Samson’s conception story may be read subversively as the result of a union between a divine being and a mortal woman, making Samson a demi-god with superhuman characteristics. At the same time, the text keeps open the more mundane possibility that his father is Manoah and his powers are simply a gift from God.
Dr.
Naphtali Meshel
,
,
How the conflation of Kiryat-arba and Hebron created a new mythic character, Arba, father of the giants.
Dr. Rabbi
Zev Farber
,
,
The conflation of two cities over time
Prof.
Jacob L. Wright
,
Dr. Rabbi
Zev Farber
,
To avoid saying that Israel conquered the territory of their Moabite cousins, and that Reuben and Gad may once have been Moabite tribes, the Torah claims that when the Israelites arrived, the land was occupied by Amorites and ruled by King Sihon.
Dr.
Rachel Havrelock
,
,
