Narrative Analogy in the Hebrew Bible: Battle Stories and Their Equivalent Non-Battle Narratives

261 Pages·2004·28.42 MB·English

by  Joshua A. Berman

NARRATIVE ANALOGY IN THE HEBREW BIBLE
SUPPLEMENTS
TO
VETUS TESTAMENTUM
EDITED BY
THE BOARD OFTHE QUARTERLY
H.M. BARSTAD - PHYLLIS A. BIRD - R.P. GORDON
A. HURVITZ - A. VAN DER KOOIJ - A. LEMAIRE
R. SMEND - ]. TREBOLLE BARRERA
].e. VANDERKAM - H.G.M. WILLIAMSON
VOLUME cm
NARRATIVE ANALOGY
IN THE HEBREW BIBLE
Battle Stories and
Their Equivalent Non-hattle Narratives
BY
JOSHUA A. BERMAN
BRILL
LEIDEN' BOSTON
2004
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Berman,Joshua.
Narrative analogy in the Hebrew Bible : batde stories and their equivalent non··batde
narratives I by Joshua A. Berman.
p. cm. --(Supplements to Vetus Testamentum, ISSN 0083-5889; v. 103.)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 90-04-13119-1 (alk. paper)
I. Military his tory in the Bible. 2. Bible. O.T.-Criticism, Narrative. I. Tide. Il. Series.
BS41O.V452 vol. 103
[BSI199.M47]
221 s-dc22
[222'.066]
2004040657
ISSN 0083-5889
ISBN 900413119 I
© Copyright 2004 by Koninklijke Brill NY, Leiden, The Netherlands
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T,om M ichal
ll'llN

CONTENTS
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. IX
List of Abbreviations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. XI
Introduction: Narrative Analogy and the Metaphor Plot. ...
2 The Second Batde at Ha-Ai Gosh 8: 1-29) and the Trial of
Achan Gosh 7:10-26). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. 31
3 The Batde Against Benjamin Gudg 20:40-48) and the Rape
ofthe Concubine Gudg 19:22-27). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 55
4 The Appointment ofJephthah as Commander in Chief
Gu dg 10: I 7- 11: 11) and the Reproach of the People by
God Gudg 10:6-16) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 85
5 Two Days ofFeasting (Esth 5:1-8) and Two Days of
Fighting (Esth 9: 1-16) in the Book of Esther. . . . . . . . . . . . .. 115
6 The Batde at Baal Perazim (I Chr 14:8-12) and the
Account ofPerez Uzzah (l Chr 13:1-14) ................ 147
7 The Batde at Ramoth Gilead (2 Chr 18:28-19:3) and
the Pre-Batde Deliberations of Ahab andJehoshaphat
(2 Chr 18:1-27) .................................... 181
8 Conclusions: The Batde Report and Narrative Analogy in
Light of the Present Study. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 199
Appendix: Narrative Analogy and the Batde Report in the
Ancient Near East .................................... 216
Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 223
General Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 233
Index ofScriptural References ........................... 237

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
It is with awe and wonder that I thank the Almighty for having granted
me the opportunity to draw from the wisdom of teachers both from
the great world of dassical rabbinic learning and from the modern
academy. The impetus to seek out vast networks of subtle connections
between disparate biblical passages was a consciousness bestowed to
me during my eight years of study at Yeshivat Har-Etzion under the
inspired guidance of Rabbi Aaron Lichtenstein and Rabbi Yehuda
Amital. This consciousness was further refined through the rigor and
discipline afTorded me in doctoral studies in the department of Bible
at Bar-Ilan University.
The present study is a revised version of my doctoral dissertation
conducted under the supervision of Professor Edward L. Greenstein
and Professor Rimon Kasher. Each had very valid reasons with which
they could have politely asked me to turn elsewhere for sponsorship.
Each has gone above and beyond the normal call of duty in order
to take on mentorship of my doctoral work. Conventional wisdom
states that a doctoral student should avoid taking on two advisors,
as the demands of one may difTer from the demands of the other. In
this case, I have been blessed to receive their combined wisdom and
perspective and dose friendship. I pray that I may be able to give to
my students wh at they have given me.
I am indebted to the Council of Higher Education of the Ministry
of Education of the State of Israel for the support of a Rotenstreich
Fellowship and to the Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture for
their support over the final three years of my work. I would also like
to recognize the Scholarship Committee of Bar-Ilan U niversity and
Mrs. Fanya Heller of New York City for their generous support dur
ing the first two years of my doctoral study.
Significant portions of chapter 5 of this study originally appeared
as an artide in theJournal ofBiblical Literature ("Hadassah bat Abi
hail: From Object to Subject in the Character of Esther," JBL 120:4
[2001] 647-69) and I thank its editors for their permission to reprint
that material here.
I would also like to acknowledge the assistance gran ted me over
the years by the Department of Bible at Bar-Ilan University, by its