Formulas for (Dis)Honorable Installation in Deuteronomy 26:19 and 28:37: The Honorific Implications of Israel’s Covenant (Un)Faithfulness

This study analyzes the grammatically parallel (dis)honorific formulas found in Deut 26:19 and Deut 28:37 to show how they present the implications of covenant (dis)obedience for Israel in the public (i.e., honor/shame) sphere. I note how both formulas display a specific grammatical form: a verb of installation followed by one or more nouns from the honor/shame semantic field, often marked by the prefix ל. I then argue from the numerous occurrences of this formula that its usage intensifies both the reward for covenant faithfulness and the consequence of covenant failure.