'She is more to you than seven sons' : oaths, vows, and the representation of female characters in the Hebrew Bible

Abstract

Oaths and vows in Hebrew Bible function as poetic conventions: instruments with which the contours of plot are shaped and the subtleties of characterisation are defined. When an oath or vow is spoken, the result is heightened suspense and anticipation—will the promise be kept or broken, and by what means? Whether fulfilled or forgotten, these emphatic statements also shed light on the characters who speak and (in some cases) refute them. Particularly informative are the idiosyncrasies of oaths and vows: the points at which any given promise differs from the expected formulae established for emphatic statements in Hebrew Bible. What follows is an examination of four case studies (the book of Ruth, 1 Sam 24-26, Judg 11, and 1 Sam 1-2), each one a narrative that revolves around an oath or vow. The emphatic statements featured at the centre of these texts diverge from their expected formulae in illuminating ways; in addition, each promise is spoken by or with regard to a prominent female character. The representation of female characters in Hebrew Bible is an oft-debated subject and therefore serves as a prime backdrop for the revelatory capacity of oaths and vows as instruments of poesis in this context.