Description
This study suggests that Proverbs 31 exhibits several affinities within its structural and conceptual association between King Lemuel and his mother in Proverbs 31:1-9 and the Valorous Woman (אשת חיל) of Proverbs 31:10-31. The descriptive contrast between the pericopes highlights the dynamic portraits of each character within their Proverbial setting: a king exhorted by his mother to uphold his allegiance and duty to kingdom by way of integrity, juxtaposed by a persona of a woman of inherent kindness, strength, and allegiance to her community by way of integrity. Although more can be said of these pericopes, the function of this textual juxtaposition is not overtly discernable upon first reading. The symmetrical design, when viewed through the lens of intratextual consciousness, can be more than a contradictory set of proverbial lines, but an accentuated, unifying feature of Proverbs 31 which vitally enhances the visibility of the scribal contours of the text and invites a deeper appreciation of its complexity. Building on the foundations laid by Lichtenstein (1982) and Hurowitz (2001), who have previously proposed symmetrical designs of Proverbs 31, this study introduces a modified structural arrangement. Based on a broad set of analogical correspondences at varying textual hierarchies, this approach aims to uncover a more diverse and functional complexity of Proverbs 31. The segmentation and coordination of Proverbs 31 also reveal significant perceptual elements for sequential contrast, including lexio-semantic relations, shared conceptualisations of royal ideals, economic and socially oriented justice, and conventional ancient Israelite wisdom. It is important to position this reexamination of the composition of Proverbs 31 within the macro-structure of Proverbs. A brief demonstration of a coherent whole of Proverbs underscores the importance of an intratextual reading strategy, which focuses on the immediate part (Proverbs 31) while maintaining awareness of the whole (Proverbs 1-31). Thus, this study will conclude that intratextuality is a productive way to read Proverbs 31 while simultaneously investigating Proverbs' structural unity and thematic coherence.| Period | 14 Sept 2024 |
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| Event title | Institute of Biblical Research : Student Graduate Symposium |
| Event type | Seminar |
| Degree of Recognition | National |