The Ethics of Hebrew Narrative: A Typology of Modes for Moral Analysis with a Case Study (Gen 19:30–38)

Abstract

This article establishes a novel typology of approaches to the moral analysis of biblical nar­rative based upon a single case study: the story of Lot and his daughters in Gen 19:30–38. By analyzing how interpreters throughout time have made and justified ethical evaluations of Gen 19:30–38, I identify nine distinct methods for interpreting biblical narratives from an ethical angle and arrive at several conclusions: (1) there are distinct modes by which inter­preters ethically evaluate biblical narratives; (2) certain modes are used in combination; (3) different modes can reach the same conclusion, while the same mode can bring interpreters to different conclusions; (4) the proposed typology should reorient certain methodological priorities in biblical ethics. The significance of additional factors for the ethics of biblical narrative are also explored, including the role of certain historical-critical approaches and the nature of intertextuality, while several constructive suggestions are offered for work in the field.