Vol 93 (2012)

Against the general background of a terminological confusion that is present in contributions about Hebrew wordplay, the definition of the socalled paronomasia in relation to the term wordplay is especially debated. This article aims to clarify the concept of wordplay in the Hebrew Bible. After a survey of the current opinions in defining the terms «paronomasia» and «wordplay» (I), we propose our own definition of «Hebrew wordplay» (II). Thereafter, this description will simultaneously delimit the field of Hebrew wordplay as it excludes a few linguistic figures, although they are possibly classified as wordplay in other studies (III).

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The article examines the accounts of construction works carried out in Jerusalem in the tenth and fifth-fourth centuries BCE and emphasizes the importance of local oral traditions, the role of biblical texts, and archaeological evidence. It demonstrates that the residence built by David played an important role throughout the First Temple period. The Millo is identified with the Stepped Stone Structure. Solomon possibly founded a modest shrine on the Temple Mount, which later became the main sanctuary of the kingdom. The Ophel was the earlier quarter settled and fortified in Jerusalem after the Babylonian destruction of 587/586.

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Much research on the socio-economic conditions of Galilee in the Herodian period has argued for a rapid economic deterioration amongst the rural population. This is said to have resulted in a deadly spiral of violence prompting popular protest movements of which Jesus of Nazareth became the most renowned. Other investigations, however, paint a much more lenient picture of Galilee being under only a moderate development. This article outlines the problem at hand in the research, suggests a methodology for further development and applies this to new archaeological material emerging from excavations in Galilee and the textual material available.

The article examines parallels in canonical function between Deuteronomy and John. Following clarification of the significance of «canonical function», the essay investigates first external parallels between the two books that impact their reading especially within their sections of the OT and NT. It then looks at internal components of the books that contribute to their larger canonical role, with especial attention paid to the role of the future community as implied readership, rhetorical devices, location, and claims of final authority and sufficiency. The article concludes with a proposal regarding ways in which the two books do, indeed, function within their testamental canons in like ways.

The Baal Peor episode (Num 25,1-18), followed by the second census (Num 26), marks the break between the first compromised wilderness generation and the second. This episode is a «covenant of kinship» between Israelites and Midianites resident in Moab, sealed by marriage between high-status individuals from each of these lineages. The violent repudiation of this transaction by the Aaronid Phineas is in marked contrast to the Midianite marriage of Moses, for which an explanation is offered, and is paradigmatic of the attitude to intermarriage of the Aaronid priesthood during the mid-to-late-Achaemenid period.

Most scholars accept the two-conquest model according to which Shalmaneser V conquered Samaria in 723/722 BCE but died shortly thereafter, and that Sargon II then suppressed the ancient city again in his second regnal year (720 BCE) after resolving the internal conflict in Assyria. This paper critically examines this model, discusses some problems regarding chronological order, and proposes a new historical reconstruction in support of one conquest. The probability of there having been propagandistic considerations motivating Sargon II’s scribes is also discussed.

Hos 13,12 and Job 14,17 describe sins as tied in a bundle. Since other verses imply that sins serve as God’s own evidence against sinners, the common image in these two verses is best explained in light of evidence preservation procedures attested in Neo-Babylonian legal texts.