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True and False Worship in the Prophecy of Zephaniah Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Pub Date : 2024-03-07 Gregory Goswell
In the prophecy of Zephaniah, the fate of Judah and that of foreign nations in the purposes of God are intertwined, both in regard to judgement and salvation. Judah needs to learn from God’s dealings with the nations. God’s verdict and judgement on the nations (1.14–18; 2.4–15) are lessons for sinful Jerusalem, which is under the same threat (2.1–3; 3.1–8). Likewise, but more positively, and this is
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A new Perspective on Jonathan – his covenant with David and his ultimate choice Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Pub Date : 2024-03-07 Richard G. Hakvoort
Two issues concerning the relationship between Jonathan and David are discussed, one found at the beginning and the other at the end of their joint adventures as described in 1 Samuel. First, we consider how we should interpret the covenant between Jonathan and David. It is shown that this need not be interpreted positively in all respects. It is not mentioned anywhere that David inquired of Yahweh
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The Masoretic Text of Haggai 2.7b in light of verbal valency patterns Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Pub Date : 2024-03-05 Stephen J. Smith
This article looks to verbal valency analysis to help clarify the meaning of the difficult clause ובאו חמדת כל הגוים in Hag. 2.7b, and so the verse as a whole. Attention to the verb’s valency patterns (i.e., בוא [ qal]) presents a fresh interpretive option that is both contextually fitting and (unlike previous proposals) linguistically robust. These patterns suggest that the cryptic phrase כל חמדת
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Moral and ethical values in structural patterns of coercive acts in Hebrew Bible narrative Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Pub Date : 2024-03-02 Diane M. Sharon
There are many biblical episodes in which people are compelled by an explicit or implicit threat of force, which is one definition of coercion, yet the issue of coercion has not yet been systematically explored for Hebrew Bible narrative. Examining the phenomenon of coercion across biblical narrative, this study asks how coercion is viewed and valued in the Hebrew Bible, what determines whether coercion
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Narratological implications of the differences between the Masoretic Text and the Septuagint: 1 Samuel 10.5 and 13.1–4 as a case study Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Pub Date : 2024-03-02 Davide D’Amico
This article illustrates the importance of considering the narratological implications of textual variations in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible. While these differences have traditionally concerned textual critics, this study argues for their importance in the field of narrative analysis as well. Using the divergent readings in 1 Samuel 10.5 and 1 Sam. 13.1–4 as a case study
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Stillness and salvation: Reading Psalm 46 in its context Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Pub Date : 2024-02-28 Matthew A. O’Kelly
A society is significantly shaped by the myths it perpetuates. These myths serve as lenses for how its people see and make sense of the world around them. Myths, particularly origin myths like Enuma Elish, offer a perspective on the world that legitimates the way a society structures itself and responds to crisis, as opposing forces threaten to undermine its conception of order. This essay proposes
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Justice for whom? A dynamic interpretation of Isaiah 51.1–8 Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Pub Date : 2024-02-28 Yisca Zimran
This article offers an analysis of Isaiah 51.1–3, 4–6, 7–8. These units contain multiple similarities that emphasize the fundamental tension between the units, primarily regarding the nature of divine tidings and the identity of their beneficiaries. The first part of the article demonstrates the unique content and design of each unit through a literary analysis; however, since the reading process constantly
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Of monsters and men: Reading Daniel with the Liber de Morte (Metz Epitome) Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Pub Date : 2024-02-20 Paul A. Porter, Christopher A. Porter
Daniel sees Antiochus IV Epiphanes as a latter-day Alexander. When interpreting Antiochus’s death, the author draws on a Ptolemaic court tale of an animal prodigy that foreshadowed Alexander’s own demise ( Liber de Morte Testamentumque Alexandri Magni). Extensive and specific commonalities between Daniel and Liber de Morte suggest that MT Daniel, no less than the OG version, originated in Egypt. Intended
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Internal Focalization in 1 Samuel – a new perspective on Jonathan’s love for David Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Pub Date : 2023-03-09 Richard G. Hakvoort
The narratological instrument of internal focalization offers a hitherto unexplored perspective on the narratives in 1 Samuel, in general, and on the Jonathan narratives, in particular. Internal fo...
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Transitive Analogies and the Meaning of Balaam’s Origin: A Literary Analysis Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Pub Date : 2023-03-06 Oren Gelblum
A set of parallels between the Balaam pericope and the encounter with Edom in Num. 20.14-21 form a literary allusion to the latter, which also draws on elements in the Jacob cycle – especially in G...
