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The traditional stance is that לשׁוא in Jeremiah (2:30; 4:30; 6:29; 18:15 and 46:11) denotes futility, mostly translated as “in vain.” This study, the second of a sequel, scrutinises the last two texts (Jer 18:15 and 46:11) in an effort to substantiate and modify a recent hypothesis that the term is instead a reference to the god Baal, “The Vain/Worthless One.” Jeremiah 18:15 has an interpretative tradition that acknowledges לשׁוא as a referent to the (worthless) idols. The present study offers a basis for this interpretation. As Egypt (in Jer 46) can hardly be connected to Baal worship, 46:11 modifies the notion that לשׁוא functions as an identifier of the god Baal per se and confirms the wisdom of ancient translators of Jer 18:15 who labelled לשׁוא as unspecified deities. The traditional stance that לשׁוא denotes futility, could only be refuted in 46:11 by a search for intertextual clues, alertness to connecting metaphors and accompanying gender switches. These are the very same rhetorical devices illustrated in Mary Shields’ study of Jer 3:1–4:4. The title of her work harbours the insight that לשׁוא in 46:11, and by implication in all MT Jeremiah texts, serves as a dense metaphor circumscribing the prostitute-in-covenant-relationship with her (collective or individual) overlord/s (ba‘al/be‘alîm). https://doi.org/10.17159/2312-3621/2022/v35n1a9

The general consensus is that the abstract noun šāwʼ (שׁוא) in the HB/OT, with the basic meaning of worthlessness, inefficacy, deceit, emptiness, falsehood, lie, could refer either to these qualities in general (typically translated in the English as “in vain”), or could refer to anti-Yahweh idolatry. The choice has been rather arbitrary and inconsistent, relying on the reader’s view of what the text would want to convey. This study builds on the assumption that the definiteness of the noun determines its semantic value, and should be a major factor in determining the general versus polemic meaning of šāwʼ (שׁוא), although this grammatico-semantic distinction is unaccounted for in standard lexicons and most commentaries. The study limits itself to the book of Jeremiah, where šāwʼ only appears in its definite form, as laššāwʼ. Remarkably three other similarly defined nouns are located in the same text blocks in Jeremiah, namely haššeqer, habbošet and hahebel (mostly with prefixed prepositions). The fact that they all have indefinite counterparts in Jeremiah, strengthens the argument that the presence or absence of the definite article is not arbitrary, but noteworthy and meaningful. The fact that these four determined nouns (haššāwʼ, haššeqer, habbošet and hahebel) all function in the same broader text in Jeremiah, with the deity Baʻal also mentioned consistently and exclusively in the definite form (mostly singular habbaʻal, rarely plural habbeʻalîm) leads to the hypothesis that the defined nouns under discussion are all references to Baʻal, with a suggested rhetorical function of disparagement of the deity. The plausibility of the hypothesis is tested in this particular study by means of an exegetical exercise which zooms in on the interface of the nouns under discussion in a selected range of texts. The exegetical approach is obviously launched from the mentioned theoretical stance, seeking to discover features of the text that support interpretation in line with the hypothesis.

Semici starożytnego Bliskiego Wschodu w sposób dość podobny wyobrażali sobie gniew bóstw świata podziemnego. Przede wszystkim ów gniew miał być śmiercionośny zarówno dla ludzi, jak i dla bogów. W takim kontekście często używanym obrazem jest przedstawienie czy to samych bóstw, czy to ich demonicznych pomocników, czy wreszcie pozostających pod ich rozkazami zmarłych jako pożerających swe ofiary (bogów albo ludzi). Gniew boskich władców podziemia nie jest przedstawiany jako nieodwołalny i można go ułagodzić poprzez składanie ofiar, modlitwę czy też wysławianie konkretnych bogów. Pewne elementy tego obrazu, choć zmodyfikowane ze względu na monoteistyczne tło, można znaleźć także w Biblii.

Das Stück Baal des jungen Brecht enthält eine Anspielung auf Brasilien. Aus der Interpretation des dort vermittelten Brasilienbildes kann sich eine nützliche Diskussion entwickeln, um das Theater Brechts im Unterricht einzuführen und den Schüler zur Beschäftigung mit ihm zu motivieren. Der vorliegende Aufsatz will dazu anregen, die Auseinandersetzung mit Brecht mit seinem Erstlingsstück zu beginnen, und skizziert dazu einen möglichen Weg.