May 7 2006
ספר שופטים פרק ה
ותשר דבורה וברק בן-אבינעם ביום ההוא לאמר:
בפרע פרעות בישראל בהתנדב עם ברכו יהוה:
שמעו מלכים האזינו רזנים
אנכי ליהוה אנכי אשירה אזמר ליהוה אלהי ישראל:
יהוה בצאתך משעיר בצעדך משדה אדום
ארץ רעשה גם-שמים נטפו גם-עבים נטפו מים
הרים נזלו מפני יהוה זה סיני מפני יהוה אלהי ישראל:
בימי שמגר בן-ענת בימי יעל
חדלו ארחות והלכי נתיבות ילכו ארחות עקלקלות:
חדלו פרזון בישראל חדלו עד שקמתי דבורה שקמתי אם בישראל
יבחר אלהים חדשים אז לחם שערים:
מגן אם-יראה ורמח בארבעים אלף בישראל
לבי לחוקקי ישראל:
המתנדבים בעם ברכו יהוה
רכבי אתנות צחרות ישבי על-מדין והלכי על-דרך שיחו מקול מחצצים
בין משאבים שם יתנו צדקות יהוה צדקת פרזון בישראל
אז ירדו לשערים עם-יהוה:
עורי עורי דבורה עורי עורי דברי-שיר
קום ברק ושבה שביך בן-אבינעם
אז ירד שריד לאדירים עם יהוה ירד לי בגבורים:
מני אפרים שרים בעמק אחריך בנימין בעממיך
מני מכיר ירדו מחקקים ומזבולן משכים בשבט ספר
ושרי ביששכר עם-דברה ונפתלי כן ברק בעמק שלח ברגליו:
בפלגות ראובן גדלים חקקי לב
למה ישבת בין המשפתים לשמע שרקות עדרים?
בפלגות ראובן גדולים חקקי לב:
גלעד בעבר הירדן שכן ודן למה יגור אניות
אשר ישב לחוף ימים ועל מפרציו ישכון:
זבלון עם חרף נפשו למות ונפתלי על מרומי שדה:
באו מלכים נלחמו אז נלחמו מלכי כנען בתענך על-מי מגדו בצע כסף לא לקחו
מן-שמים נלחמו הכוכבים ממסלותם נלחמו עם-סיסרא:
נחל קישון גרפם נחל קדומים נחל קישון:
תדרכי נפשי עז אז הלמו עקבי-סוס ??מדהרות?? דהרות אביריו:
אורו מרוז אמר מלאך יהוה ארו ארור ישביה
כי לא-באו לעזרת יהוה לעזרת יהוה בגבורים:
תברך מנשים יעל אשת חבר הקיני מנשים באהל תברך
מים שאל חלב נתנה בספל אדירים הקריבה חמאה:
ידה ליתד תשלחנה וימינה להלמות עמלים
והלמה סיסרא מחקה ראשו ומחצה וחלפה רקתו:
בין רגליה כרע נפל שכב בין רגליה כרע נפל
באשר כרע שם נפל שדוד:
בעד החלון נשקפה ותיבב אם סיסרא בעד האשנב
מדוע בשש רכבו לבוא מדוע אחרו פעמי מרכבותיו:
חכמות שרותיה תענינה אף-היא תשיב אמריה לה
הלא ימצאו יחלקו שלל
רחם רחמתים לראש גבר
שלל צבעים לסיסרא שלל צבעים
רקמה צבע רקמתים לצוארי שלל:
כן יאבדו כל-אויביך יהוה ואהביו כצאת השמש בגברתו:
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ספר שופטים פרק ה
ותשר דבורה וברק בן-אבינעם ביום ההוא לאמר:
Deb'orah and Barak the son of Abin'o-am sand on that day:
בפרע פרעות בישראל בהתנדב עם ברכו יהוה:
Those who have disheveled their hair (in preparation for war); those who have volunteered among the people, bless Yahweh!
שמעו מלכים האזינו רזנים
אנכי ליהוה אנכי אשירה אזמר ליהוה אלהי ישראל:
Hear, O kings; give ear, O princes.
I sing to Yahweh, I make melody to Yahweh, God of Israel.
יהוה בצאתך משעיר בצעדך משדה אדום
ארץ רעשה גם-שמים נטפו גם-עבים נטפו מים
הרים נזלו מפני יהוה זה סיני מפני יהוה אלהי ישראל:
Yahweh, when you departed from Se'ir, when you marched from the field of Edom,
the earth trembled, and the heavens dropped water.
Mountains quaked before Yahweh; this Sinai (quaked) before Yahweh, God of Israel.
בימי שמגר בן-ענת בימי יעל
חדלו ארחות והלכי נתיבות ילכו ארחות עקלקלות:
In the days of Shamgar, son of Anath, in the days of Ja'el,
caravans ceased and travelers kept to the byways.
חדלו פרזון בישראל חדלו עד שקמתי דבורה שקמתי אם בישראל
יבחר אלהים חדשים אז לחם שערים:
The peasantry ceased in Israel. They ceased until I, Deborah, arose as a mother in Israel.
When he (Israel) chose new leaders, then war was in the gates.
מגן אם-יראה ורמח בארבעים אלף בישראל
לבי לחוקקי ישראל:
Was shield or spear to be seen among forty thousand in Israel,
when my heart was given to the commanders of Israel?
המתנדבים בעם ברכו יהוה
רכבי אתנות צחרות ישבי על-מדין והלכי על-דרך שיחו מקול מחצצים:
You who volunteer among the people, bless Yahweh.Talk of the sound of archers, you who ride on tawny asses, you who sit on rich carpets and you who walk by the way.
בין משאבים שם יתנו צדקות יהוה צדקת פרזנו בישראל
אז ירדו לשערים עם-יהוה:
At the watering places, there they repeated the triumphs of Yahweh, the triumphs of his peasantry in Israel. Then the people of Yahweh went down to the gates, saying:
עורי עורי דבורה עורי עורי דברי-שיר
קום ברק ושבה שביך בן-אבינעם
Awake, awake, Deb'orah! Awake, awake, utter a song! Arise, Barak, lead away your captives, O son of Abin'o-am.
אז ירד שריד לאדירים עם יהוה ירד לי בגבורים:
Then the remnant of the nobles descended; the people of the LORD marched down for me, among the mighty.
מני אפרים שרים בעמק אחריך בנימין בעממיך
From E'phraim princes set out to the valley, following Benjamin among his people.
מני מכיר ירדו מחקקים ומזבולן משכים בשבט ספר
From Machir commanders descended, and from Zeb'ulun those who carry the marshal's staff.
ושרי ביששכר עם-דברה ונפתלי כן ברק בעמק שלח ברגליו:
The princes of Is'sachar came with Deb'orah, and Naphtali followed Barak;
into the valley he (Naphtali) rushed forth at his (Barak) heels.
בפלגות ראובן גדלים חקקי לב
למה ישבת בין המשפתים לשמע שרקות עדרים?
בפלגות ראובן גדולים חקקי לב:
Among the clans of Reuben there are great commanders of heart.Why did you tarry among the sheepfolds, to hear the piping for the flocks?
Among the clans of Reuben there are great commanders of heart.
גלעד בעבר הירדן שכן ודן למה יגור אניות
אשר ישב לחוף ימים ועל מפרציו ישכון:
Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan; and Dan, why did he abide with the ships?
Asher sat still at the coast of the sea, settling down by his landings.
זבלון עם חרף נפשו למות ונפתלי על מרומי שדה:
Zeb'ulun is a people that jeoparded their lives to the death; Naph'tali too, from the heights of the field.
באו מלכים נלחמו אז נלחמו מלכי כנען בתענך
על-מי מגדו בצע כסף לא לקחו:
The kings of Canaan came and fought alongside Taanach;
They did not take silver (unjustified) gain for the waters of Megiddo.
מן-שמים נלחמו הכוכבים ממסלותם נלחמו עם-סיסרא
נחל קישון גרפם נחל קדומים נחל קישון:
But the stars from heaven fought; from their courses they fought against Sis'era.
The torrent Kishon swept them away, the onrushing torrent, the torrent Kishon.
תדרכי נפשי עז
אז הלמו עקבי-סוס ??מדהרות?? דהרות אביריו:
My soul, stampeded with might!Then the horses' hoofs were beaten and the galloping steeds were ??stranded??
אורו מרוז אמר מלאך יהוה ארו ארור ישביה
כי לא-באו לעזרת יהוה לעזרת יהוה בגבורים:
Meroz shall be cursed, says the angel of Yahweh; its inhabitants utterly cursed.
Because they dsid not come to the help of Yahweh among the mighty warriors.
תברך מנשים יעל אשת חבר הקיני מנשים באהל תברך
מים שאל חלב נתנה בספל אדירים הקריבה חמאה:
Ja'el, the wife of Heber the Ken'ite, shall be blessed among tent-dwelling women.
He asked water but she gave him milk, she brought him curds in a noble bowl.
ידה ליתד תשלחנה וימינה להלמות עמלים
והלמה סיסרא מחקה ראשו ומחצה וחלפה רקתו:
She put her hand to the tent peg and her right hand to the workmen's mallet.
She struck Sis'era a blow, she crushed his head, she shattered and pierced his temple.
בין רגליה כרע נפל שכב בין רגליה כרע נפל
באשר כרע שם נפל שדוד:
He kneed, fell down, and lay still at her feet;
where he kneed, there he fell dead.
בעד החלון נשקפה ותיבב אם סיסרא בעד האשנב
מדוע בשש רכבו לבוא מדוע אחרו פעמי מרכבותיו:
Out of the window she peered; the mother of Sis'era gazed through the lattice:
`Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why tarry the hoofbeats of his chariots?'
חכמות שרותיה תענינה אף-היא תשיב אמריה לה
Her wisest ladies make answer, nay, she gives answer to herself:
הלא ימצאו יחלקו שלל
רחם רחמתים לראש גבר
Are they not finding and dividing the spoil,
one womb or two wombs to the head of each mighty warrior?
שלל צבעים לסיסרא שלל צבעים
רקמה צבע רקמתים לצוארי שלל:
spoil of dyed garments for Sis'era,
one or two embroidered dyed garments for my neck as spoil?
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The previous is an all-new translation based on my extensive research. I should be noted that the "Song of Deborah" is one of the oldest pieces of literature in the Bible, if not the oldest. This is why one must be creative when interpreting this poem. There is the likelihood of terms that do not occur elsewhere in the bible and there's also the likelihood of copyist errors, which further impeded our ability to properly understand the original meaning of the poem.
My English translation is based on the NRSV and I have retained some of its amendations to the Hebrew text. But I have also rejected much of it and I have divided the poem into different stanzas and verses based on a new reading. I will point out some of my findings below:
First I must emphasize that this poem, as we have it, is the word of Deborah (after she and Barak defeated Sisera and the Canaanites). Some scholars have suggested otherwise, seemingly because of the saying "awake Deborah..." which seems to come from someone else. However, as you will see below, Deborah is quoting what the warriors said to her and Barak when preparing for battle. This should be compared with the poem of Chanah in 1samuel, which is also authored by a woman.
The first verse talking about long disheveled hair refers to the practice of growing long hair when preparing for battle. This is known as an ancient Canaanite custom and we also see it with Samson whose strength is sapped as soon as his hair is cut. However, the Hebrew letter "beth" prefixed to "pr'" (those who grow their hair long) and to "hithnadeb be'am" (those who volunteer among the people) does not mean "when"; it does not talk about a timing. Rather, it means "among". Throughout the poem, Deborah is contrasting those who contributed to the Israelite cause in the battle and those who did not; the good guys (Deborah, Barak, Ephraim, Benjamin, Makir, Zebulun, Issachar, Naphtali and Ya'el) and the bad guys (Reuben, Gile'ad, Dan, Asher, Canaanite kings, Sisera and Mother os Sisera). We see that not all Israelite tribes joined the battle, and this is why Deborah emphasizes that only those who grew long hair and volunteered to join the coalition against Sisera, are entitled to "bless yahweh". Presumably, those who did not join the coalition are still under tribute to Sisera and the Canaanites and so have no reason to celebrate.
Verse 4 and 5. The common understanding is that Deborah is recounting history here and is referring to the Covenant Proclamation (Matan Torah) at Sinai some several centuries earlier. But I am reluctant to accept this for several reasons: 1. There is no mention of rain anywhere in J, E, P or D with regard to the Matan Torah episode. Secondly, it simply does not relate to the events at hand. These verses, so understood, seem highly intrusive and impede dthe flow of the text. There is no connection at all between verse five and six. Third, Deborah implies later in the poem that the defeat of Sisera and the Canaanites had something to do with the plain of Jezreel becoming swmaped and thus stranding the Canaanite horses (the Israelites had no horses).
Therefore, I believe, that Deborah is talking about the event at hand. She is saying that Yahweh departed from Se'ir/Edom/Sinai, crossing the Jordan and continuing north to the plain of Jezreel and dropping rain upon the valley thus stranding the Canaanites and facilitating their defeat. Why is there a need for Yahweh to leave Se'ir? Well, in those days, most people believed in "henotheism" (existence of multiple gods, each dominant in his own land). Yahweh was known to be en Edomite god, that is, a god that had power over the southern region only. In attributing Israel's victory to Yahweh, Deborah had to imagine that Yahweh traveled all the way from his home turf at Sinai/Edom to the Jezreel valley in order to help the Israelites. This was a relatively novel concept at the time (the ability of a local deity to help people at a different location) and that's why Deborah had to explain this process in detail.
Wasn't Yahweh already widely worshipped in the North, in Deborah's days?
Not quite! According to our theory, Yahwism originated among the Levites in the south. Gershom the Levite who served in Micah's temple for some time, was later transferred all the way to Dan (in the far north of Israel) and in the process spread the new religion throughout the land. We see that Deborah was a Yahwist but she was, nonetheless, a recent convert to Yahwism and she still thought of Yahweh as a southern god. It took some time for the northerners to adopt Yahweh as their own and perceive him as dwelling in their midst. In fact, the Northerners never quite accomplished this and to the very end of their kingdom they continued to worship local Canaanite deities such as Ba'al and Istarte (ashtoreth) while at the same time maintaining some fealty to Yahweh as well.
