The Daughters of Zion: An Analysis of Isaiah Part 1

Okay, so it's not church history, but the Old Testament and analysis of the Old Testament has played a major role in the history of the church, so please pardon my brief diversion into biblical studies.

The male dominated social structure of ancient Israel is evident throughout the bible, from the laws set out in Deuteronomy to the writings of the prophets. The patriarchal nature of this society should not be viewed as sexism, but rather as a system of social organization. The prophets, although they speak out against the oppression of the poor, do not question the subordination of women. While the misogyny of this society often manifests itself in subtle ways, the condemnation of women, particularly a condemnation for sexuality, is occasionally more obvious. The prophets clearly link objectified female sexuality with evil. This appears most clearly in Ezekiel, but is also apparent in Isaiah, Hosea, and to a lesser extent, Jeremiah. There are a number of harsh criticisms of women in prophetic texts; however, most of these are allegorical and metaphoric. Cities are personified as women, and the city is then condemned in feminine terms. These cities are condemned for adultery and whoring; but their punishment goes far beyond what the modern mind can comprehend, particularly within a domestic sphere. There are also condemnations of actual women, as may be seen in Isaiah 3:16-4:1. This passage condemns the daughters of Zion for their vanity, and consequently their sexuality. The women are not only condemned but also punished, forfeiting even those few rights accorded to them by patriarchal society. These women are neither whores nor adulteresses, but they are nonetheless condemned, and their condemnation takes the form of that by which whores are condemned; their genitals are exposed and their bodies, disfigured. This paper shall examine the condemnation of the daughters of Zion within the context of other prophetic condemnations of women and their sexuality and vanity, both real and metaphoric. This brings up a question that must be addressed--how can a metaphor reflect the reality of life? Simply put, a metaphor's effectiveness rests on its grounding in reality. A metaphor that is beyond the conception or comprehension of its audience will not have any validity for that audience. What is the significance of vanity in ancient Israel, and how does it relate to women's sexuality? How do such condemnations relate to ancient Israeli society? Do these harsh prophetic words actually reflect the views of the time and the populace or are they the exception rather than the rule? How does male perception of female sexuality affect and influence male violence? The answers to these questions will be found, in part, through a careful examination of a number of biblical texts condemning women. It is necessary to determine how these condemnations of women function in a variety of biblical texts, both prophetic and historical in order to determine the role played by the condemnation of the daughters of Zion in Isaiah 3:16-4:1.

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