ABSTRACT
For decades, feminist scholars have focused on the silent and silenced figure of the Levite's pilegesh (פילגש). But the narrative of the Levite's pilegesh—and of the holy war that follows—is not about the Levite's pilegesh, but rather about the male homosocial order she challenges. The Levite is Yhwh's servant, guard, firstborn, and holy representative; his holiness is Yhwh's holiness, his honor is Yhwh's honor. An assault on the Levite is an assault on the Israelite deity. Just as the deity's men protect him, so Yhwh must protect his men. In this chapter, the reader is offered a detailed description of the architecture of biblical hegemonic masculinity—its alliances, its partnerships, and its dependence on sexual violence against women. The rape of hundreds upon hundreds of women proves to be the avenue, the means, and the tool for restoring the homosocial hierarchy that governs Israel and reestablishes Yhwh at its head.
