Symbol and Rhetoric in Ecclesiastes: The Place of Hebel in Qohelet's Work

257 Pages·2002·43.69 MB·English

by  Douglas B. Miller

Symbol and Rhetoric
in Ecclesiastes
The Place 0 /Hebei
in Qohelet's Work
D O U G L A S B
M I L L E R
SYMBOL AND RHETORIC IN
ECCLESIASTES
JC8Z
Society of Biblical Literature
Academia Biblica
Saul M. Olyan,
Old Testament Editor
Mark Allan Powell,
New Testament Editor
Number 2
SYMBOL AND RHETORIC IN
ECCLESIASTES
The Place of Hebei in Qohelet’s Work
SYMBOL AND RHETORIC IN
ECCLESIASTES
The Place of Hebei in Qohelet’s Work
Douglas B. Miller
' ' 6
BRILL
LEIDEN · BOSTON · KÖLN
2002
SYMBOL AND RHETORIC IN
ECCLESIASTES
The Place of Hebei in Qohelet’s Work
Copyright © 2002 by the Society of Biblical Literature
This edition published under license from the Society of Biblical
Literature by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands.
All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in
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to the Rights and Permissions Office, Society of Biblical Literature, 825
Houston Mill Road, Adanta, GA 30329, USA.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Miller, Douglas B., 1955-
Symbol and Rhetoric in Ecclesiastes: the place of Hebei in Qohelet’s work /
Douglas B. Miller.
p. cm. — (Academia Biblica ; 2)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 90-04-12692-9
1. Bible. Ο.Τ. Ecclesiastes—Criticism, interpretation, etc. 2. Hevel
(The Hebrew word) I. Tide. II. Series.
BS 1475.52 .M55 2002
223'.80447—dc21
2002002909
Die Deutsche Bibliothek - CIP-Einheitsaufnahme
Miller, Douglas B.:
Symbol and Rhetoric in Ecclesiastes: the place of Hebel in Qohelet’s work /
by Douglas B. Miller. — Leiden ; Boston; Köln : Brill, 2002
(Academia Biblica; Vol. 2)
ISBN 9004126929
Printed in The Netherlands
on acid-free paper
To Adam Andrew, Aaron Thomas, and Daniel Joseph

Table of Contents
Acknowledgements .............................................................................................. xi
Abbreviations and Symbols ............................................................................. xiii
Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................. 1
The Problem: Three Approaches to Hebei in Ecclesiastes ........................... 2
Abstract Sense ................................................................................... 2
Multiple Senses ................................................................................. 8
Single Metaphor ................................................................................ 10
Conclusion ........................................................................................ 14
Statement of Thesis ................................................................................... 15
Congruity with Qohelet’s Use of Language Overall ............................. 15
Congruity with Other Israelite Literature ............................................... 18
Other Preliminary Issues ........................................................................... 21
Genre .................................................................................................. 21
Structure ............................................................................................. 22
Additional Matters ............................................................................ 24
Chapter Conclusion .................................................................................. 25
Chapter 2 METAPHOR AND SYMBOL ...................................................... 27
Rhetorical Criticism .................................................................................. 27
Metaphor .................................................................................................... 31
Definition ........................................................................................... 32
Status of Author and Audience ....................................................... 33
Comparison and Interaction Theories ............................................. 35
The Cognitive Content of Metaphor ............................................... 37
Authorial Clues ................................................................................. 38
Stock Metaphors ............................................................................... 41
Interpretive Steps .............................................................................. 42
viii Symbol and Rhetoric in Ecclesiastes
Symbol ........................................................................................................ 44
Definition ........................................................................................... 44
Literary Symbols ............................................................................... 45
Process of Interpretation .................................................................. 46
Speech-Types in Ecclesiastes ................................................................... 47
Statements of Report ........................................................................ 47
Statements of Inference .................................................................... 48
Statements of Judgment ................................................................... 49
Injunctions ......................................................................................... 50
Chapter Conclusion ................................................................................... 52
Chapter 3 MATERIAL AND METAPHORICAL USES OF HEBEL ......... 53
The Material Sense of Hebei .................................................................... 54
Postbiblical Texts .............................................................................. 54
The Hebrew Bible ............................................................................. 57
Other Considerations ....................................................................... 59
Summary of Hebei's Material Sense ............................................... 60
The Metaphoric Senses of Hebei .............................................................. 61
Hebrew Bible Metaphor Texts ......................................................... 61
Postbiblical Metaphor Texts ............................................................ 83
Chapter Summary and Conclusions ........................................................ 88
The Material Sense of Hebei ........................................................... 88
The Metaphoric Senses of Hebei .................................................... 89
Chapter 4 HEBEL AS SYMBOL IN ECCLESIASTES ............................... 91
Three Qualities of Hebei in Ecclesiastes ................................................ 92
Determining the Subject of Hebei .................................................. 92
Insubstantiality Referents ................................................................ 92
Transience Referents ........................................................................ 95
Foulness Referents ............................................................................ 95
Qohelet’s Use of Hebei ............................................................................. 98
1:2-11 (5x) Preface: Restless Activity ............................. 98
1:12-2:26 (9x) Royal Pursuits .............................................. 105
3:1-22 (lx) God’s Relation to Time and Eternity ......... 113
4:1-16 (4x) Toil in the Midst of Oppression ................. 115
4:17-5:6(lx) Relations with God ...................................... 121
5:7-6:9(4x) Enjoyment Instead of Greed ....................... 123
6:10-7:14 (3x) No One Knows What Is Good ................... 130
7:15-29 (lx) Wisdom and Righteousness ........................ 133
8:1-17 (3x) Even the Wise Do Not Know ..................... 136
9:l-10(3x?) EnjoyLifeNow ............................................ 142
11:7—12:8 (5x) Conclusion: Youth and Old Age ............... 145
Table of Contents ix
Chapter Summary and Conclusions ...................................................... 152
Qohelet’s Use of Hebei .................................................................. 152
Qohelet’s Program ......................................................................... 152
Indicators that Hebei Is a Tensive Symbol .................................. 152
Description and Evaluation ............................................................ 154
Incorporating the Insights of Other Approaches ......................... 155
Chapter 5 IMPLICATIONS ........................................................................... 157
The Integrity of Ecclesiastes .................................................................. 157
Three Areas of Tension .................................................................. 157
Previous Proposals for Resolution ................................................ 158
Position of the Present Study ......................................................... 160
The Rhetoric of Ecclesiastes .................................................................. 161
Occasion of the Work .................................................................... 161
A Three-Fold Rhetorical Strategy ................................................ 163
The Place of Hebei in Qohelet’s Rhetoric ................................... 168
The Nature of Qohelet’s Writing .................................................. 168
Ecclesiastes and the Wisdom Tradition ................................................ 174
Qohelet as Critic of Wisdom ........................................................ 174
Qohelet as Sage ............................................................................... 175
Critique of Wisdom Elsewhere in the Tradition ......................... 176
Chapter Conclusion ................................................................................. 180
Appendix I: Hebei Texts in Ecclesiastes ....................................................... 181
Appendix II: Hebei Texts apart from Ecclesiastes ...................................... 187
Bibliography ...................................................................................................... 195
Author Index ...................................................................................................... 217
Text Index .......................................................................................................... 221
Word and Form Index ...................................................................................... 229
General Index 231