David Reimer

Concerning return to Egypt: Deuteronomy XVII 16 And XXVIII 68 Reconsidered

This chapter clarifies the uncertain relations between the prohibitions against return to Egypt found in Deut. xvii 16 and xxviii 68. It is argued that the word of Moses in Ex. xiv 13, with its assurance that Yahwehs people would never again was quoted in Deut. xxviii 68 with new effect. Return to Egypt became an evil to be avoided. In short, Deut. xvii 16 depends on xxviii 68, which in turn depends on Ex. xiv 13. The chapter examines the historical background of the concrete details included in the prohibitions. Although the impulse which gave rise to them cannot be precisely dated, the pro-Babylonian and anti-Egypt polemic of the exilic period is the most likely backdrop. In this polemic, and in these prohibitions, long standing positive attitudes towards Egypt were opposed. Keywords: Deut. xvii 16; Deut. xxviii 68; Yahweh

“The ‘Foe’ and the ‘North’ in Jeremiah”

The theme of the »foe from the north« is prominent in the Book of Jeremiah. While many scholars confidently identify the foe, others doubt that the foe can be identified at all. Most approaches can be grouped into one of two categories relating the identity of the foe to the character of the tradition. If the foe is thought to be specific and identifiable, it follows that the tradition is historical or this-worldly; if, on the other hand, the foe is thought to be non-specific and unidentifiable, the tradition is characterized äs mythical. This could be shown äs follows: