The Identity of the Standing Figures on Pithos A from Kuntillet ʿAjrud: A Reassessment

Abstract

The question of the identity of the two standing figures at the center of pithos A continues to be a subject of vigorous debate, with the scholarly community divided over whether they should be explained in light of the inscription invoking YHWH and his asherah that is situated above them. In this article, the author contributes to the discussion by reviewing the main iconographic arguments for identifying the figures as YHWH and his female partner and in the process responds to some of the common objections that have been raised against the hypothesis. These include the figures’ sexual dualism, overlapping pose as male and female partners, their Bes-like and bovine features and associated mythological compatibility with YHWH , and the larger iconographic context of the individual pithoi.