Prophetic Hermeneutics in the Hebrew Bible and Mesopotamia

Abstract

This paper looks at how prophetic texts construct meaning, with a focus on the overlap between ancient Near Eastern hermeneutic traditions in general and the way divination was understood to function. After a discussion of the divinatory character of prophecy, the paper analyses assonance and word-play in combination with sign-acts and visions, and how each of them conveys a specific message. Other topics include the development of prophecy towards absolute determinacy in Deuteronomy, and the phenomenon that prophetic texts begin to be understood as carrying mantic meaning not just to the original audience(s) but also to later readerships (e.g. Pesharim at Qumran).

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