Biblical Parallels Index – Devarim 7

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Chosen People

Makbilot BaMikra demonstrates that Devarim 7 is one of several sections of the Torah in which the Jewish people is described as chosen. The fact is mentioned in Shemot right before Ma'mad Har Sinai, in Devarim as an introduction or conclusion to several sets of laws, and in Tehillim before listing the many acts of kindness God has done for Israel. What do the various contexts teach about what it means to be "chosen"l?

Tools

  • Use the concordance to find all instances of the word "סְגֻלָּה" (special, treasured possession) in Tanakh.  Six of the eight occurrences are found in the context of Israel being Hashem's chosen, treasured nation. Reading these verses in context can shed slight on what being "chosen" might mean and entail.

Articles

  • See God’s Beloved: A Defense of Chosenness, by R. Dr. Meir Soloveichik, for analysis of the meaning and nature of God’s love for the Jewish people and what this reflects about Jewish notions of love. He notes that in Judaism Divine love is exclusive and particularistic, while in other religions such as Christianity, love is universal and all-embracing, and does not differentiate between sinner and saint.
  • See Choosing a Theory of Chosenness, by R. Dr. Samuel Lebens, and the following articles in the series, for analysis of various issues relating to chosenness, including: the meaning and implications of chosenness, differences and commonalities between God’s relationship with the Jews and with other nations, the nature of Avraham’s chosenness, the ways in which Jewish law treats Jews differently from non-Jews, and more. 
  • See Chosenness, by R. Joshua Amaru, for a critical discussion of R. Yehuda Halevi’s conception of chosenness. R. Amaru notes that R. Yehuda HaLevi "conceived of the Jewish people as a kind of spiritual (and hereditary) nobility, with the attendant rights and responsibilities." The author then offers an alternative theory, that the nation's chosenness stems from their having entered into a  covenantal relationship with Hashem.
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