The Vanishing Hebrew Harlot Studies in Biblical Literature Hemchand Gossai General Editor Vol. 73 PETER LANG New York (cid:121) Washington, D.C./Baltimore (cid:121) Bern Frankfurt am Main (cid:121) Berlin (cid:121) Brussels (cid:121) Vienna (cid:121) Oxford Irene E. Riegner The Vanishing Hebrew Harlot The Adventures of the Hebrew Stem ZNH PETER LANG New York (cid:121) Washington, D.C./Baltimore (cid:121) Bern Frankfurt am Main (cid:121) Berlin (cid:121) Brussels (cid:121) Vienna (cid:121) Oxford Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Riegner, Irene E. The vanishing Hebrew harlot: the adventures of the Hebrew stem ZNH / Irene E. Riegner. p. cm. — (Studies in biblical literature; v. 73) Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Znh (The Hebrew root) 2. Sex in the Bible. 3. Bible. O.T.—Criticism, interpretation, etc. I. Title. PJ4667.Z54R54 492.4’5—dc22 2009016425 ISBN 978-0-8204-7276-8 ISSN 1089-0645 Bibliographic information published by Die Deutsche Bibliothek. 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Printed in Germany For my mother (cid:108)"(cid:122) her memory is a blessing ❊ Table of Contents Foreword......................................................................................................xiii Editor’s Preface.............................................................................................xv List of Abbreviations .................................................................................xvii 1. Introduction...............................................................................................1 Hypotheses...............................................................................................3 hnz: Lexical Definitions............................................................................5 Prostitution and Cult Prostitution.............................................................6 Methodology............................................................................................6 Network of Associations.......................................................................7 Blending................................................................................................8 Structure of Investigation.........................................................................8 Scholarly Research.................................................................................11 Cultic Sex Rituals in the Ancient Near East and Ugarit.....................11 Feminist Scholarship...........................................................................14 The Marriage Metaphor......................................................................16 2. The Akkadian Connection......................................................................19 Zanānu [b]: To Provide..........................................................................19 Zanānu [b]: Provisions for Human Subsistence .................................20 Zanānu [b]: Provisions for Religious Centers.....................................21 Zanānu [b]: Provisions for the Gods...................................................23 Conclusion..............................................................................................24 3. Ḫarīmtu, Qadis̆tu: Prostitutes, Goddesses, and Taverns......................25 Ḫarīmtu: A Prostitute?...........................................................................26 Legal Texts: The Code of Hammurapi................................................27 Legal Texts: The Middle Assyrian Laws............................................27 Qadis̆tu: A Prostitute?............................................................................30 viii The Vanishing Hebrew Harlot Of Taverns, Prostitutes, and Goddesses.................................................32 Third Millennium Lyrics.....................................................................33 Second Millennium Texts: Aššur and Nineveh...................................34 Conclusion..............................................................................................37 4. The Central Semitic Tie: A Survey of Ugaritic....................................39 The Stems ZN, ZWN, YZN......................................................................40 The Stems ZN and ZWN......................................................................40 The Stems ZN and YZN.......................................................................41 The Stem ZN: Other Occurrences.......................................................42 Qdš: Holy...............................................................................................43 Qdšt: Holy Woman.............................................................................44 Canaanite Religion and Scholarship.......................................................45 Summary and Conclusion.......................................................................46 5. The Central Semitic Link: A Survey of Aramaic.................................49 Frequency and Distribution of the Aramaic zny/znh, zwn......................50 The Stem Znh/Zny (Official Aramaic)....................................................52 The Stem Znh: The Sefire Treaty........................................................52 The Stem Zny: The Palmyrene Tariff..................................................56 The Stem Zwn.........................................................................................59 Zwn in Legal Documents: The Elephantine Papyri.............................60 Zwn: Murabbacat Marriage Contract, Mur 21 ar ................................61 Zwn: Murabbacat Marriage Contract, Mur 20 ar.................................62 Zwn: 5/6 Ḥever Babatha Archive, Greek Document 2........................62 Zwn in a Religious Context: Nabatean ...............................................62 Zwn in a Religious Context: Elymaean...............................................63 Summary and Conclusions.....................................................................64 6. Sacrifices and Deities..............................................................................67 Judges 2.17.............................................................................................67 Judges 8.27 and 8.33..............................................................................70 henOz, the Masculine Participle.................................................................71 Leviticus 17.7......................................................................................71 Leviticus 20.5......................................................................................72 Numbers 15.39b..................................................................................72 Ezekiel 6.9...........................................................................................73 Child Sacrifice: Ezek 16.20 and Ps 106.38-9.........................................74 Table of Contents ix Ezek 16.20...........................................................................................74 Psalm 106.38-9....................................................................................75 Leviticus 20.6.........................................................................................77 Summary and Conclusions............................................................................77 7. Of Deities, Assimilation, and Intermarriage.........................................79 Numbers 25.1-3, 25.6.............................................................................79 Sacrifice (Num 25.1-2).......................................................................81 dmc: “Join, Attach” (Num 25.3)..........................................................82 Numbers 25.1-3 and 25.6: A Comparison..........................................83 Baal Peor in Other Biblical Texts...........................................................83 Hosea 9.10...........................................................................................83 bh): Loyalty or Love.......................................................................84 Baal Peor and the Septuagint..............................................................85 Exodus 34.15-16.....................................................................................85 Deuteronomy 31.16................................................................................87 Summary and Conclusions.....................................................................88 8. Hosea and Non-Yahwist Praxis.............................................................81 The Marriage Metaphor .........................................................................92 Prostitution in the Legal Corpora and Narratives...................................93 Hosea 4.1 to 4.2......................................................................................94 Hosea 4.9................................................................................................95 Hosea 4.10a............................................................................................98 Hosea 4.10b to 4.11: Subverting Yahwist Language...........................101 Hosea 4.12a..........................................................................................103 Hosea 4.12b to 4.13a............................................................................105 Hosea 4.13b to 4.14aa..........................................................................108 Hosea 4.14ab........................................................................................112 Targum of the Prophets: An Aramaic Translation...............................114 Summary and Conclusion.....................................................................114 9. Gomer’s “Crime”..................................................................................119 2 Kings 9.22: An Epithet for Jezebel (lebezyi) y"nUn:z).............................121 Hosea 1.2: An Epithet for Gomer ({yinUn:z te$"))..................................122 Hosea 1.2, 2.6: Gomer’s Children ({yni Un:z yd" l: ay and {yni Unz: y"nb: ).............124 Hos 5.7:“Strange Children” ({yri zf {yni bf )............................................126 Hosea 2.4: {yni Unz: and Adultery.............................................................127