Strategic Ambiguity: East of Eden

Recently, Dr. Adam E. Miglio, Associate Professor of Archaeology at Wheaton College, joined me on “Exegetically Speaking” to demonstrate that exegesis involves knowing more than grammar and vocabulary. Often biblical authors employ strategic ambiguity to cause us to slow down and ask what a word or phrase means.  He treats Genesis 4.7 and the phrase “you must/will rule over it,” which characterizes life ‘East of Eden’.

To hear the 7 minute podcast you can cut and paste the following URL into your favorite browser:

http://exegeticallyspeaking.libsyn.com/strategic-ambiguity-east-of-eden-genesis-47

Or click here.

“Exegetically Speaking” is a weekly podcast of the friends and faculty of Wheaton College, IL and The Lanier Theological Library. Hosted by Dr. David Capes, it features language experts who discuss the importance of learning the biblical languages—Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek—and show how reading the Bible in the original languages “pays off.” Each podcast lasts between seven and eleven minutes and covers a different topic for those who want to read the Bible for all it is worth.

If you’re interested in going deeper, learn more about Wheaton’s undergraduate degree in Classical Languages (Greek, Hebrew, and Latin) and our MA in Biblical Exegesis. 

You can hear Exegetically Speaking on Spotify, Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. If you have questions or comments, please contact us at exegetically.speaking@wheaton.edu. And keep listening.