Water, Wisdom, and Life: Literary Insights on the Use of נַחַל in Job 28:4 with Reference to 28:1-28 and 38:22-30
נַחַל in Job 28:4, an unusual use of a word in a profoundly nuanced passage, is discussed—first with regard to the popular interpretation of ‘(mine) shaft’ (and, relatedly, ‘excavation’), then with regard to a proposed literary reading for נַחַל within the broader context of Job 28 and beyond. Key t...
| 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: |
Brill
2017
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| In: |
Vetus Testamentum
Year: 2017, Volume: 67, Issue: 1, Pages: 1-8 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Hebrew language
/ Noun
/ naḥal
/ Bible. Ijob 28
/ Bible. Ijob 38,22-30
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| IxTheo Classification: | HB Old Testament |
| Further subjects: | B
Job 28:4
Job 38:22-30
נַחַל
interpretation of Job 28
wisdom
water imagery
mining
life
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| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Parallel Edition: | Non-electronic
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| Summary: | נַחַל in Job 28:4, an unusual use of a word in a profoundly nuanced passage, is discussed—first with regard to the popular interpretation of ‘(mine) shaft’ (and, relatedly, ‘excavation’), then with regard to a proposed literary reading for נַחַל within the broader context of Job 28 and beyond. Key to interpretation is the pairing of waterways and forceful verbs, along with the absence or presence of water, which has associations with life. Thus, in Job 28:1-11, seemingly incompatible concepts concerning the presence of water are created across the prototypical and cognitive levels, creating tension and driving the narrative forward towards resolution in 28:23-28 and, ultimately, to YHWH’s appearance and rhetorical self-declarations in Job 38:22-30. The point is made that humanity and YHWH both conduct works that offer what is life-giving, but only YHWH truly delivers this, whether it be water, wisdom, or life itself. |
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| ISSN: | 1568-5330 |
| Contains: | In: Vetus Testamentum
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1163/15685330-12341259 |