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“Naomi the Nurse: Obed’s Ambiguous Identity Transmission” Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Pub Date : 2023-03-05 Carmen Palmer
Three central figures within Israelite tradition—Isaac, Moses, and Samuel—are breastfed as infants by their own mothers, an activity that scholarship argues transfers identity. The case of the baby...
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Resilience through Disclosure and Meaning Making in Qoheleth and the Babylonian Theodicy Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Pub Date : 2023-03-04 Russell L. Meek, Elizabeth Mehlman
This study rereads Qoheleth and the Babylonian Theodicy through a trauma lens as opposed to the generic lens of speculative wisdom encompassing retributive justice, retribution theology, and the de...
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An Analysis of Concluding Verbs in the Priestly Code: A Contextual Grammatical Approach Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Pub Date : 2023-03-04 Micha Roi
Scholars and translators have traditionally regarded the conclusion of the Nazirite law—“After that the Nazirite may drink wine” (Num. 6.20)—as signalling the completion of the naziriteship, the Na...
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The Battle with Amalek (Exod. 17.8–16): When God Trusts in Man Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Pub Date : 2023-02-24 Tomer Greenberg
The battle with Amalek (Exod. 17.8–16) is among the most enigmatic stories in the book of Exodus. Commentators have particularly struggled to understand the meaning of the iconic scene at its heart...
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“Restructuring the Symbolic Universe”: Resilience through Literary and Ideological Reframing in Isaiah 2.2–4(5) Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Pub Date : 2023-02-24 Brent Nessler
This paper elucidates the ways in which the composition and redaction of Isa. 2.2–4(5) function to both exhibit and impart resilience to hearers/readers based on the congruity between Nissinen’s ap...
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Royally Enticing, Royally Forgetting: The Contribution of Psalm 45 within Its Canonical Context Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Pub Date : 2022-12-13 Collin Cornell
What is the contribution of Psalm 45 within its canonical context? What is Psalm 45 doing in, and what is it doing for, the First Korahite Collection (Pss. 42–49)? These are the questions this arti...
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On the tedious and monotonous repetitions in the Tabernacle accounts: a reassessment Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Pub Date : 2022-12-04 A Friedberg, Juni Hoppe
Modern scholarship and medieval commentators have generally viewed the execution of the Tabernacle and the priestly ordination described in Exodus 35–40 and Leviticus 8 as the fulfilment of the ear...
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Did Lot Get His Just Desserts? Trauma, Revenge, and Re-enactment in Genesis 19.30-38 Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Pub Date : 2022-11-30 Kirsi Cobb
In Genesis 19.30-38, Lot’s daughters commit incest with their father to save his seed. Earlier in Genesis 19.6-8, Lot offered his daughters to be raped by the men of Sodom to save the honour of his...
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Rejection Realized: Saul, the Evil Spirit and the Loss of Kingship Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Pub Date : 2022-11-28 R. J. Balfour
In conversation with tragic readings of Saul’s career, the present article attempts to outline a parallel between the presentation and role of the spirit of YHWH and the evil spirit which afflicts ...
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Cultic Images of Jerusalem in Lamentations 2:1–8 Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Pub Date : 2022-11-27 Gregory Goswell
Lamentations 2.1–8 depicts the attack of God on Jerusalem and the temple. God is the subject of almost every verb in the unit, and this heightens the theological dimension of the crisis compared wi...
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‘Other laws’: Haman’s accusation against the Jews in the book of Esther Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Pub Date : 2022-09-07 Jonathan Arulnathan Thambyrajah
This study seeks to explain Haman’s reference to Jewish law (דָּת) in Masoretic Esther 3.8, given the lack of any obvious manifestation of the law in the book, or even of religious practice. The qu...
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Moses, the Lifter of the Sky: A Novel Reading of Exodus 17:8–16 in Light of the Heliopolitan Cosmogony Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Pub Date : 2022-09-07 Sanghwan Lee
Exodus 17.8–16 contains a number of exegetical puzzles, including the placement of Moses upon an anonymous hill, the cryptic gesture of Moses, the gesture’s direct influence on the battle, the appe...
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Going Vertical with Love Thy Neighbor: Exegetical Use of Scripture in Leviticus 19.18b Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Pub Date : 2022-09-07 Gary Edward Schnittjer
When focusing on the scriptures themselves, the horizontal context of a given text refers to the surrounding verses, paragraphs, chapters, and book. Vertical context refers to an exegetical allusio...
