Women at Work in the Deuteronomistic History

by Mercedes L Garcia Bachmann

Overview

Behind Deuteronomys reflection on history is a host of support staff, mostly anonymous women, who harvest, glean, cook, fetch water and wash, spin and weave, heal the sick, bury the dead and much more. This study considers womens work in the Hebrew Bible.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781589837553
Publisher:	Society of Biblical Literature
Publication date:	04/03/2013
Series:	Society of Biblical Literature (Numbered) , #4
Pages:	430
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.96(d)

About the Author

Mercedes L. García Bachmann is Professor of Old Testament at Instituto Universitario ISEDET, Argentina, where she is also co-coordinator of the Forum for Theology and Gender Studies. She is an ordained minister of the Lutheran Church (Argentina-Uruguay, IELU) and author of "True Fasting and Unwilling Hunger (Isaiah 58)" in The Bible and the Hermeneutics of Liberation (Society of Biblical Literature, 2009).

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements xiii

Abbreviations xv

Introduction: On Female Labor in the Hebrew Bible 1

How Did I Come to This Book 2

A Long, Long Road 4

A Short Guide to This Road: The Book's Organization 5

The Semantic Filed of "Work" 6

"Slave or Free?" Is Not Enough 7

The Political, The Religious, and the Service Realms 9

Summing Up 14

Chapter 1 The Challenge of Studying Working Women 17

The Body of Research 19

Limitations Imposed by the Sources 19

Where Do Designations for Bonded Women and for Occupations Intersect? 20

Advantages to Choosing DtrH 22

An Intriguing Combination of Terms 23

Seven Cases of Syntactical Variation 25

&cgpA;&cgpJ;&cgpK;&cgpO; &cgpA;&cgpP;&cgpI; and &cgpA;&cgpJ;&cgpK;&cgpO; - "Loose Women" and "Prostitutes" 25

&cgpC;&cgpL;&cgpB;&cgpU;&cgpJ;&cgpA; and &cgpH;&cgpK;&cgpB;&cgpU;&cgpJ;&cgpA; - Workers on Duty 26

&cgpG;&cgpK;&cgpI;&cgpB;&cgpU;&cgpA; (&cgpC;&cgpL;&cgpR;&cgpJ;&cgpA;) - The Women in Service 26

&cgpG;&cgpK;&cgpF;&cgpH;&cgpQ;&cgpS;&cgpA; &cgpC;&cgpL;&cgpR;&cgpJ;&cgpA; - The Women Performing 27

&cgpA;&cgpI;&cgpL;&cgpB;&cgpJ; &cgpA;&cgpR;&cgpI; - A Woman Prophetess 27

&cgpG;&cgpF;&cgpJ;&cgpL;&cgpS; &cgpA;&cgpR;&cgpI;- Breast-feeding Woman 28

&cgpR;&cgpDD;&cgpN;&cgpL;&cgpZ; &cgpA;&cgpR;&cgpI; - "Concubine" and Other Loaded Terms 28

Summing Up 29

Methodologies Used in this Work 30

Social-Historical Criticism 30

Social-Scientific Criticism 31

Ideological Criticism 46

Borrowing from Existing Models 48

The "Continuum of Powerlessness" Model 48

The "Distribution of Power and Privileges" Model 49

The "Women and Class in Antiquity" Model 50

Defining Class 52

Elements in a Working Model 52

Summing Up 53

Chapter 2 On the Shoulders of Our Predecessors 57

Feminist and Gender Studies 58

Ancient Near Eastern Studies Focusing on Women 61

Biblical Studies 62

Social-Scientific Studies 64

Studies on Labor 66

Studies on Slavery, Semi-free and Unfree Workers 67

Concluding Remarks 77

Chapter 3 Society's Conditions Affecting Women's Lives in Ancient Israel 79

General Condition of Laborers in Agrarian Societies 80

"Peasantry" as a Concept 80

Financial Obligations 83

Unfree Labor in the Ane 91

Modes of Acquisition of Slaves 94

Manumission of Slaves 96

Run-Away Slaves 101

Types of Labor 102

State Laborers 104

Temple Laborers 106

Private Laborers 109

Other Forms of Unfree Labor 112

Concluding Remarks 113

Chapter 4 Female Slaves and Dependents 115

Section I When Do &cgpA;&cgpS;&cgpI;, &cgpA;&cgpH;&cgpZ;&cgpR; and &cgpA;&cgpD;&cgpM;&cgpJ; Mean "Slave"? 117

