Polemical propaganda of the Golah community against the Gibeonites: Historical background of Joshua 9 and 2 Samuel 21 in the early Persian Period

Abstract

In Joshua 9 and 2 Samuel 21, two issues relate to the Gibeonites: the cultic place of YHWH and the Gibeonites’ ethnicity. In order to clarify the historical background of both texts, this article aims to look closely at the archaeological information of the site of el-Jib and to undertake a redactional analysis. Synthesizing these two independent observations leads to the conclusion that the only appropriate historical background for the composition of these texts is the early Persian period. This article suggests that both texts functioned as polemical propaganda for the Golah community against the Gibeonites. Such propaganda was presented to first affirm the supremacy of the Temple of Jerusalem, while denigrating the status of the Gibeonites and their sanctuary (Josh 9). Second, the propaganda served to brainwash the Gibeonites into serving the Golah community, exhorting them to assimilate as a part of Persian Yehud (2 Sam 21).