Job the unfinalizable Bakhtinian reading of Job 1-11

253 Pages·2013·1.159 MB·English

by  Bakhtin, Mikhail Mikhaĭlovich;Hyun, Seong Whan Timothy

Job the Unfinalizable
Biblical Interpretation Series
Editors in Chief
Paul Anderson
Yvonne Sherwood
Editorial Advisory Board
Akma Adam – Roland Boer – Musa Dube
Jennifer L. Koosed – Vernon Robbins
Annette Schellenberg – Carolyn J. Sharp
Johanna Stiebert – Duane Watson
Ruben Zimmermann
VOLUME 124
The titles published in this series are listed at brill.com/bins
Job the Unfinalizable
A Bakhtinian Reading of Job 1–11
By
Seong Whan Timothy Hyun
LEIDEn • BOSTOn
The titles published in this series are listed at brill.com/bins 2013
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hyun, Seong Whan Timothy.
 Job the unfinalizable : a Bakhtinian reading of Job 1–11 / by Seong Whan Timothy Hyun.
  pages cm. — (Biblical interpretation series, ISSn 0928-0731 ; VOLUME 124)
 Includes bibliographical references and index.
 ISBn 978-90-04-25810-5 (hardback : alk. paper) — ISBn 978-90-04-25811-2 (e-book)
1. Bible. Job I–XI—Commentaries. 2. Bakhtin, M. M. (Mikhail Mikhailovich), 1895–1975. I. Title.
 BS1415.53.H98 2013
 223’.106—dc23
2013029373
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ISSn 0928-0731
ISBn 978-90-04-25810-5 (hardback)
ISBn 978-90-04-25811-2 (e-book)
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COnTEnTS
Acknowledgments  .......................................................................................... ix
1 Introduction ............................................................................................... 1
Bakhtin’s Dialogism  ........................................................................... 3
Chronotope  ........................................................................................... 6
The Suitability of Bakhtin’s Dialogism for the Reading
 of Job  .................................................................................................. 13
newsom’s/Stordalen’s Dialogic Readings of Job and My
 Dialogic Reading of Job  ................................................................ 16
The Establishment of the Text  ....................................................... 23
The Scope of the Text  ....................................................................... 26
Outline of the Book ............................................................................ 27
2 Job in the Chronotope of the Prologue  ............................................ 29
The First Scene (Earthly Realm: 1:1–5)  ......................................... 30
Concluding Remark  ........................................................................... 47
The Second Scene (Heavenly Realm: 1:6–12)  ............................. 47
Concluding Remarks .......................................................................... 59
The Third Scene (Earthly Realm: 1:13–22)  ................................... 60
Concluding Remark  ........................................................................... 68
The Fourth Scene (Heavenly Realm: 2:1–7a)  .............................. 68
Concluding Remark  ........................................................................... 75
The Fifth Scene (Earthly Realm: 2:7b–10)  ................................... 75
Job’s Wife’s Voice  ................................................................................ 77
Concluding Remark  ........................................................................... 80
The Sixth Scene (Earthly Realm: 2:11–13)  .................................... 80
Concluding Remark  ........................................................................... 82
Conclusion  ............................................................................................ 82
3 Job’s Speeches in His new Chronotope  ............................................ 84
Job’s Language in the new/Estranged Chronotope of
Chapter 3  .......................................................................................... 84
Spatial Language in the Chapter  ................................................... 85
Temporal Language in the Chapter  .............................................. 85
Chronotope in Chapter 3  ................................................................. 86
vi contents
Job’s Speeches in the Chronotope of Chapter 3  ....................... 90
Job’s Language in an Estranged Space in Chapters 6, 7, 9
and 10  ................................................................................................ 108
Spatial Language in These Chapters  ............................................. 108
Temporal Language in These Chapters  ....................................... 108
Chronotope in Chapters 6, 7, 9 and 10  ......................................... 109
Job’s Speeches in the Chronotope  ................................................. 110
Job’s Language and His Body  .......................................................... 110
Job’s Language and His Relationship with God  ........................ 114
Job’s Language and His Relationship to His Friends  ............... 118
The Hopeless Place  ............................................................................ 125
Conclusion  ............................................................................................ 126
4 The Voices of the Three Friends  ......................................................... 128
Eliphaz’ Voice  ...................................................................................... 129
Eliphaz and Job’s Identity  ................................................................ 129
narrativity in Eliphaz’ Voice  ........................................................... 141
Job’s Fate  ............................................................................................... 145
Bildad’s Voice  ....................................................................................... 147
Job’s Words  ........................................................................................... 147
Job’s Piety  .............................................................................................. 151
Job’s Fate  ............................................................................................... 153
Job’s Knowledge  .................................................................................. 155
Zophar’s Voice  ..................................................................................... 158
Job’s Words  ........................................................................................... 158
Job’s Knowledge  .................................................................................. 161
Job’s Fate  ............................................................................................... 163
Conclusion  ............................................................................................ 164
5 The Dialogic Relationship between Voices in the Prologue
and Those in the Dialogue Section  .................................................... 166
Job’s Perfect Piety and Possessions in Job 1:1–3  ......................... 182
Dust (רפע)  ............................................................................................. 188
Job’s Voice in the Prologue and in the Dialogue  ...................... 190
Sin (אטח)  ............................................................................................... 190
The Womb (ןטב)  ................................................................................. 191
Give (ןתנ)  ............................................................................................... 192
Return (בושׁ)  ......................................................................................... 193
God’s Voice and Hassatan’s Voice in Job’s Voice in the
Dialogue  ............................................................................................ 193
contents vii
God’s Voice  ........................................................................................... 194
Heart (בל)  ............................................................................................. 194
Without Reason (םנח)  ...................................................................... 195
Hassatan’s Voice  ................................................................................. 195
Hedge in (תכשׂ)  ................................................................................... 195
Blessings (םיכרב) and Knees (םיכרב)  ........................................... 196
Job’s Three Friends’ Voices  .............................................................. 197
The narrator’s Voice and Eliphaz’ Voice  ..................................... 198
Job’s Integrity  ....................................................................................... 198
Dust (רפע)  ............................................................................................ 198
Job’s Voice and Eliphaz’ Voice  ....................................................... 199
1:21  ........................................................................................................... 199
God’s and Hassatan’s Voices and Eliphaz’ Voice  ..................... 201
Voices in the Prologue and Bildad’s Voice  ................................. 201
Voices in the Prologue and Zophar’s Voice  ............................... 203
Conclusion  ............................................................................................ 205
6 Conclusion: Unfinalizing Job  ............................................................... 207
Conclusion  ............................................................................................ 219
Bibliography  ..................................................................................................... 221
Index of names  ................................................................................................ 229
Index of Scriptures  ......................................................................................... 231
Index of Subjects  ............................................................................................. 240

