The tension: The Hebrew Bible repeatedly narrates theophanies in which God is seen face-to-face — by Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, seventy elders, Manoah, Micaiah, Job, Isa…
The tension: Exodus 33, Deuteronomy 7 and 31, and Joshua 1, 3, 17, and 21 all promise or declare total victory — God will drive out every Canaanite nation, no one will stan…
The tension: Numbers 31:7 reports the Israelites killed all the males of Midian, and verses 17-18 instruct them to kill every remaining male child plus every non-virgin wom…
The tension: Deuteronomy 2:9 has Yahweh forbid Israel from picking a fight with Moab or seizing Moabite land, because Yahweh assigned Ar to the descendants of Lot.
The tension: Deuteronomy 2:19 and 2:37 forbid Israel from invading or seizing Ammonite land, because Yahweh assigned that land to the descendants of Lot.
The tension: Joshua 10:33 says Joshua smote Horam king of Gezer and his people "until he had left him none remaining," but Judges 1:29 says Ephraim did not drive out the Ca…
The tension: Joshua 11:10-11 has Joshua kill Jabin king of Hazor and burn the city during the Conquest, but Judges 4:2-24 has the Israelites being oppressed by — and finall…
The tension: Joshua 24:9 says Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, "arose and warred against Israel," but Judges 11:25 has Jephthah ask rhetorically — with implied answer "no…
The tension: Judges 1:19 says Yahweh was with Judah and gave him the hill country, but he 'could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of i…
The tension: Gabriel tells Mary in Luke 1:28 that she is 'blessed among women.' The Song of Deborah (Judg 5:24) calls Jael 'blessed above women' for driving a tent peg thro…
The tension: Judges 4:21 has Jael driving the tent peg through the temple of a Sisera who is 'fast asleep and weary,' nailing him to the ground without him standing or stru…
The tension: Deuteronomy 6:16 issues a blanket prohibition — 'Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God' — quoted approvingly by Jesus at Matthew 4:7 and Luke 4:12.
The tension: The contradiction sets the silencing-and-subordination passages — Genesis 3:16 (the husband rules over the wife as curse), 1 Timothy 2:12 (woman may not teach…
