Biblical Hebrew Poetry and the Task of Interpretation

Cover......Page 1
Half-title......Page 3
Title page......Page 5
Copyright information......Page 6
Contents......Page 7
List of Contributors......Page 9
List of Abbreviations......Page 12
Introduction......Page 17
 Overview of Essays......Page 19
  Common Themes......Page 24
  Broader Questions......Page 26
 The Enduring Value of Close Reading......Page 27
Part I The Psalms......Page 29
 1 Words That Devour: Discursive Praxes and Structural Strategies in Psalm 50......Page 31
   Speech: Covenantal roles reenvisioned......Page 34
   Sacrifice: Covenantal praxis reconfigured......Page 36
  Structural Elements and Liturgical Pedagogy......Page 38
   Series of divine names......Page 40
   Alternation of singular and plural addressees......Page 43
   Inclusios grammatical and conceptual......Page 45
  Psalm 50 and Interpellation of the Faithful Subject......Page 46
 2 ''Silence Is Praise'': Art and Knowledge in Psalm 65......Page 48
  Silence is praise......Page 50
  You answer us......Page 53
  They even sing......Page 57
  Conclusion: What can poetry do?......Page 60
 3 The Glory of Creation in Psalm 104......Page 65
Part II Poetry in Wisdom Literature......Page 77
 4 Bildad Lectures Job: A Close Reading of Job 8......Page 79
 5 Poetry as Pedagogy in Proverbs 5......Page 96
 6 The Utility and Futility of Poetry in Qohelet......Page 109
  The speech at Qohelet 3:1-8......Page 110
  The context of the speech at Qohelet 3:1-8......Page 120
  Conclusion......Page 126
Part III The Song of Songs......Page 127
  1:1-4......Page 129
  1:5-6......Page 134
  1:7-8......Page 138
  1:9-14......Page 139
  1:15-17......Page 142
  Conclusion......Page 145
  Beginning with emotional integrity......Page 147
  The materiality of poetic language......Page 150
  Emotional susceptibility......Page 156
  An ethical sketch of emotion......Page 160
Part IV Poetry in the Prophetic Books......Page 163
 9 Isaiah's Love Song: A Reading of Isaiah 5:1-7......Page 165
  I......Page 168
  II......Page 171
  III......Page 175
  IV......Page 176
  V......Page 178
 10 Poetry, Language, and Statecraft in Isaiah 18......Page 183
  Isaiah 18:1-6 as poetry......Page 185
  ''Go, swift messengers''......Page 186
  ''I will calmly watch''......Page 194
  Conclusion......Page 199
 11 The Servant in Poetic Juxtaposition in Isaiah 49:1-13......Page 200
  The songs and the servant......Page 201
  Poetic persuasion and hearing the servant's voice......Page 202
  The servant and Zion juxtaposed......Page 209
  Unpacking the rhetorical impact of lyric juxtaposition......Page 212
 12 ''It Is a Lamentation - It Has Become a Lamentation!'': Subverting Genre in Ezekiel 19......Page 215
  Comparison of Ezekiel 19:3 and 5b-6......Page 223
  Zephaniah 1:15-16 and the Dies Irae......Page 232
   The Sibylline Oracles in Christian Tradition......Page 234
  Literary style of Zephaniah 1......Page 237
   1:2-6......Page 238
   1:7-13......Page 241
   1:14-18......Page 244
  Zephaniah, the Sibylline Oracles, and Dies Irae......Page 246
  Conclusion......Page 250
Part V Poetry in Biblical Narrative......Page 251
 14 YHWH's Poesie: The Gnadenformel (Exodus 34:6b-7), the Book of Exodus, and Beyond......Page 253
  1. The Poetics of the Gnadenformel (Exodus 34:6b-7)......Page 254
   The lineation of lines a-b......Page 256
   ʾēl raḥûm wǝḥannûn in context......Page 259
   wǝnaqqēh lōʾ yǝnaqqeh in context......Page 260
   Lines i-j in context......Page 261
   Summary......Page 264
  2. YHWH's Poetry Elsewhere and in the Context of Exodus 32-34......Page 265
  3. YHWH's Poetry and/as Scripture......Page 271
 15 The Decipherment of Sorrow: David's Lament in 2 Samuel 1:17-27......Page 273
  Afterword: On Deciphering the Emotions of Biblical Poetry......Page 289
Bibliography......Page 291
Index of Authors......Page 309
Index of Scripture and Other Ancient Texts......Page 313
Index of Subjects......Page 326