"So shall God Do...": Variations of an Oath Formula and Its Literary Meaning‪.‬

[TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] In this article, I propose to examine the oath formula ... [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] (abbreviated henceforth as [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]). My main interest is the manner in which this oath formula can be mined for its literary contributions to the biblical narratives in which it is employed. A cursory glance at the twelve biblical occurrences of the oath formula [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] reveals minor, infrequent variations. One may be inclined simply to dismiss such differences with the valid assertion that the biblical text is favorably disposed to stylistic variation. It is my intention to demonstrate that this is not the case with regard to the different variations of the [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] oath formula. I will attempt to establish that these minor deviations are in fact deliberate components of a narrative artistically woven to convey a particular idea, which often converges with the primary message of the narrative in which it is found.