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Copyright © 2019 Charles Randall Breland All rights reserved. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary has permission to reproduce and disseminate this document in any form by any means for purposes chosen by the Seminary, including, without limitation, preservation or instruction. THE YEAR OF THE LORD’S FAVOR: AN OLD TESTAMENT THEOLOGY OF THE JUBILEE __________________ A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary __________________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy __________________ by Charles Randall Breland December 2019 APPROVAL SHEET THE YEAR OF THE LORD’S FAVOR: AN OLD TESTAMENT THEOLOGY OF THE JUBILEE Charles Randall Breland Read and Approved by: __________________________________________ T. J. Betts (Chair) __________________________________________ James M. Hamilton __________________________________________ Brian J. Vickers Date ______________________________ To my dearest wife, Bethany. I cherish you and am eternally grateful for your sacrifice to see this work finished. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS . vi PREFACE . viii Chapter 1. HISTORY OF RESEARCH . 1 Introduction . 1 Thesis . 3 History of Research . 3 Methodology . 26 2. BACKGROUNDS TO THE JUBILEE . 28 Social Justice and Proclamations of Freedom in the Ancient Near East . 28 Redemption of Land and Persons in the Ancient Near East . 42 Social and Economic Structure of Ancient Israel . 47 Debt-Slavery in Ancient Israel . 61 Summary . 71 3. ISRAEL’S SABBATH SPECTRUM . 73 Genesis 2:1-3 . 74 The Sabbath Day . 83 The Sabbath Year . 98 The Reading of the Law . 125 The Jubilee . 127 Conclusion . 130 iv Chapter Page 4. THE JUBILEE . 131 Introduction . 131 Structure and Setting of Leviticus . 132 Structure of Leviticus 25 . 138 Leviticus 25:8-12: Main Legislation . 141 Family Economics versus Pharaonic Economics . 198 Other Pentateuch Texts Related to the Jubilee . 201 Was the Jubilee Ever Practiced? . 204 Was the Jubilee a Utopian Ideal? . 215 Chapter Summary . 226 5. THE ESCHATOLOGICAL JUBILEE . 230 A Brief Word on Typology . 230 The Eschatological Jubilee in Isaiah . 231 The Eschatological Jubilee in 2 Chronicles . 245 The Eschatological Jubilee in Ezekiel . 246 The Eschatological Jubilee in Daniel . 253 Conclusion . 265 6. CONCLUSION . 266 Observation 1: Ancient Law . 266 Observation 2: Sabbath Rest . .. 267 Observation 3: Capstone of Social Justice . 267 Observation 4: Torah Celebration . 268 Observation 5: Exodus Drama . 269 Observation 6: Spiritual Forgiveness. 270 Observation 7: Second Exodus . .. 270 Observation 8: Type of Redemption . 271 v Chapter Page Conclusion . .. 272 BIBLIOGRAPHY . 275 vi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ABD Anchor Bible Dictionary AnBib Analecta Biblica ANET Pritchard, James B., ed. The Ancient Near East: An Anthology of Texts and Pictures. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2011 AOS American Oriental Society BASOR Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research BDAG Danker, Frederick W., Walter Bauer, and William F. Arndt. A Greek- English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000. BDB Brown, Francis, S. R. Driver, and Charles A. Briggs, eds. The Brown- Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1979. BZAW Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft CBQ Catholic Biblical Quarterly COS The Context of Scripture EI Eretz-Israel EJ Encyclopedia Judaica EQ The Evangelical Quarterly HALOT Köhler, Ludwig, Walter Baumgartner, M. E. J Richardson, Johann Jakob Stamm, Benedikt Hartmann, G. J Jongeling-Vos, and L. J. de Regt. The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament. Translated by M. E. J. Richardson. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill, 1994. HUCA Hebrew Union College Annual JCS Journal of Cuneiform Studies JNES Journal of Near Eastern Studies JPS Jewish Publication Society JQR Jewish Quarterly Review JSOT Journal for the Study of the Old Testament JSOTSS Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Supplement Series LSJ Liddell, Henry George, Robert Scott, Henry Stuart Jones, and Roderick McKenzie. A Greek-English Lexicon. