Psalm 68 and a new book on the origins of Israel

Prof. Yisrael Knohl, holding the Yehezkel Kaufman Chair in Bible at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, has published a new book entitled “The Holy Name” (Or Yehuda, Dvir, 2012, pp. 256), which analyses ancient Biblical texts in order to uncover the mystery of the origins of Israel.

The book opens with a surprising revelation: ancient biblical poetry already contains hidden structures that have a mystical-religious meaning. According to Knohl, these structures are built upon the name of God – YHWH. This discovery allows the author to interpret in a new way Psalm 68, in which the foundational events of Israel’s history are revealed.

The psalm describes the victory of the first Israelites, who lived in the area of the Golan Heights, over the Egyptian armies of King Merneptah, 3000 years ago. According to the author, the backdrop for the victory was not the Red Sea but rather the Hula Lake. This is only one of the surprising theories developed by Knohl in his new book. According to the author, Psalm 68 is the oldest text of the Old Testament, predating Kind David by about two hundred years and contemporary with the Egyptian inscription from the end of the 13th century BC, which mentions the word “Israel” for the first time.

The book is fascinating and full of surprises and well worth reading. It also helps decipher Psalm 68, one of the most difficult Hebrew texts.