Elohist Texts (E)

2. Elohist Texts (E)

Samaria Samaria was the last capital of the northern kingdom, and its dominant tribe was Ephraim. These building remains date to the time of the kingdom of Israel in the ninth century B.C.E. Photo by Barry Bandstra

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The Elohist source was written after the Yahwist source and comes out of the Northern Kingdom in the ninth or eighth century B.C.E. The Elohist source gets its name from its use of the Hebrew word elohim to refer to God. Elohim is the general word for God, as opposed to the personal divine name Yahweh. The Elohist source has survived only as fragments that were inserted into the Yahwist narrative. It is not nearly as extensive, at least in its recoverable form, as the other sources.
   Fragments of the Elohist source are found in Genesis, Exodus, and Numbers, and maybe even in Joshua and Judges. The Elohist source appears for the first time at Genesis 20, where God appeared in a dream rather than directly to individuals as we tend to find in the Yahwist epic. The Elohist source favors a distant God who comes in dreams or in the form of an angel. In contrast to the Yahwist narrative, the Elohist source refers to Sinai as Horeb and to the Canaanites as Amorites.
   The Elohist author lived in the Northern Kingdom after the breakup of the Davidic kingdom, probably sometime in the ninth century B.C.E. At that time the Northern Kingdom was ruled by a succession of dynasties. The largest tribal territory in the Northern Kingdom, called Israel after the breakup, was Ephraim. Because the tribe of Ephraim was immense and was politically dominant, the whole northern territory was sometimes just called Ephraim. An easy way to remember that this source is from the north - both Elohist and Ephraim begin with "E."
   The Elohist was a thinker, theologian, and probably a Levite. Based on his attitudes, he probably did not hold a position in the royal court, but authorities cannot be more precise than this. Whoever he was, his perspective was conditioned by the theological and political difficulties of Israel in the ninth century B.C.E.
   While the Yahwist believed God would overcome the problem of sin and extend blessing to all the families of the earth through the Davidic empire, the Elohist lived at a time when the national mood was somber. Israel was struggling with its identity. God seemed distant; there was spiritual drifting as people were attracted to Canaanite Baal worship. The Levites had something to say about this, and drew upon stories that reinforced Israel's special relationship with God.
   As you read the Pentateuch, watch for these features of the Elohist source:

• concern with moral and ethical issues
• the motif of the "fear of God"
• God revealing himself in dreams
• great heroes of faith portrayed as prophets
• importance of locations in Israel (Ephraim, the Northern Kingdom)
• use of the divine name Elohim

 Table B Elohist Texts (story line, style, and theology) provides additional details and a list of Elohist passages in the Pentateuch.