A Closer Look at the Pertinent Texts 122

&cgpA;&cgpD;&cgpM;&cgpJ; - When There Is No Paterfamilias 122

&cgpA;&cgpS;&cgpI; and &cgpA;&cgpH;&cgpZ;&cgpR; Used Literally: Bound Women 127

A Closer Look at Pertinent Texts Outside DtrH 128

Biblical Legal Material 133

Three Test-Cases on Women 136

Another Case of Spoils of War 146

Section II Why These Ones are Not slaves 147

Naming Oneself "&cgpT;&cgpG;&cgpH;&cgpZ;&cgpR; (&cgpL;&cgpJ;&cgpI;)" or "&cgpT;&cgpG;&cgpS;&cgpI; (&cgpL;&cgpJ;&cgpI;)" 147

Using "Son of a Slave" as Insult 149

Judges 19: The "Concubine" of a Levite 152

Using &cgpG;&cgpK;&cgpA;&cgpS;&cgpI; in an Argument 154

Conclusion to "&cgpA;&cgpS;&cgpI;" and "&cgpA;&cgpH;&cgpZ;&cgpR;" Used Ideologically 157

Concluding Remarks 158

Chapter 5 Hide and Seek: Miscellaneous Women 161

Section I Women Hidden in Occupations Denoted By Masculine Terms 166

&cgpC;&cgpL;&cgpJ;&cgpL;&cgpG;&cgpJ; - Those Donated 168

&cgpC;&cgpL;&cgpS; &cgpL;&cgpI;&cgpR;&cgpK; &cgpC;&cgpL;&cgpU;&cgpM; &cgpL;&cgpB;&cgpV;&cgpH; - The Wood Hewers and Water Drawers 169

&cgpA;&cgpS;&cgpN;&cgpR; &cgpL;&cgpD;&cgpB;&cgpM; &cgpL;&cgpJ;&cgpB; -The Company of Solomon's Servants 171

&cgpX;&cgpS; and &cgpD;&cgpB;&cgpM;&cgpCC;&cgpX;&cgpS; Those Submitted to Forced Labor 171

&cgpC;&cgpL;&cgpI;&cgpL;&cgpB;&cgpJ;&cgpCC;&cgpN;&cgpB;&cgpA; and &cgpC;&cgpL;&cgpI;&cgpL;&cgpL;&cgpJ;&cgpA;&cgpCC;&cgpL;&cgpJ;&cgpB; The Company of the Prophets 173

&cgpE;&cgpL;&cgpN;&cgpL;(&cgpA;) &cgpG;&cgpL;&cgpB; - The Home-Born 174

&cgpD;&cgpL;&cgpEE;&cgpQ; - The Hired Laborer 175

&cgpL;&cgpR;&cgpZ;&cgpH; - The Client 176

Summing up 176

Section II DtrH Redactors Fall Short of the Mark 177

&cgpG;&cgpK;&cgpI;&cgpB;&cgpU;&cgpA; (&cgpC;&cgpL;&cgpR;&cgpJ;&cgpA;) and &cgpG;&cgpK;&cgpB;&cgpU;&cgpJ;(&cgpA;) - Women on Duly 177

The Constructions &cgpC;&cgpL;&cgpB;&cgpU;&cgpJ;&cgpA; and &cgpG;&cgpK;&cgpB;&cgpU;&cgpJ;&cgpA; 178

&cgpG;&cgpD;&cgpQ;&cgpB;&cgpS; - Bringers of News 181

(&cgpC;&cgpL;)&cgpC;&cgpH;&cgpJ;&cgpS; - Comforter(s) 186

&cgpA;&cgpK;&cgpV; and &cgpDD;&cgpD;&cgpI; - Spinning and Weaving 187

Enjoying The Arts 192

&cgpG;&cgpK;&cgpN;&cgpN;&cgpH;&cgpS;&cgpA; - Dancers 200

&cgpG;&cgpK;&cgpD;&cgpR;&cgpK; &cgpC;&cgpL;&cgpD;&cgpR; - Singers 200

&cgpY;&cgpDD;&cgpJ; - Players of Stringed Instruments 202

&cgpG;&cgpK;&cgpZ;&cgpZ;&cgpK;&cgpG; - Drummers 204

Performing alongside King David 205

&cgpG;&cgpK;&cgpF;&cgpH;&cgpQ;&cgpS;&cgpA; &cgpC;&cgpL;&cgpR;&cgpJ;&cgpA;, &cgpG;&cgpK;&cgpN;&cgpH;&cgpS;&cgpA; - Entertainers, Singers, and Dancers 205

