Book Reviews: Walking the Ancient Paths: A Commentary on Jeremiah, by Walter C. Kaiser Jr. with Tiberius Rata

tions, such as idolatry, falsely swearing by the name of God, violating a covenant made at the Temple, or a priest eating sacred food while profane. Imes likewise examines nś to bear; šwʾ, which with the lamed prefix is probably best rendered in vain, and nqh. She argues that nqh should be viewed in the context of the evident intertextuality between the Name Command and Yahweh’s self-revelation in Exodus 34:6–7, hence render innocent. Having considered the canonical and early historical context of these words, Imes then (chapter four) proceeds to examine them as part of the Decalogue in narrative context. The decalogue stands at the peak, quite literally, of a great chiasm where the wilderness wanderings prior to Sinai are mirrored in the wilderness wanderings that follow it. It is attested with a great theophany, and is set in covenantal terms as the loyal response expected of Israel to her divine suzerain. She notes that the two stone tablets were located at the very heart of the nation, in the Holy of Holies. All of these position the decalogue, and the Name Command within it, as a reinforcement of the covenant formula, “I will be your God and you will be my people.” In her final chapter, Imes employs metaphor theory to establish the conceptual domains within which the Name Command should be understood. With reference to the work of the previous chapters, she concludes that the metaphor of “Name” stands for Yahweh’s claim to ownership, and the metaphor of “Bearing” falls within the conceptual domain of “Obedience is a journey.” The ownership idea relates to the branding motif discussed above, and to divine election. To bear the name of the Lord, then, has deep implications for his reputation. She closes the book with a discussion of the High Priest’s ordination protocols and vestments, in view of his status as representative of Israel, bearing both Israel’s name and Yahweh’s into the sanctuary. This is a model of meticulous scholarship that results in meaningful exegetical benefit. It is a significant addition to Pentateuch scholarship and will be of benefit more widely, particularly to pastors and other Christians who wish to take the Old Testament seriously. Helen Paynter Centre for the Study of Bible & Violence Bristol, UK BS 9 1 DF