THE "ENEMY" IN ISRAELITE WISDOM LITERATURE A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy by John Keating Wiles June 1982 Digitized by Ted Hildebrandt, Gordon College, 2006 Displayed with permission from Dr. John Keating Wiles APPROVAL SHEET THE "ENEMY" IN ISRAELITE WISDOM LITERATURE John Keating Wiles Read and Approved by: Marvin E. Tate (Chairman) John Joseph Owens John D. Watts Date: August 10, 1982 CONTENTS Page Chapter 1. Introduction 1 Personal Enemies in the Psalms 3 A Methodology for Investigating "Enemies" in the Wisdom Literature 18 Methodological Caveats 22 Contemporary Value of this Study 28 2. Enemy Designations Within the Wisdom Literature 30 Proverbs 32 The byvx-Group 33 The fwr-Group 35 The religion of the wicked 36 The demeanor of the wicked 37 The speech of the wicked 39 The allies of the wicked 41 The Neutral Group 45 The Friends and Kinfolk Group 56 The Animals Group 59 Job 61 The byvx-Group 61 The fwr-Group 66 The Neutral Group 72 iii The Friends and Kinfolk Group 74 The Animals Group 76 Qoheleth 77 The fwr-Group 78 The Neutral Group 79 The Animals Group 80 Sirach 80 The byvx-Group 82 The fwr-Group 87 The wicked in the cult 91 The wicked and the economy 92 The wicked at court 93 The wicked and their speech 94 Wicked friends 94 The wicked and the family 96 The wicked and duplicity 99 The wicked and the fool 100 The Neutral Group 101 The Friends and Kinfolk Group 105 The Animals Group 109 Wisdom of Solomon 110 The byvx-Group 112 The fwr-Group 114 The Neutral Group 118 iv The Friends and Kinfolk Group 119 The Animals Group 120 Summary 121 3. Derivative Enemies in Wisdom Literature 127 Proverbs 129 Foolish Characters as Enemies 130 Righteous Characters as Enemies 138 Wisdom and Yahweh as Enemies 141 Job 146 Righteous Characters as Enemies 150 Satan as an Enemy 156 Yahweh as an Enemy 157 "The Enemy behind the Enemy" 163 Qoheleth 166 Sirach 169 Historical Characters as Enemies 171 Dispositions, Actions and Things as Enemies 172 Fools and Sages as Enemies 176 Wisdom and the Lord as Enemies 179 Wisdom of Solomon 184 Righteous Characters as Enemies 185 Idolatry as an Enemy 186 Creation as an Enemy 188 Summary 190 v 4. Wise Responses to the Enemy 194 Proverbs 194 Rejection of Enemy Behavior 195 No Anxiety over Enemies 199 Avoidance of the Enemy 201 Securing Actions in the Face of Enemies 206 Gifts work wonders 207 Heed wisdom 208 Fear Yahweh 209 Love for the Enemy 210 Motives for Wise Responses to the Enemy 218 Self-destruction 218 Fate-fixing actor 219 Yahweh as "midwife" 222 Job 227 The Friends 228 Elihu 232 Yahweh 234 Job 235 Response to Satan? 239 Qoheleth 239 "Quietism" 240 Hatred 242 Enjoyment 245 Fear 253 vi Sirach 258 Hostility 259 Caution 262 Reconciliation 266 Piety 275 Motives behind Sirach's Counsel 278 Death 280 Shame 281 Response to Wisdom 284 Wisdom of Solomon 285 Welcome to Strangers 285 Responses to Idols and Their Worshipers 287 Gentleness 290 Motives behind Responses to the Enemy 293 Summary 296 5. Conclusion 299 Bibliography 307 Appendices I. Enemy Designations within the Wisdom Literature 321 II. Enemy Behavior within the Wisdom Literature 329 III. Derivative Enemy Designations 350 Abstract 361 Biographical Data 363 vii Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION The wisdom tradition of Israel departs in a remarkable way from the dominant Old Testament attitude toward personal enemies. If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; for you will heap coals of fire on his head, and Yahweh will reward you. Proverbs 25:21-22 This instruction, cited by Paul in Romans 12:20, articulates an ethic of treating enemies in a beneficent manner. It is perhaps the closest the Old Testament comes to Jesus' com- mand to love the enemy (Matt. 5:44). A few other passages in the wisdom literature speak of treating enemies in a non-aggressive way.1 Examples of beneficent responses to enemies may be adduced in other complexes of Israelite tradition. Exodus 23:4-5 commands one to return the enemy's stray ox or ass and to help him lift up his overburdened beast.2 Narratives tell of Joseph aiding his brothers who had conspired to kill him, to cast him into a pit and to sell him to the 1 Prov. 16:7; 24:17-18; Job 31:29-30. 2 S. Driver, A Critical and Exegetical Commenter on Deuteronomy (3rd ed., Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1901), p. 250, commenting on Deut. 22:1, the deuteronomic reformu- lation, calls the Exodus form of the law "an old-world anticipation of the spirit of Mt. 5:44." 