Divine Aggression in Psalms and Inscriptions Vengeful Gods and Loyal Kings Society for Old Testament Study Monographs Series

The aggression of the biblical God named Yhwh is notorious. Students of theology, the Bible, and the Ancient Near East know that the Hebrew Bible describes Yhwh acting destructively against his client country, Israel, and against its kings. But is Yhwh uniquely vengeful, or was he just one among other, similarly ferocious patron gods? To answer this question, Collin Cornell compares royal biblical psalms with memorial inscriptions. He finds that the Bible shares deep theological and literary commonalities with comparable texts from Israel's ancient neighbours. The centrepiece of both traditions is the intense mutual loyalty of gods and kings. In the event that the king's monument and legacy comes to harm, gods avenge their individual royal protégé. In the face of political inexpedience, kings honour their individual divine benefactor.

1. Divine aggression in comparative perspective; 2. Divine aggression in royal inscriptions; 3. Divine aggression in select royal psalms; 4. Divine aggression in royal psalms of defeat; 5. Divine aggression in prophetic texts of defeat; 6. Conclusions and implications; Bibliography.

Collin Cornell is Visiting Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies for the School of Theology at The University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee and editor of Divine Doppelgängers: YHWH's Ancient Look-Alikes (2020).