OT Survey: Poetry and Prophecy study guide

Which phrase forms a literary envelope for the whole book of Ecclesiastes?

"Vanity of vanities! All is vanity"

Isaiah named his children (check all that apply) based on the events of his ministry, which showed his faith in God's plan for the future:

"a remnant shall return" "swift is the plunder and speedy is the prey"

The opening verses of the book of Job describes him as...

"blameless and upright" and a man who "feared God and shunned evil."

The final temple construction was completed in _.

516 BC

In ____, Nebuchadnezzar defeated the Southern Kingdom (Judah), destroyed Jerusalem and its temple, and led the people into exile.

586 BC

The first deportation of the Jews to Babylon took place in ___; the second deportation (of which Ezekiel was a part) took place in ___; the final invasion of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon took place in ___.

605 BC 597 BC 586 BC

Jeremiah prophesied from ______, during Judah's last forty years.

627-586 BC

Israel fell to the Assyrians in _. Judah fell to the Babylonians in _. Cyrus decreed to let the exiles return in _. The temple was finished in _.

720 BC: 586 BC: 539 BC: 516 BC

In____, the Northern Kingdom (Israel) was led into Assyrian captivity

722 BC

In ____, Israel and Judah became Assyrian vassal states.

732 BC

Most scholars date Isaiah's prophetic ministry from about ___________ BC. When Isaiah responded to God's call, the northern kingdom of Israel had less than twenty years left before it would fall to Assyria.

740 to 690

The classical prophets prophesied during what time period (check one)?

800 - 450 BC

The Old Testament law provided the people with certain tests to discern true prophets from false prophets. Which of the following is true about these tests (check all that apply)?

A prophet's message had to be consistent with earlier revelation. If a prophet prophesied some sign or wonder, and the sign or wonder did not occur, the people were not to listen. God ordered the death penalty for false prophets.

Check all that applies concerning Amos' background:

Amos earned part of his living tending sycamore trees Amos worked among the sheepherders of Tekoa Amos was sent by God to prophesy in Israel Amos grew up in Judah

(check all that apply) Isaiah through Malachi are often referred to as the "classical prophets"...

And inform gods people of approaching judgement, calling them to repentance Because their messages tend to have certain similar feature Which differentiates them from earlier prophets such as Moses, Elijah, and Samuel. And served as spiritual messengers to gods people by the power of the Holy Spirit

Who composed 12 psalms?

Asaph

From the following list, check the four common characteristics of Hebrew poetry.

Chiasm Parallelism Meter Acrostic

Check all that apply concerning Babylon's fall to Cyrus:

Cyrus is Persian He decreed that the Jews in exile could return to rebuild the temple Occurred in 539 BC

The subcategory of biblical apocalyptic material, such as Zechariah, _, and _, opens with _ material and gradually moves to the more _ material.

Daniel: Revelation: historical: apocalyptic

__'s perspective considers the ____ world empires in light of God's ultimate purposes; he uses a universal panorama when he describes the __.

Daniel: secular: future

Who composed 73 psalms?

David

Which three books of the Old Testament share "wisdom" features" and are classified as the Wisdom Literature? (check all that apply)

Ecclesiastes Job Proverbs

Job's friends are

Eliphaz Bildad Zophar

T or F: A secondary function of the classical prophets was that of fortune-tellers. Although there was no such thing as one who interpreted horoscopes, the Scriptures record that the classical prophets often functioned as psychics and palm readers.

False

T or F: Because being swallowed by a fish is so hard to believe, and because the prophets rarely include stories of the miraculous, it is best to view Jonah's story as an allegory.

False

T or F: Daniel repeatedly calls his readers to repent and lead a new life.

False

T or F: For Amos, a proper relationship with God demanded social justice, but in order to keep from offending the people, he did not address these issues.

False

T or F: In Ecclesiastes, the only hope of enduring life's trials is by having a strong work ethic, whereas Proverbs promotes the "fear of the Lord."

False

T or F: Joel's message about the "day of the Lord" applies strictly to the locust plague and should not be applied to future events of God's judgment.

