The Hidden Body as Literary Strategy in 4QWiles of the Wicked Woman (4Q184)

Laura Quick

doi:10.1163/15685179-02702003

Abstract

Abstract The short sapiential poem known as 4QWiles of the Wicked Woman (4Q184) describes the body of an unnamed female who ensnares the righteous into sin and ultimately death. This poetic description of a body has sometimes been compared to the Waṣf, a type of poem which provides a thick description of the body, listing and describing body parts in a movement descending from head to toe. In this essay, I explore the description of the woman’s body in 4Q184 in light of the genre of the Waṣf. By playing with the characteristic structure of the Waṣf, 4Q184 highlights certain aspects of the woman’s body in order to say something specific about her role and activities. In so doing, I uncover an image of the woman which is more erotic than commentators have previously allowed.

Highlights

The dependence of the short sapiential poem known as 4QWiles of the Wicked Woman (4Q184) upon scriptural precedents was already observed in the editio princeps, with John Allegro commenting that the terminology of the poem “is largely borrowed from the Old Testament.”[1]
This poetic description of a body has sometimes been compared to the Waṣf, a type of poem which provides a thick description of the body, listing and describing body parts in a movement descending from head to toe
All commentators note the correspondences between 4Q184 and the Strange Woman described in the book of Proverbs.[2]

Summary

Introduction

The dependence of the short sapiential poem known as 4QWiles of the Wicked Woman (4Q184) upon scriptural precedents was already observed in the editio princeps, with John Allegro commenting that the terminology of the poem “is largely borrowed from the Old Testament.”[1].

Results

Conclusion