The Hidden Body as Literary Strategy in 4QWiles of the Wicked Woman (4Q184)

The short sapiential poem known as 4QWiles of the Wicked Woman (4Q184) describes the body of an unnamed female who ensnares the righteous into sin and ultimately death. This poetic description of a body has sometimes been compared to the Waṣf, a type of poem which provides a thick description of the...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Quick, Laura 1987- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Brill [2020]
In: Dead Sea discoveries
Year: 2020, Volume: 27, Issue: 2, Pages: 234-256
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Wiles of the wicked woman / Woman / Wisdom / Body
IxTheo Classification:HD Early Judaism
Further subjects:B Waṣf
B 4Q184
B Woman Strange
B Woman Wisdom
B the body
B Proverbs
Online Access: Presumably Free Access
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Summary:The short sapiential poem known as 4QWiles of the Wicked Woman (4Q184) describes the body of an unnamed female who ensnares the righteous into sin and ultimately death. This poetic description of a body has sometimes been compared to the Waṣf, a type of poem which provides a thick description of the body, listing and describing body parts in a movement descending from head to toe. In this essay, I explore the description of the woman’s body in 4Q184 in light of the genre of the Waṣf. By playing with the characteristic structure of the Waṣf, 4Q184 highlights certain aspects of the woman’s body in order to say something specific about her role and activities. In so doing, I uncover an image of the woman which is more erotic than commentators have previously allowed.
ISSN:1568-5179
Contains:Enthalten in: Dead Sea discoveries
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1163/15685179-02702003