Verse 8. "He chose new gods" is the literal meaning of "yibchar elohim chadashim" but such a statement does not seem to make any sense here and so scholars have come up with various interpretations. My interpretation makes use of the fact that we find "elohim" to sometimes mean a leader elsewhere in the Bible. See Ex 7:1 "See I have appointed you a God over Pharaoh". Deborah is bragging about her accomplishments. She is contrasting the state of political affairs before she same to poser and afterwards: When Israel chose new leaders (that is, me, Deborah) then they became ready to wage war upon the gates of their enemy.
As you can see from my translation, the following verse actually contains the same theme. "My heart to the commanders of Israel" means "I have given my heart and courage to the commanders of Israel". Evidence that this is the meaning of phrase can be seen from the term "choqeqei leb" mentioned with regard to Reuben (verse 15). This, in my opinion, could have no other meaning that "commanders of heart" (couragous commanders). Accordingly, here too, Deborah is instilling her heart (courage) in the Israelite commanders (from macir, v. 14). Deborah is pointing out the bravery of the figthers, how they had no iron weapons, whereas the Canaanites did, and yet had the courage to resist their oppression with whatever meager weaponry is available to them.
Verse 10. "mechatsetsim" is an obscure word and scholars are struggling to make sense of it. I think it means "archers" (from the root chts) and that this clause is a parallel to the previous one calling on the volunteers to bless Yahweh. Deborah is calling upon the various Israelite classes; those who ride on asses, those who sit on carpets and those who walk on their feet. She is calling on them to "talk about the sound of the archers", which means praise the archers or praise Yahweh for the archers success. I have some suspicion that the word "qol" may have originally spelled "qal" without a waw which could mean "lightness/agility". Accordingly, Deborah is praising the agility of the archers in pursuing the horseriding Cananites (archers had to be fast runners). Compare this to the "Jonathan Song" in 2Samuel 1. The song talks about the "bow song" or of the necessity to teach Israel how to use the bow and then it mentions how the gazelle of Israel had been slain, (the gazelle being well known for its agility) thus comparing the archer to an agile gazelle. Later in verse 23, the Jonathan poem says openly "they were more agile than eagles" using the Hebrew root "qal" for agility. There is also a possibility that the Hebrew "sichu" (talk) should be "shiru" (sing).
Verse 11. This verse begins at "bein mishabim" (between the water-pumps, outside the village) and returns to the past. While the previous verse talked about blessing Yahweh for the victory, now Deborah is recounting what occurred at the watering pumps outside the Israelite villages where they had assembled for battle. They were talking about the anticipated triumphs of the "villagers" and asking Deborah to sing to them and Barak to lead them in war. It appears that it was an ancient custom to have a female singer entertain warriors preparing for battle with hymns praising the virtues of courage and bravery. Only then did the warriors descend from the village plateau (Mt. Tabor?) to the Canaanite city gates in the valley.
Verse 11, 12, 13 could be rearranged for ease of understanding, as follows:
בין משאבים שם יתנו צדקות יהוה צדקת פרזנו בישראל
עורי עורי דבורה עורי עורי דברי-שיר
קום ברק ושבה שביך בן-אבינעם
אז ירדו לשערים עם-יהוה
אז ירד שריד לאדירים עם יהוה ירד לי בגבורים:
Verse 13. Remnants of the nobles. Apparently, many Israelite nobles have died in past battles or have been subdues and assimilated with the Canaanites. MT has "the people of Yahweh descended for me among the mighty" but "for me" is a bit difficult to understand since they are not doing it for Deborah. Most modern translations agree that it should be "for him" referring to Yahweh.
Verse 14. The MT has "Ephraim has its roots in Amalek". This is almost certainly a currupt text. Not only do we not find Ephraim to have its roots in Amalek but this has no relevance at all to the poem. It seems that Amalek stand for emeq (valley) which word is mentioned again in verse 15. The Hebrew word for "root" is a bit harder to decipher. I believe that it stands for "sarim" (princes) just like the Issachar princes are mentioned in the following verse.
Verse 15. The second Issachar has been amended to Naphtali. This is the PCB (Peake's Bible Commentary) suggestion and I accpet it tentatively. The problem with Issachar is that he is already mentioned as going with Deborah. Indeed, Deborah was from the Issachar tribe and Baraq was from Naphtali and so it seems natural that Naphtali follow on Naptali's heels just as Issachar warriors are following Deborah's leadership.
Verse 16. "among the clans of Reuben there were great searchings of heart" is the NRSV translation. Unfortunately this makes little sense to me. Furthermore, this phrase is mentioned twice and in the first instance it is "choqeqei leb", not "chiqerei leb" and choqeq relates to someone who wields a staff, a militray commander or lawgiver. Indeed, the word "choqeq/mechoqeq" as such is mentioned in both the Blessing of Jacob (...the marshall's staff from between Judah's legs) and the blessing of Moses (there the commander's inheritence is reserved). Accordingly, and in light of our interpretation of the additional occurrence of this root in verse 9, I believe that both phrases shoul read "choqeqei leb" and the meaning is "couragous commanders".
Verse 19. Note how the phrase "on the waters of Megiddo" is a new clause. This is suggested first and foremost by the neat symmetry of Hebrew poetry (the first clause of this verse should be of roughly equal length to the second clause). Secondly, why the expression "over the waters of Megiddo"? It should say simply "the canaanite kings fought alongside Taanach and Megiddo". Thirdly, what is the significance of not taking "betsa'", which means unjustified gain; how and why would unjust gain be expected here? Under our interpretation all this is well understood.
Verse 20. The stars are fighting. This verse seems to say that the stars are fighting against Sisera, not with Sisera, as the Canaanites of the previous verse are doing. However, the question of how the stars contributed to Sisera's defeat beckons. Is it possible that it was thought that the stars produced rain and so the marsh, previously attributed to clouds (verse 4), is now being attributed to the stars? We don't know for sure the meaning of this. As I said, this is an extremely ancient poem and this verse might depend on some ancient belief or common idiom that we have since completely forgotten.
Verse 22. My soul trampled with power. I am convinced that this clause should belong to the following verse. As it stands in most translations the reader is left wondering what its connection with verse 21 is? Its connection with verse 22 is perhaps better understood, thus: after the Qishon riverbed became marshy, the soul of Deborah (representing the sole of Israel as a whole) continued to march on pursuing the Canaanites, thus allowing the Israelites to "catch up" with the speed of the Canaanite horses and then perhaps disable them with arches. It seems that horses and chariots are more severely affected by marshes than foot soldiers. This is also evident in the J "crossing of the red sea" episode (See ex 14:25).
Verse 30. This verse could be divided in two. Note the parallelism between the first caluse and the second. In the first clause, Sisera's mother is imagining how Sisera is appropriating for himself "manly" spoil: one or two girls. In the second clause she is imagining what Sisera will be bringing home for her: one or two dyed and embroidered garments.
Sunday, May 07, 2006
ספר שופטים פרק יז
