Here are some more gems from the book I've been reading, "Ancient Near Eastern Thought & the Old Testament: Introducing the Conceptual World of the Hebrew Bible" by John H. Walton.
- The Book of Genesis reference to humans being made in the image of God. The surrounding religions viewed their king as the representative of the gods. For Israel, all human beings bear this image. We embody God's qualities and do God's works.
- Seeking direction from the gods through omens was a common ancient Near East characteristic. The Joshua 10:12-15 passage that refers to the sun standing still can be interpeted through this understanding of omens. Rather than a physical standing still of the sun which is the common interpretation, it really refers to the Israelites and Amorites battling on a "bad" day according to the Amorites' belief in omens. The Amorites would have had low morale because of the "bad omen" day of battle.
- The Israelite's focus on covenant and the relationship YHWH desires with Israel is a unique understanding in the ancient Near East.
- The Jewish understanding that there will be a day when God will make the world right again is a unique understanding in the ancient world. The beliefs of ancient Near East religions centered on striving to keep the status quo which was a worldview of, "this is as good as it gets."
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