Divine Masculinity in the Books of Samuel
How the Deity Acts the Man

By (author) Dr Barbara Thiede

ISBN13: 9780567709585

Imprint: T.& T.Clark Ltd

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Format: Hardback

Published: 05/02/2026

Availability: Not yet available

Description
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.
Preface Acknowledgements Abbreviations Introduction: Yhwh: What’s A Man to Do? 1. Yhwh and his Men: The Language of Heart and Love in Samuel 2. Yhwh and his Women: Master and Monster 3. Yhwh, the Prophet Samuel, and Israel: Feeling All the Feels 4. Failed Love: The Tumultuous Triangular Affair of Yhwh, Samuel, and Saul 5. Testy Love: Yhwh and David Conclusion: Yhwh: What’s a Man to Be? Bibliography Index
  • Biblical studies & exegesis
  • Old Testaments
  • Professional & Vocational
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List Price: £85.00