“No Mercy”? Ḥerem in Deuteronomy and Joshua
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7146/hn.v11i2.169944Keywords:
Nachmanides, ḥerem, attributes of mercy, divine warrior, Deuteronomy, JoshuaAbstract
Exploring what Deuteronomy teaches about ḥerem, this article focuses on Nachmanides’ understanding of Deuteronomy 20, that even within the lands of Canaan Israel was instructed to offer terms of peace before waging war and practicing ḥerem. The study addresses Deuteronomy 20’s relation to Deuteronomy 7, along with the practice of ḥerem in the book of Joshua. I argue that YHWH’s attributes of mercy (Exodus 34) are a presumed context for ḥerem and that divinely hardened heart(s) should be seen as a standard element of divine warrior ideology in the Bible.
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