א וַיְהִי-אִישׁ מֵהַר-אֶפְרָיִם וּשְׁמוֹ מִיכָיְהוּ: ב וַיֹּאמֶר לְאִמּוֹ אֶלֶף וּמֵאָה הַכֶּסֶף אֲשֶׁר לֻקַּח-לָךְ וְאַתְּי ]וְאַתְּ[ אָלִית וְגַם אָמַרְתְּ בְּאָזְנַי הִנֵּה-הַכֶּסֶף אִתִּי אֲנִי לְקַחְתִּיו וַתֹּאמֶר אִמּוֹ בָּרוּךְ בְּנִי לַיהֹוָה: ג וַיָּשֶׁב אֶת-אֶלֶף-וּמֵאָה הַכֶּסֶף לְאִמּוֹ וַתֹּאמֶר אִמּוֹ הַקְדֵּשׁ הִקְדַּשְׁתִּי אֶת-הַכֶּסֶף לַיהֹוָה מִיָּדִי לִבְנִי לַעֲשֹוֹת פֶּסֶל וּמַסֵּכָה וְעַתָּה אֲשִׁיבֶנּוּ לָךְ: ד וַיָּשֶׁב אֶת-הַכֶּסֶף לְאִמּוֹ וַתִּקַּח אִמּוֹ מָאתַיִם כֶּסֶף וַתִּתְּנֵהוּ לַצּוֹרֵף וַיַּעֲשֵֹהוּ פֶּסֶל וּמַסֵּכָה וַיְהִי בְּבֵית מִיכָיְהוּ:
ה וְהָאִישׁ מִיכָה לוֹ בֵּית אֱלֹהִים וַיַּעַשֹ אֵפוֹד וּתְרָפִים וַיְמַלֵּא אֶת-יַד אַחַד מִבָּנָיו וַיְהִי-לוֹ לְכֹהֵן: ו בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם אֵין מֶלֶךְ בְּיִשְֹרָאֵל אִישׁ הַיָּשָׁר בְּעֵינָיו יַעֲשֶֹה: ז וַיְהִי-נַעַר מִבֵּית לֶחֶם יְהוּדָה מִמִּשְׁפַּחַת יְהוּדָה וְהוּא לֵוִי וְהוּא גָר-שָׁם: ח וַיֵּלֶךְ הָאִישׁ מֵהָעִיר מִבֵּית לֶחֶם יְהוּדָה לָגוּר בַּאֲשֶׁר יִמְצָא וַיָּבֹא הַר-אֶפְרַיִם עַד-בֵּית מִיכָה לַעֲשֹוֹת דַּרְכּוֹ: ט וַיֹּאמֶר-לוֹ מִיכָה מֵאַיִן תָּבוֹא וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו לֵוִי אָנֹכִי מִבֵּית לֶחֶם יְהוּדָה וְאָנֹכִי הֹלֵךְ לָגוּר בַּאֲשֶׁר אֶמְצָא: י וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ מִיכָה שְׁבָה עִמָּדִי וֶהְיֵה-לִי לְאָב וּלְכֹהֵן וְאָנֹכִי אֶתֶּן-לְךָ עֲשֶֹרֶת כֶּסֶף לַיָּמִים וְעֵרֶךְ בְּגָדִים וּמִחְיָתֶךָ וַיֵּלֶךְ הַלֵּוִי: יא וַיּוֹאֶל הַלֵּוִי לָשֶׁבֶת אֶת-הָאִישׁ וַיְהִי הַנַּעַר לוֹ כְּאַחַד מִבָּנָיו: יב וַיְמַלֵּא מִיכָה אֶת-יַד הַלֵּוִי וַיְהִי-לוֹ הַנַּעַר לְכֹהֵן וַיְהִי בְּבֵית מִיכָה: יג וַיֹּאמֶר מִיכָה עַתָּה יָדַעְתִּי כִּי-יֵיטִיב יְהֹוָה לִי כִּי הָיָה-לִי הַלֵּוִי לְכֹהֵן:
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ספר שופטים פרק יח
א בַּיָמִים הָהֵם אֵין מֶלֶךְ בְּיִשְֹרָאֵל וּבַיָּמִים הָהֵם שֵׁבֶט הַדָּנִי מְבַקֶּשׁ-לוֹ נַחֲלָה לָשֶׁבֶת כִּי לֹא-נָפְלָה לּוֹ עַד-הַיּוֹם הַהוּא בְּתוֹךְ-שִׁבְטֵי יִשְֹרָאֵל בְּנַחֲלָה: ב וַיִּשְׁלְחוּ בְנֵי-דָן מִמִּשְׁפַּחְתָּם חֲמִשָּׁה אֲנָשִׁים מִקְצוֹתָם אֲנָשִׁים בְּנֵי-חַיִל מִצָּרְעָה וּמֵאֶשְׁתָּאֹל לְרַגֵּל אֶת-הָאָרֶץ וּלְחָקְרָהּ וַיֹּאמְרוּ אֲלֵהֶם לְכוּ חִקְרוּ אֶת-הָאָרֶץ וַיָּבֹאוּ הַר-אֶפְרַיִם עַד-בֵּית מִיכָה וַיָּלִינוּ שָׁם: ג הֵמָּה עִם-בֵּית מִיכָה וְהֵמָּה הִכִּירוּ אֶת-קוֹל הַנַּעַר הַלֵּוִי וַיָּסוּרוּ שָׁם וַיֹּאמְרוּ לוֹ מִי-הֱבִיאֲךָ הֲלֹם וּמָה-אַתָּה עֹשֶֹה בָּזֶה וּמַה-לְּךָ פֹה: ד וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵהֶם כָּזֹה וְכָזֶה עָשָֹה לִי מִיכָה וַיִּשְֹכְּרֵנִי וָאֱהִי-לוֹ לְכֹהֵן: ה וַיֹּאמְרוּ לוֹ שְׁאַל-נָא בֵאלֹהִים וְנֵדְעָה הֲתַצְלִיחַ דַּרְכֵּנוּ אֲשֶׁר אֲנַחְנוּ הֹלְכִים עָלֶיהָ: ו וַיֹּאמֶר לָהֶם הַכֹּהֵן לְכוּ לְשָׁלוֹם נֹכַח יְהֹוָה דַּרְכְּכֶם אֲשֶׁר תֵּלְכוּ-בָהּ: ז וַיֵּלְכוּ חֲמֵשֶׁת הָאֲנָשִׁים וַיָּבֹאוּ לָיְשָׁה וַיִּרְאוּ אֶת-הָעָם אֲשֶׁר-בְּקִרְבָּהּ יוֹשֶׁבֶת-לָבֶטַח כְּמִשְׁפַּט צִדֹנִים שֹׁקֵט וּבֹטֵחַ וְאֵין-מַכְלִים דָּבָר בָּאָרֶץ יוֹרֵשׁ עֶצֶר וּרְחֹקִים הֵמָּה מִצִּדֹנִים וְדָבָר אֵין-לָהֶם עִם-אָדָם: ח וַיָּבֹאוּ אֶל-אֲחֵיהֶם צָרְעָה וְאֶשְׁתָּאֹל וַיֹּאמְרוּ לָהֶם אֲחֵיהֶם מָה אַתֶּם: ט וַיֹּאמְרוּ קוּמָה וְנַעֲלֶה עֲלֵיהֶם כִּי רָאִינוּ אֶת-הָאָרֶץ וְהִנֵּה טוֹבָה מְאֹד וְאַתֶּם מַחְשִׁים אַל-תֵּעָצְלוּ לָלֶכֶת לָבֹא לָרֶשֶׁת אֶת-הָאָרֶץ: י כְּבֹאֲכֶם תָּבֹאוּ אֶל-עַם בֹּטֵחַ וְהָאָרֶץ רַחֲבַת יָדַיִם כִּי-נְתָנָהּ אֱלֹהִים בְּיֶדְכֶם מָקוֹם אֲשֶׁר אֵין-שָׁם מַחְסוֹר כָּל-דָּבָר אֲשֶׁר בָּאָרֶץ: יא וַיִּסְעוּ מִשָּׁם מִמִּשְׁפַּחַת הַדָּנִי מִצָּרְעָה וּמֵאֶשְׁתָּאֹל שֵׁשׁ-מֵאוֹת אִישׁ חָגוּר כְּלֵי מִלְחָמָה: יב וַיַּעֲלוּ וַיַּחֲנוּ בְּקִרְיַת יְעָרִים בִּיהוּדָה עַל-כֵּן קָרְאוּ לַמָּקוֹם הַהוּא מַחֲנֵה-דָן עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה הִנֵּה אַחֲרֵי קִרְיַת יְעָרִים: יג וַיַּעַבְרוּ מִשָּׁם הַר-אֶפְרָיִם וַיָּבֹאוּ עַד-בֵּית מִיכָה: יד וַיַּעֲנוּ חֲמֵשֶׁת הָאֲנָשִׁים הַהֹלְכִים לְרַגֵּל אֶת-הָאָרֶץ לַיִשׁ וַיֹּאמְרוּ אֶל-אֲחֵיהֶם הַיְדַעְתֶּם כִּי יֵשׁ בַּבָּתִּים הָאֵלֶּה אֵפוֹד וּתְרָפִים וּפֶסֶל וּמַסֵּכָה וְעַתָּה דְּעוּ מַה-תַּעֲשֹוּ: טו וַיָּסוּרוּ שָׁמָּה וַיָּבֹאוּ אֶל-בֵּית-הַנַּעַר הַלֵּוִי בֵּית מִיכָה וַיִּשְׁאֲלוּ-לוֹ לְשָׁלוֹם: טז וְשֵׁשׁ-מֵאוֹת אִישׁ חֲגוּרִים כְּלֵי מִלְחַמְתָּם נִצָּבִים פֶּתַח הַשָּׁעַר אֲשֶׁר מִבְּנֵי-דָן: יז וַיַּעֲלוּ חֲמֵשֶׁת הָאֲנָשִׁים הַהֹלְכִים לְרַגֵּל אֶת-הָאָרֶץ בָּאוּ שָׁמָּה לָקְחוּ אֶת-הַפֶּסֶל וְאֶת-הָאֵפוֹד וְאֶת-הַתְּרָפִים וְאֶת-הַמַּסֵּכָה וְהַכֹּהֵן נִצָּב פֶּתַח הַשַּׁעַר וְשֵׁשׁ-מֵאוֹת הָאִישׁ הֶחָגוּר כְּלֵי הַמִּלְחָמָה: יח וְאֵלֶּה בָּאוּ בֵּית מִיכָה וַיִּקְחוּ אֶת-פֶּסֶל הָאֵפוֹד וְאֶת-הַתְּרָפִים וְאֶת-הַמַּסֵּכָה וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵיהֶם הַכֹּהֵן מָה אַתֶּם עֹשִֹים: יט וַיֹּאמְרוּ לוֹ הַחֲרֵשׁ שִֹים-יָדְךָ עַל-פִּיךָ וְלֵךְ עִמָּנוּ וֶהְיֵה-לָנוּ לְאָב וּלְכֹהֵן הֲטוֹב הֱיוֹתְךָ כֹהֵן לְבֵית אִישׁ אֶחָד אוֹ הֱיוֹתְךָ כֹהֵן לְשֵׁבֶט וּלְמִשְׁפָּחָה בְּיִשְֹרָאֵל: כ וַיִּיטַב לֵב הַכֹּהֵן וַיִּקַּח אֶת-הָאֵפוֹד וְאֶת-הַתְּרָפִים וְאֶת-הַפָּסֶל וַיָּבֹא בְּקֶרֶב הָעָם: כא וַיִּפְנוּ וַיֵּלֵכוּ וַיָּשִֹימוּ אֶת-הַטַּף וְאֶת-הַמִּקְנֶה וְאֶת-הַכְּבוּדָּה לִפְנֵיהֶם: כב הֵמָּה הִרְחִיקוּ מִבֵּית מִיכָה וְהָאֲנָשִׁים אֲשֶׁר בַּבָּתִּים אֲשֶׁר עִם-בֵּית מִיכָה נִזְעֲקוּ וַיַּדְבִּיקוּ אֶת-בְּנֵי-דָן: כג וַיִּקְרְאוּ אֶל-בְּנֵי-דָן וַיַּסֵּבּוּ פְּנֵיהֶם וַיֹּאמְרוּ לְמִיכָה מַה-לְּךָ כִּי נִזְעָקְתָּ: כד וַיֹּאמֶר אֶת-אֱלֹהַי אֲשֶׁר-עָשִֹיתִי לְקַחְתֶּם וְאֶת-הַכֹּהֵן וַתֵּלְכוּ וּמַה-לִּי עוֹד וּמַה-זֶּה תֹּאמְרוּ אֵלַי מַה-לָּךְ: כה וַיֹּאמְרוּ אֵלָיו בְּנֵי-דָן אַל-תַּשְׁמַע קוֹלְךָ עִמָּנוּ פֶּן-יִפְגְּעוּ בָכֶם אֲנָשִׁים מָרֵי נֶפֶשׁ וְאָסַפְתָּה נַפְשְׁךָ וְנֶפֶשׁ בֵּיתֶךָ: כו וַיֵּלְכוּ בְנֵי-דָן לְדַרְכָּם וַיַּרְא מִיכָה כִּי-חֲזָקִים הֵמָּה מִמֶּנּוּ וַיִּפֶן וַיָּשָׁב אֶל-בֵּיתוֹ: כז וְהֵמָּה לָקְחוּ אֵת אֲשֶׁר-עָשָֹה מִיכָה וְאֶת-הַכֹּהֵן אֲשֶׁר הָיָה-לוֹ וַיָּבֹאוּ עַל-לַיִשׁ עַל-עַם שֹׁקֵט וּבֹטֵחַ וַיַּכּוּ אוֹתָם לְפִי-חָרֶב וְאֶת-הָעִיר שָֹרְפוּ בָאֵשׁ: כח וְאֵין מַצִּיל כִּי רְחוֹקָה-הִיא מִצִּידוֹן וְדָבָר אֵין-לָהֶם עִם-אָדָם וְהִיא בָּעֵמֶק אֲשֶׁר לְבֵית-רְחוֹב וַיִּבְנוּ אֶת-הָעִיר וַיֵּשְׁבוּ בָהּ: כט וַיִּקְרְאוּ שֵׁם-הָעִיר דָּן בְּשֵׁם דָּן אֲבִיהֶם אֲשֶׁר יוּלַּד לְיִשְֹרָאֵל וְאוּלָם לַיִשׁ שֵׁם-הָעִיר לָרִאשֹׁנָה: ל וַיָּקִימוּ לָהֶם בְּנֵי-דָן אֶת-הַפָּסֶל וִיהוֹנָתָן בֶּן-גֵּרְשֹׁם בֶּן-מְנַשֶּׁה הוּא וּבָנָיו הָיוּ כֹהֲנִים לְשֵׁבֶט הַדָּנִי עַד-יוֹם גְּלוֹת הָאָרֶץ: לא וַיָּשִֹימוּ לָהֶם אֶת-פֶּסֶל מִיכָה אֲשֶׁר עָשָֹה כָּל-יְמֵי הֱיוֹת בֵּית-הָאֱלֹהִים בְּשִׁלֹה:
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א וַיֵּלֶךְ אִישׁ מִבֵּית לֵוִי וַיִּקַּח אֶת-בַּת-לֵוִי: ב וַתַּהַר הָאִשָּׁה וַתֵּלֶד בֵּן וַתֵּרֶא אֹתוֹ כִּי-טוֹב הוּא וַתִּצְפְּנֵהוּ שְׁלֹשָׁה יְרָחִים: ג וְלֹא-יָכְלָה עוֹד הַצְּפִינוֹ וַתִּקַּח-לוֹ תֵּבַת גֹּמֶא וַתַּחְמְרָה בַחֵמָר וּבַזָּפֶת וַתָּשֶֹם בָּהּ אֶת-הַיֶּלֶד וַתָּשֶֹם בַּסּוּף עַל-שְֹפַת הַיְאֹר: ד וַתֵּתַצַּב אֲחֹתוֹ מֵרָחֹק לְדֵעָה מַה-יֵּעָשֶֹה לוֹ: ה וַתֵּרֶד בַּת-פַּרְעֹה לִרְחֹץ עַל-הַיְאֹר וְנַעֲרֹתֶיהָ הֹלְכֹת עַל-יַד הַיְאֹר וַתֵּרֶא אֶת-הַתֵּבָה בְּתוֹךְ הַסּוּף וַתִּשְׁלַח אֶת-אֲמָתָהּ וַתִּקָּחֶהָ: ו וַתִּפְתַּח וַתִּרְאֵהוּ אֶת-הַיֶּלֶד וְהִנֵּה-נַעַר בֹּכֶה וַתַּחְמֹל עָלָיו וַתֹּאמֶר מִיַּלְדֵי הָעִבְרִים זֶה: ז וַתֹּאמֶר אֲחֹתוֹ אֶל-בַּת-פַּרְעֹה הַאֵלֵךְ וְקָרָאתִי לָךְ אִשָּׁה מֵינֶקֶת מִן הָעִבְרִיֹּת וְתֵינִק לָךְ אֶת-הַיָּלֶד: ח וַתֹּאמֶר-לָהּ בַּת-פַּרְעֹה לֵכִי וַתֵּלֶךְ הָעַלְמָה וַתִּקְרָא אֶת-אֵם הַיָּלֶד: ט וַתֹּאמֶר לָהּ בַּת-פַּרְעֹה הֵילִיכִי אֶת-הַיֶּלֶד הַזֶּה וְהֵינִקִהוּ לִי וַאֲנִי אֶתֵּן אֶת-שְֹכָרֵךְ וַתִּקַּח הָאִשָּׁה הַיֶּלֶד וַתְּנִיקֵהוּ: י וַיִּגְדַּל הַיֶּלֶד וַתְּבִאֵהוּ לְבַת-פַּרְעֹה וַיְהִי-לָהּ לְבֵן וַתִּקְרָא שְׁמוֹ מֹשֶׁה וַתֹּאמֶר כִּי מִן-הַמַּיִם מְשִׁיתִהוּ: ]שלישי[ יא וַיְהִי בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם וַיִּגְדַּל מֹשֶׁה וַיֵּצֵא אֶל-אֶחָיו וַיַּרְא בְּסִבְלֹתָם וַיַּרְא אִישׁ מִצְרִי מַכֶּה אִישׁ-עִבְרִי מֵאֶחָיו: יב וַיִּפֶן כֹּה וָכֹה וַיַּרְא כִּי אֵין אִישׁ וַיַּךְ אֶת-הַמִּצְרִי וַיִּטְמְנֵהוּ בַּחוֹל: יג וַיֵּצֵא בַּיּוֹם הַשֵּׁנִי וְהִנֵּה שְׁנֵי-אֲנָשִׁים עִבְרִים נִצִּים וַיֹּאמֶר לָרָשָׁע לָמָּה תַכֶּה רֵעֶךָ: יד וַיֹּאמֶר מִי שָֹמְךָ לְאִישׁ שַֹר וְשֹׁפֵט עָלֵינוּ הַלְהָרְגֵנִי אַתָּה אֹמֵר כַּאֲשֶׁר הָרַגְתָּ אֶת-הַמִּצְרִי וַיִּירָא מֹשֶׁה וַיֹּאמַר אָכֵן נוֹדַע הַדָּבָר: טו וַיִּשְׁמַע פַּרְעֹה אֶת-הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה וַיְבַקֵּשׁ לַהֲרֹג אֶת-מֹשֶׁה וַיִּבְרַח מֹשֶׁה מִפְּנֵי פַרְעֹה וַיֵּשֶׁב בְּאֶרֶץ-מִדְיָן וַיֵּשֶׁב עַל-הַבְּאֵר: טז וּלְכֹהֵן מִדְיָן שֶׁבַע בָּנוֹת וַתָּבֹאנָה וַתִּדְלֶנָה וַתְּמַלֶּאנָה אֶת-הָרְהָטִים לְהַשְׁקוֹת צֹאן אֲבִיהֶן: יז וַיָּבֹאוּ הָרֹעִים וַיְגָרֲשׁוּם וַיָּקָם מֹשֶׁה וַיּוֹשִׁעָן וַיַּשְׁקְ אֶת-צֹאנָם: יח וַתָּבֹאנָה אֶל-רְעוּאֵל אֲבִיהֶן וַיֹּאמֶר מַדּוּעַ מִהַרְתֶּן בֹּא הַיּוֹם: יט וַתֹּאמַרְן ָ אִישׁ מִצְרִי הִצִּילָנוּ מִיַּד הָרֹעִים וְגַם-דָּלֹה דָלָה לָנוּ וַיַּשְׁקְ אֶת-הַצֹּאן: כ וַיֹּאמֶר אֶל-בְּנֹתָיו וְאַיּוֹ לָמָּה זֶּה עֲזַבְתֶּן אֶת-הָאִישׁ קִרְאֶן לוֹ וְיֹאכַל לָחֶם: כא וַיּוֹאֶל מֹשֶׁה לָשֶׁבֶת אֶת-הָאִישׁ וַיִּתֵּן אֶת-צִפֹּרָה בִתּוֹ לְמֹשֶׁה: כב וַתֵּלֶד בֵּן וַיִּקְרָא אֶת-שְׁמוֹ גֵּרְשֹׁם כִּי אָמַר גֵּר הָיִיתִי בְּאֶרֶץ נָכְרִיָּה: פ
