Vss 19-22. These verses have been described as laws of charity which require that part of the three main crops (grains, olives, grapes) be reserved for the poor, a form of welfare
3.4 The Concept of Social Inequality in Hebrew Syntax
The literary works that articulate the social inequality concepts in the Pentateuch can be attributed to the Deuteronomic School. Whereas the Yahwists were a privileged class of officials which sprang up around the monarchy, the Deuteronomists were more of the mosaic - prophetic tradition. They lean more support to the Old legal traditions which derives from the covenant mandate contained in the legal requirements. Thus, unlike the Yahwist whose prime concern was with salvation history, the Deuteronomist not only interprets the history but employs the legal stipulations to shape the history.
David J. Zucker observes that the ideas of the Deuteronomist were initially accepted and incorporated into the reforms of king Hezekiah of Judah (715-687 BC) but unfortunately his son and successor, Manasseh who ruled for fifty- five years had no interest in such reforms. It was not until the time of Josiah c.622 BC that the Deuteronomist found a champion. The historical context of the texts was therefore such that perpetuated social inequality. It is against this background that such phrases as , „The Levites without inheritance‟
%M'ª[i hl'øx]n:w> ql,xe‟ •Al-!yae( yKiä ywI³Leh;
ab'äW
(Deut.1429), „Casting down righteousness‟ (Amos 57) „To gather the outcast‟(Zeph. 319) „Justice for the weak‟ (Ps 823 Give justice to the weak and the fatherless;
maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute) are to be understood.
The concept of social inequality in Hebrew has a wide semantic field. Primarily it derives from the root Hlq which expresses the idea of „a class‟ „portion‟ „inheritance‟
„partial‟ or „to be part of a larger whole‟ (see Deut.419, Jos.182, I Sam.3023) . It means to
„divide‟ or „share‟ an item of good. The cognate in the Assyrian language „eklu’ means
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„possession‟. In the infinitive it means to divide or apportion lands to a person or to describe a person‟s possession. (Deut.419, 2923). The infinitive form Heleq refers to portion ie (acquired) possession. (Dt,329). It is used to describe the assigning of duties to the Levites over the temple (2 Chron.2318, 1 Chron.244,5). The P-Source frequently applies the term for apportioning of land by lot to the Israelite tribes (Num. 2653,55) In a spiritual sense the term is used to describe Israel as Yahweh‟s possession (Deut.329).
In Deuteronomy the use of the term heleq is frequently used in association with the right of the Levites as it relates to their privileges (Deut.109,1212,1427-29,181) In the sapiental literature the term is associated in the infinitive with the social status of the poor in contrast with the rich (Prov.1619). Status and possession are therefore conceived in the usage of the term. Sometimes it means to give a portion of land to a person (Isa.5312, Josh.1951 Mic.24, Ps.606 1088, Dan. 119) or to possess an inheritance. From the root is also derived the term haluq and translates the idea of „division‟ „difference‟ or
„separation‟. It is the use of the term which informs the concept of „class‟ or social inequality. It is also from the root Hlq which in a technical sense derives the meaning which is to organize the Priests and Levites, ie, to assign or distribute Levites to their services in Israel‟s worship (1 Chron. 236, 241, 261,12,19 2 Chron.814, 312 354,10 Neh.1136).
It is important to say that the philosophy behind the use of the terms for social inequality represents the Deuteronomic School. This concept is implicit in several other terms among which are the following.
I.
aFọm; (
(masso) This word means „to be partial‟. The word occurs in a few places and describes the ethical standard required in the judicial system in Israel.When Jehoshaphat appointed judges, he charged them to judge carefully because they
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judged for the Lord who was present with them and because with him there is no partiality of face (
~ynIßp' aFọm;W
masso panim ) (See II Chron. 197). Other terms associated with the concept of the lowly are:!Ay=b.a
„ebyon‟ which means the „poor‟ or „needy‟ (Deut. 154,11, Exo. 236) The wordlD;
„dal‟ translates the idea of being weak or crushed166 (Amos 41) The care for the marginal group connects them to the Levites in Deuteronomy and is constantly enjoined in the D-code and the Jubilee Code.(Lev.25) as a response to social inequality. This position is better argued in view of the fact that the response emerges not from the royal tradition building centre in Israel but the Prophetic school to which the Deuteronomist belongs. The phrase,`dx;vo)-xQ;miW ~ynIßp' aFọm;W hl'²w>[; Wnyheªl{a/
hw"åhy>-~[ I!yaeú-yKi(
‘For there is no perversion of justice with the Lord Our God, or partiality or taking of bribe’, is Deuteronomic phraseology for describing the egalitarian principle for which Israel must exist as a community of God‟s people. To treat persons unequally before the Law is a perversion of justice and it runs contrary to the mosaic tradition which the Deuteronomic code represents. The social structure in Israel in the 7th Century no doubt was already characterised by a widening gap between landed people and the landless.II.Another term associated with the phenomenon of social inequality in the Hebrew syntax is
ynI['
(‘ani). It is an adjective used to describe a class or category of166 W.A.VanGemeren. “Ed. 1997. New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis.Vol.2. United Kingdom: Paternoster Press.
