OT 2 Final
Prose formulas for introducing sections in Job
"X answered and said" 27:1 And Job again took up his discourse and said, 29:1 And Job again took up his discourse and said 31:40c The words of Job are ended
Three ways of Depicting the future (How does this correspond with the three chapters on the future?)
1) Literal, plain speech (no metaphors, symbols, or types) 2) Apocalyptic language, which makes heavy use of metaphors and symbols 3) Types.
Seven Characteristic Features of Hebrew Poetry
1. Calling the People Back to the Covenant 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
Principles of Typology
1. Correspondence 2. Escalation from type to antitype 3. Biblical warrant a. There needs to be biblical evidence in the original text that indicates that the text is dealing with it's intended to be a model or pattern. 4. The progression of the covenants throughout the narrative plot structure of the Bible creates controls and develops the typological structures across the canon a. The types are governed and controlled by the sequence of covenants
Other reasons to believe in the unity of Job
1. Structural · Neither the prose nor the poetry can stand on its own. · Structural connections The epilogue (42:7-17) refers to both the prologue ("all the trouble the Lord had brought upon him") and the poetry sections (friends rebuked for their failure to help Job). Both prose and poetry interact with the tension between events on earth and the heavenly verdit. 2. Thematic · Some argue that the Job of the prologue is a rural figure while the Job of the speeches is a city dweller. This Imposes too rigid a distinction between city and country. · Patient Job of prologue vs angry job of the speeches? Both are necessary. Without the prologue, the reader would be tempted to agree with Job's friends. Without the speeches, the reader would be tempted to agree with Satan: "Does Job fear God for nothing?" 3. Theological · There is a strong theological link between the prose and the poetry. · Battle with Satan appearing both in the prologue and the poetry as leviathan (41). · Verdict of the heavenly court. · The prologue introduces two key ideas (1) God's sovereignty and (2) Satan's great power, which set up the tension which the poetry sections seeks to resolve.
Interpretation of Song of Solomon
1. The Allegorical Interpretation 2. The Syrian Wedding-Feast Interpretation (epithalamic theory) 3. The Three-Character Dramatic Interpretation 4. The Modern Anthologist Interpretation 5. Craig Glickman, A Song for Lovers
Structure of Ezekiel
1:1-3:15 Opening vision and call of Ezekiel 3:16-7:27 Ezekiel's role and message · Ezekiel uses every means of getting the message across: on account of your idolatry and social injustice, the covenant is broken! · This message is communicated through words and symbolic dramas. · Another Egyptian bondage is pictured (430 days on his side, 430 years in Egypt). · The prophet's messaged is ignored. 8-11 The glory of the Lord leaves the temple 12-24 The exile symbolized 25-32 Oracles against the foreign nations · According to the program laid out in Deuteronomy 32. 33-36 Divine leadership and restoration · Promise of a Messiah. · New covenant that will deal with people's hard hearts. · Return from exile! 37-39 The valley of dry bones 40-48 The New Temple · THE LORD IS THERE: the glory of the Lord has returned to the temple. (Notice that restoration involves rebuilding the temple and the house of David: the two houses of 2 Sam 7)
Climax of the Son (Does Glickman call this climax or the moral?)
8:5-7 v5a: Behold the lovers, what will the narrator tell us. v5b: Love is painful v6: Love is protective v7a: Love is persevering v7b: Love is precious
Seven sections of Canticles
A: 1:2-2:7 (beginning of story) B: 2:6-17 (Invitation to enjoy spring day) C: 3:1-4 (Night of Separation preceding wedding) D: 3:6-5:1 (Wedding day and night) C': 5:2-7:9 (Night of Separation following wedding night) B': 7:10-8:4 (Invitation to Enjoy spring day) A': 8:3-14 (Completion of Story)
Brief Outline of Canticles
A: Beginning of the story (1:2-2:7) B: Solomon's invitation for Shulamith to enjoy a spring day, framed by refrains (2:6-17) C: Shulamith's search in the night and reuinion with Solomon (3:1-5) D: Wedding day and night (3:6-5:1) C': Shulamtih's reluctance in the night but reunion with Solomon (5:2 to 7:9) B': Shulamith's invitation for Solomon to enjoy a spring day, framed by refrains (7:10-8:4) A': Completion of story (8:5-14)
Structure of the Song at the Sea in Exodus 15
A: Praising Choir vv. 1-7 B. Narrative Choir vv. 8-10 v. 8 Breath of Yahweh—Sea v. 9 Enemies Pursued v. 10 Breath of Yahweh—Sea C. Praising Choir v. 11 D. Narrative Choir vv. 12-17 vv. 12-13 Yahweh Leads into New Eden vv. 14-16 'Avenue of Sphinxes' v17 Yahweh Leads into New Eden
Detailed Outline of Canticles and Observations
As indicated in the diagram below, the Song of Solomon represents a single literary work and is not, as some suggest, an anthology of songs. The design is useful in o Revealing central themes of section o Revealing emphasis o Clarifying meaning o Comparing and contrasting parallel sections. § E.g., the blessing of the Great Songwriter at the conclusion of the marriage night at 5:1 is at the peak of the central section and quantitatively .also at the very center of the song's lyrics. The design of the song underscores the theme of the goodness and beauty of romantic love expressed in 5:1. Songwriter wanted the form of his song to match the subject in terms of beauty.
