@article{ART003251614},
author={Sang-Won Lee},
title={The Sin of Manasseh: A Literary-Critical Reading of 2 Kings 21:1-18},
journal={Korean Journal of Old Testament Studies},
issn={1229-0521},
year={2025},
volume={31},
number={4},
pages={311-341}
TY - JOUR
AU - Sang-Won Lee
TI - The Sin of Manasseh: A Literary-Critical Reading of 2 Kings 21:1-18
JO - Korean Journal of Old Testament Studies
PY - 2025
VL - 31
IS - 4
PB - Korean Society of Old Testament Studies
SP - 311
EP - 341
SN - 1229-0521
AB - The purpose of this article is to explain literary criticism, one of the significant methodological tools in the historical exegesis of the Old Testament, and to illustrate its application through an analysis of 2 Kings 21:1–18. Literary criticism proceeds from the premise that the Old Testament is composed of traditional texts transmitted over an extended period of time. It further assumes that the present final form of the text contains traces indicating that the earliest form was refined and expanded in the course of its transmission. Literary criticism seeks to identify these traces, trace them back to recover the earliest form of the text, and distinguish it from later additions. It then situates these additions within their historical context, interprets the final form of the text at each stage, and elucidates the theological shifts that occurred in the process.
In classical literary criticism, elements of discrepancy observable in a text—such as contradictions, repetitions, and tensions—were regarded as signs of diachronic disunity and thus served as the basis for diachronic divisions of the text. More recently, however, scholars have raised the possibility that such discrepancies may stem from the author’s tacit acquiescence or deliberate intent, thereby problematizing the relationship between lack of cohesion and textual disunity. This issue is closely related to how synchronic considerations and diachronic analysis are to be employed in literary criticism.
This study, based on the intercorrective relationship between synchronic examination and diachronic analysis, analyzes 2 Kings 21:1–18 and demonstrates that, contrary to the results obtained through classical literary criticism, the majority of the passage (with the exception of vv. 8–9 and v. 15) was composed by a Deuteronomistic historian during the exilic period. It further argues that, within the Deuteronomistic History, the Manasseh narrative serves to explain the cause of the downfall of the kingdom of Judah.
KW - Literarkritik;synchronic exegesis;diachronic exegesis;Kohärenz;Einheitlichkeit;the sin of Manasseh
DO -
UR -
ER -
Sang-Won Lee. (2025). The Sin of Manasseh: A Literary-Critical Reading of 2 Kings 21:1-18. Korean Journal of Old Testament Studies, 31(4), 311-341.
Sang-Won Lee. 2025, "The Sin of Manasseh: A Literary-Critical Reading of 2 Kings 21:1-18", Korean Journal of Old Testament Studies, vol.31, no.4 pp.311-341.
Sang-Won Lee "The Sin of Manasseh: A Literary-Critical Reading of 2 Kings 21:1-18" Korean Journal of Old Testament Studies 31.4 pp.311-341 (2025) : 311.
Sang-Won Lee. The Sin of Manasseh: A Literary-Critical Reading of 2 Kings 21:1-18. 2025; 31(4), 311-341.
Sang-Won Lee. "The Sin of Manasseh: A Literary-Critical Reading of 2 Kings 21:1-18" Korean Journal of Old Testament Studies 31, no.4 (2025) : 311-341.
Sang-Won Lee. The Sin of Manasseh: A Literary-Critical Reading of 2 Kings 21:1-18. Korean Journal of Old Testament Studies, 31(4), 311-341.
Sang-Won Lee. The Sin of Manasseh: A Literary-Critical Reading of 2 Kings 21:1-18. Korean Journal of Old Testament Studies. 2025; 31(4) 311-341.
Sang-Won Lee. The Sin of Manasseh: A Literary-Critical Reading of 2 Kings 21:1-18. 2025; 31(4), 311-341.
Sang-Won Lee. "The Sin of Manasseh: A Literary-Critical Reading of 2 Kings 21:1-18" Korean Journal of Old Testament Studies 31, no.4 (2025) : 311-341.
