YHWH TSEVAOT IN SAMUEL: GOD OF THE DAVIDIC AGE.

The article seeks to determine the significance of Yhwh Tsevaot in Samuel. Existing studies mostly focus on the semantics and syntax; fewer have taken a contextually sensitive approach. Why does the title appear for the first time in this book? The article first examines two views that do seek contextual meaning. One is actually diachronic--historical origin based on the text's mention of Shiloh. Delineating the limits of 1 Samuel 1 assists in assessing this view. The other view is by Firth--the title as the marker of transition. The article develops Firth's method, plotting all uses of the term within the book's metanarrative. The proposal is that Yhwh Tsevaot marks the transformation of the religious and political landscape of Israel, so that all is unified around the Davidic king. The article also considers the use of divine titles across Genesis-Judges, to determine that the introduction of a new title in Samuel, with the use of the "name" terminology, is indicative of redemptive historical significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]