Tanakh and the Ancient Near East Index – Parashat Vayeshev/0
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
This topic has not yet undergone editorial review
Tanakh & the Ancient Near East Index – Parashat Vayeshev
Overview
Knowledge of the history, law, cultic practices and realia of the Ancient Near East can often shed much light on Tanakh. This index contains a list of links to articles which touch on the connections between Tanakh and ancient cultures.Knowledge of the history, law, cultic practices and realia of the Ancient Near East can often shed much light on Tanakh. This index contains a list of links to articles which touch on the connections between Tanakh and ancient cultures.The Sale of Yosef in Ancient Near East Context
- Amos 2:6 (from the haftarah of Parashat Vayeshev) speaks of selling the poor for a pair of shoes, and has been understood by the Sages to refer to the sale of Yosef (see Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 38). See ‘For a Pair of Shoes’: A New Light on an Obscure Verse in Amos’ Prophecy by Avi Shveka for an analysis of the notion of selling a person for a pair of shoes in light of Ancient Near East law.
Levirate Marriage in the Ancient Near East
- See Levirate Marriage in Israel by Millar Burrows to understand the background to levirate marriage in the Ancient Near East, and the contrasts between the institution as it is set forth in Tanakh and in Canaanite culture.
Egyptian Words in the Yosef Narrative
- See Egyptian Background to the Yosef Narratives, which explores Egyptian loanwords that appear in the Biblical narrative of Yosef.
- See Cognates and Loanwords for more extensive discussion of the etymology and meaning of these words.
- See Egyptian Loanwords as Evidence for the Authenticity of the Exodus and Wilderness Traditions by Benjamin J. Noonan, which argues that the appearance of Egyptian words in the Biblical text indicates the authenticity of its narratives relating to Egypt
Visual Aids
- See Olam Hamikra for images of what Yehuda’s seal, cord, and staff may have looked like.
Dream Narratives and Interpretation
- For an extensive treatment of dream narratives and interpretation in the Ancient Near East, see The Interpretation of Dreams in the Ancient Near East by A. Leo Oppenheim.