****Structure of Daniel and Literary Unity***
Book of Two Halves? At first glance, the book of Daniel appears to be a book of two halves. Part 1: Six Stories 1. Daniel and Friends in the Court of Babylon 2. King's Dream: The Huge Statue and a Small Stone 3. Daniel's Friends Rescued from a Furnace (Treachery) 4. King's Dream: A Huge Tree (Humbling) 5. Belshazzar and the Writing on the Wall (Humbling) 6. Daniel Rescued from the Lion's Den (Treachery) Part 2: Four Visions 1. A Vision of Daniel: The Beasts and the Son of Man 2. A Vision of Daniel: The Ram and the Goat 3. A Prayer of Daniel and Vision of the Seventy Weeks 4. A Vision of Daniel: The Book of Truth (about the Future) However, as we will see, these two halves are tightly connected to each other. Possible Explanations of the Two-Part Structure Chronological? No, the events are not presented chronologically. The visions of chapter 7 and 8 occur before the events of chapter 5 and 6. Chronology actually links the two halves together. Linguistic? No, the linguistic partition does not match the division of stories and visions but rather links the two together. Literary! The two-part arrangement may have been done as an artistic or literary ordering. So even though the basic division of the book is six chapters of narratives and six chapters of visions, the visions are inextricably linked to the stories in three ways. 1. Chronologically. 2. Linguistically Aramaic section continues into chapter 7, linking the first half to the second. 3. Structurally i) There is a parallel between chapter 2 and 7. ii) Given that chapter 7 relates strongly with the visions in the second half of the book, the two halves are linked. Daniel is clearly a literary unit, the work of a single author. What is the Significance of this Literary Unit? 1) The first half of the book establishes and proves that Daniel has a gift for interpreting dreams and visions in events that could be independently verified by his contemporaries. Therefore, we can believe and trust the interpretation of the visions in the second half of the book, which deal with the distant future and hence were not open to verification by the audience of Daniel's time. 2) The first 6 chapters also demonstrate God's dominion over history, which forms the foundation for the visions. 3) Reveals that chapters 2 and 7 correspond, inviting comparisons which shed light on detail 4) Chapter (2 and) 7 gives us the primary roadmap through the confusing book of Daniel, while chapters 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 are blowups of part of the big map. · ***Chapter 8 vision expands on 2nd and 3rd kingdoms. · Vision of 10-12 expands on the 3rd and 4th kingdoms. · As we saw in Deuteronomy 18, a prophet was affirmed when his prophecies came true. · For that reason, he would place his predictions concerning the near future next to his predictions of the distant future so that when the more immediate predictions came to pass, his hearers would be encouraged or instructed by his predictions concerning the distant future. · This point alone is responsible for the fact that books such as Isaiah, Daniel, and Zechariah are divided into a part dealing with contemporary issues and a part dealing with the distant future. To deny authorship of the second part to the prophet of the first part is to misunderstand the function and nature of Hebrew prophecy as well as the literary structure and unity of these works.
Lamentations structure
Chapter 1-3 are triplets Chapter 1-2: each line begins with a successive letter of the alphabet (22 verses). Chapter 3: three successive lines for each letter (66 verses) Chapter 4 are couplets Each beginning with a successive letter of the alphabet (22 verses) Chapter 5 also has 22 lines but is not an acrostic
Liberal view of Job
Composition of various sources (1) Oral prehistory (cf. Ezek 14:14ff) (2) The Job story (Job 1, 42) (3) Poem of Job (Job 3-27; 29-31; 38-42:6) (4) Later additions to the poem (28 [praise of wisdom]; 32-37 [Elihu])
What text is the key to understanding the Oracles concerning the nations?