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Psalm 74 and social identity Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Pub Date : 2022-09-07 Kevin Foth
The identity of the enemies in psalms has been a perennial focus in scholarship. The pervasive language and shifting perspectives of psalms has led to a variety of proposals, though only a handful ...
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Wisdom and the fear of YHWH: Rethinking their relationship in Proverbs 1–9 Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Pub Date : 2022-09-07 Matthew A. O’Kelly
The significance of the fear of YHWH for the theology of Proverbs 1–9 is incontrovertible. In the present essay it is argued firstly that, in light of numerous parallels between Proverbs 1–9 and De...
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The Solomonic Temple of Josephus’ Antiquities Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Pub Date : 2022-09-02 Joabson X Pena
This introductory article aims to explicate certain aspects of Josephus’ recounting of the biblical story of the Solomonic Temple’s construction, attempting to understand the messages the author wa...
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The Passover as inauguration of Israel’s departure from Sinai: interpretive potential of analysing narrative technique for discerning literary structure in Numbers 1–10 Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Pub Date : 2022-09-02 Sjoerd H van der Wielen
Providing a rationale for the composition of Numbers 1–10 continues to pose a formidable challenge to Old Testament scholarship. Most studies in Numbers seek to discern its structure by connecting ...
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Honor in the Cult: Leviticus 10 in Socio-Rhetorical Perspective Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Pub Date : 2022-06-09 Andrew Heyd
Walter Houston’s article on the death of Nadab and Abihu is one of the few attempts to bring a social science model of honor and shame to bear on the Pentateuch. This article will argue that he did not go far enough in tracing how honor and shame bring coherence, not just to the Nadab and Abihu incident but also to all of Lev. 10. In particular, honor also explains the speeches of Yhwh and Aaron, the
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A Blameworthy Burial: A Methodology for Inner-Biblical Allusion with a Case Study from Chronicles Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Pub Date : 2022-06-05 D. Allen Hutchison
King Asa’s funeral description is the longest in the book of Chronicles and unique in the number of specific details it includes. Scholars generally see Asa’s funeral in 2 Chron. 16.14 in a positive light despite the negative tone of the preceding verses. Certainly, Chronicles is not afraid to portray a Judean king in both positive and negative terms (e.g., Manasseh). However, using an adapted synchronic
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Endangered or Dangerous? YHWH’s Presence and Impurity in Levitical Perspective Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Pub Date : 2022-06-05 G. Geoffrey Harper
The working assumption in much secondary literature on Leviticus is that unchecked sin and impurity threaten, even endanger, YHWH’s earthly presence. Accordingly, purgation within the Israelite cult is primarily viewed as a means of securing and safeguarding divine immanence. Support is drawn from ANE concepts of sanctuary desecration, the exit of YHWH’s כבוד from the temple in Ezekiel 8–11 and tannaitic
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Eglon’s Fat and Ehud’s Oracle: A Reconsideration of Humour in Judges 3.12–30 Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Pub Date : 2022-06-05 Ryan D. Schroeder
Judg. 3.12–30 details the assassination of King Eglon of Moab by the Benjaminite Ehud ben Gera. Many scholars insist that the story was originally meant to be funny, contending that the text casts Eglon (i.e. ‘Little Calf’) humorously as a slaughtered bovine. Indeed, some regard the text as ‘satire’, though there remains no consensus as to what, exactly, constitutes the butt of the joke. In this article
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Blood Manipulation in Hezekiah’s Re-inauguration of the Temple in Chronicles Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Pub Date : 2022-05-30 Ming Him Ko
According to 2 Chronicles 29.20–24, Hezekiah’s re-inauguration of the temple involved a purification offering for all Israel in which the blood manipulation did not include the sevenfold sprinkling of blood in front of the veil (Lev. 4.17) or daubing blood on the horns of the incense altar (Lev. 4.18), as stated in the prescriptive text of P. This article proposes that the apparent inconsistency can
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Comical moments and comical characterisations in Tobit: The undermining of self-righteous piety, simplistic retribution, and limited Yahwism Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Pub Date : 2022-05-30 Katherine Southwood
This article argues that comic moments and comic characterisation are used in Tobit as a means of satirically exposing a type of Yahwism characterised by inward-looking piety, religious and ethnic endogamy, and simplistic notions of retribution. Comic moments and comic characterisation, are therefore important ethical devices in Tobit used to expose the problematic nature of an obsessive emphasis on
