Cited by 2Biblical Studies and InterpretationJewish and Middle Eastern StudiesMedieval Literature and History

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 19 of the 19 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; none of the 18 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.

"Israel's" Only Son? The complexity of Benjaminite identity between Judah and Joseph

Open access
Giffone, Benjamin D.·2019·Old Testament Essays

Abstract

CITATION: Giffone, B. D. 2019. Israel's only son? the complexity of Benjaminite identity between Judah and Joseph. Old Testament Essays, 32(3):956-972, doi:10.17159/2312-3621/2019/v32n3a10.

Overview

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

The paper argues that Genesis 35–50 uses Benjamin—the only son born to “Israel” after Jacob’s name change—to mediate competing Israelite identities between Josephites to the north and Judahites to the south. It reads the narrative’s conciliatory “All Israel” message as reflecting and shaping preexilic, Babylonian, and Persian-period communities.

Key findings

  • In the received text, Benjamin is Jacob’s twelfth and youngest son and the only child born to “Israel” after Jacob’s name change in Gen 35:9–15; this evokes Israel’s origins in Benjaminite territory and the Benjaminite identity of Israel’s first king, Saul.
  • Genesis 42–45 embeds a tug-of-war over Benjamin: Joseph gives him a feast portion five times larger than the other brothers’ portions (43:34) and later five changes of clothes and 300 pieces of silver (45:22), while Judah pledges himself for Benjamin’s safety (43:9) and offers himself as a slave in Benjamin’s place (44:33).
  • Reuben is eclipsed by Judah and Joseph; Reuben is referenced only twice in Judges, Samuel, and Kings (Jdg 5:15–16; 2 Kgs 10:33), whereas Gileadites have two judges and thirteen references.
  • Archaeological synthesis indicates the Benjaminite regions suffered little from the Babylonian invasion and show continuous settlement in the sixth century BCE; decline begins late in the sixth century, with destruction of Benjaminite towns Bethel, Gibeon, and Gibeah in the first quarter of the fifth century BCE.

Methods

  • Literary and redactional close reading of Genesis 35–50, especially Gen 35, 38, 42–45, and 49, combined with historical reconstruction of Benjamin from archaeology and secondary scholarship.
  • Uses a “textual identities” framework and Jonker’s multi-level identity negotiation—imperial, regional, ethnic, and cultic—to interpret the final-form narrative as intentionally shaped by “storymakers.”
  • No new primary data; the analysis synthesizes biblical text, archaeological reports such as Lipschits, and prior studies.

Limitations

  • Stated: the transmission history of the traditions remains opaque; there is no consensus on how and why the Pentateuch was shaped; multiple “final forms” exist, including Samaritan and Greek textual traditions; and the presumption of conscious final-form intentionality is not universally held.
  • Evident: the argument is interpretive and depends on secondary archaeological synthesis rather than new fieldwork or quantitative analysis; conclusions about embedded tribal identities cannot be directly falsified from the text.

Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.17159/2312-3621/2019/v32n3a10

Cites

19 of 19 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Verification

Claims the paper makes

39 Own interpretation · 12 Own result · 10 Sources not found · 6 Not checked yet · 4 No basis given

Show all 19 claims

  • It may state two separate claims as one. 22
  • Probably not a substantial claim. 40
52 of 52
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    Most biblical texts, including Genesis, are composite works containing traditions that predate the final form of the text by many centuries.

    “First, most biblical texts, including Genesis, are composite works containing traditions that predate the final form of the text by many centuries.”
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    The final form of the text is the product of some conscious intention by an individual or a group of individuals who presented the text in [something close to] its present form to the community for retention, reverence, and reproduction.

    “I presume that the final form of the text is the product of some conscious intention by an individual or a group of individuals who presented the text in [something close to] its present form to the community for retention, reverence, and reproduction.”
2 of 2

Citations

Cites

Research works printed but not linked: 10

  1. Amit, Yairah. "The Delicate Balance in the Image of Saul and Its Place in the Deuteronomistic History." Pages 71-79 in Saul in Story and Tradition. Edited by
  2. Brueggemann, Walter. Genesis: A Commentary for Teaching and Preaching. Interpretation series. Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1982.
  3. Cohen, Shaye J. D. The Beginnings of Jewishness: Boundaries, Varieties, Uncertainties. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1999.
  4. Faust, Avraham. "Settlement Patterns and State Formation in Southern Samaria and the Archaeology of (a) Saul." Pages 14-38 in Saul in Story and Tradition. Edited by
  5. Giffone, Benjamin D. 'Sit at My Right Hand': The Chronicler's Portrait of the Tribe of Benjamin in the Social Context of Yehud. LHBOTS 628. New York: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2016.
  6. Knoppers, Gary N. "Israel's First King and 'The Kingdom of YHWH in the Hands of the Sons of David': The Place of the Saulide Monarchy in the Chronicler's Historiography." Pages 187-213 in Saul in Story and Tradition. Edited by Carl S. Ehrlich and Marsha C. White. FAT 47. Tübingen: Mohr-Siebeck, 2006.
  7. Kreuzer, Siegfried. "Saul-Not Always-at War: A New Perspective on the Rise of Kingship in Israel." Pages 39-58 in Saul in Story and Tradition. Edited by Carl S. Ehrlich and Marsha C. White. FAT 47. Tübingen: Mohr-Siebeck, 2006.
  8. Mobley, Gregory. "Glimpses of the Heroic Saul." Pages 80-87 in Saul in Story and Tradition. Edited by Carl S. Ehrlich and Marsha C. White. FAT 47. Tübingen: Mohr-Siebeck, 2006.
  9. Schunck, Klaus-Dietrich. "Benjamin." Translated by Phillip R. Callaway. Pages 671- 673 in Anchor Bible Dictionary, vol.
  10. White, Marsha C. "Saul and Jonathan in 1 Samuel 1 and 14." Pages 119-138 in Saul in Story and Tradition. Edited by Carl S. Ehrlich and Marsha C. White. FAT 47. Tübingen: Mohr-Siebeck, 2006.

Metadata

Authors
Giffone, B. D.
Affiliations
Stellenbosch University (ZA)
Corresponding author
Giffone, Benjamin D.
Venue
Old Testament Essays
Published
2019
Volume
32
Issue
3
ISSN
  • 1010-9919 (ISSN-L)
  • 2312-3621
OpenAlex
W2992796452
Cited by
2
References
12
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 1
FWCI
0.00
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by
Locations
  • Old Testament Essays (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Institutional Repository of LCC International University (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • SUNScholar (Stellenbosch University) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Religious studies › Biblical Studies and Interpretation
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › History › Medieval Literature and History
Keywords
Benjamin, Judah, Joseph, Israelite monarchy, royal succession, Book of Judges, Book of Samuel

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