Challenging a Priestly Credit Theology: A New Translation of Niphal חשב.

BIBLE. Leviticus; HEBREW language; OLD Testament; THEOLOGY

This article argues for a new translation of the niphal of חשב in the Priestly Narrative. This verb has typically been translated as "credited" and has been used as the foundation for arguing that the Priestly sacrificial system utilizes a divine ledger that tracks credits and debits of individual Israelites. I demonstrate that the concept of this kind of "credit theology" is foreign to the Priestly Narrative, and that the mistranslation of this verb has enabled a fundamental misunderstanding of the sacrificial system. Instead, I suggest that the use of this verb is limited to a very specific legal scenario related to the inappropriate possession of sacrificial material, is best understood in the context of property law, and should be translated as "to bail". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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