Obadiah's ‘Day of the Lord': A Semiotic Reading

The semiotics of Yuri Lotman employs a theoretical contradiction. A symbol, by definition, must be both repeatable and unrepeatable within the same semiotic system. This paradox precludes the possibility of a perfectly static symbol in poetry. Every symbol, by nature of its syntagmatic axis, must de...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal for the study of the Old Testament 2013-09, Vol.38 (1), p.109-124
Main Author: Werse, Nicholas R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Exegesis and biblical criticism
History and sciences of religions
Old testament
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:The semiotics of Yuri Lotman employs a theoretical contradiction. A symbol, by definition, must be both repeatable and unrepeatable within the same semiotic system. This paradox precludes the possibility of a perfectly static symbol in poetry. Every symbol, by nature of its syntagmatic axis, must develop as the surrounding semiotic system unfolds. This article demonstrates that when Lotmanian semiotics is applied to the poetry of Obadiah, it becomes evident that Obadiah's use of ‘day’ originally appears to be two distinct symbols as determined by their differing syntagmatic values. Yet as the system develops, the apparently separate usages of the symbol are drawn together in a heightened state of tension before their fusion into a single unified sign for the ‘day of the Lord’ within the system.
ISSN:0309-0892
1476-6728
DOI:10.1177/0309089213492818