Editing Gideon (section)

==Textual history==
In the early twentieth century, the text of [[Judges 6]]–[[Judges 8|8]] was regarded by the "critical school" as a composite narrative, combining [[Jahwist]], [[Elohist]] and [[Deuteronomic]] sources, with further interpolations and editorial comments of the [[Second Temple period]].{{sfn|Hirsch|1906}} According to this approach, the D source or (D) material has an overwhelming presence in Judges 6–8. The earlier source material used is present. However, the message and theological view has the style of the Deuteronomistic school of Authors.{{sfn|Niditch|2008|p=10}} The core (Jahwist) narrative consists of Gideon wishing to avenge the death of his brothers, gathering 300 men of his own clan and pursuing the Midianite chiefs Zebah and Zalmunna, slaying them and consecrating an idol (''ephod'') made from the spoils of war, which makes his city of Ophrah the seat of an oracle and giving Gideon himself the status of a rich chief with a large harem (Judges 8:4–10a, 11–21, 24–27a, 29–32).{{sfn|Hirsch|1906}}

However, other scholars see the story as a single narrative, whose author made allusions to various Pentateuchal passages that he was familiar with.<ref>Joshua Berman, ''Inconsistency in the Torah: Ancient Literary Convention and the Limits of Source Criticism'', Oxford University Press, 2017, p. 160</ref> The story also contains consistent thematic elements which suggest a unified composition.<ref>Neriah Klein, [http://www.herzog.ac.il/vtc/tvunot/mega53_klein.pdf "To YHWH and to Gideon: A reading of the Gideon story"], ''Megadim'' 53:91-121 (2012)</ref>

[[Emil G. Hirsch]] alleged a historical nucleus in the narrative, reflecting the struggle of the [[tribe of Manasseh]] with hostile Bedouins across the Jordan, along with "reminiscences of tribal jealousies on the part of Ephraim" in the early period of Hebrew settlement, later conflated with the religious context of connecting Yahweh with the shrine at Ophrah.{{sfn|Hirsch|1906}}

[[G. A. Cooke]], writing in the [[Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges]] notes the discontinuity between Ephraimite anger towards Gideon shown in {{Bibleverse|Judges|8:1–3|HE}} and the proposition of kingship over [all] Israel, and therefore concludes that "these verses appear to come from a [secondary] source".<ref>[http://biblehub.com/commentaries/cambridge/judges/8.htm Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges], Judges 8, accessed 27 October 2016</ref>

According to [[Yairah Amit]], [[Mark S. Smith]], and [[Simon John De Vries]], the use of both names "Gideon" and "Jerubbaal" reflects two originally independent sets of stories combined by an editor who wishes them to be seen as referring to a single character.{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=46}}{{sfn|DeVries|1975|p=79}}{{sfn|Amit|1999|p=102}} The name Jerubbaal given to Gideon is originally a theophoric name meaning "Baal strives", but it was later given the interpretation of "let Baal strive against him" in order to avoid conflict with the more rigorous development of the religion of Yahweh in later centuries.{{efn|name=PurFra}}