The Woman from Tekoa (2 Sam. 14) and the Character of Judicial Wisdom in Ancient Israel
Through the lens of comparative legal history, this study re-examines the story of the Wise Woman of Tekoa (2 Sam. 14.2–24) as a narrativized legal petition—an ancient Near Eastern epistolary sub-genre known from cuneiform and alphabetic inscriptions. This brief juridical parable offers a unique acc...
Main Author: | |
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Format: | Electronic Article |
Language: | English |
Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
Journals Online & Print: | |
Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
Published: |
Sage
2023
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In: |
Journal for the study of the Old Testament
Year: 2023, Volume: 48, Issue: 1, Pages: 50-68 |
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Bible. Samuel 2. 14,1-24
/ Petition
/ Justice (Motif)
/ Law
/ Parable
/ Wisdom (Motif)
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IxTheo Classification: | HB Old Testament |
Further subjects: | B
Juridical Parable
B Legal Petition B Wisdom B 2 Samuel 14 B Tekoa B Royal Justice B Biblical Law |
Online Access: |
Volltext (kostenfrei) |
Summary: | Through the lens of comparative legal history, this study re-examines the story of the Wise Woman of Tekoa (2 Sam. 14.2–24) as a narrativized legal petition—an ancient Near Eastern epistolary sub-genre known from cuneiform and alphabetic inscriptions. This brief juridical parable offers a unique account of justice and adjudication largely independent of its ideological depiction in the Pentateuchal law codes, making it a critical text in the study of biblical law. In particular, it evokes two distinct forms of judicial wisdom in the context of legal self-help and royal adjudication. By comparing and contrasting this parable with other texts dealing with similar themes, I outline the diverse ways biblical writers explained the intersections of law, wisdom, and justice. |
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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: 10.1177/03090892231170645 |