Touch and Responses to Pain in the Hebrew Bible: Between Biology and Cultural Construction
The article takes its departure point in two sets of contemporary studies: first, studies that establish the vital role of touch in the alleviation of pain among both human and non-human primates; second, studies that demonstrate the social and cultural constructions of touch. On this basis, the art...
| 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: |
Mohr Siebeck
2024
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| In: |
Hebrew bible and ancient Israel
Year: 2024, Volume: 13, Issue: 2, Pages: 183-220 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Bible. Jesaja 49
/ Bible. Jesaja 60
/ Bible. Jesaja 66
/ ngʿ
/ nḥm
/ Nursing
/ Pain
/ Vulnerability
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| IxTheo Classification: | HB Old Testament |
| Further subjects: | B
Pain
B Cultural Construction B Comfort B Consolation B Distress B Vulnerability B Breastfeeding B Touch |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | The article takes its departure point in two sets of contemporary studies: first, studies that establish the vital role of touch in the alleviation of pain among both human and non-human primates; second, studies that demonstrate the social and cultural constructions of touch. On this basis, the article investigates whether the Hebrew Bible, consistent in its attention to suffering, depicts touch as a way to relieve pain. It first reviews נגע and other roots implying bodily contact; then, it examines responses to a range of linguistic and bodily expressions of distress, including the root נחם , whose meaning is discussed. As a case study, the article analyzes the metaphor of breastfeeding developed in Isaiah 49, 60, and 66, alongside other intimate bodily contacts. These non-exhaustive inquiries indicate that the Hebrew Bible reflects little cultural attention to comforting touch but rather focuses on other responses to distress, such as sensory perception and assistance. |
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| ISSN: | 2192-2284 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Hebrew bible and ancient Israel
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1628/hebai-2024-0010 |