이스라엘은 약속의 땅에 들어가기 전과 들어간 후에 각각 여호와 하나님만을 섬겨야 하는 의무를 가지고 있었다. 가나안 거민들이 섬기는 바알을 비롯한 헛된 신들을 숭배하지 말아야 한다는 것이었다. 그런데 이스라엘이 이를 지키지 못하게 되고 다른 신들을 숭배했던 것을 성서는 기록해 주고 있다. 이로 인해서 이스라엘은 하나님의 심판을 받게 되는 결과를 낳게 되었다. 이런 역사적 현실이 가시화되기 이전에, 만일 이스라엘이 하나님이 주신 의무를 잘 이해하지 못했을 경우에 약속의 땅 안에서 죽게 될 것이라는 멸망선포가 이스라엘 공동체 전체에 적용되는 경우가 있음을 구약성서에서 관찰할 수 있다. 또한 이러한 멸망에 대한 선포의 말씀이 개인적으로 적용되는 방법으로 해석된 경우도 찾아볼 수 있다. 이렇게 공동체와 개인에게 적용된 경우들 이외에도 주변 민족들에게 이스라엘이 침략을 당하는 결과가 생기는 경우를 관찰할 수 있다. 신명기뿐만 아니라, 여호수아와 사사기에 나오는 본문들을 분석한 결과, 결국 이스라엘에 대한 멸망선포는 역사적 사실로 성취되지 않은 것이 아니라, 상황에 따라 변형되고 타협된 형태로 이스라엘 백성들에게 적용되었다는 것을 보여준다.
This study is to analyze the selected texts where destruction-announcement is pronounced in the Hebrew Bible Israel was supposed to worship YHWH only when they entered the promised land as she made a covenant with YHWH. If Israel worshipped other gods whom the Canaanites served in the land, she should be punished with total and quick destruction in the land. Various texts in Deuteronomy and Joshua were critically analyzed and compared focusing upon the verbs that were used in each text. The destruction-announcements uttered before Israel went into the land and those stated after Israel inherited the promised land were separated and compared in order to find out their different tendency if there is any. In the former case, Israel is doomed to perish in the land although the possibility of Israel’s survival in the land is hinted in the text. Typically Israel’s worship of other gods and marriage with the people in Canaan are major reason for YHWH’s destruction of Israel. Some texts show that the warning was fulfilled in the personal life, that is, a person who worshipped other gods should be put to death. Israel as a community did not perish in the land but individual people perish because of their idolatry. One of the most outstanding characteristics is that YHWH did not destroy Israel when she committed the most serious sin, namely following other gods. Instead, YHWH made Israel suffered from neighboring nations. However, Israel kept doing the evil things, YHWH decided to exile Israel to the foreign nations as the worst punishment. When Israel is kicked out of the promised land, she lost her relationship with YHWH and was cut off from the people of YHWH. This study shows that the destruction-announcement was executed not in the literal sense but in the transformed level. Israel was punished in the form of the exile and it is equal to the destruction in the land.