Scriptor Ignotus’s Reviews > The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary > Status Update
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Leviticus 18:18 prohibits a man from being married to two sisters at the same time.
Jacob was married to two sisters at the same time.
But when you're a patriarch, they let you do it. You can do anything.
— Feb 23, 2024 04:49PM
Jacob was married to two sisters at the same time.
But when you're a patriarch, they let you do it. You can do anything.
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Scriptor Ignotus’s Previous Updates
Scriptor Ignotus
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"Ezekiel clearly was not a stable person." - Robert Alter
— Dec 07, 2024 03:55PM
Scriptor Ignotus
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"Our very life-breath, the Lord's anointed,
was captured in their traps,
of whom we had said,
'In his shade we shall live among the nations.'"
- Lam. 4:20
In context, this likely refers to the capture of Zedekiah, the last king of Judah; but this theopolitics casts light on early Christian interpretations of Jesus. The anointed (Christos or Masiach) is the life-giving spirit (1 Cor. 15:45) of his people.
— Dec 05, 2024 05:42PM
was captured in their traps,
of whom we had said,
'In his shade we shall live among the nations.'"
- Lam. 4:20
In context, this likely refers to the capture of Zedekiah, the last king of Judah; but this theopolitics casts light on early Christian interpretations of Jesus. The anointed (Christos or Masiach) is the life-giving spirit (1 Cor. 15:45) of his people.
Scriptor Ignotus
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Though he chastises Job from the whirlwind, God ultimately vindicates his integrity and condemns the insipid platitudes of his accusers. Job's greatness is akin to that of the poet himself: a refusal to be satisfied with clichés.
— Aug 22, 2024 05:41PM
Scriptor Ignotus
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Alter is refreshingly straightforward in his disdain for Elihu's interjection in the book of Job. The whole section is almost certainly a later interpolation, and Alter doesn't find it up to par artistically or theologically with the Job poet. YHWH's speech is a direct response to the death-wish poem of ch 3, countering Job's imagery of death with a grand cosmic vision juxtaposing life and death, violence and beauty.
— Aug 21, 2024 05:57PM
Scriptor Ignotus
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"When a wise man contends with a doltish man,
the dolt rages and mocks, with no calm."
- Proverbs 29:9
— Jun 17, 2024 05:34PM
the dolt rages and mocks, with no calm."
- Proverbs 29:9
Scriptor Ignotus
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Alter really brings out the sheer magnificence of the David story (1-2 Samuel). It is a fascinating political drama and arguably the most fully-realized character study in ancient literature; stunningly rich in psychological complexity and narrative sophistication. This is all the more remarkable in light of its great age: some (but not all) of the material may go back nearly to David's own lifetime (~10th c. BCE).
— Apr 27, 2024 04:21PM
Scriptor Ignotus
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Alter notes the curiously "Homeric" quality of the David and Goliath story: the detailed inventory of Goliath's armor and weapons, the focus on single combat, etc. Perhaps the writer(s) adapted the poetic tropes of their Greek Philistine adversaries, just as the Exodus writers had Moses humble Egypt with Egyptian-style magic. It's also clear that there were initially at least two separate origin stories for David.
— Apr 11, 2024 07:13PM
Scriptor Ignotus
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The author of Ruth apparently decided to protest Ezra-Nehemiah's prohibition of exogamous marriages by writing the biblical equivalent of a Hallmark Channel movie.
Not that I've watched any Hallmark Channel movies, mind you. No sir-ee.
— Apr 04, 2024 04:52PM
Not that I've watched any Hallmark Channel movies, mind you. No sir-ee.
Scriptor Ignotus
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In Judges, as in the Gospels, the Spirit of the Lord plays a prominent role in raising up leaders, inspiring (literally) their followers, and granting them victory. Echoes of Machiavelli's virtù. Each text reflects a period in which the people of Israel are under foreign domination and rely on charismatic leadership. Secrecy is another important theme (Ehud, Samson, the "Messianic Secret," etc.).
— Mar 26, 2024 05:15AM
Scriptor Ignotus
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There was no extermination of the Canaanites like that described in Joshua. Writing in the dangerous environment of the 7th c. BCE, the Deuteronomist wanted to reinforce the ethno-religious solidarity of Judah through two means: centralizing the cult of YHWH around Jerusalem and insisting on the "separateness" of the Israelites. In truth, the two cultures gradually merged - the 7th c. Israelites WERE the Canaanites!
— Mar 15, 2024 04:56PM
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You've taken my comment far too seriously, friend. I like bacon as much as the next guy.
Other laws havechanged too: clean and unclean animals come to mind: pork was unclean, but bacon is both lawful and delicious, now. Some rules are for a time and then are done away or adjusted. Some are eternal.
It's not at all that, "When you're a patriarch, they let you do it. You can do anything." That's not how God works.