Punning in Odd or Elegant Constructions in Jeremiah
The Convergence of Linguistics, Rhetoric, and Textuality in the Hebrew Text of Jeremiah
By (author) Josiah D. Peeler
Paperback (Published)
(April 2026)
ISBN: 9783161631986
6.1 x 9.13 inches
Price: $134.00
In stock
The Hebrew text of Jeremiah utilizes infelicitous or symmetric elements to produce puns demonstrating a contextual theme. While previous studies have largely ignored this type of pun in the Hebrew Bible, Josiah D. Peeler illustrates that it was a common device in ancient Near Eastern textual production.
Ancient Near Eastern scribes from Egypt to Mesopotamia, including Israelite scribes of the Hebrew Bible, create infelicitous or symmetric elements in their textual production. By their form, these elements communicate beyond the textual and semantic levels for rhetorical and literary purposes. “Meta-textual semantics” is a widespread scribal device in the ancient world, and ancient audiences and exegetes (e.g., rabbinic, medieval Jewish and Christian exegetes, and Masoretes) properly appreciated it, but it is underappreciated in modern interpretations of the Hebrew Bible. Using Prov 1:1-7 as a paradigm, Josiah D. Peeler explores elements in Hebrew Jeremiah usually considered secondary because of their odd or well-formed nature, to demonstrate that they exemplify a contextual theme.
1. Meta-Textual Semantics: Present or Absent in the Hebrew Bible?
1.1 Introducing Meta-Textual Semantics - 1.2 Call for a Fuller Investigation of Meta-Textual Semantics in the Hebrew Bible - 1.3 Is Meta-Textual Semantics an Ancient or Modern Conceptualisation? - 1.4 Proverbs 1:1-7: A Paradigm for Increasing Wisdom through Reading - 1.5 A Strategy for Increasing Wisdom in Proverbs 1:10 - 1.6 Is Proverbs 1 Unique or Indicative of How the Hebrew Bible Is Written? - 1.7 Twistings in the Text of the Hebrew Bible - 1.8 Meta-Textual Semantics in Ancient Near Eastern Literature - 1.9 Conclusion
2. Methodology for Meta-Textual Semantics
2.1 Introduction - 2.2 Meta-Textual Semantics via Textual Contortion and Textual Cohesion - 2.3 Overview of Methodology - 2.4 Testing the Methodology - 2.5 Conclusion
3. Reading Jeremiah through the Lens of Meta-Textual Semantics
3.1 Previous Suggestions of Meta-Textual Semantics in Jeremiah - 3.2 Meta-Textual Semantics in Jeremiah's Opening Visions - 3.3 Meta-Textual Semantics in Jeremiah's Prophetic Sign Acts - 3.4 Jeremiah As A Written Document - 3.5 Conclusion
4. Cases of Meta-Textual Semantics in Hebrew Jeremiah via Textual Contortion
4.1 Jeremiah 2:13 - 4.2 Jeremiah 4:23-26 - 4.3 Jeremiah 14:15-16 - 4.4 Jeremiah 27:1 - 4.5 Jeremiah 27:2-6
5. Cases of Meta-Textual Semantics in Hebrew Jeremiah via Textual Cohesion
5.1 Jeremiah 5:4-5 - 5.2 Jeremiah 6:9 - 5.3 Jeremiah 9:20; 49:26; and 50:30 - 5.4 Jeremiah 10:11 - 5.5 Jeremiah 10:14-15 par. Jer 51:17-18 - 5.6 Jeremiah 17:5-8 - 5.7 Jeremiah 17:17 - 5.8 Jeremiah 17:18 - 5.9 Jeremiah 23:4-6 - 5.10 Jeremiah 48:43-44 (cf. Isa 24:17-18) - 5.11 Jeremiah 52:6 - 5.12 Jeremiah 52:31-34 - 5.13 Conclusion
6. Conclusion
Born 1986; 2017 MA in Hebrew and Old Testament Studies (Abilene Christian University); 2018 MSt in Classical Hebrew Studies (University of Oxford); 2022 PhD in Hebrew and Old Testament Studies (University of Edinburgh); Assistant professor of Biblical Studies and Languages at Mid-Atlantic Christian University.
- By (author) Josiah D. Peeler
Other Titles in this Series
Benno Jacob zu Levitikus
Eine Studie zu seinem Nachlass mit Edition des Manuskripts 'Leviticus 17-20'
Volume 134
Of Kings and Reigns
A Study of Translation Technique in the Gamma/Gamma Section of 3 Reigns (1 Kings)
Volume 30
Philology and Textual Criticism
Proceedings of the Second International Colloquium of the Dominique Barthelemy Institute held at Fribourg on 10-11 October, 2013
Monotheism and Institutions in the Book of Chronicles
Temple, Priesthood, and Kingship in Post-Exilic Perspective. Studies of the Sofja Kovalevskaja Research Group on Early Jewish Monotheism. Vol. I
Volume 64
Orakel und Gebete
Interdisziplinare Studien zur Sprache der Religion in Agypten, Vorderasien und Griechenland in hellenistischer Zeit
Volume 38
The Sons of Jacob and the Sons of Herakles
The History of the Tribal System and the Organization of Biblical Identity
Volume 96
God, His Servant, and the Nations in Isaiah 42:1-9
Biblical Theological Reflections after Brevard S. Childs and Hans Hubner
Volume 73
Prophecy and Foreign Nations
Aspects of the Role of the 'Nations' in the Books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel
Volume 135
Creation and Salvation
Models of Relationship Between the God of Israel and the Nations in the Book of Jonah, in Psalms 33 (MT and LXX) and in the Novel 'Joseph and Aseneth'
Volume 106
Silent or Salient Gender?
The Interpretation of Gendered God-Language in the Hebrew Bible, Exemplified in Isaiah 42, 46, and 49
Volume 32
Die Entgrenzung JHWHs
Monolatrie, Bilderverbot und Monotheismus im Deuteronomium, in Deuterojesaja und im Ezechielbuch
Volume 27
Narrative Analogy in the David Story
Parallels between Genesis 25-50 and 1 Samuel 16-1 Kings 2
Volume 154
Similar Books
Apocrypha, Magic, Liturgy
The Multiple Identities of Coptic Prayers in Late Antique and Early Islamic Egypt
Athanasius of Alexandria, Epistula ad episcopos Aegypti et Libyae
Old Slavonic Version and English Translation
Volume 261
Boğazköy Tablets in the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations (Bo 9032–Bo 9097)
Anadolu Medeniyetleri Müzesinde Bulunan Boğazköy Tabletleri (Bo 9032–Bo 9097)
Volume 4
Cahiers de lexicologie
Particules floues — Nouvelles études sur le français et l'espagnol
Volume 128
Connecting the Dots: Counting, Writing, and the Beginnings of Civilization
The Secret Lives of Clay Tokens: A Memoir
Contesting Labeled Identities
The Sociology of Gentilics in Biblical and Northwest Semitic Literature
Curating the Prehistoric Past
Studies on West Asian Archaeology and Beyond in Honour of Yoshihiro Nishiaki
Cyril of Alexandria’s Christological Exegesis
Explorations of Partitive Exegesis in the Dialogues on the Trinity
Volume 70
Des mots aux actes
Traduction épistémique et littéraire. Nouvelles tendances en histoire et didactique
Volume 15
Deutsch als Fremdsprache nach Englisch an chinesischen Hochschulen
Eine empirische Forschung über Lernstrategien zum Wortschatzlernen
Epiphanies of the Divine in the Septuagint and the New Testament
Fifth International Symposium of the Corpus Judaeo-Hellenisticum Novi Testamenti (CJHNT), 14-17 May 2015, Nottingham
