Hebrew Bible

Scholars have long debated the identity of the servant in the first servant poem of Isaiah. This present volume provides a fresh reinvestigation of the identity of the servant in Isaiah 42:1-9 and its role among the other servant poems, also examining other relevant “servant” passages in Isaiah—particularly in Second Isaiah. The result reveals a thorough linguistic, intratextual, and thematic framework for interpreting the identity and role of this servant.

Psalms containing lexemes derived from the Hebrew root צרר (to bind, be in distress) reveal a previously-unnoticed generic subgroup in the Psalter. Through structural and cognitive linguistic principles, Rasmussen explores issues related to genre, Hebrew grammar, and syntax in order to arrive at a set of three cognitive domains of “powerlessness,” “palpable threat,” and “entreaty” which are relatively unique to psalms that include צרר lexemes. Rasmussen also makes suggestions about the editorial process of the Hebrew Psalter, concluding that after the Babylonian exile, distress was more strongly associated with divine discipline and displeasure, whereas before the exile it was more associated with declarations of innocence.

This volume explores storm-/warrior-god motif as found in non-biblical ANE texts, followed by an analysis of the language and imagery in several noteworthy theophanic passages in the Hebrew Bible. These characteristics and vocabulary are used in later chapters to identify and analyze similar motifs in the Twelve Prophets, especially focusing on Mic 7:7-20; Habakkuk 3; and Zech 9:9-16 as test cases. By tracing the use of the storm-/warrior-god motif and language associated with it, a detectable shift is apparent in the use of the motif in the HB that corresponds with the development of monotheism within Ancient Israelite religion.

This volume incorporates all the articles and reviews published in volume 13 (2013) of the Journal of Hebrew Scriptures.

This volume explores themes at the intersection of the Bible and science fiction. In the genre of science fiction in film, books, comic books, or fan fiction, we find portrayals of possible futures, altered pasts, supernatural or beyond-human beings. Just as in biblical literature, science fiction can contain metaphysical speculation. Departing from this intersection, the authors engage with biblical texts 'as' science fiction, asking different questions of their sources: can science fiction theory and practice yield new approaches to the discussion of biblical texts? The authors reflect on methodology and offer case studies that include, among others, superhuman biblical kings and uncanny divine intermediaries.

Divine and Human Hate in the Ancient Near East studies lexemes for ‘hate’ in Biblical Hebrew, Ugaritic, and Akkadian. Riley conducts a lexical study of three ‘hate’ terms, along with comparative analysis of divine and human hate in biblical, Ugaritic, and Mesopotamian literature.

The Unremembered Dead examines the motif of non-burial in the Hebrew Bible in its ancient Near Eastern contexts. Mansen proposes a new typology for analyzing these references, and demonstrates the range of functions that the non-burial motif served as a literary weapon in both biblical and extra-biblical texts.

Rest in Mesopotamian and Israelite Literature studies the concept of rest in the Hebrew Bible and ancient Near Eastern literature. Through close examination of Mesopotamian texts and selections from the Deuteronomistic History and Chronicles, Kim delineates a concept of rest for each body of literature, and employs a comparative approach to illuminate the rest motif in the Hebrew Bible in light of Mesopotamian literature.

A reprint of Mynatt's 1994 publication, examining all of the sub loco notes in the Torah of BHS. There is an entry for each such note which compares the Mp of Codex Leningradensis, BHS and (where extant) the Aleppo Codex.

Daughter Zion's Trauma offers a new critical reading of the Book of Lamentations through the lens of trauma studies. Through structural analysis and use of the concept of non-referential history as a heuristic lens, Yansen yields fresh insights into the book’s form, language, and larger "historical" significance. Utilizing insights from study of the rhetorical dimensions of the trauma process in cultural trauma, this study asserts that Lamentations strategically adapts certain religious traditions to ensure the survival of those whose voices it echoes.