ACKnOWLEDGMEnTS
This book is a revised version of my doctoral thesis submitted to the
Department of Biblical Studies, University of Sheffield in 2011. Everyone
who has written a PhD thesis would agree that writing a PhD thesis is hard
and time-consuming work and can never be finished without the aid and
support of many. I cannot sufficiently express my gratitude to those who
have helped and supported me to complete my research and the writing
of my PhD thesis at Sheffield.
First, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my supervisor,
Professor Hugh S. Pyper, who has provided me with careful and insight-
ful guidance and comments throughout my study at Sheffield. Reading
the book of Job with Bakhtin’s dialogism and chronotope has never been
easy for me. However, Professor Hugh S. Pyper’s guidance and encour-
agement have assisted me to carry on this difficult task. I am indebted
to him in many ways. I would also like to thank Dr. Diana Edelman at
the department of Biblical Studies, University of Sheffield. As my teach-
ing internship supervisor, she has taught me how to act and respond in a
classroom setting and provided me with helpful advice for my thesis. She
has also provided me with valuable comments for my thesis in a reading
group and postgraduate seminars. My gratitude is extended to Prof. Byron
Curtis at the department of Biblical Studies, Geneva College, PA, USA. He
is the one who opened my eyes to the beauty of the Biblical Hebrew and
the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. His teaching at Geneva has inspired me
to take the path of studying the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament.
Second, I would like to express my gratitude to a number of my fel-
low Korean students and friends. Dr. Sehyun Kim, Dr. Dohyung Kim, Rev.
Wonseop Bae, and Rev. Sungchul Yoon have shared thoughts with me
and helped me on a number of topics of debate. My special thanks go to
Rosemarie Kossov who took the time to read and provide numerous help-
ful suggestions to improve the English in my thesis.
Finally, I dedicate this thesis to my family. My genuine gratitude goes
to my family and relatives. My mother, Yong Sin Lee, has supported and
encouraged me with her prayers over the many years of my study. Her
dedication and concern for my study have encouraged me not to give up
the study. My beloved wife, Elizabeth Kim Hyun, has also spent count-
less time correcting my English. Particularly, as a supporter, helper, friend,
x acknowledgments
and wife, she has walked along with me, encouraging me, praying with
me and supporting me. Without her, it would have been impossible to
‘complete’ my thesis. Also, I would like to express my gratitude to my two
sons, nathan and Caleb Hyun. They have patiently waited and prayed for
me every night to finish the thesis so that they may go back to America as
soon as possible. Without their loving patience, the years of my research
would have been very stressful. Their mere presence has been my joy
during these years. My family is the most precious gift that the Lord has
given me.
ךרבמ הוהי םשׁ יהי . . . ןתנ הוהי
Tacoma, Washington Seong Whan Timothy Hyun