Friendship with God: Old Testament and Ancient Near Eastern Perspectives

Abstract

When examining the notion of friendship, three principles appear most relevant: First, the virtues of loyalty, reliability, and trustworthiness (’æmûnāh and comparable terms); second, the principle of outer-kinship (since friendship is not restricted by lineage or the narrow limits of kinship ties); and, thirdly, the principle of coequality. With these three principles in mind, we can investigate whether it is possible to find friendship with God in the Old Testament and in Ancient Near Eastern sources.