False

T or F: One important theme in the book of Job is this: When people suffer it is because they have sinned and made God mad. Suffering is always God's revenge on sinful people.

False

T or F: The Proverbs prove that Ancient Israelites compartmentalized their faith just as people do today. For them, faith and science should never be mixed.

False

T or F: The book of Daniel contains two parts: the visions of chapters 1-6 and the narrative of chapters 7-12.

False

T or F: The book of Job contains more direct parallels with ancient Near Eastern literature than any other book of the Bible.

False

T or F: The fact that Hosea's wife, Gomer, committed adultery against him, and he suffered the agony of jealousy, betrayal, humiliation, and shame, has nothing to do with Israel's relationship with Yahweh.

False

T or F: The first two chapters of Job are in poetic form employing a great deal of parallelism, while the remainder of the book is prose.

False

T or F: While Jeremiah never experienced opposition like the Apostles (e.g. beatings and public humiliation) he was still mocked and scorned by kings who did at times seek to kill him.

False

Which verse best describes the all-encompassing theme of Proverbs?

Fear the LORD and shun evil (3:7)

Based on the subject matter, it is clear that Israel used Psalms for the following reasons (check all the apply):

For private/individual worship unto Jehovah. For corporate worship unto Jehovah.

Check all that is true about Jeremiah:

God commanded him not to marry and have children. As far as we know, Jeremiah never served as a priest. He was a young man when the Lord called him to prophesy. He was the son of Hilkiah, one of the priests at Anathoth.

When the Lord answered Joel in chapter 2-3, his answer included four parts (check all that apply):

God promised that the land would experience restoration. God promised that He would judge unrepentant nations. God promised that the people would experience a spiritual awakening. God promised that Judah would enjoy special blessing and prominence.

Called "the Gospel of the Old Testament" because of the prophet's emphasis on

God's grace and love in the context of impending judgment.

__ and __ prophesied during the time (and shortly after) the temple was being built, while __ ministered about sixty years later.

Haggai and Zechariah: Malachi

Check all that apply concerning Hosea's ministry:

He prophesied in the northern kingdom. He challenged God's people to recognize their sinful ways and repent. He lived in the northern kingdom.

Based on Psalm 25:1, it is evident that the scribes of __ carefully rearranged some of the proverbs of King Solomon.

Hezekiah

Song of Songs teaches us that

Human sexuality is an unavoidable part of the believer's life; it has a place in biblical faith and should not be compartmentalized.

What kind of psalm is a song of praise and thanksgiving to God for who he is and what he has done?

Hymn

What kind of psalm calls for God's judgment against God's enemies and/or his people's enemies?

Imprecatory Psalm

Which of the below statements is true about Isaiah's view of God's sovereignty? (check all that apply)

Isaiah's view of God's sovereignty dramatically shaped his ministry. He knew God controlled the nations, and therefore he prophesied boldly that God would deal with those nations

Which one of these statements best describes Israel's history from the time of Moses to the time of the prophets?

Israel did not consistently worship and obey God from the time of Moses, throughout the united and divided kingdom, and during the time of the prophets. God sent the prophets to warn Israel to return to her covenant with God.

Because, in the NT, ___ says that Jonah preached to Ninevah, and because the book gives no indication, we can be sure that Jonah is not _______.

Jesus: an allegory

From the following list, choose the poetical books of the Old Testament. (check all that apply)

Job Psalms Proverbs Ecclesiastes Song of Songs

For the following reasons, most consider the events of the book of Job to have taken place in the patriarchal period (check all that apply):

Job offers sacrifices without an intermediary such as a priest. Job's wealth is measured in terms of flocks and servants Job's long life span (140 years) harkens back to Genesis.

Check all that apply concerning the date of Joel's ministry as being somewhere around 500-450 BC:

Joel mentions priests and elders, but no king, which may suggest that Judah did not have one at the time. Joel mentions no opposition from pagan cults. This fact also seems to reflect postexilic conditions. Chapter 3 appears to refer back to the Babylonian exile.

