This chapter offers excursions into the effects and functions of the fantastic in other Hebrew Bible narratives in which fantastic elements arguably play an important role. I broaden the application in order to suggest the wider utility and relevance of the perspective and to contextualize the Exodus fantastic in the Hebrew Bible. The analyses of this chapter are not exhaustive treatments, but I contend that the aspects brought out by the fantasy analysis are integral to the narratives and relevant for understanding the religion of the Hebrew Bible. In this chapter, I show how—here too—the fantastic strategies bring with them an irreducible ambiguity and that they have an uncertain status. I further document the presence of text-internal reflection on the meaning and veracity of the fantastic elements and of an emphasis on mutability. Yet, the analysis shows that the fantastic effect is elicited by different means and takes a different form. What primarily distinguishes the fantastic event narratives treated here from those of the Exodus is that the fantastic events are here local, small-scale events, tied to everyday concerns and to a much greater extent contingent on human cooperation or reciprocity. At the centre of attention is the difficulty of remembering YHWH and remaining loyal to him, when his power and presence in everyday life is inconspicuous.

Narrating the Extraordinary

I have chosen to focus on the former prophets, that is, the (remainder of the) national epic from Genesis to 2 Kings.