BS-502
Quiz 2

Handouts #03, #06, #07, Narrative & Poetry

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Week 4

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Feb 21 - 26, 22
13 14 15 4 4 2
Points 40
Due February 27, 2022

Study Guide for Quiz #2

Handout #03, #06 & #07, esp. Narrative & Poetry

Handout 03

I. No One is a “Neutral” Interpreter —

II. General Principles & Guidelines:

  1. A Basic Principle:

    Interpretation should fit the historical setting, the grammar, and the context of the passage.

    That is, it should fit with…

  2. Observe the text carefully; pay attention to the details.

    Example: Eph 3:5 does not read, “which was not known at at all in former times…”

    Instead, it reads: “which was not known in former times as it has been made known now.”

  3. Do not overdrive the text; do not say more than the text says.

    …and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. Jer 23:28 (ed)

    • James 2:24
    • Mark 16:16

  4. Don’t build a big house… on one verse

    Major doctrines should be built on multiple references from a several places in the Bible. They should not be built not on just one verse, especially if it is a verse which is not easy to interpret. Because if you have misunderstood that one verse → you’ve got nothing.

    • Gal 6:16 Are Christians “spiritual Jews”? Is the church the new / true Israel?

    • Matt 15:24 “I was only sent to the lost sheep of Israel.”

  5. When we are reading a specific translation of the Bible, we should bear in mind that translation’s approach to translating the Bible.

    • That is → Were the translators trying to be as accurate as possible, even if the resulting translation is somewhat difficult to read?
    • Or, → Were they trying to make sure their translation was very readable, and then after that, be as accurate as they could be?
    • To Note: For matters of doctrine… use literal translations

  6. When multiple translations of the Bible agree on how they render a verse…

  7. A basic principle which pervades all of this is:

    Scripture interprets Scripture

  8. Finally, think carefully.

III. Specific Principe of Interpretation which are especially important for the Bible:

  1. Since Scripture does not finally contradict Scripture → If we think the Bible seems to be contradicting itself, then we need to look more carefully at the passage(s) involved, or else improve our understanding of how to interpret the Bible, or both.

  2. A passage which directly addresses an issue takes precedence over one which addresses it only indirectly or by implication. Hence it is vital to determine, “What is the topic of this passage?”

  3. A passage which is clear on a subject takes precedence over one which is unclear or obscure.

  4. A more specific statement takes precedence over, or else qualifies, a general one.

    Examples:

    • 1 Cor 7:17-24, but then note especially v.21b.
    • Mutual Christian submission, vs. parent ↔ child

  5. Recognize the normal summarizing use of language. (This is similar to “Do not over-drive…”)

    Some Examples.

    • 1 Cor 13:7 “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
    • Jesus often states things in absolute terms, terms which do not easily lend themselves to seeing things in shades of gray. But statements on the same topics in the epistles are often more practical, speaking in realistic terms. Two examples:

    Jesus, speaking to the rich young man in Matt 19:21 —

    Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”

    Paul, in 1 Tim 6:17 —

    Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.

    Jesus, in Luke 14:26 —

    If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.

    Paul, in 1 Tim 5:8 —

    But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

  6. To sum up:

    Q: How can we make sound conclusions about what the Bible is teaching?

    A: Base our doctrine and our practice on → Multiple passages, which address and issue directly, and speak clearly.

  7. Finally, an interpretation which makes the best sense of all the data in the text is to be preferred over one which involves a lot a special pleading.

Editor notes

Q: Why do elephants paint their toenails green?

A: So they can hide in your front lawn and you can’t see them.

Q: Have you ever seen an elephant hiding in your front lawn?

Did not pass the “You’ve got to be kidding” test.

Handout 06

A. Features To Observe When Reading Narrative:

  1. In general, Old Testament narrative is written in a straight-forward manner. So, in general, we should…

  2. Pay attention to the details. // Even though the Old Testament adds up to be rather large, the individual accounts are often rather brief; so the details count. If the writer slows down to give more detail, it’s important.

    To Note! OT narrative often does not give you all of the info you might like to have. But it gives you enough for you to know what you need to know in order to assess the episode you are reading.