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Parallel Structures in Judges and the Formation of the Book Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Pub Date : 2022-03-06 Klaas Spronk
In addition to the well-known repetitions in the book of Judges, this article maps a number of meaningful cases of repetition in the form of parallel structures in chapters 1, 14–16 and 17–21. This special use of repetition can be regarded as characteristic of the editor who was responsible for the book in its final form. The analysis of this phenomenon helps to provide a better view of the structure
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bĕ-rēʾšît, “With ‘Wisdom,’” in Genesis 1.1 (MT) Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Pub Date : 2022-03-06 Brent A. Strawn
This essay argues that the vocalization of the very first word of Gen. 1.1 in the Masoretic Text (MT), bĕrēʾšȋt, which is often thought to be in error in some way, may instead be the result of exegetical activity. Specifically, in light of the well-attested tradition that links Wisdom with creation both within the Bible and without, it is possible that bĕrēʾšȋt in MT Gen. 1.1 participates in the line
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Behemoth’s Penis, Yahweh’s Might: Competing Bodies in the Book of Job Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Pub Date : 2022-03-06 Laura Quick
The poetic description of Behemoth in Job 40 makes use of a literary technique for describing the body known as the was.f, elsewhere found most famously in biblical literature in the descriptions of the lovers in the Song of Songs (4.1-7; 5.11-16; 6.4-7; 7.2-10). In a was.f, body parts are systematically listed and described according to an organizing principle that develops its contents a capite ad
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The Aesthetics of Biblical Acrostics Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Pub Date : 2022-03-06 Elaine Theresa James
One of the most formally fixed types among biblical poems is the acrostic. Among the acrostics of the Hebrew Bible, the predominant form has the headword of each line or couplet follow sequentially in alphabetical order. However, there are a couple of striking examples in which the acrostic form is expanded, namely Lamentations 3 and Psalm 119. These expansions reveal different stances of individual
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The House That Built Me: The ‘House of God’ and Its Role in the Construction of Fear in Nehemiah 6.1–15 Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Pub Date : 2022-03-06 Timothy Yap
Nehemiah 6.1–15 abounds with questions: Why do Sanballat and Geshem insist — not once, but five times — that Nehemiah should meet them outside of Jerusalem? Why are we told that Shemaiah is ‘shut in at his house’, yet he demands to have a meeting in the temple? How does Nehemiah know that Shemaiah is a false prophet, such that ‘God had not sent him’ (6.12)? The present study is an attempt to answer
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‘For a Man Is Born to Suffer’: Intertextuality between Job 4–5 and Gen. 2.4b–3.24 Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Pub Date : 2022-03-06 Yasir Saleem
The first speech of Eliphaz is the epitome of the scholarly consensus that the authors of the book of Job constructed their arguments through intertextual dialogues with various other texts in the Hebrew Bible. In this article, I argue that Job 4–5 contains three allusions (Job 4.9, 4.19, and 5.6–7a) to Gen. 2.4b–3.24 that not only provide the fundamental framework of Eliphaz’s argument for the efficacy
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Priestly Disability and Centralization of the Cult in the Holiness Code Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Pub Date : 2022-02-26 Chelcent Fuad
This article analyzes how the notion of priestly disability in Lev. 21.16–23 is used in the Holiness Code (H) to construct social identity, shape culture, and organize the society of ancient Israel based on the cultural model of disability. The present study finds that the laws concerning the disabled priests were used in H as a strategy for reconstructing and narrating a new social order, namely,
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The ancestors’ masculinities in Genesis Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Pub Date : 2021-12-24 Mathias Winkler
In Genesis, many of the male protagonists represent different peoples in the Levant and their relationships among each other. How those ancestors perform as ‘masculine’ men reflects the notion of the masculinity of the peoples descending from them, formulated from an Israelite/Judahite point of view. While the ancestors of Israel and Judah (Seth, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob) perform a certain masculine style
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On the Threshold: Liminality in the Stories of the Concubine of Gibeah and Ruth Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Pub Date : 2021-12-24 Orit Avnery
This article proposes an intertextual-synchronic reading of the book of Ruth and the story of the concubine of Gibeah in Judges 19. Although previous scholars have compared these two stories, they have ignored the theme of liminality, which is critical to their proper understanding. After highlighting the literary similarities between these two stories, I discuss these stories’ different manifestations
