Alexander Rofé, «Defilement of Virgins in Biblical Law and the Case of Dinah (Genesis 34)», Vol. 86 (2005) 369-375
Seduction or rape of a virgin in the Biblical milieu did not signify her being
defiled. The Hebrew verb t-imme) (to defile) applied to married or betrothed
women only. The case of Dinah is an exception. In Genesis 34, it is stated three
times that Jacob’s daughter was defiled by Shechem (vv. 5.13.27). A plausible
explanation of this state of affairs is that Genesis 34 reflects the late, postexilic
notion that the idolatrous gentiles are impure which implies the prohibition of
intermarriage and intercourse with them (Ezra 9, 11-12). The concept of the
impurity of idolaters persisted in post-biblical literature. Thus, the assertion that
Dinah was defiled by Shechem betrays a late date of composition in respect of
this story. This confirms Kuenen’s hypothesis that Genesis 34 in its present form
is a late chapter, containing an anti-Samaritan polemic which originated in the
Restoration Community of the Fifth-Fourth centuries BCE.
458 Gert T.M. Prinsloo
the progression of ideas when the collection is read as a unit in the
context of Book V of the Psalter. This study exploits one area where
there is a clear and significant progression of thought and a recurring
and theologically meaningful pattern when these poems are read as a
coherent unit, namely the concept of “space†(7).
I. “Spaceâ€: theoretical considerations
1. General observations
Narratologists emphasise the importance of the concept of “spaceâ€
in narrative art. In narratives space implies much more than “placeâ€, it
is a dimension of the story as such, present in the text even when not
mentioned explicitly for the simple reason that every story must be
situated at a place and in a space of some kind (8). Space has emotional
undertones; it contributes to the atmosphere of the story. In ancient,
written narratives the text is the actual space in which the story
exists (9). Space can be defined as “everything in the narrative that is
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cation of narrative techniques might be fruitful in discovering a “story line†in
poetic texts.
(7) According to P.M. VENTER, “Spatiality in Psalm 29â€, Psalms and liturgy
(Eds. D.J. HUMAN – C.J.A. VOS) (JSOTSS 410; London 2004) 235 the spatial
analysis of biblical literature can provide a “window†into the ancient world. Ac-
cording to C.V. CAMP, “Storied space, or, Ben Sira “tells†a “templeâ€, AAR/SBL
Annual Meeting, Constructs of the Social and Cultural Worlds of Antiquity
Group, November 20, 1999 (Hyperlink: http://www.guildzone.org) 1-18 the spa-
tial “story†of a poetic text can be a point of departure to discover the ideology of
the text.
(8) M. BAL, De theorie van vertellen en verhalen. Inleiding in de narrato-
logie (Muiderberg 41986) 101; A.P. BRINK, Vertelkunde. ‘n Inleiding tot die lees
van verhalende tekste (Pretoria – Kaapstad 1987) 107-108. G. PRINCE, Narratol-
ogy. The form and function of narrative (Janua Linguarum Series Maior 108;
Berlin – New York – Amsterdam) 32 observes that the place of narration plays
no role whatsoever in many famous narratives. It emphasises the importance of
the distinction between “place†and “spaceâ€. He states that it is practically im-
possible to narrate a series of events without establishing a set of temporal or
temporally bound relationships between narration and narrated. A narrative can-
not exist without space and time. Even if no place is explicitly mentioned the
reader constructs space in the process of reading or deduces it from the objects
mentioned and the relationship between characters and objects.
(9) L.L. THOMPSON, Introducing biblical literature. A more fantastic country
(New Jersey 1978) 3-4 emphasises that modern readers discover the world of the
Bible mainly through words. Three worlds interact in the interpretation of bibli-