JBL 128, no. 2 (2009): 311–335. The consensus guiding the interpretation of the so-called parable of the Dishonest Steward was built around the effort to explain why the (L)lord in v. 8a should have praised the person whose actions were thought to be “dishonest” and who, in the parable itself, is called a “steward of unrighteousness” (οἰκονόμος τῆς ἀδικίας). To solve this...
JBL 127, no. 3 (2008): 533–566. Luke-Acts produces a “memory theater,” invoking the language of the Septuagint, monumental traditions regarding the earliest Jesus movement, and retelling again and again the epic of the people of Israel, reconfiguring its literary spaces for a new (Christian) Israel. Luke hybridizes Christianity with the Greekness that was so prestigious and...
JBL 128, no. 1 (2009): 107–113. This short article examines the cultural, semantic, and linguistic problems in understanding the 'exemplary' woman presented in Proverbs 31. The article finds a better interpretation: the woman does not “strengthen” her arms, but binds her sleeves or upper garment to free her arms for work.
JBL 128, no. 1 (2009), 135-148. This article concerns the location of Rachel’s tomb, but for an entirely different reason: not where Rachel was buried, be it in Benjamin or Bethlehem, but rather where she was not. More specifically, the question of why in its recounting of Rachel’s death, the biblical tradition does not presume that Rachel’s body would have been carried the...
JBL 128, no. 1 (2009): 183–188. This article discusses the development of the name "the Sea of Galilee" as a place name. What we witness in the Gospels is the development of an early Christian place name. The purpose of the early church’s exegetical creativity was to depict Jesus’ ministry in the vicinity of the Lake of Gennesar as a fulfillment of Isa 8:23.
JBL 129, no. 1 (2010): 115–127. What is the theological significance of John’s portrayal of the five senses in the Fourth Gospel? In the first place, they are employed in the Gospel as images pertaining to faith: they represent that material comprehension by which the reader makes a connection to the divine source of life. To grasp this spiritual reality, the evangelist makes...
JBL 128, no. 3 (2009): 469–490. Ezekiel's message in the face of trauma is not strictly priestly in the historical sense but also in the pastoral sense, in that he offers hope and healing to a devastated community. This article outlines the broad points of Ezekiel's message with special attention to the language he uses.
JBL 128, no. 3 (2009): 491–501. The article argues that Yhwh’s promised acts on behalf of the exiles in Ezek 37:12–14 are best understood in light of what appears to be a biblical and extrabiblical literary topos of benevolent tomb opening and transportation of the remains of the dead, which, in one well-evidenced version of the pattern, are taken from a far-off, often foreign,...
JBL 129, no. 1 (2010): 67–84. The use and abuse of corpses is a powerful trope in biblical texts, extending well beyond the literary imaging of destruction and death to index instead a complex of socio-religious, political, and cultural concerns about the placement, treatment, and status of the dead among the living. As several socio-anthropological and ritual studies have...
JBL 128, no. 3 (2009): 503–506. From her first sentence, Karin Adams indicates her support for a movement n ancient studies to discredit any potential indications of sacred prostitution in the ancient world. This article considers the concept of sacred prostitution in Hebrew literature, looking at passages where the term and its cognates appear.
JBL 128, no. 3 (2009): 417–436. This article studies the original text of 'creation in the image of God'. The article considers poetic parallelism, number, gender, and definiteness expressed in the account of Gen 1:26–28 concerning the creation in the image of God.
JBL 128, no. 4 (2009): 717–733. Based on parallels with royal literature from the Neo-Assyrian period, this article has argued that Isa 10:5–6, 16–19, and 33–34 not only are creative modifications of royal idiom but are, in fact, purposefully fashioned in such a way that the common motifs present in such royal literature are overturned, resulting in the debunking of the...
JBL 127, no. 4 (2008): 635–653. The redaction history of the Holiness Code in the Pentateuch contains is relevant for understanding biblical law. This article uses Jer. 34 to reflect on the ongoing composition of the Holiness Code.
JBL 128, no. 2 (2009): 225–241. The intent of this essay is to argue that the story of Abraham, as an important segment of the Priestly History in the Hexateuch (Genesis to Joshua),1 was composed with the purpose of providing those who survived the disaster of 586 B.C.E. with a religious basis on which they could rebuild their lives. More specifically, the component of the...
JBL 128, no. 2 (2009): 273–290. The third chapter of the book of Daniel forms a richly textured narrative, often ascribed to the genre of the court legend.1 The royal order to worship the golden image, the refusal of the three Jewish youths to comply with Nebuchadnezzar’s demands, their ordeal in the fiery furnace, and miraculous salvation, followed by their reinstatement in...
JBL 127, no. 3 (2008): 423–458. This passage raises questions about ethical behavior by a besieging army against a civilian population center. The article considers interpretive questions and their ongoing effects on policies drafted by invading armies in foreign lands.
