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The Triumph of Irony in the Book of Judges
The Triumph of Irony in the Book of Judges focuses on the literary quality of the book of Judges. Klein extrapolates the theme of irony in the book of Judges, seeking to prove that it is the main structural element. She points out how this literary device adds to the overall meaning and tone of the book, and what it reveals about the culture of the time. Chronologically divided into sections, Klein explores the narrative and commentates on the literary properties throughout-plot, character development, and resolution, as well as the main theme of irony.
260 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 1988
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March 3, 2020
In this brilliant piece of narrative criticism, Lillian Klein offers a nuanced reading of Judges through the lens of irony. Irony, so argues Klein, is at the heart of the Judges narrative; from the first chapter to the last the reader can expect narrative ambiguity, dramatic reversal, moral dilemmas, character incompatibility, and situational incongruity: in short, all the necessary ingredients for strong irony.
Klein puts forward her argument on page 20: "Irony - both of speaker and of situation - comes to the fore in the first post-expositional narrative, that of Ehud. The Deborah narrative ironically presents a woman judge who directs a male warrior to victory, and there are ironic elements in the Jael episode. But the irony of these chapters is expressed by contrast of the judge with another character; it is not invested in the character of the judge. In the subsequent chapters, the irony is intensified. From the Gideon narrative on, the irony is manifested in the persona of the judge. He may be a coward called to lead the people; one who, as he conquers his fear, loses contact with the source of his power, Yahweh. He may be a bastard and a bandit, sincerely Yahwist, but one whose ignorance makes him sin against himself and Yahweh. He may be Yahweh's own conception, in utero dedicated as a nazir, but one who does nothing better than submit to his passions, be they sexual or vengeful. These are ironic inversions of leaders, of judges."
Thus she sets the stage for her reading of Judges. Each chapter and each judge represents failure in an ironic way. Each judge fails to meet Othniel's paradigm. Each judge plunges deeper into anti-Yahwist behavior until the final chapters where the judges are suddenly gone, and Israel itself acts as judge over and above Yahweh and Benjamin.
I'd like to end my review simply by pointing out some of Klein's most brilliant and astute readings of Judges:
- The Othniel/Achsah narrative of 1:13 is paradigmatic for the rest of the book; here Israel is represented by the bride, Achsah, who is a reward for the warrior, who asks for life-giving water in the land that has been won (26).
- The Gideon-Abimelech narrative is the central narrative in Judges; only to Gideon does Yahweh speak directly, without intermediary, and in Gideon's story the reader recognizes the turn of the judge from Yahweh as authority to the self as authority: from sacrifice/offering to personal riches (Canaanite war booty), from killing Canaanites to killing Israelites (of Succoth and Penuel), from true worship to idol worship (with Gideon's own ephod becoming a "snare").
- Abimelech ('my father is king') represents the ironic climax of Judges; because Gideon slept with a Schechemite concubine, all of his acts of deliverance are reversed (78). Abimelech mimics his father's actions yet ironically undoes what his father had done.
- Samson's passion for women is primary; his battles are secondary, consequential to his lust (132). Samson continually acts out of personal vengeance and desire, though Yahweh still uses him for Israel's deliverance.
- The episode of the Levite and his concubine reverses the Othniel/Achsah paradigm; the concubine leaves her (nameless) man and returns to her father. She is infertile, and her husband hands her over to be raped and murdered.
- The final story of the Benjaminite civil war and the rape of the Shilohite women inverts chapter 1 of the book. From conquest the Israelites have turned to in-fighting; from the promise of freely-chosen marriage, to rape; from the leadership of Joshua and the judges, to each "man" choosing for himself a course of action. In the end, only Yahweh is revealed to be the true "Judge" of Israel, but Israel hasn't learned this.
Klein puts forward her argument on page 20: "Irony - both of speaker and of situation - comes to the fore in the first post-expositional narrative, that of Ehud. The Deborah narrative ironically presents a woman judge who directs a male warrior to victory, and there are ironic elements in the Jael episode. But the irony of these chapters is expressed by contrast of the judge with another character; it is not invested in the character of the judge. In the subsequent chapters, the irony is intensified. From the Gideon narrative on, the irony is manifested in the persona of the judge. He may be a coward called to lead the people; one who, as he conquers his fear, loses contact with the source of his power, Yahweh. He may be a bastard and a bandit, sincerely Yahwist, but one whose ignorance makes him sin against himself and Yahweh. He may be Yahweh's own conception, in utero dedicated as a nazir, but one who does nothing better than submit to his passions, be they sexual or vengeful. These are ironic inversions of leaders, of judges."
Thus she sets the stage for her reading of Judges. Each chapter and each judge represents failure in an ironic way. Each judge fails to meet Othniel's paradigm. Each judge plunges deeper into anti-Yahwist behavior until the final chapters where the judges are suddenly gone, and Israel itself acts as judge over and above Yahweh and Benjamin.
I'd like to end my review simply by pointing out some of Klein's most brilliant and astute readings of Judges:
- The Othniel/Achsah narrative of 1:13 is paradigmatic for the rest of the book; here Israel is represented by the bride, Achsah, who is a reward for the warrior, who asks for life-giving water in the land that has been won (26).
- The Gideon-Abimelech narrative is the central narrative in Judges; only to Gideon does Yahweh speak directly, without intermediary, and in Gideon's story the reader recognizes the turn of the judge from Yahweh as authority to the self as authority: from sacrifice/offering to personal riches (Canaanite war booty), from killing Canaanites to killing Israelites (of Succoth and Penuel), from true worship to idol worship (with Gideon's own ephod becoming a "snare").
- Abimelech ('my father is king') represents the ironic climax of Judges; because Gideon slept with a Schechemite concubine, all of his acts of deliverance are reversed (78). Abimelech mimics his father's actions yet ironically undoes what his father had done.
- Samson's passion for women is primary; his battles are secondary, consequential to his lust (132). Samson continually acts out of personal vengeance and desire, though Yahweh still uses him for Israel's deliverance.
- The episode of the Levite and his concubine reverses the Othniel/Achsah paradigm; the concubine leaves her (nameless) man and returns to her father. She is infertile, and her husband hands her over to be raped and murdered.
- The final story of the Benjaminite civil war and the rape of the Shilohite women inverts chapter 1 of the book. From conquest the Israelites have turned to in-fighting; from the promise of freely-chosen marriage, to rape; from the leadership of Joshua and the judges, to each "man" choosing for himself a course of action. In the end, only Yahweh is revealed to be the true "Judge" of Israel, but Israel hasn't learned this.
Displaying 1 of 1 review