Original Research

Shorter or longer text in Ezekiel 6: The role of genre

Godwin Mushayabasa
HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies | Vol 70, No 3 | a2088 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v70i3.2088 | © 2014 Godwin Mushayabasa | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 29 October 2013 | Published: 19 August 2014

About the author(s)

Godwin Mushayabasa, Faculty of Theology, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, South Africa

Abstract

The text of Ezekiel continues to present some challenges to students studying it. This is in view of what one school of thought identify in the Ezekiel text as extensive redactions and revisions, whilst another school of thought is hesitant to subject the Masoretic Text (MT) to such critical analysis. Amidst these differing viewpoints, I have discussed by means of literary analysis, the possibility that chapter 6 of Ezekiel may have been intended as a prophetic poetic message, or was later edited to conform to the genre of prophetic poetry. This is in the light of the so-called repetitions or ‘additions’ reflected in the MT if compared against the LXX, as well as the general problems associated with the Hebrew text of Ezekiel. The findings indicate that the text of Ezekiel 6 probably already had a complete theological corpus when it left the hand of the prophet Ezekiel or those who penned his words down. However, scribes saw it necessary to restructure, organise and colour the prophetic oracle in a literary form and structure they thought was necessary. This finding could be vital for solving literary and text critical problems in Ezekiel.


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