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ספר שמות פרק יח
]פרשת יתרו[ א וַיִּשְׁמַע יִתְרוֹ כֹהֵן מִדְיָן חֹתֵן מֹשֶׁה אֵת כָּל-אֲשֶׁר עָשָֹה אֱלֹהִים לְמֹשֶׁה וּלְיִשְֹרָאֵל עַמּוֹ כִּי-הוֹצִיא יְהוָֹה אֶת-יִשְֹרָאֵל מִמִּצְרָיִם: ב וַיִּקַּח יִתְרוֹ חֹתֵן מֹשֶׁה אֶת-צִפֹּרָה אֵשֶׁת מֹשֶׁה אַחַר שִׁלּוּחֶיהָ: ג וְאֵת שְׁנֵי בָנֶיהָ אֲשֶׁר שֵׁם הָאֶחָד גֵּרְשֹׁם כִּי אָמַר גֵּר הָיִיתִי בְּאֶרֶץ נָכְרִיָּה: ד וְשֵׁם הָאֶחָד אֱלִיעֶזֶר כִּי-אֱלֹהֵי אָבִי בְּעֶזְרִי וַיַּצִּלֵנִי מֵחֶרֶב פַּרְעֹה: ה וַיָּבֹא יִתְרוֹ חֹתֵן מֹשֶׁה וּבָנָיו וְאִשְׁתּוֹ אֶל-מֹשֶׁה אֶל-הַמִּדְבָּר אֲשֶׁר-הוּא חֹנֶה שָׁם הַר הָאֱלֹהִים: ו וַיֹּאמֶר אֶל-מֹשֶׁה אֲנִי חֹתֶנְךָ יִתְרוֹ בָּא אֵלֶיךָ וְאִשְׁתְּךָ וּשְׁנֵי בָנֶיהָ עִמָּהּ: ז וַיֵּצֵא מֹשֶׁה לִקְרַאת חֹתְנוֹ וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ וַיִּשַּׁק-לוֹ וַיִּשְׁאֲלוּ אִישׁ-לְרֵעֵהוּ לְשָׁלוֹם וַיָּבֹאוּ הָאֹהֱלָה: ח וַיְסַפֵּר מֹשֶׁה לְחֹתְנוֹ אֵת כָּל-אֲשֶׁר עָשָֹה יְהוָֹה לְפַרְעֹה וּלְמִצְרַיִם עַל אוֹדֹת יִשְֹרָאֵל אֵת כָּל-הַתְּלָאָה אֲשֶׁר מְצָאָתַם בַּדֶּרֶךְ וַיַּצִּלֵם יְהוָֹה: ט וַיִּחַדְּ יִתְרוֹ עַל כָּל-הַטּוֹבָה אֲשֶׁר-עָשָֹה יְהוָֹה לְיִשְֹרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר הִצִּילוֹ מִיַּד מִצְרָיִם: י וַיֹּאמֶר יִתְרוֹ בָּרוּךְ יְהֹוָה אֲשֶׁר הִצִּיל אֶתְכֶם מִיַּד מִצְרַיִם וּמִיַּד פַּרְעֹה אֲשֶׁר הִצִּיל אֶת-הָעָם מִתַּחַת יַד-מִצְרָיִם: יא עַתָּה יָדַעְתִּי כִּי-גָדוֹל יְהוָֹה מִכָּל-הָאֱלֹהִים כִּי בַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר זָדוּ עֲלֵיהֶם: יב וַיִּקַּח יִתְרוֹ חֹתֵן מֹשֶׁה עֹלָה וּזְבָחִים לֵאלֹהִים וַיָּבֹא אַהֲרֹן וְכֹל זִקְנֵי יִשְֹרָאֵל לֶאֱכָל-לֶחֶם עִם-חֹתֵן מֹשֶׁה לִפְנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים: ]שני[ יג וַיְהִי מִמָּחֳרָת וַיֵּשֶׁב מֹשֶׁה לִשְׁפֹּט אֶת-הָעָם וַיַּעֲמֹד הָעָם עַל-מֹשֶׁה מִן-הַבֹּקֶר עַד-הָעָרֶב: יד וַיַּרְא חֹתֵן מֹשֶׁה אֵת כָּל-אֲשֶׁר-הוּא עֹשֶֹה לָעָם וַיֹּאמֶר מָה-הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה עֹשֶֹה לָעָם מַדּוּעַ אַתָּה יוֹשֵׁב לְבַדֶּךָ וְכָל-הָעָם נִצָּב עָלֶיךָ מִן-בֹּקֶר עַד-עָרֶב: טו וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה לְחֹתְנוֹ כִּי-יָבֹא אֵלַי הָעָם לִדְרשׁ אֱלֹהִים: טז כִּי-יִהְיֶה לָהֶם דָּבָר בָּא אֵלַי וְשָׁפַטְתִּי בֵּין אִישׁ וּבֵין רֵעֵהוּ וְהוֹדַעְתִּי אֶת-חֻקֵּי הָאֱלֹהִים וְאֶת-תּוֹרֹתָיו: יז וַיֹּאמֶר חֹתֵן מֹשֶׁה אֵלָיו לֹא-טוֹב הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה עֹשֶֹה: יח נָבֹל תִּבֹּל גַּם-אַתָּה גַּם-הָעָם הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר עִמָּךְ כִּי-כָבֵד מִמְּךָ הַדָּבָר לֹא-תוּכַל עֲשֹהוּ לְבַדֶּךָ: יט עַתָּה שְׁמַע בְּקֹלִי אִיעָצְךָ וִיהִי אֱלֹהִים עִמָּךְ הֱיֵה אַתָּה לָעָם מוּל הָאֱלֹהִים וְהֵבֵאתָ אַתָּה אֶת-הַדְּבָרִים אֶל-הָאֱלֹהִים: כ וְהִזְהַרְתָּה אֶתְהֶם אֶת-הַחֻקִּים וְאֶת-הַתּוֹרֹת וְהוֹדַעְתָּ לָהֶם אֶת-הַדֶּרֶךְ יֵלְכוּ בָהּ וְאֶת-הַמַּעֲשֶֹה אֲשֶׁר יַעֲשֹוּן: כא וְאַתָּה תֶחֱזֶה מִכָּל-הָעָם אַנְשֵׁי-חַיִל יִרְאֵי אֱלֹהִים אַנְשֵׁי אֱמֶת שֹֹנְאֵי בָצַע וְשַֹמְתָּ עֲלֵהֶם שָֹרֵי אֲלָפִים שָֹרֵי מֵאוֹת שָֹרֵי חֲמִשִּׁים וְשָֹרֵי עֲשָֹרֹת: כב וְשָׁפְטוּ אֶת-הָעָם בְּכָל-עֵת וְהָיָה כָּל-הַדָּבָר הַגָּדֹל יָבִיאוּ אֵלֶיךָ וְכָל-הַדָּבָר הַקָּטֹן יִשְׁפְּטוּ-הֵם וְהָקֵל מֵעָלֶיךָ וְנָשְֹאוּ אִתָּךְ: כג אִם אֶת-הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה תַּעֲשֶֹה וְצִוְּךָ אֱלֹהִים וְיָכָלְתָּ עֲמֹד וְגַם כָּל-הָעָם הַזֶּה עַל-מְקֹמוֹ יָבֹא בְשָׁלוֹם: ]שלישי[ כד וַיִּשְׁמַע מֹשֶׁה לְקוֹל חֹתְנוֹ וַיַּעַשֹ כֹּל אֲשֶׁר אָמָר: כה וַיִּבְחַר מֹשֶׁה אַנְשֵׁי-חַיִל מִכָּל-יִשְֹרָאֵל וַיִּתֵּן אֹתָם רָאשִׁים עַל-הָעָם שָֹרֵי אֲלָפִים שָֹרֵי מֵאוֹת שָֹרֵי חֲמִשִּׁים וְשָֹרֵי עֲשָֹרֹת: כו וְשָׁפְטוּ אֶת-הָעָם בְּכָל-עֵת אֶת-הַדָּבָר הַקָּשֶׁה יְבִיאוּן אֶל-מֹשֶׁה וְכָל-הַדָּבָר הַקָּטֹן יִשְׁפּוּטוּ הֵם: כז וַיְשַׁלַּח מֹשֶׁה אֶת-חֹתְנוֹ וַיֵּלֶךְ לוֹ אֶל-אַרְצוֹ: פ
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א וַיֵּלֶךְ אִישׁ מִבֵּית לֵוִי וַיִּקַּח אֶת-בַּת-לֵוִי:
ח וַיֵּלֶךְ הָאִישׁ מֵהָעִיר מִבֵּית לֶחֶם יְהוּדָה ... וַיֵּלֶךְ הַלֵּוִי:
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טז וּלְכֹהֵן מִדְיָן שֶׁבַע בָּנוֹת... יח וַתָּבֹאנָה אֶל-רְעוּאֵל אֲבִיהֶן
ה וְהָאִישׁ מִיכָה לוֹ בֵּית אֱלֹהִים וַיַּעַשֹ אֵפוֹד וּתְרָפִים וַיְמַלֵּא אֶת-יַד אַחַד מִבָּנָיו וַיְהִי-לוֹ לְכֹהֵן:
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כ וַיֹּאמֶר אֶל-בְּנֹתָיו וְאַיּוֹ לָמָּה זֶּה עֲזַבְתֶּן אֶת-הָאִישׁ קִרְאֶן לוֹ וְיֹאכַל לָחֶם:
י וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ מִיכָה שְׁבָה עִמָּדִי וֶהְיֵה-לִי לְאָב וּלְכֹהֵן וְאָנֹכִי אֶתֶּן-לְךָ עֲשֶֹרֶת כֶּסֶף לַיָּמִים וְעֵרֶךְ בְּגָדִים וּמִחְיָתֶךָ וַיֵּלֶךְ הַלֵּוִי:
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כא וַיּוֹאֶל מֹשֶׁה לָשֶׁבֶת אֶת-הָאִישׁ וַיִּתֵּן אֶת-צִפֹּרָה בִתּוֹ לְמֹשֶׁה:
יא וַיּוֹאֶל הַלֵּוִי לָשֶׁבֶת אֶת-הָאִישׁ וַיְהִי הַנַּעַר לוֹ כְּאַחַד מִבָּנָיו:
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י וַיֹּאמֶר יִתְרוֹ ... עַתָּה יָדַעְתִּי כִּי-גָדוֹל יְהוָֹה מִכָּל-הָאֱלֹהִים כִּי בַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר זָדוּ עֲלֵיהֶם:
יג וַיֹּאמֶר מִיכָה עַתָּה יָדַעְתִּי כִּי-יֵיטִיב יְהֹוָה לִי כִּי הָיָה-לִי הַלֵּוִי לְכֹהֵן:
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כב וַתֵּלֶד בֵּן וַיִּקְרָא אֶת-שְׁמוֹ גֵּרְשֹׁם כִּי אָמַר גֵּר הָיִיתִי בְּאֶרֶץ נָכְרִיָּה: פ
ז וַיְהִי-נַעַר מִבֵּית לֶחֶם יְהוּדָה מִמִּשְׁפַּחַת יְהוּדָה וְהוּא לֵוִי וְהוּא גָר-שָׁם: ... וִיהוֹנָתָן בֶּן-גֵּרְשֹׁם בֶּן-מְנַשֶּׁה הוּא וּבָנָיו הָיוּ כֹהֲנִים לְשֵׁבֶט הַדָּנִי עַד-יוֹם גְּלוֹת הָאָרֶץ
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Note the similarities in terminology between the J account of Moses’ encounter with Reuel and his his marriage to Ziporah and the J account of the Levite’s encounter with Micah and his appointment as a priest. Not only are parallel terms used, as pointed out above but the entire story basically has the same outline:
Moses’ father "goes" from "Bethlevi" to find a Levite wife. Gershom (or his son) "goes" from "Bethlehem" to find a dwelling place, a job and a wife. Bethlevi is probably a place name, for if it means a Levite family, then why make a point of the fact that the Levite man took a Levite woman? It was common practice to marry within the tribe and there would be no need to specify that. If Bethlevi is the name of a Levite village in Egypt, then the emphasis is that the man was not necessarily a Levite, which is precisely what the text alludes to in the Judges episode: the man who who founded the priesthood at Micah’s shrine and later at the Danite shrine, was from a Judahite family.
Moses meets a priest in Midian, Reuel. Gershom meets a priest in Mt. Ephraim, Micah. Both do not have any male heirs who are qualified to take over their priestly duties. Reuel does not have any sons; he needs a man to marry his daughter and take over his priestly functions. Micah seems to have had sons (Judges 17:11) but for some reason he prefers Gershom the "Levite" to serve in his temple. The expression that the Levite was treated "as one of his sons" may imply that he gave him one of his daughters (just like Reuel did to Moses) or it may mean that he granted him special inheritance privileges, usually reserved for biological sons.
