Abstract

TERBLANCHE, Marius. "The Future in the Land belongs to us": Conflicting Perceptions on the Land in Jeremiah 32:1-44 (LXX 39:1-44). Old testam. essays [online]. 2020, vol.33, n.1, pp.107-124. ISSN 2312-3621.  http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/2312-3621/2020/v33n1a7.

This article examines Jeremiah 32, a chapter closely linked to the purchase of a field in Anathoth by the prophet Jeremiah at a time when the fall of Jerusalem in 587B.C.E. was imminent. Jeremiah 32 is a multi-layered text presenting evidence of the adaptation of Jeremiah's sign-act by various groups. While it is likely that the oldest core, verses 6b-15, presents the perspective of the people remaining in Judah after 587 B.C.E., in its final form the chapter promotes the interests of the Babylonian exiles. Although the uncovering of conflicting perceptions with regard to the land demonstrates that the use of Jeremiah 32 in present-day reflections on the land question is risky, the chapter highlights the importance of land issues. It furthermore demonstrates that biblical texts, applied in contemporary land issues, should be subjected to exhaustive redactional analyses. The different redactional stages of the texts may reveal conflicting ideologies.

Keywords : Empty Land; Exiles; Land; Land ideology; Remainees.

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