Planting gardens: Mesopotamian influence on a Hebrew trope in Jeremiah 29
The version of the ‘building and planting’ conceptual pair found in Jeremiah 29:5 differs from the standard trope used elsewhere within the Hebrew Bible; it is the only example in which the object to be planted is a garden (גנה). Awareness of the exilic community’s Mesopotamian context potentially...
| 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: |
Sage
[2020]
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| In: |
Journal for the study of the Old Testament
Year: 2020, Volume: 45, Issue: 2, Pages: 268-287 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Jeremiah Prophet ca. 600 BC
/ Geschichte 600 v. Chr.
/ Esarhaddon Assyria, King -669 BC
/ Garden
/ Plants (Motif)
/ Exile
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| IxTheo Classification: | BC Ancient Orient; religion HA Bible |
| Further subjects: | B
Neo-Assyrian royal inscriptions
B Jeremiah 29 B Esarhaddon B Agriculture B Gardens B Nippur |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | The version of the ‘building and planting’ conceptual pair found in Jeremiah 29:5 differs from the standard trope used elsewhere within the Hebrew Bible; it is the only example in which the object to be planted is a garden (גנה). Awareness of the exilic community’s Mesopotamian context potentially illuminates this alteration, as two mutually inclusive historical factors could have influenced the change. Jeremiah’s exhortation could account for the community’s agricultural context. By planting gardens, the exiles participated in the shift toward horticulture during the long 6th century and contributed to the שלום of the region. Alternatively, Jeremiah 29:5 shares language with royal inscriptions of Esarhaddon. This proposed connection builds upon previous explorations of references to a 70-year exile elsewhere in both texts. The plausibility of the latter option would lend support to the literary coherence of Jeremiah 29:5-14, while the former suggests a 6th century provenance for the passage. |
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| ISSN: | 1476-6728 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal for the study of the Old Testament
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1177/0309089219882446 |