Jahwist - Definition

The Jahwist (J) is one of the sources of the torah postulated by the documentary hypothesis

Nature of the Jahwist text

In this source God's name is always presented as YHVH, which scholars transliterated in modern times as Jahweh (the previous transliteration was Jehovah). J treats God as a human-like figure, capable of regret, and appearing in person at events.

J has a particular fascination for traditions concerning Judah, including those concerning its relationship with its neighbour Edom. J also supports Judah against Israel, for example suggesting that Israel aquired Shechem (its capital city) by massacring the inhabitants.

J also supports the priests descended from Aaron who were established in Jerusalem, the capital of Judah.

The J source is notable for its elegance, and richness of emotion.

Origin of the Jahwist 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

J is thought to have been composed by collecting together the various stories and traditions concerning Judah and its associated tribes (Levi, Judah, Simeon, and Reuben), and weaving them into a single text. J also contains traditions associated with Edom, a nation which bordered it, and which Judah considered to have the same ethnic origin as itself, being descended from Esau.

Some source texts thought to have been used include

• The Blessing of Jacob, a poem used at Genesis 49:1 - 27
• The Song of the Sea, a poem used at Exodus 15:1 - 18

J is thought to derive from amongst the Aaronid priesthood, and to reflect their polemic opinions in the text. J has a reduced focus on Moses' importance (the priests of Shiloh were more likely to be descended from Moses (thus being Mushites) than from Aaron), and supports the symbols controlled by the Aaronid religion such as the Ark and the Jerusalem Temple. J never mentions the Tent of Meeting or the Nehustan associated with the Shiloh priesthood. J also reflects the polemic against the King of Israel's changes to the religion, attacking the Golden Calfs he set up (having one of the ten commandments against molten gods - the Cherubim of Judah's temple were only gold plated).

Passages ascribed to the Jahwist

The parts of the Torah usually identified as J are

• Genesis

• 2:4(ii) - 25 (Creation)
• 3, 4, 5:29 (Temptation, Cain and Abel, Cain's descendents)
• 6:1 - 4 (The Nephalim)
• 6:5 - 8, 7:1 - 5, 7:7, 7:10, 7:12, 7:16(ii) - 20, 7:22 - 23, 8:2(ii) - 3(i), 8:6, 8:8 - 12, 8:13(ii), 8:20 - 22 (The flood)
• 9:18 - 27 (Ham's rape of Noah)
• 10:8 - 19, 10:21, 10:24-30 (Noah's descendents)
• 11:1 - 9 (The Tower of Babel)
• 12:1 - 4(i) (Abraham's journey)
• 12:6 - 20 (The promise to Abraham, Abraham pretending his wife is his sister)
• 13:1 - 5, 13:7 - 11(i), 13:12(ii) - 18, 14 (Lot and Abraham)
• 15 (Abraham's covenant)
• 16:1 - 2, 16:4 - 14 (Hagar, Ishmael)
• 18, 19:1 - 28, 19: 30 - 38 (Sodom and Gomorrah)
• 21:1(i), 21:2(i), 21:7 (Isaac's birth)
• 22:20 - 24 (Abraham's relations)
• 24 (Rebekah)
• 25:8(i) (Abraham's death)
• 25:11(ii), 25:21 - 34, 26:1 - 33, 27:1 - 45 (Abimelek, Esau)
• 28:10 - 11(i), 28:13 - 16, 28:19 (Jacob at Bethel)
• 29, 30:1(i), 30:4(i), 30:24(ii) (Jacob's descendents)
• 30:25 - 43, 31:3, 31:17 - 18(i), 31:49, 32:4 - 13 (Laban and the return of Jacob)
• 34 (Israel obtains Shechem)
• 35:21 - 22 (Reuben and Jacob's concubine)
• 36:31 - 43 (Esau's descendents)
• 37:2(ii), 37:3(ii), 37:5 - 11, 37:19 - 20, 37:23, 37:25(ii) - 27, 37:28(ii), 37:31 - 35 (Joseph and his brothers)
• 38, 39 (Tamar, Potiphar's wife)
• 42:1 - 4, 42:8 - 20, 42:26 - 34, 42:38, 43:1 - 13, 43:15 - 17, 43:24 - 34, 44, 45:1 - 2, 45:4 - 28 (Joseph's brothers in Egypt)
• 46:5(ii), 46:28 - 34, 47:1 - 6, 47:11 - 27(i), 47:29 - 31, 49:1 - 27, 50:1 - 11, 50:14-23 (Jacob in Egypt)

• Exodus

• 1:6 (Descendents)
• 1:22 (The slaying of the firstborn)
• 2:1 - 23(i) (Moses' birth)
• 3:2 - 4(i), 3:5, 3:7 - 8, 3:19 - 22, 4:19 - 20(i), 4:24 - 26 (Moses' summoning)
• 5:1 - 2 (Moses faces the pharoah)
• 13:21 - 22, 14:5 - 7, 14:9(i), 14:10(ii), 14:13 - 14, 14:19(ii), 14:20(ii), 14:21(ii), 14:24, 14:25(ii), 14:27(ii), 14:30 - 31, 15:1 - 18 (Crossing the Red Sea)
• 15:22(ii) - 25(i) (A water supply)
• 16:4 - 5, 16:35(ii) (A food supply)
• 19:10 - 16(i), 19:18, 19:20 - 25 (The holy mountain)
• 34:1(i), 34:2 - 13 (Moses' theophany)
• 34:14 - 28 (The ten commandments)

• Leviticus

• Absolutely nothing

• Numbers

• 10:29 - 36 (Leaving the holy mountain)
• 13:17 - 20, 13:23 - 24, 13:27 - 31, 13:33, 14:1(ii), 14:4, 14:11 - 25, 14:39 - 45 (The report of the scouting party)
• 16:1(ii) - 2(i), 16:12 - 14, 16:25, 16:27(ii) - 32(i), 16:33 - 34 (The rebellion against the official priesthood)
• 20:14 - 21 (Edom)
• 21:1 - 3 (Arad)
• 21:21 - 35 (Sihon, Og)
• 25:1 - 5 (Heresy of Peor)

• Deuteronomy

• Absolutely nothing

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