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In the Book of Judges the narrator presents an image of the good parent YHWH whose enduring love and loyalty is offset by his wayward child Israel who defaults on the relationship repeatedly. Biblical scholars have largely concurred, demonstrating the many faults of Israel while siding with YHWH's privileged viewpoint. When object-relations theory (which examines how human beings relate to each other) is applied to Judges, a different story emerges. In its capacity to illuminate why and how relationships can be intense, problematic, rewarding, and enduring, object-relations theory reveals how both YHWH and Israel have attachment needs that are played out vividly in the story world. Deryn Guest reveals how its narrator engages in a variety of psychological strategies to mask suppressed rage as he engages in an intriguing but rather dysfunctional masochistic dance with a dominant deity who has reputation needs.
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YHWH AND ISRAEL IN THE BOOK OF JUDGES In the Book of Judges the narrator presents an image of the good parent YHWH whose enduring love and loyalty is offset by his wayward child Israel who defaults on the relationship repeatedly. Biblical scholars have largely concurred, demonstrating the many faults of Israel while siding with YHWH’s privileged viewpoint. When object-relations theory (which examines how human beings relate to each other) is applied to Judges, a different story emerges. In its capacity to illuminate why and how relationships can be intense, problematic, rewarding and enduring, object-relations theory reveals how both YHWH and Israel have attachment needs that are played out vividly in the story world. Deryn Guest reveals how its narrator engages in a variety of psychological strategies to mask suppressed rage as he engages in an intriguing but rather dysfunctional masochistic dance with a dominant deity who has reputation needs. Deryn Guest is Senior Lecturer in Hermeneutics at the University of Birmingham. She is the author of When Deborah Met Jael, Beyond Feminist Biblical Studies, the founding co-editor of the best-selling Queer Bible Commentary, and co-author of Transgender, Intersex and Biblical Interpretation. SOCIETY FOR OLD TESTAMENT STUDY MONOGRAPH SERIES Series Editor: Lena-Sofia Tiemeyer, University of Aberdeen The SOTS monograph series seeks to showcase the best of modern biblical studies. All published books will have the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament as their focal point. There will also be scope for volumes that take an interdisciplinary approach, such as studies which look at the biblical texts from a comparative perspective, in dialogue with ancient Near Eastern studies or modern literary theory. Similarly, volumes which explore the reception history of a particular text or set of texts will be encouraged. Editorial Board: John Goldingay, Fuller Theological Seminary Anselm Hagedorn, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin Charlotte Hempel, University of Birmingham William Tooman, University of St Andrews Rebecca Watson, Faraday Institute for Science and Religion, Cambridge Peter Williams, Warden at Tyndale House YHWH and Israel in the Book of Judges An Object-Relations Analysis DERYN GUEST University of Birmingham University Printing House, Cambridge CB2 8BS, United Kingdom One Liberty Plaza, 20th Floor, New York, NY 10006, USA 477 Williamstown Road, Port Melbourne, VIC 3207, Australia 314–321, 3rd Floor, Plot 3, Splendor Forum, Jasola District Centre, New Delhi – 110025, India 79 Anson Road, #06–04/06, Singapore 079906 Cambridge University Press is part of the University of Cambridge. It furthers the University’s mission by disseminating knowledge in the pursuit of education, learning, and research at the highest international levels of excellence. www.cambridge.org Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9781108476508 DOI: 10.1017/97811085