude, see Ezra 6:21; Neh.
9:2; 10:28.

CHAPTER XXX
THE BOOK OF ECCLESIASTES
In i:i2 of this book the author calls himseU "the
Preacher" and "king over Israel in Jerusalem." In
harmony with these appellations the book itseU is de
scribed in its title as "The Words of the Preacher, the
son of David, king in Jerusalem," and in the past it
has been accepted by Christians as weU as Jews as a
work of Solomon. The evidence, however, from both
its language and its content is to the effect that the
author Uved in the Greek period, and that the name he
assumes is a Uterary disguise too transparent to be
taken seriously. This much is generally admitted.
On the integrity of the book there is wide difference
of opinion, some attributing it to a single unstable
author, whUe others distribute its contents among
several different contributors. The safer theory seems
to be that the deviations from the general trend of the
work, which it is easy enough to discover, are due to
the attempts of one or more revisers to bring it into
harmony with the ethical teaching prevalent in their
day, or, at least, in the class or party to which they
belonged. Perhaps it wUl be best to begin the examination
of the book with the interpolated passages, or such of
them as have an ethical bearing. There is naturally
nothing new in them. They teach the simple doctrines
found in the earUer Hebrew Scriptures. In the first place
they aU imply the righteousness of God, and 7:29
362

THE BOOK OF ECCLESIASTES 363
asserts, apparently on the authority of Gen. 1:21, that
he "made man upright." He holds men accountable
for their actions. He will bring "into judgment" both
the righteous and the wicked.' There is no hint of the
sUghtest doubt about the outcome of the trial. The
righteous are assured that their righteousness wiU have
its reward in the present life;" that, in fact, "whoso
keepeth the commandment shaU know nothing evil."'
The wicked, on the other hand, are as confidently warned
that they are always exposed to evil," and that, however
often they may escape, they cannot hope to prolong their
days like the righteous or enjoy equaUy certain and
enduring prosperity.'
Such is the teaching of the reviser, or revisers, to
whose well-meant but confusing additions, and the
potency of the fame of Solomon, the book doubtless
owes its place in the Hebrew canon. That of the
original writing was very different. Not that the
author denies God, or, as is sometimes inferred, ignores
moral considerations. He repeatedly recognizes a
divine Cause. It is God to whom he attributes the
frame of things and the current of events in which he
finds himself involved,* also the blessings he enjoys'
and the impulses by which he is prompted in his various
activities.* The works of God, although he cannot
understand them, ffil him with awe,' and, when he
goes to the house of God, as is his custom, he does
so with a humble and reverent heart.'" He would not
' Eccles. 3:17; 11:9b; 12:14. 'Eccles. 3:14!.; 7:13!.
" Eccles. 17:12, i8b, 19. ' Eccles. 5:19; 6:2.
3 Eccles. 8:5. * Eccles. 1:13; 3:10.
" Eccles. 7:6. ' Eccles. 3 : 14.
3 Eccles. 2:26; 8:12. " Eccles. 5:1 !.

364 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
willingly offend this august Being, since, if he did, he
would expect to suffer, and that severely, from his
anger.' The ethical position of the Preacher is more diffi
cult to determine. He certainly cannot be accused of
conscious neglect of moral considerations. On the
contrary, he clearly distinguishes between the righteous
and the wicked, and more than once protests against
the neglect of this distinction." He is so sensitive in
this regard, and criticizes so severely the morals of his
day, that he has become the representative of pessimism
in the Hebrew Scriptures. He condemns luxury and
intemperance.' NaturaUy the abuses most character
istic of the Orient, injustice and oppression, receive
special attention. He laments the prevalence of wicked
ness among judges and the consequent violence to
justice and equity," and the abuse of power by which
rulers make Ufe intolerable for their unfortunate sub
jects.' He arraigns mankind in general in 7 : 20, where
he complains that "there is not a righteous man on
earth that doeth good and sinneth not," and in 7:28,
where, after telling how earnestly he has sought men
and women worthy of the name, he declares, "One
man among a thousand have I found, but a woman
among as many have I not found."
The Preacher in his researches gave thought, not
only to moral but to physical evils, and found Ufe
everywhere crossed by conditions so imtoward that he
was tempted to think it hardly worth Uving. Indeed,
' Eccles. 5:6!. " Eccles. 3:16; 5:8.
"Eccles. 7:15 !.; 8:14; 9:2!. 'Eccles. 4:1; also 5:8; 8:9.
' Eccles. 10:17.

THE BOOK OF ECCLESLVSTES 365
his last word, after he has rehearsed the disabiUties of
old age, is that "all is vanity." Now, those who went
before him, and many, no doubt, in his own day, would
have connected the ills that he lamented with the
decadence of morals then prevaiUng, and said in so
many words that he and the rest of the sufferers were
simply pa3dng the penalty of their offenses against a
righteous God. The Preacher, Uke Job, repudiates
this time-honored doctrine. He declares repeatedly
that, so far as he can discover, there is no necessary
connection between a man's character and his earthly
fortunes. Thus, he says of the righteous : " The righteous
and the wise and their works are in the hand of God;
whether it be love or hatred (that they will procure him
from his Maker) man knoweth not " ;' and of the wicked :
"I have seen the wicked buried, carried even from the
holy place. They were wont to go about boasting in
the city where they had done thus."" There are two
or three passages in which their uncertain fates are
contrasted. One is 7:15: "There is a righteous man
that perisheth in his righteousness, and there is a wicked
man that prolongeth his life in his wickedness." This
statement is repeated in substance in 8 : 14. It appears
in an expanded form in 9 : 2, where the Preacher declares :
"AU things come aUke to all: there is one event to the
righteous and to the wicked; to the good and clean
and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth and to him
that sacrificeth not; as is the good, so is the sinner, and
he that sweareth as he that feareth an oath." This,
he adds, is so great an evil under the sun that "the
hearts of the sons of men are fuU of misfortune, and
¦ Eccles. 9:1. " Eccles. 8: 10.

366 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
madness is in their hearts whUe they Uve, and their
end is death."
When Job found himself face to face with the
problem here presented he was deeply troubled, but he
took counsel of the divine in him and chose to suffer,
even die an outcast from his kind, rather than lose the
approval of his conscience. The Preacher was not a
man of the strenuous type. This is clear from the
confession with which he begins his book. Thus, he
not only reckons his wealth as vanity in comparison
with the "toil" with which he has taxed himself in
mind and body to acquire it, but he says that he aban
doned the search for wisdom because "in wisdom is
much grief," and "he that increase th knowledge in-
creaseth sorrow"; an excuse which, if generally adopted,
would prevent further progress and speedUy reduce
mankind to barbarism.
A man so averse to exertion could hardly be expected
to have and maintain a high ethical standard. He
would, of course, avoid the gross vices whose folly is
unmistakable, but, when the path of virtue was rough
or thorny, he would naturally compromise with his
conscience and take an easier or pleasanter way. In
point of fact, he proclaims this his policy by recom
mending it to his readers in 7:i6f., where he says:
"Be not very righteous, neither show thyself excessively
wise: why shouldst thou ruin thyself? Be not very
wicked, neither be a fool: why shouldst thou die before
thy time?" His ideal is comfort. He admits that
the world is not so constituted as to permit the reaUza-
tion of this ideal, but there is comfort to be enjoyed,
and, although he does not pretend to understand the

THE BOOK OF ECCLESIASTES 367
divine mind, he is able to convince himseU that it is
God's wiU that men should get out of life as much
temperate enjoyment as possible. "There is nothing
better for a man," he says in ¦2:2/^ i., "than that he
should eat and drink, and give himself enjoyment in
his toil; .... it is the gift of God; for who can eat,
or who can enjoy,' apart from him?"" He naturaUy
counts one especiaUy fortunate whom God permits
to enjoy life to the end. "Behold," he exclaims,
"what I have seen! a good that is beautiful: it is to
eat and drink, and see enjoyment, in all the labor that
one does under the sun, all the days of the life that God
giveth one; for it is one's portion. Every man, also,
to whom God hath given wealth and riches, and power
to eat thereof, and take his portion, and rejoice in his
toil — ^this is the gift of God."' He warns his readers,
however, that few can expect to enjoy themselves
except in their youth." The whole thought is more
fully and attractively set forth in 9:7-10, where he
counsels them: "Go, eat with joy thy bread, and drink
with a merry heart thy wine, for already hath God
accepted thy works. Let thy garments always be
white, and let there be no lack of oil on thy head.
Enjoy Ufe with a woman that thou lovest, aU the days
of the vain Ufe that God hath given thee under the sun,
for it is thy portion in Ufe and in the labor that thou
hast to do under the sun. Everything that thy hand
findeth to do, do with thy might, for there is no work,
' The Greek Version has "drink."
" The Greek reading; see also Eccles. 3:12 f., 22.
' Eccles. 5 : 18 f. See also 8: 15.
"Eccles. 11; 8.

368 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
or device, or knowledge, or wisdom in Sheol, whither
thou art going."
The words just quoted sound so much like the
teaching of Epicurus that the author of them has been
supposed to have been a disciple of that philosopher;
but it appears that the same ideas were current among
the Babylonians centuries before the Greeks had a
philosophy, being found in a fragment from the famous
epic of Gilgamesh on a tablet supposed to be as old as
2000 B.C., which reads as foUows:
Since the gods created man,
Death they ordained for man.
Life in their hands they hold.
Thou, O Gilgamesh, fill indeed thy belly.
Day and night be thou joyiul.
Daily ordain gladness,
Day and night rage and be merry.
Let thy garments be bright,
Thy head purify, wash with water,
Desire thy children, which thy hand possesseth,
A wife enjoy in thy bosom,
Peaceably thy work ....
It is now tolerably clear what is the significance
of the Book of Ecclesiastes in the history of Hebrew
ethics. The original author represents those who,
like Job, could no longer believe that men received
their just deserts on earth, but who were so lacking in
appreciation for the unseen and spiritual that, instead
of taking refuge in the hope of immortaUty, as others
were doing, they abandoned the problem of retribution
and adopted a makeshift theory of life ethically not
much better than that of the primitive Semites of
Babylonia.

