“A Man Leaves his Own Father …” – On Relationships in 1 Esdras

In this contribution, De Troyer looks at the description of Apame, King Darius’s concubine, within the larger context of the description of the relationship between a man or a king and a woman, in the Book of 1 Esdras. By way of references to biblical passages, biblical themes, and biblical imagery, the Jewish audience is supposed to build a picture of what is a good relationship between a man and a woman and what is a less good relationship with maybe a less than good woman. It also advises the audience as to how a good man behaves and explains how he can possibly end up in a rather deplorable situation. The contribution ends with a detailed analysis of the activities of Apame: sitting at the right of the king (4:29), taking the crown from the king’s head and putting it on her own (4:30a) and finally, slapping the king with her left hand (4:30b). Again, these verses are full of references to biblical texts and themes. As some of these refer to Bathsheba (sitting at the right hand; crowning Solomon), the text may also be read on the one hand as a negative evaluation of Bathsheba in her relation to David and Solomon, and on the other as a showcase of trust in Zerubbabel, who is depicted as surely avoiding the actions of his royal predecessors in relation with women. A good Jewish king ought to have a proper relationship with the woman he loves, not succumb to her beauty, and surely not have a concubine who wishes to sit at his right hand, take his crown and slap him in the face!