Out of the (Model) City, into the Fire: The Meaning of Ezekiel 5:3-4

In this essay I argue, first, that Ezek 5:3 does not depict protection or the preservation of a "remnant" in which hope can be located but rather describes one punishment in a sequence of punishments (vv. 1-4a, 12). These punishments have been constructed by creatively reworking earlier le...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Lyons, Michael A. 1967- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Scholar's Press [2019]
In: Journal of Biblical literature
Year: 2019, Volume: 138, Issue: 3, Pages: 605-623
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Bible. Ezechiel 5,3-4 / City / Exile / Punishment / Jerusalem / Babylonia / Ezekiel
IxTheo Classification:HB Old Testament
Further subjects:B Bible. Ezechiel 5,3-4
Online Access: Presumably Free Access
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Summary:In this essay I argue, first, that Ezek 5:3 does not depict protection or the preservation of a "remnant" in which hope can be located but rather describes one punishment in a sequence of punishments (vv. 1-4a, 12). These punishments have been constructed by creatively reworking earlier legal traditions. Second, Ezek 5:1-4a, 12 should be read in light of a larger group of passages in Ezekiel that share the same argument structure: a merism depicting the destruction of Jerusalem juxtaposed with a comment about survivors. This argument is not about the possibility of survivors but rather is concerned with interpreting (and thereby controlling) the status and meaning of survivors. Third, it seems possible that Ezek 5:4b can be understood as a later redactional addition, a sentiment coordinated with other passages that constitute a critique of Israel's monarchy (in Ezekiel, of King Zedekiah in particular). On the one hand, these verses represent the prophet's attempt to interpret the disaster for his community, and, on the other, they form an essential part of his strategy of community identity formation over and against the exiles of 587 BCE.
ISSN:1934-3876
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal of Biblical literature
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.15699/jbl.1383.2019.654746