The 'Foreignness' of the Foreign Woman in Proverbs 1-9: A Study of the Origin and Development of a Biblical Motif

Nancy Nam Hoon Tan

Published by De Gruyter 2008

The 'Foreignness' of the Foreign Woman in Proverbs 1-9

A Study of the Origin and Development of a Biblical Motif

Nancy Nam Hoon Tan

Volume 381 in the series Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft

https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110209839

Overview
Contents

About this book

This study is on the figure אשה זדה and נכד׳ה, also commonly called the ‘Strange Woman’ in Proverbs 1-9. It is an attempt to understand the meaning which defines her, and the origin and development of her motif. The first part argues against defining her as a sexual predator, but as an ethnic foreigner according to the lexical studies of זד and נכד. It traces her origin within the Hebrew scripture, the legal documents and especially to the DtrH's portrayal of foreign women/wives. Hence, it distinguishes the two motifs: the motif of the adulteress and the motif of the foreign woman; the latter, which symbolizes the temptation to apostasy. The study will then go on to explain how the writer of Proverbs 1-9 employs this motif of the foreign woman in his poetic composition. The second part tracks the development of this motif through the subsequent Jewish Wisdom literature and observes how it changes and loses the ‘foreignness’ of her original motif in Eccl. 7:26; 4Q184; LXX Proverbs; Hebrew Ben Sira; Greek Ben Sira; and finally disappears in Wisdom of Solomon. It proffers to understand this gradual transformation against a background of social and religious change.

Author / Editor information

Nancy Nam Hoon Tan, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, China.

Reviews

"[...] this is an engaging and well-researched monograph."
L.-S. Tiemeyer in: Book List - Society for Old Testament Study 2009

"[Eine] Studie, die eindrucksvoll zeigt, wie die innerjüdische Tradition die Exegese von Prov 1-9 erhellen kann."
A. C. Hagedorn in: ZAW 121/2009

"A thouroughly worthwhile book, and a welcome addition to the literature."
David Nicoll in: New Directions 3/2009

Topics

Frontmatter Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	i
Table of Contents Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	vii
Acknowledgement Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	xi
Abbreviations Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	xiii
Chapter One: Interpretations of the “Foreignness” of the Foreign Woman in Proverbs 1-9 Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
Chapter Two: “Foreignness“ and the “Foreign Wives“ in Early Post Exilic Texts Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	44
Chapter Three: The Motif of “Foreign Wives” in Deuteronomistic Literature Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	65
Chapter Four: The Motif of the Foreign Woman in Proverbs 1-9 Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	81
Chapter Five: Direct References to the Motif of the Foreign Woman in Other Wisdom Literature Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	106
Chapter Six: The Motif of the Foreign Woman in the Apocryphal Wisdom Literature Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	135
Conclusions and Implications Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	165
Appendix: Other Foreign Women and Intermarriages in the OT Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	173
Backmatter Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	183

(Deutsch)

Language: English
Publisher: De Gruyter
Audience: Academics, Institutes, Libraries
Pages
- Front matter: 16
- Main content: 222
Keywords: Old Testament; Proverbs

eBook

Published: December 10, 2008
ISBN: 9783110209839

Hardcover

Published: May 20, 2008
ISBN: 9783110200638