CHAPTER XXXI
THE BOOKS OF DANIEL AND ESTHER
I. DANIEL
The unity of the Book of Daniel has been, and stiU
is, denied, some, with Torrey, dividing it between two
authors, while others, Uke Barton, find traces of several
(5) different hands in its composition; but there are
good reasons for regarding it, with the exception, per
haps, of 9:4-20 and a few other verses, as the work of
a single writer, and this view wiU here be taken for
granted. No one can read the book without being struck with
the prominence given therein to the sovereignty of the
God of the Hebrews. On his first appearance as an
interpreter of dreams Daniel takes occasion to tell
Nebuchadrezzar that "the kingdom, and the strength,
and the glory" which he enjoys were given him by "the
God of heaven,'" and later he predicts that the king
will have to "eat grass Uke oxen" until he knows that
"the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men and
giveth it to whomsoever he wiU."" Nebuchadrezzar
finaUy, says the story, recognized the God of Daniel as
the Supreme Ruler,' and so did Darius the Mede,"
while Belshazzar, because he "humbled not" his heart
before Yahweh, perished in his obstinacy. The same
doctrine is taught in the second part of the book.'
' Dan. 2:37. ' Dan. 4:37.
"Dan. 4:15. "Dan. 6:26.
sDan. 7:12; 8:25; 9:27; 11:36,45. 369

370 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
This, however, is not all, for Nebuchadrezzar con
fesses, not only that Yahweh "doeth according to his
will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants
of the earth,'" but that "all his works are truth and
his ways are justice."" In 7 : 9 ff . the justice of Yahweh
is presented in a picture representing him as sitting in
judgment on the beast with eleven horns the last of
which has "a mouth speaking great things." The
beast is condemned to destruction, and the dominion
and glory that it has enjoyed are given to "one Uke a
son of man," who, as is explained in vs. 18, represents
"the saints of the Most High." From vs. 27 it appears
that by the saints is meant the Jewish people, or the
better among them, and from 4:27 that the prime
requisites of sainthood would be righteousness and
mercy to the poor.
The author of the Book of Daniel teaches that God
holds men and nations responsible for their conduct)
but he does not attempt to maintain that the good and
evil which they experience in this life are an infallible
indication of their moral standing. He knows that the
righteous sometimes suffer in spite of their righteous
ness, while the wicked as often prosper in their wicked
ness. He meets this seeming injustice in the divine
government, first, by assigning to suffering a refining
and purifying efficacy,' and second, by proclaiming a
resurrection after which the righteous wiU enjoy "ever
lasting Ufe" and the wicked suffer "shame and ever
lasting contempt."" The resurrection promised, to
be sure, is not a general release from Sheol, but the
'Dan. 4:35. 'Dan. 11:35; 12:10.
"Dan. 4:37. "Dan. 12:2.

THE BOOKS OF DANIEL AND ESTHER 371
adoption of this restricted doctrine marked an epoch
in the history of Hebrew ethics and prepared the way
for a more complete reUef from the perplexity with
which thinking men were haunted so long as they tried
to beUeve that the righteous were rewarded and the
wicked punished as they deserved in this life.
The revelation of a future Ufe was a great boon
to the Jews from the inteUectual standpoint, but it was
much more than the solution of a troublesome ethical
problem. They were at the time engaged in a Ufe-and-
death struggle for their existence as a people. Antiochus
Epiphanes had invaded their country, desecrated their
temple, and undertaken to impose upon them a foreign
reUgion. Some had submitted, forsaking "the holy
covenant" and joining themselves to the heathen.'
The rest had revolted with Mattathias of Modin, and
were now, under his son Judas, fighting for their country
and their reUgion. It was during this remarkable con
ffict, when the Uttle band of patriots had been further
weakened by death and desertion, that the Book of
Daniel must have been written. The object of the
author evidently was to inspire and encourage his people
to continue the struggle. To this end he teUs them how
steadfastly Daniel and his friends resisted the tempta
tion to disloyalty to which they were exposed. To this
end, too, he pictures the passing of the nations, as they
are one after another swept from the scene by the
mighty hand of Yahweh. FinaUy, it was the need of
an inducement strong enough to make men face almost
certain death that forced him to search the future for
the promise of another Ufe, a Ufe in which those who
' I Mace. 1 : 15, 43.

372 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
offered themselves for their country would be crowned
with glory and those who betrayed it would be covered
with ignominy; and there can be Uttle doubt that this
doctrine had its effect in producing the zeal, and the
courage, and the fortitude by which the Jews finally
expelled their Syrian oppressors and achieved their
independence. 2. ESTHER
The Book of Esther is another product of the late
period in which that of Daniel was written, but it is of
a very different character. In the first place, whfle, as
has been shown, Daniel is permeated with faith in God
and his sovereignty, Esther refers everything that is
done, even the deliverance of the Jews from the massacre
with which they were threatened, almost entirely to
human wit and power. Indeed, throughout the book
the divine name is not once mentioned. The dominant
figure is the Persian king Ahasuerus, the Xerxes of
profane history. He is represented as a despot and
sensuaUst who gives no hint of a recognition of moral
responsibiUty in either his private life or his relations
to his subjects. The rest of the characters are the nat
ural product of such a court as he would maintain.
Haman is the typical favorite of an oriental monarch,
vain, jealous, and unprincipled. Vashti at first makes
a favorable impression, but, when one remembers that,
in the eyes of the Persians, it would have been perfectly
proper for her to appear at the feast given by her hus
band, it seems probable that the author intended to
convey the impression that her refusal to obey the royal
summons was dictated, not by modesty or dignity, but
by the caprice or wantonness of a spoiled plaything.

THE BOOKS OF DANIEL AND ESTHER 373
There is almost as Uttie to say for the two characters
for whom the author evidently expected to obtain the
approval of his readers. Mordecai is a sycophant who
sacrifices his adopted daughter to royal lust for the sake
of improving his position at court, and, when through
Esther he has won the vizierate, proves himself hardly
less cruel and vindictive than the man he displaced.
Finally, Esther herself is not to be commended, even
when she is judged by the standard of the Old Testa
ment. There is nothing to indicate that she shrank
from paying the price of her cousin's advancement. On
the other hand, she did what she could to further his
plans, at first by keeping secret her origin,' and later,
when she was sure of her power over the king, by recog
nizing him as a kinsman." It was, indeed, brave in her
to take her Ufe in her hand and enter the inner court of
the king's house without being summoned to an inter
view; but this act was not worthy of so great praise as
it has received, since it was not done on her own initia
tive or from interest in or sympathy for others, but at
Mordecai's urgent command, and only after he had
warned her that she herself was in imminent peril and
could not hope to escape unless she espoused the cause
of her people. If, however, her conduct in this instance
can be too highly commended, what shaU one say of the
proclamation, dictated by Mordecai, in which the
Jews were granted permission, not only to defend them
selves if attacked, but, turning the tables on their oppres
sors, to kUl and destroy them with their wives and
children, and take their goods as booty; and of Esther's
reply, when the king told her how many of his people
' Esther 2 : 10, 20. " Esther 8:1.

374 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
had been slaughtered on the day appointed and asked
her what he could stiU do to please her: "If it please
the king, let it be granted to the Jews that are in Shu-
shan, to do tomorrow also according to this day's decree,
and let Haman's sons be hanged on the gallows"?'
There are many "hard sayings" in the Old Testament,
but for malice and cruelty there is none that is more
abhorrent to the humane reader than this heartless peti
tion. Nor is its moral character affected by the fact,
now generally recognized, that the Book of Esther is
not a historical work, in other words, that Queen Esther
is a fictitious character. It still remains true that the
personaUty here portrayed embodies the hatred and
revenge with which the Jews of the second century
before the Christian era regarded their oppressors, and
that the book of which she is the heroine has since that
time, through the use made of it in the synagogue, at
the feast of Purim, kept aUve the bitter memory of their
real wrongs and excited jealousy and hostiUty toward
other peoples for which there was often no foundation.
It is, of course, idle to attempt to maintain that a book
so unprofitable "for instruction in righteousness" is
"inspired of God" or deserves the place it occupies
among the sacred writings of the Christian church.
'Esther 9:13.

CHAPTER XXXII
THE BOOK OF PSALMS
The ethical note in the Psalms is unmistakable and
persistent. It is prominent in the very first, where the
righteous and the wicked are contrasted and their
diverse fates clearly distinguished:
Yahweh regardeth the way of the righteous,
But the way of the wicked leadeth to destruction.'
The righteousness of Yahweh is repeatedly asserted.
Not that the adjective "righteous," as applied to him,
is of frequent occurrence. It is, however, found in
several passages. Thus, it is used as a predicate in
11:7; 119:137; 129:4; and, with the titles "God"
and "Judge," in vss. 9 and 11 of Ps. 7. Add the cases
in which it is appUed to the laws of Yahweh, namely,
119:62, 116, 137, 164, 172. In 11:7 it is said of him,
not only that he himself is righteous, but that "he
loveth righteousness," and in 97:2 (89:14) that
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne."
Moreover, the righteousness of Yahweh, besides being
an essential feature of his character and government,
surpasses in excellence even the comprehension of his
creatures. Thus, the author of 36:6 says.
Thy righteousness is Uke the mountains of God,
Thy judgments are a great deep.'
Another in 119:142 declares.
Thy righteousness is forever righteous,
'Ps. 1:6.
" See also Pss. 9:4; 33:5; 37:28. ' See also Ps. 7:19.
375

376 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
by which he means that this attribute in God is an
inexhaustible source of righteous activity. The descrip
tion is completed by 97 : 6, where one reads that
Heaven declareth his righteousness,
And aU the peoples have seen his glory.
Reference has already been made to 7:11, where
God appears as a judge. His judicial activity is very
prominent in the Psahns, and he is represented as
exercising it, not only in Jacob,' but throughout the
earth and among its multitudinous peoples." In Ps. 9 he
appears in the act of administering justice among men:
Yahweh sitteth enthroned forever;
He hath set up his throne for judgment.
And he judgeth the world in righteousness,
Decideth among the nations with equity.'
Since Yahweh himself is righteous, and loves
righteousness, in his capacity as judge he cannot but
render "to every man according as he acteth,"" reward
ing those that meet the ethical test and punishing
those that fail to measure up to its requirements.
This thought appears in the Psalms many times and
in a great variety of forms. The last verse of the first
has already been quoted. The same doctrine is more
fully stated in 34 : 15 f . :
The eyes of Yahweh are toward the righteous.
And his ears inclined to their cry.
The face of Yahweh is against evil-doers,
Cutting off the memory of them from the earth.
See also n:6f.; 75:10; 92:7, 12; i25:4f.; 145:20;
147:6; and, finaUy, 58:10 f., where the truth the writer
'Ps. 99:4. 'Ps. 9:7L; see also 67:4.
"Ps. 105:7. <Ps. 62:12.

THE BOOK OF PSALMS 377
wished to teach is marred by the spirit in which it is
presented; for this is the passage that reads:
The righteous wUl rejoice when he beholdeth vengeance.
He wUI wash his feet in the blood of the wicked;
And men shall say, Surely there is reward for the righteous,
Verily there is a God that judgeth in the earth.
The testimony of the Psalms is overwhelmingly to
the effect that there is a God, and that he discriminates
among his creatures, rewarding the righteous and punish
ing the wicked. There is Uttle evidence of dissent from
this beUef. StiU, there are passages showing that,
when they were written, there were some who practically,
if not expUcitly, rejected it. "The fool," says 14:1
(53:1), "saith in his heart, There is no God." This
declaration should probably be interpreted in the light
of 10:4, where "There is no God" is the equivalent of
"He will not call to account." In other words, the
character in question does not question the existence
of God, but refuses to beUeve that the Deity will take
note of his conduct, or, if he does, wUl punish him for
any deviation from rectitude.'
The author of 94:7 treats the idea suggested as
ridiculous." He insists that righteousness wUl eventu
aUy triumph and the upright be content with their
choice.' There were, however, among the just those
who sometimes doubted the current teaching on the
subject of retribution. This appears in such appeals
as 35:23ff.; 44:23 ff.; 88:14; 139:19 f.; and the horta
tory refrain in Pss. 42 and 43. In Ps. 73 has been pre
served what purports to be a record of the experience
'See also Pss. 10:13; 36:1; 94:7- 'Ps. 94:15.
"^Ps. 94:8f.

