How to Interpret the Sign of the קשׁשׁת in Genesis 9?
This article deals with Yahweh’s קשׁת (bow/rainbow) in Genesis 9 as a sign that the deity has ceased his hostilities against humanity, animals and land. But how exactly does the idea of the cessation of Yahweh’s attacks against these groups derive from the placing of קשׁת in the clouds? In this arti...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
|
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht
2022
|
| In: |
Die Welt des Orients
Year: 2022, Volume: 52, Issue: 1, Pages: 34-52 |
| IxTheo Classification: | BC Ancient Orient; religion HB Old Testament |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | This article deals with Yahweh’s קשׁת (bow/rainbow) in Genesis 9 as a sign that the deity has ceased his hostilities against humanity, animals and land. But how exactly does the idea of the cessation of Yahweh’s attacks against these groups derive from the placing of קשׁת in the clouds? In this article, I will revisit a medieval Jewish interpretation of Genesis 9 that answers this question by pointing to the way archers held their bows when not firing it, or calling for a ceasefire. An archer would turn his bow to himself to indicate that although he is still capable of inflicting harm, he has refrained himself from doing so. Furthermore, I will argue for a conceptual similarity between this reading of the biblical account and several examples of Mesopotamian royal iconography from the 3rd millennium BCE onwards in which rulers and deities are depicted holding their bows turned toward themselves, a gesture that I interpret as signifying non-hostile intent, despite the capacity to do so. Thus, the spatial orientation of Yahweh’s קשׁת in the clouds, turned toward the deity himself, not only evince a persistent Near Eastern military convention but also the innate way that a triumphant warrior would position his bow after a battle. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 2196-9019 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Die Welt des Orients
|
| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.13109/wdor.2022.52.1.34 |