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This ''close reading'' of Exodus 19-40 focuses on the repetition of the ''encounter on the mountain''. This double encounter is expressed in a narrative structure of preparatory episodes climaxed by the theophany. The tension of the narrative is linked to ''the people'' as the unlikely heroes of encounter and solved by the divine descent from the divine mountain to the man-made tent. The new situation of permanent encounter is foregrounded by the juxtaposed stories of pre- and post- Sinai journey, and the theme of the ''substitution of Moses'' underlines a radical reinterpretation of traditional concepts, inviting the reader to embark on a process of identification.

Scholars of biblical law are already widely agreed that ancient Israel did not draft law-texts for legislative purposes. This study critiques and challenges the current consensus, and presents an alternative hypothesis.

The meta-theoretical approach according to which a popular method of analysis and interpretation regarding the books of Samuel is discussed an evaluated critically.

In the Book of Judges, why, if we view Samson as a heroic Übermensch, do we read his story one way, yet if we read him as a buffoonish and violent oaf, we read the story another way? How does our assessment of the characters of a story, our empathy with them or suspicion of them, shape the way we read it?This book addresses these questions by analyzing the complex characterization in the Book of Judges, paying attention to an often neglected but important area of study in the Hebrew Bible. Its international group of contributors explore the implications of characterization on storytelling, situating their contributions within the context of literary studies of the Hebrew Bible, and offering multiple perspectives on the many and various characters one encounters in the Book of Judges.Chapters examine a range of topics, including the relationship between humour, characterisation and theology in Judges; the intersection of characterization and ethics through the story of the story of Jephthah's daughter; why the 'trickster hero' Ehud disturbs interpreters; and the ways in which Abimelech's characterization affects the key narrative themes of succession and kingship in his story.

Created in honor of the work of Professor Tova Forti, this collection considers the natural world in key wisdom books - Proverbs, Job and Qoheleth/Ecclesiastes, Ben Sira and Song of Songs/Solomon - and also examines particular animal and plant imagery in other texts in the Hebrew Bible. It crucially involves ancient Near Eastern parallels and like texts from the classical world, but also draws on rabbinic tradition and broader interpretative works, as well as different textual traditions such as the LXX and Qumran scrolls.Whilst the natural world, notably plants and animals, is a key uniting element, the human aspect is also crucial. To explore this, contributors also treat the wider concerns within wisdom literature on human beings in relation to their social context, and in comparison with neighbouring nations. They emphasize that the human, animal and plant worlds act together in synthesis, all enhanced and imbued by the world-view of wisdom literature.

An enquiry that addresses the manner in which "Zechariah" 1-8 invokes/re-activates/re-applies the words of the 'former prophets' that raises important issues related to prophecy and fulfilment, history and eschatology, and the development of 'apocalyptic'.

These studies seek to establish the principles of biblical law as represented in the Sinai traditions. Specific topics covered include adultery, family law, slavery, animals, wealth, respect for life and the general biblical moral tradition.

Explores the impact of Babylonian aggression upon the book of Jeremiah by calling attention to the presence of the empire and showing how the book of "Jeremiah" can be read as resistant responses to the inevitability of imperial power and the experience of exile.

An examination of the eschatological and messianic elements in the first twelve chapters of "LXX Isaiah". It surveys the discussion of eschatology and messianism in "LXX Isaiah" and the outlines the issues involved. It also includes a study of the book's translation technique.

Vita Daphna Arbel uses critical theories of gender to offer an alternative reading of the multilayered conceptualization of the Song of Song's feminine protagonist: "the most beautiful woman". Arbel treats "the most beautiful woman" as a culturally constructed and performed representation of "woman," and situates this representation within the cultural-­discursive contexts in which the Song partly emerged. She examines the gender norms and cultural ideologies it both reflects and constructs, and considers the manner in which this complex representation disrupts rigid, ahistorical notions of femininity, and how it consequently indirectly characterizes "womanhood" as dynamic and diverse.Finally, Arbel examines the reception and impact of these ideas on later conceptualizations of the Song of Songs' female protagonist with a heuristic examination of Mark Chagall's Song of Songs painting cycle, Le Cantique des Cantiques. These compositions-selected for their diverse depictions of the Song's protagonist, their impact on European art, and their vast popularity and bearing in the broader cultural imagination-illustrate a fascinating dialogue between the present and the past about the "most beautiful woman" and about multiple femininities.