Deuteronomy 32
Friends of Job
Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar, Elihu
Summarize Gentry's first feature of Hebrew prophecy: 1. Calling the People Back to the Covenant
Everything in the prophets is based on the Mosaic covenant, particularly as it is expressed in Deuteronomy Commands Threats Promises Language The basic message of the prophets is that 1) Israel has violated the Mosaic Covenant 2) Thus triggering the curses associated with the covenant 3) However, God promises to restore Israel **The biggest part of the message of the biblical prophets has nothing to do with predicting the future. Instead, they point the people of God back to the covenant, that they might understand (1) their current situation/suffering and (2) how they are to respond** Isaiah 5-6 provides a good example of this 1-2: Covenant violations listed, covenant curses invokes, future resoration pictured. 3-4: Same topic. 2nd exodus language used. 5-6: Repeat message of 1-2 and 3-4, but freshin up the message by presenting it in the form of a parable 3 Sections vv1-7: the parable of the vineyard vv1-6 parable played out, guilty verdict established v7 the punch line: Israel has perverted social justice (This point made using the word pair justice-righteousness, which summarizes the requirements of the Torah). The Mosaic covenant is dead. vv8-24: expansion of v7 and application of the parable to Jerusalem 1st Cycle vv8-11 Woes of Land Grabbing and Partying vv13-17 Two Therefores (Justice and righteousness word pair appears here, too). 2nd Cycle vv18-23 Four woes, unpacking those of the 1st cycle v24 Therefore vv25-30 v25 The final, BIG Therefore Imminent judgment announced. Foreign nation summoned. Isaiah 16:5 is another example This verse, which promises a future king who, unlike the kings of Isaiah's day, would fulfill the criteria of Deuteronomy 17, and embody Torah. This is communicated by two words pairs love and Faithfulness Justice and Mercy
Which other passages did Gentry turn to when analyzing the structure of Job? How are those passages arranged into sections?
Genesis 49 Broken into 12 paragraphs on the basis of 1) Content 2) The technique of fronting. Deuteronomy 33 Also divided into 12 paragraphs on the basis of 1) Content 2) Prose headings ("of Joesph he said . . .") Two of the longest poems in the OT
Grammatical and structural features which aid in the interpretation of of Canticles
Hebrew pronouns help to identify the speakers (masc. and fem.) Chiasm is the most common element, and operates at various levels: ·In short sentences ·In a series of sentences, forming a paragraph ·In several units or paragraphs ·A and A' may not be of equal length, but correspond in content. Certain refrains help serve as boundary markers between sections. ·Longing and patience ·Unity and invitation. Another important pattern introduces a series of topics and then, unlike chiasm, reintroduces them in the same order (5:10-16 and 7:1-5)
6. Summarize Gentry's sixth feature of Hebrew prophecy: Describing the Future, Part 2: Apocalyptic Literature (Is this chapter about telling the future / apocalyptic? Seems to be both. . .but wasn't the last chapter about the future.)
How did Hebrew Author's Communicate their Future Q: How were the Biblical authors to describe events which lay in the distant future to their readers? A: If we remember that one of the key themes in the Bible is the relationship between God and his creatures, a prophet would use metaphors, symbolic language, and typology to speak of future events in order to keep the focus on relationships in view. Illustration form Isaiah 13-27 (future prophecies=symbolic lang.) 3 x 5 Oracles (4th always about God's people, deliberate structure) 1st 5: prose heading, clear geographical referent 2nd 5: prose heading, mysterious referent (only remnant will understand) 3rd 5: no prose heading. Seems to be dealing with a distant future Apocalyptic Literature Features of Apocalyptic 1) A narrative framework 2) A schematization of history 3) It provides a God's-eye view of human history. 4)Colorful metaphors and symbols 5) Future hope in Present Trouble 6) Given by heavenly messenger ???Nature of Apocalyptic (Not sure I get this)??? · Uses complex and highly colored metaphors and symbols in order to describe one event in terms of another. · In this way, an event can be described and, at the same time, the meaning of the event can be explained (how is this different to typology?) Example: Development of Creation Language 1) Jer 4:23-26: The coming of the Babylonians · Jeremiah uses the creation account to describe the coming of the Babylonians · The destruction will be like the end of the universe, the reversal of creation. 2) Isaiah 13:9-11: The Destruction of Babylon** · Isaiah uses Apocalyptic language to represent the total destruction of Babylon that is expressed in plain speech in 9b and 11a. · We are not supposed to read this literally, rather we are to understand the author to be expressing the magnitude of the devastation. · We need to identify the historical referent the author is pointing to and then work out what the author is telling us about that referent. Literary Structure: See section on Daniel The literary structure of the prophets can provide an invaluable roadmap in reading apocalyptic literature. Interpreting the Symbols 1) Comparing Daniel and Genesis (Dan. begins resumption of narr.) · Both dreams parody of the creation account. 2: Image of human hands to rule the world (symbolic of pride of nations). 7: Beasts emerging from chaos, the final beast reminds us of satan. 2) Comparison of Daniel 2 and Daniel 7 · Daniel 7 parallels Daniel 2 but adds more details (another example of repetition in Hebrew literature). · The king's dream gives us the human perspective (powerful, enduring, glorious), while Daniel's dream gives us God's perspective (evil, chaotic, etc.). (3) Mining the Interpretation Sections Who are the beasts (not the most important question)? 