378 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
of one of these righteous souls, an experience that
is too natural not to have been shared by many Jews
of the post-exiUc period. The writer tells how his
faith, or that of the class he represents, was shaken,
when he "saw the prosperity of the wicked,'" who not
only had "more than heart could wish,"" but revUed
God and man.' He was almost ready to admit that
he had taken useless pains to keep his hands and his
heart clean, to say nothing of the trials his faithfulness
had cost him," and it was only when he "went to the
sanctuary of God, and considered their fate,"' took a
wider survey of Ufe, that he was able to recover his
spiritual footing. It was doubtless the recurrence of
such cases that prompted someone whose faith was still
undisturbed to undertake a more elaborate defence of
the imperiled doctrine. The result was Ps. 37, where
the writer repeatedly declares his belief in the ethical
character of the divine government. The following
are some of the antithetical statements into which he
puts his convictions in the matter :
Evil-doers shaU be cut off.
But they that wait for Yahweh shaU inherit the land.*
The arms of the wicked shall be broken,
But Yahweh upholdeth the righteous.'
Yahweh regardeth the days of the perfect,
And their inheritance shaU be everlasting.*

The wicked shaU perish.

And the

enemies of Yahweh

shaU be as the fat of

lambs."

1

Ps. 73:21.

"Ps. 73:i3f-

'Ps. 37:17.

"Ps. 73:7.

3 Ps. 73:17.

'Ps. 37:18.

'Ps. 73:9-

«Ps. 37:9-

»Ps. 37:20a.

THE BOOK OF PSALMS 379
Yahweh loveth justice,
And forsaketh not his saints;
They are preserved forever.
But the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.'
Wait for Yahweh, and keep his way.
And he wiU exalt thee to inherit the land:
When the wicked are cut off thou shalt see it."
Preserve integrity and cherish uprightness.
For the peaceable man hath a posterity;
But transgressors shall aU be destroyed,
The issue of the wicked shaU be cut off.'
He puts his personal experience into a corresponding
form: I have been young, and have become old,
Yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken.
Or his seed begging bread."
I have seen the wicked exultant.
And uplifting himself Uke a cedar of Lebanon;
But I passed by, and lo, he was gone.
Yea, I sought him, and he was not to be found.'
This confession of faith could hardly be made
stronger. One cannot, however, read the psahn with
out being impressed by the difference between it and
earUer declarations on the same subject. Its author
sees clearly that the righteous sometimes suffer, while
the wricked as often escape misfortune; but, instead of
protesting, as did Job at the start, and rashly charging
God with injustice, or disparaging human virtue, as
did Job's friends to the last, to save the credit of the
'Ps. 37:28. "Ps. 37:25.
"Ps. 37:34- sPs. 37:35 f.
'Ps. 37:37^-

380 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
Almighty, he simply does what Job was finaUy forced
to do, accepts the facts as they present themselves and
trusts Yahweh to vindicate his own character. This
is the course that he recommends to any who are
inclined to worry about the reliability of the moral
order: Trust in Yahweh and do good;
DweU in the land, and cherish faithfulness:
Yea, take thy deUght in Yahweh,
And he will give thee thy heart's desires.
Commit to Yahweh thy way.
Trust also in him, and he wUl bring to pass:
He wUl even bring forth thy righteousness as the light
And thy justice as the noonday.'
There is in this psalm nothing to indicate how long
the righteous must wait for Yahweh to reward them
and punish those who deserve punishment, but the
writer seems to have expected the account to be settled
in this life. The author of Ps. 9 represents the Deity as
continuaUy exercising his judicial functions with respect
to nations as weU as individuals. See especiaUy vss. 7 f .
In some of the other psalms there are indications of the
expectation of what the prophets caU "the Day of
Yahweh," a date, known only to Yahweh, when the
righteous will be deUvered, and the wicked, especially
foreign enemies, destroyed. This is probably the
"judgment" of 1:5. When it comes, according to
7:6-8, Yahweh wiU reveal himself in all his majesty
to the assembled peoples. The righteous, since they
were to be vindicated, naturally looked forward to the
occasion with eagerness. Hence, it is not surprising to
'Ps. 37:3-6.

THE BOOK OF PSALMS 381
find that Pss. 96 and 98, which are among the most
joyful in the collection, end with the explanatory Unes,
For he cometh to judge the earth:
He wiU judge the world in righteousness.
And the peoples with equity.'
There is not, however, in them any trace of the conceit
or bitterness by which some of the other psalms are
marred. Indeed, in both "aU the earth" is invited to
take part in the ' ' new song " to Yahweh . In Ps . 1 49 : 7 f . ,
on the other hand, the author not only betrays a venge
ful spirit, but represents the saints as commissioned by
Yahweh To wreak vengeance upon the nations.
Chastisements upon the peoples;
To bind their kings with chains,
And their nobles with fetters of iron.
This passage is important, because the fact that the
saints execute the "prescribed penalty"" with "a two-
edged sword"' shows that the author had in mind a
judgment on the hither side of the grave. There is
nowhere in the Psalms proof that the Jews of the period
to which they belong foUowed the wicked beyond the
confines of this world. In the case of the righteous it is
different. Not that there is much evidence of belief
in their future blessedness. Indeed, most of the passages
that can be quoted on the subject have a contrary import.
The following are especiaUy significant:
In death there is no remembrance of thee;
In Sheol who wfll give thee thanks ?"
' In Ps. 96: 13, "in his faithfulness." ' Ps. 149:6.
"Ps. 149:9. "Ps. 6:5.

382 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
What profit is there in my blood when I go down into
the pit ?
Will the dust praise thee ? will it declare thy faith
fulness ?'
WUt thou do wonders for the dead ?
Wni the shades arise and praise thee ?
WUl thy kindness be recounted in the grave.
Thy faithfulness in Abaddon ?
WUl thy wonders be acknowledged in the darkness,
And thy righteousness in the land of f orgetfulness ?"
The dead praise not Yahweh,
Neither any that go down into the dust.'
Nor can all the passages that have been supposed to
teach this doctrine properly be so interpreted. One of
them is i6:iof., which, in the Authorized Version,
reads : Thou wilt not leave my soul in heU;
Neither wUt thou suffer thine holy one to see
corruption.
Thou wUt show me the path of Ufe:
In thy presence is fulness of joy;
At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
The revised rendering is an improvement. It reads :
Thou wUt not leave my soul to Sheol;
Neither wUt thou suffer thy holy" one to see cor
ruption.
Thou wUt show me the path of life:
In thy presence is fulness of joy;
In thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
This also, however, is unsatisfactory, since it is stiU
possible to understand "leave .... to Sheol " as mean-
'Ps. 30:9. "Ps. 88:10-12. 3 Ps. 115:17.
"Margin: "Or, godly, Or, beloved. Another reading is, holy ones."

THE BOOK OF PSALMS 383
ing "leave .... in Sheol," whereas from vs. 9 it is
clear that the proper interpretation is "abandon ....
to Sheol," that is, permit to die.
A similar case is that of 17:15, which may be trans
lated, I myself wiU behold thy face in righteousness,
I wiU sate myself, when I awake, on thy image.
When thus rendered, especially if vs. 13 be taken into
account, it becomes clear that the author of the psalm
was thinking, not of a future Ufe, but of the next morn
ing and the service at the national sanctuary.
Duhm thinks he finds the doctrine of future blessed
ness in 39 : 7 ; but he can defend this interpretation only
by rejecting four verses of the psalm, the last of which,
vs. 13, directly contradicts it.
It is not so easy to answer those who find the doctrine
in question in Pss. 49 and 73. In vss. 13-15 of the
former the fate of the wicked is contrasted with that
of the righteous. The passage in its original form
probably read about as follows:
This is the way of those that are fooUsh,
And the end of those that are pleased with their lot:
Like a flock they vanish in Sheol;
Death feedeth them and ruleth over them;
Soon their forms moulder,
Sheol is their abode.
But God wiU redeem my soul
From the power of Sheol, for he wUl take me.
Perhaps, however, the last line should read.
From the power of Sheol he wUl take me.
The author of Ps. 73 dweUs, in vss. 23-26, on his hopes
as one of God's chosen:

384 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
I am continually with thee;
Thou boldest my right hand.
Thou wUt guide me by thy counsel,
And afterward take me to glory.
Whom have I in heaven besides thee ?
And there is none on earth in whom I deUght as
in thee.
My flesh abd my heart faU,
But God is my portion for ever.
The problem is the same as in Ps. 37 — it was inevitable
that someone would again attack it—but the result is
different; for it seems clear that, in these psalms, while
death to the wicked is a penalty for their transgressions,
to the righteous it is a translation from a scene of uncer
tain conditions to a state of undisturbed happiness in the
immediate presence of God.'
Thus far the terms "righteous" and "righteousness,"
when appUed to God, have had impartial reference to
men in general, whether righteous or wicked. There
are many passages in which they are used as they are
in Isa., chaps. 40-66, to denote his attitude or activity
toward his people or any others who need and desire
his assistance. In these passages, as one may learn
from parallel expressions, they have about the force of
"helpful" and "deliverance." The adjective occurs in
Ps. 112:4, There breaketh forth in the darkness a light for the
upright,
Gracious, and merciful, and righteous.
See also 116:5, Gracious is Yahweh and righteous.
Yea, our God is merciful;
'Gen. 5:24; I Kings 2:11.