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King Solomon and the ‘Anatomy’ of Wisdom Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Pub Date : 2021-12-24 Ekaterina E. Kozlova
The subject of embodiment has become a popular topic in biblical scholarship in general and in studies of kingship in particular. Despite the lack of an explicit characterization of Solomon via a commentary on his body, his material is not entirely devoid of body politics. This article explores the construction of Solomon’s wisdom in 1 Kings 1–11 via bodily features associated with epistemological
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The Aqedah as ‘template’? Genesis 22 and 1 Kings 17–18 Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Pub Date : 2021-12-08 Michael A Lyons
The story of Abraham’s willingness to give up his beloved son (Gen. 22) is a highly productive text – that is, it has triggered subsequent literary activity and played a significant role in the composition and shaping of other texts. In this essay, I want to first explore the possibility that 1 Kgs 17–18 is yet another text in which an author has alluded to Gen. 22 and then to reflect on the use of
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“Die Empörten Weiber”: Gender, Authority and Protestant Modernism in Jeremiah 44 Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Pub Date : 2021-12-08 Dr. Melvin Sensenig
Because of Protestant modernism’s reconstrual of older Protestant views of inspiration around the Romantic notion of the male charismatic prophet, it unintentionally opened doors for the latent gender inequality of its misogynist cultural context when interpreting female religious activity in the prophets. Because of Protestant modernism’s inability to distinguish itself from its 19th-20th century
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The Main Character of the Book of Esther: The Contribution of the Textual Divisions and the Assigned Titles of the Book of Esther to Uncovering Its Protagonist Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Pub Date : 2021-12-08 Gregory Goswell
Scrutiny of the traditional textual divisions of the Hebrew version of the book of Esther—the sedarim, the Hebrew paragraphs and the Latin chapters – throws light on whom some ancient readers thought was the main character (protagonist) of the book. The sedarim appear to favour Mordecai’s role over Esther’s in the events narrated, whereas the positioning of the Hebrew paragraph breaks apportions attention
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Engaging Westermann and the Assumptive World Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Pub Date : 2021-12-08 Elizabeth Boase
The work of Claus Westermann was foundational for the modern study of lament literature in the Hebrew Bible. Westermann’s work on the Psalms arose from his experiences in the Second World War, where he learned to value both the praise and the lament elements of the Psalms. This article reconsiders Westermann’s contribution to the theology of lament in light of contemporary theory on the impact of trauma
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Ceremonial Celebrations Outside the Temple Compound in Ezra-Nehemiah in Babylonian Ritual Context Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Pub Date : 2021-12-07 Tova Ganzel
The article examines three Judean rituals described in Ezra-Nehemiah—the erection of the altar, the public reading of the Torah, and the inauguration of the Jerusalem wall—in the Neo-Babylonian–Persian context. It suggests that the Babylonian rituals observed throughout the Long Sixth Century shed light on, and constitute a relevant cultural context for consideration of these celebrations as described
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The Prevalence and Purpose of the ‘Assyria-Egypt’ Motif in the Book of Hosea Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Pub Date : 2021-09-22 Yisca Zimran
This paper examines the occurrence of the ‘Assyria-Egypt’ pair in the MT of Hosea. On a literary plane, the paper introduces two new definitions: Assyria-Egypt is defined as a correlative pair in this book, and based on the recurring meaning of the pair and its diverse application, the pair is defined as a motif. This motif consistently serves to describe distance from God. From an ideological perspective
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Is Eliphaz a false prophet? The vision in Job 4.12-21 Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Pub Date : 2021-09-22 John Burnight
The night vision recounted by Job’s friend Eliphaz in Job 4.12-21 has received an extraordinary amount of scholarly attention. Among other difficulties, the core of the vision’s message (4.17) – typically interpreted as stating that humans cannot be just in God’s sight – appears to contradict Eliphaz’s statements elsewhere (e.g., 4.6-7). The relationship between 4.17 and the metaphors for death with
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The ironic syllogism: A rhetorical use of unmarked questions Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Pub Date : 2021-09-22 Benjamin M Austin
Rhetorical questions are an important feature of Israelite rhetoric as exemplified in the Hebrew Bible. This paper builds on scholarship regarding rhetorical questions and irony to reevaluate one form of unmarked question. Previous scholarship called it an alarmed or surprised rhetorical question, characterized by the speaker’s heightened emotional state and linked by a vav to a previous thought to