Place of worship. In the Moses episode, it is "the mountain of God", also called Horeb, (according to E) or Seneh/Sinai (according to J) where Moses experiences a theophany. It is there that a religious revolution is initiated and the "ten articles of the covenant" are issued. According to P, a slew of religious objects are fashioned there: breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a coat of checker work, a turban, and a girdle. In J most of these objects are not mentioned but the "ark of the covenant" is prominent and we can assume that there was also an "ephod" (which is mentioned by P) and Teraphim (which are small idols?). It seems that there was some dispute among the Levites whether sculpted (pesel) or molten (masecah) images should be allowed; Moses forbade them while Aaron allowed them. It seems highly likely that the Aaronite clan practice of allowing sculpted and molten images was the norm in the formative years of the Hebrews and if so, the Hebrews departed from Sinai with sculpted idols ("pesel") as well.
In the Gershom episode, it is the "house of micah" where a religious revolution is initiated in the North. The North had never before experienced the ministry of a Levite priest. We know that the Levite’s ministry was a novelty and it was considered more desirable than the Ephraimite native worship practices. We see this from the expression in Judges 17:13 "now I know that Yahweh will do good to me for I have acquired a Levite as priest". Micah, with the aid of his newly acquired Levite priest, creates the same objects that were most probably present in the Moses Sinai episode as well: Pesel, Ephod, and Teraphim.
Reuel invites Moses to "eat bread" and then gives him his daughter. Micah offers Gershom ten silvers per year, clothing and food and "treats him as one of his sons".
Moses is "content to dwell with the man". Likewise, the Levite is "content to dwell with the man". By the way, the expression "he was content (to dwell)" occurs only five times in the HB. This (Moses episode) is the only occurrence in the Pentateuch and these are the only two instances where the full phrase "he was content to dwell with the man" occur.
Jethro (in the E tradition, which is equivalent to Reuel in J) says "now I know that Yahweh..." Micah likewise says "now I know that Yahweh...". In both cases, these people are being first introduced to Yahwism and are favorably impressed.
In the Gershom-Micah episode, the Danites set our from Bethmicah in Mt. Ephraim and embark on a mission of conquest as soon as they adopt the new religion promulgated by the Levite. In the Moses-Sinai episode, Moses sets out from Sinai and prepares the Israelites for battle against the Cananites soon after he promulgates the new religion.
Moses has a son whom he names "Gershom" (this is, BTW, his only son in the J tradition). The Levite who emigrates from Bethlehem to Micah’s temple in Mt. Ephraim is also called Gershom (Judges 17:7). The word does not mean "he sojourned there" for two reasons. First, if the man was from a Judahite family, as stated in verse 7, then he would be a permanent resident in Judahite territory and so he wouldn’t be "sojourning" in Bethlehem (this is true even if you believe that Levi was already a distinct "tribe" by then. The levites were granted permanent villages as told in Deuteronomy and Joshua, so there would be no necessity for them to move about frequently). Secondly, the author puns the name "Gershom" on the fact that the man set out to "sojourn at whatever place he can find". This phrase is mentioned in both verse 7 and verse 9. Accordingly, this act is what caused him to be named so and he wasn’t named so previously. Finally, at the very end of the chapter (Judges 18:30), the verse states openly that Jonathan the son of Gershom the son of Moses, he and his sons, were Danite priests until the exile of the land. This is the only mention of Gershom the son of Moses outside the Pentateuch (and he’s only mentioned twice in the Pentateuch). The connection between this name and the "grshm" mentioned in 17:7 at the beginning of the episode is very suggesting.
The picture of what is going on here now clears up a bit. Apparently, the priest from Bethmicah did quite a bit of wandering before Micah took him in and perhaps afterwards as well. Naturally they called him "Gershom", which name was preserved by the Danites after he was transferred to their temple. He traced his ancestry to the legendary Moses who initiated Yahwism in the south, and he carried the yahwist gospel to the North. Naturally, therefore, the tradition developed that Moses had a son by that name and this tradition is reflected in Exodus 2:22 and Exodus 18:3 which are both ancient sources.
However, the priestly author changed things around. In P, Gershom is a son of Levi and a brother of Qehath who is the ancestor of Moses. Thus, not only is Gershom not a descendant of Moses, but he is not even an ancestor of Moses. Rather, he is Moses’s uncle and the eponym of a rival Levite clan who served in the second temple along with the clan of Qehath and Merrari. "gershom" (not the "gershon" spelling common in the priestly sections of the Pentateuch) as the son of Levi, is mentioned in 1chronicles 6:1 and 6:28, which makes it clear that P is referring to the same legendary figure mentioned in the JE sections in Exodus and Judges.
Why did the priestly author institute this new genealogy? It could be explained as follows:
In Solomon’s temple there were two "levite" priests, Sadoq and Abiathar. Sadoq traced his ancestry to Aaron and Abiathar to Moses. In those days, Moses and Aaron were the only two levite families and so if one were to write a genealogy of the Levi "tribe" it would be simply: Levi had two sons Aaron and Moses etc... When Adonijah feuded with Solomon over the takeover of the Davidic throne, Abiathar sided with Adonijah and Sadoq sided with Solomon. When Solomon won the throne, he banished Abiathar from the temple and Abiathar and his descendants NEVER recovered. This means that whereas the Mushites were a higher-esteemed Levite clan than the Aaronites up until the days of Solomon, by virtue of their descendency from the legendary lawgiver Moses, their superiority was now lost. The Deuteronomist (in the seventh century BCE) attempted to implement a new system that did not distinguish between any Levite clans when it came to temple priestly privileges but this system apparently failed. After the Israelites returned from exile in 537 BCE and the temple rebuilt in 515 BCE, a strict division of labor was established between the regular Levites and those who traced their ancestry from Aaron. Only Aaronites were allowed to perform the core priestly functions in the temple; other Levites were reduced to auxiliary temple work.
In light of all this, the Levite genealogy had to be reworked. If Gershom was the son of Moses, then the Aaronites would not be able prevent such an aristocratic class from serving in the temple! The solution? Separate Gershom from Moses and make him a distinct Levite clan. Furthermore, Even Qehath does not encompass all the Aaronites. Only the sons of Amram the son of Qehath are qualified to serve as priests. Now that Gershom is not descendant from Moses, Moses has left no heir and so there’s no need to accommodate any Levite families other than Aaron, who is the closest relative to Moses. In reality, the Gershomites and possibly the Merrarites and the other Qehathite families (such as Ishar, Hebron and Uziel) may have all considered themselves descendant of Moses before the Priestly revolution at the beginning of the second temple.
What is the connection between Senah and Sinai?
I believe that these two words have a single etymology. The word Seneh occurs five times in the story of the theophany of Moses and his commission by Yahweh (Exodus 3, from the J source). We know that this event took place in the vicinity of Midian, for in both the previous chapter (Ex 2:15) and the following chapter (Ex 4:19) Midian is mentioned. We can also assume that it is not very far from Egypt, since Moses is instructed to return to Egypt and ask Pharaoh to allow the Hebrews to celebrate a three-day festival for yahweh at that site. Naturally, if the Hebrews need to leave Egypt in order to celebrate the festival (for whatever reason), it would be reasonable for them to do so in the closest proximity to their homes. Thus, it seems that the Seneh of the J account was located somewhere in the northwest section of the Sinai peninsula.
However, recall, that the Seneh was not just the site where Moses received his first theophany and commission. In E, God says to Moses "when you extract the people from Egypt you shall serve God upon this mountain" (Ex 3:12), meaning that this was the very same site where the Israelites later built an altar and offered burnt-sacrifices and peace sacrifices (Ex 24:4-5) and also where the new law code promulgated by Moses (presumably the "covenant code") was introduced (Ex 24:7).
Admittedly. J does not mention any worship of Yahweh or the promulgation of the "ten articles of the covenant" in connection with the Seneh. However, Yahweh says to Moses "the ground you are standing on is holy ground" (Ex 3:5), which implies a permanent holiness, not tied to the presence of Yahweh there at the moment. The very fact that the Seneh burns and does not become consumed indicates the presence of Yahweh at the site, which is precisely what occurs in the J decalog (Ex 19:18). In J, the theophany at Seneh is a small taste of the big theophany Moses is to receive there later while all of Israel is witnessing it. For now, it is an angel of Yahweh (Ex 3:2) who reveals himself to him in the form of a flaming fire. Later, it will be the presence of Yahweh himself and the entire Mt. Sinai will be trembling and smoking like the smoke of a furnce (Ex 19:18) in the eyes of all the people (Ex 19:11).
The traditional translation of "seneh" is a bush. However, this word is only mentioned in the J narrative of Exodus 3 and in the blessing of Moses (deu 33:16). In the blessing of Moses, most scholars agree that it should be amended to "sinai". Note the connection of the verb "shakan" (dwell/rest) with Seneh both in Deuteronomy "the goodwill of he who dwells in Seneh" and with Sinai "the glory of Yahweh dwelled on Mt. Sinai" (Num 24:16). What, then, compells us to consider the Seneh of Ex 3, a bush? It should also be noted that Ex 3:2 does not introduce the Seneh properly; it refers to it as "the Seneh", as if it is already known to the reader.
It seems to me, that the Seneh of Ex 3 (J document) is indistinguishable from the Sinai in other parts of J. The original J text must have read something like this:
א וּמֹשֶׁה הָיָה רֹעֶה אֶת-צֹאן רעואל חֹתְנוֹ כֹּהֵן מִדְיָן וַיִּנְהַג אֶת-הַצֹּאן אַחַר הַמִּדְבָּר וַיָּבֹא אֶל-הַר סנה/סני:
Note how I changed the name of Moses’ father-in-law to be consistent with the J tradition of "Reuel" and the name of the mountain to follow the J tradition of "Sinai". Apparently, at some point, the spelling of the mountain’s name in some instances was changed from Seneh to Sinai or vice versa and this is the source for all the confusion. In fact, it is even possible that the very original text spelled the mountain with two consonants only: samech, nun. Later generations did not realize the connection between the Ex 3 chapter and other occurrences and for some reason thought the text was talking about a bush or some other object, not a mountain and they started spelling it differently. How does a mountain burn? Well, this question could be asked with regard to the Sinai theophany as well (Ex 19:18). In fact, accordinh to J, Yahweh constantly went before the Israelites with a fiery pillar at night (Ex 13:21-22) and so the question could be asked there as well: how does a pillar of fire burn continously without being consumed? And so we don’t need a "bush" in order to imagine a continuous fire. The original Seneh story held that a flame of fire (lehabath esh) was present at the center of Mt. Sinai (Heb. Mitoch haseneh ex 3:2) but the mountain was not being consumed.