1st: Babylon (as identified by Daniel 2) 2nd: Medo-Persians (named in chapter 8) 3rd: Greek Empire (named in chapter 8) 4) Romans (not named, but 11:40-45 sound like Rome) Furthermore, the beasts represent the (1) kingdom (Daniel 2); (2) kings (7:23); (3) heavenly authorities (Daniel 7:27 ["powers"]; 10:12, 13, and 20); and (4) the people themselves. How do these beasts compare with the human kingdom (better question!)? (are these interpretive sections?) i) Contrast the cruelty, ferocity, inhumanity, rapacity, and arrogance against God of human kingdoms and the gracious gift of the eternal kingdom to the holy ones of the Most High. ii) Notice that God is control of the beast in chapter 7 · beast one humanized by higher power: 7:4 · bear commanded to devour much meat: 7:5 · dominion is given to four-headed leopard: 7:6 · fourth beast is slain and its body given to the burning of the fire: 7:11 · remaining three: dominion taken away, but extension granted: 7:12 Who is the Son of Man? 1) The Saints (explicitly stated in the text) 2) An individual king/messiah. i) V27 pronouns are singular. ii) Just as beasts correspond to various referents, the Son of Man likely represents (1) the saints and (2) an earthly king and (3) a heavenly power. iii) The stone in chapter 2, with which the Son of Man is paralleled, is likely Davidic, given its connotations of David's slaying of Goliath. 3) Also represents a heavenly/divine figure i) Arrival on the clouds is a clear indication of theophany. This figure is weak, unlike terrifying beasts, does not seek to wrestle authority by might, but receives it freely from God.
5. Summarize Gentry's fifth feature of Hebrew prophecy: Describing the Future, Part 1: Typology and the New Exodus
Nature of Hebrew Prophecy · Occasionally, prophets receive a glimpse of the court of heaven. · The prophet hears divine decisions concerning the fates of individuals/nations/situations. · The prophet may not understand all that they hear and report. · These revelations portray history synchronically, with near and distant futures set side by side. e.g., Near and Distant Future in Isaiah 7-11 Far (Birth of Immanuel, promise of El-Gibbor) and distant (invasion of Assyrians; destruction of Assyrians). Why are N and F placed together? · As we saw in Deuteronomy 18, a prophet was affirmed when his prophecies came true. · For that reason, he would place his predictions concerning the near future next to his predictions of the distant future so that when the more immediate predictions came to pass, his hearers would be encouraged or instructed by his predictions concerning the distant future. · This point alone is responsible for the fact that books such as Isaiah, Daniel, and Zechariah are divided into a part dealing with contemporary issues and a part dealing with the distant future. To deny authorship of the second part to the prophet of the first part is to misunderstand the function and nature of Hebrew prophecy as well as the literary structure and unity of these works. Principles of Typology 1. Correspondence Between events, people, places, etc.. 2. Escalation from type to antitype 3. Biblical warrant a. There needs to be biblical evidence in the original text that indicates that the text is dealing with it's intended to be a model or pattern (e.g., Exodus 15). 4. The progression of the covenants throughout the narrative plot structure of the Bible creates controls and develops the typological structures across the canon a. The types are governed and controlled by the sequence of covenants Typology (New Exodus in Isaiah) ·Four stages to the Exodus have been identified ·Isaiah uses language which alludes to each of these four stages to describe a future, New Exodus. ·As in other examples, the antitype (2nd exodus) is bigger than the type (first exodus). ·The 2nd exodus corresponds to the period between the first and second coming of Christ. Jer 16:14-16 "I am sending many fishers" (Luke 5) Isa. 27:12-13 N.Ex. accompanied by a trumpet (1 Thess. 4). 1) The Promises to the Fathers Predicted in advance (just as the first exodus was) 2) The Deliverance from Egypt Language of exodus used: Mighty hand Pillar of cloud and fire Man of war Song/New Song 3) The Journey through the Wilderness Leading people through the wilderness (Isa 40:3-5) Provision of food 4) The Reentry into the Promised Land Apportioning the land (Josh. 15-19; Isa. 49:8-11) Application of Typology Isa 11:11-16 is not describing a literal crossing over the river Euphrates. Rather, the author is using the exodus to paint a picture of a future rescue of his people, in which no obstacles will stand in God's way. The literal meaning is the meaning as determined by the rules of the particular genre or kind of literature. Why did the Prophets Employ the Exodus as a Type for Future Salvation*** Exodus 15 A. Praising Choir vv. 1-7 B. Narrative Choir vv. 8-10 v. 8 Breath of Yahweh—Sea v. 9 Enemies Pursued v. 10 Breath of Yahweh—Sea C. Praising Choir v. 11 D. Narrative Choir vv. 12-17 vv. 12-13 Yahweh Leads into New Eden vv. 14-16 'Avenue of Sphinxes' v. 17 Yahweh Leads into New Eden Observations o Exodus 15 was a song sung at the Red Sea, but verses 12-17 describe future salvation. o The literary and poetic structure of the fourth stanza is the same as that for the second Meaning and Significance o The song itself presents the deliverance through the sea (vv8-10) as a pattern for an as yet future deliverance through the wilderness, besides various enemy nations (vv12-17). o The first time they sang this song, they were using the crossing of the Red Sea as a model or pattern of how God would bring them successfully through the desert to Canaan. o The prophets were just reading and applying the song in exodus 15 as it was supposed to be read and applied.
