Stones of Contention?!
A Critical Evaluation of the Erotic Interpretation of Qoh 3:5a
In: Vetus TestamentumSearch for other papers by Hans Debel in
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It is widely recognised that the expression ‘gathering stones and throwing them away’ in Qoh 3:5a presents the most enigmatic phrase within Qohelet’s well-known ‘catalogue of times’. This paper presents a brief overview of the divergent solutions that have been offered throughout its exegetical history, and subsequently evaluates in greater detail the suggestion that the ‘stones’ should be considered a sexual euphemism. Observing that all the arguments provided in favour of this interpretation are flawed, it calls for the development of an alternative interpretation.
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2
See, e.g., J. Blenkinsopp, “Ecclesiastes 3.1-15: Another Interpretation”, JSOT 66 (1995), pp. 55-64.
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3
See, e.g., M.V. Fox, “Time in Qohelet’s ‘Catalogue of Times’ ”, JNSL 24/1 (1998), pp. 25-39; and more broadly on the book as a whole, D. Rudman, Determinism in the Book of Ecclesiastes ( JSOT SS 316; Sheffield, 2001).
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4
Thus K. Galling, “Das Rätsel der Zeit im Urteil Kohelets (Koh 3,1-15)”, ZThK 58 (1961), p. 7: ‘das Interpretationsrätsel unseres Abschnittes’.
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15
J.A. Loader, “Qohelet 3,2-8—A ‘Sonnet’ in the Old Testament”, ZAW 81 (1969), pp. 240-242; comp. also the elaboration of Loader’s proposal by A.S. Wright, “‘For Everything There is a Season’: The Structure and Meaning of the Fourteen Opposites (Ecclesiastes 3,2-8)”, in M. Carrez – J. Doré – P. Grelot (ed.), De la Tôrah au Messie: études d’exégèse et d’herméneutique bibliques offertes à Henri Cazelles (Paris, 1981), pp. 321-328.
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17
As noted, e.g., by Whybray, “Ecclesiastes 3:2-8”, pp. 478-479.
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Stones of Contention?!
A Critical Evaluation of the Erotic Interpretation of Qoh 3:5a
In: Vetus TestamentumSearch for other papers by Hans Debel in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
It is widely recognised that the expression ‘gathering stones and throwing them away’ in Qoh 3:5a presents the most enigmatic phrase within Qohelet’s well-known ‘catalogue of times’. This paper presents a brief overview of the divergent solutions that have been offered throughout its exegetical history, and subsequently evaluates in greater detail the suggestion that the ‘stones’ should be considered a sexual euphemism. Observing that all the arguments provided in favour of this interpretation are flawed, it calls for the development of an alternative interpretation.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 365 | 72 | 24 |
| Full Text Views | 178 | 3 | 2 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 62 | 8 | 4 |