Exodus
“YHWH Fights for Them!” The Divine Warrior in the Exodus Narrative
My academic interest in Exodus began with my dissertation, which focused on YHWH’s role as a divine warrior in the exodus narrative. My dissertation was later published, but since my target audience is Old Testament scholars it is not an easy read. For an overview of my argument, see the blog post below, and some samples of the book can read at my academia.edu page.
“YHWH Fights for Them!” The Divine Warrior in the Exodus Narrative (Gorgias: Piscataway, 2014)
YHWH Fights for Them: An Interview with Charlie Trimm (Good Book blog)
YHWH and Chaos
Like most large projects in academia, various parts of my research on Exodus were cut from the original project and published elsewhere. Here are some of them. As I discuss in the interview about my dissertation, one of my points is how God did not need to defeat Chaos, but used chaos against his enemies.
“YHWH the God of Chaos: The Anti-Chaoskampf in Exodus” (2011 ETS Annual Meeting)
YHWH and the Nations in the Torah
YHWH’s relationship with non-Israelites nations was an important part of my research related to the Torah. While he is commonly portrayed as fanatically dedicated to Israel at the expense of other nations, the biblical text commonly shows how YHWH’s interaction with non-Israelite nations is more varied.
“Did YHWH Condemn the Nations When He Elected Israel? YHWH’s Disposition toward Non-Israelites in the Torah” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 55 (2012): 521–36
Moses and the Amalekites
I have also published articles on two other texts in the book of Exodus. The first is about the battle against the Amalekites in Exodus 17:8-16 based on a connection I saw with some extra-biblical material. However, it took over a decade to get this material published, as I talk about in this blog post.
“God’s Staff and Moses’ Hand(s): The Battle against the Amalekites as a Turning Point in the Role of the Divine Warrior” Journal for the Study of the Old Testament 44 (2019): 198–214
The Long Process of Writing an Academic Article (Good Book Blog)
Honoring Parents
The other text I have published on has nothing to do with warfare, but derives from my own living situation. My wife and I have cared for my grandmother, who suffers from dementia, for a decade. We also live with my mother and mother-in-law. This has caused me to think about what it means to “honor your parents,” which I argue means to take care of one’s parents when they are older. The picture is of my grandmother when she was much younger: she was a dance instructor and received a master’s degree in dance.
“Honor Your Parents: A Command for Adults” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 60 (2017): 247–63
Exodus (NICOT)
Finally, Chloe Sun and I have been asked to write the Exodus volume in the NICOT series, which will give me many more opportunities to study Exodus!
Exodus in the New International Commentary on the Old Testament series (co-authored with Chloe Sun; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, under contract)