Leviticus 24:15b–16: A Crux Revisited

The occurrence of אלהיו in the first law (v. 15b) of Lev 24:15b–16 has led to the understanding that the law envisions a distinct circumstance (for example, an insult directed at other deities) in contrast to that of the second law in v. 16 (an insult directed at the name of God). This article argues that both laws (vv. 15b and 16) have the same case in view (explicitly stated in v. 16) by demonstrating that the use of אלהיו is part of a literary pattern displaying a movement toward specificity through the course of vv. 15b–16.