Tova L . Forti
Most of my work relates to biblical wisdom literature, especially Ecclesiastes, Proverbs, and Sirach. I have a particular affection for faunal images in the Bible.
I am currently writing a commentary on Ecclesiastes (with Katharine J. Dell) for the International Exegetical Commentary on the Old Testament (IECOT)
Supervisors: Prof. Moshe Weinfeld
I am currently writing a commentary on Ecclesiastes (with Katharine J. Dell) for the International Exegetical Commentary on the Old Testament (IECOT)
Supervisors: Prof. Moshe Weinfeld
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within different patterns of sayings and analyses their thematic context(s).
A more extensive use of numbers in a wide variety of stylistic patterns is
revealed than previous scholarship has asserted. Using a detailed analysis
of the salient texts, and focusing on chapter 4, the first section examines
Qoheleth’s use of the low numbers, one, two and three, and seven/eight,
including numerical sequences and comparative “better than” sayings.
The second section looks at the distinctive numbers 10, 100 and 1,000 –
multiples of ten – most examples of which are in chapters 6 and 7. This
brings up the question of what the author’s purpose might have been
in using numbers in innovative ways. While scholarship has tended to
link this numerical language to a social context in the commercial world,
with economic concerns at the forefront, it is argued here that a balance
between existential issues and practical concerns is more likely the case.
Qoheleth’s use of quantitative language is primarily inspired by conceptual
and thematic, rather than professional, concerns; his ultimate concern is
with profit and loss in life as a whole.
eaten by moths.” Comparing this verse with Ps 39:12 and other allusions
to the moth in Psalms and Isaiah and Hosea, I outline some of the discursive
and cognitive functions of this simile and its contextual and inter-contextual
features alike. The occurrence of this simile in the wisdom texts in
Job and Psalms reflects a theological inquiry into divine providence and the
conditions of human existence, forming a basis for urging God to respond to
human suffering.
reflect daily experience and familiarity with their lives and habits. The first
bird related metaphor exemplifies the semantic field of hunting and trapping
birds which inspired the figurative and paradigmatic expression of
the innocent entrapped by the evildoer. The second metaphor encompasses
a long psychological process of conceptualization, from the petitioner’s
trauma of uprootedness and wandering to the intimate experience of safety
provided to those who dwell in the house of God.
storiografica dello Stato d’Israele puo` ben riflettere il processo di conversione, che trasforma una narrativa iconica in una metafora secolare, per cui l’episodio biblico, inteso tradizionalmente come prova di fede e di fedelta` , acquista nuovi significati alla luce di valori culturali in fase di cambiamento in una societa` israeliana ormai laicizzata.
signs of the Hellenizing process that occurred in the
aftermath of Alexander the Great’s (356–323 B.C.E.)
expeditions throughout the ancient Near East, no
consensus exists regarding either the precise time or
place at which the text was produced. A quantitative comparison between LXX/MT-Prov reveals that while the Greek text contains
approximately forty-eight additional stichs, the Hebrew has only twenty-five. LXX-Prov exhibits a free and even paraphrastic nature, frequently diverging significantly from the literal sense of MT and recasting Hebrew sentences by taking liberties with grammatical forms/syntax or attributing new meanings to Hebrew expressions.
לשון in Ps 140:12(11) and in relation to the motif of the foolish snake
charmer/venomous snake that cannot be charmed epitomizing the wicked
(Ps 58:4–6) and the fool (Eccl 10:11) contributes to the understanding of
the interrelation between the two clusters of sayings—vv. 10:8–11
regarding the risky activities and vv. 12–15 concerning the fool. In this
particular case, “snake charming” appears to constitute the epitome of
intertextuality—or, alternatively, intertextuality the embodiment of
“snake charming.”
that are employed in biblical and post-biblical wisdom texts in order to
represent two contrasting types of women. The two metaphors
serve to exemplify and instill patriarchal family values, the first by
underscoring the danger posed by seductive woman who lurk at every
corner, the second by epitomizing her as an ideal, “one in a thousand.”
within different patterns of sayings and analyses their thematic context(s).
A more extensive use of numbers in a wide variety of stylistic patterns is
revealed than previous scholarship has asserted. Using a detailed analysis
of the salient texts, and focusing on chapter 4, the first section examines
Qoheleth’s use of the low numbers, one, two and three, and seven/eight,
including numerical sequences and comparative “better than” sayings.
The second section looks at the distinctive numbers 10, 100 and 1,000 –
multiples of ten – most examples of which are in chapters 6 and 7. This
brings up the question of what the author’s purpose might have been
in using numbers in innovative ways. While scholarship has tended to
link this numerical language to a social context in the commercial world,
with economic concerns at the forefront, it is argued here that a balance
between existential issues and practical concerns is more likely the case.
Qoheleth’s use of quantitative language is primarily inspired by conceptual
and thematic, rather than professional, concerns; his ultimate concern is
with profit and loss in life as a whole.
eaten by moths.” Comparing this verse with Ps 39:12 and other allusions
to the moth in Psalms and Isaiah and Hosea, I outline some of the discursive
and cognitive functions of this simile and its contextual and inter-contextual
features alike. The occurrence of this simile in the wisdom texts in
Job and Psalms reflects a theological inquiry into divine providence and the
conditions of human existence, forming a basis for urging God to respond to
human suffering.
reflect daily experience and familiarity with their lives and habits. The first
bird related metaphor exemplifies the semantic field of hunting and trapping
birds which inspired the figurative and paradigmatic expression of
the innocent entrapped by the evildoer. The second metaphor encompasses
a long psychological process of conceptualization, from the petitioner’s
trauma of uprootedness and wandering to the intimate experience of safety
provided to those who dwell in the house of God.
storiografica dello Stato d’Israele puo` ben riflettere il processo di conversione, che trasforma una narrativa iconica in una metafora secolare, per cui l’episodio biblico, inteso tradizionalmente come prova di fede e di fedelta` , acquista nuovi significati alla luce di valori culturali in fase di cambiamento in una societa` israeliana ormai laicizzata.
signs of the Hellenizing process that occurred in the
aftermath of Alexander the Great’s (356–323 B.C.E.)
expeditions throughout the ancient Near East, no
consensus exists regarding either the precise time or
place at which the text was produced. A quantitative comparison between LXX/MT-Prov reveals that while the Greek text contains
approximately forty-eight additional stichs, the Hebrew has only twenty-five. LXX-Prov exhibits a free and even paraphrastic nature, frequently diverging significantly from the literal sense of MT and recasting Hebrew sentences by taking liberties with grammatical forms/syntax or attributing new meanings to Hebrew expressions.
לשון in Ps 140:12(11) and in relation to the motif of the foolish snake
charmer/venomous snake that cannot be charmed epitomizing the wicked
(Ps 58:4–6) and the fool (Eccl 10:11) contributes to the understanding of
the interrelation between the two clusters of sayings—vv. 10:8–11
regarding the risky activities and vv. 12–15 concerning the fool. In this
particular case, “snake charming” appears to constitute the epitome of
intertextuality—or, alternatively, intertextuality the embodiment of
“snake charming.”
that are employed in biblical and post-biblical wisdom texts in order to
represent two contrasting types of women. The two metaphors
serve to exemplify and instill patriarchal family values, the first by
underscoring the danger posed by seductive woman who lurk at every
corner, the second by epitomizing her as an ideal, “one in a thousand.”