Gentry's Structure for Job, based on Prose Headings
Prologue 1:1-2:13 "Afterward Job opened his mouth and cursed his day. And Job answered and said" 3:1-2 First Cycle 4:1 And Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said, 6:1 And Job answered and said, 8:1 And Bildad the Shuhite answered and said, 9:1 And Job answered and said, 11:1 And Zophar the Naamathite answered and said, 12:1 And Job answered and said, Second Cycle 15:1 And Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said, 16:1 And Job answered and said, 18:1 And Bildad the Shuhite answered and said, 19:1 And Job answered and said, 20:1 And Zophar the Naamathite answered and said, 21:1 And Job answered and said, Third Cycle 22:1 And Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said, 23:1 And Job answered and said 25:1 And Bildad the Shuhite answered and said, 26:1 And Job answered and said, Semi-Monologues (1st) 27:1 And Job again took up his discourse and said, 29:1 And Job again took up his discourse and said 31:40c The words of Job are ended Prose Section 32:1-5 Semi-Monologues (2nd) 32:6 And Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite answered and said, 34:1 And Elihu answered and said, 35:1 And Elihu answered and said, 36:1 And Elihu continued and said, Semi-Monologues (3rd) 38:1 And Yahweh answered Job from the whirlwind and he said, 40:1 And Yahweh answered Job and he said, 40:3 And Job answered Yahweh and he said, 40:6 And Yahweh answered Job from the whirlwind and he said, 42:1 And Job answered Yahweh and he said, Epilogue 42:7-17
The message of Ezekiel
See Notes
What text explains why the second exodus was used as a type for Future Salvation?
Song at the sea of Exodus 15
2. The Syrian Wedding-Feast Interpretation (epithalamic theory)
Song of Songs was initially seen as a single epithalamium (ode to bride and groom) in honor of Solomon's marriage to Pharaoh's daughter This view was modified by J. S. Wetzstein, who proposed Song is a collection of wedding songs from a seven-day Jewish marriage festival like Syrian wedding festivals. Parallels cited by Proponents ·spring ·praise songs ·queen and king. ·Both crowned ·Both center around a feast (5:1 feast) ·Wedding day sword dance (7:2-8) ·Both fetch the bride in a litter (3:6-11) Response ·Spring is the time of love in many cultures ·Wasfs also found in Egyptian love songs where there is no evidence of a seven-day feast. ·Song only portrays Solomon as king, not the woman. ·In Song (3:11), is the king who is crowned (3:11) not the bride. In a Syrian feast, only the bride is crowned. · 5:1 is not referring to a literal feast—the speaker is addressing the lovers, not the wedding guests. · To interpret 7:2-8 as a sword dance is a stretch · No evidence suggests a seven-day marriage festival ever occurred in Israel. · No indication that the bride was "fetched" in a litter or otherwise 3:6-11
7. Summarize Gentry's seventh feature of Hebrew prophecy: Describing the Future, Part 3: The Already and the Not Yet
The NT Authors are our Guides to the OT Prophets The idea that later writers of Scripture help to interpret earlier writers of Scripture means that citations of the prophets by later writers of the Old and New Testaments are important in learning how to read and understand the biblical prophets. ·Otherwise, what makes your interpretation better than a Jewish Rabbi? What do they teach us? · Christ and the Apostles teach us that there is an already and not yet to the fulfillment of the prophecies given in the Old Testament. ·The prophets themselves didn't see this. Examples Luke 4:16-21 and Isaiah 61:1-3 · When Jesus reads from Isaiah 61, he stops in the middle of v19 and does not read, ". . . and the day of vengeance of our God." · This is because Jesus' first coming is in grace; his second coming is in judgment. ·What Isaiah the prophet didn't know and see in the vision he was reporting to Judah on behalf of Yahweh is that there would be a gap of at least two thousand years between the first half of the verse and the second half. ·His predications and visions concerning the future were given synchronically! ·"His camera is on pano." ·Isaiah sees two mountains as one (diagram). NT writers help provide a new perspective on these old visions, revealing the various stages in which component parts of the vision are to be realized. Zechariah 12:10, John 19 and Revelation 1 · In Zech 12:10, Yahweh says "they will look upon him, whom they pierced, and mourn for him as one mourns for an only child." ·The apostle John sees i) The first half of the verse fulfilled at the crucifixion (John 19:34-37) ii) The second half of the verse fulfilled at the second coming (Rev 1:7) Already and Not Yet · Since the prophets present their predictions of the future synchronically, we cannot construct a chronology of events from the prophets of the Old Testament concerning the coming of the King and the coming of his kingdom. · We need the teachings of Jesus and the NT authors to clarify which prophecies apply to the first coming and which apply to the second coming. · It is even possible that some prophecies can apply to both at the same time.
