Samson Went Down to Timnah: Gender and Borders in Judges 14-15

When Samson leaves his home in Zorah and goes down to Timnah in Judges 14-15, he both crosses a border and makes that border more distinct. In this literary unit, gender dynamics serve as the mechanism through which ethnic difference is constructed. The distinction between Israelite and Philistine i...

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Bibliographic Details
Subtitles:Zimrat JAH: A Tribute To Ann Hackett
Main Author: Neal Thomas, Christine (Author)
Contributors: Hackett, Ann (Honoree)
Format: Print Article
Language:English
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Published: Western Academic Press 2021
In: Maarav
Year: 2021, Volume: 25, Issue: 1/2, Pages: 205-220
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Bible. Judge 14-15 / Samson Biblical character / Boundary / Timna / Philistines / Israelites / Delilah
IxTheo Classification:HB Old Testament
Further subjects:B Ethnicity
B Timnite Woman
B Feminist Criticism
B Festschrift
B Judges 14-15
B Intersectionality
B Gender
B Timnah
B Samson
B Philistines
B Hackett, Ann
Parallel Edition:Electronic
Description
Summary:When Samson leaves his home in Zorah and goes down to Timnah in Judges 14-15, he both crosses a border and makes that border more distinct. In this literary unit, gender dynamics serve as the mechanism through which ethnic difference is constructed. The distinction between Israelite and Philistine is manifested through the struggle over intimate access to the Timnite woman whom Samson seeks to marry. This woman comes to embody the intersection of the territorial and ethnic boundaries at play in the narrative. While she initially exercises limited agency in the struggle of the men that surround her, she ultimately cannot sustain the tension of her multiple states of belonging. Her violent death reasserts the ethnic borders she has bridged.
ISSN:0149-5712
Contains:Enthalten in: Maarav