Origin And Meaning of the Old Testament

d indicate a population of at least 3,000,000 is preposterous. When they reached the Sinai peninsula they were probably joined by several other related Hebrew tribes and all may have remained with their flocks in this fertile spot for a long time until they determined to invade Canaan. How Moses inspired them with faith in their tribal God Jehovah who was their patron and always led them to victory and what decrees he issued affecting their cult, their sacrifices and ceremonies, we do not know, for no written record could have been made at the time. They were a rude semi-barbarous people who did not differ much from the other nomadic tribes with whom they came into contact. The versions contained in the Pentateuch and Joshua were transmitted orally for many centuries, and the original legends with the traditional accretions and many later views are so intermixed that the historical basis is very difficult to determine. The bond that held all the different but related elements together was their faith in their tribal God Jehovah who had never deserted them and whom they may have worshiped long before Moses. " The promised land "which they determined to invade appeared in roseate hues to them in comparison with their former haunts. In reality, however, only some parts were very fertile, some mountainous and others bleak and barren. The territory was quite small in extent, only about 150 miles in length and varying from 50 to 100 miles in width, an area comp...