Summarize Gentry's third feature of Hebrew prophecy: 3. The Function of Repetition in Hebrew Literature
The Recursive Nature of Hebrew Literature Normally a Hebrew writer would begin a discourse on a particular topic, develop it from a particular angle or perspective, and end by closing down that conversation. Then he would begin another conversation, taking up the same topic again from a different angle. Like the L and R speakers of a stereo system. i) This occurs in all genres of Hebrew (even across genres: Prose [Ex. 15] and poetic [Ex. 15]) account of crossing the Red Sea). ii) This occurs at both the micro and macro levels. e.g., You will be my special treasure more than/out of all the nations ... and you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. (Ex 19:5-6)** (Special treasure = Term used to describe a king who is completely devoted to serving and worshipping god) e.g. 2, Isaiah's three panels of the coming king (chapter 7, 9, 11). Recursive Features of Hebrew Poetry Couplets (parallelism) Chiasms Word Pairs: mini stereo soundbites, which communicate an idea that is fuller and greater than either of the two words considered individually (e.g., kindness-faithfulness: covenant faithfulness) The Benefit of Acknowledging the Recursive Nature of Hebrew Literature: Illumination of Difficult Texts Isaiah: i) Helps us to recognize the literary unity of the book. ii) Illuminates the meaning of a new section. Seven recursive sections. However strange any of these sections may be, the recursive nature of the book provides valuable context: this section is telling us something about Zion's restoration. Isaiah 33:13-24, Salvation by Works? Vv13-16 teaches that only those who practice justice and righteousness can dwell in Zion. Is this salvation by works?... v24 NO! When we read vv13-16 in light of v24 (the right speaker), we see that social justice arises in those who are healed and forgiven by God. Isaiah 34:5-6 and 24:21-22, Sword 24 provides plain prose explanation to the poetry of 34. God will first judge the heavenly rulers and then the earthly kings of the corresponding earthly kingdoms. 32:3-4 and35:5-6a and Isaiah 6:10, Spiritual Blindness: Later chapters are probably promising the opening of spiritually blind eyes. Complete picture of Isaiah Compare and combine various visions of the new creation that we find throughout the book.
1. The Allegorical Interpretation
The entire song is to be seen as an allegory. This was the view of most interpreters until the Reformation. *Specific allegorical interpretations* Jewish interpreters saw God and Israel Christian interpreters saw Christ and the Church Recent scholars have seen a pagan allegory of the gods Baal and Astarte The Interpretations differ widely in details. Response Song of Songs does contain much figurative language. Multiplicity of interpretations argues against this approach An intelligible allegory will usually reveal its intended interpretation (e.g., in Pilgrim's Progress the characters Christian, Hopeful, Worldly-Wiseman) The fact that allegorists differ so widely is a clue When the man-woman relationship is used symbolically in the OT, it is signaled explicitly: e.g., Isa. 5:1-10, Ez. 16:3, 23:1-4ff; Hosea 1-3. The text of Song does not give any clue that it is an allegory. The reason that this option is popular is connected with attitudes towards sex in the Middle Ages where ascetics rejected goodness of sex.
Implications of Literary Structure of Lamentations
This structure suggests a cathartic experience. o Rising to a crescendo in chapter 3, and falling to a decrescendo in chapter 5. o Yahweh is pictured as grieving, fully, over fallen Jerusalem. Therefore, we should grieve fully over death.
