Abstract
The Chronicler has a penchant for developing paradigmatic vocabulary throughout his narrative. Many scholars have noted the Chronicler’s extensive use of the divine epithet “God of the fathers” throughout the books of Chronicles (twenty-seven times), yet few have investigated its meaning there. Sara Japhet has suggested that it emphasizes the continuous relationship between YHWH and the people. I propose that the epithet goes beyond this simple connotation in Chronicles by evoking YHWH’s promise of land to the patriarchs with phraseology found most heavily in Deuteronomy. Occurrences of the appellation in the speeches of David and Jehoshaphat specifically include mention of the patriarchs in the immediate context. Several other instances show how the Israelites would either strengthen or weaken their position in the land based on their faithfulness or unfaithfulness to the “God of their fathers.” With the few remaining occurrences, the broader context can accommodate the meaning from Deuteronomy.
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