The Transjordanian Palimpsest

The biblical imagery surrounding Jordan River crossings is the product of a complex process of development. This study analyzes several passages in the Former Prophets (Josh.-2 Kings) from a literary perspective, and argues that the text presents Transjordan as liminal in Israel s history. The study then traces the process of redactional development in Samuel-Kings that led to this literary symbolism, and proposes a hypothesis featuring the repeated updating of texts, beginning early in Israel s monarchy and continuing until the final formation of the Deuteronomistic History.