432 GREGORY T.K. WONG situations as Deem seems to think, the possible dependence of T Jud 3,1 on 1 Sam 17,49 (and not 17,6) may actually constitute an early albeit indirect witness to an understanding of txm in v. 49 as “greave”. And even though the exact date of composition of the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs remains uncertain as it is still being debated whether the work is fundamentally Jewish or early Christian, even a late dating of the work to 225 CE still offers some very early support for the possible understanding of jxm in v. 49 as “greave” 30. If the Testaments are in fact composed as early as the late 3rd to middle 1st Century BCE as some suggest, then it would have borne indirect witness to Deem’s proposal that may predate even some of the ancient translations 31. Evangel Seminary Gregory T.K. WONG 59 Cumberland Road Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong SUMMARY In a 1978 article, Deem proposed to read jxm in 1 Sam 17,49 as “greave” rather than “forehead”. However, this reading has not gained wide acceptance partly because its lack of external support. This article explores the possibility that the description of a combat detail in the pseudepigraphal Testament of Judah may in fact be traceable to an understanding of 1 Sam 17,49 in line with Deem’s proposal. If so, this may constitute the very external support needed to lend further credibility to the reading championed by Deem. See KUGLER, Testaments, 31-38 for a detailed discussion and evaluation 30 of the three main options regarding the date of composition for the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs. For support for a Christian origin, and hence, a late date of composition, see, for example, DE JONGE, Testaments, 121-25 and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament as Part of Christian Literature. The Case of the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs and the Greek Life of Adam and Eve (SVTP 18; Leiden 2003). For more recent arguments for an essentially Jewish origin, and hence, a 31 core for the Testaments that dates back to as early as the 3rd Century BCE, see, for example, J. BECKER, Untersuchungen zur Entstehungsgeschichte der Testamente der Zwölf Patriarchen (AGJU VIII; Leiden 1970); A. HULTGÅRD, L’eschatologie des Teatamentsdes Douze Patriarches. I. Interpretation des texts (AUU HR 6; Uppsala 1977); and J.H. ULRICHSEN, Die Grundschrift der Testamente der Zwölf Patriarchen. Eine Untersuchung zu Umfang, Inhalt und Eigenart der ursprünglichen Schrift (AHH HR 10; Uppsala 1991).