Tzemah Yoreh Four Source Theory
The Four Source Theory is a well-known concept among the religious community that attempts to explain how the Pentateuch was written. The plagues in the book of Exodus are great examples of how these sources have come together throughout history. One plague in particular, the plague of hail can be attributed to the Elohist (E) source with some additions from the Yahwist (J) source and the Priestly source (P). This text also reveals much about God and his power. Dr. Rabbi Tzemah Yoreh discusses how the stories of the plagues from the book of Exodus came to be according to the Four Source Theory in his essay, “The Three Redactional and Theological Layers of the Plagues”. According to his research, the plagues were originally written by the E source, but these original plagues are much different than the ones found in the current canon. In this version, Moses is chosen by God to bring the Israelites out from Egypt and he is to perform this task by himself. When Pharaoh doesn’t let the Israelites go, Moses puts three plagues on Egypt, hail, locusts, and darkness. There is no warning given, no negotiations made with Pharaoh, and, quite significantly, no assistance from God. Then the J source comes in, which produces a story that is more similar to the one that can be found in the Bible. With the J source, God’s role in the plagues is added, five more plagues are also added bringing the total to eight, and the element of Pharaoh hardening his heart. Pharaoh also begins to receive some warning regarding the plagues.
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The P source comes in at the very end to complete the story of the plagues by bringing in the last two plagues, Aaron becomes involved in some plagues, and the idea of sin is introduced by having God harden the Pharaoh’s heart. By examining the plague of hail verse by verse, one can clearly see where these different sources have come together. Exodus 9:23 provides a very straightforward example of the combination of and J and E sources. The E source starts the beginning of the verse stating, “Then Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven.” The J source finishes the verse, “and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire came down on the earth. And the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt.” A good example of the P source being introduced during this plague can be found in Exodus 9:34-35, “But Pharaoh, seeing that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, sinned again and became obstinate, both he and his servants. In the hardness of the heart, Pharaoh would not let the Israelites go, just as the Lord has promised through Moses.” In these two verses, Pharaoh’s heart is hardened twice, the first time, he hardens his own heart and the second time, God hardens his heart. Another important aspect of the plague to look into further is who is acting as the primary actor is this story and what does this reveal about God.
At first glance, it may seem that Moses is responsible for the plague, but as discussed previously, it is actually God who is performing that action. With that being said though, Moses still plays a key role in the plague by relaying God’s messages to Pharaoh. The beginning of this plague starts
with:
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh, and say to him, ‘Thus says my Lord, the God of the Hebrews: Let my people go, so that they many worship me. For this time I will send all my plagues upon you yourself, and upon your officials, and upon your people, so that they may know that there is no one like me in all the earth. For by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth. But this is why I have let you live: to show you my power, and to make my name resound through all the earth. You are still exalting yourself against my people, and will not let them go.’” (Exodus 9:13-17)
There are several key points to bring up with regards to these verses that help reveal exactly who God is, which are explained in The New Interpreter’s Bible. To begin with, in these verses, God clearly states that he could have killed Pharaoh and his people by now, but has chosen not to. The New Interpreter’s Bible explains God’s reasoning behind this as, “Yahweh … has chosen this slower strategy in order to evidence power, to let Yahweh’s reputation (name) be noticed by the other nations” (757). This reveals that God is powerful and demands to be known. In these verses, God gives Pharaoh a simple way of avoiding the plague, all Pharaoh must do is let God’s people go. This shows that it is not God’s intention to destroy Pharaoh, but to instead show him what he has the ability to do. Through careful analysis of the story of the plague of hail, one is able to see how God reveals his character and this story came to be from the J, E, and P sources of the Four Source Theory.
The P source comes in at the very end to complete the story of the plagues by bringing in the last two plagues, Aaron becomes involved in some plagues, and the idea of sin is introduced by having God harden the Pharaoh’s heart. By examining the plague of hail verse by verse, one can clearly see where these different sources have come together. Exodus 9:23 provides a very straightforward example of the combination of and J and E sources. The E source starts the beginning of the verse stating, “Then Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven.” The J source finishes the verse, “and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire came down on the earth. And the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt.” A good example of the P source being introduced during this plague can be found in Exodus 9:34-35, “But Pharaoh, seeing that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, sinned again and became obstinate, both he and his servants. In the hardness of the heart, Pharaoh would not let the Israelites go, just as the Lord has promised through Moses.” In these two verses, Pharaoh’s heart is hardened twice, the first time, he hardens his own heart and the second time, God hardens his heart. Another important aspect of the plague to look into further is who is acting as the primary actor is this story and what does this reveal about God.
At first glance, it may seem that Moses is responsible for the plague, but as discussed previously, it is actually God who is performing that action. With that being said though, Moses still plays a key role in the plague by relaying God’s messages to Pharaoh. The beginning of this plague starts
with:
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh, and say to him, ‘Thus says my Lord, the God of the Hebrews: Let my people go, so that they many worship me. For this time I will send all my plagues upon you yourself, and upon your officials, and upon your people, so that they may know that there is no one like me in all the earth. For by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth. But this is why I have let you live: to show you my power, and to make my name resound through all the earth. You are still exalting yourself against my people, and will not let them go.’” (Exodus 9:13-17)
There are several key points to bring up with regards to these verses that help reveal exactly who God is, which are explained in The New Interpreter’s Bible. To begin with, in these verses, God clearly states that he could have killed Pharaoh and his people by now, but has chosen not to. The New Interpreter’s Bible explains God’s reasoning behind this as, “Yahweh … has chosen this slower strategy in order to evidence power, to let Yahweh’s reputation (name) be noticed by the other nations” (757). This reveals that God is powerful and demands to be known. In these verses, God gives Pharaoh a simple way of avoiding the plague, all Pharaoh must do is let God’s people go. This shows that it is not God’s intention to destroy Pharaoh, but to instead show him what he has the ability to do. Through careful analysis of the story of the plague of hail, one is able to see how God reveals his character and this story came to be from the J, E, and P sources of the Four Source Theory.