Covenant and Grace in the Old Testament

This book explains how Israel understood its relationship with Yahweh. This ambitious enterprise begins with one Aramaic text from the periphery of the Neo-Assyrian vassal system and eventually leads to theological reflections on the nature of God’s dealings with humanity. Israel borrowed language from Assyria in describing its covenant with God, and this book reveals what “covenant” meant, and that it is not “covenant” at all, but “grace.”

Addressing the state of the question on covenant in the Old Testament, this book moves the field forward using new texts and new directions. It shows that Israel borrowed language from Neo-Assyrian royal propaganda to describe its relationship with God. The Assyrian ideology packaged for and received in Levantine states like Judah is illustrated with the Barrakab inscription from Samal, and identical language to Barrakab is found in the Old Testament. This book explains what the language meant in Assyrian ideology, how and when it was adopted in Judah, how it came to be in exilic parts of the Old Testament, and what the language meant in the biblical context especially in the Exile. Finally, the broader theological implications of the latter are explored in dialogue with contemporary theologians. The book thus takes seriously the study of the text in its ancient context in order to highlight the theological content and its modern relevance.