The mise-en-abyme and biblical Hebrew narrative: The cases of Genesis 38, 1 Samuel 25, and 1 Kings 13

In a contribution to the study of biblical narrative and the analysis of the Primary History (Genesis-Kings, Jewish canon), I argue that three biblical texts are mises-en-abyme. Mise-en-abyme is a term used by literary critics to refer to a part of a literary work that duplicates the whole work in miniature. A famous example is the play within a play in Shakespeare's Hamlet.; First, I provide a general critique of biblical poetics and its relationship to historical study, a survey of the Primary History, and a critical summary of previous scholarship on the theory of the mise-en-abyme. Next, I discuss the three biblical passages. The biblical examples I will discuss are Genesis 38, 1 Samuel 25, and 1 Kings 13. Each is a mise-en-abyme within its context. Specifically, the story of Judah and Tamar duplicates the story of Joseph and his brothers in Genesis 37:2–50:26. In both stories, Judah wrongs a family member, who later deceives him in order to restore the family relationship and save the family from a threat. The story of David and Nabal in 1 Samuel 25 encapsulates the issues that permeate the narrative of David's rise and the demise of the house of Saul. David's relationship with Nabal mirrors his relationship with Saul: David does favors for each man, but receives evil in return. The relationship between the man of God and the old prophet in 1 Kings 13 represents in microcosm the relationship between Judah and Israel in the history of the Divided Kingdom. The conclusion describes how the biblical examples fit into the larger theory of the mise-en-abyme and discusses certain issues regarding character in biblical narrative.