{"id":73797,"date":"2020-04-26T15:03:36","date_gmt":"2020-04-26T12:03:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=73797"},"modified":"2020-04-26T15:03:36","modified_gmt":"2020-04-26T12:03:36","slug":"what-use-are-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/what-use-are-you\/","title":{"rendered":"What Use Are You?"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[],"acf":{"old_id":"73797","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":73524,"related_cahpter":"467","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"Ezekiel speaks in riddles, allegories, metaphors and parables\r\n\r\n","content":"

Ezekiel’s penchant to speak in riddles and allegories come to the forefront during the next ten chapters. Chapters 15, 17, 19 discuss a vine; 17 adds eagles and trees; there are proverbs from the people, and more parables about fires, a cauldron. So much so that Ezekiel complained to God that the people come to him, not because of the truth of his message, but the entertainment value he provided them:<\/span><\/p>\n

Then said I, “Alas, O Lord God, they say of me, ‘Is he not an inventor of parables?’ “<\/span> (21:5)<\/span><\/p>\n

Yet Ezekiel rarely offers the solution to his riddles, forcing his listeners to discover the hidden meaning for themselves. Carole Newsom writes that this is the power of Ezekiel’s words \u2013 the metaphors serve to engage the listener, forcing their active involvement:<\/span><\/p>\n

Metaphor derives much of its convincing power because it does not allow its listeners to be passive; but requires them to participate in the construction of its metaphorical meaning (A Maker of Metaphors: Ezekiel\u2019s Oracles Against Tyre.” Interpretation 38 (1984), 153).<\/span><\/p>\n

In chapter 15, Ezekiel presents his listeners with a sophisticated riddle \u2013 he introduces a situation, presents a series of rhetorical questions, then convinces his listeners of a truth about the situation, and only then reveals how it affects the reader \u2013 in other words, the listeners solve the riddle themselves. The riddle goes:<\/span><\/p>\n

Son of man, how does the wood of the vine surpass all other wood – the vine branch that is among the trees of the forest? Is wood taken from it to make anything? Does one take a peg from it on which to hang any object? (15.2-3)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The effectiveness of Ezekiel’s illustration is in how it misleads its listeners. Of course, they would reply \u2013 no one uses vine wood for pegs. Vines do not surpass any wood at all – all they are good for is burning.<\/span> Through sleight of hand, Ezekiel causes his listeners to ignore the obvious purpose of vine wood \u2013 to produce grapes!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Throughout Tanach, the fruitful vine symbolizes the Jewish people (Gen. 49:22, Isaiah 5:1-7 \u2013 \u201cA song of the vineyard\u201d). This is a clever distortion of the historical tradition, and only too late, having given their cognitive assent, do the listeners realize that the <\/span>vine, of course, is Jerusalem. As such, Ezekiel declares in God’s name, the useless city will be burned and consumed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Since the Jewish people dwelling in the city serve no purpose, why should he not destroy it to create the more useful fire?<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":73798,"id":73798,"title":"ez15-riddle","filename":"ez15-riddle.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/ez15-riddle.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/what-use-are-you\/ez15-riddle\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"ez15-riddle","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":73797,"date":"2020-04-26 12:03:23","modified":"2023-11-27 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