• The Host of Heaven and the Divine Army: A Reassessment.

    Author(s):
    Cat Quine (see profile)
    Date:
    2020
    Group(s):
    Biblical Studies, Hebrew Bible / Old Testament
    Item Type:
    Article
    Tag(s):
    Host of Heaven, Divine Army, Ancient Israelite religion
    Permanent URL:
    http://dx.doi.org/10.17613/h2qb-by30
    Abstract:
    That YHWH was perceived to command a divine army in the heavens brooks no argument. Traditionally, the phrase “host of heaven” (צבא השׁמים) has been associated with this divine army. In this article I reassess the relevant evidence and argue that the host of heaven are not portrayed in this role. The biblical texts contain numerous references to YHWH’s divine army, but these forces are never called a host (צבא). Rather, the diversity of terminology employed in reference to YHWH’s army suggests that it possessed no fixed terminology. It may be that the biblical authors deliberately did not use the term host in order to avoid associating YHWH’s divine army too closely with the weaknesses of human armies.
    Metadata:
    xml
    Published as:
    Journal article     Show details
    Pub. DOI:
    10.15699/jbl.1384.2019.3
    Publisher:
    Society of Biblical Literature/SBL Press
    Pub. Date:
    2020-1-7
    Journal:
    Journal of Biblical Literature
    Volume:
    138
    Issue:
    4
    Page Range:
    741 - 755
    ISSN:
    0021-9231
    Status:
    Published
    Last Updated:
    4 years ago
    License:
    All Rights Reserved
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