Divine Masculinity in the Book of Samuel: How Yhwh Models the Man (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780567709585)

Barbara Thiede presents an exploration of Yhwh as a complex character who models biblical masculinity by forming intimate relationships with his people Israel in the service of establishing his power and authority. Divine Masculinity in the Books of Samuel reveals that the Israelite deity's relationships with Israel, the prophet Samuel, King Saul, and King David feature a wide-ranging emotional palette. Yhwh's intense bonds with his men produce shifting and unstable male alliances and networks, which are homoerotic and often triangular. As Israel's über-man, his character demonstrates that biblical masculinity is assertive, forceful, jealous, vulnerable, and controlling.

Thiede illustrates how emotion is made to serve divine agenda and divine might is established and maintained through emotions and emotional display in the Books of Samuel. Yhwh is womanless, but the men he chooses to serve him may be brought to the height of ecstasy, emotionally abused, and sexually humiliated. The book demonstrates that Yhwh's emotional and sexual life revolves around his relationships with other male characters, exposing the uncompromising hegemonic masculinity that undergirds the biblical world.

Author: Barbara Thiede
ISBN-10: 0567709582
ISBN-13: 9780567709585
Publisher: T&T Clark
Language: English
Published: 09/17/2026
Pages: 200
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.00lbs
Size: 9.21h x 6.14w x 1.00d