Language, Exegesis, and Creative Writing in Chronicles

Jan Joosten (1)

1 TP - Théologie protestante

The verb התחפש is well-known in the meaning “to disguise oneself,” but this meaning does not seem to fit its context in 2 Chron 35:22. Why would Josiah disguise himself when going to battle with Necho? In this paper it will be argued that the verb was borrowed from the story on Micah ben Yimlah (1 Kgs 22:30) in the course of the Chronicler’s reshaping of Josiah in the image of Ahab, but that its semantics reflect a later interpretation of some elements in that story. The later interpretation is attested independently in the Peshitta and the Vulgate where התחפש is rendered as “to arm oneself.”

Domaines: Religions

Jan Joosten. Language, Exegesis, and Creative Writing in Chronicles. Vetus Testamentum, 2020, 70, pp.55-65. ⟨hal-02803949⟩