! ! Fishing for Fish and Fishing for Men: Fishing Imagery in the Hebrew Bible and the Ancient Near East ! Dissertation ! Presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree doctor of philosophy in the Graduate School of the The Ohio State University By Tyler Russell Yoder, M.A., B.A. Graduate Program in Near Eastern Languages and Cultures The Ohio State University 2015 Dissertation Committee: Samuel A. Meier, Adviser Daniel Frank Carolina López-Ruiz Brent Strawn ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Copyright by Tyler Russell Yoder 2015 ! ! ! ! ! ! Abstract ! This dissertation examines the use of fishing imagery within the Hebrew Bible and ancient Near Eastern literature up through the end of the Iron Age. Outside of the concluding chapter, this study comprises six major units. The introduction grounds the ensuing literary discussion in chapters 2-6 with a survey of the ichthyological and piscatorial evidence from the ancient Near East, as well as a comprehensive lexical study of the fishing terminology employed in the Hebrew Bible. The following five chapters, each of which is a self-contained unit, analyze the gamut of fishing references within the Hebrew Bible. Chapter two investigates the conceptual phenomenon of divine fishers in the ancient Near East and its relationship to Jer. 16:16-18. The third (Amos 4:1-3; Hab. 1:14-17; Ezek. 12:13-14; 17:16-21; 19:1-9) and fourth (Job 40:25-32; Ezek. 29:1-6a; 32:1-10) chapters build directly on this unit by unpacking the chief connotation of this phenomenon, whether directed against humans or monstrous fauna: divinely appointed exile. Chapter five (Qoh. 9:11-12) takes the act of fishing to its logical end by examining its relationship to death. The sixth chapter explores the relationship between fishing and polarity in the final three fishing images within the Hebrew Bible (Is. 19:5-10; Ezek. 26:1-14; 47:1-12). The conclusion synthesizes the assemblage of data examined in the previous chapters, weaving all of the material and literary evidence together to evaluate "ii the function and source of fishing imagery in the Hebrew Bible. In addition to focusing on the use of rhetoric and imagery, this comparative study sheds light on both the complex network of cultural and literary interchange in the ancient Near East. ! ! ! ! ! ! ! "iii ! ! ! Dedication ! ! To my wife and best friend, Cathy Ann rabbôt bānôt ‘āśū ḥāyil wĕ’att ‘ālīt ‘al-kullānāh ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! "iv ! Acknowledgments ! This dissertation is the product of a team effort; it could not haven been accomplished without the support and sacrifice of a community of scholars, family, and friends. To begin, I would like to thank the Melton Center for Jewish Studies, whose generous financial support enabled me to finish this project. My colleague and fellow dissertating partner, Joe Price, has offered immense help by means of both our regular discourse on pedantic issues related to the Hebrew Bible and the relaying of relevant sources he encountered in his own research. My professors, Drs. Daniel Frank and Carolina López-Ruiz, have encouraged me every step of the way. A model of kindness, Dr. Frank has offered thoughtful and stimulating counsel throughout my time at Ohio State. In addition to offering invaluable input from the ancient Mediterranean world, Dr. López-Ruiz has provided a steady stream of challenging and constructive scholarly engagement. I am likewise grateful for the sincerity and inspiration of Dr. Brent Strawn, whose own work on leonine imagery originally catalyzed the idea for this project. My advisor, Dr. Samuel Meier, is the primary reason I applied to Ohio State over five years ago. And if for no other reason, my time spent learning from him has proven "v more productive than I could have imaged. He has embodied what it means to leave no stone unturned in research and apply consistent methods, how to think and communicate clearly, as well as how engage respectfully and pursue truth with transparency. My greatest strengths as a scholar and teacher are a testament to his wise counsel and sacrificial investment in my life. My weaknesses likely stem from simply not listening closely enough. Writing a dissertation with a baby at home and a spouse working full-time meant that most of this writing took place early in the morning, during nap time, and late at night. But regular help from my mother, Becky Yoder, and mother-in-law, Cheryl Koehler, provided priceless assistance. Above all, I owe a special debt of gratitude to my wife, Cathy. This project—in fact, this doctoral degree—would not have been possible without her wisdom, encouragement, and unwavering love. Our firstborn, Asher, was born just before the research for this project began, and his sister, Ellery, was welcomed into the world just as it came to a