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persons regarded as poor, overwhelmed by want, poor or someone who is wretched.
The basic meaning is „humble‟, „needy,‟ „afflicted‟ or „to be poor‟ ( Deut. 2415,Jer.
2216, Amos 41 ) The qal means „to be downcast‟ „afflicted‟ or „humbled‟ (Isa. 4913, Ps.
102) The cognate in Arabic, Syriac and Ethiopian means to „be lowly‟ or „submissive‟.
In the Old Testament the word refers to those dispossessed of their landed property and in a technical sense it is used to describe the meek. According to W.A.
VanGemeren,
The „ani was on the same level as the resident alien, the widow, and the orphan, all of whom were disadvantaged because of their social standing and who lived from day to day, dependent on others for their welfare and livelihood.
They constituted a third economic class positioned somewhere between the free man and the slave, threatened socially and probably excluded from normal communal life.167
The occurrences of the term in the Deuteronomic texts and in the prophets convey the same concern about their social status. They are to be protected and their rights to fair wages from their labour are not to be denied. (Deut.2414-15) They are not to be oppressed;
rather they are to receive a concessionary treatment even in the laws of loan repayment.
Significantly, against the poor always lie the shadows of the highly placed in Israelite society who care less about them. This draws our attention repeatedly to the Deuteronomic interest in the welfare of the less privileged of society.
III. The root
ql,xe’
hlq in Hebrew syntax occurs in several places with two different meanings. First it means „to be smooth‟ and is used to describe the words of a167 See: VanGemeren Op cit. p.1113.
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seductive woman. (Prov 2.16, Ps. 55.2). The second meaning emphasizes allocating or apportioning land by lot. (Num.2653,55) To share inheritance. Prov.17.2), To assign, distribute the Levites to the duties in the Temple (2Chron.23.18, cf. IChron.24.45) It can refer to the act of sharing food as in festival ( 2 Sam.6.19 ) The phrase, „And the Levite, because he has no portion or inheritance with you, and the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, who are within your towns, (Deut.14.29) which is employed et passim can be regarded as a leitmotif employed by the Deuteronomist for drawing attention to the social status of the Levites and the disadvantaged groups. This is a case of employing an Old lemma from an older source to convey a new meaning in a new context168. The tithe regulation in Israel suggests that the Levites were in a precarious condition. As VanGemeren observes,
The general principle in Num.18 is that since neither the Priests nor the Levites (ie all from the tribe of Levi) had a regular inheritance like that of the other tribes, therefore they needed support through the tribal system of tithes (focused on the provision for the Levites Num.1821-24) and offerings (focused on provision for the Priests 188-20)
In the light of the above, the provision of forty-eight cities (Num.35.1-8) meant to be occupied by the Levites in contrast with the Deuteronomic regulations concerning the welfare of the Levites puts the above mentioned provisions into question. Secondly that
168 The verb ql,xe‟ hlq means „to possess a portion‟ or „to measure‟. The cognate in Assyria ‘eklu‟ means possession or field. From the root is derived hl'x]n: which is translated „Class‟, „Social status‟ or
„Inheritance‟ . The Qal means divide, obtain one‟s share, allot, „give share to‟ This usage connects its meaning to ownership of material possession (Deut.419, Josh.282) See: F.B.Brown, S.R.Driver, and C.A.Briggs (BDB) 1958. A Hebrew and English Lexicon, Oxford: At the Clarendon press. p.324. See also G.N.Knopper. 2001. Rethinking the Relationship between Deuteronomy and the Deuteronomistic History:
The case of Kings. The Catholic Biblical Quarterly. Vol. 3. July. pp. 393-415.
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the Deuteronomists do not use the cultic lexeme maneh
`hn")m'l.
which means the Priests‟ assigned portion of sacrifices (Ex.2926, Lev.73, 829, IIChron.3119) but rather the terms Portion and Inheritancehl'Þx]n:w> ql,xe
which symbolize status, supports the argument that the phrase is social definition of the Levites.IV. The word
!kT
takan (tkn) which means to measure or to estimate is closely linked with the idea of social inequality. The qal occurs several times in biblical texts but with different nuances. The root‟s basic meaning is to measure. (ISam.2.3, Ezek. 1825,29 3317, Isa.4012, Prov.162,21 Ps.75.4) In the figurative sense it is used of weighing the spirit/heart, (Prov.16.2, 212, 2412) It describes the correct way of behaviour. (Ezek. 1825,29, 3317,20)3.5. The 7th Century Date in support of the Deuteronomic Response to Social