Isaiah served as a prophet in ___. He prophesied mainly to __, though he also had words for __ and other nations

Judah's royal court - Judah - Israel

Check all that apply concerning the structure of Lamentations:

Lamentations contains a series of acrostics (alphabetic poems). Chapters 1, 2, and 4 each contain 22 verses, with each verse starting with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Chapter 3 is an acrostic containing 66 verses.

Which of the below statements is true concerning the "remnant" in Isaiah? (check all that apply)

Many people had descended from Jacob's twelve sons, but the remnant lived faithful to the covenant This group had a deep faith relationship with the Lord that distinguished them from other Israelites. Exile might come, but God one day would lead his remnant home

What kind of psalm describes some aspect of the Messiah's person or ministry?

Messianic Psalm

Check all that applies concerning the last 12 books of the Old Testament.

Most of these books have only a few chapters. In Jewish tradition, these are called the Book of the Twelve. In Christian tradition, these are called the Minor Prophets.

Which one of these statements is true about why we call it this book "Ecclesiastes"?

One should not associate our modern reference to the doctrine of "ecclesiology" with the book of "Ecclesiastes." The term "ecclesiastes" came into English through the Latin Vulgate's and Greek Septuagint's translation of the word "Qohelet" which refers to one leading an assembly, and therefore "ecclesiastes" was understood as the leader or speaker for the assembly.

What kind of psalm confesses sorrow for sin and appeals to God for grace and forgiveness?

Penitential Psalm

What kind of psalm bemoans one's condition; usually includes a statement of lament, statement of trust in God, and affirmation of praise to him?

Psalm of Lament

What kind of psalm focuses on the king as the son of David and as God's chosen man to rule his people?

Royal Psalm

How was prophecy passed down to us (check all that apply)?

Some prophets wrote down their own words. Some prophets used scribes to record their words. Some prophets may have had disciples who collected their words and organized them into the books we have today.

Who composed 11 psalms?

Sons of Korah

Jeremiah was a prophet in the _______ Kingdom of ____ around the Captial City of _______.

Southern: Judah: Jerusalem

Check all the apply concerning the book of Daniel:

The Jewish canon groups it among the Writings. The Christian canon includes Daniel among the Prophets. Daniel is different in content and style from the Prophets.

Common prophetic themes include (check all that apply):

The Messiah The day of the Lord Covenant obligations

We can date Nahum's prophecy because of his allusions to datable events. Nahum mentions (check all that apply):

The fall of Nineveh's fall which took place in 612 BC The fall of Thebes which occurred in 663 BC

Check all that apply: The opening chapters of the book of Daniel tell about...

The handwriting on the wall at Belshazzar's party Nebuchadnezzar's burning fiery furnace How Daniel and his three friends consistently stand up for righteousness When Daniel was thrown into Darius's den of lions How Daniel and his three friends successfully bear witness to their faith before a hostile world. How Daniel and his three friends found God to be faithful.

Which of the below statements is true concerning the "Holy One of Israel" in Isaiah? (check all that apply)

The people had forsaken the Holy one of Israel The holy one of Israel would act in holiness to judge sin whenever he found it only 6 other occurrences are found in the rest of the OT used 25 times to describe the lord

Check all that apply about extrabiblical Ancient Near Eastern laments:

The peoples mourn the destruction of their cities. They ascribe the destruction to a god or group of gods.

Which of the below statements is true concerning the "servant" in Isaiah? (check all that apply)

The word "servant" may denote an individual Israelite The word "servant" may denote the Messiah The word "servant" may denote an the nation of Israel The word "servant" may denote the remnant The servant works diligently to accomplish God's purpose despite numerous challenges and difficulties.

What is an attempt to defend God's goodness and omnipotence in view of the existence of evil?

Theodicy

T or F: Although some have argued that Song of Songs is an anthology, should be viewed as one unified song. It is not totally without unity. It is highly repetitious, and its consistent character portrayal and common themes indicate a certain unity, though not a consistent narrative plot.

