The Composition of the Tell Fakhariyah Inscription and Deuteronomy 28

This chapter explores the composition of Deuteronomy 28, noting a parallel to the Tell Fakhariyah bilingual inscription. Scholars have developed a textual history for the Tell Fakhariyah inscription, reconstructing a complex compositional process based upon division of this inscription into parts stemming from a West Semitic hand and parts with East Semitic origin. By exploring the translation technique that governed the production of this inscription, this chapter demonstrates that it stems from a single hand who could mediate between traditions of East and West. This new understanding of the compositional process of the Tell Fakhariyah inscription is then proposed as a model for understanding the composition of Deuteronomy 28, which also seems to reflect a complex interplay between Mesopotamian and Levantine traditions. Deuteronomy 28 makes use of the futility curse as a culturally Levantine product, but juxtaposes this with curses drawn from the East Semitic world, such as Esarhaddon’s Succession Treaties.