Jeremiah's vision of the almond rod (Jer 1:11-12) : an anthropological perspective

In Jeremiah 1:12, Yahweh explains Jeremiah's vision of an almond rod (מַקֵּל שָׁקֵד) with the obscure observation that he is watching (שָׁקֵד) over his word. There seems to be little logic in this clarification and scholars mostly settle for an interpretation of the almond rod as a figure for Y...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Kotze, Zac (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Interlibrary Loan:Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany)
Published: 2012
In: Journal for semitics
Year: 2012, Volume: 21, Issue: 2, Pages: 295-307
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Description
Summary:In Jeremiah 1:12, Yahweh explains Jeremiah's vision of an almond rod (מַקֵּל שָׁקֵד) with the obscure observation that he is watching (שָׁקֵד) over his word. There seems to be little logic in this clarification and scholars mostly settle for an interpretation of the almond rod as a figure for Yahweh's vigilance. This article ventures an anthropological reading of the vision by investigating the association of the almond, or "watching" (שָׁקֵד), rod with the ancient Israelite conception of the evil eye. It is argued that the almond had served as a symbol of evil, thus throwing light on Yahweh's explication of Jeremiah's vision, saying that he is watching (שָׁקֵד) over his word (דברו) to do (עשה) it.
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal for semitics
Persistent identifiers:HDL: 10520/EJC130238