THE BOOK OF PSALMS 385

and 145:17,

Righteous is Yahweh in all his ways.
And gracious in aU his acts.
More frequent is the noun. It is used in appeals for
divine aid. Thus, in 4: i a sufferer prays.
Answer me when I caU,
O God of my righteousness;
that is, God of my deUverance, or, more freely rendered,
God my deUverer.' Here belong, also, 88: 12,
WUl thy wonders be acknowledged in the darkness ?
And thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness ?
118:19, Open to me the gates of righteousness;
Let me enter them, giving thanks to Yahweh;
and 69:27, where the psalmist, speaking of the wicked,
prays. Add iniquity to their iniquity,
And let them not share in thy righteousness.
The next to the last of the passages quoted suggests
a second group consisting of those expressing gratitude
for deUverance. Thus, 7:17,
I wfll give thanks to Yahweh for his righteousness;
and 22:31, They shaU come and declare his righteousness,
pubUcly testify to what he has wrought for them."
In the remaining passages in which the saving
righteousness of Yahweh finds mention it is simply
'Seefurther Pss. 5:8; 31:1; 35:24; 36:10; 71:2; 143:1,11.
"See also Pss. 35:28 (71:24); 40:9,10; 51:14; 7i:i5f-; 89:16;
145:7-

386 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
ascribed to him or described in its nature or operation.
Thus, 24 : 5 says of the righteous,
He shaU receive the blessing of Yahweh,
And righteousness from the God of his salvation,
that is, deUverance from God his Savior; and in 48:10
the poet, addressing Yahweh himself, says,
Thy right hand is fuU of righteousness.'
The prominence of the ethical element in the Psalms
is undeniable. It is never ignored; for, although in
37:31, 103 : 18, and elsewhere the Law is highly extolled,
no encouragement is given to pure ritualism. The
only passage in which independent value seems to be
attributed to sacrifices is 20:3, where the writer expresses
the hope that Yahweh will remember aU the offerings
and accept all the burnt offerings of the pious prince
to whom the psalm is addressed. On the other hand,
there are several passages in which the opposite doctrine
is strongly enforced. The most important is Ps. 50.
In this interesting lyric the subject of sacrifice is first
incidentaUy mentioned in vs. 5, where the "saints"
are described as
Those that have made a covenant with me in sacrifice.
Here, at first sight, sacrifice seems to have an essential
importance, but Yahweh, in vss. 7 ff., proceeds to cor
rect any such inference. He tells his people that he
reaUy has no need of any of the various animals that
they slay at his altar; that a sacrifice of thanksgiving
in recognition of the benefits he has bestowed upon
' See also Pss. 65:5; 71:19; 85:10,11,13; 89:16; 98:2; 103:6,
17; 123:9.

THE BOOK OF PSALMS 387
them, without any such symbols, would be much more
acceptable. He says.
Sacrifice to God thanksgiving,
And pay to the Most High thy vows;
Then call upon me in the day of trouble,
And I wUl rescue thee, since thou hast honored me.'
This is entirely in harmony with the teaching of the
prophets, who insisted that their people unite moral
conduct with their religious observances. The polemic
against rituaUsm appears also in Pss. 50:23; 40:6-10;
43:3 f.; 51:16 f.; 69:30 f.
There is another class of passages in which sacrifices
find mention, but in which they are clearly subordinate
to, and symbolical of, the sentiment by which they are
accompanied. One of them is 4: 5,
Offer a sacrifice of righteousness,
a proper sacrifice. And put your trust in Yahweh.
See also 27:6. The closing verses of Ps. 51, which are
supposed to be later than the rest, are to be explained
in the same way. When the walls of Jerusalem are
rebuilt, and the inhabitants wish to show their gratitude,
Yahweh will be pleased with the appropriate sacrifices
offered at his sanctuary. See also 54:6, correctly
rendered, Gladly wUl I sacrifice to thee,
I wUl confess that thy name is good."
Finally, in 141 : 2 a suppliant presents this petition.
Let my prayer be set forth as incense before thee,
The uplifting of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
'Ps. 5o:i4f. " See further Pss. 66:13-17; 107:22; 116:17.

388 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
Here the symbol fades into a simile, and the sentiment
symbolized asserts itself in its essential importance.'
These passages, and especially the last two, show that the
tendency among the psalmists was not toward rituaUsm,
but, as a result of the discipline of the Exile toward a more
ethical and spiritual interpretation of their reUgion.
This tendency shows itseU, also, in a term seldom
found outside the psalms, and only once" in them, of the
Deity, which is often (24 times) employed of men
instead of the one rendered "righteous," especiaUy
where there is a possessive pronoun. In the latter
case it is usually translated "saint." It characterizes
the spirit rather than the practice of men over against
the "kindness" (from the same root) of the Deity
toward them, Uke "devout" or "pious." It is therefore
the appropriate word in such passages as 4:3; 16:10;
32:6; 86:2. The last is the familiar one in which
occurs the expression rendered in the Authorized
Version, "I am holy," and in the Revised, "I am godly."
It evidentiy means "I am devoted" (to thee), as appears
from the following Une, where the poet calls himself
"thy servant that trusteth in thee." Cases in which
it has more nearly the sense of "righteous" are 37:28
and 97 : 10, where it is used in alternation with that word,
and 12:1 and 31:23, where it is in paraUeUsm with
"faithful."' Finally, it is used of the true Israel,"
those who have covenanted with God in sacrifice,' as
distinguished from those who disregard his precepts.*
' See also Ps. 119:108. 3 See also Ps. 18:25.
"Ps. 145:17. "Ps. 148:14. sPs. 50:2.
'Ps. 43:1; and see further, 30:4; 52:8f.; 79:2; 85:7^; 89:19;
116:15; 132:9; 145:10; 149:1,5,9.

THE BOOK OF PSALMS 389
The discussion has thus far shown that Yahweh is a
righteous God, and that he rewards men who are
righteous, upright, perfect (after their measure), other
wise known as his saints, and punishes the wicked
according to their deserts; but no attempt has been
made to define or discover the precise character of the
persons included under these contrary categories. It
is now necessary to attempt such a definition; in other
words, to inquire how far Ufe was moralized by the
authors represented in the Book of Psalms. The
method hitherto pursued would require a detailed and
systematic arrangement of the data coUected, but in
this instance it wiU be interesting first to consider
briefly some psalms in which something like an ethical
program seems to have been attempted. One of them
(146) describes the moral perfections of the Creator.
He
Who made heaven and earth,
The sea, and aU that in them is.

is one

Who keepeth truth for ever;
Who executeth justice for the oppressed;
Who giveth bread to the hungry.
Yahweh looseth the prisoners;
Yahweh openeth the eyes of the bUnd;
Yahweh raiseth them that are bowed down;
Yahweh loveth the righteous;
Yahweh watcheth over the sojourners;
The orphan and the widow he reUeveth;
But the way of the wicked he turneth upside
down.'

'Ps. 146:6 s.

390 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
There are several in which the ideal human character
is more or less fully portrayed. The oldest is Ps. 24,
where to the question,
Who shaU ascend into the hUl of Yahweh ?
And who shaU stand in his holy place ?
the author makes reply :
He that hath clean hands and a pure heart;
Who hath not uplifted his soul to falsehood.
And hath not sworn deceitfuUy.
He shall receive a blessing from Yahwah,
And deliverance from God his Savior.'
The second is similar in form, but goes more into the
details of conduct. The question now is,
Yahweh, who shaU sojourn in thy tabernacle ?
Who shall dweU in thy holy place ?
and the answer: He that walketh uprightly and doeth righteousness,
And speaketh truth in his heart;
He slandereth not with his tongue,
Doeth no evil to his neighbor.
Neither putteth he reproach upon his neighbor;
In his eyes a reprobate is despised,
But he honoreth them that fear Yahweh;
He sweareth to his own hurt and changeth not;
He putteth not out his money on discount,
Neither taketh he a bribe against the innocent:
He that doeth these things shaU never be moved."
The psalm that remains to be quoted in this connection
is less didactic and more devotional. It is the twenty-
sixth, in which the wrriter, Uke Job in chap. 31, challenges
investigation into his character. He says:
'Ps. 24:3-5. "Ps. 15:16.

THE BOOK OF PSALMS 391
Search me, Yahweh, and prove me;
Try my reins and my heart.
For thy kindness is before my eyes.
And I have walked faithfuUy with thee.
I have not sat with worthless people :
Nor do I go among dissemblers.
I hate the assembly of evU-doers,
And I do not sit with the wicked.
I wash my hands in innocency.
And compass, Yahweh, thy altar;
Sounding the voice of praise,
And teUing aU thy wonders.
Yahweh, I love the site of thy house.
And the place where thy glory dweUeth.
Gather not my soul with sinners,
And my life with men of blood;
In whose hands is wickedness,
And whose right hands are fuU of bribes;
But let me walk in my integrity;
Redeem me and have mercy on me.'
There are two or three things to be said concerning
these passages. In the first place, it is clear that
neither of the last three was intended to be a complete
guide to a right Ufe. In the first" there is really but
one specification, and in the other two, between which
there is a pretty close correspondence, only a part of the
ethical field is covered. It should be noted, however,
that in all of them the writer goes to the root of moraUty.
Thus, 24:4 requires that the man who approaches
Yahweh have, not only "clean hands," but a "pure
heart," while in 15:2 the righteous man must speak
"truth in his heart," and in 26:2 the psalmist invites
Yahweh to begin the proposed inquisition with his
inmost parts. A third point is that, whereas in Ps. 24
'Ps. 26:2s. "Ps. 24.

392 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
the righteous man retains his individuaUty, in Ps. 15 he
identifies himself, over against the reprobate, with those
who fear Yahweh, and in Ps. 26 the opposing element has
become an "assembly," that is, a party of falsifiers, evil
doers, sinners, and even men of blood. These are the
"enemies" and "adversaries" of whom many psalms com
plain that they "hate," and "oppress," and "persecute"
the righteous, even God's " saints."' In other words, the
psalm is one of many in which the Jews after the Exile
gave vent to their sorrow and resentment under the
pressure of foreign domination or partisan persecution.
The foregoing survey has prepared the way for a
more detailed examination of the ethical content of
the Psalms. At the outset one is met wdth a confirma
tion of the statement already made wdth reference to the
spiritual trend of their teaching, in that one of the most
conspicuous of the virtues they recommend is meekness
or humiUty. Indeed, so admirable was this quaUty in the
eyes of the godly men by whom the Psalms were written,
that in 45 : 4 it forms a trinity with faithfulness (truth) and
righteousness," and several times the term "meek" is
used Uke "righteous," "upright," etc., of the godly in
distinction from the wicked, who are also caUed "the
proud." Good illustrations of this usage are 37:iof.:
Yet a Uttle whUe, and the wicked shaU not be;
Yea, thou shalt examine the place where he was, and he
wiU be gone;
But the meek shall inherit the land,
And deUght themselves in abundant prosperity;
'Pss. 17:81.; 25:19; 38:19; 71:11.
"The Hebrew text is doubtful; but this is the interpretation of
the English translators, and it has the support of the great ancient
versions.

36:ii,

THE BOOK OF PSALMS 393

Let not the proud foot reach me;
Or the hand of the wicked drive me away;

and 18:27 in its original form,
A humble people thou wUt save.
But haughty eyes thou wUt abase.'
The importance given to humiUty as a virtue, and
pride as a defect, in the Psalms is noteworthy; not less
so the almost entire absence of references to personal
habits elsewhere condemned. For example, there seems
to be but one passage, 69: 12, and that not directly con
demnatory, on the abuse of intoxicating drinks, and
this is somewhat weakened by 104: 15, where wine is an
acknowledged blessing.
There is equal reticence on the part of the psalmists
with reference to the requirements of domestic ethics.
In 50: 18 the wicked are accused of being partakers with
adulterers, but on the subject of the relation between
parents and children, etc., there is only the indirect
light that comes from such passages as 27:10; 103:13;
127:3; 128:3; 69:8; 123:2.
In the field of social ethics there is more material;
yet not as much as might have been expected; for,
although the Psalms abound in praise for those who
observe, and blame for those who neglect, their duties
' On the meek, see further Pss. 10:17; 22:26; 25:9; 34:2; 69:32;
72:9; 147:6; 149:4; 01 the proud, 5:5; 10:2; 17:10; 31:18, 23;
59:12; 73:3, 6, 8; 75:4; 86:14; 94:2, 4; 101:5; 119:5, 69; 123:4;
138:6; 140:5. There are a number o! passages in which, although the
present readmg is "the nations," there is ground lor suspectmg that
the original text had "the proud." See 9:5, 15, 17, 19, 20, where Duhm
substitutes the latter for the former; also 10:16; 59:5,8.