1 2 Ishmaelites.3 David spared Saul's life when he was most vulnerable.4 In the latter case, Saul was evidently sur- prised by David's behavior for he asked, "If a man finds his enemy will he let him go away safe?" (I Sam. 24:19). Each of these examples may be viewed as beneficent responses to a personal enemy. The wisdom tradition, however, sounds this note most clearly. The narrative examples of this ethic may perhaps be gainsaid since David was not dealing with a common enemy but with Yahweh's anointed,5 and Joseph was acting under the watchful and subtle guidance of God's providence.6 The beneficent behavior mandated by Exodus 23:4-5 is somewhat oblique for the object of neighborly consideration is the enemy's livestock, not the enemy himself. Why should 3 Gen. 37:18, 24, 28; the whole story comprises chapters 37, 39-50. 4 I Sam. 24:1-22; 26:1-25. The two stories are doublets of the same tradition; see K. Koch, Was Ist Formgeschichte? Methoden der Bibelexegese (3 Aufl., Neukirchen-Vluyn: Neukirchener Verlag, 1974), pp. 163-181. 5 1 Sam. 24:6; 26:9; in both versions of this saga the fact that Saul is Yahweh's anointed is the reason given for David's restraint. 6 Gen. 45:4-8; 50:20; G. von Rod argued that the Joseph story is a wisdom tale in "The Joseph Narrative and. Ancient Wisdom," in The Problem of the Hexateuch and Other Essays, trans. by E. Dickens (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1966), pp. 292-300; and in Genesis: A Commentary, trans. by J. Marks (rev. ed., Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1972), p. 435; but see also G. Coats, "The Joseph Story and Ancient Wisdom: A Reappraisal," CBQ 35 (1973), 285-297. 3 innocent animals suffer merely because neighbors had become involved in some dispute? Personal Enemies in the Psalms Although personal enemies do appear in narrative materials, law and wisdom literature, they seem to play a relatively minor role. With the individual laments and thanksgiving songs the enemies play a major role. They form one of the three fundamental components of the lament.7 Furthermore, although the Hebrew title of the Psalter (Mylht) is more properly translated "Praises" there is a large amount of prayer or petition (tvlpt); approxi- mately one third of the Psalms are not in fact praises but laments.8 It is scarcely surprising, therefore, that enemies appear so frequently in the Psalter. Because of the major role which enemies play in so many psalms, impressions of Old Testament attitude toward per- sonal enemies are most easily formed on the basis of the Psalter. When it is examined with a view toward discerning how to treat one's enemies, the results are radically dif- ferent from the beneficent, or at least non-aggressive, 7 C. Westermann, "The Structure and History of the Lament in the Old Testament," in Praise and Lament in the Psalms, trans. by K. Crim and R. Soulen (Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1981), p. 169 (= "Struktur and Geschichte der Klage im Alten Testament," ZAW 66 [1954], 44-80). 8 A. Anderson, The Book of Psalms, Vol. I (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1981), 36. 4 responses noted in the passages above. For example: Break thou the arm of the wicked and evildoer; seek out his wickedness till thou find none. Psalm 10:15 0 that thou wouldst slay the wicked, 0 God, and that men of blood would depart from me, men who maliciously defy thee, who lift themselves up against thee for evil! Do I not hate them that hate thee, 0 LORD? And do I not loathe them that rise up against thee? I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them my enemies. Psalm 139:19-229 Little wonder then that many may assume that Jesus' remark that it was said of old, "You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy" (Matt. 5:43), is an accurate quotation of some Old Testament passage or, at least of some contemporary Jewish teaching. Such an instruction is not to be found in Jewish scriptures, however, and nothing like it has been discovered in rabbinic materials.10 Never- theless, it is very easy to understand how readers, critical or otherwise, could conclude that such hostility toward enemies was precisely the teaching of the Old Testament, and 9 Cf. Psalms 5:11; 7:7, 10; 10:2; 12:4-5; 17:13-14; 25:3; 28:4-5; 31:18-19; 35:1-8, 26; 55:10; 58:7-12; 59:6, 12-14; 69:23-29; 70:3-4; 71:13; 79:6, 12; 83:10-19; 94:2; 109:7-20, 29-30; 129:5-7; 137:7-9; 140:10-12; 143:12.