    For example: 1 Samuel 15, Saul and the command to utterly destroy the Amalekites.

  3. Similarly, if something gets lengthy treatment, it is probably important.

  4. Editorial Comments. Note comments which give direct moral or theological evaluation, comments which offer a value judgment on what is happening in the story. I call these “editorial comments”.

    They give us God’s perspective on the events recorded. The classic example is: “They did evil in the eyes of the Lord.”

    Other examples are: Judges 9:56-57; 2 Kings 17:7-23; and 1 Chron 10:13-14.

  5. Pay attention to the dialogue. // By “dialogue” we mean whenever someone is speaking, whether or not there is a back-and-forth conversation.

    The story as told by the narrator is sometimes called the "narrative proper."]

    In particular, pay attention to lengthy statements or speeches or prayers by “approved persons.”

    An "approved person" is — someone who is commended in Scripture (e.g., Moses, Abraham, Joshua, David, Solomon [sometimes ☹️], Josiah, etc.), or, someone whose conduct shows genuine faithfulness to God (Joseph, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah).

Note, however: Just because a person is a main character in an episode does not guarantee that he/she is an "approved person".

    In OT narratives, the dialogue often carries the theology of the passage.

    Example: Gen 22.

    On the other hand, the Bible sometimes records people saying things that are not true. When the narrator is speaking, what is said will always be true. But when a person is speaking, sometimes what they say is not true. (e.g.: King Saul, 1 Sam 23:7)

B. Principles of Special Value for Interpreting Narrative:

  1. Bear in mind the prior theological framework provided by Scripture, especially the foundation set by the Pentateuch. This is what the text “assumes” you know.

    Example: Deut 18:10,11 ↔ 1 Samuel 28.

  2. What happens in narrative is to be judged by the general teaching and the prophetic sections in the rest of the Old Testament.

    Pay attention to other Scriptures (especially in the OT) to see if they make it clear whether the action recorded is good or bad.

    Example: 1 Sam 28 ↔ 1 Chron 10

  3. Read the passage and then keep reading. Ask:

    • What does the rest of Scripture do with this event? (Gen 35:22)
    • What does the rest of Scripture do with the information given here? (Gen 34)

  4. Ask yourself: What is the point, the purpose, of this passage? Why is it recorded? A good way to find the purpose of the passage is to ask:

    If this passage was not in the Bible, what would we miss, what would we lose?

    The answer to that question may well be the point of the passage.

    Examples:

    • The Joseph narrative (Gen 37-50).
    • The account of Rahab (Josh 2-6).

Do Not -

  1. Do not ignore the context while trying to draw applications from a small detail of a narrative.

  2. Do not assume the that Bible recommends something it merely records.

  3. Do not “overdrive” your evidence. That is, do not draw a big conclusion or make a big application you cannot show clearly from the text.

    • Often, the Bible itself .
    • But if the Bible itself does not draw any conclusions about an event, or does not focus

  4. Do not neglect the passage by merely “typologizing” the recorded events, or by spiritualizing, seeking to find a “hidden spiritual meaning” for every incident and detail in the Old Testament.

    E.g.: Genesis 22:17 “like sand of the seashore ↔ like stars of the sky.”

Handout 07

Old Testament Poetry / Hebrew Poetry —

— definitely has something to say. But it makes its point in a different way than do OT or NT narrative passages or NT epistles. It is a different style of writing, a different genre, than prose. Like poetry in any language, OT poetry has an elevated, artistic use of language.

Also, poetry often requires us to think harder in order to understand the point it is making.

And in a few places (mostly the book of Ecclesiastes), it seems to deliberately move the reader in the wrong direction for a while, in order to force(!) the reader to think about the issue.

I. Which OT Books Are Mostly Poetic?

II. The General Nature of OT Poetry:

  1. It often uses figurative language, such as: “God is my rock”; or, “the God of Jacob is our fortress”.

    Such figurative language…

  2. OT poetry tends to describe…

    rather than describing…

  3. It often does not make its train of thought obvious. Its arguments might not have a tight logical sequence.

    By way of contrast: NT books like…

    Yes, there is(!) a flow of thought in poetic passages…

  4. Sometimes the ‘speaker’ in a psalm…

    To Clarify: The person who wrote the psalm is often called ‘the psalmist’. … And the psalmist is often the speaker in the psalm, but not always.

