In Telling Terror in Judges 19: Rape and Reparation for the Levite’s Wife, Helen Paynter offers a “reparative reading” of the text of Judges 19:1–30—the infamous narrative of the Levite’s pilegesh. From the start, Paynter problematizes the translation of pilegesh, opting, like other scholars, to provide a name for this anonymous figure (3–4). Her choice of Beli-Fachad (Fearless One) is both novel and appropriate. Paynter’s dedication of her book to Beli-Fachad and Jyoti Singh (the 23-year-old physiotherapy student gang-raped and murdered in Delhi in 2012) is a sobering reminder of the prevalence of sexual violence against women across time.
Through her reading of the narrative, Paynter opens up the “redemptive possibilities” of this gruesome tale (65). She positions her work carefully in the history of interpretation, providing a succinct overview of religious commentaries as well as modern feminist-critical approaches to Judges 19 (chapter 2). By bringing her work into “creative dialogue” with the so-called “hermeneutics of suspicion,” she presents her argument as a reading among many, not the sole reading of Judges 19 (75). This self-conscious acknowledgement is a refreshing perspective in a field that often asserts, as Paynter herself points out, “totalising interpretation[s]” of the biblical text (75). While some may not agree that it is possible to find redemption in a narrative of rape and murder, Paynter’s utilization of speech-act theory still allows Beli-Fachad to be understood as one of the only true judges of the biblical book (52).
Paynter’s recourse to contemporary examples of sexual violence in chapter 5 follows a tradition of reading Judges 19 alongside other instances of female rape. Her analysis of the case of Jyoti Singh is sensitive yet thorough (58–64). Throughout her monograph, Paynter also brings Judges 19 into dialogue with other biblical narratives. Of particular utility is Paynter’s intertextual comparison to Genesis 19:1–29. Paynter lays out in tabular form the parallels between the two narratives (55). She convincingly demonstrates that the narrator of Judges 19 builds up our expectation, as readers, that Beli-Fachad will receive the same fate as the daughters of Lot in Genesis 19; namely, that she too will be miraculously spared from injury and assault. No such intervention occurs (56).
There are some areas for minor improvement. Paynter refers to the original Hebrew text throughout her monograph, highlighting key grammatical and syntactical aspects of the narrative. However, at times she provides the vocalised Hebrew script; elsewhere, she opts for transliterations. In this regard, consistency would be beneficial, as each approach neither takes away from, nor adds to, the general thrust of her argument. There are also a few typographical errors which were, disappointingly, not picked up in the editing process. For instance, footnote 41 of chapter 2 is found verbatim in the main body (18, 23).
Nonetheless, Paynter is to be commended for her extensive bibliography. She engages widely with scholarship ranging from the feminist theory of Judith Butler to the historical materialism of Walter Benjamin. Deserving particular praise is the gender balance of her sources; there is near-equal representation of male and female/non-binary scholarship. It is also pleasing to note that this work has already been engaged with critically in the field. (See, for instance, Rhiannon Graybill, Texts After Terror: Rape, Sexual Violence, and the Hebrew Bible, Oxford University Press, 2020).
Paynter writes lucidly in an academic style that remains approachable for the common reader. Her book provides a refreshing outlook to a difficult biblical text, leaving the reader with much to ponder and grapple with. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to any student of biblical studies seeking a scholarly introduction to Judges 19. More broadly, this book has much potential to be used in a ministerial context, both as a resource for religious leaders to refer to when preaching on Beli-Fachad and as a springboard for discussion on the issue of sexual violence.
Hannah Kate Capey is a doctoral student at the University of Southampton, UK.
Hannah Capey
Date Of Review:
March 25, 2023