True

T or F: Although the book of Jonah does not give a date for the book, because Jonah is mentioned in the book of 2 Kings, we can be sure of when lived.

True

T or F: Amos prophesied concerning the sins of Israel as well as 8 other nations.

True

T or F: As Nahum looked at his world, he saw God's hand moving against Assyria. The prophet announced that Nineveh, Assyria's capital, would soon fall.

True

T or F: Daniel is one of the most disputed and debated books of the Bible.

True

T or F: During Joel's day, a locust plague came upon the land such as its citizens had never seen. Joel described this locust plague as "the day of the LORD" and called the nation to repentance.

True

T or F: Ezekiel not only warns of judgment, but he also looks ahead to a glorious day in which God will defeat sin for all time, restore his people, and dwell with them forever.

True

T or F: God often gave messages from his prophets to the peoples who surrounded Israel and Judah, because God is Lord of all nations.

True

T or F: Habakkuk was a different kind of prophet---Rather than delivering messages from God to the people, we also see him delivering a series of questions on behalf of the people to God.

True

T or F: Haggai began prophesying in 520 BC. Work on God's temple had ceased about fifteen years earlier because of opposition from Judah's neighbors.

True

T or F: Hosea began his ministry early on in the period of the divided kingdom (during Jereboam's reign) during a time in which people saw Assyria as a possible ally, but Hosea warned against trusting Assyria.

True

T or F: In the latter chapter of Jeremiah, we witness his struggle with God, as he wondered why God had given him such a frustrating task.

True

T or F: Isaiah was the son of Amoz; we know nothing about Amoz except that he was Isaiah's father.

True

T or F: It seems to be the case that Zephaniah traces his ancestry back to Hezekiah, king of Judah.

True

T or F: King Cyrus was called "messiah" in Isaiah 45:1, but he would never accomplish God's purpose in the way that "The Messiah," Jesus Christ, would.

True

T or F: Micah was a contemporary of Isaiah.

True

T or F: Portions of Proverbs 22-24 have much in common with the Egyptian document known as the Instruction of Amenemope.

True

T or F: Song of Songs affirms that the marriage bond provides the closest possible unity in human relations (Gen. 2:24). This is why sharing a sexual union with multiple people is such a serious issue.

True

T or F: Song of Songs likely became part of the standard musical celebration of every wedding in Israel as a way of educating the young people of Israel concerning a proper marriage relationship.

True

T or F: The Egyptian Instructional Wisdom is similar to the Biblical Proverbs in that it reflects the concept that the family was the most important educational unit of the ancient world, as was also true of ancient Israel.

True

T or F: The book of Daniel clearly has apocalyptic features, and shows significant differences from the later apocalyptic books of the intertestamental period.

True

T or F: The book of Proverbs emphasizes two ways of living between which all of us must choose: the way of wisdom or the way of folly.

True

T or F: The grammar and vocabulary of Ecclesiastes appear to be not postexilic, as suggested by some liberal scholars, but in fact completely consonant with preexilic Hebrew, giving support for Solomonic authorship.

True

T or F: The nonliterary prophets prophesied but never wrote down their messages. We know about their ministries through the accounts of them in the Old Testament historical books.

True

T or F: The term nābîʾ occurs over three hundred times; it occurs more frequently than the other two Hebrew words which are sometimes translated as "prophet."

True

T or F: We do not know the human author of 49 Psalms.

True

T or F:Zechariah began prophesying in 520 BC. Work on God's temple had ceased about fifteen years earlier because of opposition from Judah's neighbors.

True

The prophets share the following characteristics (check all that apply):

Used a variety of techniques to communicate their message Possessed a strong sense of calling Were messengers Told forth gods truth to their generation Possessed hearts devoted to God Foretold the near and distant futures

Check all that apply about the prophet Ezekiel.

We know little about him outside the book of Ezekiel. His wife died as part of a sign to the people. He ministered primarily to the Jews in Babylon

What kind of psalm makes general observations on life, especially God and our relationship to him?