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‘Like the snail that dissolves’: Construction of Identity of Psalmist and Enemy in the Lament Psalms of the Individual Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Pub Date : 2021-09-21 Rev Dr Simon P. Stocks
The paper explores how the psalms of lament of the individual constructed the identity not only of the Israelites who used them in worship but also of their antagonists. It starts with a critique of Amy Cottrill’s Language, Power, and Identity in the Lament Psalms of the Individual, which is critical of the psalmist’s non-specific presentation of the enemies that ‘obscures the humanity of the one he
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Israelite or Moabite? Ethnicity in the book of Ruth Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Pub Date : 2021-09-17 Jonathan A. Thambyrajah
Scholarship on ethnicity in the book of Ruth has taken it as axiomatic that Ruth is transformed (at least partially) into an Israelite by the end of the book. This article argues on narrative grounds that the book of Ruth continues to present Ruth as a Moabite, even at the book’s end. Moreover, scholarship has been mistaken in attempting to force an ancient text to function according to modern constructivist
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David, Once and Future King? A Closer Look at the Postscript of Psalm 72.20 Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Pub Date : 2021-09-08 Adam D. Hensley
How did scribes understand Psalm 72.20, ‘Ended are the prayers of David, son of Jesse’, in view of subsequent Davidic psalms in the MT Psalter? After appraising the major proposals and examining its earliest reception (MT pointing, DSS parallels, and early Jewish and patristic evidence), this paper argues that the oft-overlooked genealogical qualifier ‘ben Jesse’ indicates a primary focus on ‘historical’
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Naming Jerusalem: Poetry and the Identity of the Personified City in Lamentations 1-2 Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Pub Date : 2021-09-08 Kristin J. Wendland
The order, frequency and variety of names given the personified city in Lamentations 1-2 enhances a sense of readerly empathy that the personification of the city imbues. In the first stanza of Lamentations 1, the names for the personified figure are ordered such that the most specific name appears in the description of the most personal violence. In Lamentations 2, the personified city is named with
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Let There Be Cain: A Clash of Imaginations in Genesis 4 Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Pub Date : 2021-09-08 Steven T. Mann
This article contributes to the ongoing discussion of the story of Cain by exploring the speeches within Genesis 4 as speech acts. The investigation will focus on two narrative levels of analysis, the story level (the viewpoint of the characters) and the storyteller level (the presentation of the narrative to the audience). The speech acts in this story display a clash of imaginations, with Eve and
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Psalm 120 and the question of authorship of the songs of Ascents Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Pub Date : 2021-06-03 Nissim Amzallag
As the first of the songs of Ascents, Psalm 120 might be seen as key to understanding the whole corpus, but its content remains poorly understood. This study suggests that its author was a smith-poet committed to the Edomite/Qenite traditional worship of YHWH, here complaining about participating, through the fabrication of iron weapons, in the demise of Edom (553 BCE). On this reading, the poem becomes
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(More) On the Precative Qatal in Lamentations 3.56-61: Updating the Argument Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Pub Date : 2021-06-02 Mark Preston Stone
The rhetorical movement throughout Lamentations 3 is difficult to describe and scholars disagree on how to characterize the acrostic poem. Much hinges on how we interpret the sequence of qatal verbs throughout 3.56-61. Most scholars understand this section as a Danklied, and so translate the qatal forms in the past tense. Another option is to understand the qatal verbs as precatives, expressing a wish
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The Resilience of the Captive Girl Child in 2 Kings 5 Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Pub Date : 2021-05-31 Paba Nidhani De Andrado
2 Kings 5 contains a brief reference to an unnamed Israelite girl, a war captive in the household of leprosy-afflicted Naaman, the commander of the Syrian army. She instigates her master’s healing by recommending that he seek out the prophet (Elisha). Although the girl utters only a single statement (2 Kgs 5.3), her words have been subject to divergent critical interpretations. Some scholars valorize
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Who is the holy seed?: Purity and identity in the Restoration Community Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Pub Date : 2021-05-31 E Allen Jones, III
Interpreters often note the way in which the phrase ‘holy seed’ links Isa. 6.13 and Ezra 9.2. However, few explore how these texts apply the phrase to different communities/groups of people in ancient Judah. In Isaiah, the holy seed is the remnant in the land following the exile, whereas in Ezra, those returning from Babylon take the mantel for themselves. This essay, then, proceeds in three phases: