This study examines the concept of rest in Mesopotamian literature (ML), the Deuteronomistic History (DH), and Chronicles. In the ML, the concept is expressed in four ways: 1) rest as a symbol of divine authority; 2) rest as a benefit offered to those being ruled; 3) the temple as the resting place of deities; and 4) the provision of rest to deities. A paradigm is formulated through which one may view the concept as a “cycle of rest,” where a state of rest moves from the provider (deity) downward to the recipient, and then back upward to the initial provider. “Noise” is the metaphorical disrupter of rest. In the DH, various rest-terms are employed by the Deuteronomist to express specific aspects of rest: 1) the noun menûḥâ demarcates the arc of the promise and fulfillment in Deut 12:9 and 1 Ki 8:56, and it is a spatial concept (land of inheritance and the temple); 2) the technical formula (nûaḥ hiphil (1) + l) portrays the divine provision of rest; 3) alternative words that mean rest such as šqṭ are used to express periods of rest and unrest; 4) the secondary use of the verb nûaḥ (hiphil (2)) depicts the placing of the ark or cultic vessels/objects. 1 Chronicles 22:9 is programmatic for the concept in Chronicles. The focus in Chronicles is on a proper relationship with YHWH (instead of the spatial emphasis in the DH) due to a post-exilic understanding that the inheritance had already been lost. In contrast to the monarchic period narrated in Kings, cycles of rest emerge in Chronicles with post-Solomonic kings and is more comparable to Judges. The end of Chronicles portrays an era similar to Judges, when the nation is en route to a new political arrangement with YHWH—similar to the Chronicler's post-exilic circumstances.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:641470 |
| Date | January 2015 |
| Creators | Kim, Daniel Eunseung |
| Publisher | University of Aberdeen |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://digitool.abdn.ac.uk:80/webclient/DeliveryManager?pid=225663 |
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