394 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
to their fellows, there is rather a dearth of particulars.
Here, as in most of the other books of the Old Testament,
justice is highly commended and injustice as strongly
condemned. In 106:3 ^ blessing is promised them that
"observe justice" and "do righteousness at all times,"
and the author of 119:21 claims the divine blessing
because he has "done justice and righteousness."
This virtue is required especiaUy of kings and aU others
in power and authority. The ruler of Ps. 45 is credited
with it, and assured that, because he has it, his "throne
will be for ever and ever."'
Over against the just stands the numerous class of
"men of violence." The term "violence," to judge
from 140:1 ff., covers any form of personal attack, but
in 54 : 3 the violent man is one who has sought after the
soul of the writer, that is, made an attempt upon his
life. Nor is this the only case of the kind. There are
numerous passages showing that, during the period
most proUfic of psalms, the "violence and strife in the
city" often took this form. The wicked are accused
of seeking to slay the righteous in 7:2; 27:2; 31:13;
35:4; 37:14, 32; 38:12; 40:14; 54:3; 56:1 f-, 6;
57:3; 62:3; 63:9; 70:2; 71:10; 86:14; 94:6; 109:16;
119:95; and in 10:8; 14:4 (53:4); 94:6 of having
accompUshed their purpose. Therefore they are caUed
"men of blood."" In 44:22 and 79:2 f., 10 it is foreign
enemies by whom the saints are treated like "sheep for
the slaughter" and their flesh given to "the beasts of
the earth."'
' Ps. 45 : 6. See also 72:13.
"Pss. 5:6; 26:9; 55:23; 59:2; 139:19.
3 See also Ps. 83:2.

THE BOOK OF PSALMS 395
The "violence" of the Psalms did not always take
the form of actual, perhaps not of intended, murder.
There is a series of passages that indicate the preva
lence of oppression, or the subjection of one person,
or class of persons, to the real or fancied advantage of
another. It is, of course, the wicked who are the
oppressors' and the poor and helpless or the righteous
who are their victims." The psalmist pleads for the
correction of the wrongs of which he complains, and
declares his faith in Yahweh as a savior, or rejoices in
the results of divine intervention.'
In another series of passages the violence of the
wicked is of the nature of persecution, or the persistent
harassment of one person or class of persons by another.
The Hebrew word most frequently used to describe
this kind of hostility is the one meaning "pursue,""
for which 10:2 has one dalalf rendered "hotly pursue,"
that is, chase, as one hunts game. In other cases the
psalmist represents himself as surrounded by his enemies*
and harassed as by archers,' bees,* or even savage
beasts, buUs of Bashan,' dogs,'" or lions." He entreats
Yahweh to deliver him and punish his persecutors,
because he has done nothing to warrant their hostility.'"
The Psalms condemn violence, not only when it is
directed against the person, but also when the property
¦Pss. 10:7; 17:9; 73:8; 89:22; 94:5.
"Pss. 10:18; 12:5; 72:4,14; 74;2i.
'Pss. 9:13; 25:16; 31:7; 42:9; 43:2; 62:10; 103:6; 119:121!.
^Radhaph: Pss. 69:26; 119:86, 157, 161; 142:6; 143:3.
sdalak »Ps. 22:12.
'Ps. 109:3. " Ps. 22:16, 20.
'Ps.ii:2. ¦' Pss. 22:21; 35:17.
'Ps. 118:12. '"Pss.35:7f.; 109:3s.; etc.

396 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
of another is affected, as in theft' and robbery." Some
times, it appears, the wicked, shrinking from such
rough methods, accomplished their purpose by borrow
ing and not returning the thing or things that they
coveted.' It is not strange that violence should have been
common in the period during which most of the psalms
were written, or that it should have been condemned
by the authors of these compositions. With falsehood
the case is somewhat different. It, too, was a natural
product of the period, but it had not always, and in
aU its forms, found disapproval among the Hebrews.
There is no prominence given to it by the prophets in
the list of offenses against which they inveigh. In the
Psalms, on the other hand, it is the offense of which
there is most frequent complaint and most severe
criticism. Before citing, however, the numerous pas
sages in which the psalmists give vent to their dis
approval of falsehood, it will be best to note their
attitude toward its opposite, truth, which, as has been
shown, means trustworthiness in the broadest sense.
It is one of the attributes of Yahweh, and indeed one
to which almost as much importance is assigned as to
his kindness or his righteousness. Thus, in 31:5 he is
called a "God of truth," which means that he is not
only the true but the faithful God. His faithfulness
is the reliance of his people," and that "to aU genera
tions."' It is coupled with his justice, righteousness,
or uprightness in 96:13; iii:7f.; 119:75,138; 143:1;
'Ps. 50:18. 3 Ps. 37:21.
" Pss. 10:3; 35:10. "Ps. 91:4.
5 Pss. 91:4; 119:90; 146:6; also 30:9; 69:13; 71:22; 89:8; 132:11.

THE BOOK OF PSALMS 397
but more frequently with his kindness, as in 25:10;
40:10 f.; 57:10; 86:15; 89:1 f., 24, 33, 50; 92:2;
98:3; 100:5; 115:1; 117:2. In 36:5 f. occurs the
fourfold ascription,
Thy kindness, O Yahweh, restcheth to the clouds,
Thy faithfulness to the sky;
Thy righteousness is lUie the mountains of God,
Thy judgments are a great deep;
and in 89:14,
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of thy
throne,
Kindness and faithfulness go before thee.
The Law of God, because it comes from him, is also
trustworthy.' Yahweh, being what he is, requires that man be
true in his heart and Ufe." The religious life, therefore,
is put into terms of faithfulness. So in 37 : 3 f . :
Trust in Yahweh and do good;
DweU in the land and cherish faithfulness;
Yea, take thy delight in Yahweh,
And he wUl give thee thy heart's desires.
The same thought is more subtly expressed in 85: 10 f.,
which may be rendered :
Kindness and faithfulness shaU meet each other,
Righteousness and prosperity kiss each other.
Faithfulness shaU spring from the earth,
And righteousness look down from heaven.
Here the "kindness" is that of Yahweh, and the "right
eousness" his gracious assistance, while the "faithful
ness" is that of man, and the "prosperity" the reward
'Pss. 25:5; 26:3; 43:3; 119:30, 86, 142, 151, 160.
" Pss. 32:2; 51:6.

398 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
of his loyalty. The righteous man, according to 15 : 2-4,
it will be remembered, is one
That speaketh truth in his heart;
That slandereth not with his tongue;
That sweareth to his own hurt and changeth not.
There were evidently many, when this and other
psalms were composed, who fell far below the standard
of trustworthiness here presented. The author of Ps. 52
thus arraigns one of his contemporaries :
Thy tongue deviseth destruction,
Like a sharpened razor, deceiver.
Thou lovest evU more than good,
Falsehood more than righteous speech.
Thou lovest aU destructive words,
Thou deceitful tongue.'
The proper punishment for lying is prescribed in
120:3 f.: What shall be given to thee, and what added,
Thou deceitful tongue ?
Arrows of a warrior, sharp ones,
With coals from retem!"
In the following passages the form of falsehood
condemned is that of false testimony, or slander:
27:12; 50:20; 101:5; 119:69. More significant are
those in which the charge is that of treachery, since they
reflect the methods of partisan strife. Thus, in Ps. 5:9
the author says of his enemies :
There is no trustworthiness in their mouths;
Inwardly they would destroy.
Their hearts are open septUchers,
Although they talk smoothly.
'Ps. 52:2s. See also Pss. 10:7; 35:20; 36:3; 50:19; 59:12;
109:2. " See also Pss. 5:6; 31:18; 63:11; 101:7; 109:2.

THE BOOK OF PSALMS 399
In Ps. 55 the traitor is a former friend, with whom the
poet "took sweet counsel" as they "walked to the house
of God.'" But He stretched forth his hand against his friends,
He violated his covenant.
His mouth was smoother than butter.
But in his heart there was war;
His words were softer than oU,
But they were drawn swords."
See further, for examples of dupUcity: 12:2; 26:4;
28:3; 41:6; 62:4; 144:8, 11; perhaps also 38:12.
In 25:3; 59:6; 119:158 it is apostates from Yahweh
to whom the psalmist refers.
At first sight a good deal of consideration seems to be
given to the unfortunate as a class in the Psalms, but
this is not reaUy the case, the fact being that the adjec
tives "poor" (ani), "needy" {'ebhyon), and "help
less" {dal) generally denote the class of persons who are
otherwise called "the righteous," etc. This is clear
from a number of passages in which the two sets of
terms are used interchangeably. Thus, in 14:5 f.
"poor" and "righteous" are practically synonyms,
while in 40: 12 f. there are two pairs of equivalents:
I know that Yahweh wUl maintain the cause of the
poor,
Justice for the needy.
Surely the righteous shaU praise thy name.
The upright shall dweU in thy presence.
Other similar passages are 22:24; 34:6 f.; 68:9f.;
69:32 f.; 72:12; 74:19; 86:if. StiU more convincing
are such passages as 37 : 14, where the poor and needy
•Ps. 55:14. ¦ "Ps. 55:20 f.

400 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
are identified with the upright and set over against the
wicked : The wicked have drawn the sword and bent their
bow
To cast down the poor and needy.
To slay the upright in their way.'
Having learned from the passg,ges cited that the
stricter Jews called themselves "the poor," etc., one
has no difficulty in finding numerous other examples
of the same usage; namely, in a class in which the
persons so designated appear in more or less close
connection with the wicked" and a few in which there
is apparently no such connection.'
It is clear from the above showing that the psalmists
had no lack of sympathy with misfortune, but the
thoughtful reader will suspect that they expended it
largely on themselves. This suspicion is confirmed by
the paucity of references to any of the classes of unfor
tunates in whom the prophets were interested. The
truth is that the widow, as an object of charity, is
mentioned in the Psalms but three times, the orphan
six, and the stranger only twice, and that in seven of
these eleven instances" it is divine and not human
charity that is celebrated, and the other four are con
tained in two complaints against recreant judges' and
' This passage will serve equally well as an illustration, even if,
as Duhm and others contend, the latter half of the first and the whole
of the second line are an addition to the original text. See also Pss.
40:15s.; 69:28!.; 70:26.; 107:41!.
"Pss. 9:17!.; 10:2,9; 12:5; 18:27; 35:10; 72:4,12-14; 109:16
20-22, 31.
3 Pss. 74:21; 113:7.
" Pss. 10:14, 18; 68:5; 146:9. 3Ps. 82:3.