close. They, too, have sacrificed precious time with dada that I am so grateful to now have back. These three are my most favorites, my world. Ph.D. or not, I could not ask for much more. ! ! ! ! ! "vi ! ! ! Vita ! August 28, 1984……………………………….Born in Wooster, Ohio 2007……………………………………………B.A. Pre-Seminary and History, Cedarville University 2009……………………………………………Graduate Teaching Assistant, Trinity International University 2009……………………………………………Biblical Archaeology Review Travel Scholarship 2010……………………………………………M.A. Ancient Near Eastern Languages and Biblical Archaeology, Trinity ! International University 2010-2011……………………………………..University Fellowship, The Ohio State University 2011……………………………………………Winner, The Charlotte Susan Roth Memorial Fund Essay Context, The Melton Center for Jewish Studies at The Ohio State University 2011-2012……………………………………..The George and Renée Levine Graduate ! Fellowship in Jewish Studies 2012-2014……………………………………..Graduate Teaching Associate, The Ohio State University 2014-2015……………………………………..The Samuel M. Melton Graduate Fellowship in Jewish Studies ! ! "vii Publications! Zeitschrift für die Alttestamentlische Wissenschaft 124.4 ”.שׁוט שׁוטף Reconsidering“ (2013): 606-10. “Ezekiel 29:3 and Its Ancient Near Eastern Context.” Vetus Testamentum 63.3 (2013): !486-96. ! ! Fields of! Study Major Field: Near Eastern Languages and Cultures Hebrew Bible !Ancient Near Eastern Studies ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! "viii ! ! Table of Contents ! ! Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………ii Dedication………………………………………………………………………….…..…iv Acknowledgments…………………………………………………………………………v ! Vita……………………………………………………………………………………… vii Abbreviations…………………………………………………………………………… xv List of Figures………………………………………………………………………….xxvi List of Tables…………………………………………………………………………xxviii Chapter 1. Surveying the Water: Introductory Matters………………………………..…. 1 1.1 Why Fishing Imagery?……………………………………………………………… 1 1.2 What Fishing Imagery?…………………………………………………………….. 3 1.3 Previous Studies and the Scope of the Present Study………………………………. 4 1.4 Methodology…………………………………………………………………………6 1.4.1 The State of the Field in Metaphor Theory……………………………………….8 1.4.1.1 Richards’ Interaction Theory………………………………………………….8 1.4.1.2 Black’s Associated Commonplaces……………………………………………8 1.4.1.3 Ricoeur’s Tension Theory……………………………………………………..9 "ix 1.4.1.4 Lakoff and Johnson’s Cognitive Theory……………………………………….. 9 1.4.1.5 Kittay’s Perspectival Theory…………… ..…………………………………. 11 1.4.1.6 White’s Primary and Secondary Vocabulary……………………………….. 12 1.4.2. Metaphor Research on the Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East……………. 13 1.4.3 Analysis of Method…………………………………………………………….. 15 1.4.3.1 Identification of Image……………………………………………………… 15 1.4.3.2 Establishment of Text……………………………………………………….. 16 1.4.3.3 Contextualization and Comparison…………………………………………. 17 1.4.3.4 Evaluation…………………………………………………………………... 18 1.5 The World of the Fisher…………………………………………………………….19 1.5.1 Egypt…………………………………………………………………………… 20 1.5.2 Mesopotamia…………………………………………………………………….30 1.5.3 Levant…………………………………………………………………………. 40 1.6 Fishing Terminology in the Hebrew Bible………………………………………….49 1.6.1 “Fisher” dayyāg…………………………………………………………………50 1.6.2 Hook……………………………………………………………………………. 50 1.6.2.1 ḥakkāh………………………………………………………………………..50 1.6.2.2 ḥôaḥ; ḥaḥ……………………………………………………………………..51 1.6.2.3 ṣēn……………………………………………………………………………53 1.6.2.4 sīrāh………………………………………………………………………… 53 1.6.3 Net……………………………………………………………………………… 53 1.6.3.1 rešet “Cast Net”…………………………………………………………….. 53 1.6.3.2 ḥērem “Dragnet”……………………………………………………………. 57 1.6.3.3. mikmar; mikmeret “Dragnet”………………………………………………. 60 1.6.3.4 mĕṣūdāh, mĕṣôdāh, and māṣôd “Cast Net”………………………………….62 1.6.3.5 šaḥat “Net”………………………………………………………………….. 65 1.6.4. Spear……………………………………………………………………………66 1.6.4.1 ṣilṣal………………………………………………………………………… 66 1.6.4.2 śukkāh………………………………………………………………………. 66 "x 1.6.5. Fishing…………………………………………………………………………. 66 1.6.5.1 dāyag…………………………………………………………………………66 1.6.5.2. dūgāh “Fishing”……………………………………………………………..66 1.6.5.3 mišṭôaḥ……………………………………………………………………… 66 Chapter 2. Heavenly Fishing: Divine Fishers in the Ancient Near East…………………68 2.1 Introduction…………………………………………………………………………68 2.2 Divine Fishers in the Ancient Near East……………………………………………68 2.2.1 Mesopotamia…………………………………………………………………….68 2.2.2 Ugarit……………………………………………………………………………76 2.3 Divine Fishers in the Hebrew Bible (Jeremiah 16:16-18)………………………….80 2.3.1 Translation………………………………………………………………………80 2.3.2 Literary Context…………………………………………………………………82 2.3.3 Interpretation…………………………………………………………………… 83 2.3.3.1 Egyptian Fishers…………………………………………………………..….83 2.3.3.2 Judahite Fishers………………………………………………………………84 2.3.3.3 Divine Fishers………………………………………………………………. 85 2.3.3.4 Babylonian Fishers………………………………………………………….. 87 2.4 Synthesis……………………………………………………………………………89 ! Chapter