Mark J. Boda, «Freeing the Burden of Prophecy:Mas%s%a4) and the Legitimacy of Prophecy in Zech 9–14», Vol. 87 (2006) 338-357
Prior to the 1980’s the definition of the Hebrew term mas%s%a4) as a reference to
prophetic speech or literature, was largely dominated by etymological
argumentation. However, Richard Weis, in his 1986 Claremont dissertation
leveraged form-critical categories and evidence to argue that this term was a
formal tag defining a particular type of literature, an argument that has been
applied and developed by the subsequent work of Marvin Sweeney (Isaiah,
FOTL; Book of the Twelve, Berit Olam) and Michael Floyd (JBL 12.1 [2002] 401-
422). This paper offers a critical review of this history of research with a view to
its impact on the interpretation of Zechariah 9–14. A new proposal is put forward
for the use of this term in Zechariah 9–14, one that reveals the influence of
Jeremianic tradition and highlights concern over certain prophetic streams in the
community that produced these texts.
Freeing the Burden of Prophecy 351
on Mal 1,1 that past scholarship has highlighted the close affinity
between the superscription in Mal 1,1 and those in Zech 9,1 and 12,1,
an affinity that has often forced people to presuppose a closer
relationship between Zechariah 9–14 and Malachi, than between
Zechariah 9–14 and Zechariah 1–8. Floyd notes, however, that Mal 1,1
shares with Nahum and Habakkuk the common feature of a reference
to a recipient of the prophetic message, a feature missing in Zech 9,1
and 12,1. Nevertheless, this feature is certainly not consistent in
Nahum, Habakkuk and Malachi as the following chart reveals.
Additionally, Nahum at least is closely allied with the references in
Isaiah 13–23 which place ma¢¢Ë’ and the place name in construct
relationship, and Habakkuk betrays a close relationship to Isa 13,1,
which has a clause introduced by ’aÏ€er followed by the verb h≥ËzËh and
the name of the prophet. In contrast to Nahum and Habakkuk, Malachi
displays greater affinity with the two superscriptions in Zechariah
9–14, all three of which employ the phrase: hw:hy“Arb'd“ aC;m' followed by
a preposition. This collocation is not found in any other ma¢¢Ë’
superscription in the Hebrew Bible (35).
≈/ma;AˆB, Why[vy“ hz:j; rv,a} lb,B; aC;m'
:]' Isa 13,1
hZ ma¢¢Ë’ debar YHWH ‘al + place name
˘ ˘
(see Jer 23,33-40).