Language:
English
Year of publication:
2024
Titel der Quelle:
Hebrew Bible and Ancient Israel
Angaben zur Quelle:
13,2 (2024) 183-220
Keywords:
Bible Criticism, interpretation, etc.
;
Bible. Criticism, interpretation, etc.
;
Pain Biblical teaching
;
Touch Religious aspects
;
Judaism
Abstract:
The article takes its departure point in two sets of contemporary studies: first, studies that establish the vital role of touch in the alleviation of pain among both human and non-human primates; second, studies that demonstrate the social and cultural constructions of touch. On this basis, the article investigates whether the Hebrew Bible, consistent in its attention to suffering, depicts touch as a way to relieve pain. It first reviews נגע and other roots implying bodily contact; then, it examines responses to a range of linguistic and bodily expressions of distress, including the root נחם, whose meaning is discussed. As a case study, the article analyzes the metaphor of breastfeeding developed in Isaiah 49, 60, and 66, alongside other intimate bodily contacts. These non-exhaustive inquiries indicate that the Hebrew Bible reflects little cultural attention to comforting touch but rather focuses on other responses to distress, such as sensory perception and assistance.
DOI:
10.1628/hebai-2024-0010
URL:
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