Whispering the Word: Hearing Women's Stories in the Old Testament [Paperback]

Jacqueline E. Lapsley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 3, 2005

Many Christian feminists wonder if they can simultaneously maintain their commitment to principles of gender equality and their faith in the Scriptures, particularly the Old Testament. Writing in response to feminist biblical scholars who approach the Old Testament with a hermeneutic of suspicion, Jacqueline Lapsley offers Christian feminists strategies to hear the subtle ideas and voices of the less powerful within the Old Testament texts. Reading and interpreting a number of Old Testament narratives in which women are prominent, Lapsley considers how these stories may reflect God's word for us. In doing so, she demonstrates how the narrative often attempts to shape the moral response of the reader by revealing the intricacy and complexity of the moral world evoked. In this gentle shaping of the reader's ethical sensibilities, she argues, is where God may be whispering a word for us.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Lapsley, who teaches at Princeton Theological Seminary, explores four Old Testament stories that feature women. In her discussion of Rachel's confrontation with Laban, found in the book of Genesis, she shows that Rachel's words for menstruation and "the way of women" can be interpreted as social critique. Lapsley then turns her attention to Judges 19–21, chapters that depict disturbing violence against women, arguing persuasively that the narrator didn't approve of rape and dismemberment, but rather wanted to show that violence toward women leads to widespread violence writ large, and that this domino effect requires a theological response. In the story of Moses' mother and sister saving baby Moses from death, Lapsley finds a portrait of women's values, and in a final discussion of the book of Ruth, Lapsley argues that Naomi is a woman "shaking a fist... at God for the injustices of the world." Lapsley's readings not only draw attention to the words and experiences of biblical heroines, but also model suggestive strategies for interpreting other biblical texts. Although this innovative book will be read mainly by academics, Lapsley's introduction—in which she explains the basics of feminist biblical interpretation—is so lucid that any interested readers will be able to follow along. (Dec.)
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From the Back Cover

"Rich, perceptive, and persuasive. Lapsley’s keen intelligence, discerning insight, and elegant style make this a delightful book to read. In her hands even the most familiar and often discussed narratives disclose new dimensions of meaning. In Whispering the Word Lapsley models the very best of biblical literary hermeneutics." —Carol Newsom, Charles Howard Candler Professor of Old Testament, Candler School of Theology, Emory University

"Elegant, significant, and needed. I read it with hunger, for Lapsley’s work slips into the seemingly unbridgeable divide between feminists in academy and church. Just when I thought there was little left to say about the women and the Old Testament, I find new theological doors open and feminist interpretation newly sophisticated." —Kathleen M. O’Connor, William Marcellus McPheeters Professor of Old Testament, Columbia Theological Seminary

"Lapsley not only reads Scripture in a sensitive fashion that brings the ancient text and contemporary concerns into critical dialogue with each other, but she lays the groundwork for a new model of Christian-feminist biblical scholarship that is both critically informed and theologically insightful. She explains complex material in an accessible fashion that makes this book a pleasure to read as well ensuring it a place in many classrooms." —Joel S. Kaminsky, Associate Professor in the Department of Religion and Biblical Literature, Smith College

"Lapsley has provided us with a ‘hermeneutics of whispering’ in this book: gentle but insistent; respectful but critical; ethical, courageous, compassionate. She helps us catch the polyphony and echo which characterize these biblical voices and would catch our attention, and she brings a feminist critique to the challenge of reading Scripture productively in our time." —Barbara Green, Professor of Biblical Studies, Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology, Graduate Theological Union

"Jacqueline Lapsley pays close attention to narrative detail, but she also pays close attention to readers—both ancient and contemporary—and how their predispositions and social contexts affect the hearing of the text. Her own readings are subtle, yet so clearly presented that readers will be drawn into the drama of these stories and led more deeply into biblical narrative as a whole." —Ellen F. Davis, Professor of Bible and Practical Theology, Duke University Divinity School

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Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press; annotated edition edition (November 3, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0664224350
• ISBN-13: 978-0664224356
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #515,418 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fair and balanced perspective on difficult Old Testament stories, October 27, 2007

By 

Jeff DeSurra (Arcadia, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Whispering the Word: Hearing Women's Stories in the Old Testament (Paperback)

Jacqueline Lapsley does a great job of giving a balanced perspective on some difficult stories involving women in the Old Testament. While coming at the text from an academically critical perspective, she also incorporates her faith into the material setting her work apart from other scholars. The book also serves as a good introduction to feminist exegesis, exploring different approaches to reading the text and, in my opinion, finding a good and fair approach to reading the text faithfully. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Old Testament studies as well as those interested in getting started at looking at the bible from a feminist perspective.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well-balanced approach toward women in the OT, May 15, 2009

By 

J. Kirkpatrick (CA, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Whispering the Word: Hearing Women's Stories in the Old Testament (Paperback)

Lapsley has an incredibly well-balanced approach toward the very brief stories of women that we hear so little about in the OT. She selected four texts, and managed to very carefully and skillfully pull apart the multiple layers of meaning and does an extraordinary job. It is by far the best book I have read on women in the OT (though I can admit I havn't even seen any other comparable book on the topic).

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good analyses of half a dozen women of the Hebrew Bible, March 13, 2007

By 

D. Goodpasture (USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Whispering the Word: Hearing Women's Stories in the Old Testament (Paperback)

I bought this book for a project I am doing on the Pilegesh (concubine) in Judges 19-21. Lapsley is scholarly giving the nuances of the original Hebrew language and proposing some alternative theories, but is not difficult to read. One thing that stands out about this book is that Lapsley writes from a Christian viewpoint, thus "Old Testament" as opposed to "Hebrew Bible". Also unlike the majority of Bible scholars Lapsley actually incorporates G-d into her analyses.