Tanakh & the Ancient Near East Index – Parashat Toledot
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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.
Verses in Tanakh that refer to the Torah’s notion of first born status include: Shemot 13:2, which ascribes to it spiritual significance, and Devarim 21:15-17, which addresses it from a legal, financial perspective.
Anachronisms?
See Tanakh and Archaeology (3), by R. Amnon Bazak, for discussion of claims that certain details included in the Patriarchal narratives appear to be anachronistic. For example, some argue that the city of Be'er Sheva was not inhabited during the era of the forefathers, and thus its mention is anachronistic. Similarly, some have asserted that the Philistines first arrived in Israel in the Iron Age, questioning how, then, they are mentioned in Sefer Bereshit. R. Bazak presents several approaches to resolving these issues.1