Literary Stucture of the Book of Isaiah
We can divide the book of Isaiah into seven distinct conversations or discourses. In each one Isaiah is dealing with the topic of how we get from a corrupt Jerusalem in the first creation—a Jerusalem characterized by covenant disloyalty due to idolatry and lack of social justice—to a renewed, restored, transformed Zion in a new creation. The whole book centers on the theme of corruption and social injustice in the city of Jerusalem in the 8th century BC that results in divine judgment but ends with a visit of a future renewed and transformed Zion. 1. The Judgment and Transformation of Zion, Part 1 (1:2-2:4) 2. The Judgment and Transformation of Zion, Part 2 (2:5-4:6) 3. The Judgment of the Vineyard and the Coming King (5:1-12:6) (Failed kings, promised Messiah, second Exodos). 4. The City of Man vs. the City of God (13:1-27:13) (Nations relationship to Zion. Only by seeking refuge in Zion and its king can the people hope to escape divine judgment as well). 5. Trusting the Nations vs. Trusting the Word of YHWH (28:1-37:38) (Ties together sections 3 and 4. Will you trust God or man's strength?) 6. Comfort and Redemption for Zion and the World (38:1-55:13) (2 servants who will deliver to rescues) 7. The Servants of YHWH and the New Creation (56:1-66:24) (New Zion and her new inhabitants)
Summarize Gentry's fourth feature of Hebrew prophecy: 4. The purpose of the Oracles concerning the Foreign Nations
Where do these Appear Isaiah 13-27 Jeremiah 46-51 Ezekiel 25-32 Obadiah (Edom); Jonah and Nahum (Nineveh); Habakkuk (Babylonians); Zephaniah (Cushites; Amos (six nations). The Importance of Deuteronomy 32 · Deut 32 is the interpretive key for these sections. · The text is a summary of Israel's history and a comprehensive prediction concerning her future. · Yahweh and Israel are married by virtue of the covenant at Sinai. But Israel will cheat on Yahweh by serving idols and practicing social injustice. · So the song is a kind of lawsuit, where YAHWEH, the offended party, mixes accusations, exhortations, and oaths that promise exile, according to the agreed-upon the covenant. Structure See OT 2 Notes 5 stanzas 1: Faithful God, faithless people (vv1-6) (Israel unfaithful, have bitten the hand that feeds them) 2: Cross-Examination Shows Favor of Y. to Israel (Vv7-14) 3: Denunciation and Judgment of Israel (vv15-25) Arrogant Israel have forgotten God. Retributive justice invoked. Yahweh will judge Israel using foreign nations) 4. Israel's and the Nation's Perceptions of Events (vv26-38) Israel not completely destroyed, lest nations question Y's power. Final curse is exile to foreign nations Israel exiles by mighty God not mighty nations Y promises to destroy idolatrous nations. 5. The vindication and vengeance of Yahweh (vv39-43) Y promises to destroy idolatrous nations, save Israel. Themes 1. Negatively, God will bring judgment upon the arrogant idolatry of the foreign nations 2. Positively, he will fulfill the Abrahamic covenant by using Israel to bring deliverance and salvation to the rest of the world. (Also see God promising to use the nations to punish disobedient Israel...with an emphasis that this is God's will) Purpose To remind God's people of Yahweh's sovereign control over the nations, and to encourage them as they witnessed alarming developments in world history. Examples in Isaiah 13-27 15 oracles, arranged into three groups of five, demonstrate: 1) God plans to judge the nations for arrogant idolatry 2) How he calls and invites them to find salvation through Israel and particularly through a future king of Israel Concerning Babylon Isaiah 13:1-14:27 (A, B, C, B', A') · Isaiah plays a literary trick in Isa 14:1-2 · We read that the foreigners will become servants and assume they will be smashed (the theology of Jonah or Judas Iscariot) · However, as we read on, we come to see that they will become as the servants (i.e., they will be saved). · Thus, in 14:1-2 Isaiah baits his readers by speaking of the inclusion of the Gentiles. Concerning Philistia (Isaiah 14:28-32) (A, B, A', B') · Oracle warns them of a future ruler who will force them to submit (possibly a descendant of Ahaz). · With the death of the king, the Philistines are not to think they have escaped judgment. God promises safety for those in Zion but warns of total destruction for the nations who have not sought refuge with the anointed king who rules in Zion. Oracle concerning Moab (Isaiah 15:1-16:14) (A, B, C, D, B', C', A') · 16:1-6 clearly central. Conclusion · So read these long messages concerning the nations with great interest. o God is sovereign over the world. o He will hold the nations accountable for worshiping the creation instead of the Creator. o The only form of deliverance and salvation is found in Israel and in her coming King. o It requires faith to believe this. It is like saying to China or the United States, "A ruler is coming to Liechtenstein—you will find the resolution of all your problems in him."
Summarize Gentry's second feature of Hebrew prophecy: 2: The End of the Covenant, Judgment, and Restoration (the role of future prediction in the OT prophets) (What is the main feature he describes in this text?)
