Righteous Jehu and his Evil Heirs: The Deuteronomist's Negative Perspective on Dynastic Succession (Oxford Theology and Religion Monographs)

David T. Lamb examines not only the dynasty of Jehu within the narrative of 2 Kings, but also the broader context of the dynasties of Israel and Judah in the books of Kings and Samuel. Lamb discusses religious aspects of kingship (such as anointing, divine election, and prayer) in both the Old Testament and in the literature of the ancient Near East. He concludes that the Deuteronomistic editor, because of a deep concern that leaders be divinely chosen and obedient to Yahweh, sought to subvert the monarchical status quo by shaping the Jehuite narrative to emphasize that dynastic succession disastrously fails to produce righteous leaders. Contents List of Tables Abbreviations 1 Introduction 1.1 The Uniqueness of Jehu’s Dynasty 1.2 History of Research 1.3 Narrative Definition, Methodology, and Organization 2 Righteous Jehu 2.1 Jehu’s Righteous Regnal Evaluation 2.2 Jehu’s Fathers: Jehoshaphat, Nimshi, and Omri 2.3 Jehu’s Prophetic and Divine Anointing 2.4 Jehu’s Divine Election 2.5 Jehu’s Violent Obedience 2.6 Jehu’s Contracting Borders 2.7 Jehu’s Omitted Tribute 2.8 Dtr’s Positive Perspective on Jehu 3 Jehu and David: Two Charismatic Kings 3.1 Parallels between Jehu and David 3.2 The Two Most Charismatic Kings 3.3 Dtr’s Positive Perspective on Charismatic Rulers 4 Jehu’s Evil Heirs 4.1 Unrighteous Evaluations 4.2 Royal Longevity 4.3 Military Success 4.4 Dtr’s Negative Perspective on Jehu’s Heirs 5 Jehu’s Dynasty and Dtr’s Perspective on Dynastic Succession 5.1 Dynasty in the ANE 5.2 Dynasty in the DH: Observations and Questions 5.3 Dtr’s Explanation: Dynastic Oracles 5.4 Dtr’s Negative Perspective on Dynastic Succession 6 Conclusion 6.1 Summary: Dtr’s Critique of Dynastic Succession 6.2 Two Additional Implications and Three Unresolved Questions Bibliography Index Index of Hebrew Bible References Index of Modern Authors A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P R S T V W Y Z This book examines not only the dynasty of Jehu within the narrative of 2 Kings, but also the broader context of the dynasties of Israel and Judah in the books of Kings and Samuel. It discusses religious aspects of kingship (such as anointing, divine election, and prayer) in both the Old Testament and in the literature of the ancient Near East. The book concludes that the Deuteronomistic editor, because of a deep concern that leaders be divinely chosen and obedient to Yahweh, sought to subvert the monarchical status quo by shaping the Jehuite narrative to emphasize that dynastic succession disastrously fails to produce righteous leaders