Interpretive Crossroads in Parallel Lines: Charting the Complexity of Antithetical Parallelism in Proverbs 10-22
Many sayings in Proverbs 10:1-22:16 are structured by antithetical parallelism. This article suggests that, far from being simplistic, this structure opens up the sayings to multiple possible interpretations. Consciously or subconsciously, readers confront several interpretive choices, crossroads th...
| 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: 3, Pages: 379-396 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Bible. Sprichwörter 10,1-22,16
/ Ambiguity
/ Antithesis
/ Poetics
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| IxTheo Classification: | HB Old Testament |
| Further subjects: | B
Antithesis
B Parallelism B Poetics B Proverbs B Ambiguity B Interpretive Process |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | Many sayings in Proverbs 10:1-22:16 are structured by antithetical parallelism. This article suggests that, far from being simplistic, this structure opens up the sayings to multiple possible interpretations. Consciously or subconsciously, readers confront several interpretive choices, crossroads they must navigate to make sense of the proverb: should the saying's two lines be understood as "parallel or consecutive"? In terms of their semantic content, are they "balanced or imbalanced"? Should any perceived imbalance be "emphasized or levelled"? How should any such "levelling" take place? The essay explains these choices, analyses why each interpretive path might be taken, and demonstrates the complexity of this smallest poetic unit. |
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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-2024-0019 |