While it is important to work out the content of the prophet's predictions of the future, it is vital that we understand why the prophets record so many predictions to begin with. These predictions were integral to the focus on calling Israel to account for covenant violation These predictions were to The writing of the later prophets was written down because the covenant relationship between God and Israel had reached a breaking point. In light of these circumstances, the message of the prophets concerning Israel's (1) covenant violation; (2) impending judgment and (3) future restoration needed to be written down, for the following reasons. 1) To distinguish the True God from False Gods By recording these prophecies, Yahweh ensured that his people would recognize that he is the Lord of history when his predictions came to pass. This realization would, in turn: (i) disincentivize idolatry and (2) promote fear and trembling before Yahweh. Often, a prophet would record predictions concerning both the Near and Distant future. When his predictions concerning the Near future were realized, the prophet was validated, and thus his message concerning the distant future (however implausible) could be trusted. e.g., Isaiah's predictions about the destruction of the Assyrian's (Isa. 8:7-8). Fulfillment of this prediction helped readers trust the prophet's word concerning (i) Cyrus; (ii) the suffering servant; etc. 2) To Explain the Exile for Later Generation Without the messages of the prophets, the people might have concluded that the gods of the nations were more powerful than Yahweh (cf. Rabshakeh's arrogant speech Isa. 36) The prophets were to ensure Israel understood that they had been exiled by their sovereign Lord for covenant violation, just as God had predicted (Deut 28). 3. Because Deliverance Takes Time (Comfort) There would be no quick fix to Israel's problem; deliverance would be a long time coming. Physical deliverance from Babylon (70 years, one sabbatical for each year of corruption) Spiritual deliverance from sin (much longer) The prophets would bring comfort and endurance to God's people as they waited. 4. To show that Yahweh is Sovereign over the Nations Prediction of the future demonstrates the sovereignty of Yahweh over the nations, to the nations. 5. To Demonstrate that the Word of Yahweh is trustworthy The prophets demonstrate the reliability of God's word. As God's people learn to rely on God's every word, paving the way for a restored, covenant relationship.
3. The Three-Character Dramatic Interpretation
· King Solomon, the Shulammite, and a shepherd. ·Shulammite remains faithful to her lover, a common shepherd, in the face of advances made by King Solomon. Arguments for this view · Solomon would not likely appear as a shepherd in 1:7. · Womanizing Solomon couldn't have penned this sincere romance Song. · The moral of the poem in 8:7b is more compatible with the resistance of the Shulammite to Solomon's power and wealth. · Solomon's speeches are vulgar flatteries (1:9-11, 4:1-7, 6:4-10, 7:2-10), speech of the "beloved" is characterized by pure and genuine love (4:8-15). Arguments against this view: Moral, Shepherd, womanizer, speeches 1) Solomon can be identified with a shepherd. Historical Reasons ·Solomon owned many flocks and herds (Eccl 2:7). ·In addition, the title "shepherd" was not one of disrespect. (Ps 78:71-72). Literary Reasons ·Internal and external evidence of role-playing between lovers Internal Evidence · The woman is called a maiden (1:6), a princess (7:2), a sister (8:1), and a seal (8:6). · The husband is called a king (3:7, 9, 11), a shepherd (1:7-8), and a brother (8:1). External evidence ·Egyptian love songs, which are the closest parallels to Canticles. 2) Regarding Solomon's promiscuity. . ·This may have been written early in Solomon's life (small size of harem). ·The harem mentioned in 6:8 could. . . Inherited from David. Even if it was Solomon's, he still may have been lifted by true love. 60 queents (6:8) may belong to the sixty might men of 3:7. ·One rabbi commented: "When a man is young, he sings songs. When he becomes an adult, he utters practical proverbs. When he becomes old, he voices the vanity of things." 3) The moral of the poem ·The climax of Song is not just 8:7b, it is 8:5-7. ·These verses are a commentary on the love between the husband and wife. ·This is followed by the declaration that God gave this gift (8:8-9), and that the woman would freely give herself to Solomon (8:10-12). 4) Solomon's speeches o In the Three Character view, Solomon's speeches are contrasted with "the beloved's" speech in 4:8-15. ·But separating 4:1-15 into two sections, one from Solomon (vv. 1-7) and one from the shepherd is arbitrary. ·Speech in 4:8-15 contains the same kind of physical descriptions. o Following one of his "crass" speeches (7:2-10) the woman receives his words gladly (7:10-13). o The woman reciprocates the king's praises in the same terms (5:10-16).
4. The Modern Anthologist Interpretation
· Many modern interpreters see Song as a collection of disconnected love poems.
Conclusion to Gentry's Book
· The debate between literal interpretation and spiritual interpretation is entirely bogus. When the Reformers talked about the "literal sense" of the text, they meant the meaning intended by the author according to the rules of the genre of literature being used to communicate the message
5. Craig Glickman, A Song for Lovers
· an extended love poem in seven major sections that cohere like a symphony · Major sections (see handout)
