Original Research
Sing to Jahweh!... Cursed be the day on which I was born! A paradoxical harmony in Jeremiah 20:7-18
HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies | Vol 46, No 3 | a2323 |
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v46i3.2323
| © 1990 L. C. Bezuidenhout
| This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 09 January 1990 | Published: 09 January 1990
Submitted: 09 January 1990 | Published: 09 January 1990
About the author(s)
L. C. Bezuidenhout, University of Pretoria, South AfricaFull Text:
PDF (163KB)Abstract
The paradoxical juxtaposition of the statements ‘Sing to Jahweh!... Cursed be the day on which I was born!’ in Jeremiah 20:13 and 20:14 creates a tension which can be avoided if these two verses are isolated from each other by way of redaction criticism. In this article, the possibility and even appropriateness of respecting the relationship between these verses is explored. The segment 7-12 is regarded as a double lament. The segments 13 and 14-18 constitute two contrasting conclusions. This segmentation coincides with time-honoured divisions of the text. Verses 7-18 can be defined as an integral unit where an ironic symphony is created by a central metaphor of procreation and counterpointed radial metaphors of sexual abuse and childbirth.
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