| Sumario: | In this article, I undertake a systematic study of the motif of seeing and taking a beautiful woman or object in the Bible, best known in Gen 3:6; 6:2; 12:10-20; and 2 Samuel 11-12. Analyses of the "see, beautiful, take" motif typically consider only two to three examples together, characterizing the idea accordingly (e.g., as about transgression of the mortal-immortal boundary or despotic kingship). In light of two virtually unrecognized examples of the verbal sequence "see, beautiful, take" in Deut 21:10-14 and Josh 7:21-and in addition to a potential Mesopotamian analogue--I suggest that there are two basic forms of the motif: one for the acquiring of women (e.g., in marriage)--especially by dominant males--and the other for "sacrilege." I propose a model of the motif's development in the Bible, first from a verbal sequence related to marriage, then to a marriage-related motif, and finally to a motif used for sacrilege, that is, coveting and taking what Yhwh has withheld.
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