Twentieth- and Twenty-first-century Readings of <i>Hebel</i> (הֶבֶל) in Ecclesiastes

Meek, Russell L.

doi:10.1177/1476993x15586039

Cited by 4 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 38 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Notes 1 A comprehensive survey on the history of the interpretation and meaning of ‫ל‬ ‫בֶ‬ ‫הֶ‬ in the Hebrew Bible and mainly in Qoheleth is prominently found in the studies of Sneed (2017); Meek (2016); Fuhr (2013, pp. 29-63); Sneed (2012, pp.…”

Section: Conflicts Of Interestmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In his article, "Twentieth-and Twenty-first-century Readings of Hebel ‫ל(‬ ‫בֶ‬ ‫)הֶ‬ in Ecclesiastes," Russel Meek posits that "the meaning of ‫ל‬ ‫בֶ‬ ‫הֶ‬ is a crux interpretum for the book." (Meek 2016). Antoon Schoors boldly affirms that ‫ל‬ ‫בֶ‬ ‫הֶ‬ "is even the key word par excellence, more than any of the more frequently occurring words, because it is found at strategic points of the exposition and embodies the thinking and the mood that pervade this sapiential book."…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The Heḇelness of African Power: Hope or Despair: A Political Reading of Reading Qoh 3:16-17; 4:1-3.13-16

Some

2023

Religions

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The mother continent Africa is known for its various, multiple, and repeated instabilities, the rationale being the great hope and desire for the permanence, fixity, stability, lasting or enduring things that characterize human beings. Irrespective of how great and noble this hope and desire might be, one should admit that permanence or stability in life under the sun is against human nature, which for Qoheleth is הבל, that is, fleeting, transitory, brief, “not stable”. The use of הבל applied to different areas of life draws attention to the fleetingness of human experience in the world compared to God’s eternity. In Qoheleth’s view, there is nothing eternal on Earth: everything is fleeting (הכל הבל). So is political power, which for Qoheleth is short-lived and unstable, whether oppressive or not. It is, therefore, the aim of this paper to explore the hermeneutical possibility of Qoheleth’s use of הבל, which could be used to understand the political instability in African leadership. As such, this study calls attention to Qoheleth’s use of הבל with a political focus. It reads the text against the context of the oppressive manipulative political control of the powerless, voiceless, and the downtrodden by the powerful in Qoheleth’s society, which is no less in today’s African society. Consequently, it proposes that a political reading of Qoheleth adds to its hermeneutical understanding, which then can become more meaningful to Africans in an oppressive and depriving social and political environment.

show abstract

Section: Conflicts Of Interestmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Heḇelness of African Power: Hope or Despair: A Political Reading of Reading Qoh 3:16-17; 4:1-3.13-16

Some

2023

Religions

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…It is acknowledged that the term ‫ל‬ ‫בֶ‬ ‫הֶ‬ has a wide semantic range and its meaning is difficult to establish fully. Meek explains this well, observing that the 'twentieth and twenty-first centuries have seen an explosion in proposals for how we should read ‫ל‬ ‫בֶ‬ ‫'הֶ‬ (Sneed 2017;Biwul 2017;Meek 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Job's Body and the Dramatised Comedy of Moralising

Southwood¹

2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This book focuses on the expressions used to describe Job's body in pain and on the reactions of his friends to explore the moral and social world reflected in the language and the values that their speeches betray.A key contribution of this monograph is to highlight how the perspective of illness as retribution is powerfully refuted in Job's speeches and, in particular, to show how this is achieved through comedy. Comedy in Job is a powerful weapon used to expose and ridicule the idea of retribution. Rejecting the approach of retrospective diagnosis, this monograph carefully analyses the expression of pain in Job, focusing specifically on somatic language used in the deity attack metaphors, in the deity surveillance metaphors, and in the language connected to the body and social status. These metaphors are analysed in a comparative way using research from medical anthropology and sociology which focuses on illness narratives and expressions of pain.Job's Body and the Dramatised Comedy of Moralising will be of interest to anyone working on the Book of Job, as well as those with an interest in suffering and pain in the Hebrew Bible more broadly.

show abstract

“… 17. Given the sharp disagreements over how best to translate hebel , it is left untranslated here. For an overview of interpretive options, see Meek, 2016: 279–97. …”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Resilience through Disclosure and Meaning Making in Qoheleth and the Babylonian Theodicy

Meek¹,

Mehlman²

2023

Journal for the Study of the Old Testament

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study rereads Qoheleth and the Babylonian Theodicy through a trauma lens as opposed to the generic lens of speculative wisdom encompassing retributive justice, retribution theology, and the deed-consequence nexus and their consequent view of the gods’/God’s justice. According to retribution theology, actions correlate appropriately to consequences; however, in light of their suffering and resilience, both authors are disillusioned, struggling to make sense of life’s predicaments despite their religiosity and placating of the deity, as they also resist retribution theology. Rereading Qoheleth and the Babylonian Theodicy through a trauma lens shows that both sufferers seek answers and cope with suffering similarly to modern readers. This study acknowledges the use and limits of retribution theology operating within the Hebrew and Mesopotamian worldview to illustrate how these texts resist retributive justice. However, we also illustrate how the collective and individual aspects of trauma theory transcend ethic, cultural, epochal, and geographical boundaries. Furthermore, the juxtaposed ancient texts demonstrate how to cope with traumatic life experiences outside the confines of retributive justice by making meaning of self and others in the world and exhibiting resilience through effective coping strategies. Ultimately, Qoheleth affirms that while fearing God is right, navigating trauma includes enjoying God’s simple gifts such as food, wine, work, and a spouse for momentary relief. The Babylonian Theodicy sufferer makes meaning and develops resiliency through self-disclosure to friends and acceptance.

show abstract

Twentieth- and Twenty-first-century Readings of Hebel (הֶבֶל) in Ecclesiastes

Cited by 4 publications

References 38 publications

The Heḇelness of African Power: Hope or Despair: A Political Reading of Reading Qoh 3:16-17; 4:1-3.13-16

The Heḇelness of African Power: Hope or Despair: A Political Reading of Reading Qoh 3:16-17; 4:1-3.13-16

Job's Body and the Dramatised Comedy of Moralising

Resilience through Disclosure and Meaning Making in Qoheleth and the Babylonian Theodicy

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About