What's wrong with 'playing the harlot'?: the meaning of zanah in Judges 19:2

The story of the Levite’s concubine in Judges 19 arouses horror—and very mixed scholarly interpretations. The silent concubine is cast in many shades, from silent victim to shady character on a par with the morally troubled Levite. Characterisation hinges on understanding the nature of the concubine...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Hamley, Isabelle M. (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Tyndale House 2015
In: Tyndale bulletin
Year: 2015, Volume: 66, Issue: 1, Pages: 41-62
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Hebrew language / znh root / Bible. Judge 19,2
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Parallel Edition:Non-electronic
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Summary:The story of the Levite’s concubine in Judges 19 arouses horror—and very mixed scholarly interpretations. The silent concubine is cast in many shades, from silent victim to shady character on a par with the morally troubled Levite. Characterisation hinges on understanding the nature of the concubine’s actions in verse 2. Was she unfaithful, literally or metaphorically? Or simply angry, as in the Greek text? Despite a long tradition of exonerating the concubine from sexual misconduct, the debate has been reopened, unexpectedly, by feminist critics asking why we should automatically assume she is innocent of all wrongdoing, in a text where virtually all characters are morally ambiguous at best. This paper will argue that the Masoretic Text offers the best reading of the story, consistent with subtle narration and moral complexity.
ISSN:0082-7118
Contains:Enthalten in: Tyndale bulletin
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.53751/001c.29385