Elohist - Definition and Overview

The Elohist (E) is one of the sources of the torah postulated by the documentary hypothesis

Nature of the Elohist text

In this source God's name is always presented as Elohim (Hebrew for God, or Power) until the revelation of God's name to Moses, after which God is referred to as YHVH. E treats God as a human-like figure, capable of regret, and appearing in person at events.

E has a particular fascination for traditions concerning biblical Israel and its heroes such as Joshua and Ephraim (a son of Joseph, and the tribe to which Israel's king belonged). E supports Israel against Judah, in the case of Shechem claiming that it was purchased rather than won via a massacre.

E supports the Levitical priests of Shiloh (who were not descended from Aaron), who were not given authority in Israel, both against the new priesthood set up in Israel, and against the priesthood of Judah (who were descended from Aaron). E tries to show Aaron and his supporters in a bad light, for example via the story of the golden calf (which also happened to be the symbol of the new version of the religion set up in Israel)

Origin of the Elohist text

this section describes the opinion of the documentary hypothesis without taking into account the opinion of certain religious groups that hold the texts to be from Moses or from god

E is thought to have been composed by collecting together the various stories and traditions concerning biblical Israel and its associated tribes (Dan, Napthali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulon, Ephraim, Manesseh, Benjamin), and the Levites, and weaving them into a single text. In particular it records the importance of Ephraim, which was the tribe from which the King of Israel happened to derive.

Some source texts thought to have been used include

• The Covenant Code, a legal text used in Exodus at Chapters 21 - 23

E is thought to derive from amongst the Shiloh priesthood, and to reflect their polemic opinion in the text. E denigrates the priesthood of Aaron, having a reduced focus on Aaron's importance (the rival priesthood in Jerusalem being Aaronids), and sometimes indirectly (since Aaron was too much of a past hero to attack directly) attacking Aaron (e.g. via the stories of the Golden Calf, and the story of Aaron's criticism of Moses' wife). E also denigrates the rival non-Levite priesthood created by the King of Israel, for example by one of its version of the ten commandments, which condemns Golden and Silver statues (condemning the molten gold Calfs of the non-Levite priesthood and the plated gold Cherubim of the Aaronid priesthood).

E explains the importance of the symbols controlled by the Shiloh priesthood such as the Nehustan and the religious importance of Shiloh itself (associated with the Tent of Meeting, which tradition stated had rested there until the Temple was built at Jerusalem). E never mentions the Temple or the Ark associated with the Aaronid priesthood.

Passages ascribed to the Elohist

The parts of the Torah usually identified as E are

• Genesis

• 20 (Abraham pretending his wife is his sister)
• 21:6 (Isaac's Birth)
• 21:8 - 34 (Hagar, Ishmael, Abimelek)
• 22:1 - 10, 22:16(ii) - 19 (Isaac's Binding)
• 25:1 - 4 (Keturah's sons)
• 28:11(ii) - 12, 28:17 - 18, 28:20 - 22 (Jacob at Bethel)
• 30:1(ii) - 3, 30:4(ii) - 24(i) (Jacob's descendents)
• 31:1 - 2, 31:4 - 16, 31:19 - 48, 31:50 - 54, 32:1 - 3, 32:14 - 33, 33:1 - 17 (Laban and the return of Jacob, Jacob is renamed Israel)
• 33:18(except Paddan Aram) - 20 (Israel obtains Shechem)
• 35:1 - 8 (Jacob returns to Bethel)
• 35:16 - 20 (Rachel dies)
• 37:3(i), 37:4, 37:12 - 18, 37:21 - 22, 37:24 - 25(i), 37:28(i), 37:29 - 30, 37:36 (Joseph and his brothers)
• 40 (Butler and baker)
• 41:1 - 45(i), 41:46(ii) - 57 (Joseph meets the pharoah)
• 42:5 - 7, 42:21 - 25, 42:35 - 37, 43:14, 43:18 - 23, 45:3 (Joseph's brothers in Egypt)
• 46:1 - 5(i), 47:7 - 10, 48:1 - 2, 48:8 - 22, 50:24-26 (Jacob in Egypt)

• Exodus

• 1:8 - 12 (The hebrews become slaves)
• 1:15 - 21 (The slaying of the firstborn)
• 3:1, 3:4(ii), 3:6, 3:9 - 18, 4:1 - 18, 4:20(ii) - 21(i), 4:22 - 23, 4:27 - 31 (Moses' summoning)
• 5:3 - 6:1, 7:14 - 18, 7:20(ii) - 21(i), 7:23 - 29, 8:3(ii) - 11(i), 8:16 - 28, 9:1 - 7, 9:13 - 34, 10:1 - 19, 10:21 - 26, 10:28 - 29, 11:1 - 8 (Moses faces the pharoah)
• 12:21 - 27, 12:29 - 36, 12:37(ii) - 39, 13:1 - 16 (The escape of the slaves)
• 13:17 - 19, 14:11 - 12, 14:19(i), 14:20(i), 14:25(i), 15:20 - 21 (Crossing the Red Sea)
• 15:25(ii) - 26 (Instructions)
• 17:2 - 7 (A water supply)
• 17:8 - 16 (Amalak)
• 18 (Jethro)
• 19:2(ii) - 9, 19:16(ii) - 17, 19:19, 20:18 - 26 (The holy mountain)
• 21, 22, 23 (The Covenant Code)
• 24:1 - 15(i), 24:18(ii) (The holy mountain)
• 32:1 - 33:11 (The Golden Calf)
• 33:12 - 23 (Moses' theophany)

• Leviticus

• Absolutely nothing

• Numbers

• 11, 12 (Taberah, a food source, Moses' wife)
• 21:4(ii) - 9 (Nehustan the bronze serpent)
• 22:2 - 24:25 (Balaam)

• Deuteronomy

• 31:14 - 15, 31:23 (The appointing of Joshua)
• 33:1 (Moses' blessing)
• 34:1 - 6 (Moses' death)

(Where i and ii denote the first and second sentences in a verse respectively)