א וַיְהִי-אִישׁ מֵהַר-אֶפְרָיִם וּשְׁמוֹ מִיכָיְהוּ: ב וַיֹּאמֶר לְאִמּוֹ אֶלֶף וּמֵאָה הַכֶּסֶף אֲשֶׁר לֻקַּח-לָךְ וְאַתְּי ]וְאַתְּ[ אָלִית וְגַם אָמַרְתְּ בְּאָזְנַי הִנֵּה-הַכֶּסֶף אִתִּי אֲנִי לְקַחְתִּיו וַתֹּאמֶר אִמּוֹ בָּרוּךְ בְּנִי לַיהֹוָה: ג וַיָּשֶׁב אֶת-אֶלֶף-וּמֵאָה הַכֶּסֶף לְאִמּוֹ וַתֹּאמֶר אִמּוֹ הַקְדֵּשׁ הִקְדַּשְׁתִּי אֶת-הַכֶּסֶף לַיהֹוָה מִיָּדִי לִבְנִי לַעֲשֹוֹת פֶּסֶל וּמַסֵּכָה וְעַתָּה אֲשִׁיבֶנּוּ לָךְ: ד וַיָּשֶׁב אֶת-הַכֶּסֶף לְאִמּוֹ וַתִּקַּח אִמּוֹ מָאתַיִם כֶּסֶף וַתִּתְּנֵהוּ לַצּוֹרֵף וַיַּעֲשֵֹהוּ פֶּסֶל וּמַסֵּכָה וַיְהִי בְּבֵית מִיכָיְהוּ:
ה וְהָאִישׁ מִיכָה לוֹ בֵּית אֱלֹהִים וַיַּעַשֹ אֵפוֹד וּתְרָפִים וַיְמַלֵּא אֶת-יַד אַחַד מִבָּנָיו וַיְהִי-לוֹ לְכֹהֵן: ו בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם אֵין מֶלֶךְ בְּיִשְֹרָאֵל אִישׁ הַיָּשָׁר בְּעֵינָיו יַעֲשֶֹה: ז וַיְהִי-נַעַר מִבֵּית לֶחֶם יְהוּדָה מִמִּשְׁפַּחַת יְהוּדָה וְהוּא לֵוִי וְהוּא גָר-שָׁם: ח וַיֵּלֶךְ הָאִישׁ מֵהָעִיר מִבֵּית לֶחֶם יְהוּדָה לָגוּר בַּאֲשֶׁר יִמְצָא וַיָּבֹא הַר-אֶפְרַיִם עַד-בֵּית מִיכָה לַעֲשֹוֹת דַּרְכּוֹ: ט וַיֹּאמֶר-לוֹ מִיכָה מֵאַיִן תָּבוֹא וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו לֵוִי אָנֹכִי מִבֵּית לֶחֶם יְהוּדָה וְאָנֹכִי הֹלֵךְ לָגוּר בַּאֲשֶׁר אֶמְצָא: י וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ מִיכָה שְׁבָה עִמָּדִי וֶהְיֵה-לִי לְאָב וּלְכֹהֵן וְאָנֹכִי אֶתֶּן-לְךָ עֲשֶֹרֶת כֶּסֶף לַיָּמִים וְעֵרֶךְ בְּגָדִים וּמִחְיָתֶךָ וַיֵּלֶךְ הַלֵּוִי: יא וַיּוֹאֶל הַלֵּוִי לָשֶׁבֶת אֶת-הָאִישׁ וַיְהִי הַנַּעַר לוֹ כְּאַחַד מִבָּנָיו: יב וַיְמַלֵּא מִיכָה אֶת-יַד הַלֵּוִי וַיְהִי-לוֹ הַנַּעַר לְכֹהֵן וַיְהִי בְּבֵית מִיכָה: יג וַיֹּאמֶר מִיכָה עַתָּה יָדַעְתִּי כִּי-יֵיטִיב יְהֹוָה לִי כִּי הָיָה-לִי הַלֵּוִי לְכֹהֵן:
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ספר שופטים פרק יח
א בַּיָמִים הָהֵם אֵין מֶלֶךְ בְּיִשְֹרָאֵל וּבַיָּמִים הָהֵם שֵׁבֶט הַדָּנִי מְבַקֶּשׁ-לוֹ נַחֲלָה לָשֶׁבֶת כִּי לֹא-נָפְלָה לּוֹ עַד-הַיּוֹם הַהוּא בְּתוֹךְ-שִׁבְטֵי יִשְֹרָאֵל בְּנַחֲלָה: ב וַיִּשְׁלְחוּ בְנֵי-דָן מִמִּשְׁפַּחְתָּם חֲמִשָּׁה אֲנָשִׁים מִקְצוֹתָם אֲנָשִׁים בְּנֵי-חַיִל מִצָּרְעָה וּמֵאֶשְׁתָּאֹל לְרַגֵּל אֶת-הָאָרֶץ וּלְחָקְרָהּ וַיֹּאמְרוּ אֲלֵהֶם לְכוּ חִקְרוּ אֶת-הָאָרֶץ וַיָּבֹאוּ הַר-אֶפְרַיִם עַד-בֵּית מִיכָה וַיָּלִינוּ שָׁם: ג הֵמָּה עִם-בֵּית מִיכָה וְהֵמָּה הִכִּירוּ אֶת-קוֹל הַנַּעַר הַלֵּוִי וַיָּסוּרוּ שָׁם וַיֹּאמְרוּ לוֹ מִי-הֱבִיאֲךָ הֲלֹם וּמָה-אַתָּה עֹשֶֹה בָּזֶה וּמַה-לְּךָ פֹה: ד וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵהֶם כָּזֹה וְכָזֶה עָשָֹה לִי מִיכָה וַיִּשְֹכְּרֵנִי וָאֱהִי-לוֹ לְכֹהֵן: ה וַיֹּאמְרוּ לוֹ שְׁאַל-נָא בֵאלֹהִים וְנֵדְעָה הֲתַצְלִיחַ דַּרְכֵּנוּ אֲשֶׁר אֲנַחְנוּ הֹלְכִים עָלֶיהָ: ו וַיֹּאמֶר לָהֶם הַכֹּהֵן לְכוּ לְשָׁלוֹם נֹכַח יְהֹוָה דַּרְכְּכֶם אֲשֶׁר תֵּלְכוּ-בָהּ: ז וַיֵּלְכוּ חֲמֵשֶׁת הָאֲנָשִׁים וַיָּבֹאוּ לָיְשָׁה וַיִּרְאוּ אֶת-הָעָם אֲשֶׁר-בְּקִרְבָּהּ יוֹשֶׁבֶת-לָבֶטַח כְּמִשְׁפַּט צִדֹנִים שֹׁקֵט וּבֹטֵחַ וְאֵין-מַכְלִים דָּבָר בָּאָרֶץ יוֹרֵשׁ עֶצֶר וּרְחֹקִים הֵמָּה מִצִּדֹנִים וְדָבָר אֵין-לָהֶם עִם-אָדָם: ח וַיָּבֹאוּ אֶל-אֲחֵיהֶם צָרְעָה וְאֶשְׁתָּאֹל וַיֹּאמְרוּ לָהֶם אֲחֵיהֶם מָה אַתֶּם: ט וַיֹּאמְרוּ קוּמָה וְנַעֲלֶה עֲלֵיהֶם כִּי רָאִינוּ אֶת-הָאָרֶץ וְהִנֵּה טוֹבָה מְאֹד וְאַתֶּם מַחְשִׁים אַל-תֵּעָצְלוּ לָלֶכֶת לָבֹא לָרֶשֶׁת אֶת-הָאָרֶץ: י כְּבֹאֲכֶם תָּבֹאוּ אֶל-עַם בֹּטֵחַ וְהָאָרֶץ רַחֲבַת יָדַיִם כִּי-נְתָנָהּ אֱלֹהִים בְּיֶדְכֶם מָקוֹם אֲשֶׁר אֵין-שָׁם מַחְסוֹר כָּל-דָּבָר אֲשֶׁר בָּאָרֶץ: יא וַיִּסְעוּ מִשָּׁם מִמִּשְׁפַּחַת הַדָּנִי מִצָּרְעָה וּמֵאֶשְׁתָּאֹל שֵׁשׁ-מֵאוֹת אִישׁ חָגוּר כְּלֵי מִלְחָמָה: יב וַיַּעֲלוּ וַיַּחֲנוּ בְּקִרְיַת יְעָרִים בִּיהוּדָה עַל-כֵּן קָרְאוּ לַמָּקוֹם הַהוּא מַחֲנֵה-דָן עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה הִנֵּה אַחֲרֵי קִרְיַת יְעָרִים: יג וַיַּעַבְרוּ מִשָּׁם הַר-אֶפְרָיִם וַיָּבֹאוּ עַד-בֵּית מִיכָה: יד וַיַּעֲנוּ חֲמֵשֶׁת הָאֲנָשִׁים הַהֹלְכִים לְרַגֵּל אֶת-הָאָרֶץ לַיִשׁ וַיֹּאמְרוּ אֶל-אֲחֵיהֶם הַיְדַעְתֶּם כִּי יֵשׁ בַּבָּתִּים הָאֵלֶּה אֵפוֹד וּתְרָפִים וּפֶסֶל וּמַסֵּכָה וְעַתָּה דְּעוּ מַה-תַּעֲשֹוּ: טו וַיָּסוּרוּ שָׁמָּה וַיָּבֹאוּ אֶל-בֵּית-הַנַּעַר הַלֵּוִי בֵּית מִיכָה וַיִּשְׁאֲלוּ-לוֹ לְשָׁלוֹם: טז וְשֵׁשׁ-מֵאוֹת אִישׁ חֲגוּרִים כְּלֵי מִלְחַמְתָּם נִצָּבִים פֶּתַח הַשָּׁעַר אֲשֶׁר מִבְּנֵי-דָן: יז וַיַּעֲלוּ חֲמֵשֶׁת הָאֲנָשִׁים הַהֹלְכִים לְרַגֵּל אֶת-הָאָרֶץ בָּאוּ שָׁמָּה לָקְחוּ אֶת-הַפֶּסֶל וְאֶת-הָאֵפוֹד וְאֶת-הַתְּרָפִים וְאֶת-הַמַּסֵּכָה וְהַכֹּהֵן נִצָּב פֶּתַח הַשַּׁעַר וְשֵׁשׁ-מֵאוֹת הָאִישׁ הֶחָגוּר כְּלֵי הַמִּלְחָמָה: יח וְאֵלֶּה בָּאוּ בֵּית מִיכָה וַיִּקְחוּ אֶת-פֶּסֶל הָאֵפוֹד וְאֶת-הַתְּרָפִים וְאֶת-הַמַּסֵּכָה וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵיהֶם הַכֹּהֵן מָה אַתֶּם עֹשִֹים: יט וַיֹּאמְרוּ לוֹ הַחֲרֵשׁ שִֹים-יָדְךָ עַל-פִּיךָ וְלֵךְ עִמָּנוּ וֶהְיֵה-לָנוּ לְאָב וּלְכֹהֵן הֲטוֹב הֱיוֹתְךָ כֹהֵן לְבֵית אִישׁ אֶחָד אוֹ הֱיוֹתְךָ כֹהֵן לְשֵׁבֶט וּלְמִשְׁפָּחָה בְּיִשְֹרָאֵל: כ וַיִּיטַב לֵב הַכֹּהֵן וַיִּקַּח אֶת-הָאֵפוֹד וְאֶת-הַתְּרָפִים וְאֶת-הַפָּסֶל וַיָּבֹא בְּקֶרֶב הָעָם: כא וַיִּפְנוּ וַיֵּלֵכוּ וַיָּשִֹימוּ אֶת-הַטַּף וְאֶת-הַמִּקְנֶה וְאֶת-הַכְּבוּדָּה לִפְנֵיהֶם: כב הֵמָּה הִרְחִיקוּ מִבֵּית מִיכָה וְהָאֲנָשִׁים אֲשֶׁר בַּבָּתִּים אֲשֶׁר עִם-בֵּית מִיכָה נִזְעֲקוּ וַיַּדְבִּיקוּ אֶת-בְּנֵי-דָן: כג וַיִּקְרְאוּ אֶל-בְּנֵי-דָן וַיַּסֵּבּוּ פְּנֵיהֶם וַיֹּאמְרוּ לְמִיכָה מַה-לְּךָ כִּי נִזְעָקְתָּ: כד וַיֹּאמֶר אֶת-אֱלֹהַי אֲשֶׁר-עָשִֹיתִי לְקַחְתֶּם וְאֶת-הַכֹּהֵן וַתֵּלְכוּ וּמַה-לִּי עוֹד וּמַה-זֶּה תֹּאמְרוּ אֵלַי מַה-לָּךְ: כה וַיֹּאמְרוּ אֵלָיו בְּנֵי-דָן אַל-תַּשְׁמַע קוֹלְךָ עִמָּנוּ פֶּן-יִפְגְּעוּ בָכֶם אֲנָשִׁים מָרֵי נֶפֶשׁ וְאָסַפְתָּה נַפְשְׁךָ וְנֶפֶשׁ בֵּיתֶךָ: כו וַיֵּלְכוּ בְנֵי-דָן לְדַרְכָּם וַיַּרְא מִיכָה כִּי-חֲזָקִים הֵמָּה מִמֶּנּוּ וַיִּפֶן וַיָּשָׁב אֶל-בֵּיתוֹ: כז וְהֵמָּה לָקְחוּ אֵת אֲשֶׁר-עָשָֹה מִיכָה וְאֶת-הַכֹּהֵן אֲשֶׁר הָיָה-לוֹ וַיָּבֹאוּ עַל-לַיִשׁ עַל-עַם שֹׁקֵט וּבֹטֵחַ וַיַּכּוּ אוֹתָם לְפִי-חָרֶב וְאֶת-הָעִיר שָֹרְפוּ בָאֵשׁ: כח וְאֵין מַצִּיל כִּי רְחוֹקָה-הִיא מִצִּידוֹן וְדָבָר אֵין-לָהֶם עִם-אָדָם וְהִיא בָּעֵמֶק אֲשֶׁר לְבֵית-רְחוֹב וַיִּבְנוּ אֶת-הָעִיר וַיֵּשְׁבוּ בָהּ: כט וַיִּקְרְאוּ שֵׁם-הָעִיר דָּן בְּשֵׁם דָּן אֲבִיהֶם אֲשֶׁר יוּלַּד לְיִשְֹרָאֵל וְאוּלָם לַיִשׁ שֵׁם-הָעִיר לָרִאשֹׁנָה: ל וַיָּקִימוּ לָהֶם בְּנֵי-דָן אֶת-הַפָּסֶל וִיהוֹנָתָן בֶּן-גֵּרְשֹׁם בֶּן-מְנַשֶּׁה הוּא וּבָנָיו הָיוּ כֹהֲנִים לְשֵׁבֶט הַדָּנִי עַד-יוֹם גְּלוֹת הָאָרֶץ: לא וַיָּשִֹימוּ לָהֶם אֶת-פֶּסֶל מִיכָה אֲשֶׁר עָשָֹה כָּל-יְמֵי הֱיוֹת בֵּית-הָאֱלֹהִים בְּשִׁלֹה:
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א וַיֵּלֶךְ אִישׁ מִבֵּית לֵוִי וַיִּקַּח אֶת-בַּת-לֵוִי: ב וַתַּהַר הָאִשָּׁה וַתֵּלֶד בֵּן וַתֵּרֶא אֹתוֹ כִּי-טוֹב הוּא וַתִּצְפְּנֵהוּ שְׁלֹשָׁה יְרָחִים: ג וְלֹא-יָכְלָה עוֹד הַצְּפִינוֹ וַתִּקַּח-לוֹ תֵּבַת גֹּמֶא וַתַּחְמְרָה בַחֵמָר וּבַזָּפֶת וַתָּשֶֹם בָּהּ אֶת-הַיֶּלֶד וַתָּשֶֹם בַּסּוּף עַל-שְֹפַת הַיְאֹר: ד וַתֵּתַצַּב אֲחֹתוֹ מֵרָחֹק לְדֵעָה מַה-יֵּעָשֶֹה לוֹ: ה וַתֵּרֶד בַּת-פַּרְעֹה לִרְחֹץ עַל-הַיְאֹר וְנַעֲרֹתֶיהָ הֹלְכֹת עַל-יַד הַיְאֹר וַתֵּרֶא אֶת-הַתֵּבָה בְּתוֹךְ הַסּוּף וַתִּשְׁלַח אֶת-אֲמָתָהּ וַתִּקָּחֶהָ: ו וַתִּפְתַּח וַתִּרְאֵהוּ אֶת-הַיֶּלֶד וְהִנֵּה-נַעַר בֹּכֶה וַתַּחְמֹל עָלָיו וַתֹּאמֶר מִיַּלְדֵי הָעִבְרִים זֶה: ז וַתֹּאמֶר אֲחֹתוֹ אֶל-בַּת-פַּרְעֹה הַאֵלֵךְ וְקָרָאתִי לָךְ אִשָּׁה מֵינֶקֶת מִן הָעִבְרִיֹּת וְתֵינִק לָךְ אֶת-הַיָּלֶד: ח וַתֹּאמֶר-לָהּ בַּת-פַּרְעֹה לֵכִי וַתֵּלֶךְ הָעַלְמָה וַתִּקְרָא אֶת-אֵם הַיָּלֶד: ט וַתֹּאמֶר לָהּ בַּת-פַּרְעֹה הֵילִיכִי אֶת-הַיֶּלֶד הַזֶּה וְהֵינִקִהוּ לִי וַאֲנִי אֶתֵּן אֶת-שְֹכָרֵךְ וַתִּקַּח הָאִשָּׁה הַיֶּלֶד וַתְּנִיקֵהוּ: י וַיִּגְדַּל הַיֶּלֶד וַתְּבִאֵהוּ לְבַת-פַּרְעֹה וַיְהִי-לָהּ לְבֵן וַתִּקְרָא שְׁמוֹ מֹשֶׁה וַתֹּאמֶר כִּי מִן-הַמַּיִם מְשִׁיתִהוּ: ]שלישי[ יא וַיְהִי בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם וַיִּגְדַּל מֹשֶׁה וַיֵּצֵא אֶל-אֶחָיו וַיַּרְא בְּסִבְלֹתָם וַיַּרְא אִישׁ מִצְרִי מַכֶּה אִישׁ-עִבְרִי