Volume 26, 2026

EN:

The article counters the common assumption that ברא (Qal) with the subject God means “to create” and the common rendering of humanity being “created in God’s image” in Gen 1:26-27. A number of scholars have expressed doubts about understanding ברא as “to create,” and concluded that ברא might be better understood in terms of separation or division. The present article builds on these arguments, extending them with an analysis of all verbal constructions of ברא (Qal) in the Hebrew Bible, and then proposes a new reading of Gen 1:26-27 based on this analysis.

EN:

This paper examines Exodus 4:24-26 in its context in order to determine the function and meaning of the passage. The paper argues that Exod 4:24-26 acts as a parallel to Exod 2:3-10. In Exod 2:3-10, Moses underwent a life-threatening experience and transformed into an Egyptian. In Exod 4:24-26, he undergoes another life-threatening experience, with two results: Moses is transformed back into a Hebrew, and he transitions into adulthood, making him an appropriate leader for the Hebrews.

EN:

This article examines the relationship between the Song of Vengeance (Isa 63:1–6), the communal lament (63:7–64:12), and Yhwh’s response in Isaiah 65. Through an analysis of their linguistic and thematic connections, the study explores the editorial logic that brought these units together. The final composition offers reassurance through a narrative of divine vengeance against a rival kin-group, seeking to restore communal self-worth and agency. Vengeance thus functions as a rhetorical substitute for actual redemption.

EN:

The article argues that the Bible's Joseph narrative represents the first metaphoric use of katabasis (descent to the underworld), a common mytheme employed literally and metaphorically in later Greek literature. As such, it adds more evidence for literary exchange in the ancient Mediterranean world.