Interpreting Quoted Speech in Prophetic Literature

In Interpreting Quoted Speech, Samuel Hildebrandt analyzes the literary phenomenon of one speaker quoting the words of another speaker within prophetic discourse. Challenging approaches that categorize these speech quotations and use them as direct windows into Israel’s past, Hildebrandt makes a compelling case for reading quoted speech in its literary context. He presents a substantial method for such an interpretive approach, demonstrates its value in a detailed analysis of Jeremiah 2.1-3.5, and highlights the significance of quoted phrases in Jeremiah and other prophetic texts. Interpreting Quoted Speech marks an important contribution to the exploration of Jeremiah’s discourse and polyphony and, due to its accessible methodology and exegesis, offers a model for further research in prophetic literature.

Samuel Hildebrandt, Ph.D. (2016), University of Edinburgh, is Assistant Professor of Old Testament at Briercrest College & Seminary, Canada. He has published on 1 Samuel (“Saul’s Servants,” JSOT 40) and Genesis (“Quoted Speech in the Joseph Story,” in Doubling and Dublicating in Genesis; eds. E. Hayes and K. Vermeulen, 2016).