מֵאֶחָיו: יב וַיִּפֶן כֹּה וָכֹה וַיַּרְא כִּי אֵין אִישׁ וַיַּךְ אֶת-הַמִּצְרִי וַיִּטְמְנֵהוּ בַּחוֹל: יג וַיֵּצֵא בַּיּוֹם הַשֵּׁנִי וְהִנֵּה שְׁנֵי-אֲנָשִׁים עִבְרִים נִצִּים וַיֹּאמֶר לָרָשָׁע לָמָּה תַכֶּה רֵעֶךָ: יד וַיֹּאמֶר מִי שָֹמְךָ לְאִישׁ שַֹר וְשֹׁפֵט עָלֵינוּ הַלְהָרְגֵנִי אַתָּה אֹמֵר כַּאֲשֶׁר הָרַגְתָּ אֶת-הַמִּצְרִי וַיִּירָא מֹשֶׁה וַיֹּאמַר אָכֵן נוֹדַע הַדָּבָר: טו וַיִּשְׁמַע פַּרְעֹה אֶת-הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה וַיְבַקֵּשׁ לַהֲרֹג אֶת-מֹשֶׁה וַיִּבְרַח מֹשֶׁה מִפְּנֵי פַרְעֹה וַיֵּשֶׁב בְּאֶרֶץ-מִדְיָן וַיֵּשֶׁב עַל-הַבְּאֵר: טז וּלְכֹהֵן מִדְיָן שֶׁבַע בָּנוֹת וַתָּבֹאנָה וַתִּדְלֶנָה וַתְּמַלֶּאנָה אֶת-הָרְהָטִים לְהַשְׁקוֹת צֹאן אֲבִיהֶן: יז וַיָּבֹאוּ הָרֹעִים וַיְגָרֲשׁוּם וַיָּקָם מֹשֶׁה וַיּוֹשִׁעָן וַיַּשְׁקְ אֶת-צֹאנָם: יח וַתָּבֹאנָה אֶל-רְעוּאֵל אֲבִיהֶן וַיֹּאמֶר מַדּוּעַ מִהַרְתֶּן בֹּא הַיּוֹם: יט וַתֹּאמַרְן ָ אִישׁ מִצְרִי הִצִּילָנוּ מִיַּד הָרֹעִים וְגַם-דָּלֹה דָלָה לָנוּ וַיַּשְׁקְ אֶת-הַצֹּאן: כ וַיֹּאמֶר אֶל-בְּנֹתָיו וְאַיּוֹ לָמָּה זֶּה עֲזַבְתֶּן אֶת-הָאִישׁ קִרְאֶן לוֹ וְיֹאכַל לָחֶם: כא וַיּוֹאֶל מֹשֶׁה לָשֶׁבֶת אֶת-הָאִישׁ וַיִּתֵּן אֶת-צִפֹּרָה בִתּוֹ לְמֹשֶׁה: כב וַתֵּלֶד בֵּן וַיִּקְרָא אֶת-שְׁמוֹ גֵּרְשֹׁם כִּי אָמַר גֵּר הָיִיתִי בְּאֶרֶץ נָכְרִיָּה: פ
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ספר שמות פרק יח
]פרשת יתרו[ א וַיִּשְׁמַע יִתְרוֹ כֹהֵן מִדְיָן חֹתֵן מֹשֶׁה אֵת כָּל-אֲשֶׁר עָשָֹה אֱלֹהִים לְמֹשֶׁה וּלְיִשְֹרָאֵל עַמּוֹ כִּי-הוֹצִיא יְהוָֹה אֶת-יִשְֹרָאֵל מִמִּצְרָיִם: ב וַיִּקַּח יִתְרוֹ חֹתֵן מֹשֶׁה אֶת-צִפֹּרָה אֵשֶׁת מֹשֶׁה אַחַר שִׁלּוּחֶיהָ: ג וְאֵת שְׁנֵי בָנֶיהָ אֲשֶׁר שֵׁם הָאֶחָד גֵּרְשֹׁם כִּי אָמַר גֵּר הָיִיתִי בְּאֶרֶץ נָכְרִיָּה: ד וְשֵׁם הָאֶחָד אֱלִיעֶזֶר כִּי-אֱלֹהֵי אָבִי בְּעֶזְרִי וַיַּצִּלֵנִי מֵחֶרֶב פַּרְעֹה: ה וַיָּבֹא יִתְרוֹ חֹתֵן מֹשֶׁה וּבָנָיו וְאִשְׁתּוֹ אֶל-מֹשֶׁה אֶל-הַמִּדְבָּר אֲשֶׁר-הוּא חֹנֶה שָׁם הַר הָאֱלֹהִים: ו וַיֹּאמֶר אֶל-מֹשֶׁה אֲנִי חֹתֶנְךָ יִתְרוֹ בָּא אֵלֶיךָ וְאִשְׁתְּךָ וּשְׁנֵי בָנֶיהָ עִמָּהּ: ז וַיֵּצֵא מֹשֶׁה לִקְרַאת חֹתְנוֹ וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ וַיִּשַּׁק-לוֹ וַיִּשְׁאֲלוּ אִישׁ-לְרֵעֵהוּ לְשָׁלוֹם וַיָּבֹאוּ הָאֹהֱלָה: ח וַיְסַפֵּר מֹשֶׁה לְחֹתְנוֹ אֵת כָּל-אֲשֶׁר עָשָֹה יְהוָֹה לְפַרְעֹה וּלְמִצְרַיִם עַל אוֹדֹת יִשְֹרָאֵל אֵת כָּל-הַתְּלָאָה אֲשֶׁר מְצָאָתַם בַּדֶּרֶךְ וַיַּצִּלֵם יְהוָֹה: ט וַיִּחַדְּ יִתְרוֹ עַל כָּל-הַטּוֹבָה אֲשֶׁר-עָשָֹה יְהוָֹה לְיִשְֹרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר הִצִּילוֹ מִיַּד מִצְרָיִם: י וַיֹּאמֶר יִתְרוֹ בָּרוּךְ יְהֹוָה אֲשֶׁר הִצִּיל אֶתְכֶם מִיַּד מִצְרַיִם וּמִיַּד פַּרְעֹה אֲשֶׁר הִצִּיל אֶת-הָעָם מִתַּחַת יַד-מִצְרָיִם: יא עַתָּה יָדַעְתִּי כִּי-גָדוֹל יְהוָֹה מִכָּל-הָאֱלֹהִים כִּי בַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר זָדוּ עֲלֵיהֶם: יב וַיִּקַּח יִתְרוֹ חֹתֵן מֹשֶׁה עֹלָה וּזְבָחִים לֵאלֹהִים וַיָּבֹא אַהֲרֹן וְכֹל זִקְנֵי יִשְֹרָאֵל לֶאֱכָל-לֶחֶם עִם-חֹתֵן מֹשֶׁה לִפְנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים: ]שני[ יג וַיְהִי מִמָּחֳרָת וַיֵּשֶׁב מֹשֶׁה לִשְׁפֹּט אֶת-הָעָם וַיַּעֲמֹד הָעָם עַל-מֹשֶׁה מִן-הַבֹּקֶר עַד-הָעָרֶב: יד וַיַּרְא חֹתֵן מֹשֶׁה אֵת כָּל-אֲשֶׁר-הוּא עֹשֶֹה לָעָם וַיֹּאמֶר מָה-הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה עֹשֶֹה לָעָם מַדּוּעַ אַתָּה יוֹשֵׁב לְבַדֶּךָ וְכָל-הָעָם נִצָּב עָלֶיךָ מִן-בֹּקֶר עַד-עָרֶב: טו וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה לְחֹתְנוֹ כִּי-יָבֹא אֵלַי הָעָם לִדְרשׁ אֱלֹהִים: טז כִּי-יִהְיֶה לָהֶם דָּבָר בָּא אֵלַי וְשָׁפַטְתִּי בֵּין אִישׁ וּבֵין רֵעֵהוּ וְהוֹדַעְתִּי אֶת-חֻקֵּי הָאֱלֹהִים וְאֶת-תּוֹרֹתָיו: יז וַיֹּאמֶר חֹתֵן מֹשֶׁה אֵלָיו לֹא-טוֹב הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה עֹשֶֹה: יח נָבֹל תִּבֹּל גַּם-אַתָּה גַּם-הָעָם הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר עִמָּךְ כִּי-כָבֵד מִמְּךָ הַדָּבָר לֹא-תוּכַל עֲשֹהוּ לְבַדֶּךָ: יט עַתָּה שְׁמַע בְּקֹלִי אִיעָצְךָ וִיהִי אֱלֹהִים עִמָּךְ הֱיֵה אַתָּה לָעָם מוּל הָאֱלֹהִים וְהֵבֵאתָ אַתָּה אֶת-הַדְּבָרִים אֶל-הָאֱלֹהִים: כ וְהִזְהַרְתָּה אֶתְהֶם אֶת-הַחֻקִּים וְאֶת-הַתּוֹרֹת וְהוֹדַעְתָּ לָהֶם אֶת-הַדֶּרֶךְ יֵלְכוּ בָהּ וְאֶת-הַמַּעֲשֶֹה אֲשֶׁר יַעֲשֹוּן: כא וְאַתָּה תֶחֱזֶה מִכָּל-הָעָם אַנְשֵׁי-חַיִל יִרְאֵי אֱלֹהִים אַנְשֵׁי אֱמֶת שֹֹנְאֵי בָצַע וְשַֹמְתָּ עֲלֵהֶם שָֹרֵי אֲלָפִים שָֹרֵי מֵאוֹת שָֹרֵי חֲמִשִּׁים וְשָֹרֵי עֲשָֹרֹת: כב וְשָׁפְטוּ אֶת-הָעָם בְּכָל-עֵת וְהָיָה כָּל-הַדָּבָר הַגָּדֹל יָבִיאוּ אֵלֶיךָ וְכָל-הַדָּבָר הַקָּטֹן יִשְׁפְּטוּ-הֵם וְהָקֵל מֵעָלֶיךָ וְנָשְֹאוּ אִתָּךְ: כג אִם אֶת-הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה תַּעֲשֶֹה וְצִוְּךָ אֱלֹהִים וְיָכָלְתָּ עֲמֹד וְגַם כָּל-הָעָם הַזֶּה עַל-מְקֹמוֹ יָבֹא בְשָׁלוֹם: ]שלישי[ כד וַיִּשְׁמַע מֹשֶׁה לְקוֹל חֹתְנוֹ וַיַּעַשֹ כֹּל אֲשֶׁר אָמָר: כה וַיִּבְחַר מֹשֶׁה אַנְשֵׁי-חַיִל מִכָּל-יִשְֹרָאֵל וַיִּתֵּן אֹתָם רָאשִׁים עַל-הָעָם שָֹרֵי אֲלָפִים שָֹרֵי מֵאוֹת שָֹרֵי חֲמִשִּׁים וְשָֹרֵי עֲשָֹרֹת: כו וְשָׁפְטוּ אֶת-הָעָם בְּכָל-עֵת אֶת-הַדָּבָר הַקָּשֶׁה יְבִיאוּן אֶל-מֹשֶׁה וְכָל-הַדָּבָר הַקָּטֹן יִשְׁפּוּטוּ הֵם: כז וַיְשַׁלַּח מֹשֶׁה אֶת-חֹתְנוֹ וַיֵּלֶךְ לוֹ אֶל-אַרְצוֹ: פ
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א וַיֵּלֶךְ אִישׁ מִבֵּית לֵוִי וַיִּקַּח אֶת-בַּת-לֵוִי:
ח וַיֵּלֶךְ הָאִישׁ מֵהָעִיר מִבֵּית לֶחֶם יְהוּדָה ... וַיֵּלֶךְ הַלֵּוִי:
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טז וּלְכֹהֵן מִדְיָן שֶׁבַע בָּנוֹת... יח וַתָּבֹאנָה אֶל-רְעוּאֵל אֲבִיהֶן
ה וְהָאִישׁ מִיכָה לוֹ בֵּית אֱלֹהִים וַיַּעַשֹ אֵפוֹד וּתְרָפִים וַיְמַלֵּא אֶת-יַד אַחַד מִבָּנָיו וַיְהִי-לוֹ לְכֹהֵן:
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כ וַיֹּאמֶר אֶל-בְּנֹתָיו וְאַיּוֹ לָמָּה זֶּה עֲזַבְתֶּן אֶת-הָאִישׁ קִרְאֶן לוֹ וְיֹאכַל לָחֶם:
י וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ מִיכָה שְׁבָה עִמָּדִי וֶהְיֵה-לִי לְאָב וּלְכֹהֵן וְאָנֹכִי אֶתֶּן-לְךָ עֲשֶֹרֶת כֶּסֶף לַיָּמִים וְעֵרֶךְ בְּגָדִים וּמִחְיָתֶךָ וַיֵּלֶךְ הַלֵּוִי:
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כא וַיּוֹאֶל מֹשֶׁה לָשֶׁבֶת אֶת-הָאִישׁ וַיִּתֵּן אֶת-צִפֹּרָה בִתּוֹ לְמֹשֶׁה:
יא וַיּוֹאֶל הַלֵּוִי לָשֶׁבֶת אֶת-הָאִישׁ וַיְהִי הַנַּעַר לוֹ כְּאַחַד מִבָּנָיו:
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י וַיֹּאמֶר יִתְרוֹ ... עַתָּה יָדַעְתִּי כִּי-גָדוֹל יְהוָֹה מִכָּל-הָאֱלֹהִים כִּי בַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר זָדוּ עֲלֵיהֶם:
יג וַיֹּאמֶר מִיכָה עַתָּה יָדַעְתִּי כִּי-יֵיטִיב יְהֹוָה לִי כִּי הָיָה-לִי הַלֵּוִי לְכֹהֵן:
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כב וַתֵּלֶד בֵּן וַיִּקְרָא אֶת-שְׁמוֹ גֵּרְשֹׁם כִּי אָמַר גֵּר הָיִיתִי בְּאֶרֶץ נָכְרִיָּה: פ
ז וַיְהִי-נַעַר מִבֵּית לֶחֶם יְהוּדָה מִמִּשְׁפַּחַת יְהוּדָה וְהוּא לֵוִי וְהוּא גָר-שָׁם: ... וִיהוֹנָתָן בֶּן-גֵּרְשֹׁם בֶּן-מְנַשֶּׁה הוּא וּבָנָיו הָיוּ כֹהֲנִים לְשֵׁבֶט הַדָּנִי עַד-יוֹם גְּלוֹת הָאָרֶץ
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Note the similarities in terminology between the J account of Moses’ encounter with Reuel and his his marriage to Ziporah and the J account of the Levite’s encounter with Micah and his appointment as a priest. Not only are parallel terms used, as pointed out above but the entire story basically has the same outline:
Moses’ father "goes" from "Bethlevi" to find a Levite wife. Gershom (or his son) "goes" from "Bethlehem" to find a dwelling place, a job and a wife. Bethlevi is probably a place name, for if it means a Levite family, then why make a point of the fact that the Levite man took a Levite woman? It was common practice to marry within the tribe and there would be no need to specify that. If Bethlevi is the name of a Levite village in Egypt, then the emphasis is that the man was not necessarily a Levite, which is precisely what the text alludes to in the Judges episode: the man who who founded the priesthood at Micah’s shrine and later at the Danite shrine, was from a Judahite family.