THE BOOK OF PSALMS 401
"the proud"' in the community. There are also very
few passages in which the poor as such receive con
sideration. Of these 41 : i is of a general character.
The rest relate to the reUef of the needy, 15:5 forbidding
discount, and 37:21, 26 and 112:5 commending the
man who gladly lends, or better, gives of his substance
to the impoverished. To such a man, says 18:25,
Yahweh wiU reveal himself in all his kindness.
The dearth of genuine charity in the Psalms is not
more noticeable than the frequency of the manifesta
tion of a vengeful spirit. The cruelty of some of these
passages makes the modern reader shudder. One of
them is 35:4: May they be disappointed and humUiated
That seek after my soul;
Let them be turned backward and confounded
That devise evU against me."
This is very brief and simple compared with the impre
cation in 69:22 ff.:
Let their table before them be a snare.
And their peace offerings a trap.
Let their eyes be darkened that they cannot see.
And smite their loms with continuous tottering.
Pour out upon them thy anger.
And let the fury of thy wrath overtake them.
May their camp be desolate,
And no one dweU in their tents.
Add iniquity to their iniquity.
And let them not share thy deUverance.
Let them be blotted out of the book of life,
And not be inscribed among the righteous.
'Ps. 94:6.
" See also Pss. 35:6; 4o:i4f.; 7o:2f.; 71:13-

402 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
The language here used is cruel and vindictive in the
extreme; yet this fact has not prevented the theolo
gians of the past from putting it into the mouth of Jesus,
who, in his life and in his death, taught and practiced
the forgiveness of enemies.' For other examples of
imprecation in the Psalms, see 5:10; 68:1 f.; 79:12;
83:13; 109:6; 140:9 f.
These are but specimens. There are many more
that fall far below the Christian standard of moraUty.
There is, however, another class of passages that are
still more objectionable; namely, those in which the
psalmists give way to an almost fiendish exultation
over the fate of their enemies. A good example is
58:10: The righteous shaU rejoice when he seeth the vengeance;
He shaU bathe his feet in the blood of the wicked;
from which it is evident that, when it was written, at
least to the writer, the terms "righteous" and "wicked"
had become little more than designations for hostile
parties, without ethical significance. Here belong
i37:8f.: Daughter of Babylon, destined to destruction,
Happy he that rewardeth thee as thou has served
us!
Happy he that seizeth thy chUdren
And dasheth them against a rock!
a passage that has always been a stumbling-block to
the thoughtful reader of the Hebrew Scriptures." It
should, however, be borne in mind that such passages
are all of the nature of temporary ebulUtions of passion,
'Luke 23:34.
" See further Pss. 41 : 10; 59:10; 68:22!.; 92:11; 149:66.

THE BOOK OF PSALMS 403
and therefore do not represent the deliberate judgment
or conviction of the post-exiUc Jews. Cf. Job 31 : 29,
If I have rejoiced at the destruction of him that hated me.
Or exulted when evU befeU him, etc'
The last passage quoted from the Psalms, 137 : 8 f.,
is one of many that deal with foreigners. It is very
hostile to the Babylonians, reflecting the bitterness
produced by the subjugation of Judah and the deporta
tion of the better part of its inhabitants. The preceding
verses show how deeply the Jews resented the attitude
of the Edomites in that desperate crisis. Pss. 79 and 83
are of a much later date, having for their background,
apparently, an early stage of the Maccabean struggle."
It was the cruelty of the king of Syria and his agents
that wrung from the Jews such appeals as Ps. 79:12,
Render to our neighbors sevenfold in their bosoms
The reproach wherewith they have reproached thee, O
Yahweh!
and 83:13-15: O my God, make them Uke the whirling weed.
Like stubble before the wind.
Like the fire that bumeth the forest.
And the flame that setteth the moimtains ablaze,
So pursue thou them in thy tempest.
And terrify them with thy storm-wind.'
In none of the psalms thus far cited is there any
indication of interest in the future of the Gentiles;
for in 83 : 16 ff., although they learn, they are destined
' See also Prov. 20:22; 24:29; 25:211.
"I Mace. 1:206.; 5:16.; 7:17.
3 See further Pss. 89:50 f.; 118:10; i49:7ff- On 9:5, 15, 17, 19,
20; 10:16; 59:5, 8, see p. 393, n.

404 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
to perish in learning, that Yahweh is "the Most High
over all the earth." There are, however, other psalms
which teach that his gracious purpose includes all
nations. In the first place, they declare that he alone
created all the sons of men,' and his rule extends over
the whole earth." His eyes keep watch upon them,'
and he holds them responsible for their actions, whether
they are good or evil."
Secondly, there is a series of passages which teach
that Yahweh is not indifferent to the attitude of the
nations toward him. This is clear from his efforts to
make them acquainted with his works and ways. In
7:8 the Psalmist asks that they may be witnesses to
his vindication. Elsewhere they are represented as
witnesses of the divine glory' or recipients of the testi
mony of others with reference to it.*
The end sought in thus displaying or celebrating
the works of Yahweh here, as in the other books of the
Old Testament, is to secure the attention of the peoples
and their recognition of him as the only God.' In
96:7ff. they are directly exhorted to "ascribe to
Yahweh glory and strength," "bring an offering," and
"worship him in holy array" at his sanctuary.* The
psalmists repeatedly voice the expectation that this
end will be attained. Thus, in 22:27 oi^^ says that
AU the ends of the earth shall remember and return to Yahweh,
And aU the kindreds of the nations shaU worship before him;
'Ps. 33:15. 'Ps. 66:7.
"Pss.47:8; 66:7; 99:1; 103:19. " Ps. 96:10, 13; 98:9.
sPss. 77:14; 97:6; 98:2.
'Pss. 9:11; 49:1; 57:9; 96:3,10; 105:1; 108:3.
'Pss. 66:3 f.; 67:2 s.
' See also Pss. 66:8; 68:32,34; 117:1.

THE BOOK OF PSALMS 405
and in 68:31, the meaning of which is clear, although
the text is doubtful, that
They shaU come in haste from Egypt,
Ethiopia shaU eagerly bring gifts to God.'
It remains to consider the relation between the
Jews and the Gentiles when the latter finally recognize
Yahweh as the one God. In 47:9 the original reads,
UteraUy, The princes of the peoples are gathered.
The people of the God of Abraham.
The Authorized Version changes "peoples" to "people"
in the first line and renders the second.
Even the people of the God of Abraham.
The Revisers have restored the plural "peoples," and
given to the whole a new interpretation by substituting
"to be" for "even." If, however, liberties are to be
taken with the passage, it is better, with Olshausen, to
supply "with," the Hebrew equivalent of which has
the same consonants as that of "people," and may
easily have been overlooked by a copyist. Duhm
adopts this emendation and remarks that "here the
heathen nobles appear as in some respects the equals
of the people of Jahweh." The saving phrase, "in some
respects," was wisely chosen, for it is clear from vs. 3
of the same psalm, which Duhm emends so as to make
it read, not He subdueth peoples under us.
And nations under our feet;
but. He subdueth peoples under him.
And nations under his feet;
'Seefurther Pss. 68:29; 82:8; 86:9; 102:15,22; I38:4L

4o6 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
that the author was not a universaUst to the extent of
admitting the Gentiles to complete equality with the
children of Abraham. If it be objected, as it is by
Duhm, that this interpretation is inconsistent with
itself, it is only necessary to reply that in all the passages
bearing on the point in question the psalmists agree
with vs. 3 in teaching more or less clearly the primacy
of their own people in the sight of Yahweh. Thus,
in 2 : 8 Yahweh says to the messianic king.
Ask of me, and I wiU give thee the nations for thy inheritance,
And the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession;
and in 72:9 the author prophesies with reference to the
same august person that
AU kings shaU faU down before him.
All rulers shaU serve him.'
'See also Pss. 18:43 3.; 60:6 3.; 110:6.

INDEXES

INDEXES

I. TOPICS TREATED

Abigail, wile o! David, 65 !., 72 !.
Abimelech, son of Gideon, 120!.,
123, 147-
Abimelech o! Gerar, 14, 27, 33, 42.
Abner, 65 !., 73.
Abraham, story o!: in J, 16, 26 !.,
30, 32, 34, 41 f.; in E, 103; in
supplementary passages, 151 f.;
in P, 259.
Absalom, 64, 68 !., 72 !., 76, 78 f.,
186.
Achan, 60 !.
Adultery: practice o!, 130, 201 !.,
222, 225, 287, 308, 331 !.; con
demnation o!, 33, 57, 68, 164,
177, 215, 219, 261, 263!., 308,
331 f.; figurative sense, 126 5.,
202, 218.
Adversary, 292 f., 352, 357.
Ahab, 836., 88, 90 5., 157.
Ahimaaz, 69.
Amos, the prophet: date, 94;
events of his time, 93 f. ; ethical
ideas, 12, 94 5., 126, 136, 141 !.,
145, 149. 192, 252.
Amos, the book, 6.
Animals, regard lor, 172, 186, 344.
Bathsheba, 67 f., 71.
Bildad, the Shuhite, 296 !., 303,
306.
Bloodshed, a comprehensive term,
224 5., 394 f.
Book of the Covenant. See Codes
o! the Pentateuch.

Bribery, 98, 118, 139, 144 f., 156,
170, 225!., 280,334,390!.
Cain, the first murderer, 29; story
of, 25, 148, 150.
Caleb, 51 !., 55, 187, 230.
Chronicles (Ezra and Nehemiah):
date, 349; object and method,
349!.; extravagance, 350!.;
omissions, 351!., 356!.; liber
ties taken, 352; value, 353;
ethical standpoint, 353 5.; de
tailed teaching, 358 5.
Codes of the Pentateuch: dates,
44!.; Ephraimite, no 3., 163 6.,
170, 264 5.; Deuteronomic,
162 6., 260, 265, 286, 290, 337;
Priests', 260 6.
Compassionin God, 48, 129 !., 389.
Concubinage: a recognized cus
tom, 37!., 58 f., 66 L, 114,
165 !., 259 !., 348; restrictions,
114, 165.
Conscience, 13, 320.
Conspiracy, 118.
Continence and incontinence, 33,
260, 328.
Courage, 34, 546., 64!., 79!.,
82!., 84, 120!., 144, 196!., 308,
373-
Covenant between Yahweh and
his people : an ethical bond, 1 5 ;
origin and renewal, 2, 46!., 88,
161 f., 176, 257!.; a figurative
marriage, 126 3., 203, 218; a

409

4IO THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

spiritual renewal, 200, 208; the
promise to David, 210 !.; to the
Levites, 210!., 287.
Criminals, treatment of, 168 !.
Criticism, biblical: eSect on bibli
cal problems, i; findings on
Pentateuch, i !., 45; on "the
Former Prophets," 3 f.
Cunning, admiration of, 23 !., 35,
SO f ., 209.
Cyrus, agent of Yahweh, 238,
243 f-
Daniel: in tradition, 152; in the
Book o! Daniel, 269 3.
Daniel, the book: date, 10;
unity, 369; ethical teaching,
369 3.; purpose, 371!.
David: in J, 60, 63 3., 89; in E,
121 3.; in redactional passages,
153, IS7, 159 f-. 1866.; in
Kings, 215; in Chronicles,
351 f-, 356 ff- See also 230, 240.
Day of Yahweh, 99, 189, 233,
247!., 2776., 314, 380 L
Deborah, 55, 58.
Debt, release from, 171, 220, 265,
359-
Decalogues: first, 45 !.; second,
109!.; third, 1746.; Ezekiel's,
219 !.
Deuteronomy : component o! Pen
tateuch, 2, 13; origin, 161 f.;
code, 162 6.; redactional addi
tions, 1786.
Deuteronomic elements: in Exo
dus and Numbers, 186 f.; in
Joshua-Samuel (incl. Kings,
chaps, if.), 187 f.; in Kings,
213 ff-
Dinah, 33 f., 37, 105.

