From Wild Beast to Huntress: Animal Imagery, Beauty, and Seduction in the Song of Songs and Proverbs
In: Biblical InterpretationSearch for other papers by Anne Létourneau in
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Abstract
This article investigates the bestiary used to represent the dynamics of attraction and seduction in the Song of Songs and the book of Proverbs. It examines mainly the predatory imagery, focusing on the lions and leopards the female lover associates with, in Song 4:8, as well as the “hunting ground” terminology used to characterize some of the strange women’s behaviors in Prov. 6:26; 7:22–23. Following Arbel (2015) and Imray (2013), the article contends that the female lover of Song of Songs and the strange women are not so different. Through a close philological examination of the passages staging these women, it sets out to decompartmentalize our understanding of what is an appropriate—or threatening—display of feminine charms and seductive strategies in the Hebrew Bible. This exegetical inquiry also brings the super/non-human persona of these women into focus.
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From Wild Beast to Huntress: Animal Imagery, Beauty, and Seduction in the Song of Songs and Proverbs
In: Biblical InterpretationSearch for other papers by Anne Létourneau in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Abstract
This article investigates the bestiary used to represent the dynamics of attraction and seduction in the Song of Songs and the book of Proverbs. It examines mainly the predatory imagery, focusing on the lions and leopards the female lover associates with, in Song 4:8, as well as the “hunting ground” terminology used to characterize some of the strange women’s behaviors in Prov. 6:26; 7:22–23. Following Arbel (2015) and Imray (2013), the article contends that the female lover of Song of Songs and the strange women are not so different. Through a close philological examination of the passages staging these women, it sets out to decompartmentalize our understanding of what is an appropriate—or threatening—display of feminine charms and seductive strategies in the Hebrew Bible. This exegetical inquiry also brings the super/non-human persona of these women into focus.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 1491 | 296 | 19 |
| Full Text Views | 301 | 34 | 3 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 662 | 91 | 14 |
