While scholarship on nonverbal communication in the Hebrew Bible has traditionally focused on ritual dress, postures of worship, and related topics, there do exist a number of non-ritual gestures in the text for which we have little understanding, such as occur in the book of Proverbs. As the premier source for moral pedagogy in the Hebrew Bible, Proverbs contains a number of gestures that, when properly interpreted, will enhance our understanding of social values in ancient Israel. To aid in the process of decoding these literary features, particular Ugaritic, Akkadian, Egyptian, and Sumerian texts are here scanned for similar gestures or anatomical idioms and how they are variously interpreted in their respective contexts. And though the particular religious and cultural systems of these neighboring entities are distinct, their ideology of social values—values imbedded in the fabric of daily life and indicative of the universally shared experience of all communities—comes to the fore through the medium of gesture.

REVIEW:

Jones explains that “the need for this type of study is evident from how commentators are often at a loss when interpreting certain gestures” (199). She Opens Her Hand to the Poor aptly demonstrates this need by helpfully unpacking the meaning and implication of various obscure actions in light of an impressive array of evidence. But more than this, Jones shows how these actions are integrated and function within their context in the book of Proverbs, providing an important window onto the social values and ethics of that book. She Opens Her Hand to the Poor should become essential reading for scholars of the book of Proverbs and wisdom literature in the Hebrew Bible, as well as those studying embodiment in the ancient world. (Laura Quick, RBL 04/2021)