Moses meets a priest in Midian, Reuel. Gershom meets a priest in Mt. Ephraim, Micah. Both do not have any male heirs who are qualified to take over their priestly duties. Reuel does not have any sons; he needs a man to marry his daughter and take over his priestly functions. Micah seems to have had sons (Judges 17:11) but for some reason he prefers Gershom the "Levite" to serve in his temple. The expression that the Levite was treated "as one of his sons" may imply that he gave him one of his daughters (just like Reuel did to Moses) or it may mean that he granted him special inheritance privileges, usually reserved for biological sons.
Place of worship. In the Moses episode, it is "the mountain of God", also called Horeb, (according to E) or Seneh/Sinai (according to J) where Moses experiences a theophany. It is there that a religious revolution is initiated and the "ten articles of the covenant" are issued. According to P, a slew of religious objects are fashioned there: breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a coat of checker work, a turban, and a girdle. In J most of these objects are not mentioned but the "ark of the covenant" is prominent and we can assume that there was also an "ephod" (which is mentioned by P) and Teraphim (which are small idols?). It seems that there was some dispute among the Levites whether sculpted (pesel) or molten (masecah) images should be allowed; Moses forbade them while Aaron allowed them. It seems highly likely that the Aaronite clan practice of allowing sculpted and molten images was the norm in the formative years of the Hebrews and if so, the Hebrews departed from Sinai with sculpted idols ("pesel") as well.
In the Gershom episode, it is the "house of micah" where a religious revolution is initiated in the North. The North had never before experienced the ministry of a Levite priest. We know that the Levite’s ministry was a novelty and it was considered more desirable than the Ephraimite native worship practices. We see this from the expression in Judges 17:13 "now I know that Yahweh will do good to me for I have acquired a Levite as priest". Micah, with the aid of his newly acquired Levite priest, creates the same objects that were most probably present in the Moses Sinai episode as well: Pesel, Ephod, and Teraphim.
Reuel invites Moses to "eat bread" and then gives him his daughter. Micah offers Gershom ten silvers per year, clothing and food and "treats him as one of his sons".
Moses is "content to dwell with the man". Likewise, the Levite is "content to dwell with the man". By the way, the expression "he was content (to dwell)" occurs only five times in the HB. This (Moses episode) is the only occurrence in the Pentateuch and these are the only two instances where the full phrase "he was content to dwell with the man" occur.
Jethro (in the E tradition, which is equivalent to Reuel in J) says "now I know that Yahweh..." Micah likewise says "now I know that Yahweh...". In both cases, these people are being first introduced to Yahwism and are favorably impressed.
In the Gershom-Micah episode, the Danites set our from Bethmicah in Mt. Ephraim and embark on a mission of conquest as soon as they adopt the new religion promulgated by the Levite. In the Moses-Sinai episode, Moses sets out from Sinai and prepares the Israelites for battle against the Cananites soon after he promulgates the new religion.
Moses has a son whom he names "Gershom" (this is, BTW, his only son in the J tradition). The Levite who emigrates from Bethlehem to Micah’s temple in Mt. Ephraim is also called Gershom (Judges 17:7). The word does not mean "he sojourned there" for two reasons. First, if the man was from a Judahite family, as stated in verse 7, then he would be a permanent resident in Judahite territory and so he wouldn’t be "sojourning" in Bethlehem (this is true even if you believe that Levi was already a distinct "tribe" by then. The levites were granted permanent villages as told in Deuteronomy and Joshua, so there would be no necessity for them to move about frequently). Secondly, the author puns the name "Gershom" on the fact that the man set out to "sojourn at whatever place he can find". This phrase is mentioned in both verse 7 and verse 9. Accordingly, this act is what caused him to be named so and he wasn’t named so previously. Finally, at the very end of the chapter (Judges 18:30), the verse states openly that Jonathan the son of Gershom the son of Moses, he and his sons, were Danite priests until the exile of the land. This is the only mention of Gershom the son of Moses outside the Pentateuch (and he’s only mentioned twice in the Pentateuch). The connection between this name and the "grshm" mentioned in 17:7 at the beginning of the episode is very suggesting.
The picture of what is going on here now clears up a bit. Apparently, the priest from Bethmicah did quite a bit of wandering before Micah took him in and perhaps afterwards as well. Naturally they called him "Gershom", which name was preserved by the Danites after he was transferred to their temple. He traced his ancestry to the legendary Moses who initiated Yahwism in the south, and he carried the yahwist gospel to the North. Naturally, therefore, the tradition developed that Moses had a son by that name and this tradition is reflected in Exodus 2:22 and Exodus 18:3 which are both ancient sources.
However, the priestly author changed things around. In P, Gershom is a son of Levi and a brother of Qehath who is the ancestor of Moses. Thus, not only is Gershom not a descendant of Moses, but he is not even an ancestor of Moses. Rather, he is Moses’s uncle and the eponym of a rival Levite clan who served in the second temple along with the clan of Qehath and Merrari. "gershom" (not the "gershon" spelling common in the priestly sections of the Pentateuch) as the son of Levi, is mentioned in 1chronicles 6:1 and 6:28, which makes it clear that P is referring to the same legendary figure mentioned in the JE sections in Exodus and Judges.
Why did the priestly author institute this new genealogy? It could be explained as follows:
In Solomon’s temple there were two "levite" priests, Sadoq and Abiathar. Sadoq traced his ancestry to Aaron and Abiathar to Moses. In those days, Moses and Aaron were the only two levite families and so if one were to write a genealogy of the Levi "tribe" it would be simply: Levi had two sons Aaron and Moses etc... When Adonijah feuded with Solomon over the takeover of the Davidic throne, Abiathar sided with Adonijah and Sadoq sided with Solomon. When Solomon won the throne, he banished Abiathar from the temple and Abiathar and his descendants NEVER recovered. This means that whereas the Mushites were a higher-esteemed Levite clan than the Aaronites up until the days of Solomon, by virtue of their descendency from the legendary lawgiver Moses, their superiority was now lost. The Deuteronomist (in the seventh century BCE) attempted to implement a new system that did not distinguish between any Levite clans when it came to temple priestly privileges but this system apparently failed. After the Israelites returned from exile in 537 BCE and the temple rebuilt in 515 BCE, a strict division of labor was established between the regular Levites and those who traced their ancestry from Aaron. Only Aaronites were allowed to perform the core priestly functions in the temple; other Levites were reduced to auxiliary temple work.
In light of all this, the Levite genealogy had to be reworked. If Gershom was the son of Moses, then the Aaronites would not be able prevent such an aristocratic class from serving in the temple! The solution? Separate Gershom from Moses and make him a distinct Levite clan. Furthermore, Even Qehath does not encompass all the Aaronites. Only the sons of Amram the son of Qehath are qualified to serve as priests. Now that Gershom is not descendant from Moses, Moses has left no heir and so there’s no need to accommodate any Levite families other than Aaron, who is the closest relative to Moses. In reality, the Gershomites and possibly the Merrarites and the other Qehathite families (such as Ishar, Hebron and Uziel) may have all considered themselves descendant of Moses before the Priestly revolution at the beginning of the second temple.
What is the connection between Senah and Sinai?
I believe that these two words have a single etymology. The word Seneh occurs five times in the story of the theophany of Moses and his commission by Yahweh (Exodus 3, from the J source). We know that this event took place in the vicinity of Midian, for in both the previous chapter (Ex 2:15) and the following chapter (Ex 4:19) Midian is mentioned. We can also assume that it is not very far from Egypt, since Moses is instructed to return to Egypt and ask Pharaoh to allow the Hebrews to celebrate a three-day festival for yahweh at that site. Naturally, if the Hebrews need to leave Egypt in order to celebrate the festival (for whatever reason), it would be reasonable for them to do so in the closest proximity to their homes. Thus, it seems that the Seneh of the J account was located somewhere in the northwest section of the Sinai peninsula.
However, recall, that the Seneh was not just the site where Moses received his first theophany and commission. In E, God says to Moses "when you extract the people from Egypt you shall serve God upon this mountain" (Ex 3:12), meaning that this was the very same site where the Israelites later built an altar and offered burnt-sacrifices and peace sacrifices (Ex 24:4-5) and also where the new law code promulgated by Moses (presumably the "covenant code") was introduced (Ex 24:7).
Admittedly. J does not mention any worship of Yahweh or the promulgation of the "ten articles of the covenant" in connection with the Seneh. However, Yahweh says to Moses "the ground you are standing on is holy ground" (Ex 3:5), which implies a permanent holiness, not tied to the presence of Yahweh there at the moment. The very fact that the Seneh burns and does not become consumed indicates the presence of Yahweh at the site, which is precisely what occurs in the J decalog (Ex 19:18). In J, the theophany at Seneh is a small taste of the big theophany Moses is to receive there later while all of Israel is witnessing it. For now, it is an angel of Yahweh (Ex 3:2) who reveals himself to him in the form of a flaming fire. Later, it will be the presence of Yahweh himself and the entire Mt. Sinai will be trembling and smoking like the smoke of a furnce (Ex 19:18) in the eyes of all the people (Ex 19:11).
The traditional translation of "seneh" is a bush. However, this word is only mentioned in the J narrative of Exodus 3 and in the blessing of Moses (deu 33:16). In the blessing of Moses, most scholars agree that it should be amended to "sinai". Note the connection of the verb "shakan" (dwell/rest) with Seneh both in Deuteronomy "the goodwill of he who dwells in Seneh" and with Sinai "the glory of Yahweh dwelled on Mt. Sinai" (Num 24:16). What, then, compells us to consider the Seneh of Ex 3, a bush? It should also be noted that Ex 3:2 does not introduce the Seneh properly; it refers to it as "the Seneh", as if it is already known to the reader.
It seems to me, that the Seneh of Ex 3 (J document) is indistinguishable from the Sinai in other parts of J. The original J text must have read something like this:
א וּמֹשֶׁה הָיָה רֹעֶה אֶת-צֹאן רעואל חֹתְנוֹ כֹּהֵן מִדְיָן וַיִּנְהַג אֶת-הַצֹּאן אַחַר הַמִּדְבָּר וַיָּבֹא אֶל-הַר סנה/סני:
Note how I changed the name of Moses’ father-in-law to be consistent with the J tradition of "Reuel" and the name of the mountain to follow the J tradition of "Sinai". Apparently, at some point, the spelling of the mountain’s name in some instances was changed from Seneh to Sinai or vice versa and this is the source for all the confusion. In fact, it is even possible that the very original text spelled the mountain with two consonants only: samech, nun. Later generations did not realize the connection between the Ex 3 chapter and other occurrences and for some reason thought the text was talking about a bush or some other object, not a mountain and they started spelling it differently. How does a mountain burn? Well, this question could be asked with regard to the Sinai theophany as well (Ex 19:18). In fact, accordinh to J, Yahweh constantly went before the Israelites with a fiery pillar at night (Ex 13:21-22) and so the question could be asked there as well: how does a pillar of fire burn continously without being consumed? And so we don’t need a "bush" in order to imagine a continuous fire. The original Seneh story held that a flame of fire (lehabath esh) was present at the center of Mt. Sinai (Heb. Mitoch haseneh ex 3:2) but the mountain was not being consumed.
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