Journal: Bibliotheca Sacra
Volume: BSAC 177:708 (Oct 2020)
Article: Validation And Function Of The Literary Allusions In Judges 19–21
Author: David R. Klingler

BSac 177:708 (October-December 2020) p. 422

Validation And Function Of The Literary Allusions In Judges 19–21

David R. Klingler

David R. Klingler is Associate Professor of Bible Exposition at Dallas Theological Seminary, Dallas, Texas.

Abstract

Judges 17–21 is not simply an “epilogue” tacked onto the failure of the judges but an integral part of demonstrating the failure of the priests’ leadership in Israel and the rising need for a king. Judges 19 alludes to more than just Genesis 19. In fact, knowledge of the law and Israel’s conquest of Ai is also necessary to interpret Judges 19–21. Noting the literary dependence of Judges 19–21 on Genesis 19, the Deuteronomic law, and the conquest of Ai, the assertion by some that Judges 19 was written before Genesis 19 can be put to rest.

Prerequisites Of A Literary Allusion

Before turning to Judges 19, it must be considered whether or not an allusion by Judges 19 to Genesis 19 is possible.1 With the dating of Old Testament texts constantly in a state of flux and often varying from scholar to scholar, there is certainly no consensus opinion about the date of authorship for Judges or

BSac 177:708 (October-December 2020) p. 423

Genesis.2 However, only with the most radical dating of the Old Testament texts can it be argued that Judges 19 precedes Genesis 19 in authorship.3 Not only does Niditch argue for the chronological priority of Judges 19, she also argues, “Each version . . . is best regarded as a variation on a theme, used for specific purposes in each context. The international folktale pattern involves weary travelers who seek succor but instead are treated with virulent hostility, thereby casting their ‘hosts’ as the quintessentially antisocial ‘other.’ The Greek tales of the Cyclops and the Lestragonians provide comparable examples.”4 In other words, these two passages are similar no...