 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Humanities
- ISSN: 2155-7993
- Journal of Modern Education Review
Beyond Male and Female: Same-sex Imagery in Malachi 2
Stacy Davis
(Saint Mary’s College, University of Notre Dame, USA)
Abstract: Malachi 2.10-13 is often interpreted as a complaint against idolatry. The passage, however, may also contain an atypical form of the prophetic marriage metaphor, in which God is male and Israel is female. In honor of the work of Dr. Randall Bailey and placing African American biblical hermeneutics in conversation with queer theory and masculinity studies, I propose to read the passage in Malachi 2 as an example of the queering of the heterosexual marriage metaphor. God’s personification as male and the lack of Judah’s personification as female suggests a same-sex marriage metaphor. My argumentation will be based on the Hebrew text and the application of theory and conclude with implications for the text's use in marginalized communities. If this passage in Malachi 2 need not be read in heteronormative terms, then more opportunities for religious discourse about broader views of marriage and intimacy that are not limited to a gender binary become possible.
Key words: marriage metaphor, queer theory, masculinity studies