Discount, 170 f., 186, 219, 226.,
265, 342, 401.
Divorce: regulation, 163, 222;
prohibition, 286.
Duty in general, 12 f., 17, 268 f.
Ecclesiastes, the book: date, 9,
362; integrity, 362; additions,
362 !.; ethics o! the original,
3636-
Ehud, 55 !.
Election, doctrine 0!, 12 f., 26,
46 !., 100 !., 126, 130, 137, 158 !.,
180 f., 184 f., 203 f., 220, 243,
256, 274 L, 289, 314 f., 359 f->
370, 405 f.
Elihu, the Buzite, 309, 392.
Elijah, the prophet, 82 6., 87 f.,
91 f., 131.
Eliphaz, the Temanite, 294 5.,
302, 305.
Elisha, the prophet, 84 6., 92, 131.
Ephraimite Narrative: original
story, 2 f., 102 6., 257, 259 f.,
262, 264 f.; later additions,
153 ff-
Esther, character of, 373 !.
Esther, the book: date, 8f.;
ethical value, 3721.
Eunuchs, 275 f.
Ezekiel, the prophet: date and
fortunes, 218; decalogue, 219 f.;
detailed teachings, 22 5, 168.
Ezekiel, the book, 5.
Ezra, the scribe, 267 f., 360.
Ezra, the book. See Chronicles.
Exodus, moral e6ect of, 47.
Faithfulness: in Yahweh, 47, 126,
203, 396 f.; in man, 126, 130 f.,
203, 209 6., 255, 338 5., 397 6.
Falsehood: resource of cunning,

INDEXES

411

24,35.50!., 57, 59, 69f., 86!.,
108; weakness o! women, 104,
108; condemnation of, 87, 103 f.,
108, 122, 208 f., 228 f., 254,
259, 266, 281, 339 f., 390 f., 398.
Fasting, 251 f., 272 f., 313 f.
Flattery, 340.
Foreigners: alliances with, 41 f.,
79, 92 f., 267 !., 291; incorpora
tion o!, 51 f., 78 5., 230; pro
tection of, 119, 267; instruments
of Yahweh, 100 f., 141 !., 212,
245!.; objects of Yahweh's con
cern, TOO, 242 !., 249 !., 255 f.,
267, 274, 282 f., 288 f., 290 f.,
314 f., 405 f.; restrictions on,
119, 267; hostihty to, 41, 61 f.,
124, 173 f-, 183 f-, 187, 191 L,
217, 230 5., 245 3., 278 f., 281 f.,
284, 314, 359 ff-
Fornication: toleration, 33 !., 57;
prevalence, 97; growing oppo
sition, 67 f., 97, 115, 164, 328 f.,
331 f-
Future Ufe: rare references, 16 f.;
intimations, 303 f., 370!., 381 f.
Gentleness, 240.
Gideon: in J, 56, 59; in E, 120.
Good, the highest, 16 f., 34, 158,
181 f., 205, 274 f., 293, 304, 310,
3226., 3666., 3793.
Good-will, law of, 13 !.
Greed, 139, 156, 308, 336.
Habakkuk, the prophet, 191.
Habakkuk, the book, 7, 191.
Hagar: in J, 36, 38; in P, 259.
Haggai, the prophet: purpose,
249; teaching, 249 !., 252.
Haggai, the book, 7.

Hammurabi, Code o!, 38!., 43,
iiiB., 116, 163, 168, 170, 261.
Hannah, mother of Samuel, 155.
Hireling, treatment of, 170, 207,
287.
Honesty: in business, 97, 131,
169, 226 f., 259, 337; in service,
155!., 209 f., 287.
Hosea, the prophet: date, 125;
events of his time, 125!.;
character, 126; personal experi
ence, 1 26 3. ; ethical teaching,
129!., 156, 203, 218.
Hospitality, 41, 59, 85, 308.
Humility, 646., 154, 240, 310,
325 f-, 392 f-
Hushai, friend of David, 69.
Hypocrisy, 288, 340.
Ideals of the Hebrews: a, numer
ous posterity, 16, 36, 158; a
united people, 54; a world-wide
infiuence, 240 3., 249 f ., 255 f .,
274, 282 f., 288!., 405.
Immodesty, 163.
Incest: early instances, 3:3 i., 36;
later restrictions, 163, 225,
262 f.
Intemperance in general, 364.
Interest, 220, 226 5., 265, 342.
Isaac, story of: in J, 27, 30, 33,
356.; inE, 103!.; inP, 259.
Isaiah, the prophet: date, 133;
events of his time, 133 6.; atti
tude and policy, 136 f.; ethical
teaching, 137 6., 252.
Isaiah, the book; composition, 4;
exilian additions, 2366.; post-
exilian accretions, 270 5.
Israel, Kingdom of: origin, 81;
cause of schism, 89 f.; in the

412 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

Books of Kings, 213 f.; ignored
by Chronicler, 354 5.
Jacob, story of; in J, 27 5., 30,
32 !., 356., 406.; in E, 104; in
P, 259 f. See also 131.
Jael, 55, 120.
Jephthah, 103, 121 !., 159.
Jeremiah, the prophet: date, 194;
isolation, 1946.; an individual
ist, 199!.; ethical ideas, 168,
171, 176, 200 3., 218 f., 252,
353 f-, 358.
Jeremiah, the book: date, 4!.;
composition, 5.
Jeroboam I, 81, 90, 213 f.
Jezebel, 83, 85, 88, 906.
Joab, 65, 73 L, 77 L, 115,188.
Job: in tradition, 152; in the Book
of Job, 292 5. See also 366, 368.
Job, the book; structure, 8, 292;
date, 8f.; framework, 292!.;
poem, 2936.; additions, 310 6.
See also 353.
Joel, the prophet, 313 f.
Joel, the book: date, 6; general
character, 313.
Jonah, the book: character, 6;
content, 314!.; purpose, 315.
Jonathan, friend of David, 60, 64,
70 f., 123, 159 L
Joseph, story of: in J, 28 f., 31, 33,
39!.; inE, 105!., 354.
Joshua, son o! Nun: in J, 54 !.; in
E, 120.
Joshua, the book: composition,
3, 119; the Deuteronomic ele
ment, 187 f.
Jubilee, year of, 265 !.
Judah, son o! Jacob, 33 !., 39 !.,
105, 230.

Judean Narrative: the original
story, 2f., 196., 446., 53 5.,
636., 259; compared with E,
1026., 1066., 1196.; later
additions, 25, 147 6., 151 6.
Judges, the book, 3, 55 5., 1206.
Judgment, moral: origin, 11;
universality, 12; supplemented
by revelation, 12 f.
Justice. See Righteousness.
Kindness: in Yahweh, 48, 205,
397; in man, 72, 132, 146, 251,
280 f.
Kings, the books of: composition,
3 f.; Deuteronomic element,
2436.
Laban, 35, 42.
Lamentations, the book: date, 9,
234; composite authorship, 234;
ethical features, 234 f.
Leah, wife of Jacob, 37 f., 41, 259.
Lemech, 20, 22 f., 148 f.
Lex talionis: appUcation, 23, 77;
suspension, 77 f., 150; modifica
tion, 115 f., 167, 266.
Loans, 118 f., 170 f., 219 f., 227 f.,
265 f., 359.
Lot: companion of Abraham,
26; his hospitality, 40 f.; his
daughters, 32 S., 36, 259.
Love: impartial, 251, 254, 264!.,
269, 336; conjugal, 66, 115,
129 f., 204, 346 f., 367 f.; pa
rental, 36!., 68, 130, 393;
filial, 39, 291; fraternal, 40, 393.
Loyalty, 64, 72, 118, 2541., 333!.

Magnanimity, 40, 72 f.
Malachi, the book: date,
ethical teaching, 285 6.

7;

INDEXES

413

Manoah, lather o! Samson, 59, 61.
Marriage: institution, 22; o! sons
o! God, 22; by purchase, 37, 57,
66, 103, 129, 164, 286; by
seizure, 57 !.; with relatives, 5,
67, 163, 218, 259, 262; levirate
imions, 34, 164!., 262!., 290!.;
with ioreigners, 41 !., 61, 79,
187, 222, 289, 360!.; o! priests,
222, 261; the newly wed, 182 !.;
marriage a covenant, 286, 330 !.,
346 6., 367; typical significance,
126 6., 203, 218.
Messianic King, 140 !., 205 !.,
210 !., 249, 253 3., 279 f., 406.
Micah, the prophet: origin, 142;
ethical teaching, 143 6., 252.
Micah, the book, 6, 145.
Micaiah, the prophet, 84, 87 6.
Michal, wife o! David, 64, 66, 122.
Monotheism, 88, 100!., 128 f.,
142, 188 !., 191 6., 232 f., 241 5.,
255 f., 2746., 282!., 288!.,
309!., 314!., 319!., 365, 370,
376, 403 6.
Morality and reUgion: duty as
unto God, 14; ethical signifi
cance of the covenant, 15; the
teaching of the prophets, 94 !.,
132, 140, 145!., 201, 2186.,
251 !., 272 f.; the testimony of
the Proverbs, 317; the Psahns,
3863.; the third decalogue,
17s f.; the Law o! HoUness,
268 f.
Mordecai, 373.
Moses: in J, 44 f., 47 3.; in E,
107 f., no, 112; in supple
mental passages, 154; in Deu
teronomy, 161 f., 169, 183 f.
Murder and homicide, 14, 20,

SSf., 65, 70, 74, 77 f., 8s, 90 f.,
105, 115!., 122, 131, 148, ISO,
167 f., 177, 206!., 224!. [Num.
35:9—36:34], 284, 311, 334 f.,
373 f-, 394-
Nahum, the prophet: date, 192;
ethical teaching, 192 !.
Nahum, the book, 6 f., 192.
Nathan, the prophet, 64, 68, 70,
76 f., 157, 186 f.
Nazirites, 32, 96.
Nehemiah, the governor, 367 f.,
358 3.
Nehemiah, the book. See Chron
icles.
Nethinites, 227 5., 232.
Noah, 20!., 32 !., 147 !., 152, 258.
Oaths: respect lor, 42, 59 !., 70 3.,
123; observance required, 177,
252!., 390; violation 0!, 87, 118,
129!., 208 !., 229 f.
Obadiah, the prophet: date, 6;
ethical teaching, 284.
Obadiah, the book, 6.
Oppression, 89 S., 98, 139 !., 143 !.,
157, 194, 207, 219, 223 5., 239,
2426., 246, 273, 287, 335, 342,
364, 392, 395, 402 !.
Orphan, 140, 171, 183, 251, 287,
311,337,342,389,400.
Patience, 34, 241, 294.
Patriarchs : historicity, 29 !. ; en
vironment, 31; characters, 3 2 5.
Perlection in men, 295 5., 301,
306, 364.
Philistines, first appearance o!, 54.
Pledges, 119, 171, 219, 227 !.
Polygamy: a recognized custom,
22, 37, 66 f., 215, 259 f.; evils.