    We will use Ps 46 as an example.

    • The ‘Psalmist’ = The persons who wrote Ps 46 are…

    • The ‘Speaker’ = The persons speaking at the beginning of Ps 46 are the sons of Korah. (They are perhaps speaking on behalf of the nation of Israel.)

      But in v. 10, the speaker shifts, and can only be God.

      Q: In what verse does the speaker shift back to the original speaker, the sons of Korah?

    So the speaker in Ps 46 switches from the sons of Korah to God, and then back to the sons of Korah. But the psalm does not tell you the speaker has changed, either time.

  5. In like manner, sometimes the person being talked about will shift from one person to another, without the psalm telling you it has done so. When this happens, it is usually shifting from David to the Messiah, and perhaps then back to David.

    Consider Ps 16. It seems to be David talking about himself, and yet what it says…

    In these cases, what the Psalm describes…

  6. A given poetic passage might only tell us one side of the story.

    • Contrast David’s lament over Saul in 2 Samuel 1, to the mood of Psalms 52-59

    • Psalms with a positive view of the nations:

      Psalms with a negative view of the nations:

  7. Poetry often evokes emotion, and may display strong swings of emotion. [Psalm 31, the book of Hosea, Lamentations 3.]

  8. Poetic passages sometimes describe how something feels or how it looks at the moment to the speaker, rather than setting forth the objective reality of the matter / the Bible’s final word on the matter.

    In the Wisdom Books, an example is Job 9:14-22.

    This also occurs in the Psalms:

    (In addition to the examples listed below, see also: Ps 12:1 and Ps 89:38,39.)

    Some examples from the Psalms:

    • Ps 9:9

      The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed,

      A stronghold in times of trouble.

    • Ps 10:1

      Why, O Lord, do you stand far off?

      Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

    • Ps 44:23

      Awake, O Lord! Why do you sleep!

      Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever.

    • Ps 73:4-12

      4 The wicked have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and well-fed.

      5 They are free from the burdens common to man; they are not plagued by human ills. […]

      12 This is what the wicked are like— always carefree, they increase in wealth.

    • Ps 74:1

      Why have you rejected us forever, O God?

      Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture?

    In Sum:

    • What OT poetry says is true in some sense; but it does not always describe each situation with balance or with precision.

    • So to get a balanced picture from poetry, we need to read a lot of it.

    • And we need to bear in mind its genre, that it is poetic. Poetry often does use language in a normal, straight-forward way. But as poetry, much of its language is figurative and emotional; such language is not intended to be taken in a flatly literal manner.

    Question:

    How can we tell when OT poetry is using language in a normal way, versus when it is figurative and emotional?

    Answer:

    1. Your common sense will serve you well.

      You know that God is not actually a rock (Ps 18:2), and you know that God does not actually sleep (Ps 44: 23).

    2. Also, the parts of the Bible that are written in…

      • In the Old Testament, the narrative-historical books (such as; Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings & Chronicles) and the books containing the Law (Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers & Deuteronomy) are mostly written in normal language.

      • In the New Testament the gospels, the books of Acts, and the Epistles are mostly written in normal language.

      • So again, we use what those books teach us to form a grid by which we can sort through the figurative and emotional language of the poetic passages.

III. Some Key Features of the Way OT Poetry is Written:

(i.e., its “literary features”)

In English, the two main ‘literary features’ of poetry are rhyming and meter. By way of contrast, Hebrew poetry does not rhyme and has no precise meter. But it does have features that distinguish it from regular prose or narrative writing.

A. The Main Literary Feature of OT Poetry: Parallelism

  1. “Parallel structure” in OT poetry: In Hebrew poetry (= OT poetry), the lines of poetry usually come in pairs. The second line is said to be ‘parallel’ to the first line. This feature is called “parallelism.”

