ABSTRACT
A great deal can be learned about the background and purpose of biblical narratives, as well as the antiquity of the traditions within them, by an examination of geographic and ethnic terminology. Two such terms in the Old Testament are “Amorite” and “Hittite”.1 It has been frequently assumed in the past that these terms are evidence of a very ancient level of the tradition quite apart from the literary sources in which they may be found. The present investigation will call into question the correctness of this assumption and will suggest that certain ideological purposes often lie behind the employment of these terms; that is to say, the use of the terms was rhetorical rather than historical.
