“... Yhwh has chosen Israel to be for Him aעם סגלה .The wordסגלהoccurs only eight times in the Old Testament, six of which refer to the people of Israel (Exod. 19:5; Deut. 7:6; 14:2; 26:18; Ps. 135:4; Mal. 3:17). The other two texts make clear that the word denotes possessions. In 1Chr. 29:3, David says that in addi- tion to all that he has already provided for the temple, he wants to give even more:יש לי סגלה זהב וכסף .In Qoh. 2:8, Qoheleth says that he gathered for him- self silver and gold andסגלהof kings and of the provinces. In these two texts, סגלהis a property with two characteristics. First, it is a personal property (cf.לי in both texts).271 Second, it is a precious property. In both texts, it is mentioned together with silver and gold, and its context makes clear that it is something valuable.272 ...” “... In a metaphorical sense,סגלה “ ,personal, precious property”, is applied to the people of Israel. In Deut. 7:6, the element of personal property is evident from the wordsלהיות לו (cf. Ps. 135:4, whereלסגלתוandלוare paralleled). The element of preciousness is reflected in Deut. 26:19, where a formulation similar to Deut. 7:6 is continued by Yhwh’s promise that He will set Israel high above all nations, in praise, in fame, and in honour. The metaphorical meaning ofסגלהalso occurs in Ugarit and Mesopotamia. In Ugarit, the word sglt is used in a letter from the Hittite king to the king of Ugarit (ktu 2.39).273 The Hittite king, Suppiluliuma ii (1205–1175 b.c.),274 blames his vassal Ammurapi (1205–1175 b.c.) that he has not come to him for two years now, as was prescribed in earlier treaties, and that he has failed to fulfill certain obligations. Because the text has not been preserved in its entirety, several elements from the letter are debated. The lines that contain the word sglt, however, are fairly clear.275 ...”