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INF041
The Jahwist source
The Jahwist source (J) is a hypothetical source of the Torah identified by the documentary hypothesis of the 19th century. Named after its use of the divine name YHWH, it is characterized by an anthropomorphic and narrative style. Associated with texts such as the creation (Gen 2) and the fall (Gen 3), its dating remains debated. Today, its validity is called into question by contemporary exegetes.
Genesis 2.4-25 (King James Version) :These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens,Notethere…: or, a mist which went up from, etc.Noteof the dust…: Heb. dust of the groundAnd every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.NoteEthiopia: Heb. CushNotetoward…: or, eastward to AssyriaNotethe man: or, AdamAnd out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone.And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia.And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates.And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:Notethou…: Heb. eating thou shalt eatNotethou shalt surely…: Heb. dying thou shalt dieBut of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.Notemeet…: Heb. as before himNoteAdam: or, the manNotegave: Heb. calledAnd out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;Notemade: Heb. buildedNoteWoman: Heb. IshaNoteMan: Heb. IshAnd the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org -
INF042
The Elohist source
The Elohist source (E) is one of the four hypothetical sources of the Torah according to the documentary hypothesis. It is distinguished by its use of the term Elohim for God, a transcendent theology, and the use of dreams and visions as modes of divine revelation. Dated to the 9th-8th century BCE, it is thought to have originated in the northern kingdom of Israel. Its validity remains debated among contemporary scholars.
Genesis 20 (King James Version) :And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the south country, and dwelled between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar.And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man’s wife.Notea man’s…: Heb. married to an husbandNoteintegrity: or, simplicity, or, sincerityBut Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, Lord, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation?Said he not unto me, She is my sister? and she, even she herself said, He is my brother: in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this.And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her.Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine.Therefore Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants, and told all these things in their ears: and the men were sore afraid.Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said unto him, What hast thou done unto us? and what have I offended thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done.And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What sawest thou, that thou hast done this thing?And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife’s sake.And yet indeed she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said unto her, This is thy kindness which thou shalt shew unto me; at every place whither we shall come, say of me, He is my brother.And Abimelech took sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and womenservants, and gave them unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife.Notewhere…: Heb. as is good in thine eyesAnd Abimelech said, Behold, my land is before thee: dwell where it pleaseth thee.And unto Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver: behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that are with thee, and with all other: thus she was reproved.So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children.For the LORD had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham’s wife.King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org -
INF043
The Deuteronomist Source
The Deuteronomist source (D) is one of the four hypothetical sources of the Torah according to the documentary hypothesis. Associated with the Book of Deuteronomy, it is distinguished by a homiletic style, a theology of the covenant and an insistence on the centralization of worship in Jerusalem. Dated to the 7th century BC, it is linked to the religious reforms of King Josiah and also influences the historical books from Joshua to 2 Kings.
1 Kings 1.1 (King James Version) :Now king David was old and stricken in years; and they covered him with clothes, but he gat no heat.Notestricken…: Heb. entered into daysNoteLet there…: Heb. Let them seekNotea young…: Heb. a damsel, a virginNotecherish…: Heb. be a cherisher unto himKing James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org -
INF044
The Priestly Source
The Priestly source (P) is one of the four hypothetical sources of the Torah according to the documentary hypothesis. Characterized by a formal and repetitive style, it emphasizes rituals, purity laws, genealogies and cultic ceremonies. It presents God as transcendent and majestic. Dated to the Babylonian exile or the post-exilic period (6th-5th century BC), it is thought to have been written by priests of the Temple in Jerusalem. Its validity remains debated among contemporary scholars.
Genesis 1 (King James Version) :In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.Notethe light from…: Heb. between the light and between the darknessNoteAnd the evening…: Heb. And the evening was, and the morning was etc.And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.Notefirmament: Heb. expansionNoteAnd the evening…: Heb. And the evening was, and the morning was etc.And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.Notegrass: Heb. tender grassNoteAnd the evening…: Heb. And the evening was, and the morning was etc.And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.And the evening and the morning were the third day.And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:Notethe day…: Heb. between the day and between the nightNoteto rule the day…: Heb. for the rule of the day, etc.NoteAnd the evening…: Heb. And the evening was, and the morning was etc.And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.Notemoving: or, creepingNotelife: Heb. soulNotefowl…: Heb. let fowl flyNoteopen…: Heb. face of the firmament of heavenNoteAnd the evening…: Heb. And the evening was, and the morning was etc.And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.Notemoveth: Heb. creepethSo God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.Notebearing…: Heb. seeding seedNoteyielding…: Heb. seeding seedNotelife: Heb. a living soulNoteAnd the evening…: Heb. And the evening was, and the morning was etc.And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org