414 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

40, 67, 155; restrictions, 114,
163; opposing influences, 330 !.,
347 f-
Poor, 139, 171 !., 342 f., 399 !.
Pride, 246, 318, 326, 336, 392 !.
Priestly Narrative: date, 2 !.;
content, 257 5., 356.
Programs, ethical, besides the
Decalogue, 219 !., 308, 318,
3906.
Prophets, false, 84, 88 f., 138, 143,
195 f., 202 f., 211 f., 228 f.
Prophets: "the Former," 3; "the
Later," 4.
Prudence, 318 f.
Proverbs, the book: structure, 8,
316; date, 8; ethical content,
3166.
Psalms, the book: structure, 8;
date, 8; ethical content, 375 6.
Rachel, wife of Jacob, 366., 41,
104, 259.
Rahab o! Jericho, 57, 59, 122.
Rebekah, wile o! Isaac, 27, 35,
37 f., 104-
Rechabites, 32, 92, 131 !., 203 !.
Rehoboam, 89 !.
Resentment: instances, 184, 232 !.,
256, 281, 284, 289, 401 5.; disap
proval of, 212, 264 f., 308, 336.
Responsibility: individual, 168,
199!., 219 f., 304!.; universal,
12, 100 !., 192 !.
Rewards and penalties: temporal
and material, 16 !., 99 !., 132,
136 f., 141, 1476., 181!., 199,
218!., 234, 258, 271 !., 276!.,
2926., 3206., 3536., 362!.,
3766.; higher goods, 323 !.; a
luture file, 303 !., 370 !., 381 5.

Reuben, 105, 354.
Righteousness in Yahweh: in the
sense o! justice, 98 !., 121, 149,
190, 220 !., 234 3., 258, 271,
276 3., 285, 294 f., 306, 319 3.,
362 f., 370 L, 375 ff-, 396 f-; in
the sense of deUverance, 132,
237 f., 270 f., 277 f., 285, 384 3.,
396 f. ; doubts on the subject,
197 5., 285, 300, 303 3., 363 3.,
377 6.; indiscriminate penalties,
49 f., 60 f.; executive clemency,
151 L, 158 f., 239 f.
Righteousness in man: in a com
prehensive sense, 106, 151, 192,
2196., 226, 252, 2686., 276,
280, 287, 29s, 297, 306, 308,
3186., 3376., 342, 3646.,
3766., 3886., 398 3.; in the
sense of justice, 75 3., 89 5., 95,
98 f., 118, 139 5., 143, 146, 156,
169 f., 178, 190!., 205!., 215 f.,
219 f., 223, 244, 251, 254, 271 6.,
729 f., 287, 308, 328, 334 f., 394;
in the sense o! kindness, 132;
a vicarious virtue, 152, 221,
241.
Rizpah, Saul's concubine, 58, 68.
Robbery, 139, 145, 155!., 191,
207, 220, 226, 287, 308, 311,
337, 342.
Ruth, the book: literary charac
ter, 9; object o! author, 9, 290;
ethical lesson, 291 f.
Sacrifice and ceremonial, 94 !.,
132, 140, 145!., 175 f., 201,
218, 251 f., 268 L, 272!., 288,
317, 349 f-, 356, 386 5.
Saint, 370, 388 f.
Samson, 56 f., 62.

INDEXES

415

Samuel, the seer: in J and E, 121;
in later stories, 153 3.
Samuel, the books o! : composition,
3; Deuteronomic element, 213.
Sanehat, story o!, 31.
Sarah, wife of Abraham: in J, 36,
38,43; inE, 103; inP, 259.
Satan. See Adversary.
Saul: in J, 58, 60 !., 63 f., 70S.,
74, 78 f.; in E, 121 S.; in
redactional passages, 153 3.,
157, 159 f-
Scribes: as historians, 185, 187 !.;
as legislators, 209 5.
Self-control, 326 f.
Self-sacrifice, 543., 65, I96f., 241 f.
Serpent, 23 f., 87.
Servant of Yahweh: character,
240 f . ; a new ideal, 241 f .
Sheol, abode o! the dead, 49, 188,
302, 304, 312, 370, 381 3.
Sin, sense o!, 152 !., 158 !., 180,
221, 234, 239 f.
Slander, 118, 209, 225 f. [Lev.
19:16], 340 f., 390, 398.
Slavery, 204, 358 f.
Sodom and Gomorrah, 33, 151 f.>
202, 222, 247.
Sodomy, 57, 162 f., 215.
Sojourner, 171, 183, 251, 267;
as distinguished from foreigner,
172, 183 f.
Solomon: early character, 65 f.,
89 f.; his wisdom, 78; his
poUcy, 891., 156 f.; his harem,
67, 215, 217; Chronicler's ac
count.
Song of Solomon: Uterary char
acter, 9; date, 9; interpreta
tions, 345 f.; ethical signifi
cance, 346 5.

Sorcery, 118, 287.
SuSering: penal, 11, 99!., 121,
i486., 2346.; disciplinary, 240,
276!., 292!., 29s, 312, 324,
3646., 370, 379 f-; vicarious,
240 6.
Tale-bearing, 336, 340 !.
Tamar, the Canaanitess, 33 f., 36,
230.
Tamar, sister of Absalom, 67 6.
Theft, 104, X08, 114, 117!., 131,
169, 177, 207 !., 264, 337, 395 !.
Treachery, 55, 131, 190, 209, 246,
281, 286,339,398!.
Trustworthiness in general, 208,
280 !., 338 5., 396 6.
Unlortunate classes, 98, 118!.,
139!., 170!., 220, 251, 272!.,
287,305,308,311,3996.
Uriah, the Hittite, 65, 70, 80,
186 f., 215,351.
Violence, 49, 55, 85, 98, 149, 190 f.,
206 f., 223 a., 258, 335 f., 394 3.
Vows: in general, 169 [Eccles.
5:41., Ps. 76:11]; of women,
266.
Widow, 140, 171, 183, 251, 287,
311,342,389,400.
Wisdom: content of, 3163.; its
appeal, 325.
Wine: discovery, 21; customary
use, 313, 327 f-, 393; absti
nence, 32 f., 203 f., 222, 260;
abuse, 96, 129, 137 f., 143, 155,
251, 327 f-, 393-
Witness, false, 87, 118, 170, 177,
340, 398.

4i6 THE ETHICS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

Woman: original condition, 22; in
feriority, 22, 37, 57 f., 66, 85, 104,
108, 114, 266, 364; exceptional
individuals, 58, 68, 72 f., 85; a
better opinion, 129, 329 f., 346;
heir of sonless father, 266.
Zechariah, the prophet: date, 250;
ethical teaching, 251 3., 264.

Zechariah, the book: authorship
7; additions, 278, 280, 282.
Zephaniah, the prophet, 188 6.
Zephaniah, the book: additions,
7; date, 188.
Zerubbabel: in Haggai, 249!.; in
Zechariah, 252 5.
Zophar, the Naamathite, 298 !.,
304, 306.

II. BOOKS CITED, OTHER THAN COMMENTARIES
Hebrdische Archd-

Benziger, J.
ologie, 58.
Breasted, J. H.; History of Egypt,
54-
Budde, Karl; Sacred Books of the
Old Testament, Samuel, 78 f.
Colenso, J. W.; The Pentateuch,
194.
Cornill, C. H.; Einleitung in die
kanonischen Biicher des AUen
Testaments, Eng. Ed., 5, 198.
Gressmann, H. ; Zeitschrifl fiir die
alttestamentliche Wissenschaft,
30.
de Lagarde, Paul; Prophelce Chal-
daice, 275.
Moore, G. F.; Encyclopadia Bib
lica, 61.

Peters, J. P.; Early Hebrew Story,
29.
Petrie, W. M. F.; History of
Egypt, 53 f ¦
Records of the Past, 2,31, 53.
RohUng, A.; Tiibinger theologische
Quarlalsckrift, 1867, 127.
Smith, H. P.; Old Testament His
tory, 29, 90.
Torrey, C. C; Notes on the
Aramaic Part of Daniel, 369.
Weber, Ferd.; System der altsyna-
gogalen paldstinischen Theo-
logie, 152.
WeUhausen, Julius; Die Composi
tion des Hexateuchs, 4; Skizzen
und Vorarbeiien, V, 127.

III. PASSAGES SPECIALLY DISCUSSED

Genesis: 2:1,23; 2:17,24; 3:10,
24f.; 4:17, 21; 20:4, 14;
31:46,42.
Exodus: 5:1, 108; chap. 18, no;
21:23-25, 116; 22:15b, 118;
22:23 and 27, in; 22:25, 227;
22:25a, 119; 23:3, 118.

Deuteronomy: 17:9, 216; 19:17,
170.
Judges: 1:3, 5 f., 19 and 21, 187.
I Samuel: 2: 22, 155.
II Samuel: 8:2, 71; 12:6, 77;
12:31, 69; 15:18, 59: 23:20,
72-

INDEXES

417

I Kings: 8:53, 4; 9:20-22, 217;
12:14, 90; 15:5,2 15; 17:1, 82.
Isaiah: 5:11, 137; 11:4, 142;
30:20, 12; 30:15, 136; 43:25,
239; 46:12,237; 48:91., 239 f.;
56:8, 274; 63:1, 275.
Jeremiah: 5:3, 208; 6:13, 207;
20:76., 198; 33:14-18,210.
Ezekiel: 7:23,224; 13:10,2281.;
18:10, 225; 21:3, 221; 22:25,
224; 33:25, 226; 36:18, 226.
Hosea: 6:6, 132; 7:3, 131.
Joel: 1:5,313.
Amos: 9:8 !., 100.
Micah: 5:3, 140.

Habakkuk: 1:14, 191; 2:15, 191.
Zechariah: 8:16,254.
Malachi: 1:11,288; 2:11!., 289.
Psalms: 16:10!., 382!.; 37:14,
399 f-; 45:4,392.
Proverbs: 11:7,321; 14:31,33s;
19:32, 321.
Job: 11:4, 298; 12:4-10, 310;
14:23, 302; chap. 24, 306;
26:1-4, 306; 31:2-4, 308;
31:21, 308; 31:38-40, 308;
chaps. 32-37, 312.
Ecclesiastes: 2 : 24 !., 367.
Nehemiah: 5:11,319.
Matthew: 1:23, 140.

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