Leaping and Dancing, in Two Versions (2 Samuel 6 and 1 Chronicles 15) 210

&cgpG;&cgpK;&cgpJ;&cgpJ;&cgpK;&cgpF;&cgpS; - Wailing Women or Lamenters 215

Summing Up the Evidence for Musicians 218

Section III Notable Absentees From DtrH 220

&cgpG;&cgpE;&cgpN;&cgpL;&cgpS;- Midwife and Health-Care Giver 220

Pottery Making 224

Our Daily Bread 226

&cgpG;&cgpL;/&cgpY;&cgpH;&cgpL;&cgpV; - Grinders at the Mill 227

Beer Brewing 229

Concluding Remarks 235

Chapter 6 Female Workers Related to the Royal Household 237

&cgpG;&cgpK;&cgpH;&cgpF;&cgpD; - Perfumers, &cgpG;&cgpK;&cgpH;&cgpB;&cgpV; - Cooks, and &cgpG;&cgpK;&cgpZ;&cgpI; - Bakers 238

Perfume-Makers or Cosmeticians 241

Butchers or Cooks 245

Bakers 246

&cgpG;&cgpJ;&cgpEE;&cgpX; - Personal Assistant 249

&cgpG;&cgpF;&cgpJ;&cgpL;&cgpS; - Wet Nurse 255

&cgpG;&cgpJ;&cgpS;&cgpI; - Guardian, Child-Care Giver 262

Concluding Remarks 264

Chapter 7 Prostitutes and Other Sex Workers 267

Conceptual Difficulties 267

What Do I Take to Be Prostitution 268

What Do I Take Not to Be Prostitution 270

A Brief Trip Through the Ane Material 271

Biblical Texts Outside DtrH 277

A Wide Range of Meanings 277

Which Biblical Texts to Consider? 279

Genesis 38 279

The Prophetic Corpus 280

The Book of Proverbs 285

Concluding Remarks on Texts Other than DtrH 291

Texts in the DtrH 292

Deuteronomy 23 292

The Larger Context 294

The Immediate Context 298

The Two Elements of the Law Itself 299

Concluding Remarks on Deuteronomy 23:19 303

First Kings 22:38 304

Judges 16:1-3 307

Joshua 2 312

First Kings 3:16-28 318

Judges 11 320

Again: An Intriguing Combination of Terms 322

Legal Material 323

Pay For Sex 325

Term of Comparison 325

Special Attire 325

Out-of-Wedlock Motherhood 326

Innkeepers? 326

Texts Which Seem to Contradict All These Conclusions 326

Concluding Remarks 327

Chapter 8 Reassessing the Social Location of Female Labor in DtrH 331

A Model for Women and Class 332

Visible Women 334

&cgpG;&cgpL;/&cgpA;&cgpS;&cgpI;, &cgpG;&cgpL;/&cgpA;&cgpH;&cgpZ;&cgpR;, and &cgpG;&cgpL;/&cgpA;&cgpD;&cgpM;&cgpJ; - Slaves and Dependents 334

Belittled Women 336

Women and Occupations 336

Invisible Women 337

Redefining Honor 339

The Prostitute 340

Women Brought into the Harem 341

The Midwife 342

The Wet Nurse 343

The Performer or Singer 344

Concluding Remarks 344

Charts 347

I Female Terms for "Slave" and "Dependent" in DtrH 347

II Terms Used with Ideological Intention in DtrH 348

III Female Terms for "Slave" and "Dependent" Elsewhere 349

IV Female Terms for Service-Type Occupations in DtrH 350

V Female Terms for Service-Type Occupations Elsewhere 351

VI Female Terms for Religious and Political Occupations in DtrH 352

VII Female Terms for Religious and Political Occupations Elsewhere 353

VIII Invisible Women in the DtrH 354

IX Invisible Women Elsewhere 355

Sources Consulted 357

Index of Biblical References 409