Wisdom Psalm

Which best describes Acrostic structure?

a poem in which the first letter of each line spells out the alphabet.

Two lines stand in contrast to each other.

antithetic parallelism

One type of Ancient Near Eastern wisdom literature is the maxim. What best describes the maxim? (check all that apply)

brief usually optimistic states observations about life in general (practical)

Intellect is obviously important in grasping the truths of God, but his truths are ones to which we are called to commit our lives. Thus wisdom is rooted in _.

character

Although many biblical proverbs begin with imperatives or instructions given in the second person, they should not always be considered __.

commands

Which of these statements is true of Ugarit.

contains thirty characters prominent in modern-day Syria from 1500 to 1200 BC helps us understand the meaning of difficult Hebrew words. helps us understand the polytheistic world that surrounded the Hebrews. alphabetic language

T or F: Parallelism occasionally occurs, but is still an important feature of Hebrew poetry.

false

T or F: The poetic Meter present in the original ancient Hebrew text is almost always reduplicated in the English text.

false

One genre of Ancient Near Eastern wisdom literature is the dialogue or monologue. What best describes the dialogue/monologue? (check all that apply)

frequently, but not always, pessimistic grapples with life's most difficult problems (philosophical) lengthy

Proverbs are statements of __, not hard-and-fast __.

general truth : promises

The following ideals are present in the love story of Song of Songs (check all that apply):

honor and faithfulness monogamous sexual love sexual love within marriage

Amos closed his book with a message of____. Despite all of Israel's sin, God still____ the nation. Amos also spoke of other nations that would bear God's name and enjoy God's __ along with Israel.

hope: loved: blessing

While imprecatory psalms may be troubling for 21st century readers, the most important thing we can remember is this:

imprecatory psalms leave judgment in God's hands.

Check all that apply: The book of Daniel...

is in some ways similar to the Book of Revelation. contains material that modern scholars call apocalyptic literature.

Malachi's name means _ which has caused some scholars to suggest that the book is anonymous. (This is likely not the case.)

my messenger

This is what we know about Qohelet (check all that apply):

occurs nowhere else in the OT except Ecclesiastes means something like "preacher" or "teacher" a Hebrew term

A biblical proverb is a succinct and persuasive saying proven true by __.

personal experience and by observing the experiences of others.

Ultimately the Mesopotamian solution to the problem of suffering is to...

place the blame on the sufferer, who can only accept the fate given to him by the gods.

Ecclesiastes contains a variety of literary types (check four) all making the same point.

poetry proverbs narrative brief meditations

Hosea ministered during a time of economic ___, during which the people had already adopted many of the religious practices of those around them. They built shrines to these gods and adopted the sexual fertility rites that accompanied their worship. During this time, sacred __ became part of Israel's religion. Gradually, the people became convinced that __, not the Lord God, had provided them with life's __.

prosperity: prostitution: Baal: blessings

Malachi...

rebukes God's people for their general disregard for the law and proper worship.

The Proverbs teach that there is more to knowing truth than learning propositions and assertions. Knowledge is _.

relational

The word "psalm" comes from the Greek word psalmos, which means

song or hymn

Haggai...

stirred the apathetic people to consider God's concerns above their own.

Which best describes Meter?

stressed and unstressed syllabic pattern in a verse, or within the lines of a poem.

Which best describes Parallelism?

structure of thought which contrasts or compares at least two lines of poetry.

Repetition of the same thought or a similar thought.

synonymous parallelism

The second line normally completes a thought the first line left incomplete.

synthetic parallelism

The book of Daniel follows a _ arrangement with __ at the beginning and _ and the end.

topical: stories: visions

T or F: While the English alphabet contains 26 letters, the ancient Hebrew alphabet contained 22 letters.

true

Micah's message centered on the themes of (check all that apply)...

true worship social injustice false security

Zechariah...

warned that God's eternal kingdom was coming while challenging them to live for God today.

Which best describes Chiastic structure?

when successive lines of poetry reverse the order in which parallel themes appear, "crisscrossing" each other.