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1996 NAC New American Commentary NICOT New International Commentary on the Old Testament NIDOTTE New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis NSBT New Studies in Biblical Theology OTL The Old Testament Library PEQ Palestine Exploration Quarterly RSO Revista Degli Studi Orientali TLOT Theological Lexicon of the Old Testament vii TOTC Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries TWOT Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament VT Vetus Testamentum VTSup Supplements to Vetus Testamentum WBC Word Biblical Commentary WTJ Westminster Theological Journal ZAW Zeitschrift für die Alttestamentliche Wissenschaft viii PREFACE I have often reflected to others that I have been a student my entire life. It is an immense joy and privilege to study the Word of our living God. This project began in an Old Testament seminar with Dr. Charles Halton in the spring of 2010. It is there that I read C. J. H. Wright’s The Mission of God. His most excellent chapter on the Jubilee opened my eyes to the centrality of the Jubilee in the Torah and the prophetic expectation. A conversation in the living room of Chris Burtch, one of my several best friends, led me to believe that the church needed an evangelical treatment of the Jubilee. I am forever indebted to Chris for asking me pointed and thoughtful questions about the meaning of the Jubilee. I wrote a short paper on the Jubilee for a seminar with my doctoral supervisor, Dr. T. J. Betts. This seminar paper along with conversations with Dr. Jim Hamilton solidified my intention to write on the Jubilee. I am grateful for the influence and encouragement of Chris Burtch, Dr. Hamilton, Dr. Halton, and Dr. Betts. My commitment to pursuing a doctoral degree began with instruction by my godly parents, Charles and Catherine Breland. They always believed I should avail myself of as much educational opportunity as I could. My parents taught me the value of diligence, hard work, and integrity. Harry and JoEllen Valentine, my godly in-laws, paved the way for this project via encouragement, financial help, and endless prayers. Thank you to all of my parents. My wife has been a most willing and deeply encouraging friend through this entire process. Despite my many desires to give it all up, she found the way to always put the wind back in my sails and point me back to seeking God’s glory in all my work. Our sweetest daughters, Evangeline and Juliana, have cheered me on with many hugs, cuddles, glorious drawings, and prayers for my “book.” I also should mention Lance Howerton and Dan Talcott, who have generously provided the time away from ix work two years in a row to finish this project. Their constant encouragement and belief in this project have instilled in me deep gratitude and immense courage, which are gifts that only the truest of friends and brothers in the faith can give. I am forever grateful to my church for their zealous participation in this project. The elders have shown me the meaning of redemption and true friendship in a way few men can know. Thank you to Jim Hamilton, Denny Burk, Christopher Burtch, Matthew Damico, Michael Frantz, Gabe Molnar, J.O. Oesterling, Matt Pierce, Colin Smothers, and John Watson. It is the privilege of my life to serve among these valiant warriors of the Lord. Denny Burk’s bowls of fall gumbo sustained me during long days of writing. John Watson and Christopher Burtch filled in for me one too many times to teach at Kenwood so that I could write. Colin Smothers made a valiant effort in reading this dissertation through and helping me smooth over many rough patches. Jim Hamilton’s encouragement, exhortation, many conversations, and detailed proofing have made this project far better. Finally, I want to thank the members of Kenwood Baptist Church. As I have had the privilege of serving them in various capacities the last decade, it is to them that I have imagined that I have written this dissertation. This work may be academic in nature, but it is for the church. The Jubilee holds great power to shape our desire to do practical good to others, especially those of the household of God. May the Lord always bless you, Kenwood! Randall Breland Louisville, Kentucky December 2019 x CHAPTER 1 HISTORY OF RESEARCH Introduction For the contemporary Christian, the word “Jubilee” evokes images of joy, celebration, and deliverance. Preachers may think of the trumpet in Leviticus 25 or the proclamation of liberty in Isaiah 61. Worship leaders may recall the popular song, “These Are the Days of Elijah,” in which the lyrics sing, “Lift your voice, it’s the year of Jubilee.”1 Political pundits may reminisce about the Jubilee 2000 movement, which had limited success in addressing third world poverty. A popular fiction writer has even used the biblical Jubilee to argue that America is doomed.2 Although evangelical culture is full of references to the Jubilee, the content of that understanding often lacks basis in the biblical text. Although there are celebratory and prophetic elements within the biblical Jubilee, it is primarily concerned with redemption, restoration, and rest. Discussion and understanding of the Jubilee seems lacking in the pew, in the pulpit, and, sadly, in the professoriate as well. I have heard few believers connect the word Jubilee to the historical institution described in Leviticus 25. Few preachers would connect