Fluid Dynamics: The Interplay of Water and Gender in Nahum
In light of the growing scholarly interest in gender in the Hebrew Bible, this article builds on the work of Cynthia Chapman and Julia O'Brien by demonstrating that the use of water imagery in Nahum contributes to the book's portrait of masculine conflict between YHWH and the king of Assyr...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Scholar's Press
[2018]
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| In: |
Journal of Biblical literature
Year: 2018, Volume: 137, Issue: 4, Pages: 853-870 |
| Further subjects: | B
O'BRIEN, Julia
B ASSYRIA; In the Bible B CHAPMAN, Cynthia B Bible. Old Testament B Bible. Nahum |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | In light of the growing scholarly interest in gender in the Hebrew Bible, this article builds on the work of Cynthia Chapman and Julia O'Brien by demonstrating that the use of water imagery in Nahum contributes to the book's portrait of masculine conflict between YHWH and the king of Assyria. I argue two central theses: that water imagery constitutes a recurring motif in Nahum, as is evident in 1:4, 8; 2:7, 9; 3:8, 14; and that water imagery contributes to the gender dynamics present in the book. The water images in their present arrangement build on one another and, in doing so, contribute to the portrait of YHWH's masculine military might in Nah 1, presenting YHWH's victory over his enemies as assured. Subsequently, in Nah 2-3, water imagery contributes to the depiction of the shameful defeat of the king of Assyria and the violation of feminine Nineveh; it is the king's task to protect the feminine Nineveh in keeping with expectations for male behavior in the ancient Near East. |
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| ISSN: | 1934-3876 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of Biblical literature
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1353/jbl.2018.0046 |