Ancient Near Eastern Royal Grants and the Davidic Covenant: A Parallel?

Abstract

This essay reviews and challenges the widely accepted thesis of Moshe Weinfeld that the Davidic promises are patterned after ancient Near Eastern land grants. Examination of proposed parallels between Davidic promises and royal grants under three rubrics-structure, language, and unconditionality-reveals that Davidic promises and royal grants are not analogous. Regarding the first issue, the problematic and changing structure of land grants precludes any attempt to posit a formal parallel between Davidic covenant passages and royal grants. Similarly, the main passages describing the Davidic promises neither exhibit a common structure nor contain many of the features that are said to characterize royal grants. As to language, too much has been made of linguistic affinities between land grants and the Davidic promises. Correspondence in general formulaic phrases not unique to the land grant genre is inadequate to demonstrate that the Davidic promises and royal grants belong to the same genre. Finally, close study of the historical and literary setting of royal grants indicates that most are actually conditional. In depicting YHWH's promises to David, biblical authors draw upon a variety of genres-legal, diplomatic, and mythological. Given the complexity of the evidence, this essay advocates a broadly bilateral understanding of covenant that seeks to do justice to both ancient Near Eastern treaties and a variety of biblical covenants.