Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Banyai AT t-online.de (Michael Banyai)]

Dear Peter,

that is what I said about common sense. Assuming the removal of jewelry to be 
a general act of mourning is a matter of common sense and not explicitely 
belonging to the world of the Bible. You are however bringing inside your 
21-st century common sense, which might look completely different from an LBA 
view point. 
> 
> As for whether removing jewellery was a sign of mourning ('BL Hithpael, 
> 'EBEL, 'ABEL) among the Israelites: It is entirely clear that mourning 
> was associated with wearing sackcloth and other mourning clothes: Gen 
> 37:34; 2 Sam 14:2; Est 4:3; Psa 35:13,14; Isa 61:3; Jer 6:26; Ezk 
> 7:27(?), 24:17; Amos 8:10; Micah 1:8. This is something hardly 
> compatible with wearing jewellery. See also Ezk 26:15-17, where taking 
> off embroidered garments is clearly a sign of mourning. In fact I would 
> think that it is more or less a cultural universal that people wear less 
> adornment as an indication of mourning. Does anyone know of any 
> counter-examples?

In the story of Dinah is also reccuring such a scene of abandon of jewelry, 
once more in context with some idol(s). This time however as part of the 
booty taken by the sack of Schechem. 

Is this same gesture once more a gesture of mourning or is part of a general 
rule, that one has to abandon jewelry? Or is simply the hand of the same 
redactor as before applying his ingenious scheme? Notice: there must have 
existed a northern kingdom story treating the antecedents of the temple of 
Beth-El and of his golden calf. As a matter of fact it seems that the 
judahite version we own is worked out of the material of such a work, since 
most in book Genesis is dealing with northern later-cult places. Actually 
except Hebron (since the reference to Jerusalem as place of the sacrifice of 
Abraham might be a later interpolation - Moria seems to be a name linked to 
Schechem primarily - thus Moreh) practically everything.

> And what is this about a parallel in the story of Dinah? I don't know 
> what you are talking about.

I perceive no peculiar problems accomodating the cult of Baal in the incint 
of Jahweh. I look for parallelisms to the cult of the Heliopolitan triad 
Re-Atum-Kepri with that of El-Jahweh-Schehina. The benu-bird (the Phoenix of 
the semitic world being identified at Ugarit with Baal) had its place in 
Heliopolis, without belonging to the main cult at the scene. You probably 
know of the intensive links between Heliopolis and Jerusalem (which are 
claimed to begin even by Joseph) and the beetle (Kepri) Judaic seal stamps.

Best regards,

Bányai Michael
Stuttgart