In Configurations of Rape in the Hebrew Bible Frank M. Yamada explores the compelling
similarity among three rape narratives found in the Hebrew Scriptures. These three stories -
the rape of Dinah (Genesis 34) the rape of an unnamed concubine (Judges 19) and the rape of
Tamar daughter of David (2 Samuel 13) - move through the same plot progression: an initial
sexual violation of a woman leads to escalating violence among men resulting in some form of
social fragmentation. In this intriguing study Yamada draws from the disciplines of literary
and narrative criticism feminist biblical interpretation and cultural anthropology to argue
for a family resemblance among these three stories about rape.
