The Transjordanian Palimpsest: The Overwritten Texts of Personal Exile and Transformation in the Deuteronomistic History

The biblical imagery surrounding Jordan River crossings is the product of a complex process of development. This study analyzes several passages in the Former Prophets ( Josh. - 2 Kings ) from a literary perspective, and argues that the text presents Transjordan as liminal in Israel's history. The study then traces the process of redactional development in Samuel - Kings that led to this literary symbolism, and proposes a hypothesis featuring the repeated updating of texts, beginning early in Israel's monarchy and continuing until the final formation of the Deuteronomistic History.