The Unstated Premise of the Prose Pentateuch: YHWH Is King

Abstract

The prose of the Pentateuch never describes God as a king. This omission requires explanation, because the Pentateuch shows God performing many royal functions and other parts of the Hebrew Bible readily call YHWH “king.” Rhetorical theory provides a likely explanation in the form of the unstated premises in enthymemes. By leaving the premise of God’s kingship implied but unstated, the Pentateuch can apply Iron Age imperial rhetoric to God while avoiding political debates about human king.