JBL 128, no. 4 (2009): 687–702. This article releases the traditional understandings of the stories within the book of Judges. Reading the stories with a Bakhtinian model of polyphonic and carnivalesque texts opens a new view on these narratives with each story challenging expectations and the final effect of the stories not resolving into a unified message.
JBL 128, no. 3 (2009): 437–442. This article gathers information about the 'marginality' of a person in Leviticus 16. The goal is a clearer picture of how this person operates for a community.
JBL 128, no. 3 (2009): 453–467. This article uses a story within the narrative of Absalom's rebellion to raise questions about the wisdom and the limits of knowledge in discerning the will of a mysterious God.
JBL 128, no. 4 (2009): 649–663. The episode between Ehud and Eglon in the book of Judges presents problems in contextualizing the events properly through the language of the text. The results of the work find a story more real and layered with meaning.
BL 127, no. 3 (2008): 491–499. This article responds to a previous article by André LaCocque on the book of Job. While LaCocque's article is discussed, this author challenges the three following elements of LaCocque’s demonstration: divine weakness, Job’s repentance, and his restoration.
JBL 127, no. 4 (2008): 781 – 803. The technique of the pseudonymous letter is to bridge surreptitiously the gap between the fiction it tells and the historical situation in which it. seeks to have an effect. This is true for the NT letter to Titus. The article looks at the question "What is the relationship between (1) the pseudonymity of the letter to Titus, (2) the narrative...
JBL 127, no. 4 (2008): 759–780. 2 Corinthians 3:18 is about the transformation of the believer. This article exegetes the language and cultural context to reach a more complete understanding of the text's message.
JBL 127, no. 4 (2008): 625–634. This article presents Theodore Hiebert’s recent article “The Tower of Babel and the Origin of the World’s Cultures,” where he makes an important argument that has been missed heretofore in the study of Genesis 11 and presented a thesis that is both essentially correct and much needed. However, there are a few points that needed correction.
JBL 128, no. 1 (2009): 91–106. There is a reference to 'the Satan' in Chronicles. This article explores the nature, identity, and literary origins of 'the Satan' for the Chronicler.
JBL 128, no. 1 (2009): 61–64. This article examines the use of puns as a literary technique in Biblical Hebrew text and specifically examines a pun toward the end of Samson's story.
JBL 128, no. 3 (2009): 443–452. Two important topics in the book of Ruth are foreignness and the acceptance of foreigners by Judahite society. In order to integrate a Moabite woman into Israel, the biblical author refers to the laws of the Torah to protect the poor — especially widows, orphans, and aliens — as well as to levirate marriage. This article will take a closer look...
JBL 128, no. 1 (2009): 29–41. This article contrasts two ways of interpreting the story of the tower of Babel. The author presents and applies a method to reflect carefully on how to determine the meaning of a text; the presentation of the method brings clarity to the areas of difference in results.
JBL 128, no. 2 (2009): 209 – 224. This article uses the story of the Tower of Babel as an example to show how the methods of Historical and Modern Literary Criticism move from differing viewpoints to reach conclusions.
JBL 128, no. 3 (2009): 545 – 554. This article specifically considers the interpretation of the ransom saying in 10:45, “for the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom in behalf of many. ” Attention is given to many similar expressions, ancient and modern, to explain an idea of redemption and servant leadership.
JBL 128, no. 1 (2009): 65–84. The biblical narrative presents several problems in understanding. The author uses similar biblical stories but also a topographical awareness of the setting to explain the exposition better and, hence, the use of the story.
JBL 129, no. 1 (2010): 129–151. The apostle Paul found conflict throughout his service, but it may be difficult to understand these conflicts since the reader often only knows his side. This article attempts to reconstruct the position of the missionary rivals whose legitimacy Paul attempts to undermine in 2 Corinthians. Understanding this conflict can explain Paul's own...
JBL 129, no. 1 (2010): 49–66. Death imagery is abundant in the book of Job. This article approaches the subject by comparing the text of the book of Job with practices known from archaeology and other sources. A clearer understanding of the book's message and connection to historical context is made.
JBL 126, no. 4 (2007): 703–716. Ruth 2:7 introduces the reader to a 'supervising boy' attending the harvesting of grain in Boaz's field. Exegesis of this brief conversation opens questions about the work and possible danger Ruth faces there and the concern of Boaz as represented by this 'boy'. Close reading is made of this passage.
JBL 130, no. 2 (2011): 227–246. A study of the woman's 'desire' in Genesis 3:16, is a central Biblical text for describing Eve and all women who will follow her. The term is examined in many sources before a translation is offered.
JBL 128, no. 4 (2009): 665–685. The story of Jephthah’s sacrifice of his daughter is perhaps the most disturbing piece of literature in the Hebrew Bible. Yet archaeological evidence and reevaluations of pertinent biblical texts are causing the scholarly community to reassess this story.
JBL 128, no. 2 (2009): 253–272 The book of Ruth is connected to the story of David in 1 and 2 Samuel, as she is one of his ancestors. This article shows connections between the different stories and how Ruth's story sheds light on David's character.