SPCK
The Women's Bible Commentary - Signs of the Judgment
The Women's Bible Commentary - Signs of the Judgment
by SPCK - Newsom, Ringe and Lapsley
Signs of the Judgment The material in chapters 12–24 is an uneven mixture of dense allegories and sign actions interspersed with prose accounts of Israel’s history. The metaphorized women in chapters 16 and 23 will be the focus of our attention, but the women prophets in 13:17–23…
The Women's Bible Commentary - Horrors of War
The Women's Bible Commentary - Horrors of War
by SPCK - Newsom, Ringe and Lapsley
Horrors of War A new section of the book commences with the superscription in 13:1, which aims the two poems that follow toward Babylon and its ruler. This is of course puzzling, since it was not Babylon but Assyria that was being discussed immediately prior, and that will reappe…
The Women's Bible Commentary - A Series of Accusations
The Women's Bible Commentary - A Series of Accusations
by SPCK - Newsom, Ringe and Lapsley
A Series of Accusations That it is the elite men of Jerusalem who are the actual targets of Isaiah’s criticism becomes clear in the most explicit of the prophet’s accusations, a series of “woe” oracles detailing such atrocities as greedy accumulation of real estate at others’ exp…
The Women's Bible Commentary - Sexualized Social Evil
The Women's Bible Commentary - Sexualized Social Evil
by SPCK - Newsom, Ringe and Lapsley
Sexualized Social Evil Isaiah 3 continues to reflect on the corrupt elite of Jerusalem. Two groups are targeted. Verses 1–12 describe the removal of male leadership and the resulting chaos, while 3:16–4:1 describes the coming disgrace of wealthy women and of the city itself…
The Women's Bible Commentary - Speaking Again about Love
The Women's Bible Commentary - Speaking Again about Love
by SPCK - Newsom, Ringe and Lapsley
Speaking Again about Love As it draws to a close, the Song returns to the mode in which it began, with a series of shorter speeches by the woman, the man, and, in 8:5, the Jerusalem women. As in the opening section, the transitions from one topic to another are more abrupt…
The Women's Bible Commentary - The Man’s First Speech, with Responses by the Woman and the Jerusalem Women
The Women's Bible Commentary - The Man’s First Speech, with Responses by the Woman and the Jerusalem Women
by SPCK - Newsom, Ringe and Lapsley
Speaking about Love These opening verses, by disorienting the reader with a seemingly dizzying array of speakers, abrupt scene changes (king’s chambers, vineyards, pastureland, Pharaoh’s stables, leafy bower, wine house)…
The Women's Bible Commentary - Speaking about Love
The Women's Bible Commentary - Speaking about Love
by SPCK - Newsom, Ringe and Lapsley
Speaking about Love These opening verses, by disorienting the reader with a seemingly dizzying array of speakers, abrupt scene changes (king’s chambers, vineyards, pastureland, Pharaoh’s stables, leafy bower, wine house), and variously identified lovers (royal figures, vineyard k…
The Women's Bible Commentary - Women Are without Wisdom
The Women's Bible Commentary - Women Are without Wisdom
by SPCK - Newsom, Ringe and Lapsley
Women Are without Wisdom Ecclesiastes speaks highly of the relationship between men, but also of the relationship a man can have with his wife (9:9). He makes frequent reference to mothers and wombs, grounding human existence in them (4:14)…
The Women's Bible Commentary - Introduction of Speaker and Themes
The Women's Bible Commentary - Introduction of Speaker and Themes
by SPCK - Newsom, Ringe and Lapsley
Introduction of Speaker and Themes Despite the declaration that Ecclesiastes is king in Jerusalem, the speaker is probably best described as a sage or teacher, perhaps a mid-level official in the provincial administration…
The Women's Bible Commentary - On Government and Power
The Women's Bible Commentary - On Government and Power
by SPCK - Newsom, Ringe and Lapsley
On Government and Power The royal court takes centre stage in these proverbs that are attributed to Solomon and transmitted by scribes in the court of Hezekiah (ca. 715–687 BCE). Indeed, some interpreters argue that portions of Proverbs 25–29 were used to educate aspiring young m…
The Women's Bible Commentary - Proverbs
The Women's Bible Commentary - Proverbs
by SPCK - Newsom, Ringe and Lapsley
Proverbs Many of the themes addressed in 10:1– 15:33 continue, but antithetical proverbs are now mixed with a greater diversity of wisdom genres, including synonymous and synthetic proverbs, “better than” proverbs (e.g., 16:8, 32; 17:1), rhetorical questions (e.g., 17:16; 18:14),…
The Women's Bible Commentary - The Moral World of Biblical Patriarchy and the Problem of Solidarity