Editing Hebrew Bible (section)

=== Before the exile ===
{{Further|Tradition history}}

Modern scholars{{who|date=November 2024}} believe that the ancient Israelites mostly originated from within Canaan. Their material culture was closely related to their Canaanite neighbors, and Hebrew was a [[Canaanite languages|Canaanite dialect]]. Archaeological evidence indicates Israel began as loosely organized tribal villages in the [[Geography of Israel#Central hills|hill country of modern-day Israel]] {{circa|1250|1000 BCE}}. During crises, these tribes formed temporary alliances. The [[Book of Judges]], written {{circa|600 BCE|lk=no}} (around 500 years after the events it describes), portrays Israel as a grouping of decentralized tribes, and the [[Deborah#The Song of Deborah|Song of Deborah]] in Judges 5 may reflect older oral traditions. It features archaic elements of Hebrew and a [[Twelve Tribes of Israel#Scholarly examination|tribal list]] that identifies Israel exclusively with the northern tribes.{{Sfn|Carr|2021|pp=37–38, 45, 42–49 & 54}}

By the 9th or 8th centuries BCE, the [[Scribe#Judaism|scribal]] culture of Samaria and Judah was sufficiently developed to produce biblical texts.{{Sfn|Schmid|Schröter|2021|p=66}} The Kingdom of Samaria was more powerful and culturally advanced than the Kingdom of Judah. It also featured multiple cultic sites, including the sanctuaries at [[Bethel]]  and [[Dan (ancient city)|Dan]].{{Sfn|Schmid|Schröter|2021|pp=71 & 73}}

Scholars estimate that the Jacob tradition (Genesis 25–35) was first written down in the 8th century BCE and probably originated in the north because the stories occur there. Based on the prominence given to the sanctuary at Bethel (Genesis 28), these stories were likely preserved and written down at that religious center. This means the Jacob cycle must be older than the time of King [[Josiah]] of Judah ({{reign|640|609 BCE}}), who pushed for the centralization of worship at Jerusalem.{{Sfn|Schmid|Schröter|2021|pp=73–74}}

The story of Moses and the [[Book of Exodus|Exodus]] appears to also originate in the north. It existed as a self-contained story in its oral and earliest written forms, but it was connected to the patriarchal stories during the exile or post-exile periods. The account of Moses's birth ([[Book of Exodus|Exodus 2]]) shows similarities to the birth of [[Sargon of Akkad]], which suggests [[Neo-Assyrian Empire|Neo-Assyrian]] influence sometime after 722 BCE. While the Moses story is set in Egypt, it is used to tell both an anti-Assyrian and anti-imperial message, all while appropriating Assyrian story patterns.{{Sfn|Schmid|Schröter|2021|pp=76–79}} [[David M. Carr]] notes the possibility of an early oral tradition for the Exodus story: "To be sure, there may have been a 'Moses group,' themselves of Canaanite extraction, who experienced slavery and liberation from Egypt, but most scholars believe that such a group—if it existed—was only a small minority in early Israel, even though their story came to be claimed by all."{{Sfn|Carr|2021|pp=45 & 54}}

Scholars believe [[Psalm 45]] could have northern origins since it refers to a king marrying a foreign princess, a policy of the [[Omrides]].{{Sfn|Schmid|Schröter|2021|p=79}} Some psalms may have originated from the shrine in the northern city of Dan. These are the [[Sons of Korah (Bible)|Sons of Korah]] psalms, [[Psalm 29]], and [[Psalm 68]]. The city of Dan probably became an Israelite city during the reign of King [[Jeroboam II]] (781–742{{nbsp}}BCE). Before then, it belonged to [[Aram (region)|Aram]], and [[Psalm 20]] is nearly identical to an [[Aramaic]] psalm found in the 4th century BCE [[Papyrus Amherst 63]].{{Sfn|Schmid|Schröter|2021|p=74–75}}

The author of the [[Books of Kings]] likely lived in Jerusalem.{{citation needed|date=November 2024}} The text shows a clear bias favoring Judah, where God's worship was centralized in Jerusalem. The Kingdom of Samaria is portrayed as a godless breakaway region whose rulers refuse to worship at Jerusalem.{{Sfn|Schmid|Schröter|2021|p=71}}