Source: https://www.bsw.org/biblica/vol-88-2007/song-of-deborah-as-polemic/60/article-p6.html
Timestamp: 2019-04-21 07:13:14+00:00

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6 Gregory T.K. Wong ongoing theme in the rest of the song as those who took part in battle are praised while those who refused to are censured, one can argue that this introductory refrain in fact serves as a preview of a basic concern of the whole song, a concern that has more to do with the peopleâ€™s willingness to participate during a time of national crisis rather than the simple celebration of victory itself. The second indication that a significant concern of the song has to do with the issue of participation (or lack thereof) is found in the structural bracketing of vv. 11d-13. In his analysis, Vincent argues that after the second refrain in v. 9 and the accompanying command to ponder in vv. 10-11c, the rest of the section is roughly divided into three subsections: vv. 11d-13, vv. 14-18 and vv. 19-22. He argues that the fourfold repetition of za in vv. 11d.13.19.22 actually functions as a structural marker that gives rise to two sets of inclusios, bracketing vv. 11d-13 as one stanza and vv. 19-22 as another, leaving the remaining unmarked material in between as a third stanza (16). But what is of interest here is that in the first stanza comprising vv. 11d-13, the inclusio is marked not only by za, but perhaps more significantly, also by the mention of â€œthe people of YHWH (hwhyAÂµ[)â€ and the description of them â€œgoing down (dry)â€, presumably to participate in battle against the enemy (17). This use of the participation of YHWHâ€™s people as a structural marker even for a relatively short stanza thus again highlights this theme of participation as a key focus within the song. Third, in the stanza comprising vv. 14-18, where the tribes that participated are listed along with those that did not, it is worth noting that structurally, the implied rebukes against the non-participating tribes are sandwiched between implied praises for the tribes that did participate: (16) VINCENT, â€œSongâ€, 74-75. (17) It is admittedly unclear where the strophe break is and whether v. 11d should be read with what immediately precedes in v. 11a-c, thus referring to participation in victory celebration, or with what immediately follows, thus referring to an earlier gathering to participate in battle. SOGGIN, Judges, 87-88, seems to take the former view, but D.I. BLOCK, Judges, Ruth (The New American Commentary; Nashville, 1999) 230, arguing that the mention of â€œgates (Âµyr[Ã§)â€ in v. 11d is an echo of v. 8 where the same word is mentioned in the context of war, sees v. 11d as a thesis statement to vv. 12-18. If v. 11d is indeed crafted to function as part of an inclusio together with v. 13, then BLOCKâ€™s view seems more likely since the reference to the people going down with the mighty ones in v. 13 seems to introduce what follows in vv. 14-18. Such a reading would then understand v. 11d as the beginning of the actual recounting referred to in v. 11b-c.

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