  2. The basic idea of parallelism / of parallel structure in OT poetry is this:

    So we should not base a conclusion on… a single line

  3. The Most Common ‘Types’ of Parallelism in OT Poetry:

    We identify these ‘types’ of parallelism by asking & answering the question:

    The three most common ways that the thought of the second line relates back to the thought of the first line are:

    1. ‘Synonymous’ Parallelism

      There are many examples in Ps 2 and in Isaiah 59.

      In synonymous parallelism, the second essentially restates, or closely echoes, the thought of the first line.

      • Ps 2:1

        Why do the nations rage,

        and the peoples plot in vain?

      • Ps 51

        For my transgression I know

        and my sin is continually before me.

      What is called ‘Chiastic’ Parallelism (A—B, then B’—A’) is essentially a subset of Synonymous Parallelism.

      In chiastic parallelism, the two lines say much the same thing. But with chiastic parallelism, the word-order of the two lines is approximately reversed. That is, the second line has an inverted word order compared to the first line.

      • Ps 51

        Wash me thoroughly • from my iniquity

        and from my sin • cleanse me.

    2. ‘Antithetic’ Parallelism

      This is very common in the book of Proverbs.

      The second line makes much the same point as does the first line, but does so using…

      These examples are from Proverbs.

      • 12:1

        Reckless words pierce like a sword,

        but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

      • 14:9

        Fools mock at making amends for sin,

        but good will is found among the upright.

      • 15:1

        A gentle answer turns away wrath,

        but a harsh word stirs up anger.

    3. ‘Synthetic’ Parallelism

      This is the most common type of parallelism.

      The second line adds a related thought, completes the thought, or qualifies the thought of, the first line.

      • Ps 53:1

        The fool has said in his heart,

        “There is no God.”

        2nd line completes the thought of the 1st line.
      • Hos 8:12

        I wrote them the many things of my law,

        but they regard them as something alien.

        2nd line adds a related thought to the 1st line.
      • Prov. 20:4

        A sluggard does not plow in season;

        so at harvest he looks but finds nothing.

        2nd line adds a related thought to the 1st line.
      • Ps 145:18

        The Lord is near to all who call on him —

        — to all who call on him in truth.

        2nd line qualifies or modifies the 1st line.

  4. Question:

    What if there is a break (breakdown?) in the parallel pattern? That is, what if a line seems to be left-over?

    Or, what if there seems to be a triplet (= three lines together, instead of two)? Should we “fix” it?

    Answer: No. The “break” either marks… point of emphasis or end of poetic stanza

    [Examples: Ruth 1:16-17; Ps 13:1-2; Ps 18:50, Ps 37:40, Ps 94:23; 100:5.]

B. Three other Literary Features Found in OT Poetry:

  1. “Gapping.” [Examples: Hos 6:3,4,6.]

    Examples:

    • Ps 24:1

      The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it;

      The world [__] and all who dwell in it.

    • Ps 74:23

      Do not ignore the clamor of your adversaries,

      [__] the uproar of your enemies, • which rises continually

  2. An “acrostic.”

    Each verse begin with a letter in the alphabet

    [Examples: Ps 37; 111; 119 137; also see Lamentations, chs. 1-4.]

    The significance of an acrostic:

    • For memory

  3. An “inclusio.”

    A passage has a verse runs several verses and ends with the same verse almost verbatim

    [Examples: Psalm 8; Joel 1:2-14; Eccles 1:2-12:8]

    The significance of an inclusio:

    • Read the whole thing together

IV. Conclusions About OT Poetry / Hebrew Poetry:

Hebrew Poetry is not the same genre as Narrative or Law. If we try to read it as if it were all to be taken flatly literally we are reading it against the intention of the author, against the nature of its genre.

Yet we do not say,

Since it uses figures of speech, we have no idea what it means.

Rather, it is to be interpreted in light of its recognized literary features, and in light of the normal approach to reading figurative poetic literature.

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Reading 4 • 31 Chapters
Quiz 2
Handouts #03, #06, #07, Narrative & Poetry
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Week 4

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