Includes bibliographical references (pages 245-272) and indexes
Efforts at interpreting Joban poetry have often been divided between philological and literary critics. This study brings these two critical modes together to offer an account of how Job 28 achieves meaning. The heart of the study consists of two major sections. The first is a reading of the poem with special attention to the conceptual background of its metaphors. Rather than a poetic account of mining technology, Job 28 is properly understood against the heroic deeds of ancient Mesopotamian kings described in Sumerian and Akkadian royal narratives, especially the Gilgamesh epic. The second m
