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Hebrew Poetry

Hebrew Poetry. Reading Psalms and Job. Robert Lowth (1710-1787) made the idea of Hebrew poetic parallelism popular Expression of the same idea, its antithesis, or a building on it in different words. Three basic forms. Parallelism.

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Hebrew Poetry

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  1. Hebrew Poetry Reading Psalms and Job

  2. Robert Lowth (1710-1787) made the idea of Hebrew poetic parallelism popular Expression of the same idea, its antithesis, or a building on it in different words. Three basic forms. Parallelism

  3. The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. Ps 19:1 A= the heavens A1= the firmament B= telling B1=proclaims C= glory of God C1= his handiwork The major idea is reiterated in synonyms; the previous pattern is the basic one: A B C A1 B1 C1 Synonymous Parallelism

  4. Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing; shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves. 126:6 In this case, the balance is with opposite thoughts Go out – coming home Weeping – shouts of joy Bearing the seed for sowing – carrying their sheaves Another example: The wicked borrow and do not pay back, but the righteous are generous and keep giving (37:21) Antithetic Parallelism

  5. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast Ps 22:14 Loosest and most difficult of Lowth’s categories The idea builds – a synthesis is created Not the same words, but the same idea keeps growing and developing Synthetic Parallelism

  6. Statement and reason Blessed be the Lord! for he has heard the voice of my supplication. (28:6) Question and Answer; or answer and question For you are the God in whom I have taken refuge; why have you cast me off? Abstract to concrete Even my bosom friend in whom I trusted; who ate of my bread, has lifted the heel against me. (41:9) Repetition O Israel, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield. O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield. You who fear the Lord! He is their help and their shield. (115:9-11) Other Kinds of Balance

  7. As in many languages, poetry in Hebrew is figurative and you need to explore the ideas You can expect to see alliteration, assonance, rhyme – but, of course, in Hebrew Repetitions are frequent Clear forms will appear in some types Poetry

  8. The Book • Tehillim – “praises” from the verb hallel or “to praise” • Cultic texts – used in community worship • “Hymnbook of the Second Temple” because the final collection is post-exilic • Dead Sea Scrolls (below) has Psalms, but not in the same order

  9. 150 Psalms in English texts Codex Leningradensis has 149 (114 and 115 are combined) Many Greek manuscripts have 151; Psalm 151 is also in the DSS Five Books Pss 1-41 Davidic Psalms Pss 42-49 Elohistic Psalter; “Sons of Korah” Pss 73-89 Mostly community laments – Pss 73-83 associated with Asaph Pss 90-106 Kingship of YHWH Pss 107-150 Davidic, pilgrimage, and individual laments Some Notes on How Many

  10. Invocation – asks for God’s presence or attention Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint; preserve my life from my dread enemy. 64:1 Lament – a complaint; explains a problem and feeling of isolation All day long my enemies taunt me; those who deride me use my name for a curse. 102:8 Petition – requests intervention/action But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, “You are my God.” My times are in your hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors. 31:14-15 Praise General Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God all my life long. 146:1-2 Call to praise Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come into his presence with singing. 100:1-2 Vow of praise I will come into your house with burnt offerings; I will pay you my vows, those that my lips uttered and those that my lips promised when I was in trouble. 66:13-14 Key Terms

  11. Hermann Gunkel (1862-1932) German scholar Form Criticism identified 5 primary types of Psalms Sitz im leben – setting in life – an idea pioneered by Sigmund Mowinckel Psalms Scholarship

  12. Hymns of Praise Individual Laments Individual Thanksgiving Psalms Communal Laments Royal Psalms Also there are 5 sub-types Songs of Pilgrimage Community Thanksgiving Wisdom Torah and Prophetic Liturgies Mixed Gunkel’s Psalm Types

  13. Intro or call to worship Reason for worship Call repeated Praise the Lord, all you nations! Extol him all you peoples! For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord! (Psalm 117) Hymns of Praise

  14. Most frequent type of Psalm Give a pattern for prayer: Invocation Complaint – articulation of the problem Confession of trust in God Petition for intervention and action needed to solve the problem Vow to tell of God’s saving work To you, O Lord, I call; my rock, do not refuse to hear me, for if you are silent to me, I shall be like those who go down to the Pit. Hear the voice of my supplication, as I cry to you for help, as I lift up my hands toward your most holy sanctuary. Do not drag me away with the wicked, with those who are workers of evil, who speak peace with their neighbors, while mischief is in their hearts. Repay them according to their work, and according to the evil of their deeds; repay them according to the work of their hands; render them their due reward. Because they do not regard the works of the Lord, or the work of his hands, he will break them down and build them up no more. Blessed be the Lord, for he has heard the sound of my pleadings. The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, so I am helped, and my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him. The Lord is the strength of his people; he is the saving refuge of the anointed. O save your people, and bless your heritage; be their shepherd, and carry them forever. (Psalm 28) Individual Lament

  15. Nine of these psalms Intro tells you why thanks are being given What was going on with the person Trust in God and promise to make an offering Psalm 30 V1 I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up, and did not let my foes rejoice over me Vv 8-11 what was asked and given V12 so that my sould may praise you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever. Individual Thanksgiving

  16. Structured much like individual laments They discuss times of national tragedy Praise of God is key Psalm 137 most famous example Community Laments

  17. Psalms concerning the monarchy and events associated with it Coronation (Pss 2, 72, 101, 110), great victories (Pss 20, 21, 89), royal weddings (Ps 45) No one clear structure From various differing times and about different rulers Royal Psalms

  18. Psalm 1 – Wisdom – Sets up not only the first collection but the whole book Psalm 119 extols the Torah and is the longest Psalm at 176 verses (also an alphabetic acrostic with 8 lines for each of the 22 letters; others – some incomplete – 25, 34, 1111, 112, 145) Psalms pilgrims sang going up to Jerusalem are key toward the end; 122 most famous (although 121 is my favorite) Miscellaneous

  19. Congregational – with both vocal and instrumental musical scores Singing, shouting, instruments (Pss 33, 150) Dancing (Pss 149, 150) In temple (134, 135) Call and response (136) Liturgies Offerings (66) Processions (24, 48, 132) Festivals Songs of Ascent (120-134) Special Fasts Crises (44, 60, 90) Individual Uses See previous texts Some Uses of Psalms

  20. Prose prologue and epilogue – chapters 1 and 2; 42:7-17 Poetic Body of Text Three Cycle of Speeches Between Job and His Friends – Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar – chapters 3-31 A monologue chastising Job and the friends from a previously unknown Elihu (chapters 32-37) Two speeches from God and Job’s responses (chapters 38:1-42:6) Book of Job

  21. Mesopotamian “A Man and His God” or a Sumerian Job Humans sinful from birth and that explains suffering “I will Praise the Lord of Wisdom” Humans must do rituals to ward off trouble “The Babylonian Theodicy” Debate on whether bad things happen to good people and what that says about God “The Dialogue Between a Master and His Slave” Closer to Ecclesiastes than Job Egyptian “The Admonitions of Ipuwer” Laments wickedness that the gods allow humans to do “The Dispute Between a Man and His Ba” Suicide as an answer to human suffering and whether or not it should be allowed “The Tale of the Eloquent Peasant” Debates again over the rights of humans; more human than divine Other “Jobs”

  22. Job’s Suffering

  23. Job and His Three Friends

  24. Chagall Job Praying

  25. ChagallJob in Despair

  26. William Blake Job and His Daughters

  27. William Blake Job and His Family Restored to Prosperity

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