Document Type
Article
Publication Date
3-2008
Disciplines
Arts and Humanities | Biblical Studies | Classical Archaeology and Art History | History of Religion | Jewish Studies | Reading and Language | Religion | Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion | Women's History | Women's Studies
Abstract
Bathsheba's actions in 2 Sam. 11.2-4 identify crucial aspects of her character. Past commentators interpret these words in connection with menstrual purification, stressing the certain paternity of David's adulterine child. This article demonstrates that the participles rōheset and mitqaddesšet and the noun mittum'ātāh do not denote menstrual cleansing. Bathsheba's washing is an innocent bath. She is the only individual human to self-sanctify, placing her in the company of the Israelite deity. The syntax of the verse necessitates that her action of self-sanctifying occurs simultaneously as David lies with her. The three focal terms highlight the important legitimacy of Bathsheba before the Israelite deity, her identity as a non-Israelite, her role as queen mother of the Solomonic line, and her full participation in the narrative.
Rights Information
© 2008 SAGE Publications
Terms of Use & License Information
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
DOI
10.1177/0309089208090805
Recommended Citation
“The Sanctified ‘Adultress’ and Her Circumstantial Clause: Bathsheba’s Bath and Self-Consecration in 2 Samuel 11,” J. Dror Chankin-Gould, Derek Hutchinson, David Hilton Jackson, Tyler D. Mayfield, Tammi Schneider, Leah Rediger Schulte, and E. Winkelman, Journal for the Study of the Old Testament March 2008 vol. 32 no. 3 339-352. doi: 10.1177/0309089208090805
Included in
Biblical Studies Commons, Classical Archaeology and Art History Commons, History of Religion Commons, Jewish Studies Commons, Reading and Language Commons, Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons, Women's History Commons, Women's Studies Commons
