Does ʻinnâ denote rape?: a semantic analysis of a controversial word
The widespread opinion that the verb ʻinnâ in the Piʻel refers to "rape" or "sexual abuse" is not acceptable. It suffers from a lack of analysis of all the biblical material and of the distribution of ʻinnâ with a female object in the Hebrew Bible. A semantic analysis of the lexi...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Print Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Brill
2002
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| In: |
Vetus Testamentum
Year: 2002, Volume: 52, Issue: 4, Pages: 528-544 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Hebrew language
/ ʿnh
B Bible. Genesis 34,2 |
| IxTheo Classification: | HB Old Testament |
| Further subjects: | B
ʿnh
B Violence B Bible. Genesis 34,2 |
| Summary: | The widespread opinion that the verb ʻinnâ in the Piʻel refers to "rape" or "sexual abuse" is not acceptable. It suffers from a lack of analysis of all the biblical material and of the distribution of ʻinnâ with a female object in the Hebrew Bible. A semantic analysis of the lexical collocations, of the word order and of the textual occurrences in which ʻinnâ functions shows that this verb is used as an evaluative term in a juridical context denoting a spatial movement downwards in a social sense and should be translated as "debase". By implication, the verb ʻinnâ in Gen. xxxiv 2 does not describe Shechem's rape or sexual abuse of Dinah, but evaluates Shechem's previously described actions as a debasement of Dinah from a social-juridical point of view. |
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| ISSN: | 0042-4935 |
| Contains: | In: Vetus Testamentum
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